What's Cooking: Food news in brief What's Cooking: Food news in brief (July 02, 2003)

By Jane Knoerle
Almanac Lifestyles Editor

Del Sol cafe goes south of the border

The del Sol cafe, 1010 Doyle St., Menlo Park, is now serving Mexican cuisine. When the eatery opened in March in the former home of Vietnam restaurant, proprietors Uriel and Juan Gonzalez offered a mostly Mediterranean menu.

Now they are back to their roots with a lunch menu that includes burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos and tortas at moderate prices ($5 to $8.95).

The Gonzalez cousins, who bring with them years of restaurant experience, say they go all out for dinner. The appetizers range from a chicken tamale served with chipotle cream sauce ($5.25) to prawns served in a martini glass with tomato sauce and avocado ($9). There is a nice selection of salads, including Caesar ($5.95) and baby spinach with walnuts ($7.95).

Dinner entrees feature spareribs cooked in a chile sauce for $14; roasted poblano pepper stuffed with grilled seafood for $14; and grilled steak served with grilled jalapeno peppers and tomatoes for $14. The cousins are proud of their authentic mole poblano served with grilled chicken breast ($13).

Grilled shrimp may be ordered with mango sauce; sauteed with garlic, lime, wine and butter; sauteed in chile sauce; or sauteed with tomato sauce, onions and peppers for $14.

Cafe del Sol is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 326-2501.

Oak City Bar and Grill

Kerry Scheley, who worked for almost four years as Joey Altman's chef de cuisine at Wild Hare, will be the new chef at Oak City Bar and Grill, due to open in mid-July at the same location, 1020 El Camino Real. Owner David King, who also owns the building, honored Menlo Park's many old oak trees with the new name. The restaurant, featuring contemporary American cuisine, will be open nightly for dinner, with weekday lunch to be added later.

Follow the baker

Good news for Woodside residents who still yearn for the pastries Thomas Grauke made in the 1990s at Woodside Bakery: He and his wife are opening a bakery in San Mateo, just off Highway 92 in the Laurelwood Shopping Center. For nine years the Graukes have operated the Moonside Bakery and Cafe in Half Moon Bay, offering a variety of breads, cakes, pies, cookies and pastries. The new outlet will feature all the fresh baked goods of Moonside Bakery, focusing on focaccia, bagels, bialys, scones, strudel and specialty cakes, along with a light lunch menu.

Mr. Grauke has been baking for 30 years, starting as an apprentice in Germany at age 16. At Woodside Bakery he worked with Doug Basegio, who owned the bakery at the time. Mr. Basegio now teaches at the Culinary Institute in San Francisco.