Readers' Choice: Dining Out, Dining In

For the third consecutive year, Noah's Bagels has proven itself the favorite bagel stop for Almanac readers. An ark-full of favorites includes sesame, garlic, and poppy seed, though a total of 18 choices -- including the bizarrely popular chocolate chip bagel -- keep customers happy. Regulars stop in every morning for a bagel fix and a cup of Noah's Blend coffee, "the roast of old New York." It's fun to match different bagel flavors with flavored cream cheese schmears.

Noah's Bagels, 746 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 326-4794.

Breakfast

Hobee's restaurant in Palo Alto's Town and Country Village was a new winner, edging out Ann's Coffee Shop by only a few votes. Readers like Hobee's "California Moderne" decor -- but even more, they like the omelets, especially when accompanied by a big slab of Hobee's own hash browns. On Fridays, the special is Eggs Benedict, while Thursday's is tamale pie. Weekend breakfast specials vary seasonally.

Hobee's Restaurant, 67 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto. 327-4111.

Burgers

Clarke's Charcoal Broiler serves up Almanac readers' favorite burgers, but there's more on the menu than just beef. Though, of course, Clarke's more than caters to carnivores: basic burgers can be dressed up with six varieties of cheese, sauteed mushrooms and other fixings, and a choice of breads including french rolls and sourdough buns. A lunch combo with fries and the most basic burger costs $4.45. Turkey burgers, vegetarian garden burgers, and chicken sandwiches are also on the menu. You can muse over Clarke's collection of train photography and memorabilia as you munch.

Clarke's Charcoal Broiler, 1246 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 328-0676.

Cafe

Cafe Borrone expanded its empire into neighboring space occupied by the former Kepler's Annex and lost no room in readers' hearts this year. At Cafe Borrone you can sit back and sip a cappuccino, chianti or Cinzano and imagine yourself on the Piazza Navona in Rome -- though with Kepler's Books next door, you can find English reading material more easily. The ever-popular, European-style cafe offers sandwiches, salads, quiche, soups, beer, and a selection of wine by the glass. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served; live Dixieland music on Friday nights lends an American flair.

Cafe Borrone, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 327-0830.

Chinese food/Take out

Once again, Su Hong won readers' votes not only for best Chinese food, but best take-out food as well. For the fifth year in a row readers commended the restaurant on El Camino Real, with its sunny dining room and snowy tablecloths. Su Hong to Go, a block away on Menlo Avenue, offers take-out food and beverages; the menu for both restaurants includes Mandarin, Szechwan and Cantonese dishes, including favorites like Kung Pao chicken, black pepper beef, and a great spinach soup with tofu.

Su Hong, 1039 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 323-6852.

Su Hong to Go, 630 Menlo Ave., Menlo Park, 322-4631.

Lunch

Le Boulanger bakery and cafe tops the list of readers' favorite lunch stops, and it's no surprise: it's smack in the middle of downtown, and the food is unpretentious and tasty. And when the line isn't snaking out the door and down the street, the blond wood and sunlight make Le Boulanger a pleasant place to linger over your meal. Favorites here are sandwiches. The classico, hot chicken breast with provolone and roasted red peppers in vinaigrette, and the vegetarian, a triple-decker veggie sandwich on nine-grain bread with dill sauce, are the current sandwich champs.

Le Boulanger, 720 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 322-5528. French food

Pot au feu may be Le Pot au Feu's signature dish, but you can find much more than boiled meat and vegetables on the menu at Menlo Park's favorite cozy bistro. Old French favorites such as escargot, French onion soup, and brie en croute share the menu with less stodgy fare like goat cheese salad with pecans. Of course, pot au feu still tastes good with a glass of vin rouge and a piece of crusty bread. The rich desserts can often be shared by two.

Le Pot au Feu, 1149 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 322-4343.

Japanese food

With so many new restaurants lining Palo Alto's University Avenue, Miyake still draws a slew of customers weekdays and weekends alike. Voted best Japanese food in the area last year, Miyake remains at the top of our readers' list of favorites. Service is fast and the atmosphere is loud. Customers select from a vast menu of sushi, sashimi, and traditional Japanese favorites such as teriyaki chicken and tempura shrimp. Prices are reasonable, and Japanese beer and sake are available.

Miyake Restaurant, 140 University Ave., Palo Alto, 323-9449. Juice bar

Customers "belly up" to the Juice Patch bar on Santa Cruz Avenue for refreshing, healthful drinks. The specialty here is the smoothie, the by-now-familiar blend of fruit juice, frozen yogurt or sherbet, and fresh fruit. Juice Patch does up the smoothie with flair: favorites include the "Strawberry Patch" and "Storming the Peaches at Normandy," though customers can design their own drinks -- and add up to two nutritional supplements such as bee pollen or wheat germ for free. Juice Patch also serves up regular juices and Hawaiian ice.

Juice Patch, 626 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 327-2252. Ice cream/frozen yogurt

Although it's called "31 Flavors," Baskin-Robbins actually carries more than 40 flavors at a time, including perennial area favorites "Jamocha Almond Fudge" and "Pralines and Cream." While mint chocolate chip is the chain's signature ice cream, a line of sherbets and ice creams in day-glo colors appeals to the gross-out crowd, especially when garnished by, say, the gummy worms that can also be purchased. Baskin-Robbins offers fat-free frozen yogurt and nonfat ice cream, plus soft-serve lowfat frozen yogurt. Sundaes, splits, floats, and smoothies round out the menu.

Baskin-Robbins, 863 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 323-9335.

Indian food

Behind Gaylord India Restaurant's doors is a surprisingly large and tranquil oasis where Almanac readers soothe their cravings for Indian food. Dinner starts with crispy pappadam, peppery cracker-like breads served with coriander chutney and tamarind sauce -- best washed down with a Kingfisher beer or a glass of wine. Favorite dishes include tandoori chicken or sea bass and various curries; for vegetarians, saag paneer, or spinach with cubed cheese, is a staple. Order rice with your entree, or poori -- puffy bread to scoop up the very last bite.

Gaylord India Restaurant, 1706 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 326-8761.

Italian food

Once again, Menlo Park's Carpaccio has won raves from readers for its stylish decor and elegant Italian food. Restaurant designer Pat Kuleto is responsible for the ambience, but the atmosphere is all about the patrons -- seeing, being seen, and chatting with friends at the bar. The extensive Tuscan-inspired menu includes appetizers, salads, pizzas, pastas, fish, entrees, and desserts. Try the portobello mushroom appetizer or the signature dish of carpaccio, paper-thin slices of raw, seasoned beef. Pasta is made fresh on the premises and includes spinach tortellini, linguini, and black pepper papardelli. Entrees include veal scaloppine, piccata, or marsala; palliard of grilled chicken breast; and prosciutto-wrapped scallops. Tiramisu is on the menu, as well as an apple pie a la mode.

Carpaccio, 1120 Crane St., Menlo Park. 322-1211.

Mexican food

Maybe it's the crisp, made-on-site tortilla chips, or the fajitas, or the margaritas, but of all the area Mexican restaurants, Chevy's remains the perennial favorite of Almanac readers. You can find all the traditional favorites at Chevy's, but with a difference: they're not the microwaved combos too often served in many Mexican restaurants. The fiesta atmosphere -- with a balloon man, sombreros, and kiddie ice cream cones -- makes Chevy's a fun place for birthday celebrations. For over-21 celebrations, Chevy's pours eight draft beers as well as the aforementioned margaritas. Waits can be long on weekends, but reservations are allowed for large parties.

Chevy's Restaurant, 2907 El Camino Real, Redwood City. 367-6892.

Pizza

It took seven months for Hungarian-born Bela Kardos to come up with the right crust when he opened Applewood Inn in 1983, and Almanac readers obviously appreciate the effort. Customers now flock to Applewood for Mr. Kardos' signature pizzas, such as the Scandinavian (smoked salmon, sour cream, capers, and dill) and the Athens (feta, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated eggplant, capers, and green onions). For local heroes, there's the Menlo Combo (pepperoni, salami, Italian sausage, mushrooms, black olives and red onions) as well as a range of toppings for more rugged individualists. Across the street, Applewood 2 Go handles carry-out orders -- a cut above standard take-out fare.

Applewood Inn, 1001 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 324-3486.

Romantic dinner

Palo Alto's Chantilly II nosed out Bella Vista by just a few votes to become this year's favorite place for a romantic dinner. Its cozy courtyard location entices the eye, and inspires loyalty: many customers have been coming back to the restaurant for years. As it approaches its third decade (it's been Chantilly II for the past 5 years) the restaurant's menu has mellowed: traditional favorites such as the signature rack of lamb now share menu space with lighter, continental cuisine. Maybe readers chose Chantilly II for romance because, like true love, the restaurant has endured. Then again, maybe they like the eclectic, antique decor and good food.

Chantilly II, 530 Ramona Street, Palo Alto. 321-4080.

Salad bar

You can pound back your recommended five daily veggie servings and then some at Fresh Choice, the salad Valhalla our readers have voted the favorite again this year. For $7.25 you can eat all the dinner you want; $6.19 snags you the lunch version. Not just a place to carbo load before marathons: you can choose from 60 items at the salad bar, which includes soup, baked potato, sauteed pasta and 12-inch pizzas, as well as muffins and breads from the bakery. There are also plenty of sweets at the fruit and dessert bar. Nonfat frozen yogurt cones are favorites. Sunday brunch offers the same basics augmented with cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, waffles and more for $7.25.

Fresh Choice, Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto. 322-6996; Sequoia Station, 1091 El Camino Royal, Redwood City. 299-1105.

Seafood

With its snappy nautical decor and ultra-fresh seafood, it's no wonder there's a weekend wait for tables at The Fish Market. A perennial favorite of Almanac readers, The Fish Market serves fish from the chain's own fisheries all around the world. Mesquite-broiled fish is a specialty, along with oysters -- raw or prepared -- which come from the restaurant's oyster farm in the San Juan Islands. Other staples are steamed clams and mussels, seafood salads, smoked Dungeness crab, and smoked albacore tuna.

The Fish Market, 3150 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. 493-9188.

Sunday brunch

This year, Almanac readers were in a formal mood for brunch, naming The Duck Club at Menlo Park's Stanford Park Hotel the best place for a leisurely Sunday affair. Manager Sandra Smith calls it a "voluptuous buffet," and she's right: everything from a carving station with lamb and beef, to a cooked-to-order omelet station, to hot chafing dishes filled with souffle potatoes and French toast weighs down the elegant tables until you can practically hear them groaning. Starched white tablecloths and silver cutlery make stuffing yourself seem so much more civilized.

The Duck Club, 100 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 322-1234. Thai food

Siam Garden is still our readers' choice for Thai cuisine. Though there's no garden exactly, the Thai figurines and countryside prints might just make you feel otherwise. Specialties include curried chicken, cold beef salad, pork with Thai basil, hot and sour prawns, and sauteed prawns with peanut sauce. Vegetarians can savor steamed vegetables in peanut sauce, green tofu curry, and a savory eggplant in garlic that is dangerously addictive. Daily specials are always worth trying, and the staff are friendly -- and remarkably patient while you dither over which entree to choose.

Siam Garden, 1143 Crane St., Menlo Park. 853-1143. Vegetarian food

Although it's not a strictly vegetarian restaurant, Good Earth keeps meatless eaters happy. The locally owned chain keeps it fresh and cooks to order, using as many natural ingredients as possible. Popular vegetarian entrees include Guatemalan rice and tofu with fried plantains, "Magic" eggplant -- which is breaded, toasted, and dabbed with cheese -- roasted vegetable salad, and garden loaf, a surprisingly tasty "meat" loaf. Other favorites are the veggie burgers and tostadas. Good Earth still serves its beloved 10-grain rolls with entrees. Desserts change monthly, and include hot berry cobbler, deep-dish apple pie and hot fudge brownie a la mode.

Good Earth Restaurant and Bakery, 185 University Ave., Palo Alto. 321-9449.

DINING IN

Chocolate

To no one's surprise, perennial favorite See's Candies has been voted best area chocolatier. The variety and freshness of its candy has made See's popular with regulars as well as holiday shoppers looking for assortments of goodies for friends and relatives. Creatively packaged presentations for Valentine's Day have salvaged many Midpeninsulans' romantic reputations, while Easter, Christmas, and graduation assortments are always appreciated. Although See's has stores throughout the state, it makes chocolates that have even gourmands who might be wary of chain store confections coming back for more.

See's Candies, 123 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto. 325-8274. Coffee beans

Loyal coffee customers stand by their man, Peet -- as in Peet's Coffee and Tea, which readers said is the number-one place to buy beans or brewed coffee. The coffee beans are roasted by Peet's itself, and customers can enjoy a cup on the house while waiting for an order of a pound or more of fresh beans to be bagged. "A quick fill-up or a lingering cup with a friend is always satisfying" enthuses one customer. Peet's is named after founder Alfred Peet, who started the company in North Berkeley in 1966. Tea, candy, and cold drinks -- including an espresso-based blender drink -- are also available.

Peet's Coffee and Tea, 899 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. 325-8989.

Grocery, bakery, meat and delicatessen

Number one for its meat, delicatessen, bakery, and overall grocery, Draeger's stocks a dizzying assortment of delicacies, as well as your regular staples. The meat department boasts its own fresh sausages, as well as corn-fed beef, and hard-to-find cuts of lamb. Groceries range from Cheetos to caviar, falafel mix to frozen pizza. The wine and liquor department has an impressive selection and a knowledgeable staff; the bakery tempts with a wide range of cookies, exquisite cakes and hearty breads. Draeger's deli stocks some 200 varieties of imported and domestic cheeses, about 40 different salads and up to 20 different entrees and hot side dishes daily, with a popular Chinese food section. The rotisserie chicken remains a most popular item with customers, though other entrees claim loyal fans.

Draeger's, 1010 University Drive, Menlo Park. 688-0677.

Health foods

Whole Foods Market in Palo Alto carries a whole spectrum of health-conscious products above and beyond the usual granola and tofu. Not surprisingly, Whole Foods has won this division for six years running: the market boasts a newly renovated bakery, deli, and juice bar where customers can stop for a coffee or shot of wheatgrass juice. There's a huge variety of bulk foods here, a selection of frozen foods, natural meats, and even a wine section with some organic vintages. The health and beauty section carries natural deodorants and Ayurvedic toothpaste as well.

Whole Foods Market, 774 Emerson Ave., Palo Alto. 326-8676. Produce

For the third year in a row, readers chose Sigona's Farmers Market in Redwood City as the best place to buy produce. Run by the four Sigona brothers, the market stocks some of the freshest fruits and vegetables on the Midpeninsula. It's also a great place to find fresh bread, dairy products, pastas, and flowers. With a new Sigona's replacing Monterey market at the Stanford Shopping Center, Sigona's is likely to be a household name to even more of our readers.

Sigona's Farmers Market, 2345 Middlefield Road, Redwood City and Stanford Shopping Center, El Camino Real in Palo Alto. Information hotline: 368-6992. Market: 368-6993.

Fish

Readers are definitely hooked on Cook's Seafood Market, naming it the best place to buy fresh seafood once again. In business since 1928, the market was bought 40 years later by Roy Crumrine, whose son Mike is now part of the team that owns and oversees the popular business. Fresh-caught and fresh-prepared fish and shellfish abound here; Dungeness crab can be bought raw or cooked year-round. The knowledgeable staff can advise you on the preparation of all types and cuts of fish.

Cook's Seafood Market, 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 322-2231. Wine & liquor

The Beltramos have kept their family-run business, Beltramo's Wines and Liquors, on the top of the Reader's Choice list for the sixth year in a row. Although it has an extensive selection of French and California wines, the store is renowned for its Italian wines -- and even carries a few South African selections, as well. Stocking more than 4,300 different wines, the Beltramos have mercifully provided consultants to help the indecisive and the overwhelmed. Wine tastings are held every Saturday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Beltramo's also carries a full selection of mixers, beers and liquors, including a wide variety of single-malt scotches and cognacs.

Beltramo's Wines and Liquors, 1540 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 325-2806.



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