Food & Drink: Affordable dining Food & Drink: Affordable dining (May 04, 2005)

Some personal dining favorites that won't break your budget

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Lifestyles Editor

Dining out is different from grabbing a bite to eat. It means being seated in a comfortable room, perusing a menu brought to you by a server, and relaxing with a glass of wine while waiting for your dinner.

There's only one problem. It's usually too expensive for many of us to indulge in on a weekly basis. After compiling personal preferences and recommendations from friends, we are listing a few nearby restaurants where you can have good food served to you in pleasant surroundings for $50 or less for two people.

If you have favorite restaurants in Menlo Park or nearby communities that fit into this category, we'd like to hear from you. We hope to print some of your suggestions in a future issue of the Almanac.
Nora's Cafe

Nora's Cafe is a French bistro named for owner Patrick Joulain's wife, Nora. Opened a little more than a year ago, Nora's Cafe brings a touch of Paris to Palo Alto's California Avenue.

The bistro's walls are painted burgundy and adorned with French posters. There is a cozy bar. Outside tables sporting jaunty red umbrellas line the sidewalk, just as if you were in Nice or St. Tropez.

Most important is the food. It's honest bistro fare. All the favorites are there: steak frites, roast chicken, mussels, oysters, many versions of crepes, from crepe poulet (chicken, mushrooms, white sauce) to crepe savoyarde (ham, melted cheese).

Hoping to stay within our budget ($50), I ordered a green salad ($4.25) and mussels mariniere ($10.25). The plump mussels filled a bright red bucket to the brim, so many I couldn't eat them all. They were accompanied by the traditional cone of French fries.

Almanac photographer Carol Ivie chose filet of sole served with mashed potatoes and very fresh ratatouille ($15.95). Our wines by the glass were J.Lohr chardonnay ($6.50) and Page Mill sauvignon blanc ($6.50). With tax and tip the bill came to $49.44.

If we had decided to forgo the wine, we could have ordered from the list of luscious sounding desserts, including creme brulee, tarte tatin, and profiteroles, all in the $6 range.

We were happy with the food, the service and the price. Nora's Cafe, 201 California Ave., Palo Alto; 322-8586.
Casa Isabel

Right around the corner from Nora's is Casa Isabel, a homey little restaurant that has been in business since 1979. The original Isabel was Isabel Almendares, a native of El Salvador, who died several years ago. The restaurant was taken over by her niece Mayra Lopez and her husband, Francisco. Mayra is the hostess, and Francisco is the chef.

Casa Isabel is divided into small rooms that are brightly decorated with Mexican artifacts and hand-painted flowers over the doorways. The tables are nicely set with colorful placemats.

While it's busy at lunch time, Casa Isabel is usually quiet at dinner time, except for Friday nights. There is a full bar, so you can order a cocktail, several brands of Mexican beers, and a glass of sangria ($3.50) or wine.

Some of Isabel's specialties are tostadas jardin ($11.95, half order $7.95), enchiladas poblanas ($11.50), chile colorado ($11.95), burrito grande ($8.95), and chile verde ($11.95). I almost always order the enchilada suizas ($11.25), chicken enchiladas covered with cream tomatillo sauce and topped with jack cheese. It is served with rice and a side of salad. This is a huge meal, especially when you've also eaten lots of warm tortilla chips and salsa while waiting for your order.

There are six combination plates, ranging from $10.95 to $13.95. Fajitas come with either chicken or sirloin steak for $13.95.

Most diners are too full for dessert, but there are two choices: bunuelos (fried sweet puffs, served with honey and ice cream, $4.25) and flan ($3.95).

You can't beat Casa Isabel for home-style Mexican food. Casa Isabel, 2434 Park Blvd., Palo Alto, 328-3102.
Ten Fu

Ruth and John Wang opened Ten Fu Chinese Restaurant in 1984. The couple moved here from Taiwan in 1980. Ruth was born in Korea; John was born in China. They have raised their two sons, Joseph and Timothy, in Menlo Park while running the restaurant, where Ruth is hostess and John mans the kitchen.

Ten Fu has many regular patrons. I was introduced to it years ago by Betty and the late Maury St. Clair of Menlo Park. It is the kind of place where they recognize you and remember what table you prefer.

My favorite dish is sizzling prawns with vegetables ($10.95), which is enough for two. The glistening prawns and crisp vegetables make a beautiful presentation and taste great. A small order of rice is $1. Another favorite is honey walnut prawns ($13.95), a combination of prawns, mayonnaise, honey and glazed walnuts -- which sounds weird, but is really delicious. Honey walnut prawns are not listed on the menu, but are always available.

Most diners like to order several items and share. There are plenty of choices: at least 15 chicken dishes and 19 beef dishes, all less than $10. A whole steamed or braised fish is a specialty.

A glass of CK Mondavi chardonnay will set you back $5. Fresh orange slices come with your fortune cookies and the check, which should be well under $50 for two. Ten Fu Chinese Restaurant, 1352 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 323-6134.
The Fish Market

The first Fish Market opened in Palo Alto in 1976; now "the fleet" has grown to eight restaurants in California and Arizona. The Palo Alto restaurant was recently remodeled and has a handsome new bar and dining section. There is also a new patio for outdoor dining.

The Fish Market looks like an authentic East Coast fish house. The walls are covered with fishing photos and the atmosphere is clean, busy and no-nonsense. The restaurant also sports a retail seafood market.

The menu is huge. It includes raw oysters and clams, baked and steamed shellfish, sashimi and sushi, chowder and salads, and oyster bar specialties. And then we come to the entrees.

All entrees comes with two sides: Choices are au gratin potatoes, parsley potatoes, french fries, steamed vegetables, rice, coleslaw, cottage cheese or cherry tomatoes.

Among the mesquite charbroiled choices are Pacific red snapper ($11.45), New Zealand orange roughy ($16.95), Canadian wild troll king salmon ($14.95) and Hawaiian ono ($16.25).

Those with smaller appetites may choose the light eater's skewer of red snapper for $8.75. An order of good old fish and chips comes panko style (Japanese bread crumbs) or beer-batter style with Alaskan lingcod for $11.70.

Be careful with the sourdough bread. It's so good, you can fill up on it before your dinner arrives.

A glass of Lockwood chardonnay is $5. A bottle of Sapporo beer is $4.25 and a mug of Sierra Nevada draught beer is $4.25. The Fish Market, 3150 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, 493-9188.
Pasta Pomodoro

In the past year, Pasta Pomodoro has opened two nearby locations, one in Palo Alto (former site of Left at Albuquerque), and the other in Redwood City.

The Redwood City restaurant is located in the back of a new strip mall, and it's easy to miss it. Be sure to write down the address. Don't count on spotting it from El Camino Real.

This is no spaghetti and meatball joint; the food is authentic and au courant. The restaurant is smart-looking and casual. Our only complaint: it's noisy, partially because of the high ceilings.

Last week I ordered an entree of chicken marsala (sauteed chicken breast, portobello mushrooms, marsala wine sauce, $10.95). There is a choice of one side: broccoli or spinach, sauteed with garlic and olive oil, brussels sprouts with browned butter and sage, or fagioli, Tuscan white beans with fresh herbs, garlic and tomatoes. The brussels sprouts were good, but too blackened from the grill. There was enough chicken to take some home.

Carol Ivie ordered the excellent spinach salad made with bacon, grilled red onions, tomatoes, ricotta and peppered walnuts (half, $4.25; large, $6.95).

Her entree was the house specialty: ravioli di zucca, a roasted butternut squash ravioli with browned butter, crispy sage leaves, and Parmesan cheese ($7.95). This is a dish I have seen in fancier restaurants for almost twice the price.

Our wine was a glass of Castle Rock pinot noir ($6.50) and Silverado sauvignon blanc ($6.50).

The bill, including tax and tip, came to $45.13. Pasta Pomodoro. 490 El Camino Real at Whipple Avenue, Redwood City, 474-2400.
Copenhagen Restaurant

Copenhagen was a popular restaurant on El Camino Real in Redwood City for 15 years. Four-and-a-half years ago, the owner, Preben Mortensen, moved his Danish restaurant to Woodside Plaza.

Mr. Mortensen serves what tastes like home cooking, if your mom happened to be Danish. The atmosphere is homey. Danish travel posters festoon the walls. Tables are covered with cheery printed cloths. Carpeting mutes the noise so common in trendy restaurants.

Mr. Mortensen runs a hands-on operation and often serves diners himself when the place gets crowded.

The entrees include medallions of veal ($19.95), wiener schnitzel ($16.95), frikadeller (meatballs with red cabbage $13.95), rack of lamb ($20.95), tournedo Rossini ($18.95), filet of sole ($14.95), and many other goodies. The meal also includes soup or salad.

Many customers come for the prime rib dinner, which is served with soup or salad. I've had it and it's excellent. Prime rib is served every night after 6 p.m. for $20.95.

If you drive into Woodside Plaza, you may see people streaming into Copenhagen at 5:30 p.m. I'll let you in on a little secret: They're coming in for the early bird dinner.

Sunday through Thursday, the early dinner is served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 6 p.m. The price of the entree includes soup or house salad, a glass of chablis or burgundy, hot tea or coffee, and dessert of the day.

For $13.95 you could have beef stroganoff, Danish meatballs, lamb curry, calamari steak, bof lindstrom, or sauteed calf's liver. For $14.95 you could have braised lamb shank, wiener schnitzel or havarti schnitzel. And that's with all the trimmings.

There are regulars who eat at Copenhagen two or three nights a week. Then there's Nick Glavich, who dines there six nights a week. "I've ordered everything on the menu, except chicken," he says. "I don't like chicken."

What about the seventh night? "That's when I go to the Hacienda in San Carlos to get my Mexican fix." Copenhagen Danish Restaurant & Bar, 356 Woodside Plaza, Redwood City, 365-6616.
Jane Knoerle can be reached at jknoerle@almanacnews.com or 854-2626, ext. 212.

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