PALO ALTO WEEKLY BEST OF 2014
Best Steak: Sundance the Steakhouse
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING US FOR THE BEST SPA FOR SKIN CARE IN PALO ALTO AND FOR THE BEST DAY SPA OF 2014! w w w. l a b e l l e d a y s p a s . c o m San Francisco 233 Grant Avenue San francisco, CA 94108 415-433-7644
Stanford 36 Stanford Shopping Center Stanford, CA 94304 650-326-8522
Palo Alto 95 Town & Country Village Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-327-6964
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grilled cheese, burger or giant baked goods. But the Creamery’s claim to fame is easily the milkshakes. Cold and creamy, straight ice cream or malted, the always-generous serving of sweetness is brought to you still in the metal container it was made in — plus one of the restaurant’s signature beveled glasses so you can serve yourself at your own leisure (don’t worry, there’s an extra long spoon, too, to access every last drop inside the tall metal blender cup). It’s hard not to slurp the whole thing down at once. If you’ve never been, drop everything, head to the Creamery, cozy up in a vinyl diner booth and treat yourself. 566 Emerson St., Palo Alto; 650-323-3131; paloaltocreamery.com
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sum for every palate at Ming’s Chinese Cuisine and Bar in Palo Alto. Roughly translated as “touch the heart,� the bite-sized edibles were originally crafted as a complement to the moreimportant habit of sipping tea. Today, the ancient pastime lives on at the popular Baylands restaurant, where dim sum connoisseurs and newbies alike flock to fill their bellies, one delicious piece at a time. 1700 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, 650-856-7700; mings.com.
For late-afternoon deals on everything from Cajun-inspired bar bites to wine, beer and cocktails, the voters agree — Nola has the best happy hour in Palo Alto (Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. to midnight on Sunday). With multiple bars spread throughout the restaurant, it’s easy to find a drink to enjoy in one of the various seating environments. There’s the indoor bar, which has a cozy and lively atmosphere, with several TVs usually playing sports; the outdoor French Quarter-esque patio is great for larger groups to relax over drinks after a long day; and the upstairs balcony, which looks down into the courtyard and features plenty of private nooks, is perfect for lower-key conversation. 535 Ramona St., Palo Alto, 650-328-2722; nolas.com. 2014
Thank you for Voting For Us! Best Flower Shop Michaela’s Flower Shop www.michaelasowershop.com
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Ice Cream/Gelato It’s a cold world for artisan ice creameries in Palo Alto, with a seemingly endless flow of them opening throughout the city in the past year or two. But Tin Pot Creamery, opened last summer by former Facebook pastry chef Becky Sunseri at Town & Country Village, has already made its sweet mark in a very over-saturated market. With flavors like salted butterscotch, lavender with blueberry swirl and Earl Grey tea, as well as delicious baked-good toppings made by Sunseri herself, Tin Pot consistently sets itself apart. Don’t miss the ice cream sundaes — generous heaps of sweet goodness guaranteed to put you in a dessert coma. (Sunseri also managed to get the Town & Country space zoned to have a clean room in order to make all the organic ice cream in-house in small, creative batches.) 121 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto; 650-327-1715; tinpotcreamery.com.
Milkshake Simply put, there’s nowhere else in Palo Alto like the Palo Alto Creamery Fountain and Grill. Some people might love the old-school diner dÊcor (it’s been there since 1923); others, the classic
Pizza While “The Great Pizza Debate� rages on over whether the Big Apple or the Windy City makes the better pie, Palo Alto has made its voice heard by selecting again Patxi’s Chicago Pizza as the best in town. Though admittedly the downtown restaurant — which operates eight other Bay Area locations, and a few others in Denver, Seattle and Santa Barbara — also makes thin-crust pizza, the menu calls the deep dish its “flagship pie.� There is plenty here to please meat-lovers and vegetarians alike, with star ingredients in garlicfennel sausage, marinated artichoke hearts, pesto and sliced mushrooms. Whether you choose the classic crust or the inch-deep wonder of cheese and toppings (pick me, pick me!), Patxi’s is sure to leave you full and satisfied. 441 Emerson St., Palo Alto, 650-473-9999; patxispizza.com.
Produce Receiving an already opened package of dried mangos as a gift might raise some eyebrows (something this writer experienced), but knowing that it came from Sigona’s Farmers Market makes it more understandable. And wow, so many choices — more than 250 kinds of artisan cheese alone — all fresh, organic and locally grown. The open-air market offers fresh-cut flowers, seasonal olive oils and microbrews and wine, in addition to fabulous fruits and vegetables. It can be hard to resist. 399 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-368-6993; sigonas.com
Salad Feel good and eat well at Sprout CafĂŠ in a convenient, trendy downtown location. Start by selecting salad greens, followed by a choice of six ingredients from a smorgasbord of fruits and veggies, seeds, nuts, crunches and crumbles. Up it to premium status with avocado, kalamata olives, pricier cheeses or ingredients that require a bit more prep time. (Cara-