Welcome to the neighborhood Welcome to the neighborhood (November 12, 2004)

Mike's Café offers tasty food in a family-oriented setting

By Elaine Rowland

"Every restaurateur dreams of being able to design and create a restaurant from scratch," according to Mike Wallau. For him, the March opening of Mike's Cafe in Menlo Park is "kind of a dream come true."

With the help of friends, Wallau custom-built his attractive, modern Craftsman-style restaurant on the site of the old Late For The Train, near the intersection of Willow and Middlefield Roads.

Wallau saw the Menlo Park location restaurant as a chance to recreate the neighborhood atmosphere that's been his Palo Alto cafe's hallmark and attraction for nine years. The new Mike's incorporates many popular aspects of the original, while taking advantage of the bigger layout to offer spacious outdoor seating, showcase murals indoors and out, and host large parties.

The larger kitchen also accommodates a charbroiler and offers an expanded menu based on Wallau's experience working in the business since the tender age of 16.

"I picked the most popular dishes at the restaurants where I worked ... I wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel," Wallau said.

You'll recognize these mostly Italian-American dishes and surely find one of your favorites among them. Mike's Cafe does a wonderful job with one of my favorites, the carpaccio appetizer ($7.95): delicious paper-thin slices of raw beef, daubed with lemon, capers, red onions, mustard, and parmesan. The classic dish is wonderful with the fresh, warm, crusty Italian bread on the table.

We first ate at Mike's Cafe one Sunday, arriving amid a 7 p.m. dinner rush. The staff seemed momentarily nonplussed as they hurried to clear tables. Though we were seated shortly, the rush seemed to catch our waiter off guard, who forgot to tell us there were specials. He was, however, very speedy and genial and got our order straight.

The bruschetta ($6.95) is very lightly toasted Tuscan bread with sun-dried tomato tapenade and goat cheese. It belongs to the single-toasting school of bruschetta, as opposed to the once-more-into-the-broiler school that melts the cheese before serving. Our table was evenly split on the virtues of each, but agreed the tangy flavor was very good.

On the whole, our food was well prepared and attractively presented. The chefs, Gerry Bliss and Chase Wilcox, have experience cooking for hotels and country clubs and handle even more mundane foods -- such as creamy mashed potatoes -- with as much care as other dishes.

Mike's offers a very decent selection of California wines, with white varietals from Sterling, Simi, Chateau St. Jean and Geyser Peak, among others; and reds from Rodney Strong, Stone Cellar and Beringer. (The chiantis are from Tuscany.) Or, a $10 corkage fee covers whatever you bring. We found the Geyser Peak's Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc ($6.50 per glass) paired well with the grilled fresh salmon fillet ($16.95) with lemon chardonnay sauce.

The large fillet was cooked just right, and while it wasn't the freshest piece I've had, it was still above average. The salmon had a slight fishy aftertaste and didn't easily flake apart in layers, but the texture was fine. The sauce complemented the fish, as well as the fresh, tender-firm asparagus and mashed potatoes.

The Greek penne pasta entree ($11.95) was a powerful combination of artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers, fresh basil, feta, red onion and garlic. I enjoyed the bold flavors, and pondered how many Altoids I would need to be socially acceptable again.

We had our next meal on the patio, where the high, glass-topped brick walls keep out the noise and exhaust of Middlefield Road, without concentrating the noise of the patio. It was easy to find enough sun or shade to suit everyone, with children, parents and grandparents enjoying the fresh air.

I enjoyed the Denver omelet ($9.95), a fluffy, buttery dish filled with yellow, red and green peppers, ham and cheese, and accompanied by slightly crisp hash brown potatoes and a soft croissant. (Omelets with egg beaters are a low-cholesterol alternative.)

For those less hungry, mixed berry crepes ($8.95) are a smaller, more delicate dish. The strawberry, blueberry and raspberry filling wasn't too sweet. It was nicely set off by whipped cream and rolled into a thicker-than-usual crepe that contained the filling while avoiding the dreaded sponge texture. You can order bacon, ham and chicken or pork sausage sides ($2.95), but the pork link sausage was dry so go for the crispy bacon. I liked the strong coffee ($1.95), and wished our waitress had volunteered a refill, though our water-glass man was very attentive.

Wallau has created a second, welcoming neighborhood place that maintains a casual ambience. Leave the night-life hotspots to the others. Mike's may close at 9 p.m., but it will be open and ready for you by 7 a.m. with a hearty breakfast.

Dining Notes

Mike's Cafe

150 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park
321-7377

Hours: Mon.-Fri. breakfast 7-11 a.m.; lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner 4-9 p.m.;
Sat.-Sun. brunch 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner 4-9 p.m.

Atmosphere: A casual and handsome family-oriented restaurant with tables spaced enough apart that there's no need to pretend you're not listening to your neighbors. The long, clean lines of the dining rooms feel roomy despite the low ceiling. Rotating exhibits of local artists keep the decor fresh, thanks to the hard work of Mike's wife, Ellen.

Reservations - yes
Credit cards - yes
Valet Parking - no
Beer & wine - yes
Takeout - yes Catering - yes
Wheelchair access - yes
Highchairs - yes
Outdoor seating - yes
Banquet - yes
Bathroom - very clean
Noise level - Quiet to moderately loud (brunch is noisier than dinner)

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