The best of bistro dining The best of bistro dining (April 08, 2005)

St. Michael's Alley offers excellent food, charming ambience

By Dale F. Bentson

St. Michael's Alley has been around longer than many of us.

It started in 1959 as a coffee house on University Avenue in Palo Alto, where Joan Baez and Jerry Garcia sang in the early days of their careers. The establishment later moved to its present location near Whole Foods, became a bakery, then was divided and sold as two separate entities.

La Morenita Mexican restaurant now anchors the corner, while Jennifer Youll and Michael Sabina reconstituted the adjacent space into a cozy bistro with excellent food, a smart wine list and adept service.

St. Michael's just celebrated its 10th anniversary under Youll and Sabina, and, judging from the ever-crowded venue, it looks as if its immediate future is secure. Ryan Anderson, the chef de cuisine, has fashioned a seasonally evolving menu with many intriguing combinations. Anderson, a Bay Area native, cooked at the long departed Barbarossa and Stars restaurants. He has been managing the kitchen at St. Michael's since 1996.

The sponged ocher walls, dark wood, fresh flowers and blue-glassed votive candles on each table lend an air of stylishness, while the muted tiled floor completes the polished coolness of the interior. A small bar, where patrons can also dine, sits inconspicuously to one side. To access the restrooms one must pass through the kitchen, where the affable Anderson is always ready with a quick smile while he multitasks dozens of orders.

There is a rotating three-month art show on the walls highlighting works by local artists. This is the only part of the design I did not care for. The current exhibit is a hodgepodge of unframed canvasses and framed works, without a cohesive theme. It all seemed rather disjointed to me and not in step with the character and ambience of the restaurant.

There was more harmony with the food, and I loved starting with the steamed mussels ($10). Tomatoes, roasted fennel, garlic, scallions, tarragon, butter and orange juice reduction comprised the marvelous broth. It begged to be lapped up with fresh bread but I was afraid I would be too full to continue.

Roasted red beet tart ($6) was another delightful way to begin our meal. The vegetables had been roasted, then pureed with eggs, cream and a dash of nutmeg; spinach was blanched; Gorgonzola crumbled; walnuts toasted. The mixture was then wrapped inside a puff pastry, baked and served with a tangy Gorgonzola sauce.

My favorite appetizer: five-spice butternut squash wontons ($7). Inside wonton wrappers lay a puree of roasted squash, Chinese five-spice powder (ground peppercorns, anise, cloves, cinnamon) and brown sugar. The dumplings were then sauteed and served with tamarind sauce (rice vinegar, soy sauce, lime, ginger, honey, garlic and a drop of ketchup). The pickled carrot salad that accompanied offset the sweet-and-salty wontons. I wanted to order a platter.

Other arresting starters were the savory goat cheese souffle ($7) with warmed tomato coulis and watercress salad. Wild mushroom cake ($6), I was told, is a house favorite. Mushrooms, scallions, eggs and herbs were coated in panko (crunchy, Japanese-style breadcrumbs) and fried quickly in leek oil. The resultant mushroom patty was a tad on the heavy side for my taste and I would have preferred a zestier garlic-herb sauce.

All entrees were delicious, albeit slightly less imaginative than the starters. The tender pork tenderloin ($18) had been rubbed in chili powder and cumin. The large portion came with tasty house-made apple chutney, sweet potato puree and braised purple cabbage. Were I a quibbler (which, of course, I am) I would have liked the pork a tad less done, to retain more of its succulence.

I enjoyed the stuffed chicken breast ($18), which was filled with prosciutto and fontina cheese and encrusted with fresh sage and panko breadcrumbs. The chicken was crisp and retained a juiciness that melded well with the hot prosciutto and melted cheese. Silky buttermilk mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus completed the generous plate.

Curried braised lamb shank ($21) was fall-off-the-bone tender, while a grilled medley of diced carrots, onion, potato, tomato, scallions and pepper that surrounded the lamb added to the plate's palatability. Chick pea risotto added yet another texture to this hearty serving.

The rich, creamed spinach risotto ($15) with sauteed wild mushrooms, Swiss and parmesan cheeses and toasted pine nuts had an earthy goodness to it.

One evening, Anderson combined fresh clams, mussels, rock shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage, peppers, onion, tomato chunks, rice and saffron to make his paella special ($17). The dish is a rustic melange that originated in Valencia, Spain. More fish stew than paella, the dish needed more saffron to approach the authenticity of the Mediterranean version I had envisioned.

Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, is the dried, yellow-orange stigma of the purple-flowered crocus. They have a slightly bitter, honey-like flavor and pungent aroma. It takes 75,000 crocus flowers to produce a single pound of saffron. When boiled together, Saffron dyes rice a golden-yellow hue.

Co-owner Youll loves to bake and is in charge of the dessert menu. Her pear tarte Tatin ($7) was warm and thick, with caramelized pears (cooked in their own juice with sugar) layered atop a sheet of puff pastry, baked and inverted. A scoop of vanilla bean gelato melted atop was unnecessary, as the tarte was wonderful alone. Youll alternates her pear tarte Tatin with the more traditional apple tarte Tatin.

Profiteroles ($6.50) were larger than the petite cream puffs one normally encounters in restaurants. Youll filled hers with coconut gelato and oozed warm, dark chocolate over them. If you fancy coconut and chocolate you should not pass up this treat. I also liked the banana bread pudding ($6.50), topped with dark chocolate and Jack Daniels butter-pecan gelato. It provided a warm and soothingly sweet conclusion to the evening.

Sabina has put together a very fine wine list. Wines are divided into reds and whites and listed by price points: up to $40, "Forty Something," "50s," and "More than 60." Prices are fair, with an emphasis on California and especially local wines. Best of all, there are about a dozen wines available by the glass ($6-$9) that are posted daily on the chalkboard. That way, wines change frequently and can pair perfectly with daily specials from the kitchen. If you choose to bring your own corkage is $20. Service was always professional and friendly.

I don't know if Joan Baez has been back to St. Michael's Alley recently, but if she has I am sure she'd approve. The restaurant represents the best of West Coast bistro dining: excellent food, charming ambience and attentive service without over-taxing the pocketbook.
Saint Michael's Alley Reservations: yes Credit cards: yes Parking: street Alcohol: wine and beer Children: yes Outdoor dining: yes Party and banquet: yes Take out: yes Wheelchair access: yes Catering: yes Noise level: high Bathroom cleanliness: excellent
Saint Michael's Alley, 806 Emerson St. in Palo Alto; (650) 326 2530; www.stmikes.com
Hours: Lunch Tuesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Brunch Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

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