Sto-A takes diners on a world tour of vegetarian flavors (fwd)

[Noelle <http://dummy.us.eu.org/noelleg>]

http://www.stoarestaurant.com/

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Date: 27 Jun 2003 07:42:54 -0400
From: Robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>
To: http://dummy.us.eu.org/noelleg
Subject: Sto-A takes diners on a world tour of vegetarian flavors

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Sto-A takes diners on a world tour of vegetarian flavors

Laura Reiley, Special to The Chronicle   Friday, June 20, 
2003

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This is my last review for The Chronicle before I move to the 
East Coast, and I was feeling superstitious. I wanted it to 
be a good one, a rave. I wanted to go out with a bang, 
bringing attention to a deserving but struggling restaurant, 
while giving the eating public a new reason to zip over to an 
obscure part of the Peninsula, not to mention a new way to 
impress their friends.

Sto-A is eerily perfect for my purposes. Open six weeks, it 
is an all-new restaurant in an out-of-the-way location, 
serving gorgeous, inventive, upscale vegetarian cuisine.

The people behind it are hardly Johnny-come-latelies -- it's 
a collaboration between Meekk Shelef, who ran the kosher 
vegetarian restaurant at Palo Alto's Jewish Community Center 
for many years, and Rick Vargas, of the Vargas family that 
owned Palo Alto Joe's, which stood for years at Sto-A's exact 
location.

That said, these veterans are doing something entirely new at 
Sto-A. Named for a marketplace in Athens, the restaurant is 
open late hours, with an innovative wine program (lots of 
well-priced choices by the glass, many German and Alsatian 
wines, an emphasis on less-trammeled varietals), a great 
array of nonalcoholic beverages from blended fruit juices to 
Numi teas, and a sleek Zen- like interior.

Best of all, the cuisine is bright, fresh, innovative -- the 
kind of vegetarian food that is so unsanctimonious that a 
carnivore barely notices anything's up. It waltzes through 
flavors from Asian countries, the Mediterranean, France and 
right here in Ca, showcasing almost entirely organic 
vegetables in preparations that aren't overly grain- or 
cheese-reliant.

The old Palo Alto Joe's suffered from the location -- right 
alongside southbound Highway 101 but difficult to access from 
the freeway -- and the building itself, with its square, 
squat cinder-block exterior. Sto-A can't do much about those 
two unfortunate facts, but the restaurant's interior has been 
overhauled entirely. It's light and airy, with pale 
butter-color walls and exuberant oil paintings. The tables 
are elegantly dressed and accompanied by stylish but 
comfortable upholstered chairs. White pillar candles add 
flickering light to the whole space (along with the assertive 
scent of bay).

There's an underutilized wine bar off the entrance, but the 
bartender/wine steward keeps himself busy by floating by your 
table with a free taste of a great Pinot Blanc or maybe a 
suggestion for what will go with the abalone mushroom "
sashimi."

One gets the sense that the kitchen hasn't spent a lot of 
time costing out the ingredients on each plate; portions -- 
currently, at least -- are overly generous in most cases. 
This goes double for the hearty eggplant crostini ($9),

big rusks of peasant bread spread with eggplant puree, dots 
of Stilton cheese,

heaps of fresh basil and a bit of chopped tomato. The 
aforementioned abalone mushroom ($10) is more demure. Thin 
slices of velvety mushroom slither through a pool of 
ginger-soy broth. It's meaty in texture but delicate in 
flavor.

The most impressive-looking starter is the Greek salad ($8.50)
. What's so wild about cherry tomatoes, olives, cukes and 
such? The colorful mix comes in a tall cylinder, nearly 
defying gravity, and is packed with a vibrant assortment of 
flavors and textures. Its tricolored bell peppers are extra 
crunchy and sweet, and Persian cucumbers seem more nuanced 
than the regular English version.

Another hefty -- meaning, shareable -- appetizer is the 
coconut tempura spring vegetables ($9), a huge mound of 
greaseless fried potato planks, long curls of carrot, slices 
of squash and onion, all served with a slow-burn chipotle 
aioli.

Entrees are just as good. In three visits, I tried all of the 
seven options and found nary a clinker. A favorite was the 
simple house-made fettucine with fat morels, cherry tomatoes, 
fresh peas from Half Moon Bay and just enough garlic and 
basil to give the whole thing oomph. If I could make it just 
like this at home, I doubt I'd ever go out. Cassoulet ($14) 
is also simple yet successful, softly cooked flageolets, 
sweet parsnips and mixed mushrooms in a pale, tomatoey broth 
heightened by a lemon-infused sun-dried tomato pesto.

The kitchen prepares a different pizza ($10) every day. While 
there isn't always perfect communication about what it may 
entail (we were told artichoke and pesto one night, yet got 
something entirely different), it's bound to be good (we got 
fresh mozzarella and goat cheese amped up with a swirl of 
truffle oil).

Desserts ($7) don't hit the highs of the rest of the meal, 
but this may be just as well since you're bound to be full 
after those ample appetizers and entrees. Coffee is 
worthwhile, all expertly brewed Illy beans, and the teas are 
wonderful.

If you need a sweet, steer toward the soft chocolate mousse 
in a crepe-like pouch. Sachleb is an interesting Middle 
Eastern thin vanilla pudding, but it is overwhelmed by its 
container of flaky filo leaves.

So, maybe Sto-A was sent to me by a benevolent universe -- or 
editor -- as my last Chronicle review, but my hope is that it 
will prosper and feed Palo Alto its vibrant vegetarian 
cuisine long after I've left this coast.

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Sto-A
Address:  3750 Fabian Way (between East Charleston and West Bayshore roads,
near Highway 101), Palo Alto
Phone:(650) 424-3900
Hours: Open 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. daily. Beer and wine. Credit cards and
reservations accepted. Free parking lot.
.
OVERALL:      TWO AND A HALF STAR
Food:         TWO AND A HALF STAR
Service:      TWO AND A HALF STAR
Atmosphere:   TWO AND A HALF STAR
.
PRICES:       $$
NOISE RATING: TWO BELL
.
PLUSES: Innovative, lively vegetarian food served in a calm, convivial
dining room by an attentive staff.
MINUSES: The location is unfortunate, perched right alongside Highway 101,
and the building's exterior doesn't promise    much. Desserts aren't up to the
quality of appetizers and entrees.
.
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RATINGS KEY
FOUR STARS:       Extraordinary
THREE STARS:      Excellent
TWO STARS:        Good
ONE STAR:         Fair
(box):            Poor
.
$     Inexpensive:      entrees under $10
$$    Moderate:         $10-$17
$$$   Expensive:        $18-$24
$$$$  Very Expensive:   more than $25
Prices based on main courses. When entrees fall between these categories,
the prices of appetizers help determine
the dollar ratings.
.
ONE BELL:       Pleasantly quiet (under 65 decibels)
TWO BELLS:      Can talk easily (65-70)
THREE BELLS:    Talking normally gets difficult (70-75)
FOUR BELLS:     Can only talk in raised voices (75-80)
BOMB:           Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
.
Chronicle critics make every attempt to remain anonymous.
All meals are paid for by the Chronicle.
Star ratings are based on a minimum of three visits.
Ratings are updated continually based on a least one revisit.