Shop Talk: Burgers, bison and more Crimes & Incidents, posted by Editor, Palo Alto Online, on Feb 23, 2013 at 4:46 pm
In Daryl Savage's column this week: Midtown's Cafe Sophia closes; a burger joint starts serving bison; and a new dim-sum restaurant opens in downtown Palo Alto.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Saturday, February 23, 2013, 2:45 PM
Posted by Organiclaws, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Feb 24, 2013 at 5:27 pm Organiclaws is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
I ate at the Umami Burger down in LA while at a conference a few months ago. One of my all time favorite burgers. Unlike The Counter, they will do a real medium rare burger, and properly seasoned as well. Another nice addition to downtown!
Posted by D, a resident of Stanford, on Feb 25, 2013 at 10:37 am
I've gotten takeout from Steam twice. More affordable than other University Ave restaurants, clean and friendly. Terronne was like a trip to Italy. The staff spoke Italian and the Neopolitan style pizza was delicious.
Tacolicious opened up this week too on Emerson. Very trendy and lounge-like. Food was fresh and tasty. Many items were locally sourced and/or organic.
Posted by William, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Feb 25, 2013 at 11:23 am
I am SO sorry to hear that Cafe Sofia has closed! I have dined there often ever since she moved there. She was always so wonderful and kind. I had no idea she was closing. What a loss to the community!
Posted by Hmmm, a resident of East Palo Alto, on Feb 25, 2013 at 11:25 am
I find the name Tacolicious unappetizing & somehow disturbing. I'm glad to know there are other options!
Yelp! reviews of Steam are mixed & it sounds less like a dim sum restaurant, based on the limited number of actual dim sum dishes. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Posted by Katie, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Feb 25, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Too many restaurants in downtown Palo Alto. Cities need a variety of stores and services, not just restaurant after restaurant. It makes the downtown look cheap and tacky.
Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Feb 25, 2013 at 12:42 pm
A while ago I was feeling happy about the Midtown area becoming more of a destination and community gem. Mikes was great, Subway opened, a couple of Mexican places as well as Cafe Sofia and I love Palo Alto Cafe for coffee.
Unfortunately, Mikes has taken a turn for the worse and now Cafe Sofia is closing. I hope this is not a downward trend in Midtown.
Posted by Midtown Upturn, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Feb 25, 2013 at 1:04 pm
I think the latest additions to Midtown have actually upped its "cool" factor. School or Rock, Hiruko, Sancho's (in addition to the already-cool Como Esta?) joins an ice cream shop, grocery store, hair salon, a couple of banks, drugstores, coffee shops etc. Everything you need in two compact blocks. ;o)
If only RoundTable cleaned up their interior...Ugh.
Posted by Maureen&Magnus, a resident of Stanford, on Feb 25, 2013 at 1:40 pm
We quit patronizing Sancho's after one of their staffed yelled at my spouse. Check out their bad Yelp! reviews - they're revealing. Sancho's management is lousy & can't manage their way out of a paper bag. We're not big fans of Como Esta but at least the owner does good work in the community, so we patronize for that reason.
What's up w/Mike's downturn? Did they close Nenlo & let PA go down in order to focus on their new venture in PV? Or maybe overall financial woes? We're still sentimental about Mike's, but not enough to deal w/the TVs, so we order to go.
What's happened w/Cafe Sophia makes our hearts ache. We miss you & your bolani, Sophia & Ali!
Posted by oldtime midtowner, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Feb 25, 2013 at 2:51 pm
Cafe Sophia, and its wonderful owner, Sophia Omar will be terribly missed. The Afghan food was excellent, the coffee always good, and Sophia herself was a delightful, sophisticated, intelligent woman with whom one could have a good conversation. She was also a great hostess, a good cook, and was unfailingly kind to all her customers. Unfortunately, today there are too many cafes in Palo Alto, so the competition is so high that inevitably a few of the really just good ones (such as Sophia's) which do not necessarily cater to the fashionably high-tech crowd will go to ground. Too many Starbucks', too much fast food, not enough family-style, comfortable places one can go to sip a latte and read the paper.
Thank you, Sophia, for many years of good coffee, super food, and nice ambiance!
Posted by ary Ruppel, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Feb 25, 2013 at 3:58 pm
Thank you Sophia for providing excellent food, service, and wonderful conversation. You and your staff will be missed. I wish you the est of luck in the future.
Posted by Donald, a resident of Mountain View, on Feb 27, 2013 at 12:24 am
I used to live by Sophia's and went for the Afghan Breakfast with my family. The food and coffee were amazing and Sophia made you feel like a guest of the table at her house. Having gone through the hoops myself I can say that the restaurant industry is a very hard one and some get luckier than others. You'd think a positive and charming attitude, coupled with great food, service and prices would be enough. I hope she gives the area one more shot!
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