34089 Tue Feb 01 14:47:28 -0800 2005 5 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 153475 I'm going to the Stern Theater in Palo Alto on Wednesday and am looking for a pleasant, not too$$$ place to eat nearby. Tue Feb 01 14:47:28 -0800 2005 0 Frank 1 153497 Preferences? If Italian is OK, the Niebaum-Coppola (sp?) cafe is very nice and not too $$$. Nice pasta, calzone, good desserts, fun wine. For Chinese, we actually like Windy's. These are both on University Avenue, north of Lucie Stern. You can also go down to California Ave - a Szechuan restaurant there gets consistently high marks. If you can stand to be in Menlo Park, favorite Italian is actually Trattoria Buon Gusto, family-owned, small, cozy, great past al tonno, al norma. Tue Feb 01 16:47:35 -0800 2005 153475 0 LPC 1 153551 Cafe Niebaum-Coppola is not good, its mediocre at best. La Strada is supposed to be fairly good. Osteria is good, but more expensive. Tamarine is good, but expensive as well. Lavanda is over-priced. Mango Cafe (on Hamilton Ave) is good, and not too pricey. Tue Feb 01 23:59:06 -0800 2005 153475 0 The Scribbler 2 153579 To each his own. I find Osteria mediocre. No big deal. Wed Feb 02 12:11:15 -0800 2005 153551 0 LPC 1 153574 I recommend: Palo Alto Sol - (mexican)on California street. Zibibbo Three Seasons - Vietnamese place that is a little cheaper than Tamarine and just as good. Wed Feb 02 11:52:53 -0800 2005 153475 0 bcakes 1 153639 i second the recommendation for la strada on university. i like it better than osteria, but osteria is a good choice for italian-american food. i like the atmopshere at niebaum coppola, but the food is only ok. presentation at n-c is better than osteria. however, i'm not sure what your budgetary constraints are in this case. zibibbo and tamarine are definitely expensive for palo alto. three seasons is not really as good as tamarine, but neither of them are truly stellar. depending on the price range, st michael's alley next to whole foods on emerson, might be the best bet. great atmosphere, service, good food. (entrees between $15 and $20). marigold's on university in palo alto is also yummy indian food. not expensive. Wed Feb 02 18:07:02 -0800 2005 153475 0 thejulia