Dan Pitt’s Opinionated Compendium of Downtown Palo Alto Restaurants
Dan Pitt’s Opinionated Compendium of Downtown Palo Alto Restaurants
I had a colleague from Australia in town and wanted to show him a good time so we went to Zibibbo. The space there never ceases to amaze me. How in the world they got the Palo Alto Planning Commission to agree to a restaurant that starts in an old house on Kipling St. and runs through two other buildings all the way to Waverley St. is beyond me. But it is quite stunning, albeit a tad industrial if you look up. The mirrors above the banquettes in our section permit the person facing the wall to see what’s going on behind him or her, which makes everyone feel connected to the action. It does not feel like a romantic restaurant to me, however (especially the central room with wrought-iron furniture that can be closed off with glass walls for private events), but then again I wasn’t there for romantic purposes.
I love the option of 2 oz. glasses of wine for all the wines by the glass and thus enjoyed a small taste of South African rose before digging into the zinfandel and petite sirah I brought to share with my colleague. I wanted, of course, to introduce him to unique wines of our region and thus I was somewhat disappointed that the selection of California wines by the glass was sparse. For me, I relish the wines Zibibbo finds from obscure places far away but for this occasion I wanted more home-grown stuff.
The menu is interesting because it has so many categories. These include individual appetizers, a multiple-choice appetizer list (choose three for a fixed price), small plates, pizzas, daily grills, specials from the wood-burning oven, and entrees. We shared a multiple choice, which had just the right amount for the two of us. He went on to the Tuesday special of rabbit while I enjoyed the skirt steak, which came sliced with small potatoes and cippolini onions. I normally prefer my steak in one piece but this dish worked well. Zibibbo stands up to any place in the city for inventiveness and freshness. I prefer food served family style like this (or individually) to the precious concoctions of the most expensive and formal restaurants in big cities or Napa.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Zibibbo: how to impress out-of-towners