The night began as most in Palo Alto do, a few friends wandering around downtown, looking into store windows we can hardly afford to walk into and questioning if there’s ever an open parking spot on University. Let’s be honest, beyond a specific occasion, the only thing to do downtown is wander, and of course eat, which is where this blog comes in.
You might as well call it Little Italy. There are plenty of Italian restaurants to choose from in downtown Palo Alto. I guess I’m not the only one affected by the must have carbs and butter Italian food cravings. It just so happened that La Strada was the first restaurant in sight at the moment of said craving. It was…well, you’ll see.
Food — 3/5
My dining expectations for University Avenue are pretty high, and unfortunately this was not up to par. Forgoing the typical Italian carb overload, I ordered a spinach salad with grilled chicken, Gorgonzola, almonds and a Cabernet vinaigrette dressing. The salad was decent — nicely dressed and the almonds and cheese were a nice pairing. But, the chicken was a little crispy. The chefs must have gotten distracted while they doused my friend’s ‘Casonsei Alla Bergamasca’ (also known as sausage ravioli with amaretto, brown butter, and pork guanciale) with butter-and-amaretto soup that looked like it could give me pimples from sheer proximity. There’s a way to utilize multiple meats in one dish without giving your customer a heart attack, and this is so not it. We (well, she) couldn’t even look at the dessert menu.
Service — 4/5
The host let us pick our own table and came by plenty to refill our water. That being said, there was nothing truly memorable or outstanding about the service. The restaurant was fairly busy, so they wait staff wasn’t super attentive, but it’s not like anyone was mean or spit in our food… I think.
Price – 3/5
This, unfortunately, is a risk you run at sit-down restaurants in Palo Alto. The salad was $10, the ravioli was $13, and desserts ran $7-9. Not gonna break you, but I don’t think it was worth it for the end product.
Location and Setting — 4/5
I think we’ve pretty firmly established that University Ave is a win in my book blog. Too bad it lost a point for cramming the tables wayyyyy too close together.
Good for… Exploring (read: Narrowing Down) Your Italian Food Options
It was all right, but not quite good enough to warrant the (reasonable but not lovable) prices. It all tasted pretty good, but given the volume of Italian restaurants in this area I’m definitely going to explore before I ever go back.