village pub

woodside, ca

website

like derek, our friend rajesh knows good burgers. he's been telling us to try the village pub burger ever since we moved to the south bay. our earlier attempts had failed, but derek made reservations for yet another anniversary dinner. (it's our first anniversary, we're allowed to have more than one celebratory meal, right?) so we got all dressed up and were ready to dine with the moneyed, hedge-fundy, venture-capitalisty elites that populate woodside. the average age of the village pub dining room was definitely up there, but i suppose derek and i are no spring chickens either.

despite the white tablecloths and formal atmosphere, service was incredibly friendly and gracious. the burger was not on the dinner menu, but we were allowed to order from the pub menu. i can't remember what appetizer i ordered but it probably involved caviar of some kind and was probably amazing. derek thought the village pub burger was delicious. i ordered the steak frites with bone marrow because i can't pass up anything with bone marrow. very very good - my only complaint is that they pre-sliced the meat and drenched it with sauce. i'm a grown woman, i can slice and sauce my own steak, thankyaverymuch.

buck's of woodside

woodside, ca

website

we were hoping to finally try the famous burger at the village pub, which has been highly recommended by rajesh, but unfortunately it was closed on saturday. instead we went to an upscale strip mall nearby and found buck's. from the outside, it looks like a standard diner. from the inside, it looks like ye olde curiosity shop. there's all sorts of strange things hanging on the walls - like a narwhale tusk and a model ship. there's a lot to look at while you wait for your food.

derek ordered a burger, per usual, which was solid. i really enjoyed my club sandwich (although the waitress was baffled when i asked to leave out the avocado). the coleslaw on the side wasn't very good, but skipping the sides allowed me to save room for dessert. the highlight was definitely the dessert - a delicious and massive strawberry shortcake. homemade whipped cream, perfectly sweet strawberries, all sandwiched in a delicious crumbly biscuit. amazing.

alice's restaurant

woodside, ca

website

this may be one of the few restaurant raves where i will probably not be going back. at least not without some dramamine. as i mentioned in the la toque post, we got a new car on the way to napa. in fact, we are now leasing a 2011 bmw m3. apparently this car loves to go fast, especially on winding roads. the roads in the hills just northwest of palo alto are quiet and twisty - the perfect combination to test the limits of sports cars, motorcycles, and your inner ear equilibrium. derek had taken the car on these roads (alone) a few times and saw a cool restaurant he wanted to take me to.

alice's restaurant is located at the crossroads between two highways in these hills and it's clearly a biker hangout. the parking lot in front of the restaurant is filled with huge motorcycles and a handful of expensive sports cars. there's even a booth advertising the services of attorneys specializing in representing bikers (??). inside, the atmosphere is perfectly casual and cool. the burgers are amazing - the meaty and juicy patties are the highlight here. i ordered an omelette - delicious, served with excellent hash browns and a biscuit. the only problem is that i was woozy all day from the trek. sigh.