Nourishing Heart, Soul
St. Michael's Alley a welcoming place
Miriam
Morgan, Chronicle Assistant Food Editor
Few restaurants are more rooted in their neighborhoods than St. Michael's Alley in Palo Alto. It began as a folk-singing venue on University Avenue in 1959, hosting then-unknown Joan Baez and Jerry Garcia. Like any old-timer, it has lived a lot since then -- new location, new owners. But it has never seemed as comfortable and welcoming as in its current incarnation.
Just over a year ago, owners Jenny Youll and Michael Sabina and chef Ryan Anderson took a break to spruce the place up, replacing the old bar, putting in slate flooring, refinishing the wood trim and sponging the walls in autumn hues. They also upgraded the kitchen, which allowed Anderson to create intriguing and seasonal menus.
The winter menu is in place now and, although some dishes need some tweaking, others are fine. For starters, the restaurant's signature pan-fried wild mushroom cake ($6), in a pool of garlicky bechamel sauce dotted with chive oil, is at once fresh and woodsy.
The pork empanadas ($7) are also excellent -- two bronzed half-moon crusts enclosing morsels of chile-infused pork and paired with apricot chipotle sauce. It's lovely to look at, too, garnished with a tangle of finely julienned red and green cabbage and served on a square turquoise plate.
Unfortunately, an underdressed baby green salad ($5.50) didn't reach the same high notes. But for the entrees, both were close. The braised lamb shanks ($19) were lean, moist and tender but, despite the promised curry, could have used a little more punch, and the barley risotto was a bit unexciting. Served in a shallow bowl, the dish was a palette of nearly uniform browns.
Pan-roasted duck breast ($21), with wild rice and braised cabbage and fennel, also was a study in earth tones. Unlike the lamb, it was in tensely flavored, to the point that the robust Port currant sauce eventually proved overwhelming. But the duck was tender and had a good flavor on its own.
Desserts were a bit uneven -- the wedge of spice cake ($5.50) was delicious but dry and too hot, perhaps from an overzealous zap in the microwave; the accompanying cinnamon gelato, however, was outstanding. Warm chocolate bread pudding ($6) is moist and chocolaty, and the chocolate sauce and banana ice cream are perfect foils.
St. Michael's wine list reflects its surroundings. The well-chosen selection focuses on Santa Cruz Mountains vintners, including labels like Cooper-Garrod, Kathryn Kennedy and Mount Eden that are not everyday standards.
But the restaurant's service can be a letdown. We waited far too long for our orders to be taken, and there were lapses in pacing without any explanation. We were never offered coffee, and had to flag down a busboy to pay our check.
Despite these lapses, an evening at St. Michael can be very enjoyable. The ingredients are chosen and prepared with care and good sense, and the flavors can be exciting. It's a restaurant that fits -- heart, soul and food--into its time and place.
CHART: ST. MICHAEL'S ALLEY ADDRESS: 806 Emerson St. (near Homer), Palo Alto PHONE: (650) 326-2530 HOURS: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, brunch 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Street and city lot parking. . OVERALL: TWO AND A HALF STARS Food: TWO AND A HALF STARS Service: ONE AND A HALF STARS Atmosphere: TWO AND A HALF STARS . PRICES: $$ NOISE RATING: THREE BELLS --------------------------------------------------- RATINGS KEY FOUR STARS: Extraordinary THREE STARS: Excellent TWO STARS: Good ONE STAR: Fair (box): Poor . $ Inexpensive: entrees under $10 $$ Moderate: $11-$17 $$$ Expensive: $18-$24 $$$$ Very Expensive: $25+ Prices based on main courses. When entrees fall between these categories, the prices of appetizers help determine the dollar ratings. . ONE BELL: Pleasantly quiet (under 65 decibels) TWO BELLS: Can talk easily (65-70) THREE BELLS: Talking normally gets difficult (70-75) FOUR BELLS: Can only talk in raised voices (75-80) BOMB: Too noisy for normal conversation (80+) . Chronicle critics make every attempt to remain anonymous All meals are paid for by the Chronicle Star ratings are based on a minimum of three visits Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit.