Bike Date Friday: Paris on the Peninsula

For the past three years I’ve worked at a company with a headquarters in Paris. It sounds much more romantic than it is. I’ve only visited the Paris office once and due to company politics it was a miserable experience. But next month I’ll be headed back under much better circumstances, especially since Dick will join me at the end of the trip for some vacation time.

What better way to get excited about our trip than sampling French cuisine on a bike date? On Friday night, we pedaled through the old neighborhoods of Palo Alto up to Left Bank in Menlo Park. Left Bank has a small bar that’s very popular with the after work crowd, but I prefer the spacious dining room that manages to feel calm even when the restaurant is busy. And you can still get all the tasty vintage cocktails.

After the cocktails we shared a pâté de foie gras plate and green salad, then moved on to the main course. Dick ordered a Couscous with Lamb Stew that was artfully served up at the table. I went for the Canard aux Pommes, duck breast with apples. For dessert: chocolate mousse and coffee. All very tasty, making us glad we chose Left Bank for an elegant dinner to help us unwind after a busy work week.

But you don’t have to go high-end to experience French food on the Peninsula, there are several small cafés and bistros serving more modest fare. Like Bistro Maxine, a crêperie where we ate before a dinner-and-a-movie bike date last month. To say that Bistro Maxine is petite would be an understatement. Inside, there are four tables seating a dozen people and two cafe tables on the sidewalk serving four. So don’t try to book a table there for a rehearsal dinner or a going away luncheon.

The menu is simple: sweet and savory crêpes, soup, salad and house wines. After soup, crêpes and people-watching from our sidewalk table, we were fully satisfied.

Afterward, we walked over to the Aquarius Theater to see “Midnight in Paris” by Woody Allen. Now that got us excited for Paris. The romantic one, not the work one.

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About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Walk Date: Up 5th Avenue for New York Steaks

For our last night in New York City, my boss told me “treat yourself and your husband to a nice dinner on the company.” So there was no guilt when I made reservations at Uncle Jack’s, where the steaks are thick, juicy, and quite expensive, and the side dishes are a la carte. Since I had been trapped inside at a conference all day, I convinced Dick to walk the 22 short blocks and 3 long blocks to the restaurant (1.6 miles).

Fifth Avenue is literally the heart of Manhattan and it was thumping on this warm night. The sidewalks were so crowded, what should have been a leisurely stroll past some of New York’s most notable landmarks and famous stores felt like rush hour on a freeway. By the time we got to Uncle Jack’s, Dick was hot and cranky and my feet were starting to complain in my strappy heels. But all was forgotten when our cocktails arrived, and we enjoyed our thick and juicy steaks, steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes, and the requisite New York cheesecake.

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Not wanting to spoil the mood with another long walk back, we hailed a pedicab to take us back to the hotel. With the wind in our faces, a cushy bench seat, and unobstructed views upward, we had the best seats on Broadway for our ride home. Pull over, yellow cabs. Trot aside, horse drawn carriages through Central Park. Pedicabs rides are the best way to see the Big Apple.

Have you ever taken a pedicab ride? Was it a fun ride or a stupid tourist trap?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Bike Date Friday: Amsterdam After Dark

With three days of Amsterdam cycling under our belts, we were ready to venture out after dark. Understanding the traffic rules was only part of the difficulty, it was also hard to navigate. For example, we couldn’t find a direct route to the Leidseplein, a popular eating and shopping district about a kilometer from our hotel. We kept riding in circles up and down canals trying to converge on our target.

But Friday night was Bike Date Friday night, so we had to risk it. We found the elusive direct route to the Leidesplein where we walked the square, had a tasty Dutch dinner, did a little window shopping, and pedaled back to the hotel through the Vondelpark with the unmistakable scent of marijuana in the air.

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About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Bike Date Friday: Mayfield Bakery & Cafe

Are bike dates becoming a phenomenon? For the second week in a row, we were not the only couple out for dinner on our bikes.

With a big ride to the coast planned for Saturday, we decided to keep it local at Mayfield Bakery & Cafe in Town & Country Plaza. As we rolled across town, we realized that we were really early, so we took a quick tour through Professorville. The neighborhood, built around the turn of the century by Stanford professors, features some of the oldest and most interesting homes in our area.

We were so engrossed we had to hurry to make our 7:00 reservation. Town & Country Plaza re-landscaped the parking lot a while back, adding some great bike racks. Still, we noticed two old school road bikes leaned up against the patio seating planters. Another bike date, perhaps? One bore the Peter Johnson name, a local bike builder that Dick knows. We each glanced into the patio for the owners, but couldn’t guess who they were.

The restaurant was busy, we took a table inside rather than wait for a patio table. Like Flea Street Cafe, Mayfield Bakery features on locally grown or raised ingredients, with a focused, regularly changing menu. I chose the lamb shank with figs and fried okra, while Dick went for a pork chop with polenta. Both tasty. I particularly liked the okra and figs and wished they had given me more of then and a smaller shank.

While we were eating, I saw two people get up from the patio. The man’s classic wool jersey gave them away as the owners of the bikes. It was Peter Johnson himself and his wife Jan. As they pedaled off, I wondered where they were headed and whether they are bike date regulars too.

We finished our meal with dessert, received a complimentary loaf of challah bread, and headed home. Our route took us past Palo Alto High School where they were hosting their first football game of the season. We stopped for a bit and watched the players running, the cheerleaders jumping and the students and parents enjoying the warm night out. Then we pedaled off into the darkness.

Are you noticing more couples out for the evening on bike dates? If not, do you ever notice any?

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About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Bike Date Friday: Vive Sol

It’s amazing what you can do with a remodel of a 1950s motel! I had seen Vive Sol before, tucked behind the florist and the vacuum shop on busy El Camino. It didn’t seem like much, but when Katie recommended it we had to try it.

A quick glance at the menu and I realized it was owned by the same family as Palo Alto Sol on California Avenue, which I’ve heard are relatives of the two La Fiesta del Mar restaurants in Mountain View. Like the others, the food is consistently good, and the decor boldly Mexican. A solid local spot with a loyal following.

Have you ever overlooked a place near home, until someone who lives in another town recommended it?

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About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Bike Date Friday: Picnic in the Garden

One dark, chilly, damp night commuting home last winter, I dreamed of a warm evening where Dick and I would pedal off to a park for a picnic for a bike date. But with distractions like vacationing with family in Florida, mountain bike racing with my girlfriends, and even waiting for the UPS man, it was August and alas, no picnic.

With sunset getting earlier each week, it was now or never. First task: find a location. Most park picnic areas are designed for kids’ birthday parties and loud family gatherings. I wanted something romantic. I considered going back to the Rodin Garden at Stanford, but was worried it wouldn’t be private enough.

After a bit of searching, I found a promising spot: the Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. With a historic home, carriage and tea houses, plus formal gardens it was romantic. After scouting it on my bike one evening, I found wooden picnic tables under a heritage oak tree and even a bike rack. Definitely romantic.

So I went shopping, prepared a picnic meal and packed it in Juliett’s ample single pannier and front basket and headed for work, telling Dick to pick me up that evening for a bike date picnic at a surprise location.

When we arrived we took a slow stroll around the gardens first, along with a dozen or so visitors: a young mother showing her toddler insects on a flower, two women friends in a deep discussion, a man pushing his elderly father in his wheelchair. You can see from the gallery of photos below why people are drawn to this beautiful public space. But by the time we poured a glass of white wine and unpacked Juliett’s baskets for our meal, we had the garden to ourselves.

What is still on your “to do” list for this summer? What summer fun do you still have planned?

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About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Bike Date Friday: Déjà Vu at La Strada

It’s been almost a year since we started going out for Bike Date Friday and it still feels fresh, probably in part that we have a rule that we don’t visit the same restaurant twice. But sometimes, like last night, you get that feeling of déjà vu. When I made the reservation for La Strada, I had forgotten we’d eaten there two years ago, the night I bought my first iPhone. As soon as I saw the sidewalk seating, I remembered how I had tormented Dick by testing out the iPhone’s video capability right there in the restaurant.

This time we didn’t sit directly on the sidewalk, but still had a great view of the parade of interesting characters on University Avenue. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to be quick enough to snap the guy riding his bike with a terrier perched on his shoulder. That dog had talent.

My Oven-Roasted Branzino Livornese Style was tasty. Yes, that’s a whole fish, head and all. The waiter offered to remove the bones, but being Cajun means I’m more than comfortable doing it myself.

Dick enjoyed his Farro-Curry Fettuccine with Lamb Cheeks. I was so focused on my fish I forgot to get a taste.

As we left, the full moon was rising, just like it was on our first Bike Date Friday on University Avenue last year. Some things never get old.

Do you go out of your way to try new restaurants, or do you prefer to be a “regular” at your favorite spot?

About Bike Date Friday: Since September 2010, my husband and I have had a standing date every Friday night. We eat at a different place every week and arrive by bike. There’s no better way to end the work week.

 

Bike Date Friday: Dinner and a Movie, the Sequel

Tonight, we cruised down the trails in the Baylands, headed for our local theater to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After zipping past some heavy concert traffic in the empty bike lane, we got to the theater with time to grab an appetizer course: popcorn and Diet Coke.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a first rate B movie, and an outstanding sequel. Or was it a prequel? It was sad and it was scary, but you couldn’t help but cheer for the apes. Hail, Caesar, our heroic chimp!

After the movie we pedaled downtown via the Steven’s Creek Trail to a chorus of cicadas and frogs. So peaceful in the full dark, except for the short stretch adjacent to the freeway. The harsh change from quiet to loud really emphasizes the noise pollution our freeways generate.

Our destination: the Tied House, a popular microbrewery frequented by Silicon Valley geeks. We were surprised–and annoyed–to find there were no bike racks out front, and that every post within a block had bikes attached. Something to bring up to our local BPAC.

At the Tied House we had our main course: fish & chips and Cascade Amber for Dick, and housemade sausages and Ironwood Dark for me.

After dinner it was a short ride home where we completed our last course of our three course meal: apple blossoms a la mode with a delightful Zaya Gran Reserva sipping rum. Yum!

When you go out for dinner and a movie, do you prefer eating before or after the show?

 

Bike Date Friday: Locally Grown and Fabulous

It was all locally grown, farmed or fished, and absolutely delicious. I had read the rave reviews about Flea Street Cafe way back in the rainy season and put it on my Bike Date Friday futures list for a summer date, when there would be more daylight to stop at Stanford University’s Rodin Garden on the way home. When we pedaled up, I was surprised by the restaurant’s humble exterior, which we soon discovered belies the fine dining within.

Look closely and you’ll see that they’re growing beets in the planter box out front, not flowers. Did you know that some towns, like Oak Park, Michigan prohibit front yard gardens? Somehow, what’s good enough for a rather expensive town in California is not OK for the average Joe in middle America.

Our drinks were summer herbal refreshers: rosemary cucumber gin & tonics, served with beets and radishes from their kitchen garden.

Crispy sardines from nearby Half Moon Bay were prepared perfectly. They were nothing like sardines from a can.

Dick went for the duck breast with arugula while I had the short ribs. Both exceptional. We could see why people raved about this restaurant.

It’s apricot season, so we had to go for the pound cake with apricots a la mode.

On the way home we stopped at Stanford University’s Rodin Garden, and savored the sculptures in the fading light.

What are your favorite locally grown, raised or fished items in your area? Do they come from your own backyard? Or front yard even?

 

Bike Date Friday: Time for Takeout

When a night out needs to become a night in, it’s good to have great options in takeout food nearby. We had planned to go out for our Bike Date Friday, but Dick was waiting for a signature-required delivery from UPS–a new guitar. So instead of Dick meeting me at work, I rode home instead, hoping the guitar would beat me home. It didn’t. When I saw how much Dick wanted to wait for the guitar, but didn’t want to cancel our date, I offered Plan B: takeout.

I hopped on Juliett because she has a big front basket and pedaled to downtown Mountain View. Being a Friday night, there were cars everywhere, searching for parking. On a bike, all I had to do was roll up and lock up.

There are so many choices on Castro Street: burritos, Chinese noodles, sushi, pizza and more. I decided on Vietnamese rice plates from Pho Hoa, a chain with restaurants throughout the US and Canada, plus Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore. I’d call it the McDonald’s of Vietnamese food, but it tastes a lot better and it’s healthier too.

Sometimes all it takes to make a takeout meal special is presentation and location. Since it was warm out, we dined on the deck and enjoyed the quiet of the night. Even though the UPS man never came.

What are your “go to” places for takeout? Have you tried any new ones lately?