With a late afternoon Stanford basketball game competing with the Saturday evening dinner slot, a local spot was pretty much a foregone conclusion, so after Stanford surprisingly and handily spanked Cal, we headed over to The California Café – the one tucked away in the Stanford old barn off the fringes of the campus and the Stanford Shopping Center. Granted, the Cal Café is not an especially imaginative choice, nor a likely stop for the Michelin crowd. And if it feels a bit dated – like stepping back into the California of the 80’s – dorky little touches like “Water” or “Fire” sections on the menu (“Seafood”, “grilled food” – get it?) – but its neither stuffy nor pretentious, and projects its own quirky charm.
The food this night – from adequate to excellent, with the unanimous winner the “Salmon Spring Rolls” – they can be found under the, um, “lively” section of “small plates” menu (so as not to be confused with appetizers that are “sassy”, “savory”, or simply “leafy”). Whatever, we’d list them under “terrific” – fresh, faintly spicy, a definitely refreshing update on a standard dish. I had the raw oysters on the half shell, medium sized, fresh, but notable in the lemon sorbet they were served with – nice twist to a starter that is hard to screw up as long as the oysters are fresh and cold. For the entrée, I went with the ancho chili-lacquered scallops served over jalapeño cheddar cornbread, pepper jus, and corn foam for $29 bucks. Big name for a small dish, but different. Only moderate heat considering the ingredients, plump, juicy scallops in an unusual combination. Good choice. There were a couple orders of togarashi seared sushi-grade ahi around the table, alos $29 bucks< style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom line: a steady, solid, and reliable if not spectacular choice – give it 3 of 5. -- GG
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