If you have a hankering for tomatoes fresh out of the garden, you might be a candidate for the seasonal Cherry Pie now on the menu at Pizzeria Delfina in downtown Palo Alto.
We indulged in this seasonal delight with a fresh tomato base, layered with cheeses and topped with sweet cherry tomatoes, on their extensive outdoor patio, surrounded by pizza lovers.
We also sampled the white-sauce-based squash blossom pie, layered with ricotta salata, squash blossoms and thin zucchini slices — a taste of summer in every bite. Even fussy kids were devouring their slices and were largely eating their crusts.
Another sure sign of summer is soft-serve: I remember steamy nights back east, eating soft-serve cones as they melted all over the plastic seat covers of my dad’s Impala. Pizzeria Delfina makes its own soft-serve in house from pure Jersey cow milk. There are two flavors: fiore di latte and chocolate. You can mix in a variety of evil additions, but the straight-up mountain of pure vanilla goodness is seriously hard to beat.
Also in Palo Alto, Sushi Roku has some summer sushi specials. These limited-time handrolls, wrapped in seaweed, include salmon belly with caviar and cilantro mayo; truffle snow crab with avocado, truffle and Champagne butter; and A5 Wagyu, kizami wasabi, garlic chips and sesame soy. Grilled salmon served with golden Yukon mashed potatoes, green apple, bok choy and citrus kumquat makes its debut as a summer entrée.
If you’re seeking a romantic spot for lunch in Palo Alto, Macarena is offering a special Chef Collections Menu Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., for $65 per person. This includes one drink per person (sangria, beer, soda or house wine), a choice of starters, a first course, a paella to share and dessert. Minimum of two guests per experience.
For starters, choose from rustic bread with gratinéed garlic aioli; tuna carpaccio with semi-cured bluefin tuna belly, Iberian ham-infused olive oil and almonds; and Pulpo a la Gallega, Galician-style octopus with creamy potato purée and extra virgin olive oil.
First-course choices include prawn tartare with Málaga-style Ajoblanco and tomato concassé, and grilled Iberian asparagus with Iberian ham crème, croutons and tomato concassé.
Choose from chicken paella with roasted chicken, chickpeas and green beans, or the Mediterranean paella, served Valencia-style with sea bass, artichokes and saffron-infused rice. For dessert, enjoy an assortment of chocolate truffles, mini lemon pie and mini tiramisu.
Dining and Cooking