Cecile and I combined a little shopping, with a middle-eastern lunch and aesthetically pleasing Garden Walk experience Stanford Shopping Center is known for. They lead the way in transforming their community of storefronts into an enchanting, picturesque floral wonderland designed with the help and vision of garden designers. There are welcoming, stunning blooming flower beds everywhere.
But, first it was time for lunch. Ten years after launching their first Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen in San Mateo where our daughter Michelle and family used to live, the owners of this Turkish-style eatery expanded their reach with their fourth Bay Area restaurant at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto last fall. On their grand-opening day the civic-minded owners donated 50 percent of sales to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital nearby. The fresh offerings are made in-house using the finest ingredients.
Though we are a fan of the traditional pita bread, we prefer their nicely seasoned bread rolls which according to our water are baked regularly during opening hours. Though they have an extensive menu, Cecile and I were more than happy sharing their Appetizer Sampler Plate which included Hummus, sautéed eggplant, mediterranean Salsa, Baba Ghanoush, tzatziki, dolmades and falafel. The restaurant easily fits 80 people indoors and out doors. They have a fancy bar and a small take-out bakery kiosk.
