Food at Stanford is pretty good, all things considered.

I've eaten at a few college cafeterias, and what we have here at Stanford is seriously nothing to complain about. It's healthy, varied, and we have a ton of different dining halls and other restaurant/cafe options on campus. That having been said, it'd be nice to get away from campus once in a while and explore the Palo Alto area... the bistros! The ethnic food! The hipster cafes! At least, if they didn't all seem to come at Silicon Valley (i.e. not-so-student-friendly) prices. That's why, this past summer, I made a pledge to go to a different area restaurant -- ranging from Redwood City to Mountain View, which are the two farthest points that I feel comfortable bike riding on El Camino Real -- every Sunday of the school year and review it for college students based on the following criteria:

1. Food -- How good the food is clearly factors into any restaurant review. Since I only have one stomach (and only so much money), unfortunately I won't be able to review every dish offered, but I'll do my best to represent the overall quality of the restaurant.
2. Service -- Wait time (to be seated, waited on, served, and presented with the bill)? Server attentiveness/attitude? Ability/willingness to accommodate special needs or requests? Etc.
3. Price -- Probably one of the most important factors from the student perspective (if not the most important). What's the average dish price? What's the minimum cost of a decent meal? Is it somewhere you can go alone/with friends, or should you wait until Parents Weekend and sweetly ask them to take you out? Are there any coupons for it in the Stanford directory/unofficial guide?
4. Location and Setting -- For students who don't have a car at school (like me), how easy is it to get to from campus by walking or bike riding? Is it worth renting/splitting the cost of a Zipcar or pressuring your friend with a car into driving? Is it close to any cool stores, movie theaters, etc? What's the neighborhood like? Basically, is it an enjoyable place to have a meal?
5. Events -- Is this a good setting for a date? Which date (first, second, anniversary, etc)? How about group stuff: club or team celebrations, senior dinners, dorm banquets, group dates?

Let me know if you have any suggestions--places you like and want to share, or that you've always been curious about but have never had a good enough reason to take the effort to get off campus and visit. Or do you  feel like contributing your own thoughts on each restaurant or questioning my credentials as a restaurant reviewer? Go for it, because I don't really have any, other than a knack for cooking and a love of going out for lunch. These are just my opinions, as well as a great excuse to eat yummy off-campus food every once in a while. My restaurant adventures begin this Sunday and end when I graduate in June 2013. Stay tuned!