Monique's Chocolates -- 4/5

Ok, so maybe truffles and hot cocoa don't exactly qualify as lunch.

It's been a rough week.

1. Food -- 5/5 The fantastic thing about eating out with other people is that you get to try more of the menu than you would alone. Especially in a chocolate shop where truffles are labeled according to their exotic single origin. My friend and I split two chocolates: the "House Blend" truffle, mixture of Belgian dark chocolate and San Francisco milk chocolate, and a Fleur de Sel caramel. I preferred the truffle -- caramel is a little too sweet for me -- but they were both wonderful and totally hit the mid-Winter quarter stress spot. We also ordered hot chocolate, because this place is kind of famous for it. I got the Dominican Republic variety (74% dark), any my friend got a dark-milk blend. Wow. This is what hot chocolate should be. And the two tasted totally unique from each other -- not just on a dark vs. milk level, but they each had very different flavors. More cocoa than sugar, which was a nice change.
2. Service -- 3/5 Pretty average. Not crappy, not stellar. There was some mishap behind the counter, and we were held up for a minute or so by some missing receipt paper or something like that, but no big deal. Eh.
3. Price -- 3/5 Let's face it: two to three bucks is a lot of money for a piece of chocolate, even if it is really, really, really good chocolate. The hot chocolate is more reasonable -- about the same price as the same product as Starbucks, and much better.
4. Location and Setting -- 4/5 Great location on Bryant Street, right across from the back entrance to Three Seasons. The store itself is shiny, white, and deco, but honestly it felt a little sterile. Doesn't go so well with all the exotic chocolate, but my interior decorating tastes are a) questionable and b) irrelevant.
5. Good for... girl time. At least that was my impression. Oddly, the only other customers were some businessmen mid-negotiation. Hmmm. A new way to soften up the opposition?

Village Cheese House -- 5/5

As I mentioned a couple entries ago, my new friend and I have decided to dedicate our Thursday afternoons to lunching at new restaurants across town. Our first stop was a made-to-order sandwich shop that I've heard pretty good things about and wanted to check it out.

1. Food -- 5/5 This is what a sandwich should be. (Don't kill me if you're a die-hard Ike's fan!) A beautiful, soft, albeit enormous whole wheat roll + tender deli chicken + fresh lettuce and red onions + provolone + the special house sauce = love. My friend got smoked turkey, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and the special house sauce on their famous Dutch Crunch bread; I only had a bite, but considering that she tried to save the 2nd half for dinner and then ended up giving in and eating it during class really says something. Sandwiches are made-to-order off of a list of dozens of possible meats, cheese, veggies, and sauces. The shop also stocks a variety of drinks, chips, and novelty snacks and European chocolate.
2. Service -- 5/5 Very efficient order-takers, especially considering the volume of customers around lunchtime, and skilled sandwich-makers.
3. Price -- 3.5/5 So maybe $8.50 is a little much for a sandwich, but like I said, they're huge! Half is definitely enough for a meal, leaving you with the other half for dinner or a convenient bag lunch the next day that will have all your peers slobbering with jealousy.
4. Location and Setting -- 5/5 Located in the back corner of the Town and Country shopping center on El Camino, the Cheese House is tucked away to the left of CVS, behind the high-end sportswear store and next to the state senator's office. It's a surprisingly spacious unit with a nicely organized line, good deli atmosphere, and a beautiful patio with plenty of wrought iron tables and benches for a sunny day. Plus, it's like two blocks away from Stanford. So you have 20 minutes to grab one of the best subs in town and get back to class? Not a problem. Also conveniently located in the same center as Trader Joe's, CVS, Kara's cupcakes, Cold Stone Creamery, and a bunch of other random rich people stores. Get your sandwich on the go if you've got a busy afternoon of errand-running ahead!
5. Good for... a much-needed lunch break in the sun. Or in the rain. Or whenever, really. I also hear it's a good morning-after/hangover recovery place. Don't know from experience, but I believe it.

Caffe del Doge -- 3.5/5

1. Food -- 5/5 Less food, more coffee. But very good coffee. So flavorful and smooth, very easy to take black. They're also very creative, with everything from Americanos to fancy concoctions served in martini glasses with chocolate layers, exotic spices, and all kinds of foam. They also make a very nice pear tart -- dense and not too sweet -- and the mousse was quite tempting. Many varieties of coffee are also available in bulk, a perfect gift for your favorite non-materialist coffee gourmand.
2. Service -- 5/5 The girl behind the counter was so sweet! There was no one behind us in line, and we got to talking. She actually graduated from Stanford last year with a degree in Anthropology (just like me! except I also do Archaeology). Before you get all cynical and make the post-hoc fallacy of assuming this means my degree will amount to working in a high-end cafe, take into account the facts that
1. It's Palo Alto, and she probably has a lot of student loans to pay off (financial aid wasn't as good then).
2. Sometimes, the last thing that a girl who's just completed four of the most academically and organizationally rigorous years of her life wants to do is jump straight into the professional version thereof. Burnout is bad.
3. Price -- 2/5 More expensive than Starbucks. Certainly better coffee, but definitely a splurge.
4. Location and Setting -- 3/5 It's a bit far down University, and customers are all rather squished in together. Not a very good place for exchanging confidential information, I think. Nice atmosphere and music, though, as well as a television that's constantly showing (silently) artsy French and Italian films.
5. Good for... high-end study sesh, dessert with girlfriends after dinner at Pasta? or Three Seasons, or maybe after an old movie at the Stanford Theater.

Pasta? -- 4/5

Welcome back, non-readers! Apologies for my extended absence. First of all, WINTER BREAK. It was fabulous--lots of cooking, skiing, sleeping, and reminiscing with high school friends about how ridiculous we really were and still really are. Anyways, I realized upon returning to school that Sundays are no longer a good day for restaurant visits, what with skiing every weekend and all. This boded ill for my blog, but fortunately I made a new friend in my Qualitative Research Methodology class, and we have decided to go out to lunch to a new restaurant every Thursday before class. Fear not, review-readers! The sortof-kindof-critic isn't done yet.

At least not until she leaves for Paris in April. Somehow I don't think reviews of their restaurants would prove very useful for y'all.

1. Food -- 4/5 Sometimes, you just crave Italian. Complex carbohydrates, Parmesan cheese, fresh tomatoes and basil and garlic and you probably get the idea, because you've been there. We asked for our salads lightly dressed (you know how restaurants can be...more dressing than salad...), and they were lightly dressed alright. Like, no dressing. They were plenty nice about bringing some out on the side, though. As an entrée, the penne giannino (with chicken and pesto) totally met my expectations and requirements for a delicious and stress-busting pasta dish. It was large enough to split with a friend and still have some left over to stick in my fridge for a late-night study snack.
2. Service -- 5/5 Still trying to work out if our server was really Italian, or if he's just an out of work character actor. Regardless, very sweet, accommodating, and professional.
3. Price -- 4/5 It's more expensive than food on campus, but honestly, not by much. Salads run at about $7, pasta at $12, and meat dishes are about $17. Like I said, plenty split-able. Good value for good food.
4. Location and Setting -- 4/5 About three or four blocks down University Avenue, it's very accessible with nice signage. Parking is a difficulty, as always, especially when it's cold out and walking isn't as pleasant as in the warmer months. It's not very Italiano-atmospheric -- it's actually got a sort of chromic, trendy vibe, but it works. Classy, but relaxed enough that I felt okay wearing track shorts. Ok, well I felt a little awkward, but not enough to detract from the dining experience.
5. Good for... a fun, classy-but-informal night out. Seems a little too echo-y for an intimate/date setting, but I can definitely seeing heading here with a few friends and splitting some delicious pasta dishes before heading over to L'Amour for a frozen finale.