Mayfield Bakery and Cafe, Palo Alto

I went to see my long time friend at Los Altos hill yesterday.  She and I went to this really nice cafe restaurant in Palo Alto for lunch.   There were not many customers when we arrived before noon.  At 12:30pm the place was already packed.  We were seated at the last booth on the right of the picture below.



My friend had been here before. She was going to order the thin pizza but decided to order the samething I ordered.

Grilled California Yellow Tail, Leek Fondue,Wilted Fava Leaves, Shimeji Vinaigrette, $19

The dish was well presented with a little bit of vinaigrette taste.   It would be pefect if the fish is little bit undercooked.  I always like my fish medium rare but they had cooked it medium.  It was still ok not too dry.  I like the fresh vegetable and they were just cooked right.  Very nice combination dish.

The bread they served was just unbelievable good with thick crust.  The sourdough bread was only a slightly sour.  It's really hard to explain the fantastic taste of the bread. 

For dessert, my friend ordered the Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with carmael sauce, Vanilla Gelato, $8.00


This is way too sweet.  If you don't like something too sweet, skip this one.

I ordered the Citrus Crème Brulee, Madeleines $8.00

I like this dessert.  This had a generous portion and citrus flavor.  It was smooth and not too sweet with a thin sugar crust on top.  It came with two pieces of madeleines, chewy and nice citrus flavor too. 

The bakery next door prepares all the desserts and bread at the cafe.  There were big slection of buns,pastries and desserts.   I bought these buns home afterward.   They each tasted differently and were really good. 

Left to right: sugar bun, brown sugar bun, hot cross bun ( Price around $2+ each)

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This place is located in Town & Country, which is closed by Stanford Shopping Mall. It would be nice to have breakfast or coffee breaks after shopping in the area. Ask for weeknight Harvest Dinners if you want to enjoy and get a better deal for a complete dinner

Mayfield Bakery and Cafe
Town and Country Village

855 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 853-9200

Stripes In The Spring

The fashion trend for this spring is all about stripes.  I always love the black and white stripes but was afraid to wear them.  After reading this article: Horizontal stripes make women look thinner, I was excited to try on all the stripes fashion that are availalbe at the department store.

After experiencing all the difference clothing, I have found only certain type of cut and width of the stripes that across the body gave the slimming effect.  Here are what I found:

Medium size horizontal stripes that are in darker color are better to wear.  It gives a depth of curve and hide area that you don't want people to notice.  I found it is important to not wear top that's fits to the body.  It should not be too loose or too clingy.  It definitely gave a curvy look with a supported bra.

With broad stripes across the top gives an illusion of a bigger bust and narrower waist.


Bold wide stripes works better on a loose garment

I love this diagonal and vertical stripes blouse which elongates the body.

I particular like the look of  a broad stripes cardigan over thin stripes top.  This cardigan is similar to what I have at home but mine has broad and even stripes across.

If you are one not into stripes but still want to keep up with the trend, layer a plain cardigan or jacket over a  top like this:

or use these cute accessories:

I bought this infinity scarf for my daughter.  She looked so chic when she wore it with her solid black long sleeve top.

There are also many colorful stripes around to have fun with this season.  Colorful stripes accessories can really make a simple outfit "pops". It's best to avoid yellow color when pair with black and white stripes as it would seem like a "bee" costume.     I hope everyone is having as much fun as I have with this trend.

Easy Avocado Tofu

Tofu was believed to help lower choleterol and also good for the skin.  This tasty recipe was given to me by a friend who is a vegetarian.  I like the fact that I can prepare this healthy snack in no time and fill my stomach with no guilt at all.

Ingredients:

Soft or silkienTofu
Avocado
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Black pepper

Direction:

Cut tofu and place sliced avocado on top.  Drizzle some sesame oil and soy sauce over.  Sprinkle some black pepper.

Notes:

For variation, sprinkle some shredded roasted seaweed or green onion. Or substitute soysauce with prepared cold noodle sauce.

Bun Bo Hue Vietnamese Deli

After our big feast at the Boiling crab.  We went and find this deli which was known for their excellent bread and sandwiches. This little Vietnamese deli was just on the back side of the Boilign Crab.

After all the saltiness from the "whole shebang", I wanted a cold drink and my friend said her colleague loves to drink Avocado bubble drink.  I decided to try it.  Oh my goodness.  It tasted so declious with a bit of rich but refreshing taste.  I asked the owner what's in it.  He said only milk, sugar and whole avocado.  That was one recipe I have to try to make at home.

We both ordered the sandwich for our kids.  I ordered the number 1 combo sandwich and it was about one foot long.  I had tried a small bite of the sandwich.  The bagguette was crunchy with really fine grain. I have to remember to come to this place again to buy more sandwiches the next time I come to The Boiling Crab.

Bun Bo Hue Vienamese 

(408) 270-7100

2060 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA 95122