Cuisine:

• Coffee Houses
• American
• New American

Calafia Cafe Description:
In myth, Calafia was the queen of the island of California, an ancient utopia ruled by women. Calafia Café is ruled by Charlie Ayers, ex-Google chef and author of Food 2.0, and while it's not exactly a utopia it at least strives for sustainable principles. Located in the updated Town & Country Shopping Center, the sunny, reasonably priced spot draws local techies, Stanford students and families. Like his Google cafeteria, Ayers's Calafia serves slow, local food at a fast pace. Noodle dishes, rice bowls, wraps and pizzas fill the lunch and dinner menus, but little about them is typical. The thin-crust Wolfgang's Pizza comes loaded with shredded duck leg, its earthiness complemented by pumpkin seed pesto and goat cheese. A pasta bowl featuring lamb sausage proves heartily satisfying, with a chard-filled tomato sauce. A side of marinated udon with pickled ginger was surprisingly bland. The short wine list offers solid local choices priced reasonably. Service is friendly if distracted; communal tables, bar seating and an open kitchen can make for a loud atmosphere. The self-checkout market next door sports an organic salad bar, Fra'Mani sausages, sushi, smoothies and sandwiches for those truly in a rush.


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