Ethel's Fancy — Restaurant in Palo Alto

Let's start with the atmosphere. It's very calm and open. A lot of earthy tones with perfect soft lighting. The staff made me feel at home and even the owner/head chef even had time to have a chat.

I'm ashamed to tell you that none of the dishes can be compared to others which makes them hard to explain. It's like trying to explain Cirque to Soleil to someone, "It's circus, but it's not". All the flavors and textures were dynamic. Each dish can be hinted to another, but not necessarily associated with it. I'm sure you get the drift by now.

[Morsels] We started with some Toasted Coconut Fritters which were pieces of soft and creamy wagyu beef atop crusty coconut beads that gave a salty and sweet taste.

It was shortly followed by Point Reyes Miyagi Oysters which was another interesting twist. The chilled oysters were topped with a custardy consistency which had a hint of a bloody Mary, but not quite--delicious nonetheless.

[Shareables] We then had Duck & Crystallized Ginger Dumplings which are gyoza with a seaweed garnish. It had none of the gamey taste and the flavors were so rich, they took me straight to flavortown.

Next, we ordered Crispy pork belly which was another perfect blend of sweet and savory. It was tender and juicy which drooled all over a mozzarella to calm those flavors down. It was so good, we had to have an encore.

To help town it down further, we had some fresh Cured Local Halibut which is a pleasant surprise because I've never had halibut sashimi before. It was topped with some tomatinas drizzled with a light sauce I can't explain, yet it was still yummy.

I don't remember ordering it, but Corn & Shisito Pepper Tempura which are crunch corn tempura topped with bay shrimp in a cream sauce. The creamy and the crunchy textures were definitely at play with my tongue here.

[Considerables] For the main dishes, we started with a Slab of Pork Ribs. It was an exhibition of culinary art. It was so pretty, I didn't want to eat it, but looked to good to neglect. Of course, I opted for the latter. To explain, the ribs were elegantly intertwined and surrounded by beautifully presented fresh crudité greens. The ribs themselves were lightly crusted by the Japanese curry. It was odd because I usually get that taste from a soupy texture rather than something baked on.

If you ask me, the Dry Aged Ribeye was the star of the show. The perfectly cooked ribeye was accompanied by this raisin chutney which is a marriage made from the heavens. Again, the savor of the meat juices melded together to with the raisin chutney like gestalt.

[Desserts] This isn't your regular soft serve--it's Chinese Almond Cookie Soft Serve. It had these sweet chewy peach mochi pieces and crumbles which played well with the soft serve.

We finished off the whole ensemble with a Kinako Coconut "Pop Tart". This brought the kid out of my mature body. This pastry is swimming in cajeta (carmelized goat's milk) with whipped coconut cream. Each has their own sweet earthy flavors that compliment each other consummately. It has tiny coconut pieces baked on top that create a unity and consistency of coconut flavor.

As you can tell, every second and mouthful of this experience was pleasant and beautifully unique as the chef can make it, and intend to return soon with some of my co-workers and friends.

I've also posted some images of the dishes in Google Maps (formerly Google My Business). Keep in mind the menu is subject to change given the season.

If you like a unique culinary experience, make an effort to visit Ethel's Fancy. You'll thank...

We went here for my husband's birthday last week. I wrote ahead of time, in the reservation notes, that we'd like an allergen menu if they had one available. They were thoughtful and accommodating, giving us a menu with the two specific food sensitivities I'd mentioned labeled and asterisks next to the dishes that could be modified to be safe. At one point we ordered the early girl tomatoes, and they came out with cheese. (I think we'd ordered the dairy-free version, but I'm not positive.) We said it was fine (my husband didn't mind missing one dish), but they brought out a second order as a replacement without dairy anyway. Then at the end, because all of the desserts had gluten or dairy as integral ingredients, they brought us a beautiful little improvised dish of fresh figs, grapes, etc. instead (with a candle in one of the figs) as a birthday dessert -- it was thoughtful and delicious.

Aside from food sensitivity thoughtfulness, I loved everything about Ethel's Fancy. The host and waiter were both helpful and knowledgeable -- and always available without being obtrusive. Everyone was surprisingly easygoing and laid-back, despite the fact that this is a somewhat fancy place (as it says in the name). For the main dish, we shared the ribeye (from the "considerables" section of the menu), which was plenty of food for two people -- more than I usually expect from a fine dining restaurant. The serpentine melons, oysters, cured salmon, and cocktails were also phenomenal. I can't really do them justice, but the emphasis was on using the most flavorful, freshest (and mostly or all local) ingredients available and then only using seasoning or textures to complement the base components of the dish. Nothing was for show (although the dishes were beautiful) and every ingredient had a purpose.

After the meal, the host covertly asked me what liquors my husband liked (he'd already ordered martinis, so it was a safe question). I mentioned Scotch and gin, and he brought over a small, very nice Scotch that dated from the mid-2000s (earlier I'd mentioned to him that we met in Austin in the 2000s) as a birthday surprise.

Ethel's Fancy is a wonderful place for special occasions, but it would also be good for any time you want to treat yourself and a friend to interesting appetizers and cocktails -- that is, you can go slightly overboard for a birthday, or rein yourself in and end up only spending about what you would normally spend on happy hour in this area (maybe $50 per person with tax and tips).

Wonderful servers, environment, and food. Relaxing, cozy, and welcoming despite being upscale. I am happy this place exists, and I hope they do well here.

(The pictured birthday fruit plate is missing the candle and one fig -- I wasn't...

Long overdue glowing review for Ethel’s Fancy. We had the pleasure of celebrating my son’s graduation from Stanford University on June 15 at Ethel’s Fancy. My son had been talking about it for a while, and we were excited to go. Unfortunately, they are not typically open on Sunday (the day of the graduation ceremony). Fortunately, Ethel’s Fancy decided to open for Graduation Day, and they were kind enough to reach out and let me know.

I had not heard from the restaurant to confirm within the 24-hour window, so I gave them a call. After a little confusion about our reservation, we figured out what was going on. However, this was a great opportunity to meet Mickey (I assume the GM). We had a good laugh after we were both sweating bullets about the “missing” reservation (it was a typo issue, no biggie).

Since we were staying in a hotel and planning to be at the Graduation Ceremony all day, I asked Mickey if I could bring the bottles by to be stored at the proper temperature. I stopped by in the afternoon with bottles in hand, and Mickey said with a knowing look, “Ohhh… I see somebody will be drinking well tonight for this special day!” which was the perfect welcome. When we arrived later in the evening, we were seated at the best seat in the house. We were right by Mickey’s perch, and he kept an eye on us all night, If I did not know better, I would have thought that we were the only guests in the entire restaurant. He expertly opened my bottles and decanted them properly (one was 21 years old, so the cork could be tricky). The wines were at perfect temperature (one white/one red).

Our server and the food runners were all amazing. They treated each guest at our table as if we were VIP’s. The staff were all smiles even though they were moving constantly between tables.

The food was absolutely delicious. The greatest hits, as often reviewed on various sites, are deemed that for a reason – they are all fantastic. The seasonal menu items were phenomenal. I ordered the steak as a last-minute decision to make sure there was something for everyone at our multigenerational table. I did not have high expectations (it is steak at a non-steak house with the chef cooking over a small fire); that steak was mind-blowing! It was so tender and flavorful that it is one of the best steaks that I have ever had.

Ethel’s Fancy made one of the most special days in my family’s life and exceeded all expectations by legions. It was perfect!

Service, Food, Service. Food....