Meet for Meat in Palo Alto
Carnivores will be in heaven when Pampas opens its doors later this month in downtown Palo Alto at 529 Alma St. at Hamilton Ave. I know my hubby is sure to be one of the first in line. After all, those of you who have followed my food stories in the pages of my former employer, the Mercury News, know all too well his nickname: Meat Boy.
Picture 18 different meats on skewers, everything from lamb to duck to filet mignon. With churrasco-style dining, you eat and eat until you wave the red flag. There will be plenty of vegetarian options; and lighter eaters can opt to order a la carte, too. A side bar also will tempt with an array of salads, cheeses, and charcuterie.
The 8,300-square-foot tri-level space will feature mohair sofas and Acacia wood stools. The executive chef is John Karbowski, formerly sous chef at Mill Valley’s El Paseo. General manager is Saeed Amini, formerly at Kokkari in San Francisco, Evvia in Palo Alto, and Cetrella in Half Moon Bay.
Consulting sommelier is Mark Bright, formerly at Michael Mina in San Francisco and currently managing partner at Local Kitchen and Wine Merchant. And consulting pastry chef is a familiar name: Marisa Churchill, currently the pastry chef at Yoshi’s San Francisco and a former contestant on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef.”
Find more information at www.pampaspaloalto.com after the site goes live.
I’m always skeptical of all-u-can-eat dining. Quality tends to suffer at the expense of quantity. Even if the quality is exceptional, stuffing down large quantities will numb your senses.
Then there’s the fact that the price is set such that those of us who don’t eat our own weight in meat are subsidizing for those who do. Your night will end in one of two ways. Either you think “I got my money’s worth, but I feel really sick,” or “I didn’t eat enough, but I still feel really sick.”
The duck sounds interesting, though.
All good points. And it’s nice that Pampas apparently offers the option of ordering a la carte, too. That way you get only as much as you want, and at the price you want.
Your food blog is very stylish and accessible. My hubby, and children LOVE meat and this looks like a restaurant that may actually please their need for huge portions and variety. I appreciate that they offer vegetarian options, so we can all be satisfied. Thank you for the timely update and excellent description of Pampas.