Where should we have our rehersal dinner? (cuisine + restaurant recs)

February 24, 2016 7:26 PM

We're getting married in July and are trying to decide where to have the rehearsal dinner. We're looking for suggestions either for type of food or specific restaurants not too far from Palo Alto, CA. Dietary restrictions etc inside.

Our usual go-to in this situation would be Italian, but the food at the wedding will be sort of typical wedding food, Italian-ish to the extent that its anything. About 1/2-2/3 of our guests will be at the rehersal dinner (due to lots and lots of out of town family who haven't seen each other in years) and we'd like to avoid having the two be too similar.

Restrictions:
-vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free friendly (although no one is both)
-Needs to please the masses. As much as we love it, Ethiopian or Indian are probably too spicy and out there for our guests. Thai might work, but we're not sold.
-casual vibe where people can mingle and chat for a while.

We're hoping for suggestions for types of food we hadn't considered or specific restaurants in the Palo Alto area.

posted by matildatakesovertheworld to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

How many people? What's the per-person budget? Are you looking for somewhere that can just seat a party of 12 or whatever and have them order their own separate meals, or somewhere that will do more of a catering-type thing for 50?

That said, I will always lean towards a New American-type place, especially in the Bay Area.
posted by brainmouse at 7:54 PM on February 24, 2016

Response by poster: 30-40 people at the rehearsal dinner (sorry, got lost in an edit).

Budget is flexible but we'd like to keep it under a few thousand.

brainmouse, any suggestions for New American places that are still casual enough not to overshadow the wedding?
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 8:01 PM on February 24, 2016

Best answer: If you're open to more Italian, Caffe Riace (off of California Avenue in Palo Alto) is delicious. We haven't been there in a few years, but it used to be where we'd take family when they came into town to visit, and we considered having our wedding reception there. It looks like they do large groups. Definitely casual enough not to overshadow the wedding, but delicious food. They make their own pasta in house... mmmm...

I know you said not too out there, but what about Fuki Sushi on El Camino? I find sushi/Japanese to be one of the more approachable ethnic options, especially since they serve non-raw-fish things like California rolls, veggie rolls, teriyaki chicken, tempura, etc. Also haven't been there in a few years, but we loved having our joint bachelor/bachelorette party there.

I remember talking about eating at La Bodeguita del Medio, at least, if not actually eating there (We probably went. I can't remember.), but Cuban might be a good middle ground between "crowd-pleasing" and "not Italian."

We started our love of fine food at Saint Michael's Alley, which used to be in a tiny space but I think is in a larger one now.

There are also some good places in Mountain View, including Scratch and Steins, both of which have relatively large menus with things like burgers but also things like fancy, interesting California-style salads. Nami Nami is another sushi spot that's delicious (and includes dishes for the more adventuresome eaters in your group), though they're small enough that you might have to rent out the whole place for 30-40 people.

Thanks for asking this question! We used to live in Palo Alto and it was fun to remember some of our favorite spots!
posted by bananacabana at 8:34 PM on February 24, 2016

The best rehearsal dinner I've ever been to had a taco truck/cart parked in the to-be-wedded couple's back yard.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:48 PM on February 24, 2016

Reposado (Mexican) can do large parties with menus selected ahead of time. They have a pretty good vegetarian menu (just mention/ask for it). Guacamole, datiles rellenos, chicken mole, skirt steak, all pretty good.

Nola (Cajun food) has a bunch of private spaces in different sizes that might work and quite a bit of middle of the road food (creamy pasta dishes, fried things, ribs, etc.). It has a festive vibe and some pretty good fruity cocktail options.

La Bodeguita del Medio, as suggested by bananacabana, is excellent but they only had one vegetarian option the last time I was there and it was not so great. Their carnivorous options are great.
posted by asphericalcow at 9:47 PM on February 24, 2016

For New American in particular, I think your best options are:
Lure + Till for a go at the trendy SF restaurant aesthetic
Saint Michael's Alley for something a bit more formal
Mayfield Bakery + Cafe (has an attached restaurant) for the farm-to-table feel
posted by asphericalcow at 9:53 PM on February 24, 2016

Joya? Nola's is really good too but has kind of sparse vegetarian options IMO if that makes a difference to you.
posted by Lady Li at 11:38 PM on February 24, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions so far. Just to clarify, we're not restricted to Palo Alto. Mountain view, Menlo park, etc are all fair game
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 12:16 AM on February 25, 2016

Check out Joya in Palo Alto. I've been working with there events people this week about an upcoming party I am hosting. Lots of private dining options. Another good choice could be Cascal in Mountain View.
posted by saradarlin at 1:21 AM on February 25, 2016

Also, it's not fancy but Opa! (Decent Greek Food) in Los Altos has a good sized private room for events.
posted by saradarlin at 1:23 AM on February 25, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions. We tried the food at Scratch, loved it and loved the service, so we're doing it there.
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 8:20 PM on April 19, 2016