Flea Street Cafe, Menlo Park

This homey cafe only appears to be ordinary, albeit charming with lace curtains and tablecloths. In fact, Flea Street Cafe is one of the Bay Area's groundbreaking cuisine style-setters. Owner Jesse Cool has been written up locally and nationally for her innovative cuisine that changes with the seasons. You will always find a basket of buttermilk biscuits on the table, though, and a menu that includes tostadas, couscous and stir-fries. Vegetarians can order some entrees with tofu instead of meat. The ambiance here is one of the friendliest in the Bay Area.