February 27, 2004

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Food for the soul

by Jennifer Aquino

Every Sunday, Oakville Grocery Sous Chef Edmundo Hernandez begins the multi-day process of making his grandmother's famous mole sauce for enchiladas. Twenty odd ingredients from sautˇed animal crackers to pumpkin seeds to four different chilis are simmered into a rich, cinnamon-colored sauce that fills his shredded chicken enchiladas.

Every aspect of the dish embodies what Oakville Grocery does best: Comfort food made from high-quality, fresh ingredients. It's a place where a person too tired to cook can pick up a warm brie and smoked turkey sandwich, or a host can find ingredients, such as dried juniper berries, or tasty main courses such as Hernandez's enchiladas.

Located next to Max's Opera Cafe and across from Sigona's produce market along Stanford Mall's Street Market, Oakville Grocery is a bucolic, charming store spun from a successful Napa Valley food chain that started 122 years ago in Oakville.

Walking into the store -- whose walls of olive oils, wines and spices encircle a meat, cheese, deli and take-out refrigerator case -- feels like the Wine Country, right down to the mural of grazing cows painted on the ceiling. But the place isn't pretentious: Most staff have culinary training, but just as easily sing to Air Supply's "Lost in Love" while it plays in the background, or casually explain the origins of a dish in the refrigerator case.

Like Napa Valley, the cuisine is diverse, with California, Asian, French and Mediterranean persuasions. But the offerings most influenced by the principles of comfort food are developed by the kitchen staff, who often test recipes on their families before introducing them to the case.

Store Manager Faun Skyles and Executive Chef Sarah Rosenberg know their clientele are a food-savvy lot too busy to cook for themselves, but in need of fresh, simple and healthy food. Most dishes aren't dressed up with sauces and spices that mask a food's natural beauty.

"If you have a great ingredient you want to showcase it," Rosenberg said.

Each vegetable in the roasted winter vegetables ($6.95 per pound), a mix of squash, celery, carrots, mushrooms and onions, stands on its own accord -- their earthy flavors subtly infused with sweet thyme and parsley.

The Mediterranean grilled chicken ($12.95 per pound) and the rock shrimp Caesar salad ($9.95) follow the same unfussy principle -- the succulent chicken bears the clean flavors of rosemary and lemon, and the tender rock shrimp shine in a citrus and cilantro seasoning highlighted by crisp romaine.

The main reason Oakville gets away with simple cuisine is its emphasis on high-quality products. They purchase their meats from the renowned Niman Ranch in Marin County and buy the finest cheeses.

It makes a big difference in the Niman Ranch flank steak ($12.95 per pound) and the macaroni and cheese ($7.95 per pound). The steak is rubbed with Hawaiian sea salt and marinated in sugar and soy sauce before being flash sauteed. The result is a tender, slim slice of meat that bears a Pacific Island essence.

It pairs nicely with macaroni and cheese -- a simple combination of elbow pasta, yellow onion, nutmeg, cream, aged Gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano -- that results in a complexity of sharp, rich flavors that dissolve in your mouth. It warms your heart with comfort much like chicken soup.

You could call most of the dishes at Oakville food for the soul -- they summon the same inner peace as a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day. Oakville does modern-day comfort food for sophisticated taste buds. For instance, the hot smoked turkey and brie sandwich ($6.95) is a dressed-up grilled cheese. The smoked turkey is tempered by the creamy brie and yeasty sourdough. Likewise, the curried chicken salad ($5.95) feels like home with its plump raisins, sweet, honey-flavored mango chutney and tender chicken between soft slices of pumpkin-seed bread.

Hernandez's chicken de mole enchiladas ($3.95 each) have that same effect. The enchilada's familiar flavor belies its complicated ingredient list. Cinnamon and almond undertones blend well with the mild heat of chilies, the salty pulled chicken and the buttery corn tortilla that holds it together.

Another of Hernandez's creations -- the homemade coffee cake ($1.95 per slice) -- is a crumb-topped cross between a cake and a bread. Its brown sugar-butter-and-cinnamon topping, moist texture and rich flavor make it one of the best items on the menu.

Oakville Grocery's emphasis on "home-cooked" can be applied to a fault. For example, fat chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, molasses and white chocolate chip cookies ($1.85 each) atop the deli case were overly baked one day, but fresh and soft another. The grilled salmon with lime ($17.95 per pound) was a bit too under-seasoned for my taste.

The only other drawback is the price. You definitely pay for the high-end ingredients, though I found the sandwich prices compatible with most local delis.

On every occasion the service was friendly and knowledgeable, though a little harried on a Saturday, when the store was packed with mall-goers milling about the aisles. The staff is well-versed in the dishes (they sample almost everything that lands in the case) and can generally advise how to pair selections.

On one visit, as Abba provided background music over the loud speaker, an employee explained the origins of Hernandez's enchiladas. Outside, rain pounded the concrete. She carefully plucked an enchilada from the case and placed it in a white take-out box, explaining the six-hour process needed to create the mole sauce. I was at ease, warmed by the thought that someone had spent days continuing the tradition of a family recipe created years ago in a faraway kitchen.

Oakville Grocery, 715 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto; (650) 328-9000

Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Atmosphere: Warm and inviting; like walking into a country store in Napa Valley.

Highlights: chicken de mole enchiladas ($3.95), macaroni and cheese ($7.95 per pound), hot smoked turkey and brie sandwich ($6.95)
Price Range: Appetizers: $1 each - $9.95 per pound, entrees: $3.95 each - $17.95 per pound, desserts: $1.85 - $3.95.
Reservations: N/A Credit Cards: Yes Lot Parking: Yes Alcohol: Yes Takeout: Yes Highchairs: N/A Wheelchair access: Yes Banquet: N/A Catering: Yes Outdoor seating: Yes Noise level: Avg. Bathrooms: N/A

E-mail a friend a link to this story.