ShopTalk: Mike's Café: Third one's the charm? ShopTalk: Mike's Café: Third one's the charm? (October 12, 2005)

by Daryl Savage

Third one's the charm? At least that's what Mike Wallau is hoping. Mike is the owner of Mike's Cafe. He is poised to open his third Mike's -- this one in Portola Valley in the Ladera Country Shopper on Alpine Road. The eatery will move into the 3,000-square-foot-site formerly occupied by Ladera Hardware. And the Ridgeside Cafe in Ladera is closing its doors to make room for a retail store. "The best part of this is that I grew up here. Before it became Ridgeside Cafe, it was called the Lemon Tree and I was the cook there. That was 23 years ago," Wallau said. With the success of Mike's Cafe in Midtown and the year-old Mike's Cafe in Menlo Park, there will be little down time for Wallau. "I'm an 18-hour-a-day guy. I'll handle it, plus I've got a great staff," he said. Wallau's third restaurant, aptly named, Mike's Cafe Ladera, is expected to open in March 2006 amidst a major $2 million renovation in the Portola Valley shopping center.

FENG YUAN STILL OPEN ... The recent item about the longtime Feng Yuan restaurant in the Charleston Center being up for sale doesn't mean it isn't still open for business. Sara Leung, daughter of owners Chung and Buey Leung of Fremont, said the restaurant is still open. They have been welcoming customers, some of whom are coming by to wish them well and say farewell. But goodbyes are premature. Any sale could be months away, she said.

A LAS VEGAS/CROATIAN MIX ... These two locales, not usually seen in the same sentence, are part of a new gelato shop set to open on University Avenue in mid to late October. The Croatian part is the nationality of the owners, Michael and Sladana Lucich, who will dish out gelato in the former Swenson's Ice Cream site at 440 University Ave. They are the same Luciches who own the hair salon just down the street, at 460 University. The Las Vegas part is the fancy display cases that will showcase the gelato. "The only other place you'll find this type of case is in the new Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas," Michael Lucich said. "This is the Ferrari of display cases, made exclusively for us. It's not something you're going to find at Costco." The Luciches plunked down $300,000 for the renovation of the all-organic Michael's Gelato & Café, which was supposed to open Oct. 1, but city delays will push that back at least two weeks, according to Lucich.

MORE SWEETNESS UP THE STREET ... And on the other end of University, more sweetness abounds. It's called the Penryhn Cafe & Bakery. In business for about six months, the cafe, at 165 University Ave., started serving Belgian Chocolates last week. This is in addition to its usual tasty array of pastries and ice creams. "People are raving about the chocolates. We have to take out new ones daily," said Natasha Hoffmeyer, who is both manager and pastry chef. The chocolate, which is being gobbled up by customers as soon as it hits the shelves, comes in white, milk and dark, according to Hoffmeyer. Both of these stores may have helped fuel the rumors of a new Curves opening up "somewhere on University," according to a downtown developer. No word yet where on University the all-women's gym may be located, but with new retail sweetness situated on both ends of University Avenue, it could prove a necessary addition.

SOPHIA'S CHOICE ... It took Sophia Omar longer than she expected, cost more than she wanted -- but after choosing the location for her new coffee shop 10 long months ago, it's finally hers. Cafe Sophia, booted out of Charleston Center last year to make room for a Peet's coffee shop, will re-open in about two months at 2700 Middlefield Road in Midtown. "It took so long that I had to refinance my home and cash in my retirement and life insurance policies," Omar said. She recognizes the risk she's taking. "I had other opportunities in other cities but I wanted to stay here. I love Palo Alto," she said. With the last of several city permits approved just weeks ago, Omar is delighted to be (almost) back in business, readying her shop for an early November opening. But there will be BIG differences between Sophia's new place and her old cafe, which closed daily after lunch. "We'll be serving dinner seven days a week, in addition to breakfast and lunch," she said. Omar, who is Afghani, plans to introduce patrons to her native dishes. The new Sophia's is taking over half of the 4,700-square-foot-space, which is across the street from the Midtown Long's Drugs. It also puts her smack-dab next to the Mint Leaf, a Vietnamese restaurant. "That's all right. We're different restaurants," she said. Mint Leaf owner Jennifer Ng agreed. "It's a good thing. It will bring more people to Midtown," Ng said.

BIG FEET, BIG SHOES, BIG DEAL ... Dozens of shoes for sale in size 13 wouldn't ordinarily raise eyebrows. But if those size 13s are all for women, it can't escape attention. Travelsmith, at 2741 Middlefield Road, is known for its comfortable, durable travel clothing, but it recently received a shipment of a wide variety of comfortable, durable very, very, very large ladies' shoes. "Sometimes they just send us these sizes. I have no idea if they made too many, or if they're discontinued, but I'm sure we'll sell them," said one salesperson that preferred not to have her name mentioned. Many of the size 13s are on sale for $14.99. And for those women who find size 13 a bit too roomy, there are plenty of shoes in size 12 and 11. For the record, the National Shoe Retailers Association says the average shoe size for a woman is 8.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE TACO STAND ... If it's good enough for Santana Row, it's good enough for Palo Alto. That may by why the new Wahoo's Fish Taco to grab up the vacancy left by Kentucky Fried Chicken at El Camino Real and Cambridge Avenue. Wahoo is a hip taco shop that "does a lot of stuff with the surf and skateboard industry," according to spokesman Ed Lee. Its Web site even sells the popular Van's skate shoe emblazoned with the Wahoo logo. "We're pretty much sold out of that shoe, but we might be doing another one," Lee said. For those not attuned to the wahoo, it is a fish found in the Pacific that tastes somewhere between mahi-mahi and halibut, Lee explained. "It's a good fish and our most popular taco," he added. Wahoo should begin business at 2305 El Camino by late spring or early summer of next year, following a complete renovation of the entire building, he said.

GOOD GUYS GONE ... Last week's sudden closing of Comp/USA Good Guys in East Palo Alto's Ravenswood shopping center off Highway 101 stunned more than its employees, as part of a nationwide shut-down. Days after the store's doors were shuttered, customers continued to park in the lot expecting to shop there. One disappointed Menlo Park customer was prepared to do his holiday shopping early this year. "I've got $300 in cash in my pocket and they closed down on me," he said, as he peered into the windows. "I can still see merchandise in there and people walking around. The lights are on," he said. He then knocked on the glass, just below a make-shift sign that said, "Store Closed," but no one came to the door. Another customer wondered if the parking lot directly in front of the store would be painted over. There are at least 50 parking spaces with signs that read, "Good Guys Only Parking." This is the second time in two months that a major store has left the shopping center. The first was Expo Design Center. That space, next to Home Depot, remains empty.

Heard a rumor about your favorite store or business moving out, or in, down the block or across town? Daryl Savage will check it out. She can be e-mailed at shoptalk@paweekly.com.

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