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A trip worth taking

by Anthony Silk

In the past few weeks I've sampled more than 100 years of Menlo Park history, first with Oasis, and now with Ann's Coffee Shop, which has been located on Santa Cruz Avenue for more than 50 years.

Ann's has gone through several ownership changes since the original Ann started the business in 1949 on a street then lined with more trees than shops. Today, owner Pete Pappas and his son, Nick, run it, having purchased the shop in 1992. Even though the elder Pappas didn't have any restaurant experience, he "knew what was good, and what the people wanted," according to Nick. It is a family affair, with Nick at the register every day and cousin Danny Kevetos running the kitchen in back.

Although it may read 2003 on the calendar, the place remains firmly fixed in the 1970s. Walk through the door and you'll be transported back in time, into a room filled with a U-shaped, mustard-yellow counter bordered on either side by high-backed, orange vinyl booths.

But the piece de resistance has got to be the huge canvases hanging on both walls, featuring oversized faces of animals among other things.

"People either love them, or hate them, but like everything else in the place they are a fixture," Nick said. "My dad always said, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"

Judging by the crowds at breakfast and lunch, there isn't much broken at Ann's.

Although the menu is pretty simple -- just a single piece of paper printed on both sides and then encased in plastic -- it does change every day. Breakfast items are on the front and back, lunch items in the middle. And as you would expect from a good coffee shop, breakfast is served all day.

My first visit was for the morning meal. I decided on the pancake combination ($5.25), with two hotcakes, two strips of bacon and one egg. The pancakes were very tasty, fluffy and buttery, if slightly underdone on one end. The bacon was crisp but not overcooked and the egg, which I had scrambled, nicely fluffy.

My companion had the spinach and cheese omelette ($7.75) listed on the front, under Ann's breakfast specials. The omelettes come with a side of hash browns and two pieces of heavily buttered toast. This was a truly American dish, right down to the melted American cheese slices on top, still retaining their familiar square profile. The hash browns were of the basic variety in taste and preparation, just grated potatoes grilled to a golden brown.

There are no home fries here. In fact, you won't find fries at Ann's, because they have no deep fryer.

If you want to be a bit more adventurous at breakfast, you can order an omelette made with anything from avocado to hamburger, all for about $8. There's also a full line of a la carte items, from oatmeal ($2.95) to single slices of toast ($0.80).

The lunch menu features mainly hot and cold sandwiches and salads, with a few entrees. There's also a section entitled Lo-Cal Plates, which, in keeping with the past, seems to mean "served with cottage cheese" (the jumbo hamburger patty with cottage cheese ($6.50) is on the low-calorie list).

I started with a cup of lemon chicken soup ($2.50 alone, or included with an entree), a thick, hearty soup filled with rice and shredded chicken. It was a cross between a Chinese lemon chicken and Campbell's chicken and rice soup, yet was oddly compelling.

I moved on to an entree of Tender Pot Roast of Beef ($8.95) with a side of mashed potatoes. Like everything else at Ann's, there was nothing pretentious about this dish -- just a large plateful of meat and a scoop of potatoes covered in a thick brown gravy. True to its name, the pot roast was almost fork tender, with a very nice, slow-cooked flavor that really brought out the natural aromas of the meat, even though it appeared to be seasoned only with salt and pepper. There was plenty of it, too, even for someone with a very hearty appetite.

My mother, a former chef, accompanied me that day and ordered the grilled cheese with tomato ($5.25). Although available with standard sides such as potato salad, coleslaw or chips, my mother went straight for the jello, which came in flavors, according to our server, of "green, red or yellow."

Although the grilled cheese was nothing to write home about, just more of the American cheese grilled between slices of white bread, nothing that the most basic cook couldn't make, the jello really was wonderful, right down to the canned fruit suspended inside. I do think the sandwich may be slightly overpriced, but most others, like hot turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy ($7.50) and grilled tuna and cheese ($5.95) seem right on, especially considering Ann's downtown location.

Posted signs in the window announced fresh rhubarb pie ($2.50) and I felt compelled to try it, even though I'm generally not a rhubarb fan. It was wonderful, with a thin, flaky crust and melt-in-your-mouth pieces of the red stalk. Like everything else at Ann's, it was made from scratch, and the care put into it really came through.

Service both days was quick and friendly. Like the kitchen, orders and checks are still done by hand. The computer age has yet to permeate here; credit cards are not accepted.

No alcohol is served, although they do make a very good cup of coffee ($1.25).

There's something very comforting sitting at a booth at Ann's. It's a return to simpler times, when waitresses knew your name but called you "Hon," food was unpretentious but filling, and we were all a little more naive, but happy. It's a place where you go first as a child, and then return as a parent, and nothing has changed. It is a trip down memory lane. Like many classics, it may not appeal to all tastes, but for fun, good food, and a piece of history, Ann's is a trip worth taking.

Ann's Coffee Shop, 772 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park; (650) 322-0043

Hours: Mon. - Sat.: 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., closed Sunday.

Atmosphere: A startling throwback to the '70s, with a counter lined with stools and orange vinyl booths.

Highlights: Tender Pot Roast of Beef ($8.95), rhubarb pie ($2.50).

Price Range: Breakfast: $2.75 - $8.25, Lunch: $4.50 - $9.
Reservations: No Credit Cards: No Lot Parking: No Alcohol: No Takeout: Yes Highchairs: Yes Wheelchair access: Yes Banquet: No Catering: No Outdoor seating: No Noise level: Avg. Bathrooms: Avg.