posted: June 29th, 2007

I never thought it would be so difficult finding a place for brunch with Sophie on Burlingame Ave. At first, we stopped at Stacks. There are tables outside but there's no service. I was told that we can get the food to go and eat outside. No thanks. Then we crossed the street to Il Fornaio. I was told we can order from the counter and someone will bring the food out to us. What does a gal have to do to get some service around here? After walking up and down Burlingame Ave., we found Cafe La Scala. Finally, a place with table outside and provides service to those tables! We really enjoyed our meal there. The food was not out of this world, but delicious nonetheless. First, I love the garlic and spice infused olive oil served with the bread. Our lentil soup, free with entree, was like a tasty minestrone with lentil in it. It was good, but got much better when I added some of the garlic from the infused oil. Hubby ate every last bit of the two plump chicken cannelloni smothered in a tomato cream sauce. I enjoyed my penne with pancetta in a spicy marinara, which had a nice heat than got hotter with each bite. I, of course, had to add some more of that garlic to it. Our server was very friendly and attended to us well. He even apologized for not checking on us while we were enjoying our entrees. That was really no need to but it's a very nice gesture. Prices are definitely reasonable. 3 stars for the food and one more for great service. We won't be making a trip from SF just to eat there. However, if we're in the neighborhood, I think we will pay another visit.

posted: February 23rd, 2007

Why is this place still open?

Just a few very small tables right on the sidewalk outside what looks like a cute Italian restaurant. My parents thought the food sucked and so did I!