Skip to main content

Empire Tap Room

Outdoor Dining

Nothing beats outdoor dining when the weather cooperates. We've been having warm and sunny days lately so when our office staff had the opportunity to eat lunch together, I suggested we go to the Empire Tap Room in Palo Alto where we could sit outdoors in their beautiful patio and enjoy Indian summer temperatures.


When you enter the main door of the restaurant, you are immediately confronted by the shiny and well polished bar which extends the length of the dining room.  Then your eyes are directed to the patio where vines cover the walls, trees and white umbrellas provide ample shade and the drip drip of water from the fountain complete the relaxed ambiance. It feels like a mini getaway to sit in this patio.

Dungeness Crab Cakes

It's been awhile since I've had crab cakes. Very few places around here have my favorite crab cakes on their  menu.  How terrific that they serve them at this restaurant!  The red bell pepper sauce heightened the taste of the tender crab flakes. And the fried potatoes were surprisingly tasty. Wonder what they added to it? It was specially good.

This is a fun place to get together.  The Empire Tap Room is located at  651 Emerson Street, Palo Alto, CA. Their phone number is 650-321-3030. To view their menu, follow this link: http://www.etrpa.com/.

*  *  *

Images by Charie
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Philippine Treasures

Openwork basket, Surigao, 10th-13th century What a wonderful surprise this exhibition is! These gold objects, about a thousand of them, add a rich layer to Philippine history. This collection which was found in various sites in the Philippines, date back to the 10th-13th centuries. It demonstrates the well developed culture of pre colonial Philippines which the Spaniard, Antonio Pigafetta, recorded in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan landed in the islands. A thriving interchange between the Philippines and its Asian neighbors existed prior to the arrival of Magellan as attested by some of these gold accouterments which show for example, images from Hindu mythology. The motifs and curvilinear ornamentation of the openwork basket (shown above) intimate Chinese designs found in their ceramics and textiles.  Torso ornament, 10th-13th century Weighing four kilos of gold, this sash is worn across the chest similar to the  upavita (sacred thread)  style in Hindu culture. This sash w...
Read more

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by  Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with   Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...
Read more

Brașov was once called Stalin City

White Tower Brașov is a city nestled in the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania. Remnants of its medieval fortifications and bastions are added attractions to this buzzing city. The White Tower along with the Black Tower are two of the remaining watchtowers still visible today. During the Communist period,  Brașov  was called Orasul Stalin or Stalin City after the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. Black Church This is such a storied Gothic church which was originally the Catholic Church of St. Mary before it was converted to a Lutheran Church. It was believed to have been affected by fire in 1689 which blackened its exterior walls and roof. But a new 21st century study reveals that this wasn’t the case at all. The only reason for its blackened state according to the study is environmental pollution caused by the industrialization of Brasov in the 19th century. The walls have since been cleaned but there are traces of black spots on the roof.  Republicii Street This long pede...
Read more