"The “two to three small plates” mania was bound to trickle down to Palo Alto at some point—and luckily, Ethel’s Fancy is nailing it. That’s thanks to an airy space decked out with a full bar and the menu, which has a good amount of Japanese influence but mostly just looks like a local farmers market exploded on the page. It’s packed with hits like the miso caramel pork belly and the katsu-style swordfish, which gets a kick from a swath of hot mustard. Sitting at the terrazzo bar with a date and one of their “fancy cocktails” is the Friday night move. " - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
