The Joya Luck Club

Good friends, good food, good fun. So I have two wonderful friends that I meet up with every few months. We meet in Palo Alto as it is kind of the mid-point for the three of us and for the past four get-togethers we have gone to Joya Restaurant & Lounge located at the corner of University and Florence in downtown Palo Alto. Joya (pronounced Hoy-a) refers to themselves as "modern latin cuisine". The lounge is our area of choice for dining--comfortable couches with lots of cushions in a modern and well-designed high-ceilinged space. Now onto the food--Joya's bar menu has a fabulous choice of tapas and some of the mot reasonably priced wines (and good tasting wines) by the glass in the Bay Area. I have to say that hands down my favorite dish is the Papas Bravas, but then again I am the girl who has never met a potato that she didn't like. The potatoes are so tender and the spices just the perfect blend with a dollop of creme fraiche sauce less spicy than traditional papas bravas sauce, but a great balance to the dish. So the most recent visit lent itself to some new menu items the Dungeness Crab Cakes and the Grilled Spanish Chicken Skewers. The crab cakes are amazing and come with a delicious ginger chipotle aioli. But I have to admit, we ordered a second plate of the chicken skewers, they were mouth-wateringingly good with four bite-sized pieces of perfectly grilled chicken on each skewer. Another fan favorite of the Joya Luck Club, as we have dubbed ourselves, is the Mexican Empanadas. The pork empanadas are serverd with a green aji sauce and the spinach and cheese ones are served with a mango chili sauce. These tasty tidbits are so good that another friend of mine who doesn't like much that is made with pastry, loved them. The last (but not least) dish I will mention is the Braised Short Rib Tacos served with jicama salsa and horse radish cream. You must try these if you go to Joya, the short rib meat is so tender and the combination of flavors is a brilliant experience for your mouth. I mentioned that they have a great wines by the glass list, but I know I would be leaving something out if I didn't mention the Sangria. They serve a red and a white sangria (peaches are the high-light) and both are delicioso. I usually sit in the lounge but I have also dined in the restaurant which serves the entire tapas menu in addition to entrees. No matter where you chose to sit in Joya, you will enjoy the dining experience. As long as you didn't mind those crazies laughing loudly from The Joya Luck Club, can't wait for the next meeting. Happy Eating!