When I walked through the door at Tal Palo, I was stopped by a chicken.
A rooster, more specifically — taxidermied and blocking my entrance to the restaurant. With no host, the guard chicken forces would-be diners to pause and clock the “please wait to be seated” sign instead of barging straight on through to the sunny back patio.
After a few minutes in the foyer, owner Aaron Porter came to greet me between running plates to the two seated tables. Did I have a reservation? I didn’t. I hadn’t anticipated needing one for what I assumed was a casual café in downtown Los Altos that’s only open for lunch. One second, Porter told me, he’d need to check with his wife to see if they had enough food available…