We ate at Pastis for Mother's Day. We got there before the restaurant opened at 9:30, but still ended up waiting for nearly an hour. The wait was mitigated by the Farmers Market on California, which kept us busy. You can't stray too far for too long, though! If they call your name for your table and you're not there to hear it, you get dropped.
Jenny and I went for their specials: the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict and the omelet with bay shrimp, sea bass and salmon. And, for the kids, we basically fed them chocolate for brunch: We got the Nutella Parisien and the Pain au Chocolat.
We enjoyed just about everything, but if anything was worth the fifty-five minute wait, it was the omelet, which hit the mouth buttery and hot (but not scorching). I didn't quite detect the sea bass, but the shrimp was terrific and made the omelet.
Pastis Bistro
447 S California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 324-1355
pastispaloalto.com