I'm writing to make sure you understand how Bistro Vida has improved the quality of life here in Menlo Park, with all of the additions they've made due to Covid. The business owner deserves a good citizen award; there must be such a thing.
When Covid first hit, Bistro Vida was the most proactive restaurant in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, or Los Altos, and immediately invested in a beautiful outdoor space for the long term. It takes up just one side of the street and yet it's a haven from traffic and noise. Just a really lovely space with landscaping, nice furniture, flooring, and lights. But then they kicked it up a wonderful notch with occasional outdoor live music--and good, non-obtrusive live music unlike that found at the outdoor restaurants on California Ave in Palo Alto (it's so overly electronically amplified there that I avoid eating there when they have live music). I was at Bistro Vida on a recent Saturday, and not only did the beautiful outdoor restaurant space look like a special night festival in downtown Menlo Park, but there were many locals just sitting around on the sidewalks, there to listen to the free live music. The city is so, so lucky, that Bistro Vida has created this experience.
Fortunately, finding parking has NEVER been a problem in downtown Menlo Park, not even when the farmer's market is open, so loss of a few parking spots on Santa Cruz Avenue is no big deal.
Sincerely,
Jazz Kilkullen
Menlo Park
