Offering exquisite vegetarian cuisine, STOA Restaurant is an unlikely place to find on the side of a freeway. Located on a frontage road parallel to highway 101, south of Greer park, STOA turns a hidden location into an intimate setting, complete with vegetarian dishes that are head and shoulders above Palo Alto’s other specialty restaurants.

Formerly Palo Alto Joe’s, STOA took over the lot approximately six months ago, and is one-of-a-kind. Specializing in “innovative vegetarian cuisine,” the restaurant uses organic produce whenever possible, and only cheeses free of animal rennet. Vegan options are available upon request for approximately half of menu items.

Once inside the unimpressive and small brown wood building, the transformation from boring to chic is complete. Decorated with large and colorful unframed canvas paintings, the cream-colored walls of the dining space bring light and warmth to the room. High-backed chairs and crisp white tablecloths add sophistication, while soft lighting and jazz create a comfortable atmosphere. A wine bar, adjacent to the dining room, offers brightly upholstered couches in addition to bar seats for a more secluded experience. Noise from the freeway is unnoticeable in the dining room and covered by music in the bar.

With specials and dishes determined by seasonal availability of ingredients, STOA provides surprisingly exotic and complex dishes for such a seemingly limited range of materials. Appetizers such as shiitake mushroom and Napa cabbage pot stickers ($10) are original in detail and well-balanced in terms of flavor. Served with a garlic-soy ginger broth, the pot-stickers are small with a crispy wrapper, and filled with a dense and earthy mix of chopped mushroom and cabbage. With six to a plate, the appetizer is filling enough to split between two or three people.

Also distinctive of the restaurant are the savory pear tarts, served with Stilton cheese, chives, lemon verbena and orange blossom honey ($9). Although described as a savory appetizer, the sweet flavor of the pear and honey, when mixed with the delicate nature of the phyllo dough base, made the dish seem more akin to a desert. The strong and salty flavor of the Stilton cheese added weight to the bite-size tarts, and created an interesting and pleasant combination of flavors.

STOA offers a wide variety of salads, ranging from simple organic baby greens ($6.50), to Greek ($9.50), to a Fuji Apple salad ($8.50), served with caramelized walnuts and gorgonzola on a bed greens. Extremely flavorful, the latter salad combines the sweetness of thinly sliced apple, the tang of vinaigrette and gorgonzola, and the subtle yet solid flavor of walnuts.

In terms of entrees, STOA chef Rick Vargas utilizes seasonal vegetables like squash and mushrooms. An intriguing dish, the butternut-squash “steak” ($18), served with “forbidden” black rice, caramelized garlic cashew vinaigrette, and blistered green beans, paired the sweetness of the squash with a salty rice. Prepared as half a squash, cooked and crisped on one side, the steak is distinct in texture and flavorful. The most unusual aspect of the dish however, is the inclusion of the black rice. Literally black in color, the short-grain rice is powerful in flavor, yet a touch too salty overall. Visual presentation is attractive, as the orange squash created sharp contrast with the black rice.

A house specialty, the truffled spinach ravioli with wilted spinach, blush tomato sauce, and crumbled feta ($19) consisted of several large circular ravioli bathed in a creamy pale sauce. Similar to alfredo sauce in texture, the blush tomato version included large pieces of tomato, adding a pleasant variance in the encompassing smoothness of the dish. Like appetizers, entrees are easily shared between two people, but a $2 split plate fee is included on the menu.

The restaurant offers a variety of drinks, including several sparkling fruit juices and nectars ($3.75), and deserts, ranging from $7to $8. An added bonus, STOA features live jazz every Tuesday and Friday nights.

With a pleasant atmosphere, attentive staff, and slightly fancy dress, STOA is an ideal place for a pre-prom dinner or intimate evening meal. While prices are moderately high, quality in food and service is certainly not sacrificed. Friendly and attentive to a fault, wait staff and head chef Rick Vargas circulate the dining room, checking on guests. If the dining room is relatively empty, guests may feel that they are being watched, yet when water runs low at the table, it’s only a matter of seconds until a pitcher is on its way.

STOA Restaurant is located at 3750 Fabian way in Palo Alto. Reservations (650- 424-3900) are available and recommended for weekend meals, and parking is adequate. Major credit cards are accepted.