We had appointments in the area so I did a little search and found Tai Pan.
http://www.taipanpaloalto.com/about.html
I have a little reverse snobbery about Chinese places that are too ‘pretty’ but I have now turned that loose. This place is lovely and the food is very good. Very. It’s a little more expensive than our SF places but at $6 and $7 generally a dish. I’m pretty sure the owners were who took our orders and then talked to us during our meal. No carts which is what I prefer. We ordered four things to start and they arrived two at a time with a nice interval before the next two arrived. So we had a bit of time with all four. And everything was piping hot. Tsingtao (?sp) arrived in cold glasses which was terrific. We usually like them in bottles to keep them nice and cold.
All in with two beers $50 which is more than we usually pay but considering the nabe and the ambiance we had no problem. And will return if we’re in the area. Highly recommend.