zartemis's Profile
Smiling House: New Chinese restaurant on Cupertino/Santa Clara border
That's a loss. We haven't been able to go in the last month, but were regulars. The staff would recommend dishes. One big winner was this red cooked pork (at least that's what they told us it was, chinese below). It was so tender and flavorful. Any tips on where to get this dish now? Preferably south bay, we rarely go further north than Redwood City.
South Bay - giantic to-do list in progress
Also, another good spot is Kabab and Curry (Isabella st, santa clara) for Pakistani. I prefer to go to Fremont for Pakistani food, but Kabab and Curry would be my favorite South Bay Pakastani restaurant. Shan can also be good but I find it extremely variable and not usually worth the risk. One day their lambchops can be moist, tender, and spiced just right, and the next day dry and tough.
Oh, and if you want to get your spice on locally, I like Wu Ji Mala's Taiwanese hotpot.
South Bay - giantic to-do list in progress
No, I don't think any of the local Chettinad ones do. Muniyandi is more homestyle, a bit of a dive. Anjappar in Milpitas is bigger, a bit flashier. The third one, Aachi Aappakadai (near Muniyandi) is best for aapam.
Unusual SouthBay goodies for my Wicked Aunts Tour?
mochicreams at Mitsuwa -- dozens of flavors. This is thin mochi with mostly cream type fillings. The chocolate banana is very popular.
not sweet, but unusual: traditional Persian bread (sangak) at Yeganeh (made daily in the morning -- you can see their special oven and watch it coming out).
Similar to Kee Wah, but not a chain and arguably even more unusual baked goods: Clover Bakery in the same plaza as Mitsuwa. E.g. buns with chow mein inside.
South Bay - giantic to-do list in progress
I'm in San Jose so mostly know restaurants a bit further south, but you've hit most of our favorite places. Including the new location for Yeganah for fresh sangak made daily (and they serve Verve coffee).
You've got a number of Ramen shops, and I don't know if you liked Misoya in NYC, but there is one in Cupertino, in the plaza across from Orenchi. (Cupertino and NYC are their only US locations).
A less common (locally) Indian cuisine: Chettinad. I think we are up to 3 Chettinad restaurants in the area now; I like Muniyandi Vilas on El Camino in Santa Clara best. Some of their Desi Chinese dishes are quite good as well.
Some Mexican recommendations (beyond tacos and burritos):
Mendoza Taqueria on Story in SJ -- wide, traditional michoacan menu
Restaurant Monte Alban on 1st in SJ -- oaxacan and salvadoran menu
"Old Wife Cakes" (Lao Po Bing) at Kee Wah Bakery
Bitter+Sweet coffeehouse is in the same building, just around the corner. I often pick up a few things at Kee Wah and walk around the corner to Bitter+Sweet to pair it with some killer coffee and espresso drinks (Sightglass) in seated comfort.
My favorites are the crunchy pork buns, the whole wheat walnut, and the various coconut offerings. Very fluffy-white-bread-style bakery items for the most part. Some think Clover is better; I find them about the same. Bitter+Sweet has a small Satura pastry selection. I'm not really a big fan of either Kee Wah, Clover, or Satura pastries, but they do in a pinch. (Bitter+Sweet also serves Humphry Slocumbe ice cream and Top Nosh meat pies).
I'd much rather get a chocolate almond croissant from Fleur de Cocoa, but that's quite a shlep for me.
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Fleur De Cocoa
39 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Clover Bakery
4342 Moorpark Ave, San Jose, CA
Bitter+Sweet
20560 Town Center Ln, Cupertino, CA 95014
Smiling House: New Chinese restaurant on Cupertino/Santa Clara border
I'm not sure which Chinese cuisine this restaurant focuses on, or if it's an eclectic mix. They have some dishes I've not seen frequently on San Jose and nearby Chinese restaurants: various pork intestine dishes and Chinese bacon dishes ('smoked preserved pork' on the menu. A house-made lop yuk). They also have some Sichuan dishes, some that seem more Muslim Chinese (cumin lamb) some common American Chinese items, as well as odd items they made up: ground beef and cheese egg roll. I do admit, though that my South Bay Chinese restaurant experience is limited (we like Mama Chen for Taiwanese, Cooking papa for comfort Cantonese, Fatima for Muslim Chinese, but I have less experience with some of the Milpitas or Cupertino places, and even less with the up the peninsula San Mateo and north gems).
Smiling House has opened in what was Rice Cafe (which the owner called 'private cuisine' since she used her own family recipes) and which closed a few months ago.
After a decent, but not spectacular first visit (where we had the signature egg rolls (not my favorite), eggplant claypot (a decent, not sweet version that could have used more garlic, etc), wontons in hot oil (decent, but done better by Mama Chen), and shredded pork with garlic (excellent)), we went back for a much more successful second visit.
This time we were more adventurous and got Beef Stew with White Radish, Pickled Cabbage with Intestine (clay pot), and Preserved Smoked Pork with Leek. When the server expressed surprise at our order and we assured him we really wanted to try these, he suggested that he could make us Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice (not on the menu). We took him up on the offer.
This visit we were really impressed with the food. Although not marked spicy on the menu, the beef and daikon stew was a bit spicy and really good. The beef was rich and tender -- reminding me of the great short rib cuts at the Korean restaurant Kunjip. Broth was rich in Sichuan peppercorn flavor, penetrating the stewed daikon nicely. We'll probably be getting this dish most times we visit.
I haven't had intestine (at least not recently enough to remember), but I found I love this offal (I love tripe, too, so it's not surprising). Theirs was served in a clay pot with sour cabbage, snow peas, asparagus, carrots and other vegetables, but the overwhelming flavor was the great very sour cabbage. The intestine was very well prepared and tender, reminding me of braised rolled bean curd skin. We ordered this because they have multiple intestine dishes on the menu. The server suggested if we liked this, we should try the crispy intestine. Next time.
We weren't sure what the 'smoked preserved pork' would be, but when the dish came, it was clear it was Chinese bacon! We asked and they make their own. What a find.
The salted fish fried rice was a nice complement -- the preserved fish held up well in the mixed rice dish.
The only dish this visit that was a disappointment was the green onion pancake. Light on green onion and although layered, many had congealed together, making it slightly gummy.
The extensive menu seems overly broad, but they have some incredible gems in their repertoire. Their service lives up to their name, very friendly and inviting. We called last time 15 minutes before they were closed asking if we could show up just at closing time and were enthusiastically encouraged to come, that they would wait for us.
Photos here are of the Smoked Preserved Pork with Leeks, Stewed Beef with White Radish, Pickled Cabbage with Intestine in claypot, Tofu with Mustard Greens, Eggplant in Claypot, and Wontons in Hot Oil.
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Mama Chen
5075 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Kunjip
1066 Kiely Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Smiling House
10074 E Estates Dr, Cupertino, CA 95014
Monte Alban - SJ Oaxacan/Salvadorean, Diamond in the Rough
They do serve beer, but I don't recall if they have anything else. Although the Tepache is likely at least somewhat alcoholic (as most naturally fermented juices are) it is common to mix it with beer and they offer that as well as straight tepache.
Santa Clara/Sunnyvale/mountain view recs - good stuff at low prices
The solid mexican restaurant in south San Jose, Tu Mero Mole, has a location in Sunnyvale. Food is very similar. Moles are decent, but I think the standout dishes are the Cabrito Jalisco (goat) and the Cochinita Yucateca (pork). Sunnyvale location is at 590 Old San Francisco Road (down the street from Shanghai Flavor Shop).
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Shanghai Flavor Shop
888 Old San Francisco Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Tu Mero Mole
2041 Woodard Rd, San Jose, CA 95124
Oaxacan and El Salvador specialties in San Jose: Monte Alban
We've been 3 times now and there is variability. Our second order of the banana leaf tamals was drier than the first. The pickled jalepeno mix was even better-- on our subsequent visits it had cauliflower as well as green beans. The chips, though still commercial and uninteresting, weren't stale. We've also tried the sincronizada (very similar to a chavindeca) with al pastor and found the bbq very flavorful, but the meat was not of highest quality. We also ordered the tejate - nice flavor but I liked Juquilita's better. Not completely blended, but that's standard for this drink. We had their mole colorado and I'd put it between Juquilita (which is better) and Tu Mero Mole (which is sweeter and a touch less complex to my taste). But all 3 are decent.
I'm not a tlayuda fan so unless I go with someone who has never had one and want to show them what it's like, I don't order them. Theirs looked like standard tlayudas, though.
Some more photos (tejate, mole colorado, sincronizada, and the even better jalapeno mix)
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Juquilita Restaurant
577 W Alma Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
Tu Mero Mole
2041 Woodard Rd, San Jose, CA 95124
Monte Alban
980 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95110
Oaxacan and El Salvador specialties in San Jose: Monte Alban
I'd rate the tortillas as reasonably good handmade corn tortillas, not the absolute best I've had anywhere, but they will stand up to the sauce. Not too thin or thick. Personally, I like a touch more 'tooth' (e.g. I like the ones at Mendoza Taqueria (best Michoacan restaurant in San Jose that I've been to) a bit better). Here's a snap of Monte Alban's corn tortillas.
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Mendoza Taqueria
2100 Story Rd, San Jose, CA 95122
Oaxacan and El Salvador specialties in San Jose: Monte Alban
Some more photos of the great food. Here is the enchiladas (we ordered this without cheese), a selection from the salsa bar, the inside of the moist banana leaf mole tamal, a holiday bread for sale, their mole negro for sale, and their champurrado.
Monte Alban - SJ Oaxacan/Salvadorean, Diamond in the Rough
Wow, we nearly posted at the same time, this place does make you want to enthuse to everyone. It is really great to have Monte Alban! I need to read the Spanish circulars more often since I think this place had been around for awhile.
I'm wondering whether Monte Alban will suffer the same fate as Juquilita on Yelp -- folks see the 5 stars reviews, but don't seem to notice that it's for the Oaxacan specialties and then complain about the boring tacos and burritos.
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Juquilita Restaurant
577 W Alma Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
Monte Alban
980 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95110
Oaxacan and El Salvador specialties in San Jose: Monte Alban
With the closing of Juquilita in San Jose, the local pickings down here for really good Oaxacan food have been slim. I noticed in a Spanish language circular that a new-to-me restaurant was serving up Oaxacan dishes: Restaurante Monte Alban.
We've visited twice so far and have been impressed with the large selection, the quality, the portions, and the price. What a win! And we've only sampled the Oaxacan style dishes for the most part.
Of the various moles, we've only had the pipian (pumpkin seed) so far, since that is harder to find. It was extremely rich and the chicken leg it was served with was moist and excellently cooked. The molotes were fat and presented well with some mole negro and fresh cheese. Good comfort food for the coming chilly months. The enchiladas were served traditional style -- meat on the side with a generous and flavorful sauce. The banana leaf tamals were better than the corn, much moister, but all were good (we tried the frijole and chepil as well as the mole in the banana leaf).
Their salsa bar is stellar (even if the chips aren't) and they offer house pickled jalepeno mix with carrots, onions and green beans. Guacamole is made fresh to order.
Drink offerings are even more extensive than the late Juquilita. They have alotes, tejate and champurrado, yes, but also the fermented pineapple drink tepache (which I've seen popping up on more menus -- you can also get it down the street at 5 Spot Chivas Grill), and the sweetened cinammon squash drink: agua de chilacoyote.
Other than the chips our only disappointment so far has been the empanada amarilla, which was a favorite dish at Juquilita. They do it grilled here and the filling is more liquidy.
The photos here are the pipian mole, the molotes, the guacamolito, the memela with meat, and the agua de chilacoyote.
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5 Spot Chivas Grill
869 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95110
Juquilita Restaurant
577 W Alma Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
Restaurante Monte Alban
960 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95110
Best Korean in Santa Clara (or in general South Bay/Peninsula)?
Saw the title and was going to recommend Choi's. But you've already found them. They used to be located closer to San Jose: near Lafayette. Maybe the Choi's transliteration is from their old name? The old one was much closer to where we live, but we like them so much that we usually willing to make the longer trek to their new location (which is bigger and has attracted more customers -- good for them, though we miss the quiet cozy prior location).
There are other Korean places we like, but I wouldn't say they had better food. When we want quiet and don't want to travel to Choi's, we'll go to BarbBQ on Saratoga near 280. The food is ordinary (though they do offer pork belly for the grill), but it's run by the nicest older couple and the $6 spicy pork lunch plate is a steal. We mostly go for the quiet, unrushed setting and sweet service rather than stellar food -- no Sambap or seafood pancake here, though.
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Choi's
3530 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Madura Indian Cuisine in Sunnyvale
I'm a big fan of their thalis (special dinner). It is very generous and I can never finish it all. I find more variety in the vegetable curries in their thali than in other indian restaurants. I prefer Saravana's rava dosa (my favorite type), but since Madura opened we rarely visit SB anymore; Madura is just so much more pleasant than the SB madhouse.
Dinner near Valley Fair
Too bad it's for Monday, otherwise I'd suggest White Shallot (3143 Stevens Creek Boulevard), a small restaurant in a nearby stripmall that offers both Vietnamese and French dishes and is often quite good (it can be a bit variable). Menu changes seasonally. They are closed Mondays, though.
Pizza Antica is very good, but gets crowded. You can drop someone off early to put your name on the list if there is a wait. Very loud inside.
Juquilita Restaurant Oaxaqueno in San Jose
I still love this restaurant and have probably eaten here 7 or 8 times now.
We've had nearly every dish on the menu. My favorites are the tostadas (both the tinga or the wonderfully tangy and very garlicy chile ajo), the mole coloradito (so rich), the empanada de amarillo, and the banana leaf tamals. Oh, and the guacamole: they fry the chips to order and will customize your guac if you ask.
I prefer their tlayudas to those at Oaxacan Kitchen, but it isn't a favorite dish of mine. Other diners have said it is their favorite dish.
We've taken a vegetarian friend there and since they cook to order they can leave off the asiento and have suggested replacement dishes (empanada de amarillo with cheese, say).
We ordered the chile relleno and they whipped up the batter to order, stuffed a red chile, and fried it just before serving, but it was somewhat disappointing. It really needed a sauce.
They make their ice cream (ice milk?) in house. The walnut ice cream had a great flavor, but was crystalline in texture. I adored it, but some might miss a more creamy texture. They had a caramelized milk flavor but it tasted burnt (not sure if it's just my taste buds or if it was a bad batch).
Orange and carrot juices are juiced to order, as is the banana shake. It may be sappy, but I feel loved when dining here.
I've continued to add photos of the dishes to my album (listed in the first post), it now includes the tamal de chepil, quesadilla de flor de calabaza (though it's uninteresting from the outside), and others.
Sakae in Burlingame - Cover Charge at Sushi Bar
I haven't been following the Burlingame sushi scene, but we used to be big fans of Sakae (although only visiting once or twice a year). Our last meal was over a year ago, here is the report: http://www.foodnotfiller.com/?p=297
Can you still get a chef-chosen meal at the new Sakae? Where do Jun and Hiro work?
Juquilita Restaurant Oaxaqueno in San Jose
I've long been disappointed in the Mexican restaurant selection in San Jose. Lots of decent taquerias, but few good sit down restaurants and fewer still with any unique specialties. We'd travel to SF or pick up food from Primavera at the SF farmers market or, at least in the last few years, visit the mid-peninsula Oaxacan Kitchen at a market or their restaurant when we wanted a better Mexican meal (though I consider them just OK).
But today we found a gem of a restaurant, very close to us: Juquilita Restaurant Oaxaqueno at 577 Alma, San Jose. We tried a bunch of small dishes: molotes, a memelita, tostada de tinga, tamal de mole (de platano), empanada de amarillo and one of the hot beverages: champurrado.
Every dish was fantastic.
The molotes (stuffed with potatoes and chorizo) were garnished with mole negro and queso fresco. Fried perfectly, with the chorizo just an accent.
The memelita was on a handmade corn patty topped with black bean paste, cheese and salsa. Similar to (but smaller than, as the name implies) the memela at Oaxacan Kitchen.
The tostada de tinga was on a very crisp and perfectly fried tostada with slightly spicy chicken, cabbage and queso -- a really nice dish. When they have it, Primavera Cafe at the SF farmers market does this one a bit better (they add fresh avacodo and pickled carrots and jalepeno), but Juquilita does a very decent rendition.
The tamal de mole (we got the one in banana leaf: en hoja de platano) was wonderfully moist, the masa had a great texture with a more coarser grind that gave a nuttiness to the dish, and the balance between the mole negro and masa was perfect -- the masa layer was thin, not overpowering the tamal.
The Empanada de amarillo was fantastic. The hand made tortilla was fried (much like a crispy taco, but better) and the filling was a mix of amarrillo mole (which was thick and very flavorful), chicken and fresh cilantro.
The champurrado was a variation on hot chocolate, less sweet, and thickened.
The selection of specialty mexican drinks (various atole, the champurrado, tejate) is large, both cold and hot.
And because we ordered little dishes, two of us filled up for under $22. We'll be back to try the dinner plates and more of the specialty drinks (esp the tejate).
A photo album is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/artemis/JuquilitaRestaurant
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Juquilita Restaurant
577 W Alma Ave, San Jose, CA 95125
Good Chettinadu and Indian Chinese dishes at Muniyandi Vilas (Santa Clara)
I've tried the rabbit chettinad and it was OK; I liked the chicken version better. I haven't tried any of the goat liver/brain/stomach dishes -- do report back if you do. I've also not yet tried any of the fish or seafood dishes (my dining partner doesn't like shrimp).
They didn't have any crab dishes until a few days ago (a good sign), and then only the crab fry, but it didn't taste like it was local dungeness.
The chili gobi remains a favorite but only for eat-in and only if you eat it right away. Because of the nice hot sauce, it loses crispiness quickly.
I notice that they've now updated their website and it has the current menu. Also, they are directly across the street from Bangalore Cafe -- easy to combine with a trip for Real Ice Cream or kulfi for dessert.
Good Chettinadu and Indian Chinese dishes at Muniyandi Vilas (Santa Clara)
We went back again today for our 4th visit.
Tried some new dishes: chicken kothu parota and pepper chicken.
The pepper chicken was whole dark meat pieces cooked in lots of onions and spices. Very flavorful.
The Kothu parota was a big winner. Very large portion, excellent spicing, and served with curry sauce and raita (like the biryani). Dark meat chicken (excellent). We'll be getting this again frequently.
We're not fans of chicken breast meat, and only the Andra chicken has been white meat so far.
The restaurant itself is small, about 15 table tops. They've always had incense burning, so folks sensitive to that may want to limit their visits to togo orders. They also have a small sink outside the bathroom if you want to wash your hands. Since there isn't room for stand near the door, they bring mukhwas with the check. Service has been been variable, from very attentive to a little distracted (but always friendly). If you order the Indian Chinese dishes, they sometimes bring sauces (chili vinegar, soy+oil, ketchup, and hot sauce) and sometimes overlook it (except for the more bland hakka noodles, most of the dishes don't benefit from additions, however).
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Sri Muniyandi Vilas
3064 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Good Chettinadu and Indian Chinese dishes at Muniyandi Vilas (Santa Clara)
Muniyandi Vilas (or Sri Muniyandi Vilas Military Hotel) has moved from a spot in the Bharat Baazar grocery to a full restaurant. Site of the former, short-lived Jerusalem Restaurant: 3064 El Camino, Santa Clarra.
In sea of south indian restaurants, they focus on Chettinad and Indian Chinese dishes, from the more heavily non-vegetarian south Indian area of Tamilnadu: Chettinad.
My dining partner and I have visited 3 times already, focusing on some of these dishes.
They offer "regular" biryani, which is Chettinad style and the menu says they offer hyderbadi style on weekends. When we first went we mistakenly thought that meant they considered the weekend dish one of their house specialites, but it turns out that they only intend to offer it because so many in the area expect it. Right now they told us they want to concentrate on their Chettinad dishes and haven't yet offered the hyderbadi style on the weekends. The regular biryani came with egg and the spices were well cooked in to the rice mix (uniformly brown color), served with raita and meat (mutton, chicken, ...) curry sauce on the side. Good spice level (hotter than hyderbadi, but not as hot as some of the other dishes they offer).
My favorite dish has been the simple chili gobi. Prepared similarly to chili chicken, but with cauliflower. Very nicely fried, good crust, and good high heat level. The manchurian dishes are similar, but with more of a salty flavor and less heat. The szechuan chicken noodles were surprisingly good. I haven't enjoyed the Indian Chinese dishes I've had elsewhere, but I like the all the ones we've tried at Muniyandi so far.
The chicken chettinad had a reddish brown sauce, with a complex flavor and high heat level.
They do offer a wide range of idly, dosa, and uttapam, though we've only tried the uttapam so far. With how good the Chettinad and Indian Chinese dishes are, I'm less likely to fill up on these here.
Right now they are cash only (a downside when you like the food enough to want to order extra to go).
Photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/artemis/Muniyandi
I've attached pictures of mutton biryani and vegetable manchurian.
sugar butter flour bakery in sunnyvale
We've regularly bought croissants from them at the Los Gatos sunday farmer's market the last few months. Very glad that their shop is now opening (and likely why they missed last week's market). We'd agree they are some of the best croissants in the area. I like their cinnamon croissants as well.
Severino's Community Butcher-SERIOUSLY GOOD- Mt View Farmer's Mkt.
I agree, we bought two pasture-raised pigs over the last year from TLC Ranch and had Justin butcher one and make his pork products from it -- great stuff! It's good to see his stuff more available now. We have a prefer to make our own sausages, but his are decent. His rilettes (from TLC chickens) are particularly good.
Michelle
Dinner in Mission (around 21st) or transit accessible low-key but good food restaurants.
The waitress was very nice with us. My boyfriend is cuban and we had a discussion of the different preparations of plaintain/ when they tend to soak up more oil (when riper)/their frying techniques, etc. She was Asian, but familiar with the cooking there.
We were admiring the art on the walls, and she came over to explain they were by an artist who lived in the area.
So the food was good and the staff pleasant to us.
Dinner in Mission (around 21st) or transit accessible low-key but good food restaurants.
I looked at the menu at Pakwan (I think) and saw no haleem on the menu. Didn't check Aslam. If the extent of the pakistani items is tandoori, it's not as interesting (I like achaar dishes as well.
Stopped by and looked in on Dosa last night (Sunday). Very rowdy. Given I often dine near "MG street" (aka El Camino) in Santa Clara where you can't spit without hitting a south indian restuarant, I'm very familiar with south Indian food. Most of the good south indian restaurants nearer me are vegetarian so it triggers a bit of dissonance to see chicken curries and dosa on the same menu (since that's a marker of a bad south indian restaurant in my neck of the woods).
My favorite dosa is rava dosa, which Saravanaa Bhavan does particularly well. Anyone had Dosa's rava dosa and can describe it?
Dinner in Mission (around 21st) or transit accessible low-key but good food restaurants.
Thanks for the greater detail, much appreciated.
I arrived yesterday in SF, and had lunch with a friend at Platanos -- wonderful! Quiet, extremely pleasant atmosphere and really nicely flavored dishes. We had guacamole with plantain chips (which were perfectly fried, not greasy and the oil was fresh), chicken soup, and the empanaditos. Oh, and fried yuca, but those were more ordinary. The chicken empanaditos suprised us by being more juicy than the pork.
Sigh .. I wish the south bay had better south/central american restaurants.
Dinner in Mission (around 21st) or transit accessible low-key but good food restaurants.
Awesome! Of those listed, which are likely to be the quieter restaurants, maybe even appropriate for reading a book while eating?
I'm certainly interested in Aslam Rasoi. I do like Pakistani food (I like Zafran in the south bay, and Shan (food is more variable at the latter, but one Shan location has the benefit of being right near Barefoot Coffeehouse Good coffee and haleem and lamb chop tandoori.) Do you know if Aslam has Haleem shahi? Or if any of the pakistani restaurants have chicken haleem?
Michelle
Dinner in Mission (around 21st) or transit accessible low-key but good food restaurants.
I live in San Jose and rarely make it up to SF to eat. However, I'll be staying in SF for a week near S. Van Ness and 21st. I partially chose the location so I'd be near Ritual Coffee. I'd prefer restaurants within walking distance, but am willing to travel if need be.
I'll have my dinner times free and am looking for suggestions. I'll most likely be eating solo. I prefer quality over quantity (small portions appreciated), prefer quieter restaurants. I like a wide variety of food (love tripe, spicy foods, tendon, etc). I particularly appreciate well-done vegetable dishes not swimming in oil or cheese, since they are so rare (restuarants seems to focus on meat, starch, and cheese). I'm not a big cheese/dairy fan, unless it's small amounts of very high quality cheese.
My south bay favorites are (were) Brigitte's in Santa Clara (before they closed), Saiza (izakaya), Tanto, Choi's (korean), Saravanaa Bhavan (veg south indian), Darda Seafood (for takeout, too madhouse for eat in), Tanglewood, Pizza Antica, Kaygetsu. On the way up to SF, we stopped for a chef-chosen dinner at Sakae that was fantastic (but I'm not looking for $100 dinners like Kaygetsu/Sakae -- this list is just to give an idea of my taste in foods).
I already plan to do a dinner at Chapeau and one at Aziza (both before 6pm hoping to cut down on noise). Prefer less high end for other dinners during the week.
Takeout (especially from walking distance restaurant) would be fine in order to get good food but avoid noise.
Michelle
