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South Bay Area & Silicon Valley Dining Options

 

Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Butter @ Country Inn Cafe

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

Yet another, very San Jose kind of breakfast spot in a strip mall area, with something unique and tasty to brunch-munch on (like the peanut butter french toast at “The Breakfast Place,” also in SJ). Of course we found these Swedish pancakes (spongy, very thin crepe-like pancakes) on yelp and were in the area so we checked them out.  They were really good and I’m noticing, crave-able as I look at the image of the huge portion of lingonberry butter melting on top of the cakes above.  Apparently you can order an omelet and get a side of these pancakes with them, I mean … do I make you hungry baby!

This is a diner that has a lot of variety to their menu. My husband enjoyed the chicken and waffles. Check it out!

6484 Camden Ave
San Jose, CA 95120

(408) 997-9300

Hours:
Mon-Sat 7 am – 9 pm
Sun 7 am – 8:30 pm

The Breakfast Place: San Jose

Monday, May 14th, 2012

We are always looking for good breakfast spots.  The Breakfast Place is a typical San Jose area restaurant in that it is located in a strip mall. It completely blends into its surroundings, making it somewhat of a hole in the wall.  The inside looks like it used to be a Taqueria with wooden booths. This is breakfast and lunch restaurant has many Mexican inspired breakfast items and those of the dishes I recommend.  Oddly, there are mugs, a variety of coffee mugs hanging on the wall.  The menu is reminiscent of its fusion decor (fusion: too fancy of a word to use in the description of the atmosphere but none the less I believe I have properly used the word), a combination of Mexican breakfast dishes including Chilaquiles, Breakfast Burritos, and American classics such Chicken Fried Steak and Biscuits and Gravy (I would stick with the Mexican dishes and/or the french toast though).   The two stars were the Huevos Rancheros and the Peanut Butter French Toast (& Chili Verde Eggs). The Huevos Rancheros was delicious and some of the best I’ve had.  The Peanut Butter French Toast was unique and decadent.  I’m not sure the Chicken Fried Steak lived up to these two dishes, however a friend said he did like the Irish Eggs Benedict.

*Photos taken with Camera + App.

3132 Williams Road  San Jose, CA 95117

(408) 261-3714

Hours: Mon-Sun 7 am – 2:30 pm

Best Stromboli in San Jose: Tony Di Maggios Pizza

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Tony Di Maggios Pizza is hard to find and in the middle of ‘no where’ San Jose/Campbell (this location: San Tomas) but it’s so worth finding! The Stromboli is delicious and has a unique ingredient that makes your mouth happy. You take a bite of the piping hot gooey, melted cheese and pizza dough, which could pretty much be as plain as kid’s mac n’ cheese, but wait, it has a kick, it’s … mustard (and probably some flavor from the butter drizzled on top too)!  If you are in need of some tasty comfort food, this is one you want to save your calories up for.  It’s not vegetarian, healthy, or gluten free.  It is a sinful treat!

Stromboli: Ham, Italian Sausage, Salami, Mustard, American and Mozzarella Cheeses wrapped in Pizza Dough and topped with Butter, Oregano, Black Pepper and our home made Tomato Sauce

Tony  Di Maggios Pizza

3852 Monterey Rd
San Jose, CA 95111
(408) 629-7775

&

915 S. San Tomas Aquino Rd
Campbell, CA 95008
(408) 374-1800

*Photos taken with Camera + App.

Zeni: Ethiopian Food in San Jose

Friday, February 24th, 2012

It is a pretty good sign when you arrive on a Friday night at a restaurant and there is a bit of a wait.  We waited for maybe twenty minutes as lots of other folks piled in to try and get their name on the list for a table and it just kept getting more and more crowded.

Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant is on Saratoga Avenue, the street with many great diverse restaurants in the San Jose area (along with of course our favorite, Halu Ramen).  There are still so many others for us to try from Persian to Japanese and African.

On the Friday night we dined, we sat on stools with a big round bowl table in front of us as we listened to a live musician play the keyboard as some little kids bounced around to the music.

The bill was very inexpensive for the four of us with plenty of food and wine (I think it was $35 each couple).

For a table of 4, Order (non-vegetarian):

  • Bottle of TEJ Organic Ethiopian Honey Wine
  • Tell the waitress to pick for you with a combination of veggie and meat dishes, you won’t be sorry- we liked the lamb and chicken dishes as well as all of the veggie dishes too

All Entrees are served with Injera, the unleavened bread prepared today as it was a thousand years ago and Zeni’s house salad (Injera also eaten in Somalia and Yemen). Injera is like a giant savory, spongy pancake that is laid out in front in a huge dish for communal eating. The salad is placed in the middle with all of your meat and veggie dishes along the sides also on top of the Injeri (see photos above).  Then you get an additional stack of Injera to use to scoop up the dishes and eat them with your hands.

Go with close friends or your honey, as this may be a bit of an awkward business lunch or dinner with people who don’t understand what double dipping is (just take one portion of Injera, enough for one scoop of food and eat that – can tear the Injera to get just the right size)!  That is of course coming from my own cultural context and I actually don’t know the custom for this in Ethiopia. I will have to find that one out!

Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant

1320 Saratoga Ave
San Jose, CA 95129

(408) 615-8282

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Winter Kraftbrew Beer Fest 2012 • Tomorrow • San Jose

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Winter Kraftbrew will be in the Landmark Ballroom at the San Jose Women’s Club. We will be pouring some fantastic Winter Spiced Ales, Porters and Stouts. Delicious menu to be provided by Naglee Park Garage. Come by for some excellent brew…s, live music, and good food.

Address: 75 S 11th Street, San Jose CA, 95112
Event Date: January 28th, 2012
Hours: 3pm-9pm
FREE admission – just pay to taste!

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For Chinese New Year 2012 • Visit Cupertino Village

Friday, January 27th, 2012

For Chinese New Year in South Bay you have to make a stop by Cupertino Village. I have to admit right off the bat that I am not a Dim Sum expert.  However, my friend, originally from Singapore, knows Asian food in the Bay Area and has taken me to Joy Luck Palace (Cantonese) for Dim Sum (on weekdays) for the past two years to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  There is a lot of variety and I’ve always found it to be tasty. This year I made a new tradition and that is to eat a chicken foot (not pickled) and it was pretty good!

After lunch/brunch, walk around and buy jasmine tea at Ten Ren and bubble tea or a green mango smoothie at Fantasia.  Pick up Chinese New Year Candy and Mooncakes from Sheng Kee Bakery.  Then, with your Chinese New Year shopping list in hand, stop by 99 Ranch Market and pick up everything you need. Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year so don’t forget to pick some up at 99 Ranch Market.

Everyone goes crazy over the parking at Cupertino Village on yelp.  If you go during the week just make sure it is after lunch (but at least by 2pm to be able to eat at Joy Luck Place which closes for lunch at 2:30pm), it is much easier to park but at that point, remember, they are starting to have fewer Dim Sum choices.

  • 99 Ranch Market • Asian Groceries
  • Joy Luck Palace • Dim Sum (busy on weekends)
  • Fantasia • Pearl Tea Drinks (mango smoothie)
  • Ten Ren • Boba Milk Tea (Bubble Tea/Pearl Milk Tea)
  • Sheng Kee Bakery • Chinese Bakery (for Candy & Mooncakes /yue bing)
10911 N Wolfe Rd
Cupertino, CA 95014

(408) 255-6988

Enoteca La Storia Wine Bar: Los Gatos

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

On Blame it on the Food we’ve basically gotten to the point where we just write about the places we like.  Enoteca is no exception here, we like it. One of the reasons we’ve become fond of it is because as our cousin who works in the food industry says, when the management is good in a restaurant and there is a positive vibe in the work environment, the place shines all around.  This is exactly how the environment is at Enoteca La Storia because the owners have created this and are so nice and professional and therefore so is their staff. They always seem to welcome customers and they feel bad if you have to wait for a seat.  They feel so bad that they often give you a complimentary glass of Prosecco to sip on as you wait.  Enoteca has only gotten more and more popular since the first time we visited.

I’ve actually been meaning to write about Enoteca La Storia in Los Gatos so many times in the last year but it is very dim inside in the evening and it makes it really hard to get decent photographs of the food and space. So I finally accumulated enough photographs to give you a feel for the interior and a bit of the food. It is a wine bar that serves some food and you can sit at the bar or at tables.  The backroom has some larger tables that seem like they could be reserved for larger parties. When people come into the wine bar they typically talk, eat, drink, eat a bit more and drink and hang out for extended periods. This is actually something I really like about it, you can meet friends at 8pm and hang out from there on out ordering snacks, wine, and to end, one of their really tasty desserts.

The food ranges from cheese to salumi boards (domestic and imported salumi) and crostini as well as paninis, salads and great desserts (carrot cake bites and chocolate cake with bacon bits). The majority of the food is nicely displayed and served on cutting boards.  For wine you can order half glasses, glasses, and bottles to share or flights.  We typically get a glass of wine each (or a Pliny de Elder, they often have that too), a cheese and salumi selection (Are Salumi & Charcuterie the Same Thing?) and then an awesome dessert like the chocolate cake with bacon bits on top!  If you come with at least four people the better deal is to buy a bottle (it is something like after the first bottle corkage fee, you don’t have to pay quite as much for each additional bottle).  Check it out on an upscale date night or plan to meet a couple of friends for chatting and good times.  It is kind of a bar for when you want to keep it classy, not really a hip spot so to speak but definitely not hipster – trendy maybe for the older crowd (40’s and up in age and not a kid or family spot).  On Fridays and Saturdays it can get fairly busy so keep that in mind.

416 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
Los Gatos, CA 95030

Phone: 408-625-7272
Email: info@enotecalastoria.com

Blame it on the Food in the SF Huffington Post

Friday, September 16th, 2011


The Huffington Post San Francisco asked San Francisco Food Bloggers about the Best Noodles In San Francisco? When they asked us, we had to mention Tantan-men from Halu Ramen.

Check out the Article: Food Bloggers Reveal Their Faves: