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Ladies’ who Lunch? The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, Livermore, CA

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Do you need to pretend you are among the ladies who lunch, even though you have to head out on the one day of the weekend that you don’t actually have to work?  This is California right … everyone works.  The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards is your spot for a ladies who lunch outing.  Wente is also a good place for dates with your honey, hubby, or daddy too (we saw all of the above).  The complimentary lunch valet also makes you feel like your out-for-lunch aka on vaca.  You even get to head out of town a bit for a nice drive in the country to get there, an SF Bay Area Day Trip for sure, without having to go all the way to Napa or Paso Robles.  It is about a 45 minute drive from Mountain View and from Oakland to get out to Livermore, CA.  As you get closer to Livermore you will find fruit stands along the road.  We bought cherries along the way and had a cherry spitting contest, FYI, not at Wente (don’t get yourself kicked out).

We liked snacking on: Cayenne Spiced Roasted Nuts, Maple, Garden Herbs & Warmed Nicolau Farms Goat Cheese, Herbed Bread Crumbs.

We liked sipping on: SEASONAL COCKTAILS such as the Lavender Martini and local wines.

Posted in Around California, Eating Out, Out of Town, SF Bay Area Day Trips, South Bay - Silicon Valley | 1 Response »
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Mezcal Restaurant – Downtown San Jose, CA: Mole + Mezcal

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

* Photos by Deb Hayes

I was introduced to Mezcal Restaurant in downtown San Jose, CA, after seeing the Mapplethorpe photo-exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Art last week (& Mezcal is right across the street from the SJMA).  To be honest, when I first walked by Mezcal I thought it was a cheesy, downtown SJ bar from the outside (and that is probably my own bias) but I was so pleasantly surprised when we stepped inside. Friends who had dined there numerous times and who really know their moles and real Mexican food (sorry, no burritos here) highly recommended Mezcal Restaurant.  The cuisine is authentic Oaxacan regional cuisine with an accent on their homemade moles and imported Oaxacan Mezcals (Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage, a sibling of Tequila, made from the maguey plant – boasting a delicious strong smoky flavor).  The moles are created by the mother, Doña Libo, (owned by two sons and their mother) with ingredients imported from Oaxaca.  The indoor dining room boasts a collection of hand painted Mezcal boxes  that are very contemporary Mexico and beautifully displayed together on the bar.  The atmosphere is fun with tables, chairs, and art also imported from Oaxaca.  The service we received was wonderful and welcoming with lots of information about each dish served.  We even got to go back in the kitchen so Deb could photograph Dona creating homemade tortillas (pictured above).

When you arrive you are served chips that allow you to taste the three different kinds of mole sauce:

  • Estofado, a sweet mole made of mild tomatillos and peanuts
  • Coloradito, a red mole made of tomatoes and chiles de arbol
  • Mole Negro that is deeply complex with a mixture of chiles, chocolate and spices

The mole dishes are the stars of the menu, as is the unique Chapulines (fried grasshoppers sautéed with garlic, lime and salt served as an appetizer).  I recommend the Estofados, Enchiladas, or Enmoladas, depending on which mole you liked (corn tortillas with mole, cheese, onions, your choice of meat, I got the pork). You can buy mole to go but it is expensive because there are so many ingredients (imported from Oaxaca) and it is such a time consuming dish to create.  Also, don’t miss the homemade Pecan ice cream and the Horchata with fruit and nuts that you can order at lunch time.

  • Check out their Happy Hour: M-Th 3-7pm & Fridays 3-6pm

I am going to be bold here.  This is one of the best restaurants I have tried in the area in 2011. When I go back I will order: A Mezcal cocktail, Chapulines for an appetizer, Estofados as my meal, and definitely the Pecan Ice Cream for dessert.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

25 West San Fernando Street
San Jose, CA 95113-2477
(408) 283-9595 ?
mezcalrestaurantsj.com

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My Valentine’s Day Present Pick: Rose Pearl Green Tea ($144 lb.!)

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Alrighty, this is my Valentine’s Day Gift Pick for your special lady:

  • Rose Pearl Green Tea ($144 lb.) from Ten Ren Tea in Cupertino (SF, Milpitas, Richmond, Newark, & LA locations too)

After a Chinese New Year’s occasion of Dim Sum at Joy Luck Palace with a friend we ventured around the Cupertino Village Asian strip mall of stores and restaurants all there together, to buy more of, one of my all-time favorites, Jasmin Pearl Tea.  Jasmin Pearl Tea is quite expensive at about $100 lb and reminds me of my childhood (not sure why at all, but it does).  At Ten Ren Tea, sitting on the shelf next to the Jasmin Pearl Tea, was another lovely looking blend called Rose Pearl Green Tea that had a combination of Jasmin Pearl Tea and dried Rose Buds for $144 lb.  I knew it would be good and thought, this is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your girlfriend (s), mother, grandmother, and wife.  You don’t want to buy a pound because that would be a LOT of tea.  A $15-20 sachet worth of tea is the perfect amount.  With the tea, you could include a beautiful tea pot set, mug, candies, chocolates or … !

Posted in Foodie Gifts, South Bay - Silicon Valley | No Comments »
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Santa Clara Native: A Local Eat & Special Treat

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Santa Clara Native: Where the Locals Eat

  • Name: DP “DareBear” – 3rd or 4th Generation Californian + First Gen. Chinese
  • Occupation: Bartender & Graphic Design Student
  • How long he’s lived in San Jose: More than 20 years!
  • Favorite Local Eat and Treat: Family Birthdays Celebrated @ Okayama Restaurant
  • Location: Japantown, San Jose

“DareBear” always takes girls for first dates to Okayama!  Then they fall in love, and with the way the story was told to me, with the restaurant anyways.  Okayama Restaurant, family owned and operated in Japantown since 1967 (one of last three historical Japantowns remaining in the US),  is also DP’s family’s favorite place to go for special occasions, particularly birthdays (they give special treatment for birthdays).  They always call ahead for reservations because it can be crowded.  DP and his sister both order the Beef Teppanyaki.  His mom gets the Soup with Tofu, his brother orders the Chicken katsu (Hawaiian Dish), and his father likes the Beef Teriyaki.  DP remembers as a kid being served otter pops on his birthday and says adults got green tea ice cream.  On their website I noticed that they offer a free birthday lunch or dinner with your ID for a party of 4 or more.

565 N 6th St Ste A
San Jose, CA 95112

(408) 289-9508

*free parking

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A Local’s Local: Cicero’s Pizza in San Jose/Cupertino

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Cicero’s Pizza opened in San Jose, CA (Cupertino, CA to be exact) in 1968 which has given it thirty years and three different locations to build a local following.  We’ve tried so many pizza joints around San Jose from A Slice of New York (we like the garlic knots and cannoli’s @ Slice of NY) to Rosie’s New York Pizza, Pizza Chicago, Pizza My Heart, Thunderbird, and few others.  Cicero’s feels the most like a neighborhood joint, that you would go to after a softball game or swim meet, even though it is located in a a Safeway strip mall in its current location.  It is a comfort zone where you can wear your sweats and feel nostalgic for your hometown pizza place like my beloved Pizza Villa that I grew up frequenting every Wednesday night in the summers.  Local folks seem to stop by Cicero’s to pick-up pizzas on Friday nights on their way home from work to take to the family.  Cicero’s also has a decent size dining room (please don’t modernize it) where you can order at the counter and take a seat at a booth or table and sip on a draft Sierra while you wait.

Our favorite is the shredded Italian sausage, very fine crumbs, topping on Cicero’s thin crust pizza (crust is not so crispy that it is like a cracker, just not deep dish).  Lots of people suggest the Belly Buster but once we found the crumbled sausage pizza, we were hooked.

Cicero’s Pizza
6138 Bollinger Road
San Jose/Cupertino
408-777-0690

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San Jose Native: A Local Eat & Special Treat

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

San Jose Native: What the locals drink!

  • Name: An
  • Occupation: Art Student with an Eye on the Time
  • How long she’s lived in San Jose: More than 20 years!
  • Favorite Local Eat: Mint Mojito Iced Coffee @ Philz Coffee
  • Location: San Jose, CA (Two Philz Locations in SF too)

An has lived in San Jose since she was one years old, so that counts as a native CA’er for sure!  She told me to go to Philz and order the Mint Mojito Iced Coffee and to get a large for a whopping $4.50!  She says you will want a large if you order a small and it is only .50 cents more than the small.   Philz even charges $3 for their drip cups of coffee and An claims it’s that good.  They make a mocha type of coffee drink with a frothy top and add fresh mint.  An discovered this drink in SF one afternoon and later found out they had a location in downtown San Jose where she now goes to get her fix while parked in a free, secret spot near the MLK Library. Thanks for the tip An!

Philz Coffee

118 Paseo de san Antonio
San Jose, CA 95112

Open Weekdays 6:30am-10pm; Sat 7am-10pm; Sun 7am-9pm

Posted in Drinks, Eating Out, South Bay - Silicon Valley, Where the Locals Eat | No Comments »
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Santa Clara Native: A Local Eat & Special Treat

Monday, November 15th, 2010

South Bay Native: Where the Locals Eat!

  • Name: Tammy
  • Occupation: Photo-Lab Manager
  • How Long You’ve Lived in the South Bay: More than 40 years!
  • Favorite Local Eat: Tossed Shredded Chicken Salad @ Tao Tao Cafe
  • Location: Sunnyvale, CA

Tao Tao opened in 1951 as a family style American-Chinese Restaurant but became the Chinese restaurant it is today after folks from Ming’s Restaurant in Palo Alto bought it in 1974.

Tammy told me that she has been frequenting Tao Tao Cafe in Sunnyvale, CA, a Cantonese Restaurant, since her kids were young (over twenty years now).  She can remember going to Tao Tao when they had their original place and loved the old atmosphere.  The Tossed Shredded Chicken Salad (crispy noodles, peanuts, cilantro) can be ordered for dining in or for carry-out. When she used to eat beef Tammy also loved their Tao Tao Beef which is the other really popular dish. Tao Tao’s two famous drinks are the Mai Tai and the Fog Cutter. Tammy has a good story about the time her mother, her sister, and she ordered the Fog Cutter, a Long Island Iced Tea type of drink (rum, brandy, gin, sweet sherry & juices). But you’ll have to ask her about it.  To read more about the history of Tao Tao check out this out.

175 South Murphy Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086-6113
(408) 736-3731

The Shadowbrook in Santa Cruz has been around forever, since 1947 to be exact. It is a special place that Tammy and her husband frequent for Anniversary milestones!  The Shadowbrook serves traditional fare such as steaks and seafood and you can ride on a tram-like operation to get down to the dining room.  For dinner you sit at tables that overlook the river that flows to the ocean near Capitola.

1750 Wharf Road • Capitola-by-the-Sea, California 95010
(800) 975-1511 or (831) 475-1511

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International Food Bazar in SJ & Arugula-Pistachio Pesto Pizza Recipe

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

If you love food and love letting yourself free in a food experience for the eyes, you can spend a lot of time at the International Food Bazaar in San Jose going back time and time again to look through all of the products.  I love Israeli pickles and found them in the mix of tons of other Middle Eastern products.  IFB sells Middle Eastern Specialty foods including kosher, Russian, Bosnian, European, Middle Eastern, Persian, Greek, and Turkish products in the South Bay San Jose Area  (Campbell to be specific).

We bought a huge piece of Afghan Bread from their very large bread section and made a fast dinner with our already prepared Arugula-Pistachio Pesto.

When I lived in Sydney, Australia I ate the most fabulous vegetarian pizza called Arrostito topped with roasted vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese at Arthur’s Pizza in Paddington.  I recreated a version of these toppings below for a pizza combo that loves to impress.

Arugula-Pistachio Pesto Pizza Recipe Click to continue »

Posted in CSA Food Box Recipes, Home Cookin', Main Dishes, South Bay - Silicon Valley | 1 Response »
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