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

When you start working for a living, after the poor college years of saving money by eating Instant Ramen Noodles so that you can make an important purchase such as a guitar amp, used camera, or snowboard, you can start eating the real Ramen (at least you should – $8-$14).  A discussion with a friend over a lunch of good Ramen at Santouka Ramen at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in San Jose helped me figure out what makes Ramen good.  My friend said it has to do with the flavor of the broth and more accurately, how they achieve the flavor of the broth.  There are two ways to flavor the broth.  You’ve had Cup of Ramen right?  Two major brands found in the USA are Nissin and Maruchan however, according to a.rainy.day “Guide to Eating Good Ramen,” Korean Ramen (ramyeon as it’s called) is the very best store-bought Ramen.  There are flavor packets that you add to the hot water.  This is the first way to flavor the broth.  The second way is to boil such ingredients as pork bones in chicken, pork, or fish stock broth and then Miso or Soy Sauce is added or mixed with the broth right at serving.  Shoyu is a soy-based flavor and Miso is the other flavor of the broth.  I personally like the Miso because it has much more depth making it like drinking a fatty, slow cooked drink of bacon. My other favorite part of Ramen is the tender, melt in your mouth, don’t need a knife, thinly sliced barbecue pork (you have to order extra piece of pork at Santouka if you want it, and you will).  Another reason to love Ramen, this is coming from an artist, is because of its beautiful color combination of floating food accessories on top that add various textures and variety to your bites.  Whenever I take my first bite of Ramen I am always surprised at the depth of  flavor in merely a broth because it is practically like chewing a thick piece of meat that has already melted in your mouth … so you don’t have to chew.

The Four Parts of Ramen:

• Noodles (Slick & Smooth Chinese Style Noodles)
• Broth (Pork Bones boiled in Chicken, Pork, or Fish Stock/Broth) *Top often glistens with droplets of pork fat
• Base (Miso or Soy or flavored-oil such as Sesame)
• Toppings (Thinly sliced Chinese barbecued pork, pickled bamboo shoots, mushrooms, scallions, sometimes hot pickled red ginger)

One the side: Onsen Tamago (boiled egg simmered in a soy-based broth)

Santouka Ramen vs. Halu Ramen (read our past BITF Review of Halu Ramen)

HALU RAMEN Review

Halu Ramen, a spot also on Saratoga Avenue has a line out the door at lunch time, and is run by a Japanese surfer chef.  Check out Halu’s seasonal Ramen special, Pumpkin Ramen.  Santouka Ramen, down the street on Saratoga, is located inside of the immaculate Japanese Mitsuwa Market.  You can choose from 3 different types of broth and 3 different sizes.  Mitsuwa Market is well worth a visit in and of itself for its impressive selection of foods and desserts (love the packaging).

* Next spot to try is Orenchi Ramen in Santa Clara

• Best Ramen in San Jose
• Best Ramen in San Francisco
• Best Ramen in NYC

Zach says their Apricotology (aka Apricot Fritter) is the best doughnut he has had in his life.  This is a bold statement coming from Zach.  So it must be at least pretty good because he is picky!

So which came first, Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon with their punk rock concoctions OR Psycho Donut in Campbell, CA?  We have tried Voodoo Doughnuts maple bacon doughnut and it was good but Portland is a pretty far drive from SF.  So when we came across Psycho Donut in San Jose/Campbell we were pleasantly surprised with their creative and funky doughnut creations.  They also have some pretty interesting illustrations and street art decorating their walls.

What we love: Apricotology and the Butter Finger Doughnut (chocolate cake doughnut)

http://www.psycho-donuts.com/

I have craved this meal ever since living with Israelis.  I searched the internet for the potato dumpling recipe but couldn’t seem to find it because I couldn’t remember the exact name of the dish.  Then I finally found a Polish Potato Dumplings recipe and a Czech version, pretty soon this one popped up and it was right on!

To Recipes >

Chicken Schnitzel

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded
• 1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs (we used German Breadcrumbs from Esther’s German Bakery in Los Altos, CA & Mt. View, CA)
• Paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley to taste
• lemon
• oil for frying

Place the chicken breasts between wax paper and pound the chicken to ¼” thick on a cutting board with a meat tenderizer.  Coat the chicken breasts in the flour. Then dip them in the egg mixture and coat with breadcrumbs.  Heat oil over medium high heat until hot.  Then add the breaded chicken breasts and coat one side with garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and parsley.  Fry each side of the chicken breast until golden brown about 2-3 minutes per side.  Cut it open to make sure it is cooked through.  Squeeze some lemon on top and serve!

Potato Dumplings

• 2 cups potatoes, cooked, cooled, mashed or riced
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• butter
• bread crumbs

Combine cooked, mashed, cooled potatoes with eggs.  Add the flour and continue to mix. Keep adding additional flour to get dough stiff and thick enough to roll into 1” balls (you must flour your hands for this part).  Boil water.  Add the balls to the boiling water and boil until the dumplings float about 8-12 minutes.  Taste the dumplings to make sure they are cooked all of the way through and then heat butter in a skillet. Add the dumplings and sprinkle bread crumbs on top.  Once fried to a golden brown transfer the balls to a paper towel lined plate and let cool a bit.

Serve the potato dumplings with ketchup and the chicken schnitzel.  Israeli salad is also a nice addition to the meal!

Easy & Enjoyable Saturday Afternoon at the Burrell School Winery

• Great Deck & View: You can buy a bottle of wine and sip it on the deck at Burrell School Winery with friends.  The view is beautiful and looks out over the vineyard towards the Monterey Bay.  Open Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm.

• Short Weekend Drive: 25 minute south of San Jose, 15 minutes south of Los Gatos

• $5 Tastings or Buy a Bottle to share on the deck

• Free Tastings for You & Three Friends when you are a Wine Club Member: If you are a member you pay $70 for three bottles four times a year.  With this you receive free tastings including three guests and often can enjoy pick-up parties in the garden when you stop by for your wines.  We do this often when friends are visiting from out of town or even on Friday afternoons.

Summit Road Wine Tour Idea after the jump…

Quick Saturday Afternoon Santa Cruz Mountain Wine Tasting Day Trip

• Easy Three-Winery Tasting Tour: 15 Minutes from Los Gatos

Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries: http://www.scmwa.com/

Summit to See Wine Trail: http://www.summittoseawinetrail.com/

Stop #1:

Regale Winery: http://www.regalewine.com/

Daily Selection: $10 tastings for 5 wines, exquisite view and interesting mural painting in new structure

Winemaker’s Selection:  flight of six wines, with an emphasis on Pinot Noirs and Cabernets, for $15.

NOTE: You are welcome to purchase wine by the glass or a bottle to share and spend some time enjoying our beautiful Italian inspired decor. Picnics are welcome with wine purchase.  The Bocce Ball court is available on a first come, first served basis.  We ask that you limit play to one hour if some one is waiting to play.

Our tasting room is open Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 5:30 p.m.  Please call (408) 353-2500 or CLICK HERE for reservations.

Stop #2:

Burrell School Winery: http://www.burrellschool.com/

Cute tasting room next to the old school house and a great deck to sip your wines

Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm.

Stop #3:

Loma Prieta Winery: http://www.lomaprietawinery.com/

26985 Loma Prieta Way – Los Gatos, CA 95033

OPEN for Passport Days the third Saturday of January, April, July, and November, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (open other Saturdays sometimes as well)

On our way to Sur Le Table in LG this weekend we decided to walk into the Icing on the Cake Bakery to see what pumpkin items they baked this fall.  Lucky for us, we found the Harvest Moon moist pumpkin cookie with an orange glaze.  Other fall themed treats were a Buttery Pumpkin Muffin with Cream Cheese Icing, Pumpkin Loaf, and Pumpkin Pie Bars with a Shortbread Crust.  They also had their popular cookie, the Brownie Pecan Chunker.  The Harvest Moon and Brownie Pecan Chunker cookies were sinfully tasty and well worth the $5.25 we paid for the two.  I was delighted by the variety and selection of amazing looking baked goods.

I had remembered the recipe for their Chocolate Cherry Chunk cookie from the July 2008 Bon Appetit magazine R.S.V.P./Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes and decided to google it: http://pinkstripes.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/cherry-and-chocolate-chip-cookies/ This cookie has alcohol-soaked dried cherries with semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

http://www.icingonthecakebakery.com/

Bakery Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 9am-6:00pm
Sunday 9am-3pm
Monday CLOSED

What does this have to do with tomatoes?  Well, nothing really.  You’ve probably been looking for a cheesesteak sandwich in the Silicon Valley that makes you feel like you’re back in Philly cheering on the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, or 76ers.  Though it was somewhat difficult to find while driving on Saratoga Ave., it is not difficult to find a person who knows or a website that talks about Amato’s.

Amato’s is the not-so-secret secret place to find un-PC piles of meat, served in belly-busting sizes sure to satisfy even a Mr. Creosote in your posse.  There are three sizes, the shorty, the half and the whole.  Do not fool yourself into thinking a shorty is small, it is described on the menu as 7″ long, yet it is nearly the size of a Subway foot-long (with way more meat).  The “half” is 12″ and the whole is 18″.  The bread is fresh and tasted like it was baked the day we ate it.  There are a few different condiments you can order or grab for yourself; we indulged with some cherry peppers, but decided against the “whiz” on this trip.

www.amatoscheesesteaks.com [this link did not work when we tried it]

John: I got the shorty original cheesesteak and was pleased with the freshness of the bread and the amount of cheesy meat filling it.  My only regret about my cheesesteak was that i didn’t partake in any sort of dipping enjoyment.  The flavor was delicious, but the bread could have used a little (to steal Zach’s comment) more grease.  Next time I may ask for my bread to be put on the grill to soak up a little magic.  I also took a bite out of the buffalo chicken sandwich, which was a satisfying flavor for a buffalo chicken sandwich, much better than Subway’s current $5 footlong offering.

Zach: I’ve had a few cheesesteaks in my day and a few in Philly even.  The ingredients were good and I liked their hot peppers a lot but the cheesesteak was way too dry and more grease was in order.  The ingredients were good so it’s a real shame but a real Philly should render a brown bag translucent but there was hardly enough moisture to chew the thing. I’m not sure what John means about dipping but I think he might be confusing a Philly with a French dip.  I actually would have enjoyed a combination of the two as sacreligious as that is to say but in this case it would have been welcomed. Just fyi, Some locals in Philly put coleslaw on their cheesesteaks and I personally love coleslaw on just about any sandwich.