200 DINING HOT SPOTS
Menlo Tavern
Palermo Italian Restaurant, 791 Auzerais Ave.,
San Jose. 408/295-6459. On the banks of the Los
Gatos Creek in San Jose’s historical cannery district,
Palermo specializes in refined, modern Sicilian
cuisine. $$$
Pasta Armellino, 14560 Big Basin Way, Saratoga.
408/216-8838. The Plumed Horse’s casual spinoff
serves sophisticated pastas and seasonal Italian cuisine
in an airy setting. $$-$$$
94 South Bay Accent
Fights
Pasta Moon, 315 Main St., Half Moon Bay. 650/
726-5125. Charming eatery serves only local, sustainable
ingredients, fresh from the first bite of
focaccia to the last spoonful of an artisan dessert. $$
Pausa, 223 E. Fourth Ave., San Mateo. 650/375-
0818. Owners Steve Ugur and Chef Andrea
Giuliani serve up handcrafted pastas, brick-oven
pizzas and house-cured salami paired with an all
Italian wine list, craft cocktails and spritzes. $$
Spalti Ristorante, 417 California Ave., Palo Alto.
650/327-9390. Authentic Northern Italian cuisine,
featuring well-prepared fresh pasta, seafood,
chicken and veal in a casual setting. $$
Tigelleria Organic Restaurant, 76 E.
Campbell Ave., Campbell. 408/884-
3808. Serving traditional Northern
Italian dishes prepared organically.
Also an extensive choice of a la carte
antipasto. $$$
Vesta, 2022 Broadway, Redwood
City. 650/362-5052. This trendy
indoor-outdoor venue draws crowds
with locally sourced ingredients,
wood-fired pizza, small plates, beer and
wine. $$
Vina Enoteca, 700 Welch Rd., Palo Alto.
650/646-3477. This stylish Italian restaurant
serves garden-sourced ingredients. Al fresco tables
and private dining are available. $$-$$$
Vivace Ristorante, 1910 Ralston Ave., Belmont.
650/637-0611. “Vivace” means lively, and Executive
Chef Scott Cinfio’s Northern Italian creations
live up to the restaurant’s name. $$
Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza, San Jose
(Willow Glen), 408/971-7080; San Jose (Westgate),
408/871-0400; Los Gatos, 408/354-5566.
Outstanding pizzas, a full bar and a large menu
with fun appetizers. $
JAPANESE
Akane, 250 Third St., Los Altos. 650/941-8150.
Authentic Japanese cuisine featuring an extensive
selection of sushi, sashimi and tasty beef, chicken
and seafood dinner entrees. $$
Azuma Japanese Cuisine, 19645 Stevens Creek
Blvd., Cupertino. 408/257-4057. A Cupertino
institution, this family-friendly restaurant has a
menu with dishes that offers that everyone will be
able to enjoy. $$
Bushido, 156 Castro St., Mountain View. 650/
386-6821. Offering Japanese izakaya dining, where
people gather in a casual atmosphere to drink and
enjoy small, unique plates. $$
Fuki-Sushi, 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto.
650/494-9383. Fresh seafood, vegetable and rice
delectables, teriyaki and light, crispy tempura are
the mainstays at this long-time local favorite gathering
place. $$
Hachi Ju Hachi, 14480 Big Basin Way, Saratoga.
408/647-2258. Traditional Japanese cuisine featuring
pure, simple, flavorful dishes. $$
House of Genji, 1335 N. First St., San Jose. 408/
453-8120. Well-executed tableside cooking shows
are the main draw at this family-friendly Japanese
teppanyaki steakhouse. $$$
Kaizen Japanese Bar & Grill, 330 E Hamilton
Ave. #7, Campbell. 408/370-1600. This modern
spot features a wrap-around sushi bar and Japanese
mains such as teriyaki and bento. $–$$
Kappo Nami Nami, 240 Castro St., Mountain
View. 650/964-6990. Cutting-edge, kappo-style
Japanese cuisine with fresh, seasonal ingredients. $$
Kubota, 593 N. Fifth St., San Jose. 408/279-8440.
An excellent upscale pan-Pacific menu featuring
seasonal specials and year-round favorites. $–$$
Kyoto Palace, 1875 S. Bascom Ave. #2500 (The
Pruneyard), Campbell. 408/389-0991. Authentic
Japanese cuisine with teppanyaki method of preparing
dishes tableside. $$–$$$
BARGAIN BITES
The daily question: What’s for lunch? These South Bay
eateries offer good answers at good prices.
When the Le Family started selling their Vietnamese bahn mi
sandwiches to students in downtown San Jose in 1983, they received
an enthusiastic response. Soon Lee’s Sandwiches (various
locations) was born. Regular patrons of the shops enjoy the
tasty, generously filled sandwiches served on fresh-baked bread.
There are several versions of pork offered as fillings, but there’s
a chicken version, plus a vegetarian sandwich. The family later added
“Euro” sandwiches to the menu. Many come served on large, soft croissants,
with fillings of sliced deli meats and cheeses.
For a taste of a true Manhattan delicacy try A Slice of New York (3443 Stevens
Creek Blvd., San Jose; 1253 El Camino Real, Sunnyvale). The employee-owned
pizza shop serves up authentic New York-style pies by the slice. The lunch deal
gets you a free drink when you buy two slices of pizza or a slice of pizza and a salad.
Save room for dessert: classic East Coast favs are flown in, including cheesecake,
Drakes Cakes and Marino’s Italian Ice.
Authentic Cajun food from Louisiana is on the menu at Poor House Bistro (91 S.
Autumn St., San Jose). Fill up at lunch with either a half po’ boy sandwich and a
garden salad, or a cup of gumbo, for less than $10. These po’ boy’s are
straight from New Orleans and come “dressed” with shredded
cabbage, tomato, pickles, mayo and creole mustard and
served on a Nola-style French roll.
One of the best value lunch buffets is served up
Tuesdays through Fridays at the sleek, modern
Xahn Restaurant (110 Castro St., Mountain View).
The buffet includes 30 of the Vietnamese restaurant’s
most popular Asian-fusion dishes. Not to be
missed are dishes like the beef pho, the green apple
salad, and the catfish in a homemade sauce.
Original Krungthai (642 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose)
is home to a classic filling lunch special priced below
comparable restaurants: a meat, seafood or vegetable entrée
served alongside an egg roll, fried wonton, soup of the day and
steamed rice. Twenty authentic Thai dishes to choose from, including several pad
dishes, as well as curries. The Eggplant Khee Mao is a patron favorite. —P.M.