102 South Bay Accent Aqui Cal-Mex Grill, 1145 Lincoln Ave. (in Willow Glen), San Jose; downtown Campbell. 408/995-0381. Innovative Mexican cuisine, great prices and amusing art. $ Casa de Cobre, 14560 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. 408/867-1639. Casa de Cobre puts a fresh spin on authentic Mexican cuisine, with dishes that are created from sustainable fish, chemical- and hormone-free meats and organic ingredients. $ Consuelo Mexican Bistro, 377 Santana Row, San Jose. 408/260-7082. Authentic flavors of old Mexico are thoughtfully blended in creative dishes that are served tapas style. $$ La Paloma, 2280 El Camino Real, Santa Clara. 408/ 247-0990. Traditional and contemporary Mexican cuisine served in an inviting atmosphere. $ Milagros Cantina, 1099 Middlefield Road, Redwood City. 650/369-4730. Showcasing fresh seafood, authentic Mexican cuisine and hand-crafted cocktails made with organic juices. $ Pedro’s Restaurant, 316 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. 408/354-7570. Veggie wraps, chicken mole and chile verde are among menu highlights. $$ Reposado, 236 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. 650/ 833-3151. A chic backdrop is well served by such popular Mexican culinary favorites as adobo marinade steak and tortilla soup. $$ Sancho’s Taqueria, 491 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto. 650/322-8226. Adam Torres, formerly with Village Pub, serves up an assortment of veggie, meat, and seafood burritos, plus other Mexican favorites. $ Tacolicious, 632 Emerson St., Palo Alto. 650/838-0500. Serving upscale Mexican food featuring a wide variety of artisan tacos. $$ Vive Sol, 2020 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View. 650/938-2020. Mountain View boasts this popular spot that showcases the heady moles indigenous to the Puebla region. Zona Rosa, 1411 The Alameda, San Jose, 408/ 275-1411. Honoring the cookery of Mexico and featuring hand-pressed tortillas and fresh, locally grown ingredients. $$ MOROCCAN Chelokababi, 1236 Wolfe Road, Sunnyvale. 408/737-1222. Home-style Persian cooking, great kebabs and a unique rice cooked for 17 hours. $ Dishdash, 190 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale. 408/ 774-1889. Astute service, a warm atmosphere, and exceptional Middle Eastern cuisine. $$ Menara Moroccan, 41 E. Gish Road, San Jose. 408/453-1983. Delicious, authentic Moroccan cuisine, complemented by exotic cocktails and belly dancing nightly. $$ PACIFIC ISLANDS Banana Leaf, 182 Ranch Drive, Milpitas. 408/719- 9811. Comfortable, open kitchen-style cooking and flavorful entrees like Mango Prawn. $-$$ SEAFOOD Blue Water Seafood & Crab, 860 Willow St., San Jose. 408/289-8879. East Coast-style crab house with a wide selection of seafood specialties as well as plenty of choices for land lovers. $ Driggsy’s Seafood, Sports Bar & Grill, 1150 Murphy Ave., Suite D, San Jose. 408/437-1986. Traditional American-style food and drinks served up in a spirited atmosphere. $$ Fish Market, Palo Alto, 650/493-8862; Santa Clara, 408/246-3474; San Jose, 408/269-3474. Fresh, high-quality seafood comes from the restaurant’s own fishery and partnering seafood farms. $$ McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, 170 S. Market St., San Jose. 408/283-7200. BARGAIN BITES For Valentine’s Day luncheons and casual get-togethers, friends and lovers will find plenty of cozy mealtime spots nearby, offering good food, pleasant surroundings and affordable prices. La PanotiQ is an exquisite little French bakery-café that opened about six months ago in downtown Campbell (195 E. Campbell Ave.). It features an appetizing array of fresh-made sandwiches, salads, pastries and desserts in bright display cases, along with locally sourced coffee, teas, sodas and juices. Menu items are deliciously tempting—from savory dishes such as mushroom flan and salmon puff pastry to sweets like chocolat feuillantine and raspberry biscuit cream cake. You won’t find he-man portions here, but the quality and variety of dishes is more than satisfying. For heartier fare, check out the heaping dishes at Tomato-Thyme in Willow Glen (1560 Hamilton Ave., San Jose), a casual spot that serves an extensive menu of quality Italian food. From the fried ravioli appetizer to the crispy shrimp scampi pizza or the mouth-watering spinach-bacon calzone, the food is designed to give diners a big, tasty bang for the buck. The atmosphere here is both family-friendly and intimate enough for couples, many of whom start their meals with the house’s special pear martini. Ike’s is known throughout the Bay Area for fabulously creative sandwiches, and the 3-year-old branch in Cupertino flies the same banner. The only downside to Ike’s Lair (21000 Stevens Creek Blvd.) is limited parking, but go early enough and nothing will detract from the pleasure of such treats as the Lincecum—bacon, ham, turkey, avocado and havarti—or the Steve Jobs with breaded eggplant, pesto, provolone and ranch dressing. The place also offers an impressive selection of vegan and gluten-free ingredients, and visitors choose from several types of cheeses and sauces. There’s no shortage of pricey, top-notch restaurants along Big Basin Way in Saratoga, but budget-minded diners have options, too. For decades, locals have sipped frosty glasses of fresh-squeezed lemonade and munched savory German sausages and pastrami sandwiches at Vienna Woods European Deli and Restaurant (14567 Big Basin Way, Saratoga). The little eatery is tucked into a courtyard just off the main drag, so in nice weather outdoor dining is quiet and relaxing. Pair a hot Reuban sandwich featuring melted Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on marbled rye bread with a scoop of zesty German potato salad. — D.K. Kyoto Palace 200 DINING HOT SPOTS Tapas Olé
South Bay Accent - Feb/Mar 2015
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