Old Port Lobster Shack, 3130 Alpine Road, Portola Valley, 650/561-9500; 851 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, 650/366-2400. Fresh lobster dishes and other seafood selections served in a New England style lobster shack. $$ Pacific Catch Fresh Fish Grill (The Pruneyard), Campbell, 408/879-9091; Mountain View, 650/941-1810. Fresh fish prepared with a combination of local ingredients and spices and sauces of Southeast Asia, Japan and Latin America. $$ Sawa, 1042 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. 408/241-7292. Fresh fish and seafood, including delightful prix fixe sushi-focused entrees. $$$ Scott’s Seafood, San Jose, 408/971- 1700; Palo Alto, 650/323-1555. Fine American cuisine featuring fresh seafood, prime dry-aged steaks as well as enticing chicken and pasta dishes. $$ Steamer’s Grillhouse (in Old Town), 31 University Ave., Los Gatos. 408/395-CRAB. Steamer’s features a variety of steaks, chops, seafood and Mediterranean-inspired dishes and more. $$ The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse, 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. 650/213-1111. Blend of contemporary cuisine and Japanese sensibility. $$$ SINGAPOREAN Merlion Restaurant and Wine Bar, 19628 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, 408/777-8228. Sophisticated spot that serves a blend of Singaporean, Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisine. $$$ Shiok! Singapore Kitchen, 1137 Chestnut St., Menlo Park. 650/838-9448. An exciting fusion of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine. $ Straits, 333 Santana Row, Suite 1110, San Jose. 408/246-6320. Serving up fine Singaporean cuisine, this sleek and sophisticated spot is well-suited to its posh Santana Row locale. $$$ SOUTHEAST ASIAN Ginger Café, Sunnyvale, 408/736-2828. Gilroy, 408/847-2625. Comfortable, family-run restaurants feature a fusion of Chinese favorites with Southeast Asian influences. $ Mint Leaf Cuisine, 14420 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. 408/872-3763. Eatery features fusion cuisine including soft-shell crabs with peanut sauce and curry scallops. $$ SPANISH Cascal, 400 Castro St., Mountain View. 650/940- 9500. Spanning the globe with spectacular dishes from Spain and South America, Cascal serves up a menu of “spirited Latin cuisine.” With over 25 104 South Bay Accent tapas—small plates and tastes—divided into “old world” and “new world” choices, there’s something for everyone. Try the classic Spanish chorizo in rioja wine or minted lamb meatballs in a saffron and almond sauce. For a full dinner, start with one of several ceviches and move on to an exquisite, traditional paella (including one for vegetarians). The casually elegant interior, with its bright, bold colors was created by renowned designer/ architect Chuck Thompson. $$ Donostia, 424 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. 408/797-8688. Traditional Spanish-Basque experience featuring fresh local ingredients transformed into vivid flavors. $$ Joya, 339 University Ave., Palo Alto. 650/853-9800. The hip modern décor mixes well with the contemporary Spanish and Latin tapas and the tasty variety of new age cocktails. $$$ La Catalana, 3720 N. First St., San Jose. 408/ 324-1321. Unique Spanish dishes are prepared from family recipes in an ideal setting for business, social or romance. $$ Picasso’s, 62 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose. 408/298- 4400. Authentic Spanish cuisine made from the freshest ingredients and served in a relaxed, athome atmosphere. $$ Tapa Ole, 18818 Cox Ave., Saratoga. 408/379- 1677. A unique take on traditional Spanish cuisine – served tapas style in a family-friendly setting. $ Zambra Tapas Bar, 250 Lorton Ave., Burlingame. 650/344-5655. Variety of Spanish-influenced dishes anchored with seafood, steak, chicken or pork. $$ THAI Amarin, Mountain View, 650/988-9323; San Jose, 408/253-8424; Santa Clara, 408/988-2982. Fresh, contemporary Thai menu with traditional accents and vegetarian dishes. $ Bangkok Cuisine, 407 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto. 650/322-6533. Very charming ambience with lovely patio dining. And the curries are especially tasty. $ Siam Orchid, 496 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. 650/ 325-1994. A menu that mixes traditional Thai dishes with more modern cuisine, all infused with the finest quality organic ingredients. $$ Thaiphoon Restaurant, 543 Emerson St., Palo Alto, 650/323-7700. Well-appointed restaurant with a mix of traditional and contemporary Thai dishes and a tropical themed outdoor patio. $ VIETNAMESE Bleu Ginger, 90 S. Abel St., Milpitas. 408/ 719- 9998. Eatery specializes in Asian fusion, with enticing Vietnamese overtones. $-$$ Fuel Restaurant, 385 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose. 408/248-0018. Stylish dining room sets the stage for tasty, contemporary Vietnamese fare. $-$$ Vung Tau, San Jose. 408/288-9055; Milpitas. 408/934-9327. This authentic Vietnamese cuisine has a distinct focus on fish preparations. Be sure to try the shrimp cupcakes! $ Xanh, 110 Castro St., Mountain View 650/964-1888. Trendy, upscale restaurant featuring Vietnamese cuisine that pleases both the eye and palate with creative combinations. $-$$ n BEST BITES Kyoto Palace KEITH RAFFEL (continued from pg. 69) good advice. “Nothing comes easy, at least for most people,” he adds. “I think that here in the valley, there’s all this money around, and yeah, someone is going to write a piece of code that ends up being part of Facebook or something, but that’s not you or me. We’re going to get what we want just by working hard for it. If it came easy, it wouldn’t be worth having.” Raffel compares writing a novel to climbing up the side of El Capitan. “Think of some poor woman or man climbing up that mountain, hammering in the pins, sweating as she lifts herself up arm over arm. If you were to stick a microphone under her nose and say, ‘Are you having a good time?’, she would probably swear at you. But then once she made it to the top and looked down at what she’d done, she would say, ‘There’s nothing I would rather have been doing.’ That’s what writing is like for me,” Raffel explains. The author sets many of his works, either fully or partially, right in Silicon Valley. He knows the place well, having grown up in Palo Alto. But naturally, it has changed quite a bit since his youth, several decades earlier. “When I was 17 years old, all I wanted to do was get out of this stupid town,” he recalls. “It just seemed small.” He went to school back East, worked in Washington, D.C., sampled life in a few other places and returned. Not only had the Bay Area changed quite a bit, but so had he. He saw his home from a different perspective. “Ten years after college, I came back and realized it was the best place in the world. I love it here now,” he says. The father of four children, ages 15 to 25, lives in Palo Alto with his wife and youngest son. He says the Silicon Valley area offers him prime fodder for his work and points out that most best-selling writers seem to be based in big cities like Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles. He doesn’t understand why more of them aren’t using Silicon Valley as a backdrop, but he’s doing his best to change that. “We certainly have as much greed, as much money and as much ambition as those other places,” he says. “Why aren’t there more stories set here? It’s a great place for drama!” n La Viga
South Bay Accent - Oct/Nov 2014
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