Like the people and technologies that populate Silicon Valley, the food scene is diverse and often reveals unexpected treasures to the inquisitive explorer. Posted a few weeks ago,
Cheap, Hot and Ethnic was intended to give you an idea of the wide range of flavors and price ranges available within a few miles of downtown San José, but it only included a fraction of the eateries that my friends had suggested. Rather than waste them, I’m posting this follow-up that covers a bit more geography and price range.
Most of my friends’ favorite places tend to be very modestly priced, but this list also includes a few slightly more upscale establishments because they still offer an outstanding value or unique experience. Even if you are on a corporate expense account, that usually shelters you from the greasy spoons and low-rent eateries, it’s well worth your while to make the time for a culinary expedition to one or two of these hidden gems on your next trip to the Valley.
Paul Rako’s Analog HauntsWhile most towns have mob hang-outs, biker bars, and restaurants that cater to the artsy set, the Valley may be one of the few places on the planet where you can find an Engineer’s Bar. My friend Paul Rako, a hard-core analog engineer, shared a couple of establishments which are favored by the engineers from National Semiconductor, Maxim, and the other analog-intensive chip houses in the area. From what he says, the crowd will allow digital types as long as they behave themselves. Pocket protectors and slide rules optional.
On Wednesday evenings, swing by
Tasty Subs, 528 Lawrence Expressway (north of Arques in Sunnyvale) for, what else, subs and beer. On Mondays and Fridays, the place to be is
St John's for burgers and beer. It’s in the same shopping plaza as Tasty Subs.
If you are in a non-analog mood, Paul recommends
Paul & Harvey's at 130 S Murphy street in Sunnyvale for good grub and reasonably-priced drinks. If you have a hankering for some good Mexican food, there’s the
Sinaloa Café at 17535 Monterey Rd, in Morgan Hill.
Carolyn Mathas’ FavoritesA long-time denizen of Silicon Valley and a budget bon-vivant, my friend Carolyn Mathas provided the following commentary on a few of her favorite places:
“My favorite is
Sestri Restaurant & Bar in Santa Cruz -- it’s Italian and delicious. Located on the corner of Capitola Avenue and 7th Street, Sestri isn't cheap but is great, and they have a fixed price dinner which is awesome for $20 before 6:00 PM. VERY worth it. Easy to find, casual, pretty, and food is great. If you’re on a lower budget, the same family owns Aldo's Harbor Restaurant at the Santa Cruz Harbor. It is a real find and is pretty inexpensive.
Another classic low-budget place that serves delicious food is the
Falafel Drive In, 2301 Stevens Creek Blvd, San José. The
review on wcities says:
This original Bay Area Middle Eastern joint looks like a beat-up drive-in, but it is one of San José's oldest foreign restaurants. In fact, it is a landmark. Since the 1960s, the falafels and gyros have been some of the best anywhere, and hardly anything on the menu is over $7.
Bill Woodruff’s Top ChoicesOne of the Valley’s smartest siliconistas, Bill’s acumen for high-tech chips is only surpassed by his skill at locating unusual and incredibly tasty hole-in-the-wall ethnic joints. Besides the outrageously authentic Ethiopian cuisine at the
Lunchbox Café featured in our earlier article, Bill offered up a few other of his personal favorites.
For Indian food, try
Mayrui, at 2232 El Camino Real, in Santa Clara. Another solid standby is
Chez Sovan, a very nice Cambodian place where the noodles and sauces are superb and the prices are moderate. But to truly impress the low-budget gourmet, you’ll have to drive just north to
Jon-Jon’s, located in an old gas station, for superb slow-cooked barbeque ribs, sandwiches, sausages, and other favorites.
Don Tuite’s TourDon has worked on both sides of the editorial cycle for as long as I’ve known him, alternately pushing out high-tech PR material to us journalists and writing for some of the better known engineering journals. With over 20 years in the Bay Area, he has such a long list of hallowed eating spots that he organized it into a North-South tour that spans the entire peninsula. Working your way down the peninsula from San Francisco:
The Ramp, 855 Terry Francoise, SF. If you’re driving, exit I-280 at Mariposa. Head East, cross 3rd and Illinois. Mariposa bends North and turns into Terry Francoise, aka China Basin St. Right where the road bends, there is a dockyard with a lot of big yachts. To the right of the dockyard is a short alley. Walk down it and you'll find The Ramp where you can enjoy burgers, beer and Bloody Marys, right on the Bay. Go on a nice day, sit outside. If it's a weekend, there'll probably be Mariachi. It gets busy at meal times, but there's a lot of churn. Most of the clientele is young, working-class San Francisco.
Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad, South San Francisco. White table cloths. Hearty, but bland food, with an emphasis on lamb. But the bartenders pour mixed drinks like they're working at the Knights of Columbus hall. Have a designated driver.
Astarias, 50 E 3rd, San Mateo. The block East of El Camino Real is well stocked with ethnic joints. Astarias is another upscale-tending place, but the food is worth it.
Little India, 917 Main, Redwood City. Husband and wife average inexpensive Indian buffet. been going there for years.
Buck's, 3062 Woodside Road, Woodside. This is where I have PR folks meet me for briefings. (It's about 3 miles from my house.) It's where the Valley VCs and entrepreneurs meet to discuss deals over breakfast (although it's open all day. The decor is eclectic Silicon Valley memorabilia (probably a couple of million dollars worth), and the grub is outstanding.
Jing-Jing, 443 Emerson St, Palo Alto. Generally Szechwan/Hunan restaurants start out making their hot dishes hot, and then, after they acquire a following they get the idea that round-eyes don't like hot food and they tone everything down. Jing-Jing has never succumbed to that. Food's cheap and the place is so big, you can always get a table. Gelato place next door, if the beer wasn't enough to balance the fire.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions for your favorite haunt in Silicon Valley or your own home town? Post your thoughts on our blog, or write me
lhg at en-genius dot net.
