John L. wrote: >I will probably be spending about a week in San Jose sometime before >Christmas. Can anyone recommend really great restaurants? The type of food >doesn't matter. If it's good, I want to know about it. Thanks. There are a wealth of good restaurants in the area, of course. I'll just recommend a couple within San Jose proper: L'Horizon, at the San Jose Jet Center, at the San Jose International Airport. French, moderately priced, very good, and with a great view of the runways, if you're into that sort of thing. Gordon Biersch, downtown San Jose. I personally like their food and beer quite a bit.
San Jose, CA
Restaurants in San Jose, CA.
John L. wrote: >I will probably be spending about a week in San Jose sometime before >Christmas. Can anyone recommend really great restaurants? The type of food >doesn't matter. If it's good, I want to know about it. Thanks. Oh boy, lesseee. Well, there's Brandon's in Milpitas. It's in that hotel off of McCarthy. If you want great Chinese food, Loon Wah is a good place. My family has been going there for years and we've always been pleased. It's on De Anza Blvd. in Cupertino- sort of across the street from Nob Hill Foods. If you prefer Italian, my favorite is Niccolino's Garden Cafe in Sunnyvale, on Beachwood. It's not too far from Great America. Also, one of the hotels over that way (actually a few of them)- the Doubletree, I think- has an excellent Sunday buffet. The Le Baron, on North 1st, also has a good buffet. Another good Italian place that gets good reviews a lot (I've only been there once) is Paolo's. Fontana's in Cupertino is also good, and I think they have a newer place on Bascom, too. Also on Bascom, in the Pruneyard, is a good Japanese place. I think it is called Kyoto Palace- it recently changed its name name and management (used to be Nijo Castle). Good Indian food can be found at Pasand, or Sue's Kitchen- both on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale. Scott's has great seafood, and so does Pacific Fresh. The Pacific Fresh on Mathilda in Sunnyvale is much better and more established. The menu selection seems to havehave shrunken since they opened a new restauarant in The Oaks in Cupertino, but the food is still great- and they have a good wine selection, too. One other place that I'll reccommend is Paul's in Cupertino. It's basically just a coffeeshop/steakhouse that has good food, large portions, reasonably low prices, and a less formal atmosphere. It's close to the corner of De Anza Blvd. and Bollinger Rd. in Cupertino (and down the street from where I grew up). It's a favorite among cops, by the way. I think that just about does it. If you still want more reccommendations- email me or something. I've eaten all over the area. :-Dan Checkman PS: If you want the best bagels (the only REAL bagels) in the San Jose area, try Broadway Bagels on the corner of Branham and Dent. It doesn't matter where you are staying- it's worth the drive. Ask for Mr. Stone and tell him I reccommended you to the place. Really, it is very good.
John L. wrote: >I will probably be spending about a week in San Jose sometime before >Christmas. Can anyone recommend really great restaurants? The type of food >doesn't matter. If it's good, I want to know about it. Thanks. There's a place on First Street (or it may be Second -- I get confused as to which street I'm on in downtown SJ) called Eulipia (I think I have the spelling correct). The best way to describe it as is "eclectic." It's been some time since I've been there so I hope it is still open. Maybe some Sillycon Valley-ite can report. spl
The restaurant scene in San Jose is lots better than it used to be just a few years ago. On the expensive side: Eulipia, in downtown San Jose, is an upscale bisto with a California Cuisine menu. Upscale yuppie atmosphere, good food. Emile's, just outside the new downtown, near San Jose State UNiversity, a wonderful, elegant, Swiss/Franch/Continental dinner house, elegant service, classic cuisine. Le Saisons (?), the restaurant in the new Fairmont Hotel. Very classy, good food. A mover and shaker kind of place. Rue de Paris, a very nice small French restaurant downtown. Le Mouton Noir, actually in Saratoga, up in the hills west of San Jose, is worth the trip. French cusine. The Plumed Horse, also in Saratoga. Paolo's, is contemporary Italian that's now run by the children of the original owners. Not in the best neighborhood, but upscale, elegant. Lemme see what else. Oh yeah, there are two Morroccan restaurants, one right downtown and one north of downtown. I can't remember which is better. Less expensive to downright cheap: Gordon-Biersch, a brewpub restaurant in an old building downtown, has decent food and better beer. Original Joe's, downtown, is a place you either love or hate. It's a big, busy, brash Italian place, open late and early, big plates of pasta, minestrone, and big burgers, bar and booth seating, and the cooks are right out there in front. People in tuxes or bums off the street all eat here. Henry's's Hi-life is also a San Jose institution you either love or hate. It's a big-steak and BBQ joint in an old house next to the freeway. The Red Sea, Ethiopian food, north of downtown, used to be good, but I haven't been there for awhile. The food is a little like a cross between Indian and mid-eastern. Patthaya Thai downtown also used to be good, but I haven't been there for awhile either. El Paraiso, relatively authentic Mexican in San Pedro Square. If you dare, try the menudo (tripe soup). Hochberg von Germania, a beer garden sort of place with lots of German dishes. Pho Hoa, on the Alameda,is one of the growing number of Vietnamese noodle soup restaurants. Interesting and worth a try. You add all sorts of condiments and goodies to a basic soup bowl. Japantown: San Jose has a small Japantown around Jackson and N. 6th Streets. The restaurants are all small and none is very fancy. Walk around, look at the menus. Poke your head in the door and see what appeals to you. I like Gombei. Valerie Maslak