98 South Bay Accent
BURMESE
Rangoon Ruby, 445 Emerson Street, Palo Alto.
650/323-6543. Two talented chefs from Burma
Superstar restaurants create a Burmese menu influenced
by Indian, Thai and Chinese cooking. $
Sweet Mango, 1040 Willow Street, San Jose.
408/ 293-2268. Innovative menu blurs the line
between Burmese and Chinese cuisine, and has
become a local favorite in Willow Glen. $
CALIFORNIA
Calafia Café, 855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto.
650/322-9200. Executive Chef Charlie Ayers offers
diverse, organic dishes from pizzas and curries
to Duck Adobo and Tofu Lentil Loaf. $$
Cascade Bar & Grill (Costanoa
Resort), 2001 Rossi Road at Highway
1, Pescadero. 650/879-1100.
The California coastal menu features
sustainable, local seafood
and organic produce. $$
Cetrella, 845 Main St., Half
Moon Bay. 650/726-4090. 400
Main St., Los Altos. 650/948-0400.
Upscale Mediterranean dining and
California coastal cuisine with a variety
of venue options. $$$
The Crow’s Nest Restaurant, 2218 E.
Cliff Dr. Santa Cruz. 831/476-4560. Since 1969,
this popular spot has featured award-winning food,
spirits and live entertainment from one of the most
spectacular views of Santa Cruz Harbor, lighthouse
and wharf. Surfer-themed décor adds ambiance to
the downstairs dining room, where guests enjoy
seafood as fresh as the catch brought in that morning.
The beef dishes are just as delectable, earning
the restaurant accolades for serving the best steak in
town. Upstairs, the Breakwater Grill offers a variety
of appetizers and casual lunches, along with live
comedy, music and dancing. Outdoor decks provide
a friendly alfresco atmosphere and excellent
vantage point for sipping signature cocktails while
watching the steady parade of sailboats coming in
and out of the harbor. $$
Flea Street Cafe, 3607 Alameda de las Pulgas,
Menlo Park. 650/854-1226. An ever-changing
menu of continental and California dishes. $$
The Lexington House, 40 N. Santa Cruz Ave.,
Los Gatos. 408/354-1600. Unique Northern
California dishes made with local, organic and
sustainable ingredients. $$
Quattro (Four Seasons Hotel), 2050 University
Ave., East Palo Alto, 650/470-2889. Well-prepared
California cuisine with an Italian twist. $$$
Tarragon, 140 S. Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale.
408/737-8003. Tarragon impresses with a seasonal,
locally-sourced menu that places an emphasis on
fresh, organic, sustainable ingredients. $-$$
Shadowbrook Restaurant, 1750 Wharf Rd.,
Capitola-by-the-sea. 831/475-1511. Visitors to one
of the most romantic restaurants anywhere take the
iconic “cable car” tram or walk alongside waterfalls
and lush gardens to reach this ivy-covered dining
destination. Equally enticing are the seven different
dining rooms within the Swiss chalet-style building,
the impeccable service and award-winning cuisine.
A broad menu features fresh seafood, pasta, beef,
lamb and chicken. Menu favorites include mouthwatering
slow-roasted prime rib, local salmon and
creative nightly specials. Shadowbrook’s in-house
bakery prepares delectable breads, pastries and desserts
and the carefully curated wine list showcases
TASTE TRIPS
On hot summer days one of the best ways to cool off is to head north
over the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County where you can catch refreshing bay
breezes. The trip is made even better by visiting some of the top-rated restaurants
found there.
Locals are raving about the bread coming out of the ovens at M.H. Bread
and Butter (101 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo). Some call it the
best bread in Marin County. Bakers also craft many tempting
pastries every day. For breakfast try a healthy offering, like the
MHBB Granola served with Straus whole Greek yogurt, fresh
fruit, toasted coconut and vanilla orange honey, or the Beans
on Toast, with tomato braised flageolet beans and a fried
egg. There’s the unique Breakfast Salad, made with arugula
and spinach, lardons, pickled shallot, trumpet mushrooms
and a poached egg. Sandwiches are made on that delicious
freshly baked bread.
Another local hot spot is Pizzeria Picco (316 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur),
serving chewy, thin crust pizza like they make in pizza’s birthplace,
Naples, Italy. Chefs make their own pulled mozzarella cheese in house, using fresh
local milk. For authentic Neapolitan pizza, go with the margherita with just tomato
sauce, basil, mozzarella and Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, or try one of the
kitchen’s original creations, like the cervélo, topped with cheese and house made
meatballs, roasted peppers and cipollini onions. The salads are made with local
organic ingredients. Don’t forget the Straus Dairy organic soft serve ice cream
for dessert.
The people behind two authentic Indian eateries—one featuring Indian street food
and the other a traditional sit-down restaurant—are enjoying the accolades of reviewers
like Zagat and many others. If you’re in the area for lunch, try Lotus Chaat
and Spices (1559 4th St., San Rafael), where they sell savory Indian classics like
potato and cauliflower wrapped in tortillas, ground lamb dosa, or aloo tikki chaat,
a north Indian potato croquette. The menu of street food is huge. Lotus Cuisine
of India (704 4th St., San Rafael), the sit-down version, is also vast, with a wide
array of curries and tandoori dishes.
Diners are lining up around the block for the authentic
Puerto Rican flavors of Sol Food (401 Miller Ave.,
Mill Valley and 903 Lincoln Ave., San Rafael).
Start with one of the homemade soups, like the
Caldo de Pollo con Fideos, or Chicken Soup
with Noodles. The Costillas Combo is a rotisserie
pork rib dinner served with rice, beans,
organic salad and fried plantains for French
fries. Or try the Camarones Criollos, prawns
sautéed with garlic and onions in a tomato
sauce. Finish the meal with Tembleque, a
creamy coconut pudding. —P. M.
200 DINING HOT SPOTS
Pho Wagon
Shadowbrook