popular Mexican culinary favorites as adobo marinade
steak and tortilla soup. $$
Sancho’s Taqueria, Palo Alto 650/322-8226;
Midtown Palo Alto 650/324-8226; Redwood City
650/364-8226. Adam Torres, formerly with Village
Pub, serves up an assortment of veggie, meat, and
seafood burritos, plus other Mexican favorites. $
Tacolicious, 632 Emerson St., Palo Alto.
650/838-0500; 300 Santana Row,
San Jose 415/649-6077. Serving
upscale Mexican food featuring a
wide variety of artisan tacos. $$
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. $$
Zona Rosa, 1411 The Alameda, San
Jose, 408/ 275-1411. 81 W. Main St., Los
Gatos, 408/ 884-8268. Honoring the cookery of
Mexico and featuring hand-pressed tortillas and
fresh, locally grown ingredients. $$
MOROCCAN
The Counter
Chelokababi, 1236 Wolfe Road, Sunnyvale.
408/737-1222. Come enjoy home-style Persian
cooking, great kebabs and a unique rice cooked for
17 hours. $
Menara Moroccan, 41 E. Gish Road, San Jose.
408/453-1983. Delicious, authentic Moroccan
cuisine, complemented by exotic cocktails and
belly dancing nightly. $$
PACIFIC ISLANDS
Banana Leaf, 182 Ranch Drive, Milpitas. 408/
719-9811. Comfortable, open kitchen-style cooking
and flavorful entrees like Mango Prawn. $–$$
The Palms, 115 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos.
408/402-3811. Located in the historic Coggeshall
Victorian Mansion, this island-inspired eatery celebrates
the cuisine of the Pacific Rim. $$$
PORTUGUESE
Adega, 1614 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose, 408/926-
9075. Translated as “wine cellar,” Adega puts a chic,
modern spin on Portuguese cuisine, including seafood
and meat dishes. $$$
SEAFOOD
Billy’s Boston Chowder House, 29 E. Main St.
Los Gatos, 408/827-4005. This popular “chowda”
house serves wicked good New England seafood in
a cozy English-style red brick building. $$
112 South Bay Accent
Blue Water Seafood & Crab, 860 Willow St.,
San Jose. 408/289-8879. East Coast–style crab
house with a wide selection of seafood specialties as
well as plenty of choices for land lovers. $
EMC Seafood & Raw Bar, 378 Santana Row,
Ste. 1100, San Jose. 408/296-6048. Oysters, uni,
and a bounty of cooked options grace the Asian-
California menu at this new spot. $$-$$$
Fish Market, Palo Alto, 650/493-8862;
Santa Clara, 408/246-3474; San Mateo
650/349-3474; San Jose, 408/269-
3474. Fresh, high-quality seafood
comes from the restaurant’s fishery
and partnering seafood farms. $$
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood
Restaurant, 170 S. Market
St., San Jose. 408/283-7200. More than
30 species of fresh seafood are on a menu
that changes daily. $$
Pacific Catch Fresh Fish Grill (The Pruneyard),
Campbell, 408/ 879-9091; Mountain View,
650/941-1810. Fresh fish prepared with a combination
of local ingredients and spices and sauces of
Southeast Asia, Japan and Latin America. $$
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. $$
The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse, 4269 El
Camino Real, Palo Alto, 650/213-1111. Talented
Chef Yu Min Lin infuses contemporary cuisine
with Japanese sensibilities at this premier seafoodcentric
dining destination as he transforms fresh,
wild, and sustainably harvested ingredients into
works of art. Delicacies refined enough to
satisfy even the most discerning epicure
include the foie gras tortellini
with lobster, broccolini, tomato
and onions, grilled lobster with
leek, shiitake mushroom and
spinach, and acorn-fed Iberico
ham with tomato compote,
shiitake mushroom and olives.
Pastry chef Dan Huynh’s transcendent
artisanal desserts are a
fitting finale to an extraordinary
dining experience. Suitable for
special occasions, business dining and
private events. $$$
SINGAPOREAN
The Basin
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. $$$
SPANISH
Cascal, 400 Castro St., Mountain View. 650/940-
9500. Spanning the globe with spectacular dishes
from Spain and South America, Cascal serves up
a menu of “spirited Latin cuisine.” $$
Iberia, 740 El Camino Real, Belmont.
650/325-8981. Mouth-watering Spanish dishes
and award-winning wines served in a luxurious
setting. $$$
Joya, 339 University Ave., Palo Alto. 650/853-
9800. The hip modern décor mixes well with
the contemporary Spanish and Latin tapas and
the tasty variety of new age cocktails. $$$
200 DINING HOT SPOTS
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. $$
PintxoPote, 424 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos.
408/797-8688. This lively tapas bar showcases the
range of the traditional flavors of Northern Spain’s
Basque country. $$
SOUTHEAST ASIAN
Ginger Café, Sunnyvale, 408/ 736-2828. Gilroy,
408/847-2625. Comfortable, family-run restaurants
that feature a flavorful fusion of Chinese
favorites with a 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. $$
SPANISH/CALIFORNIAN
Asa, 242 State St., Los Altos. 650/935-2372. Generations
of Italian and Spanish heritage inspire the
seasonal California cuisine at this intimate new
dining spot. The 60-seat restaurant’s open kitchen,
black steel beams, and candlelit butcher-block
tables create a casual yet elegant ambiance. Sustainably
sourced and delectably prepared fish is served
fresh daily. Guests enjoy fresh, handmade pasta,
local, organic produce, and grass-fed beef. Artisanal
cocktails, a robust wine list and house-made ice
cream complete the menu. The building’s façade,
designed by award-winning architect Tom Kundig,
features an eye-catching wall of windows that crank
open to reveal the street. $$
THAI
Amarin, Mountain View, 650/ 988-9323;
San Jose, 408/253-8424. Fresh, contemporary
Thai menu with traditional
accents and vegetarian dishes. $
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 patio. $
VIETNAMESE
Pho Wagon, 1712 Meridian Ave.,
San Jose, 408/440-0105. Specializing in
its perennially popular namesake soup, this
family-owned Willow Glen eatery is as bright and
cheerful as it is conveniently located. In addition
to its delicious array of pho, the menu also features
other Vietnamese staples such as vermicelli bowls,
grilled rice plates and banh mi. There’s also a kids’
menu. House specials include Pad Thai Prawns and
Rock n Roll Filet Mignon with bell peppers and
onions. If you’re in the mood for lighter fare, try
the mango or papaya salad. For a sweet treat, dive
into panko-crusted deep-fried banana with coconut
pineapple ice cream. $
Tamarine, 546 University Ave., Palo Alto. 650/
325-8500. Elegantly presented dishes, such as crab
wontons in a consommé of lime, coriander, lemongrass
and coconut milk served in a warm, inviting
atmosphere. $$
Three Seasons, 518 Bryant St., Palo Alto. 650/838-
0353. This stylish, chic restaurant and bar offers a
fresh new take on traditional Vietnamese flavors. $$
Xanh, 110 Castro St., Mountain View 650/964-
1888. Upscale restaurant featuring Vietnamese
cuisine that pleases both the eye and palate with
La Viga creative combinations. $–$$ n