BEST BITES Kyoto Palace The Loft Bar & Bistro, 90 S. Second St., San Jose. 408/291-0677. Contemporary and casual restaurant in a historic downtown building, featuring great appetizers, tapas style. $ Los Altos Grill, 233 Third St., Los Altos. 650/948- 3524. Dinner spot features tasty dishes, including rotisserie pork chops and a spicy tuna burger. $$ Madera, 2825 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park. 650/561-1540. Signature restaurant of Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel features wood-burning grill to produce 96 South Bay Accent artful seafood and meats. $$$ Menlo Grill Bistro & Bar (Stanford Park Hotel), 100 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. 650/330-2790. An innovative take on classic American dishes made with fresh, sustainable ingredients. $$-$$$ Morton’s The Steakhouse, 177 Park Ave., Suite 100, San Jose. 408/947-7000. Renowned for serving quality, USDA prime-aged steak, fresh seafood, choice produce and decadent desserts. $$$ Moss Beach Distillery, 140 Beach Way, Moss Beach.650/728-5595. Historic tavern offers breathtaking Pacific Ocean views and a menu of all-natural meats, wild-caught seafood and organic produce. $$ Parcel 104, 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara. 408/970-6104. Seasonal menu from acclaimed chefs Bradley Ogden and Jonathan Hall combines freshness and sophistication. $$$ Scratch, 401 Castro St., Mountain View. 650/237- 3132. This sleek eatery combines upscale American comfort food with an impressive drinks menu. $$$ Sundance The Steakhouse, 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. 650/321-6798. This upscale steakhouse, family-owned and operated for over 40 years, features hand-cut, USDA prime-graded beef. Enjoy slow-roasted prime rib, specially aged New York strip loin and tender filet mignon in the candlelit mahogany dining room. In addition to the awardwining beef, Sundance prides itself on serving the freshest seafood and shellfish available. Favorites include ahi tuna sashimi, grilled Pacific swordfish and jumbo cold-water lobster tail. To complete your dining experience, the menu is supported by a nationally recognized wine list with over 450 global selections. Check out the cozy fireplace lounge. It’s an ideal spot for sipping martinis and aged singlemalt scotch before or after dinner. $$ The Table, 1110 Willow St., San Jose. 408/638- 7911. Hot spot from culinary guru Jim Stump, serving contemporary American cuisine complemented by hand-crafted cocktails and progressive wines. $$ Umami Burger, 452 University Ave., Palo Alto. 650/321-8626. Specialty and classic burgers with carefully crafted combinations of toppings. $$ Vault 164, 164 S. B St., San Mateo. 650/348-8164. An eclectic selection of American style cuisine, with a wide range of aged steaks, chicken, pasta, sustainable seafood and organic produce. $-$$ Village California Bistro & Wine Bar, 378 Santana Row, Suite 1035, San Jose. 408/248-9091. Casual but sophisticated eatery excels with a seasonal menu and an impressive wine list. $$ The Wine Cellar, 50 University Ave., Los Gatos. 408/354-4808. Old Town’s only original tenant, this charming, old-world European restaurant has been a Los Gatos tradition since 1966. $$ BARBECUE Armadillo Willy’s, 1031 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. 650/941-2922. Fun, casual family dining in several Bay Area locations offering prime Texas barbecue dishes. $ Little Lou’s BBQ, 2455 S. Winchester Blvd., Campbell, 408/796-7852. Traditional barbecue choices such as ribs, burgers, pulled pork and combo dinners stand out. $ Sam’s Bar-B-Que, 1110 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose, 408/297- 9151. Famed signature barbecue sauce perfectly complements the menu of mouth-watering meats at this family-owned restaurant. $ Smoking Pig BBQ, 1144 N. Fourth St., San Jose. 408/380-4784. Enjoy a variety of flavorful, slowcooked barbecue specialties, including delectable fall-off-the-bone ribs. $$ THE GRAPEVINE Nothing relieves holiday stress like a relaxing day trip to nearby beautiful wineries, where visitors can sample the goods and pick up great, award-winning wines for themselves and for those on their gift lists. Surf City Vintners, a collective of about a dozen micro-boutique winemakers, makes swirling and sipping easy, with several tasting rooms under one roof – a hip, refurbished warehouse (Ingalls and Swift streets, Santa Cruz). Some of the winemakers produce their wines onsite and are happy to discuss them. Among collective members are Silver Mountain Vineyards, Equinox, Rexford, Vino Tabi, Sones Cellars, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and MJA Vineyards. Pair mellow music and wine every December weekend at Cinnabar Winery (14612 Big Basin Way, Saratoga) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in The Mudd Room. Enjoy live music, wine by glass or bottle and artisan cheeses, cold cuts, spreads and other goodies. On Sundays, wine and music flow from 2 to 4 p.m. Savannah- Chanelle (23600 Congress Springs Road, Saratoga) also invites guests to sip and soak up tunes during Music at the Vineyard every Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. And Bargetto Winery (3535 N. Main St., Soquel) presents its annual Art in the Cellars during the first weekend in December from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors bundle up to browse and buy local artwork in the historic cellar, while sipping wine and hot spiced Chaucer’s Mead. If zin is your vin, make a date for the 2015 Zinfandel Experience, hosted by ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) Jan. 29-31, 2015, at The Presidio in San Francisco. ZAP affiliates include Bay Area winegrowers and enthusiasts, such as Ridge Vineyards in Cupertino. The group’s goal is to raise awareness about “America’s heritage wine.” Special events during the three-day zin extravaganza take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include tastings, food pairings, forums, winemaker dinners and wine sales. For tickets and details, visit zinfandel.org. It’s time also for another Passport Day, scheduled Jan. 17, 2015. A $40 donation includes one visit to more than 50 sites, among them: Bonny Doon Vineyard, The Mountain Winery, Byington Vineyard and Winery, Roudon- Smith, Picchetti Winery, Fernwood Cellars, David Bruce Winery, Clos LaChance Winery and Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards. —D.K. Casa de Cobre
South Bay Accent - Dec 2014/Jan 2015
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