Lest the South Bay—or its products—continue any longer without an idyllic nickname, Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association may have thought up a worthy successor to “Valley of Heart’s Delight” when they named their event Pinot Paradise.
Restaurants News - page 45
“Chocatoo” might describe an avian from the peppermint forests of Candyland or perhaps Count Chocula’s new pet bird (made of marshmallow, of course). But in real life, the playful name is better understood as the name of a dessert shop that offers chocolate, but many other sweets, too.
If a restaurant could ever be said to have plumage, the bold-hued decor of Ciano’s Modern Latin Flavors would qualify. It’s much like the presentation of the food at Ciano’s: dishes are plated attractively, with obvious attention paid to highlighting the ingredients’ colors and textures, but it’s not over the top.
Every day, Mezcal’s back-of-the-house staff squeezes fresh lime juice for margaritas. But for the suddenly inflated price of the tropically grown citrus, they may as well be extracting liquid gold, says Adolfo Gomez, owner of the downtown San Jose Mexican bistro.
The rustic-industrial atmosphere at Vino Vino intentionally conjures a sense of contrast. Rough-hewn wood furniture, smooth concrete tabletops and a steel, arc-shaped wine tap behind the bar are all meant to counter wine’s stereotypically stuffy image.
Diverse influences run rampant in the decor at Amir Mediterranean Restaurant, but it’s the array of jewel-like, mosaicked Moroccan lanterns dotting the space—the focal point of the small restaurant—that reflect the menu’s straightforward focus on casual Mediterranean cuisine.
With a name more evocative of car parts or shoes, the opaquely styled Tpumps has nonetheless drawn long lines to its new digs in Cupertino on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
On the screens, in music video form, romantic scenes and dramatic confrontations unfold in many different settings: the beach, a lush garden, a temple courtyard. This built-in entertainment offers a good sense of the restaurant itself—a menu with a little bit of everything.
As a practicing Buddhist, Christine Liu wanted to share the benefits of a vegetarian diet in hopes others would catch on.
It’s taco time once again in San Jose, as the annual San Jose Taco Fest returns for a third year.
