South Bay chefs serve fresh offerings, old favorites this summer
New faces and places springing up in San Jose, West Valley.
Santana Row’s new Spanish-Peruvian spot, Suspiro, and Zazil, its high-end Mexican counterpart, are sister restaurants. They’re overseen by the same executive chef, Yerika Muñoz Rodríguez, and while Suspiro may be the new darling, Zazil is the spot that has every detail worked out, and it shows.
A recent visit to the former had me wanting to return to the latter, and I’m glad I did. The crispy, flavorful chips are absolutely greaseless, the salsas snappy and fresh, the mahi-mahi fish tacos perfect, and the Pollo Cremoso—a boneless rolled chicken breast, stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese and topped with a creamy poblano sauce—is a decadent treat. Served with an individually baked, lighter than air corn muffin with the texture of souffle, this is a standout dish, presented beautifully. It now joins the indulgent Enchiladas Suizas and the Pollo Y Mole as my favorite dishes here.
But the most engaging part of dining at Zazil is having guacamole made from scratch by a charming young man from Michoacán, who makes it look like an art. From his fully loaded cart, he mashes Hass avocados, adds a squeeze of lime, a bit of onion, cilantro, serrano pepper, tomato and a pinch of kosher salt, and then blends them with a wooden spoon in a large wooden bowl. You might want to get a double order to go with your Dead Rabbit cocktail, made with 400 Conejos Tobala mezcal, Licor 43, Jamaica syrup, mango nectar and lime.
Los Gatos is certainly one of the luckiest food towns in Silicon Valley, with a wealth of choices, including authentic French, Spanish, Japanese, Peruvian, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese, California coastal and classic Continental. We’re about to welcome a farm-to-table food and wine experience to Testarossa Winery with Chef Nadiv Geiger’s new menu at Bistro 107, which will serve lunch and dinner alongside a wealth of current and library selections. The launch is planned for September.
Beginning in August, Chef David Kinch welcomes Chef Nick Bril from The Jane Antwerp, a two Michelin star restaurant in Belgium, to Ritual at Manresa.
The Tasting House Los Gatos, helmed by Executive Chef Julian Silvera, teams up with Ridge for a five-course wine-paired dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 6:30 p.m., featuring Monte Bello Ridge winemaker Trestor Goetting. He’ll share his winemaking philosophy and background in the wine industry, along with special vintages of Ridge wines. Tickets are $300 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made contacting the restaurant at 408-348-1807.
Darla Café in Saratoga has a Friday Night Supper Club series going, featuring jazz artists on two Fridays each month. Cosmo Alleycats will appear on Aug. 7, and Carington Swing creates a Parisian café vibe on Aug. 30. Their sound, fiery yet romantic, mixes Gypsy jazz with Latin, Eastern European and classical influences and is reminiscent of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.
Darla Café will be serving some coconut ice cream in a coconut shell at the annual Saratoga Classic and Cool Car Show July 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; supplies are limited.
Speaking of Saratoga, if you’re looking for an event space to host a full catered lunch or dinner party, from 10 to 40 people seated and up to 80 for a cocktail reception, HRK Catering can accommodate you at The Venue. It’s the space that used to be Casa de Cobre, then East Coast Alice and for a time, Pasta Armellino. Contact Sarah Sotelo at 408-472-5497.
If it’s been a spell since you’ve been to Carmel, make reservations at Stationaery, the hottest place to have daily brunch (8 a.m.-3 p.m.) in town. They serve dinner Thursday-Saturday, 5:30-9 p.m. Located on San Carlos between Fifth and Fourth, they exclusively serve Baker’s Bacon and Ad Astra breads, two of the region’s culinary staples. The menu features shrimp and grits, chilaquiles, steak and eggs and a French pancake, plus off-piste items like fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese and thick slab bacon on milk bread, topped with dressed arugula and microgreens. Their breakfast plate, featuring chive scramble and a honking homemade biscuit is worth the trip, but the Maine lobster roll on Ad Astra brioche bun is what you come here for, unless you’re lucky enough to score the coveted potato pancake, seasonally served this time of year with stone fruit, fromage blanc and ham. The Basque cheesecake is a must.