As I mentioned in my essay about Jersey Mike’s and La Villa,
I recently had the opportunity to grab dinner in San Jose each Wednesday for
eight weeks. I chose to make my culinary
exploration as international as I could, but also inexpensive and fast. Here are the quick hits:
Falafel Stop in Sunnyvale Saratoga – Crowded, busy and fast,
this place has the most amazing pita I have had since I was a kid. My memory of pita years ago was that you
really could split it open and fill it up with deliciousness. But the last couple decades it seems pita has
become weak. Try splitting one open and
really filling it with meat and veggies.
I bet it falls apart. Not at
Falafel Stop. They serve a sturdy, fresh
and delicious pita that puts every pita I have eaten for the last 25 years to
shame. Paired with a Greek salad and I
was nostalgic and happy. http://www.falafelstop.biz/
Falafel’s Drive In on Stevens Creek– This place is apparently
a local legend. It’s been here for
years, as the walls attest, featuring murals of San Jose history that can
actually be read in order. I wonder what
will happen when they run out of wall space.
Is that the end of San Jose? Not
if we are all fed by their incredible falafels and koubby. I have never had a more amazing falafel. Moist, flavorful and delicate the falafels
here really are worth putting on a map. The
Koubby is essentially a huge spiced meatball shaped like a blimp. Wow…so much flavor I found myself puzzled as
if I was exploring a riddle. Get here
ASAP. http://www.falafelsdrivein.com/
Pho 21 on Sherman Way – Pho 21 was virtually silent the
night I visited and most awkward to me was the TV dialed to a cooking
show. Service was efficient if a bit
chilly, but the pho – soul warming. I
went with the flagship edition – brisket, rare steak, tendon and tripe. The bowl was huge. Babies could bathe in it. But it tasted amazing. Everything was cooked to perfection – soft and
crunchy in perfect balance. http://www.pho21canoga.com/
Krung Thai on South Winchester – Very kind service and a
dining room of regulars make Krung Thai a place to return to. The egg rolls were fresh and crunchy with
veggies. As much as I really wanted to
try the pad thai as a matter of comparing it to my neighborhood favorite, I had
to try the Pad Pao Heur, or abalone with mushrooms and Napa cabbage. I had just read a great article about abalone
fishing and its allure and dangers and figured I needed to try it (http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/a-dying-breed/Content?oid=1066821&showFullText=true). It was delicious. If you are familiar with conch, cross that
with squid or clams and you have abalone.
Mixed with the mushrooms, this dish might be an acquired taste for some,
but I would love some more. http://www.originalkrungthai.com/
Salsa Brava on Saratoga– I love taquerias and after living
in California for five years I am feeling a book about them developing in
me. Salsa Brava ranks among my favorites
for sentimental reasons. The first time
I visited I was spoken to in Spanish and they had Mexican soccer on TV. Since it’s virtually across the street from
school, I now have my standard order which I indulged one Wednesday night – two
tacos – lengua and tripa and a large cup of horchatta. I sweat a little from the salsas, contemplate
the effort it takes to make them, cool it all down with sweet horchatta and try
to figure out what’s going on in the game.
I go back to work in a week or so, and Salsa Brava calls. http://www.salsabravasj.com/
Huong Lan on Tully – If you have read much of what I write
here you know I love a great sandwich so finding a great banh mi sandwich was
paramount. A little research directed me
to Huong Lan. Talk about
unassuming. It appears to be a simple
market with everything labeled in Vietnamese.
There was so much in this place completely foreign to me and I was
loving every moment. I went with the
thit nguoi – a sandwich with head cheese, pate and ham. In fact I got two, believing that at $4 each
they must be too small to make a meal, so I also got the sardine sandwich. I was wrong about the size. I ate them both and waddled out. I will return. The options for the sandwiches were vast…all
sorts of meat parts and combinations, lots of pork variations – I need to try
them all. On top of that, there was an
entire corner of whole chicken and duck that glistened for its slow cooking and
basting all day. Looking for some international
travel without leaving home – come to Huong Lan. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Huong-Lan-Sandwiches/126589787415351
No comments:
Post a Comment