Santana Row

Santana Row

Santana Row is a new ritzy hot spot across the street from Westgate mall on Stevens Creek that seeks to create a European-like promenade with high end stores and restaurants. Most restaurants here are pretty pricey, but there are many good eats here. Fortunately, since there are many restaurants here, you will probably be able to find something to your liking as many different regions are represented, and if one restaurant is too busy, you can easily walk down the street and find another restaurant. It’s a good place to celebrate a special event as there are a few good restaurants. Some restaurants like Straits Café and Blowfish Sushi are good places to celebrate birthdays, but if you want something more refined and subdued, then Tanglewood is a good option.

Parking is an issue sometimes, but once you are able to find a parking spot, it’s a nice place to take a stroll, hang out, go shopping, eat and relax. Following is a series of reviews of restaurants that can be found on Santana Row or just off of Santana Row.

Vung Tau II

Vung Tau II
1750 N Milpitas Blvd
Milpitas, CA 95035-2713
(408) 934-9327

Vitals:
Hours: Fri-Sat 9 am-10 pm, Sun-Thu 9 am-9 pm
kid friendly
credit cards accepted

This is my favorite casual Vietnamese restaurant. The service is typical, the waiter arrives at your table a few minutes after you sit down, the food comes quickly and then you are left to devour your food. Don't come here expecting to be welcomed and catered to like an honored guest, but do come here if you want simple, good and authentic Vietnamese food. The prices have increased recently, and it's probably one of the pricier options for Vietnamese food, but it's consistent and reliable. Vung Tau actually has 2 locations (one in San Jose), but I prefer this location as the food is just better and they serve some dishes here that they don't serve in the San Jose location. The family that owns Vung Tau also opened up an upscale Vietnamese restaurant, Tamarine, in Palo Alto, which is very chic, but also very good.

They have an extensive menu filled with different appetizers, soups, noodle dishes, rice dishes and also a la carte. I tend to come here for a simple dish, either the bun or a com tam (broken rice dish) that is a meal in one. The a la carte dishes are good for groups and are also very good.

My favorite appetizer is the Goi Cuon (around $6-7). It's a fresh roll made with rice paper filled with rice noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, pork and shrimp. It's served with a peanut sauce mixed with a bit of shrimp sauce and a dollop of chili sauce.

The egg rolls are only average to me. It's crispy and comes with a basket of fresh lettuce and some herbs, but something's just not right. The taste is somewhat off to me, and I would probably pass on this appetizer.

If you're in the mood for bun, you have your choice of meats, grilled shrimp (tom), grilled pork (thit nuong), or grilled beef and onions (generally around $9). Any of these choices are good and you should just get what you are craving. But, I have to say, I don't know what they do to the grilled pork. It's sliced thinly and grilled to perfection, and is soft and not tough. It is very well marinated and has a good flavor. Bun is a cold rice noodle dish that is layered over some fresh vegetables (bean sprouts, cucumbers and herbs), with your choice of meat on top and some pickled carrots and radishes. Pictured below is an order of Bun with grilled shrimp and grilled pork. Bun is served with some nuoc mam (a sweetened fish sauce), which is poured over the bun.


There are other noodle dishes, like the steamed vermicelli with your choice of meats. This is also one of my favorite dishes, if a bit messy since I like to create a taco/egg roll by using the lettuce leaves and fill it with meats, herbs and some veggies and then dip it in nuoc mam. It's messy, but yummy.

If you are in the mood for a rice dish, then the rice dishes are all good (generally around $10). I prefer the com tam (broken rice) dishes. You can order a combination with a mix of meats, grilled pork, shredded pork, grilled shrimp or beef with onions. Dishes are served with some vegetables (sliced cucumber and some pickled carrots) and a side of nuoc mam. Pictured below is com tam with grilled pork and shredded pork.


I have to make a note about the steak or cubed filet with tomato rice. The dish is served with a side salad with a slightly sweet dressing. The steak is tender and extremely flavorful and the tomato rice is a nice complement. I highly recommend these dishes. The prices are a bit high, but if you want beef, this is the one to get.

There's something about nuoc mam. It makes everything taste good. It balances out the salty flavors and gives everything a slightly salty, sweet finish. I don't generally douse my food with all of the nuoc mam, but do pour a generous portion of it onto my dishes. Nuoc mam is a sauce generally made from fish sauce, sugar, water, garlic and perhaps some rice vinegar. Fish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish (generally anchovies) that have been allowed to ferment. It's used in many Southeast Asian dishes to add saltiness to dishes, but is used sparingly since it has an intense flavor.

One of the dishes that I like here is the Bun Rieu. It's a soupy noodle dish made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a tomato based broth and garnished with bean sprout, prawn paste, herbs, lettuce, and tomato chunks. It's an acquired taste, but it is satisfying on a cold day. I have friends who order this during Lent.

To sum it up, I have been coming here for years, and I have yet to find a dish that I don't like. But, I have to give a disclaimer, I'm not too adventurous once I find a few core dishes that I really like. I've had the opportunity to try to a la carte dishes and most of the rice and noodle dishes, and all have been good.

Pan Tao

Pan Tao
1696 S Wolfe Rd
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 737-9976

Vitals:

kid friendly
credit cards accepted

I’ve only tried the dim sum here, and while the dim is slightly above average, it is at a much better price than at surrounding restaurants serving dim sum. There are the usual dishes here and you won’t want for anything. I found that the skins are thicker than what I’m used to and pretty mushy and sticky, so much so that each dumpling almost breaks up when I try to pick it up.

Come early (before 11:00 am) or come after 1:30 pm otherwise you’ll be in for a long wait. Another reason to come early is to score a parking spot as there aren’t nearly enough spots to accommodate the crowds of people that come here.

Shanghai Delight

Shanghai Delight
218 Barber Court
Milpitas, California 95035
(408) 434-6888

Vitals:
Hours: Mon-Sun: 10 am – 3pm, 4:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Cash only up to $20

This is a casual, no frills restaurant that serves some good Chinese food from the Shanghi region. I’m not that familiar with Shanghai cuisine, but the food here is good (it’s Northern Chinese cuisine, which isn’t spicy and some dishes may be on the sweet side). We were looking for a place to eat in Milpitas (the restaurant we were going to was actually closed that night) and then wandered into the Milpitas Square (with the 99 Ranch), which has a wide variety of restaurants serving food from many different regions. We chose to try Shanghai Delight because unlike other restaurants, this place was full and there were people waiting to get in (this is usually a good indicator that a restaurant is good).

Since this is a typical Chinese restaurant, turnover was quick and we were seated quickly. Don’t expect great service. If I’m not that familiar with the cuisine or the restaurant, I generally do a survey of what other people order and also ask the waiter what the most popular dishes are. This was especially important here after after looking over the menu, which had over 180 items!

Most people seemed to order the Shanghai Style Rice Vegetable and Salt Pork ($6.95, item #144). The rice was soft but not mushy, with a slight saltiness to it and it had a generous amount of slightly crunchy vegetables (bok choy) and some salted pork. It was a good dish and was one of my favorites of the night (perhaps because it was like comfort food to me).

We saw many people order the Beef with Black Pepper on a Sizzling Plate ($8.95, item #73) and decided to try it. The beef was tender and it had a good flavor to it (very well marinated). The dish only had a hint of the pepper and it didn’t overpower the dish.

Since we wanted a vegetable dish, we order what the waiter recommended, the Sautéed Shanghai Style Vegetable ($7.95, item #112). The vegetables were not very leafy and it was very salty and oily. We couldn’t finish this dish, but had a few helpings. Definitely will try something else the next time.

Overall, it was a good Chinese place - the food was tasty (I think that they use MSG) if a bit oily , but the prices were really good. I would come back here again.

99 Ranch

99 Ranch
Multiple locations throughout the South Bay
Cupertino (10983 North Wolfe Road, Cupertino, CA 95014, (408) 532-8899)
San Jose (1688 Hostetter Road #E, San Jose, CA 95131, (408) 436-8899)
www.99ranch.com

Vitals:
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 9 am- 9 pm, Fri & Sat: 9 am - 9:30 pm

If I need to grab dinner for the family and I'm not in the mood to cook, then I can easily find the fixings for dinner at the local 99 Ranch market. The usually have a hot deli section in which you can pick up a small to large entree (prices range from $4-$10) and a medium rice ($1.85), which is large enough to feed about 2-3 people. The best part of going to 99 Ranch is that I have a choice protein prepared in different ways.

Barbeque pork is usually one of my favorites. It's a funny color (red) on the outside, but the pork is tender and has a sweet and salty taste and you can easily get up to a pound and you have dinner (aroun $6-7 per pound). They also have roast duck or roasted chicken if you prefer (you can ask for half a duck or chicken as well). The duck and chicken are taken off a hook in the window and cut in front of your and both are seasoned with a salty soy based sauce.

If I'm in the mood for fish, I can go to the fish section and select a fish. What's good about this place is that they will clean the fish, and if you want, they will even cut and fry the fish (you can choose between regular fry and deep fry). You just pay for the fish (price per pound) and everything else is included. The cost is dependent on what type if fish you select and how heavy it is.

Above is a bass type fish that was caught in the wild in Canada. It was on sale for $2.99 a pound, and this cost about $3.37. At first, I found it to be intimidating to pick out a fish because it's sometimes hard to tell if a fish is fresh, but from what I'm been taught, there are a few things to look for:

• skin - the skin should be shiny
  
• eyes - look for clear looking eyes (don't go for ones that have cloudy eyes)
• gills - the gills should be red (not pinkish or greyish)
• flesh - the flesh should be firm and bounce back a bit when you press the skin (it shouldn't stay sunken).
  

I generally also look fish caught in the wild (not farmed fish) from countries that have strict or ok environmental standards. I read this article in the N.Y. Times, "In China, Farming Fish in Toxic Waters", which discussed the fish farming techniques in China, its poor environmental standards and how it affects their fish. Now I generally refrain from fish that originate from China (among other products).

So on a day that I don't feel like I want to cook dinner, I can pop into 99 Ranch, pick up a small side of a vegetable (around $3), a medium rice ($1.85) and a fish all for under $10. Hard to beat this deal.

Panera Bread

Panera Bread
20807 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 996-9131
www.panerabread.com

Vitals:

Kid friendly

This seems to be a new franchise that serves some good food at good prices. Their specialty, not surprisingly centers around bread. They have a lot of different types of sandwiches, whether they are standard cold or hot sandwiches or paninis. They also have a variety of salads and soups. This is not a full service place, but it is like many sandwich places.

Ordering is pretty simple. You go to the counter and place your order and they give you a buzzer when your order is ready. A good value is the “Pick Two” combination in which you can choose two of the following choices – bowl of soup, half sandwich and half salad. I’ve always been partial to the half sandwich and half salad (around $7). The portions are generous and you can choose any sandwich, soup or salad that is available. Favorites include the Frontega Chicken Panini (smoked and pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, chopped basil and chipotle mayonnaise) and the Turkey Artichoke (smoked turkey breast, spinach artichoke spread, asiago parmesan cheese and onions) Paninis. I like the Paninis because they are served warm and the heat melds the flavors together. The salads are not ok, and I generally go for the grilled chicken Caesar or the Asian Sesame Chicken (although the salad dressing for the Asian Sesame Salad is definitely too sweet). If you want something warm, then the soups are ok (although the French Onion soup is actually pretty good for a place like Panera Bread – the broth was rich and full of flavor, but more cheese would have been good). Below are two combinations. One is with a half Turkey Sandwich with a half Ceasar salad, and the other is a half of a Frontega Chicken sandwich and a French Onion soup. Each combination came with with a choice of a side (piece of French or whole grain baguette, chips or apple. A fruit cup can be substituted for an additional charge).

If you don’t want a combination, then the sandwiches are substantial and are served with a spear of a pickle and a choice of sides.

A new menu item is the Crispani (thin hand crafted pizzas). I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with this. I ordered the Tomato and Fresh Basil Crispani and the bread was a bit soggy (not crispy as it should be with thin crust pizzas) and the toppings were very sparse and not that flavorful. Even after I ate everything, I was still hungry as the portion was very small.

If you need a casual place to eat with kids, then Panera Bread is a good place. They have a kid’s menu that includes some favorites with an organic twist. Whole grain sandwiches with grilled organic American cheese, standard peanut butter (all natural) and jelly or a deli meats (roast beef, smoked ham or turkey breast) with organic cheese are available and the set meals come with your choice of organic apple juice, chocolate milk or milk. The meal also comes with an organic lowfat squeezable yogurt. Pictured below is the grilled cheese sandwich, which was fine except that the cheese wasn’t melted all the way through.

Overall, this is a place where you can get good, filling sandwiches at a decent price. Definitely a Good South Bay Eat.