Curry House

Civic Park Cupertino
10350 S. De Anza Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 517-1440
website


Vitals:
Mon - Thu: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Fri: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Sat: 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Sun: 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
kid-friendly
takes credit cards
$$
****

This place doesn't have the best tasting food, the service sometimes leaves something to be desired, and the restaurant decor is a bit sterile, but there is something about this place. I just like the curry. It's like comfort food. The curries are satisfying - they taste good, the portions are large and they just make me feel warm and fuzzy afterwards.

Most of the curry dishes come with a choice of a side salad or soup (miso or corn potage). The corn potage is basically creamed corn - it's ok, but not great. I usually opt for the side salad. The salad is a small with some lettuce, green beans, kidney beans, corn and a slice of carrot and the dressing is good but slightly vinegary.

My new favorite dish here is the Keema Curry Rice ($11.70). It's a ground beef curry with shimeji mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, garlic, red chili peppers and either a soft boiled or hard boiled egg. With the recent salmonella scare, I got it with a hard boiled egg, and it was still good, but I really missed the soft boiled egg. The soft boiled egg is just so yummy and it's so nice and gooey. There's a nice mix of meat, veggies and sauce.

My other favorite is the Stone Grilled Curry Rice with tonkatsu (above - $15.50). I had been coming for about a year before one of the waiters asked me if I wanted him to mix it for me. What? I didn't know that they did this! I was a bit peeved as no one had ever mentioned it to me before! This is one of the reasons why I think service is a bit spotty here. The other curry dishes just seem a bit skimpy to me. A piece of meat, some sauce and rice? I want some veggies as well! The stone is hot when it comes out, and there is your meat of choice, some veggies and an egg (the egg usually cooks in the stone pot). I usually smush the rice against the side so that the rice gets a bit crispy. The combination of a fried crispy tonkatsu on top of curry rice is so good.

Hubby likes the Chicken and Ginger Curry ($11.60). At least I know one thing about this place, and that is all the curries don't all taste the same (a lot them do though), and this one has a distinct taste. It has a more peppery taste and it is definitely more spicy than the rest.

Spaghettis and gratins are ok here, nothing special. I know it's a curry AND spaghetti house, but it's mainly a curry house, and I'm going to stick with the house specialties.

The kids plates are also pretty good ($4.95 or $5.95). There is a choice of either a spaghetti plate, teriyaki chicken or curry rice plate. They all come with some corn potage, french fries and some cantaloupe. The big bonus is the toy that comes with the the kid's meal.

Afterwards, I like going to Red Mango, which is located in the same complex, but around the corner, for some dessert. A nice complement to a filling and good meal.

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.

La Patisserie

La Patisserie
19758 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, California 95014
408.446.4744
www.lapatisserie.net/

Vitals:
hours: Tues.-Fri. 7am-6:30pm, Sat. 7am-6pm, Sun. 8:30am-1pm

Simply put, this French bakery has delicious desserts that are presented beautifully. It’s tucked away in the Marketplace strip mall, but definitely seek out this gem. The number of cakes, cookies, pastries, tarts, packages of delectable delights is overwhelming, but with a will and a way and a willing stomach, I did somehow find the resolve to try most of the desserts here.

I think that I’ve found the perfect chocolate cake. For a chocoholic, it’s a feat that is hard to meet. Most chocolate cakes are either too sweet and don’t have enough of a chocolate taste or the chocolate is too bitter and doesn’t have enough sweetness and richness. The chocolate truffle torte… my newest obsession, my decadent, rich, gastronomic wonder. This torte is a chocolate cake with a truffle filling and covered in a dark chocolate ganache. Mind you, you have to really really like chocolate to have this cake, especially dark chocolate - it’s just pure, unadulterated chocolate. The chocolate is slightly bittersweet with different layers of spongy but light cake and thick truffle filling. Before, Prolific Oven’s chocolate cake was my favorite, but this one is the new gold standard. I love that you can get an individual portion of this torte or order a larger cake for a larger party.

Other favorites here include the fruit tart, apple tart, cheesecakes, cookies, éclairs…oh, everything that I’ve tried so far has been outstanding. While the crust of the fruit tart can be somewhat hard at times and is not as flaky as I would normally like (the last one that I had was slightly underbaked), it does have a rich buttery taste, the custard is thick, creamy, sweet, but not too sweet and had a slight eggy taste, and the seasonal fruit on top is fresh and glistens with a thin glaze. I can at least justify getting this dessert so that I can meet my fruit quota for the day. Oh, maybe I can throw in getting a bit of calcium from the milk in the custard?

Cheesecakes here are rich and sweet and has a thick custard like taste. While not as soft as cheesecakes at the Cheesecake Factory, they are still a decadent dessert and my body just sings at that first taste.

Fantasia Coffee & Tea

Fantasia Coffee & Tea
Cupertino Village
10933 N Wolfe Rd # 120
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 865-1689

Vitals:
Weekdays: 9 am to 9 pm
Weekends: 9am to 10 pm

This is a place that is famous for its milk tea with pearls (boba). There are different types of tea that is available but try the standard milk tea with pearls, which is sweetened black tea with milk and dark gummy balls made of tapioca (which may be made from yam), called "pearls" or "boba". The pearls are quite large and you need to drink the tea with a wide straw. I like Fantasia because the tea is actually brewed (as opposed to some other places that use powder) so that you can actually taste the tea and they don't overly sweeten the tea. Some find the presence of boba strange, especially in a drink, but I like the chewiness and sweetness of the pearls.

There are other types of drinks with tea or fruit so you can easily find something that suits your taste or cravings. They also serve shaved ice, and while the options are somewhat limited, the standards such as red bean are available. The shaved ice is decent, not as fluffy as some other places, but it will do the trick.

It's also a good place to hang out as there are tables and chairs outside in the large patio and free wifi is available.

Sheng Kee Bakery

Sheng Kee Bakery
Cupertino Village
10961 North Wolfe Road
Cupertino, California 95014
(408) 865-6000

The smell of butter wafts from this establishment and entices me to come inside. Inside, you are greeted with an assortment of breads, buns and pastries. Take a tray and just start picking through the buns and pastries, which range from the salty variety (green onion and pork sung) to the sweet (coconut and/or almond paste). The offerings here are pretty cheap (ranging from $0.90 to $2.00). You can get the usual breads such as white and wheat here, but try to coconut or the raisin breads. One of my favorite buns here is the green onion and pork sung bun as the slight sweetness of the bread contrasts nicely with the salty green onion and pork sung. The coconut buns are good too as I can taste some sweet coconut in each bite of this sticky bun.

You can also order cakes here as well. I generally prefer cakes from Asian bakeries as the frosting is made of real buttercream and the cake is spongy, light and isn’t too sweet.

There is one thing that you can find here that you don’t find in your usual bakery and that is, in the warming oven, they have a variety of savory tarts or popovers. Whenever I’m in the mood for a good salty snack, I head over to this bakery and order the popover with curry beef. The warm, buttery and flaky crust has a nice crunch and inside is filled with beef with some curry sauce. I can easily have a couple of these and be satisfied.

Guan Dong Restaurant

Guan Dong Restaurant

Cupertino Village
10851 N Wolfe Rd
Cupertino, California 95014
(408) 253-3398

Vitals:
cash only
prices: $4-10
opens late (around 12)
kid friendly/good for groups

This is a Chinese restaurant serving Northern Chinese cuisine that deserves its place amongst the many Chinese restaurants in the Village. The cuisine has been influenced by its surrounding areas (Russia, Korea, Mongolia and China) as there is a good mix of flavors and different meats than what is typically seen (such as lamb).

The prices are pretty cheap and the portions are generous. There is a certain advantage to going with a person that speaks Chinese as the waiters can give recommendations on what the most popular dishes are or can give you an idea of what dishes complement each other.

Dishes that I’ve tried have been pretty good. The Guan Dong tofu was a memorable dish. The tofu was silky and firm and had pieces of tender pork and green peppers and it was covered with a black bean sauce that wasn’t overpowering. We also tried the steamed flounder, which was was soft and garnished with curls of green onion. The fish didn’t taste fishy, so I know it was fresh.

Under the section entitled "Guan Dong Specials" are dishes with corn cakes. The corn cake dishes come in a wok that hold an impressive amount of food. We ordered the chicken with mushroom. The chicken was stewed in an aromatic sauce made with soy sauce and ginger that had just a hint of anise, which made the chicken soft and flavorful, but I could do without the corn cakes, which were hard and bland and the noodles, which were mushy.

The mongolian beef is another memorable dish. The beef is tender and had a great peppery taste that was complemented by the copious amounts of green onion and onion.

Generally, the food here is tasty but on the oily side. The lines tend to be pretty long, so either come early or later to beat the crowds. You can’t beat the price here. For our table of six, we were able to go away stuffed for $47 without tip ($7.83 each). Just be prepared to be packed in like sardines. Sometimes I felt as though I couldn't move otherwise I'd hit the person behind me with my chair or arm or leg, or any other appendage.

There is a bit of inconsistency here though, and there were certainly dishes that didn't impress, such as General Chicken (I think that this is supposed to be General Tso's Chicken). The pieces of chicken was covered in a thick sweet and sour sauce that made the pieces of breaded chicken soggy. Also, the breading on the chicken was so thick that the pieces of chicken were barely noticeable.

HC Dumpling House

Hu Chiang Dumpling House - CLOSED
Cupertino Village
10877 North Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 873-4813

Vitals:
closed Tuesday
kid friendly
accepts credit cards
price: $6-15

If you’ve ever had Shanghi steamed dumpling (xiao long bao), then this place makes some of the best that I’ve found in my many years of searching. If you haven’t had these, then you have to try them at least once and you’ll be in for a treat.
Generally, xiao long bao is made as follows:

• the wrapping is a thin skin made of unleavened flour
• the stuffing in a traditional dumpling is made of fatty pork, but you can find combinations of pork and some other meat or vegetable
• a small amount of chopped pig skin or gelatin may be wrapped within the meat stuffing in order to get a soupy consistency
• steamed in small bamboo containers

The place is generally packed so either come early or late otherwise you’ll be waiting for a while. They will ask you at the front whether you’d be willing to share a large table with another party, and generally I’m so hungry that I don’t mind sitting across some stranger as I’m usually stuffing my face as fast I can with the delicious steamed dumplings.

The best way to eat the dumplings is to pick one up as gently as possible so that you don’t break the thin skin and then place it in one of the wide spoons provided. I like to dip my dumpling first in the black vinegar and put some slivers of ginger on top. Since the dumplings are scalding hot when they arrive at the table, for the first dumpling, I test the temperature by biting the skin so that some of the juice comes out and then slurp the entire dumpling into my mouth. Utter bliss. Sometimes I’m impatient and end up burning my mouth (but it’s almost worth it). After the dumplings have cooled a bit, I’ll just slurp the entire dumping into my mouth. I think the reason why so many people are passionate about xiao long baos is that it is such a decadent food in a neat little package. The skin is thin but is slightly chewy, the meat melts in your mouth and you get a squirt of the soup or juice that has a delicious and salty richness. I’d try the traditional dumplings first, but the other varieties are also noteworthy. The pork and crab dumplings are also really good as are the shrimp and loofah dumplings (both pictured below, the shrimp dumplings are in the back of the picture). What’s nice is that you get 8 dumplings (my dining companion took one of the dumplings before I could take a picture) per order, and when I order several types of dumpling, it's enough to share and satisfy my dumpling cravings.

Other than the dumplings, which should the centerpiece of your meal (otherwise, why else are you going to a dumpling house?) there are a few other good dishes. The beef roll is good as an appetizer. The bread surrounding the beef is chewy but not too tough and it’s a nice complement to the beef. If you’re in the mood for something spicy, the spicy chicken in the cold dishes/appetizer section is also pretty good. I also like to order some veggies with my meal, so I generally order the sautéed vegetables (either spinach, broccoli or other seasonal vegetable) or the eggplant with basil. The eggplant comes in a hotpot and the eggplant isn’t too mushy, but is covered with a strong soy basil sauce that is salty and slightly sweet at the same time. The dish may be a bit strong, but I love the combination of flavors.

Recommendations:

• traditional Shanghai steamed dumplings
• steamed dumpling with crab meat paste
• shrimp and loofah dumplings
• eggplant with basil
• green beans with pancake

Dishes that didn’t impress:

• vegetarian dumpling with mushroom. The texture was a bit strange and the dumplings didn’t have much flavor.
• rice cake. People either love or hate this dish. I found that the pieces of rice cake were chewy and hard and the sauce didn’t have any flavor (other than a bit of saltiness). I guess the texture just turned me off a bit.
• green onion pancake. The pancake was thin, tough and dry and didn’t have much of a green onion taste. I’m used to the ones that are toasted on the outside and the inside is soft and chewy and there is a slightly salty green onion flavor in each bite. Sadly disappointed with this dish.

Tip – if you pay in cash you may get an additional 5% discount.

Cupertino Village

There are a lot of good places to eat in Cupertino, but I’ll focus on certain types of food first. If you want a fix of Asian food, then I’d head to Cupertino Village on the corner of Homestead and Wolfe Road. There are so many different restaurants there, but Chinese restaurants definitely dominate. What’s nice about that is that there are restaurants that represent different regions of China (how annoying would it be if all of the restaurants focused on one region? However, if all focused on Sichuan fare, I wouldn't mind that much, but but you do need a little variety).

While there are a lot of good, cheap eats in this Village, and while the sheer number of choices can be overwhelming at times, have no fear, because you will have a handy little guide to help you choose among the many restaurants that are there. I will post on some of my favorites in a bit.