Something different today: restaurant recommendations. I know, I know… you probably don’t even live here so these are of little value to you. But I’m trying hard not to burn out on this weblogging thing (especially with it being so suddenly trendy and public, popping up in the media everywhere). And the last (and unfortunately final) time I ever ate at my favorite Chinese restaurant, they sadly told us that they were losing the battle with the deluge of Chinese places that had opened across the street. We said “we’ll tell all our friends to come here!” But I never spread the word, not that it would’ve made much of a difference. The next time we drove by, a sign on the door said “On Vacation”. They never returned.

Hammerhead Fish House at 5291 Prospect Rd., San Jose impressed me with their perfectly cooked vegetables. Often the veggies on the side at American restaurants are steamed to death and tasteless. This place knows how to cook vegetables, and if they pay attention to the details, you can imagine that your entree is going to be decent. Real reviewers, of course, have to talk about the fish, so here’s a recent Merc review.

Red Tractor 1320 El Paseo De Saratoga,
San Jose is where you should go when you think you want to go to Boston Market. When we asked if they had corn and they said “only when it’s in season”, I knew this was a place that cares about the quality of their food, not just the marketability of their menu. It is true American comfort food (with no-meat meatloaf thrown in because, well, it’s California!). Meatloaf, turkey, chicken, yummy side dishes, tangy barbecue sauce (OK, I am not naive enough to call it real BBQ), amazing cheddar biscuits, and fresh lemonade. They claim it’s all made from scratch, and it tastes that way.

Tofu House at 3450 E El Camino Real in Santa Clara is Korean comfort food. First you get a selection of fresh, snappy kimchi, some spicy, some sour. A clear tangy broth, sort of a palate cleanser arrives. Soon a big stone bowl of rice is hefted onto your table and they mix in peas and serve it to you in metal bowls. Your main dish is a big, boiling bowl of organic tofu in a broth spiced and flavored as you requested: vegetables, kimchi, mushrooms, or various meats. It’s a steamily yummy concoction. And when you’re done, you can scoop up more crunchy bits of rice from the bottom of the stone container which they’ve filled with hot water so you can have a digestive soup. Oh, and their drinking water is purified. Attention to detail wins me over every time.