Dinner near Valley Fair
Family unexpectedly asked us to join them for a family portrait shoot tomorrow (Monday) evening at the Valley Fair Mall. But it is my birthday, and I'm not impressed by the options inside the mall for dinner. Can anyone recommend a good meal nearby - nothing too fancy, since we will have the baby with us, but something really worthy of a birthday dinner.
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Too bad it's for Monday, otherwise I'd suggest White Shallot (3143 Stevens Creek Boulevard), a small restaurant in a nearby stripmall that offers both Vietnamese and French dishes and is often quite good (it can be a bit variable). Menu changes seasonally. They are closed Mondays, though.
Pizza Antica is very good, but gets crowded. You can drop someone off early to put your name on the list if there is a wait. Very loud inside.
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I'll second the Krungthai and Isabella's recommendations as well. I'll have to try Habana Cuba soon as it's getting lots of recommendations here lately.
I can't think of a baby-friendly restaurant in Los Gatos worth the extra drive compared to the choices available nearby on Winchester in San Jose. Manresa is world-class, of course, but much too fancy for this request.
Michael
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Habana Cuba
238 Race Street, San Jose, CA 95126Isabella's Restaurant
700 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128 -
Not fancy atmosphere, but I enjoy the food - Isabella's for peruvian. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/607179
I am not a fan of the amber at Santana Row although i enjoy the MV location. However, it is a nice atmosphere and the food is OK. Same with Consuela's - OK food although i prefer the garden bar. Over in Santana Row there is Yankee Pier, LB Steakhouse, and Thea which are all OK food - a bit overpriced IMO, but fine. All are baby friendly. There is Pizza Antica which I have heard is good, and maybe the best bet foodwise.
There are also good South Indian and Thai options, which are less formal in the area, but I would argue better food/value.
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re: jsaimd
would you be willing to drive to Los Gatos? not quite nearby...about 10 miles south...
another option is Gochi Japanese Fusion Tapas - it's a fun restaurant and about a 8-10 minute drive north on streets from the mall...call to see if they take reservations - it's a popular spot. i've seen lots of families with kids in this place...it's in a strip mall but looks nicer inside.
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Shane Greenwood
Dec 28, 2009 06:58 AM
I've had good meals at Habana-Cuba too. It's across 17/880 after Steven's Creek turns into San Caros. They do good Cuban food and have lots of space for a family friendly dinner. I took my mother there for a birthday dinner and it was a great balance of casual but nice/fun enough for a special occasion. Loved the braised ox tail and ropa vieja.
998cuba.com
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re: Shane Greenwood
Robert Lauriston
Dec 28, 2009 10:53 AM
We had a big party there a couple of years back. Very fun place and some of the best Cuban food had in a restaurant.
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Shane Greenwood
Dec 28, 2009 06:53 AM
New Krung Thai on Winchester is good. Definitely fresher and more authentic than anything in Santana Row (those restaurants are chains, not using the freshest ingredients and overpriced for the quality)
newkrungthai.com
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New Krung Thai Restaurant
559 N Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050Santana Row
355 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128 -
Other than Santana Row...one restaurant is an old style Italian with an emphasis on seafood that was recommended to us a few years back call "By-th-Bucket"...it's always packed and the portions are very generous. It's a few long blocks down from the mall on Stevens Creek blvd. I haven't been for a few years but it was always good when we were there. Different vibe from Santana Row of course but very child friendly.
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