Cafe Beaujolais (French)

Cafe Beaujolais symbolizes the Mendocino Coast in more ways than I can count. It is situated in a charming, quaint, former home located in the Mendocino "Business District". It has natural beauty surrounding it (an amazing garden), and a very high price tag per person, per meal. Also, the restaurant plates up stellar, and very traditional, dishes. All the above traits scream Mendocino. A high Zagat rating and shining Urbanspoon reviews also follow this restaurant around, making it appealing to even the biggest  penny pinchers. For starters, there's the Duck Leg Confit. It's basically a plate loaded with tender, slightly dry, but still quite appealing duck, Brie and fresh, house made Sourdough Bread. Also, Cafe Beaujolais' first course (appetizer) section of the menu includes crab cakes, a personal favorite. The cakes are more crab than filling (always a plus), and are nice and crisp on the outside, allowing you to begin each bite with a satisfying crunch or crackle. The next course brings a delicious Bouillabaisse to the table. Bouillabaisse is a rich, Cioppino-like seafood and chicken stew. The tomato broth is surprisingly lighter and more savory than that found in a tasty Cioppino. At Cafe Beaujolais, they seem to know how to prepare their seafood. This particular example included nicely cooked fish and mussels, leaving each person at the table satisfied and quite absolutely stuffed. You have to love a restaurant that can do seemingly anything well (within their respective cuisine).

Okayama Japanese

">Okayama Japanese has, for as long as I can remember, been great. The restaurant has been around for some 44 years, attracting a large following of South Bay foodies. It is so steeped in Japantown history that three generations of my family have dined at the restaurant. Now, as of Friday, August 19th, the ownership of the shop has changed. The old owner and his mother were the original creators of the dynasty. It's really a terrible loss for Japantown (with the selling of the restaurant), but many of the family's secret recipes have been passed down to the new restaurant's ownership. Hopefully, that symbolizes little change on the horizon. One can only hope. If that isn't the case, hopefully they'll at least retain the Chicken Udon and Beef Teriyaki, two of my favorite dishes. The Chicken Udon has a savory, delicious broth and pieces of tasty chicken packed together with noodles in a giant bowl of drool-worthy soup. The beef teriyaki has a magical sauce and a nice cooking technique, as it seems to come out perfectly done every time I order it. Another change I would despise would be a departure from the current decorations. A move of this sort would choke out much of the restaurant's immeasurable amount of charm. This restaurant has always felt like a home away from home to me, and hopefully that feeling's presence will be extended even without some of the kind people that worked there previously.

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche is a traditional French dish that dates as far back as 1550 A.D.. The more modern sense of Quiche Lorraine, though, only has traces to the 19th century. Still, it is one of the oldest and most popular dishes in the world. It is most often found in the South of France, where the hotter climate leans toward lighter fare. Strangely, though, it has become increasingly popular overseas, primarily in the United States and England. Though similar, the foreign versions are often twisted to reflect more popular flavors. In America, cheese is often added to the traditional French recipe. Also, other types of Quiche may contain onions, and in England, vegetables or seafood are often added. This is actually quite common, variation that is. Lorraines vary by family recipes, which are passed down through the generations. No two are said to be exactly the same.

Quiche Lorraine also has a very interesting international history. Over the years, the Lorraine region has flopped between German and French control. For this reason, much of Lorraine’s culture has German influence. This goes straight down to the cuisine. The word Quiche even has a German origin, stemming from the word Kuchen, meaning cake. 

So, to wrap up, Quiche Lorraine is a dish steeped in tradition. It is a major component in the French cuisine, and is quickly gaining popularity with people in America. Well, I suppose I better go now, I've got some Quiche to eat.

Wasabi

You know that sensation you get when you take a bite of a beautiful piece of sushi? Yeah, that burning feeling, associated with a taste similar to horseradish? Well, that's because it is horseradish - Japanese horseradish to be more precise. Or horseradish "twin". Most American sushi restaurants serve the twin variety. In fact, real Japanese wasabi is nearly impossible to find outside of Japan. There it costs a hefty $70 to $100 per pound because of it's relative scarcity. Western wasabi only has a hit of about a buck per pound, so it's widely used as a substitute for the pricey kind. Just add a little mustard and green food coloring, and you have a close (but not at all exact) copy. So now you know a little of wasabi's interesting history.

Breakfast in the South Bay

Breakfast. It is often toted as "the most important meal of the day". It is deceptively simple. For some reason, it's also so easy to do incorrectly. In the South Bay, food is much less ritualistic than in the North and West. It is easy to find ten bad places for every good one. Here are some of the shining stars for the day's first meal:

Stacks, Campbell - Stacks serves delicious plate after delicious plate of amazing food. They cook every dish to perfection, and they dole out quite a bit of food for even the smallest budgets. Pancakes are their specialty, but they do almost anything else you could want for breakfast. The Crab Melt - fresh Dungeness Crab meat loaded onto a piece of French Bread and covered in melted cheese and avocado - is to die for. Also, they have great service and are very good at controlling crowds.

Scramblz, San Jose - Scramblz, with walls covered in yellow and plates covered with food, is a sure stop for a great breakfast. There are plenty of options, and deals are abound. They serve four pieces of bacon, two eggs, french toast and strawberries with whipped cream for a great price. That's all one meal! Adding to that, nothing they make disappoints - it's too good to.

John's, San Jose - John's is much better known for Greek and Italian fare, but they serve a mean "American" breakfast, too. Pancakes, French Toast, Eggs Benedict - they have it all, and at a reasonable price. While not as good as the first two options, John's is still sure to please any restaurant goer.

So there you have it. To my, albeit, limited knowledge, these are some of the best stops in the South Bay for breakfast. Still, I'm sure you can find many, many other places to munch in the morning, even ones that fail to serve a "traditional" American breakfast.

Market Skirmish #1: Nijiya Market vs. Safeway

Nijiya                                                 Safeway

Produce: 5                                          Produce: 7
Price: 5                                              Price: 7
Decorations: 3             vs.                  Decorations: 7
Service: 4                                          Service: 6
Range of Goods: 5                       Range of goods: 8

Total: 22                                          Total: 35

Safeway is the winner. As much as I hate to say it, Safeway wins. While Nijiya specializes in Japanese cuisine, Safeway has food from many places on Earth. Also, Nijiya's white walls can't beat the "charm" of Safeway.

Special: The San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area is a major center for food and art, rivaling even Chicago and New York City. Nearly everywhere you go in the region, you'll find dozens of restaurants close by. From fast to formal, Italian to Japanese, the area has it all. Fresh ingredients created by sustainable farming techniques are huge here. Seafood is also of major importance to the region. The Bay Area also has many famous restaurants, including Chez Panisse, Gary Danko, Scoma's, and the French Laundry. It is a region with culinary depth, as some of the most delicious restaurants are never heard of, such as Zazie in Cole Valley, San Francisco. But you have to be very careful where you go in the Bay Area, as well. In Willow Glen, many of the worst restaurants are highly toted, while the best are rarely visited. The same is true throughout the rest of San Jose and Campbell. In San Francisco, though, I've found it's hard to go wrong, as the last half dozen places I've dined at have been spectacular. In the Bay Area, it's very easy to end up at the wrong place, but when you find a gem here, it shines brighter than any other in the nation.