We can also scoff at Hallmark holidays, but deep down, we have a delicate spot for roses and coronary heart-formed boxes of chocolate -- or any formed containers of chocolate. factor is, Valentine's Day comes however annually, and we unabashed romantics think date night may still be celebrated all year lengthy.
So right here to deliver suggestion are the 10 ultimate new eating places we visited during the last 12 months. trust it a party of the East Bay and South Bay's most delicious experiences, from the casual, but fab Drake's Dealership -- excellent for a primary date -- to the brilliant, refined Cetrella.
Bon appetit.
1 Roots + Rye
the entire bar at Roots and Rye in Santana Row in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay area information neighborhood) (Nhat V. Meyer)
The vibe: stylish, swish and classy, Roots + Rye fits correct into San Jose's tony Santana Row. After a day of boutique browsing along with your bae, slip into one of the crucial comfy couches within the lounge or gather around the heat glow of the hearth pits on the patio to enjoy one of the many whiskey-based cocktails and a nosh. if you've labored up the urge for food for a full meal or just are looking to escape the bar crowd, there may be additionally a spacious eating room embellished with marquee lights that solid a vaguely romantic glow within the dimly lit house.
Roots + Rye is the latest conception from chef and restaurateur Chris Yeo, the man behind Straits and Sino. The focal point right here is on small plates such as the cocktail-friendly deviled eggs and crackling hen skins, however there are just a few leading course-sized dishes, from a pork chop with butternut squash ($24) to a fine looking killer burger with Viscount St. Albans jam, served at lunch ($18). sure you're going to pay a little extra for a meal right here -- it's Santana Row, in spite of everything -- but the food's decent ample to justify it.
The dish: The small plates menu is labeled "sharing is caring," but you're going to probably wish to preserve the cola-braised pork stomach sliders ($12) all to yourself. The artfully composed scallops with kohlrabi puree ($24) is a meal in miniature -- and a delicious one at that.
The particulars: 3055 Olin Ave., Suite 1005, Santana Row, San Jose; www.rootsandrye.com
2 Calavera
The vibe: This Oaxacan-impressed bistro from Oakland restaurateur Chris Pastena (Chop Bar, Lungomare) and his partners is a stylish, refined, scrumptious affair. Set in a excessive-ceilinged industrial-stylish space and adorned with Mexican folk art and calavera motifs, the region pretty fizzes with power and boisterous noise. it be no longer a spot for a thought (unless you'll want to shout your love), but it's a hot spot for a first date -- or a 20th. The cocktails are divine, the food is outstanding and anyway, the place else can you nosh on crunchy grasshoppers as you sip a Salt Air Margarita with Oaxacan salt foam?
The dish: beginning with the decadent Queso Flameado ($11), a small solid-iron pan filled with melty Chihuahua cheese, huitlacoche and, for $4 greater, housemade chorizo rojo, able to be scooped into housemade blue nixtamal tortillas. do not dither over taco selections ($eleven-$15 for three) -- which include a cochinita pibil, tinga de pollo and a vegetarian-friendly option -- get them organized all. Then order a further circular.
The details: 2337 Broadway, Oakland; www.calaveraoakland.com
3 Orchard metropolis Kitchen
The dining room at Orchard city Kitchen in Campbell, Calif., Wednesday, Mar. 12, 2015. alrightis found in the former Hobee's house, which they have totally remodeled. (Patrick Tehan/Bay area information neighborhood) ( Patrick Tehan )
The vibe: If there were this kind of issue, the award for premiere resurrection of an old Hobee's restaurant would most definitely go to chef Jeffrey Stout for Orchard metropolis Kitchen, which opened at the tail conclusion of 2014 in Campbell's Pruneyard searching middle. long gone is Hobee's signature pie case, changed by a big bar that seems a good selection of craft cocktails. The environment is urban-agrarian stylish with a whitewashed timber beam ceiling and a sliding barn door that blends seamlessly with the black and white subway tiles of the open kitchen.
Stout's menu of ever-changing, globally inspired small plates uses flavors from Japan (his famed Hamachi pictures, $15, from Alexander's Steakhouse have found a new lifestyles right here) and Peru to the American South (the Triple B -- biscuits, 1st baron beaverbrook and honey butter, $7 -- may still be required eating), and every dish seems greater than the closing.
alrightis superior for extra informal date nights, put up-work drinks and dinner, and it could possibly tackle greater agencies with aplomb.
The dish: The memory of each the succulent lobster dumplings ($sixteen) and the spicy-candy, crisp morsels of KFC -- Korean Fried fowl ($7) -- set off sporadic pangs of craving. If simplest Stout would hold the marbled potatoes with bonito aioli on the menu 12 months circular, lifestyles would be comprehensive.
The details: 1875 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell; www.orchardcitykitchen.com
four La Marcha Tapas Bar
The vibe: The power during this Berkeley nearby restaurant crackles as folks sip sherry-spiked sangria and revel in cod croquettes, meatballs and other tapas. because the evening progresses, pans brimming with saffron-tinged seafood and pork paella fly out of the kitchen. La Marcha, a collaboration between chefs Emily Sarlatte and Sergio Emilio Monleón, grew out of their Nora Cocina Española catering enterprise. They opened the bricks-and-mortar tapas bar in October.
La Marcha is the Spanish word for late-evening pub crawl, but right here, that you would be able to reside put, noshing and drinking until 10 p.m. satisfied hour with tapas (one complimentary per beverage) melds seamlessly into dinner, the place more enormous tapas ($4-$12) and savory paellas ($25-$35) take core stage. La Marcha is a delectable eating experience, where you will think such as you've taken a tasty go back and forth to Spain.
The dish: The menu changes commonly, but are expecting goodies equivalent to crisp, spicy Patatas Bravas ($7) or garlicky Gambas a la Parilla ($12 for five). move on to crunchy and creamy Croquetas de Bacalao ($9) or the buttery Pulpo y Garbanzos ($10) octopus tapa. Paella is the main experience, and the "three pigs" advent known as Tres Cerditos ($28) satisfies with chorizo and pork belly saffron rice, topped by a thick and juicy pork shoulder chop.
The details: 2026 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley; www.lamarchaberkeley.com
5 Locanda Ravello
The vibe: Time your dinner for sunset on the expansive patio of this Danville delight, and the lighting will create such an unforgettable, romantic spectacle, you'll dream of the Amalfi Coast as you share a bottle of Chianti and sample an array of genuine Italian dishes. If it rains, you can relaxed up internal. if you're lucky, the pizzaiolo may additionally serenade you with a little of opera.
warmth basically is the defining attribute of Locanda Ravello, with its pleasant carrier, Italian countryside vibe and, of direction, plates that feed the soul, likely as a result of lots of the recipes got here from co-proprietor Enzo Rosano's mom, Carmela. Pizzas ($15-18) are sized for two to share, and there are plenty of salad, pasta and entree alternatives.
The dish: birth with Mamma Carmela's Meatballs ($10) -- hearty, flavorful and served in a tangy tomato sauce with crostini for dipping. A pair of pastas -- Strozzapreti ($17) with Italian sausage, mushrooms, peas and cream sauce, and Panzarotti Ravello ($19) with ricotta, spinach and butter sage sauce -- provide superb flavor and richness without being too heavy. For a tart, sweet finish to the meal, the divine lemon tiramisu with raspberry sauce ($8) is superb.
The particulars: 172 E. Prospect Ave., Danville, www.ravello-danville.com
6 Bourbon Steak
The vibe: whether you are wooing that particular a person or out with a crucial client, a huge evening out requires a big remark. And it doesn't get tons larger than Bourbon Steak at Levi's Stadium. First, there is the aspect of shock: Who'd are expecting to discover a swanky steakhouse from a Michelin-recognized chef tucked beneath a sports behemoth? It appears like being ushered into a communicate-easy in the event you enter the graceful, wood-paneled eating room with leather booths and big-screen TVs camouflaged as framed mirrors for nongame days.
As one may expect from a cafe in Michael Mina's normally expanding empire, here's the location fee money owed had been made for. big spenders can dine on japanese Wagyu and a grand cru and spend, fairly actually, heaps, whereas those of more modest skill can still take pleasure in dinner for 2 for beneath two expenses and get high-quality provider as well.
The dish: Proving that every now and then the optimum issues in existence are free, the complimentary amuse bouche of duck fat fries is among the many highlights right here. Order the filet mignon ($forty nine) with a shareable aspect of truffled mac and cheese ($9), and you'll dine like a king. conclusion the evening with some nips from the bourbon cart ($30 for 3) or the bourbon-laced butterscotch custard ($eleven).
The particulars: 4900 Marie P. DeBartolo approach, Santa Clara; www.michaelmina.internet
7 recommend
The vibe: Tucked into Berkeley's Elmwood nearby, the elegant suggest hails from the equal team at the back of Comal, and there's a sibling similarity in the decor, the consideration to element, impeccable service and the equal Meyer Sound acoustic device that makes dialog relaxed in an industrial-stylish eating room. Murmur sweet nothings in this venue, a historic brick garage that dates again to 1918, and your sweetheart will no longer shout, "What?"
Chef John Griffiths' menu combines Moroccan and Mediterranean inspirations with Northern California constituents to create dishes -- wood-grilled flatbreads, shrimp on the plancha, pappardelle with lamb sugo -- that pleasure adventuresome and tentative diners alike.
The dish: Salads listed below are a piece of artwork, and the Little gemstones ($13) with an egg, anchovy-tarragon French dressing and ciabatta croutons is primarily tasty. do not leave out the gentle, succulent sluggish-roasted pork shoulder ($25), served with a puntarelle salad, red kuri squash and a garum and ginger French dressing.
The details: 2635 Ashby Ave., Berkeley; www.theadvocateberkeley.com
8 Cetrella
The vibe: in case you hear a buzz in downtown Los Altos, it be possible coming from Cetrella, where happy diners savour executive chef Michael Ellis' Mediterranean-impressed dishes and delicious selfmade pastas. owner M'hamed Bahet is a near-steady presence in the eating room of this new South Bay outpost of the well-known Half Moon Bay establishment, pouring wine, talking to diners and exuding Italian hospitality.
The dining room is light, brilliant and ethereal, with ground-to-ceiling windows operating the size of the house, but be warned: Sound can basically ricochet off the excessive ceilings, so it's now not necessarily the area for a quiet, intimate dinner, primarily on busy weekend nights. nonetheless, for couples and pals looking for a convivial environment where they can dine at a greater leisurely tempo, Cetrella matches the invoice.
The dish: The uncommonly respectable fritto misto ($14) consists of succulent rock shrimp, as a substitute of the regular calamari, along with fried green beans and olives. Tempted to skip the pasta course? don't. Share the mustard pappardelle with lamb ($26), and you'll nevertheless have room for a major course. The cappelletti filled with truffle polenta and served in a spicy sauce with a meatball ($24) is the stuff goals are fabricated from.
The details: four hundred main St., Los Altos; www.cetrella.com
9 Drake's Dealership
The vibe: Date evening would not at all times should be about roses and candlelight; every so often it be about consolation, enjoyable and a pretty good time with pals. This shrine to craft beer, ensconced in a large former auto dealership area on Broadway, presents a deep rotating lineup of the superior from Drake's Brewery, in addition to different standouts from brewers close and far. it's casual, energetic and feels like you might be hooking up with a few hundred of your closest pals for a beer.
As if beer weren't satisfactory to make the night brilliant, government chef Taylor Smith's menu straddles the road between "high-end pub food" and just undeniable excessive-conclusion -- with eight distinctive pizzas ($11-15) sharing area with snacks, sandwiches and duck confit.
The dish: That duck confit ($22) is transcendent -- delicate however no longer too fatty, with a house-run side of Anson grits, mushrooms, hazelnuts, cherries and aji amarillo. The Woodfire Chevre appetizer ($10) may come out looking like soup, nevertheless it's a sensory event, with warm, delicate goat cheese to spread on crunchy crostini, then dip right into a tangy-tart roasted tomato sauce.
The details: 2325 Broadway, Oakland; www.drinkdrakes.com/discuss with/dealership
10 Gan restaurant
The vibe: The dining room here is beyond minimalist, the celadon eco-friendly partitions are embellishment free, and the tabletops are naked, keep for pleated napkins. The focal point at chef Peter Jee-Oh Chung's new restaurant is utterly on his multiplied, up to date Korean cuisine. And through meal's conclusion, you will be wowed.
Let your palate explore new flavors, beginning with libations. right here, diners toast nutrition with makgeolli (reported ma-KOH-lee), a milky white Korean rice wine corresponding to sake, and the starters and mains are infused with sweet, salty, bitter and bitter flavor sensations. it's sufficient to make Gan an exciting eating vacation spot for any occasion.
The dish: Chung's menu is invariably altering, but when possible, be sure you are attempting his Kimchee Croquettes ($eleven), a housemade fermented cabbage and mung bean mash-up. Slurp savory Acorn Noodle Soup ($13), with gentle acorn flour noodles bathed in a rich chook, pork and anchovy broth. are trying the fork-gentle braised marriage ceremony Cheeks ($31), with sunchoke puree, broccolini and potatoes -- Chung served this red meat dish at his wedding, hence the identify. conclusion the meal sweetly with mint-infused, caramel-drizzed sweet Perilla Ice Cream ($8).
The details: 600 main St., Suite G, Pleasanton; www.ganrestaurant.com
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