So long, Silicon Valley. In my 40 years here, our food choices have gone from dismal to delightful, with some notably worrisome exceptions.
Let me explain. For many years I was the San Jose Mercury News’ restaurant critic, and then one of the freelance restaurant reviewers for the newspaper you are reading now. Lots of great meals under my expanding belt.
It’s time to move my foraging to Berkeley, where I hear there is some pretty good food. Here are a few parting thoughts about the local food scene.
Despite phenomenal population growth and new construction, we can still enjoy the personal touch in food stores and restaurants. When I moved here, there was a bakery in downtown Palo Alto where the owner cheerfully greeted everyone, knew what kind of bread you liked and always offered kids a cookie. We can still experience personal interaction in cafes and family-owned food purveyors such as Charley Noodle & Grill and Dittmer’s Gourmet Meats & Wurst-Haus, both in Los Altos. In Palo Alto Cafe on Middlefield Road the other day, as I was enjoying my veggie bagel sandwich, the owner was chatting with a customer about a family wedding.
In the same way, our thriving farmers markets pulse with the energy of people talking to each other, just happening to meet, and to the vendors who have grown what they’re selling. Farmers care about giving us a good product. They want return customers — and we may return for years, long enough to greet the kids of the farmers.
However, the creep of cookie-cutter chains is worrisome. They smell more like market research than enjoyment of food. If you’ve eaten at Google, Facebook or a Bay Area airport, you know this food. Some of it is good. There is a place for The Counter and Chipotle and Asian Box, just don’t let them muscle out places like Kirk’s Steakburgers, Sancho’s Taqueria and Dohatsuten.
Regrets, I’ve had a few. I regret that only recently did I dare to enter Antonio’s Nut House on California Avenue. The very non-Palo Alto parking lot crowd scared me away. The place is totally fun with friendly bartenders, decent Mexican food at the taqueria inside and a colorful, non-threatening clientele.
I regret that after diners complained year after year about poor service in restaurants, now their no. 1 complaint is noise. Can you hear us? Restaurants are too loud.
And I regret the loss of downtown Palo Alto as a town center, with professionals’ offices, lighting and hardware stores.
On the other hand, Town & Country Village’s rise from the dead comes in large part thanks to a tidal wave of eateries at a range of price points. Also, Books Inc. and Trader Joe’s. Be still my heart.
Midtown now has a good place for breakfast, Sancho’s fish tacos and soon, San Jose’s popular Bill’s Cafe for family breakfast and lunch.
Downtown Los Altos, too, has people walking around, sometimes even at night. From the reborn Cho’s Mandarin Dim Sum to the new Safeway, change has been good.
Downtown Mountain View was a singular beacon of gastronomic light back in the 1970s — the place to go for Chinese, Mexican and the early wave of Vietnamese restaurants. We can also thank Mountain View for introducing regional Chinese food.
Then there’s coffee. When I moved here, Peet’s in Menlo Park was the only purveyor of fresh coffee beans. That may be the biggest change of all.
I leave you with this final note, to the tune of “Goodnight, Moon.”
Goodnight, Silicon Valley
Goodnight, Evvia
Goodnight, Madera
Goodnight, potato chips at Fry’s
Goodnight, downtown streets full of hungry guys (and the occasional woman)
Goodnight, inescapable salads of kale
Goodnight, beloved Milk Pail
Goodnight, restaurant investors enriched by tech rally
Goodnight, Silicon Valley.
