Fried food + BBQ in this weeks edition
by Alexander Quebec
Alrighty folks; closing out March, and opening up on our first day of Spring, we have a few new places for you to check out in the area.
#GetFried – Santa Clara
While not a new restaurant per se, the owner did mention that his location is the first west of Texas. The chain’s focus? French fries
Fries have always been a sidecar to everything else, but this place makes them the one and only. While you can get your fries plain and in many different styles such as hand-cut, waffle cut and more, you should give one of their loaded versions of fries a try. My favorite was the poutine (pictured above), which was made the traditional Canadian way:with cheese curds and a lot of brown gravy. One thing you have to try, however, is the slider trio: one beef patty, one buffalo chicken and one pulled pork, all of them sandwiched between two waffle cut fries.
Mesquite & Oak – San Jose
Located in the Luna Park Neighborhood of San Jose (to be honest, I didn’t even know these areas had names) Mesquite & Oak has already grown a loyal following for thier Ribs, which have a tendency to sell out quickly (or so I’m told). Luckily, I got a chance to try them out, I could see why they were so good, just the right amount of juicy, fall of the bone goodness. BBQ dinner’s aren’t complete without sides, and the sides here are pretty standard fare, but what stood out to me the most was the Chilli, which was true to form in the traditional way, by that I mean no beans in it whatsoever. Overall, Mesquite & Oak was a good experience overall.
Mendocino Farms – San Jose
Like Getfried, Mendocino farms isn’t exactly a new thing, but rather a chain from Socal. However, they’ve recently started to expand here in Norcal (first location was in Campbell, take that SF, kidding).
An upscale sandwich shop serving all sorts of healthy and fresh sandwiches and entrees, I decided to give the Mary’s Not So fried Chicken sandwich a try (pictured above). Chicken is easy to screw up on, but this chicken was just right, not too dry or greasy. The place also allows you to sample their sides before you buy. While the farro was a bit chewy for my taste, the Cous cous was a clear winner to me (runner up award goes to the potato salad). This location also has beer on tap for those who want something a little more heddy with their meal. For your next lunch date or weekend afternoon.
Are you in on a new place for us to check out? You can always tell us on Social Media with the hashtag #heycaliplate or send us an email. You can also see more food porn on our instagram page too, so what are you waiting for?