

Sino had a wonderful drink menu. Starting clockwise: Elena ordered the Ecstasy - Absolut Peach Vodka, Peach Liqueur and sparkling wine. Amanda ordered the Dirty Dirty Martini - Kettle One Vodka, olive juice and hand stuffed blue cheese olives. I ordered my usual Mojito - this one made with Tangueray Rangspur Gin, fresh lime juice and mint leaves. Last but not least, Kelly ordered the Red Head in Bed - Strawberry Smirnoff, muddled strawberries, lemon sour, simple syrup and Sprite.
These are Vegetable Egg rolls, we did not order these but they placed them on our table. They said it was their mistake but allowed us to enjoy them anyway. They were great! My favorite of the night!
All in all our experience at Sino's was a good one. The inside was packed and they have very LOUD music pumping in the bar area. We sat in the very back of the restaurant and still were having trouble holding a conversation amongst the noise. The restaurant turns into a nightclub and as we were leaving there was a line about 30 people deep to get in! The food was hit and miss, pricey but it was a cool space. I now know what to order and what to stay away from. The service was decent for it being so packed. I would return. 1.75 thumbs up for awesome atmosphere.
My order was the Chardonnay Steamed Mussels. Prince Edward Island Mussels, Andouille Sausage, Saffron, Spicy Aioli, Garlic Toast. Very good!
Elena's order: Heirloom Beet Salad with Wild Rocket Arugula, Toasted Hazelnuts, Ricotta Salata Cheese, Citrus Vinaigrette and a side of Crispy Monterey Calamari. She raved that the calamari was the best ever.
Kelly's order: Wild Mushroom Risotto in Porcini Cream Sauce with an addition of Grilled Salmon. So comforting. Ample portion size as well.
All in all we had a lovely time at this little bistro. We started off outside on the sidewalk sitting at quaint table. The weather started to get nasty and so half way through we moved inside. The staff was very accommodating and very sincere. The meal was a smidge pricey but what do you expect on Santana Row. Would I return? Maybe. I want to check out all the rest of the restaurants on the Row first though. 1.5 thumbs up.
I was invited to join my two friends, Elena and Amanda to go to San Jose for a day of shopping. Before we set out scouring stores we needed to fuel up and get our energy. On the drive up to San Jose we were deciding on where to go and Elena just raved about "Bill's" so we made plans to meet their cousin and dine there. We pulled in to the 1115 Willow Street location and noticed the place is packed! I mean people outside, inside so full! We put our name down on the list and within 30 minutes we were seated.
It was chilly outside Sunday morning so we were pretty thrilled when the hostess brought us inside to eat. Within 5 minutes of being seated we were greeted by a friendly waiter and menus so large it was going to take a Mimosa to figure out what I wanted to order. The extensive breakfast menu covers all of the classic breakfast traditions, along with an selection of creative specialties. And if you start the day late, you can rest assured knowing that breakfast at Bill's is served all day, along with a wide choice of lunch items, ranging from classic sandwiches, to salads, to our daily chef's specials.
Elena ordered the Poached y Papas - seasoned Potato Skins, topped with shredded Cheddar Cheese, Bacon Bits and Chives, two poached Eggs, covered in our incredible Hollandaise Sauce. Her choice of side were the Home Potatoes. She enjoyed this.
Celina ordered the Mexicano Omelette - Filled with Jalapeno Chilies, Avocado, Sour Cream, Jack Cheese, topped with fresh Salsa. Also served with Side of Toast.
MY ORDER! You all are probably thinking, surprise surprise. But how could I not order the Crab Cakes Benedict? Two Crab Cakes topped with two poached Eggs and a rich Hollandaise Sauce. I elected to not have a side of hash browns or home potatoes and got fresh fruit instead. This was by far the best breakfast I have ever had.
Celina's boyfriend ordered The Club - Triple-Decker! Toasted Sourdough Bread bursting with Turkey, Bacon, American Cheese, Tomatoes, Lettuce and Mayonnaise. A lot of food. Consider yourself warned.
And last but not least we all shared the Parisienne French Toast -Giant Croissant baked fresh daily in our own oven, dipped in Egg Batter and grilled just right, sprinkled with Powdered Sugar and Cinnamon. How good does that sound? Holy calories it was delicious!!
Wow! I was very impressed with this place. The numbers don't lie. People were waiting outside for up to 45 minutes to eat here! It is that good. What I thought was nice was they offered you complimentary coffee while you waited. I also noticed you can bring your dog with you if you sat outside. That is kind of cool. They have a full bar inside the restaurant as well so you could get your drink on early, if that was your thing. I am sure everything on the menu is delicious so check it out and tell me what your favorite item to order is! Two thumbs up, hands down. This is where you need to go for GREAT breakfast.
Complimentary bread and butter.
My dining companions did their ordering a little different that I did. I ordered my entree ala carte where they went big and did the Seven Course! Seven Courses - Wow! The Complete Seven Course Dinner includes: Salad, Assorted Antipasti, Vegetable Soup, Pasta Meat Sauce, Entrée of choice, Coffee, and Spumoni Ice Cream. So let's go...
First up was the Salad with Italian Dressing and a side of Three Bean. Tasty.
Small plates of Olives, Calamari Salad, Marinated Eggplant, Italian Ham and a pickled Vegetable Salad of sort.
A very hearty Vegetable Soup sprinkled with Parmesan.
Pasta with Meat sauce. Getting full yet?
Gnocchi, the Italian dumpling bathed in their house meat sauce.
Bobby's order Baked Lasagna - hard to tell that it was Lasagna from the photo.
Veal Parmesan - Mike's order. He was happy with his order. Doesn't it look great?
Now it is my turn for what I ate! Finally! I ordered what was written on the Special's Board. The Crab Cioppino. Apparently it was not supposed to be on the Board and it was not on the menu for the evening. However, they pulled through and made it for me anyway! How nice of them. It was a full bowl of a whole Crab, Mussels, Clams, Prawns and Calamari all bathed in a tomato based broth. Tasted fantastic! The best cioppino I have ever in my life. Hands down!
The sixth and seventh courses were coffee and Spumoni. The Spumoni tasted a lot like Pistachio Ice Cream. Still very delicious.