Tao Tao's - Sunnyvale, CA

I couldn't kick my Tao Tao's Chinese Food craving from the day before so my Mom and I tried again to score that yummy food! Success! We waited until dinner service on Saturday and even had to wait in a line forming at the door! It is that popular!

We ordered our meal to go in exception to the Tao Tao Salad and a drink to wait. I have read on Yelp that people are ga-ga for their Mai-Tai's. i had never had one before so I figured with my mom behind the wheel, I would give it a go. Holy moly! Do not order it, it is strong! No wonder people love it! it is like three cocktails for the price of one! Very, very potent.

The Tao Tao Salad was excellent. I love it because it has a hot mustard taste, but then is light and airy. The chicken is fried and has a chew to it. Their are cashews in the salad that give it texture, as well as the puffed rice noodles. I wish someone made Chinese Salad as good as Tao Tao's... Does anyone know of a place?

All boxed up and ready to go. We know what to order, this never fails: Two orders of Tao Tao Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pork Fried Rice, and Chicken Salad... That is all you need.

We brought the goods back so my Dad could enjoy a nice dinner. He was craving the Chinese food from the day before too. I love Tao Tao's - Where are all the good Chinese food restaurants Southern California?!!

Gumba's - Sunnyvale, CA

My Dad and I were Sunnyvale for a doctor appointment and we were so excited because after we could go to our favorite Chinese restaurant... Until we walked to the door and realized they closed between lunch and dinner... ?*&$!!! We were disappointed because it is so tasty! Upset but still hungry, we looked across the street and gave Gumba's a try.

I knew when I walked in it wasn't going to be this secret Italian Restaurant that we would love forever and ever but I knew my Dad was starving so we gave it an honest try.

Garlic bread came out, it was ok. Like I said, we were starving so a deep fried cat would have been ok too.

Ravioli please, and keep it coming. If they had to be known for one thing this should be it. We had the Beef Ravioli and the filling was well seasoned and there was plenty of it inside. Cooked to a perfect bite, without the insides exploding out of it. The gravy was solid. 

Let me say this one thing, they are nice and all but if Tao Tao's is open across the street just go there. 

I am just a sucker for their Chicken Salad... It makes me forget about anything else! 

Pedro's - Santa Clara, CA

My family at home all gathered at Sky High Jump Park in Santa Clara to burn off some off our Christmas calories. We jumped, while taking breaks, for two hours. I am sure we burned off lots of calories so a nice lunch at Pedro's was definitely in order.

It was decorated in pretty Christmas decoration but what made the space the most beautiful was the charming Spanish style. I love a Spanish adobe!

They brought out the chips and salsa and we dove in head first. I preferred the green salsa to the red.

The guacamole was nice, and everyone got their fill.

I saw salmon with mole sauce and creamy polenta on the menu and it had my name all over it. The salmon was cooked lovely but my one gripe was they left the skin on. I would have preferred a clean bite to soak up the sauce and polenta all in one bite.

My sister ordered the Verde Enchilada's and she too seemed to enjoy each bite. The rice came out green because it was cilantro rice! I love when rice gets "playful"... All in all, everyone seemed to enjoy their food. I know my Mom enjoyed a burrito, James liked his skirt steak, Kate had a salad and John had sizzling fajitas!

It was a lovely day. I would for sure would go back to jump off my naughty eating!

Jump, jump, jump... FLIP!

Vito's New York Trattoria - San Jose, CA

I flew to Nor-Cal for a visit and I ate some pretty delicious food. Tapas, Sushi and this...

Seafood Risotto...

And Pan Roasted Tilapia...

My Mom and I were in a rush but I will be back to do a proper review of this place. The food was THAT good! If your ever by the San Jose Airport give this place a look, it is just off of Skyport Drive.

Buca di Beppo - San Jose, CA

I chose this place by default. Everything else had a 45 minute wait and I was not in the mood to wait. Driving to San Jose after work, dealing with mall parking lots and shopping can make me one irritated sister. So I figured I would try it and boy did I make the wrong decision.

The menu is just pages and pages of noodles. I know I picked an Italian joint but I know they eat things other than noodles right? I finally found Veal Parmigiana on the menu and decided to go with that. The small version of this dish was $21.95. I only wanted one serving! This place is served family style. So I chugged my Limoncello Martini and got out of there! Next time I am going to Olive Garden!

Yankee Pier - San Jose, CA

I would like to say we went to Santana Row and it was a beautiful day. It wasn't! Very cold and overcast... It didn't scare us away! We came hungry and ready to shop. My sister said the Yankee Pier had the BEST clam chowder so I had to try it myself...

Hey look, it is Melissa Good Taste!

Inside the YP it was very East Coast, beach house feel.


Jennifer! The one who swore by the chowder...

Downtown Brown? Don't mind if I do! It was a nutty brew, very creamy.

Oysters on the half shell, yes please! Tasty little devils.

Did you know the smaller the oyster the sweeter the taste?!

According to Jennifer this is the best clam chowder ever. It was pretty good. Not the best, but darn good. I appreciate the dill biscuit floater. I am a believer Jennifer!

This is the Hot Lobster Roll - Just toast filled with heated sweet lobster. I wish they served it with melted butter. But, no. They served it plain Maybe a suggestion for next time?

Fish and Chips - Delicatly breaded and delicious. I know fried foods are pretty hard to mess up but the quality of the fish is really what made this over the top.

After our meal we had to walk off some of the calories we just consumed. A good way to do that is by shopping! In and out of stores we went settling on purchases from Anthropology and H&M. It was a lovely day but I think I need a nap now!

Sharks Cage - San Jose Airport

So we rushed, rushed, rushed to get to San Jose in time to catch our Southwest flight to Vegas and low and behold... we hit a snag! We were loaded up on the plane and then they decided the weather was too bad in Las Vegas so our flight was delayed. The rain supposedly was messing things up at the McCarran International Airport. They let us get off the plane and explore the airport awhile. First stop, Shark Cage Sports Bar for the essentials on any adventure: a cold beer and super nachos! They were exactly what they were supposed to be, messy and delicious! Not an everyday treat, but they sure hit the spot! An hour and a half later we re-boarded the plane and off to Vegas we went!

Left Bank Brasserie - San Jose, CA

With cloudy skies above, my girlfriends and I ventured to San Jose, brunch and facials were what we had in mind. We decided to go to Left Bank, since we all had not been there before. Located in San Jose’s Santana Row, Left Bank Brasserie transports guests to a quaint brasserie in Paris, where diners feast upon classic French cuisine in a charming brasserie setting along the boulevard, where people-watching has been elevated to a sport.

The three of us - excited for a relaxing day.

I really liked this picture, so colorful and the elephant looked so happy!

The Ultimate Indulgence -Fondue aux Fromages. Brie, Blue and Goat’s Cheese Fondue. Holy Moly! The three of us shared this and still could not even come close to finishing it.

Of course I ordered the soup. It was Cream of Butternut Squash, very tasty - just needed a pinch of salt.

My order was the Quiche et Salade. Quiche of crab meat, mushrooms, spinach & Emmental cheese; frisée salad. Very tasty. I love Quiche's they can have almost any filling and still be wonderful.

Elena's order was the Brouillè de Provence. Which was Scrambled Eggs with oven-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, basil & potato hash with Artisan goat’s cheese. I think the photo did not do the dish justice. She said it tasted amazing.

Last but not least, Amanda's order of Eufs Bénédictes.
Which basically was Eggs Benedict - Poached Eggs with Parisian ham, English muffin, hollandaise and potato hash. I am a big fan of anything hollandaise.

At this point we were pretty relaxed, and full from our delicious meal. We strolled on out of the restaurant just in time to take advantage of the full spa - steam room, sauna, jacuzzi before our appointments. I would recommend the Left Bank to those who have not tried it, French food is fun because everything sounds so fancy! It gave us a good laugh. There is a lot to try on their menu - the dinner read amazing! Santana Row is fun - thank you Amanda and Elena for a lovely day.

Mezcal - San Jose, Ca

A trip to Oak Ridge made me hungry. Hungry enough to wander to Downtown San Jose. After walking what seemed like 3 miles - I finally made up my mind on Mezcal - Oaxacan Bistro & Mezcal Bar. I figured I love Mexican food! Alright!! Little did I know it was so not just Mexican food...




This photo is taken from outside looking in. We sat outside under a propane heater, it was a chilly evening in San Jose.


So we sit down and get these fabulous menus. They were punched tin and totally unique - I like that. So our drink order was taken and I asked for chips and salsa. The waiter then told me that they do not have salsa, but something much better - mole! I said, "Well, great.. bring it out here. I am hungry!" He then described the menu, which included Fried Grasshoppers! He said Oaxacan food was much different than the usual Mexican food - sour cream, salsa, flour tortilla and nachos. Something a tad more authentic and native to Oaxaca. Intriguing...


This is the Mole that they brought out with the chips. The one on the far left is the Black Oaxacan mole made from a base of chocolate. The middle one was my least favorite, I will call it "Red" because of the bright hue. It had too much of a tomato paste flavor and was the last one to go. The last one on the right came in a close second place in the mole tasting. "Yellow" had a tomatillo and peanut base and it was tangy. Yummy. Cheers to Mole!




Enmoladas - Fried corn tortillas topped with black Oaxacan Mole, queso fresco, chopped onions made vegetarian style. This was so yum! You know how I love extra sauce with everything - well, I got it all right! The black beans, sauteed vegetables and rice were served in a trio platter with an unlimited refill journey.



Mole Negro - Chicken covered with black Oaxacan Mole made from chiles, spices, seeds and chocolate served with rice and handmade corn tortillas. So much sauce, very tender piece of chicken. Love.

The food is very unique at Mezcal... at least that's the idea. It's 'authentic Mexican cuisine' you know, the type 'real Mexicans' eat in 'real Mexico.' Anyway, the basics are the same; meat and cheeses within a 'taco, enchilada, tamale' type dishes... good but nothing incredible or especially unique. I had a great time experiencing something new, even if there was not any sour cream or melty cheese. The prices were decent, service kind of slow but atmosphere was great. I like that it was different! Melissa Good Taste says - yes! 1.5 thumbs up.

Pinkberry - Santana Row

Before we hit the road on Sunday afternoon we decided to check out Pinkberry and see what the big hype is about ... Hollywood loves this stuff!


I decided on the Original yogurt with my two sides: Shaved milk chocolate and almonds. I enjoyed it, but am not sure why people are obsessed with this stuff.

Sino - Santana Row

Us all rested up and relaxed from the day at the Spa. Now time to make our 9pm reservation at Sino's - just a 5 minute walk from the Hotel Valencia.