Welcome to the newest series here at The Calder Times, Cuda Chomps! During the season, I did a series of interviews with some San Jose Barracuda players, and one question that didn’t make it into any of the finished pieces was one near and dear to my heart: Where do you like to eat in San Jose? As a self confessed foodie, I’m always looking for new and exciting places to eat in the Bay Area, and this was a fun way to try and expand my horizons. I’ll also be adding a few of my own San Jose favourites at the end. If you find yourself in the San Jose metro area and don’t know what to eat, don’t worry, because TCT has got you covered!
Justin Bailey
Bailey was new to town when we talked, but he already picked out a great place to eat with Rookies Sports Lodge, located in downtown San Jose. His personal favourite entree is the Pineapple Express, a chicken teriyaki rice bowl packed with veggies and fresh pineapple. Rookies is the premier sports bar in the San Jose metro area, with over 20 TVs playing every sport possible. They also have a location a little further out in Willow Glen, if you find yourself in suburbia suddenly. Rookies boasts New American cuisine, cold beers, crafted cocktails and all the sports your heart desires.
Brandon Coe
It’s not a secret that hockey players love sushi, so it’s not surprising that it only took me two interviews to get a sushi recommendation. Coe wasn’t the only player to recommend this spot, but he was the first, so he gets credit for it. Omee J is a fusion sushi bar and grill in Santa Clara, and offers not only sushi, but soups, rice bowls, curries and bento boxes; basically any kind of Japanese cuisine you’re craving!
Thomas Bordeleau
Bordeleau tried not to give me an answer to this question, as he didn’t want his favourite tiny sushi spot to get blown up. However, after gatekeeping his go-to pre-game meal destination, he offered my personal favourite on this list, the San Pedro Square Market. San Pedro Square is directly downtown, and has everything from pizza and burgers to Mongolian food and mochi doughnuts. It also has two full bars, a Voyager coffee (get the matcha blondies and ask them for the rainbow latte art!) and my go to spot, a pasta stand that makes fresh pasta and from scratch sauces to order.
It’s going to require some investigative journalism to find out Bordeleau’s secret spot, but this is a pretty good compromise.
Ozzy Wiesblatt
Wiesblatt and Coe are roommates, so it makes sense that they eat dinner together a lot. They ended up giving me two recommendations each, both identical, so for fairness’ sake, they each get one spot on the list. Maggiano’s is a nationwide Italian chain, the San Jose location being found at Santana Row, an upmarket outdoor mall close to the Winchester Mystery House. They offer Italian-American cuisine inspired by traditional Italian recipes including lasagna, baked ziti, and eggplant parmesan, among other great choices.
Kyle Rau
Rau was also new to town when I talked to him, but he’s been in San Jose a number of times as an away player, so he had plenty of recommendations, including another favourite of mine, Eataly, located in the Westfield Valley Fair mall, but his choice was a gourmet Italian deli in Willow Glen, Bertucelli’s. They offer a list of delicious sandwiches as long as my arm, and also traditional Italian desserts like fresh made cannelloni and sfogliatelli.
Tristen Robins
As one of the longer tenured Barracuda players I talked to this season, I knew Robins would have a good recommendation, and he didn’t disappoint, sending me to Trattoria 360, located in downtown Campbell. It’s the priciest option on this list, but it’s worth it, with fresh made pasta and top quality steaks, as well as a wine menu longer than both the entree and dessert menus combined.
Nathan Todd
Todd had the most low-key option on the list, another newcomer this season, but another favourite of mine. House of Bagels has several locations across the Bay Area, but the closest one is directly downtown, just off of the SJSU campus. They offer fresh, stone baked bagels in almost a dozen different options, and almost as many flavours of cream cheese. Great for a quick breakfast or an on the go lunch if you’re as busy as professional hockey player.
Author’s Recommendations
Last year, I started compiling an interactive google map of places I like to eat when I’m in the Bay Area, from San Jose and it’s suburbs all the way up to Oakland and out to Santa Cruz. I’ll link the full map at the end, but here are my top three places not already mentioned above:
Momosan Ramen
Located in Santana Row, just down the street from Maggiano’s, Momosan is owned by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and is, quite frankly, some of the best ramen I’ve ever had. The cocktails aren’t half bad, too.
QQ Noodle
There’s a theme developing with my food tastes, but in my defence, noodles are good. QQ is the oldest traditional handmade noodle shop in San Jose, and their handpulled noodles are literally four feet long. Located out in Cupertino, they’re cash-only, which means you need to plan ahead, but I promise you, they’re worth it. Fun fact, during my chat with Rau, he asked me if I had any recs in the general area, and this was my first instinct. Kyle, if you’re reading this, let me know if you went here and whether you liked it!
The Cats
And now for something completely different, The Cats is located in Los Gatos, on the way out of San Jose. They offer asian-inspired BBQ in the best kind of way, on a small but mighty menu. Get the pulled pork and the cornbread, you won’t be disappointed, I promise you.
Want more Bay Area food recs? Here’s an interactive Google Map containing over 20 places to eat in downtown San Jose and the surrounding areas. Go forth, enjoy, and if you find Thomas Bordeleau’s secret sushi hang out, don’t tell anyone!
