Mexicali Grill

Name: Mexicali Grill
[see below for address, phone and Web site]
Date & Time visited: Friday, November 28, 2008, 7:15 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Camarones burrito (me), Chile Colorado (Jen), 1800 Cadillac margarita (me), Mexicali Bullet margarita (Jen)

I'd been craving a camarones (shrimp) burrito since seeing one on an episode of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" so when Jen suggested having dinner at the Mercado before a movie at the AMC, I jumped at the chance. The camarones burrito was perfect -- lots of shrimp, very flavorful, wet but not too wet. It was served with Mexican rice, black beans sprinkled with queso fresco and fresh guacamole. Jen said her Chile Colorado was well-made, with a tasty sauce and plenty of meat. She forgot to ask for black beans but said the refried beans were all right.

Service: Fair. A bit of a wait for water refills and to get the check, but not bad.

Would we go back: Yes.

Bennigan's

Name: Bennigan's
Address: 4150 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, California 95054
Phone: 408-748-0378
Web site: www.bennigans.com
Date & Time visited: Saturday, January 21, 2006, 3:00 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Fried mozzerella appetizer, "Turkey O'Toole" sandwich (Jen), Mediterranean Grilled Chicken sandwich (me).

Our appetizer was free with a coupon from the South Bay Spring Home & Garden Show at neighboring Santa Clara Convention Center, and they were well-seasoned and not too greasy. Our sandwiches cames with dill spears (fresh!) and french fries (done just right and not soggy). My sandwich was very tasty but had a tendency to fall apart as I was eating it. Jen didn't have that problem with her equally good sandwich. We passed on dessert.

Service: A bit slow but not bad. Our server did seem to forget about us a few times.

Would we go back: This location is very close to the Mercado shopping center, where our usual movie theater is located, so it's likely that we'll go back.

Tomatina

Name: Tomatina
[see below for location & Web site]
Date & Time visited: Friday, October 14, 2005, 1:30 PM
Guests: Jen and me
What we had: Tomatina garlic rolls, Pizzetta (Jen), Express lunch [two slices of 3-cheese/pancetta plus salad] (me)

This was a quick lunch on our way to the airport, and so the Express lunch worked perfectly; the spicy three-cheese pizza had the unexpected bonus of pancetta and italian parsley and was very good. Jen enjoyed her Pizzetta, basically an arugula salad on pizza dough, very much. The garlic rolls were excellent as usual.

Service: Quick and friendly. This place caters to the local lunch crowd during the day--Yahoo, McAfee, Sun and WebEx all have offices within walking distances--and so the wait staff know they need to get their customers fed and on their way.

Would we go back: Yes.

Mexicali Grill

Name: Mexicali Grill
Address: 3149 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, California 95054
Phone: (408) 588-9865
Web site: MexicaliGrill.com
Date & Time visited: Saturday, October 1, 2005, 9:00 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Chicken nachos (Jen), Mole Rojo (me)

Jen's chicken nachos were very good, with fresh chips and guacamole creating a nice mix of flavor; no one ingredient (chicken, salsa, cheese, etc.) overwhelmed the dish. My Mole Rojo was, quite simply, one of the best entrees I've ever had. The restaurant's menu says about this dish:

Imported ingredients direct from Oaxaca, Mexico. This truly authentic dish comes with two chicken enchiladas covered with our rich mole sauce made with 36 different ingredients. Topped with queso fresco, Crema Mexicana. Served with rice and black beans.

I'd never had Mole anything, though I'd heard about it. The sauce was complex and very tasty, and the chicken enchiladas provided enough substance to play backup without overpowering the sauce, which was of course the real star of the dish. I'm going to have to seek out other Mole dishes.

Service: Very good. This is another restaurant at the Mercado shopping center (near Tomatina) and the service was efficient without being pushy; we got to our movie in plenty of time.

Would we go back: Definitely, if to have that Mole again if nothing else. We've been there before for margaritas and nachos instead of a full meal before a movie and we'll likely do that again as well.

Tomatina

Name: Tomatina
Address: 3127 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, California 95054
Phone: (408) 654-9000
Web site: www.tomatina.com
Date & Time visited: Tuesday, May 31, 2005, 7:20 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Tomatina Garlic rolls, Caesar salad, Spicy Three Cheese pizza.

Service: Fair. When ordering to share, I'm always extra sure to tip as if we'd each had a full meal. Unfortunately, there isn't really a good way to let the server know that beforehand, so sometimes you get someone with an "oh great, half tip" attitude. I don't know that our server was thinking that exactly, but he might as well have been. When we ordered one appetizer, one salad and one pizza for both of us, he seemed visibly annoyed--though he didn't say or actively do anything to express it--and service during the meal was spotty at best. We've had much better experiences here on previous visits, so I'm chalking it up to one person having a bad night.

You must try Tomatina's signature garlic rolls. They're just amazing. Make sure to dip them thoroughly in the garlic and oil provided. The spicy three cheese pizza actually had prosciutto and parsley as well as cheese, and was very good.

Would we go back: Yes. This restaurant is located in the Mercado shopping center in Santa Clara, next to our favorite movie theater.