BY ALAN CHAZARO
ILLUSTRATION BY NINA KULICK
GOOSEBERRY DESIGNS
Before becoming the avatar of modern day Silicon Valley (a term coined in 1971 by journalist Don Hoefler to highlight the region’s booming semiconductor and microchip industry), Mountain View belonged to another famous valley: the Valley of the Heart’s Delight. For decades, the region boasted one of the largest cornucopias of fruit orchards in the nation. And though the vestiges of its agricultural glory have largely faded, Mountain View still maintains a sense of abundance in its gastronomic offerings.
Beyond the city’s bustling downtown strip, where hot pot and dim sum lovers will especially delight in the area’s plenitude, Mountain View’s immigrant-laden businesses and seasonally minded chefs serve more than your average American suburb. With standouts like Zareen’s (the innovative Pakistani-Indian powerhouse) and Doppio Zero (the Neapolitan pizza king of the Peninsula), there’s no shortage of Michelin-approved, top-tier restauranting here. With a vista of the nearby Santa Cruz mountains, culinary wonders await in my hometown.
BLOOMSGIVING
For those in need of a sip with floral aromatics, look no further than Bloomsgiving. The hip café and plant nursery on Castro Street is earthy, verdant and serves some of the best caffeinated pick-me-ups in the 650. Libations range from your classic morning staples to craftier variations like black sesame lattes, iced orange oat lattes, passionfruit espresso tonics and matcha spritzes. The coffee comes from Academic Coffee Company, a San Jose–based supplier. And the house tonic syrup is made using freshly picked ingredients from the farmers market.
“In spring, our store is blooming with locally grown flowers used for bouquets and attached to the side of your drinks,” boast owners Jessica Han and Daniel Xing. In addition, they have a delectable pastry selection with bacon-onion croissants, kouign-amann and more, for both savory lovers and sweet-toothers alike.
MOUNTAIN VIEW FARMERS’ MARKET
If you’re in town on a Sunday morning, swing by the Mountain View Farmers’ Market at the Caltrain and VTA light rail station for the freshest offerings around. Besides the general panoply of bread, fruit and veggie suppliers, two local vendors are Papachay—a specialty Peruvian tea and coffee maker from San Carlos with specialty beverages like cascara and emoliente made with fresh herbs—and Roadside Rotisserie—a rotisserie truck on wheels offering juicy free-range and hormone-free proteins, along with incredible sides like organic chicken liver pâté. The family-friendly affair won’t disappoint, and you can pick up enough goods for an easy picnic at nearby Shoreline Park.
KHAO KANG THAI KITCHEN
Named after Thailand’s ever-popular dish khao-kang, or curry over rice, this unassuming strip mall joint is a hidden gem. There are certainly more institutional Thai spots in the area (downtown’s Amarin and nearby Shana Thai, for starters) but Khao Kang has a youthful flair that is hard to match. Quintessential Thai fare is the way to go here—the pad thai, pineapple fried rice and panang all shine. But Khao Kang also stands out because they have a separate street food menu that offers Thai favorites like khao moo dang (rice with BBQ pork) and kow ka pow (veggie fried rice with basil and egg, more commonly known as khao kra pao) in a simplified, scaled-down format. Plus: They serve durian and mango sticky rice desserts.
ROSE INTERNATIONAL MARKET
At the far end of downtown, where El Camino Real crisscrosses its way through the Bay Area’s most populous county, Rose International Market stands as one of the oldest operating grocery stores. A longtime community staple, you’ll find Persian koobideh, kebabs of all varieties (veggie, poultry, beef, lamb), yogurt-marinated chunks of tandoori and lahori chicken, fresh wraps, ghormeh sabzi (an herb and lime beef stew), fesenjan (a simmered chicken stew in pomegranate and walnut sauce) and much more.
The dishes are absolutely transcendent and rooted in old-school Iranian flavors and traditions. Inhale the smell of a thousand spices that permeate the shop’s aisles while you sip freshly squeezed pomegranate juice as the
cooks grill everything to go.
ROGER BAR AND RESTAURANT
A modern gastropub—conceptualized by the team behind the Michelin-starred Madera in Menlo Park—the vibe at Roger is refined but casual. Everything is inspired by the nearby NASA Ames Research Center and Moffett Field with a sleek touch that stands out in the predominantly residential area. Tucked inside Ameswell Hotel, the trendy eatery features locally sourced ingredients from nearby suppliers in Marin, Santa Cruz and Brentwood. Spade & Plow Organics, a family-owned farm in Santa Clara county, provides goods too.
In addition, Roger boasts the Wing Bar, which is shaped like an airplane’s wing. The cocktails are aviation-themed, of course (see: the bourbon-rich Paper Plane; the seaweed-infused Seaplane; the aged-rum and walnut liqueur Pan Am). As for bites, the dishes rotate by season, with slightly elevated takes on all the American classics (Wagyu burgers, maple and sherry Brussels sprouts, Gilroy garlic fries). On their spring menu, a fried chicken sandwich will feature a hot honey, mixed pepper agrodolce, onion and pickled pepper relish, shredded lettuce and ranch dressing.
“We aren’t using produce that is out of season locally or that has to be flown in from another country, to minimize our footprint,” says Executive Chef Jack Bui. “[We] have spent countless hours working with our procurement team in finding farmers and vendors with values that match our own, knowing that ingredients taste better when they are handled with care, thought and nourishment.”
Alan Chazaro is the author of This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album (Black Lawrence Press, 2019), Piñata Theory (Black Lawrence Press, 2020) and Notes From the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge (Ghost City Press, 2021). He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His writing can be found in GQ, NPR, The Guardian, LA Times and more.
