Dining & Restaurants in Silicon Valley | Columns

5 Things to Love: Restaurants for post-Valentine's Day dining
V.D. came and went and you didn't make dinner reservations and now everything's booked. Dining out on V.D. is too crowded anyway. We've found five romantic restaurants to check out after the smoke has cleared.

5 Things to Love: Places to sit on the floor
Feeling low about Valentine's Day? Dine with a group of friends on cushions, low stools or tatami mats.

5 Things to Love: Restaurants with great sake
We've found five places that offer premium sake.

5 Things to Love: Warming foods
Try a little Chinese wisdom to warm you up.

5 Things to Love: Aphrodisiacs
While scientists question the ability of food to loosen the libido, why not conduct some Valentine's Day experiments of your own with the five aphrodisiacs we've chosen?

5 Things to Love: New restaurants worth trying in '07
All of a sudden a lot of new restaurants are popping up.

5 Things to Love: Great Asian food malls
Whatever you call them—minimalls, strip malls, shopping centers—these places contain some of the best Asian dining in Silicon Valley.

5 Things to Love: Restaurants up above it all
If the holidays have you feeling like you need to head to the hills and get away from it all, consider a meal at one of these top spots.

5 Things to Love: Vegetarian restaurants
These restaurants will help you feel lighter and counteract all that overindulging.

5 Things to Love: South Bay caterers
Instead of spending days in the kitchen for your holiday dinner, hire someone else to do it.

5 Things to Love: The most interesting restaurant debuts of 2006
In restaurant-crowded Santana Row, newcomer Tanglewood is a standout.

5 Things to Love: Winter fruits
Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you have to stop eating fruit.

5 Things to Love: Restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner
A home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner is great, but if you're too busy or don't feel like cooking, try one of these restaurants on turkey day.

5 Things to Love: Places to celebrate the GOP's defeat
In your face, Bush!

5 Things to Love: Alternatives to Butterball Turkeys
Why not try serving the good stuff this Thanksgiving?

5 Things to Love: Sources for cold weather brew
Seasonal winter ales, bocks and barley wines to take the chill off.

5 Things to Love: Frightening foods
Hot Pockets didn't make the list, but bagged spinach sure did.

5 Things to Love: Top Bakeries
Be prepared for all those holiday parties parties and visiting family with a few great desserts from these great bakeries.

5 Things to Love: Restaurants With Private Dining Rooms
For fancy family get-togethers or posh holiday work parties.

5 Things to Love: Old-school (and Still Cool) Restaurants
Restaurants that have not faded with age.

5 Things to Love: Spinach Alternatives
Thanks to E. coli.

5 Things to Love: Sources for Good Portuguese Food
While most people would be hard pressed to name more than one Portuguese eatery, Silicon Valley has more than a few.

5 Things to Love: Homegrown Specialty Grocery Stores
We've found five alternatives to Whole Foods.

5 Things to Love: Great Diners
Five of Silicon Valley's top coffee shops.

5 Things to Love: Thai Restaurants
Thai food may not have the exoticism it did 20 years ago, but it can still be quite good.

5 Things to Love: Reasons to Keep Drinking
Research has shown wine and beer to have substantial health benefits. So drink up. It's good for you.

5 Things to Love: Kid-Friendly Restaurants
Five restaurants where kids can be loud and messy and you still eat a decent meal.

5 Things to Love: Great Tastes of Silicon Valley
Five suggestions that will leave good tastes in the mouths of your family and friends from back home in the Midwest.

5 Things to Love: Places to Eat And Chill Out
Five chilly suggestions for when the next heat wave strikes.

5 Things to Love: Great Ice Cream Shops
The recent spate of hot weather makes it all the more important to make ice cream a regular part of your diet.

5 Things to Love: Fruits You Should Get to Know Better
Apples, strawberries and oranges are great and all but how about trying something a little different?

5 Things to Love: Good Pizzerias
Pizza is so simple. Dough. Some cheese. A little sauce, a few toppings and some quality time in the oven. But not every place does it well. We've found five that do.

5 Things to Love: Good Los Gatos Breakfast Joints
Los Gatos is blessed with beautiful homes, beautiful people, gorgeous mountain views and more than its fair share of good breakfast options.

5 Things to Love: Good Sources for Take-out Food
Consider our recommendations for take-out.

5 Things to Love: Ethnic Supermarkets
That single 'ethnic foods' aisle in Safeway looks pretty weak compared to these five ethnic superstores.

5 Things to Love: Top Local Wineries
Not all of the Golden State's best wineries are in the Napa Valley.

5 Things to Love: Great Brewpubs
Summertime is brew time.

5 Things to Love: Great Barbecue Joints
Restaurants where you can get your summer barbecue fix.

5 Things to Love: Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water
Tap water is better.

5 Things to Love: Japanese Restaurants
Five izakaya-style restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Restaurants With Outdoor Dining.

5 Things to Love
Restaurants Serving Mother's Day Brunch.

5 Things to Love
Spring Vegetables You Should Plant Now.

5 Things to Love
Earthquake Preparedness Foods.

5 Things to Love: Good Mexican Restaurants
Mexican food is perfect this season because it reminds us of warm weather.

5 Things to Love: The Great Outdoors
Some prime wild foods to sample, from wild mushrooms to seaweed and truffles.

Food News: 5 Things to Love
5 Things surveys Spring Crops.

5 Things to Love: Wine-loving Restaurants
Five restaurants that offer special wine-tasting events and menus.

5 Italian Take-out restaurants—San Jose, Saratoga and Palo Alto
These take-out restaurants are readymade for fans of 'The Sopranos.'

5 Tri-Tip Restaurants in San Jose and Morgan Hill
Grilled tri-tip tips for meat lovers looking for a slice of sirloin heaven.

5 Essential Cookbooks
From 'The Joy of Cooking' to 'The Essential Cuisines of Mexico'—five cookbooks no home chef should be without.

5 Things to Love
Edible Flowers.

5 Things to Love
Good Sushi Restaurants.

5 Things
Restaurants Guaranteed To Impress.

5 Things to Love
Aphrodisiacs for a Steamy Valentine's Day.

5 Things to Love
Your Expense Account.

5 Things to Love
Foods for Inner Warmth.

5 Things to Love
National Food Days.

5 Things
Stett's Top 10 Dishes of 2005: Part 2.

5 Things to Love
Stett's Top 10 Dishes of 2005: Part 1.

5 Things to Love
Candy Canes.

5 Things to Love
Out of Town Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Habits of Highly Successful Waiters.

5 Things to Love
Habits Of Highly Irritating Waiters.

5 Things to Love
Foods That Make You Smart.

5 Things to Love
Places to Feast Without The Fuss.

5 Things to Love
Golf Course Grills.

5 Things to Love
Food Gift Ideas.

5 Things to Love
Great Food Websites.

5 Things to Love
Bubble Tea Shops.

5 Things to Love
Dog-Friendly Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Good Korean Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Farmers Markets.

5 Things to Love
Heirloom Tomato Varieties.

5 Things to Love
Great Falafel Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Ways to Eat Your '5 a day.'

5 Things to Love
Great Sandwich Shops.

5 Things to Love
Things to Do With Zucchini.

5 Things to Love
Wine Bars.

5 Places to Love
Great Burger Joints.

5 Things to Love
Big Sur Restaurants.

5 Places to Love
Restaurants Near the HP Pavilion.

5 Places to Love
Ice Cream Shops.

5 Places to Love
Global Barbecue Restaurants.

5 Places to Love
Malaysian Restaurants.

5 Places to Love
Special Occasion Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Foods to Eat While Driving.

5 Places to Love
Halal Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Great Camping Foods.

5 Places to Love
Restaurants Open Late.

5 Places to Love
Time-Proven Silicon Valley Restaurants.

5 Things to Love
Salmon Alternatives.

5 Things to Love
Great Songs About Food.

5 Things to Love
Spring Crops.

5 Places to Love
Picnic Spots.

5 Places to Love
Great Dim Sum Restaurants.

5 Reasons Not to Buy Farmed Salmon
Stick with the wild fish.

5 Places to Love
Farmers' Markets.

5 Places to Love
Great Mexican Restaurants.

5 Places to Love
Hawaiian-style restaurants.

5 Local CSAs
Community supported agriculture is becoming increasingly important to the continued existence of smaller farms.

5 Alternative Wine Varieties
Part of what's fun about drinking wine is discovering new kinds of wine.

5 Places
Crab Cake Spots.

5 Must-Haves
Inside Your Fridge.

5 Places to Love
Romantic Restaurants.

5 Great Movies About Food
A lot of movies treat food as a prop, so we've found five where food plays a more central, if not starring, role.

5 Places to Love
Good Burger Joints.

5 Places to Love
Vegetarian restaurants.

5 Top Dishes From 2004
Here's to a new year of more good food.

5 Places to Love
Party Like It's 2005.

5 Places to Love
Five establishments that serve food and libation hearthside during the California winter.

5 Places to Love
New Restaurants of '04.

5 Rooms With a View
Silicon Valley boasts a few restaurants where the view enhances the food, or maybe it's the other way around.

5 Places to Love
Brewpubs.

5 Reasons to Love
Half Moon Bay.

5 Places to Love
Seasonal 'shrooms.

5 Things to Love
Cold Weather Veggies.

5 Places to Love
Thanksgiving.

5 Places to Love
Salmon.

5 Places to Love
Your Expense Account.