On September 22, [1] Metro, Silicon Valley’s weekly newspaper, put out their “[2] Best of Silicon Valley” issue, 2010 edition. It contains the readers’ choices and editors’ picks of the best locations, goods, and services available in Santa Clara County and beyond. Of all the “Best of” lists out there, Metro’s is the one I’ve always valued the most partly because it always brings the wacky with unique categories like “Best Place to be a Scarecrow”and “Best Place to Buy an Accordian,” but mostly because it delivers. Some of my favorite joints in the South Bay proudly display coveted Metro “Best of” placards. They have weight with me, and they’ve earned my trust.

It’s no surprise Metro is so in tune with quality in the Valley. As it so happens this is their 25th annual list, a noteworthy milestone. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. You might even say too well: the sucker is pretty large. This year the printed list is 80 pages long. I scanned every page with glee but quickly realized what the problem was. They covered the entire Valley including, shockingly enough, businesses and locations that are not on El Camino Real. Yeah, I know, right? I understand their reasoning. Conceivably someone could find themselves on, say, San Carlos Street and they can’t easily get to El Camino and they desperately need to buy some sporty sunglasses. In such a scenario a two-dimensional “Best of” list could hypothetically be handy. All the same I took it upon myself to scour the list and extract for you the best of the “Best of,” the winners which are located on extended El Camino Real.

The list is below, presented not by category but in rough geographical order. Winners that are tagged with “#2″ or “#3″ came in second or third in the readers’ polling; otherwise they came in first or were simply awarded by the editors. This was a big copy-’n’-paste job so I apologize in advance for any errors I might have injected.

As I was putting this together I noticed that the list is heavily weighted towards Downtown San Jose. Then I remembered: Metro Silicon Valley is headquartered on El Camino, at 550 South First Street, in San Jose’s SoFA district. Now we know why the list is so good.

Rosso’s Furniture

#3 Best Furniture Store
6881 Monterey Road, Gilroy

Tony Di Maggio’s Pizza

Best Stromboli
3852 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

Road Rider

#2 Best Motorcycle Shop
2897 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

Southern Lumber

#2 Best Alternative to Home Depot
1402 Monterey Hwy., San Jose

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art

Best Art Gallery
560 S. First St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

#3 Best Art Museum
520 S. First St., San Jose

San Jose Stage Company

#2 Best Theater Company
490 S. First St., San Jose

WORKS/San Jose

[3] Best Gallery for Weird Art
#3 Best Art Gallery
451 S. First St., San Jose
I’ve been to WORKS three times in the past month, every two weeks, and each time the exhibit has been completely different. They turn this place over fast and frequently. I loved the most recent [4] (OP)Space installation.

South First Billiards

Best Place to Play Pool
420 S. First St., San Jose

Miami Beach Club

#2 Best Latin/Salsa Club
417 S. First St., San Jose

Bayonne

#3 Best New Restaurant
399 S. First St., San Jose
This is high on my list of places to try, featuring lighter Southern fare.

Agenda’s Wednesday salsa night

#3 Best Latin/Salsa Club
399 S. First St., San Jose

Wet

#3 Best Big Dance Club
396 S. First St., San Jose

Cherri Lakey & Brian Eder

Best Cultural Guerillas
Anno Domini, 366 S. First St., San Jose
I was unaware until now that this pair deserves a lot of credit for the cool, creative vision which San Jose’s SoFA district has become recently.

Brix Nightclub

#2 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
349 S. First St., San Jose

California Theatre

Most Romantic Movie Watching Spot
345 S. First St., San Jose

Symphony Silicon Valley

Best Symphony/Classical Group
325 S. First St., San Jose, performances at the California Theatre

Original Joe’s

Best Moderately Priced Italian Food
Best Late Night Eats
Best Martinis
301 S. First St., San Jose

Four Points by Sheraton

#3 Best Boutique Hotel - San Jose/Los Gatos
211 S. First St., San Jose

Soula Power Yoga

Best Yoga Studio
200 S. First St. #70, San Jose

San Jose Taiko and the Bangerz

Best Collaboration
SoFA District, San Jose
So sad I missed this live. Check it out on
[5] YouTube.

SubZero Festival

Best Urban Uprising
San Jose

Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose

Best Children’s Theater
271 S. Market St., San Jose, performances at Montgomery Theater

Tech Museum

Best History/Specialty Museum
201 S. Market St., San Jose

Tech Museum Store

#3 Best Toy Store
201 S. Market St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art

Best Art Museum
110 S. Market St., San Jose

San Jose Museum of Art Museum Store

#2 Best Gift Store
110 S. Market St., San Jose
Dang, now my Christmas gift-buying secret is out!

McCormick and Schmick’s

#2 Best Seafood Restaurant
#2 Best Happy Hour
170 S. Market St., San Jose

The Fairmont

Best Hotel
Best Luxury Hotel - San Jose/Los Gatos
170 S. Market St., San Jose

Fairmont Hotel Lobby Lounge

#3 Best Jazz/Blues Club
#3 Best Hotel Bar
170 S. Market St., San Jose

The Grill on the Alley

#2 Best Martinis
172 S. Market St., San Jose

Music in the Park

Best Local Festival
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose
A couple years ago I took my son to Music in the Park to see his first live rock band, Smash Mouth. He’ll always cherish that night.

San Jose Jazz Festival

[6] #2 Best Local Festival
Various venues, downtown San Jose

Linda Ronstadt

Best Official South Bay Cultural Treasure
Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival artistic director
I include her as an El Caminoan because the 2010 [7] San Jose Mariachi Festival culminated at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, which I also count as El Camino. It’s a long story.

Bill’s Beer Steamed Hot Dogs

Best Bacon Hot Dogs
Market and Santa Clara streets, San Jose

Hammer & Lewis Fashions

Best Name for a Downtown Store
19 S. First St., San Jose
It’s a San Jose thing. You wouldn’t understand.

Good Karma

Best Vegetarian Overall
#3 Best Asian Vegetarian
37 S. First St., San Jose

E&O Trading Company

Best Asian Fusion
#2 Best Malaysian Restaurant
96 S. First St., San Jose
Mmm…corn fritters…

Umbrella

#2 Best Hair Salon - San Jose/Sunnyvale/Los Gatos
2 N. Market St. #100, San Jose

Erik’s Deli

Best Deli/Sandwich Shop
2 North Market St., Suite 105, San Jose
717 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
1350 Grant Rd., Mountain View
Multiple locations

Ballet San Jose

Best Dance Company
40 N. First St., San Jose

Picasso’s

#3 Best Tapas/Small Plates
62 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

San Pedro Square Farmers Market

Best Farmers Market
San Pedro and Santa Clara streets, San Jose. Fridays, 10am-2pm

O’Flaherty’s

Best Irish Pub
25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Peggy Sue’s

#3 Best Local Burger Place
29 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Sonoma Chicken

Best New Restaurant
Best Dining Value
Best Family Restaurant
31 N. Market St., San Jose
Multiple locations
I’m not sure how this counts as new, but I don’t argue the other awards. Apparently they dropped the “Coop” from the name.

Satori Tea Company

Best Place for a Destroyed Nervous System
37 N. San Pedro St., San Jose

Britannia Arms, San Jose

Best British Pub
#2 Best Sports Bar
#2 Best Pre-Sharks Game Spot
#2 Best Restaurant Patio
#3 Best Happy Hour
173 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose
Metro readers really really like this place. Can you believe I’ve never been there?

Hotel De Anza

#3 Best Luxury Hotel - San Jose/Los Gatos
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

Hedley Club Lounge (Hotel De Anza)

#2 Best Hotel Bar
233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose

Schurra’s

[8] Best Chocolate Shop
840 The Alameda, San Jose
A surprise win, but well-deserved. It’s special to me because I stopped by Schurra’s for an ice cream cone the day I created this blog. Sadly Bill Mundy, former owner of Schurra’s and father of the current owner, [9] passed away last month, another sad loss to The Alameda.

The Watergarden

#3 Best Gay or Lesbian Bar
1010 The Alameda, San Jose
Recently I walked by this place, heard water running, and wondered what it was. Now I know.

The Usuals

[10] Best Boutique-Gallery Crossover
1020 The Alameda, San Jose
The now classic “I heart SJ” tee shirts made them a lock for this prize. Congratulations to Mari and Mike, friends of AllCamino!

Recycle Bookstore

#2 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1066 The Alameda, San Jose

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Best Local Winery
1000 Lenzen Ave., San Jose
Also a great place to throw a party. We held my wife’s birthday party there a few years ago and it was a hit.

Tee Nee Thai

[11] Best Thai Restaurant Beer and Wine List
1423 The Alameda, San Jose
Near and dear to me, the subject of my very [12] first blog post.

Planned Parenthood

#3 Best Organization Making a Difference
1691 The Alameda, San Jose

YMCA

#2 Best Health Club
1717 The Alameda, San Jose
Various locations

KSCU-FM (103.3)

#2 Best College/Independent Radio Station
500 El Camino Real, #3207, Santa Clara

The Off Ramp

Best Bicycle Shop
2369 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
2320 El Camino Real, Mountain View
Funny how similar the two addresses are, but they’re nine miles apart. That’s El Camino!

Russell’s Furniture

Best Furniture Store
2645 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Santa Clara Ballet

#3 Best Dance Company
3086 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Orchard Supply

Best Alternative to Home Depot
3615 El Camino Real, Santa Clara
777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Fish Market

[13] Best Seafood Restaurant
3775 El Camino Real, Santa Clara

Trader Joe’s

Best Budget Gourmet Selection
727 Sunnyvale/Saratoga Rd., Sunnyvale
590 Showers Dr., Mountain View
Multiple locations

Rooster T. Feathers

Best Open Mic Night
New Talent Showcase, Wednesday
#3 Best Comedy Venue
157 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Armadillo Willy’s

Best Barbecue
161 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Peninsula Beauty

Best Beauty Supply
328 W. El Camino, Sunnyvale
642 San Antonio Road, Mountain View
1043 El Camino Real, Redwood City
Multiple locations

Beck’s Shoes

Best Shoe Store
711 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale
Multiple locations

Adamson’s French Dip

#2 Best New Restaurant
806 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
Now I’m really excited to try this place.

Palace BBQ Buffet

#2 Best Korean Restaurant
1092 E. El Camino Real #1, Sunnyvale

Hotel Avante

#3 Best Boutique Hotel - Palo Alto/Mtn. View
860 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Kabul

#3 Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
833 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale

Chaat Paradise

#2 Best Indian Vegetarian
165 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Home Consignment Center

#2 Best Furniture Store
141 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Amber India

Best Indian Restaurant
2290 El Camino Real #9, Mountain View
600 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

California Billiard Club

#3 Best Place to Play Pool
881 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Lozano Brushless

Best Car Wash
2690 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Frankie, Johnnie & Luigi Too

#3 Best Moderately Priced Italian Food
939 W. El Camino Real, Mountain View
My favorite Italian family. Now I want bruschetta.

Fry’s Electronics

Best Computer Store
340 Portage Avenue, Palo Alto
Multiple locations

Dinah’s Garden Hotel

Best Secret Garden
4261 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Dan Brown’s

Best Vintage El Camino Bar
4141 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
And may I point out that this is the best category name ever!

Westin Palo Alto

#2 Best Luxury Hotel - Palo Alto/Mtn. View
675 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford

#2 Best Art Museum
Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Stanford

Hobee’s

Best Omelets
#3 Best American Restaurant
#2 Best Breakfast
3150 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
67 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto

Kirk’s

Best Local Burger Place
75 Town & Country, Palo Alto

LaBelle Day Spa

Best Hair Salon - Mtn. View/Palo Alto
Best Day Spa
95 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto
36 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto

Lavande Nail Spa

Best Pedicure
240 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto

Kepler’s

[14] #3 Best Local Independent Bookstore
1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

Beltramo’s

Best Wine Shop for Bargain Hunting and Splurging
1540 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

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