Gone places

Originally this was just a series of separate notes on my Mastodon profile. I’ve decided, in case the site disappear, to grant them more permanent form and post them on this blog.

For the past 10 years I’ve been going to Bay Area at least 4-5 times a year so I’ve manged to know the area pretty well. At first I was typically staying in Santa Clara but later on I have migrated near Castro Street in Mountain View.

One of the places that I’ve particularly enjoyed was “Book Buyers” - a bookshop right in the middle of Castro Street. It specialized in used and out-of-print books and I’ve sniped so many great samples there. My fondest memory was when I just entered with a title of a story I have read many years ago in a “Nowa Fantastyka” - Polish magazine for sf&f fans. The salesperson there was extremely helpful and we have managed to locate a book that included that particular story I was looking for. For those interested - it was “Lifeboat on a burning sea” by Bruce Holland Rogers. When I heard the bookstore was forced to move out I was crestfallen.

I’ve never managed to visit them in new location in Gilroy. They have survived another 6 years there until they had to move once again. This caused the owner decision to shut it down. I will miss them.

The Fish Market was the first restaurant I’ve visited in after coming to California. It wasn’t a very conscious choice but rather a matter of convenience - I was staying at The Domain Hotel at the time and it was the closest restaurant I saw on google maps.

It turned out to be a great choice - food was great - especially if you like the fresh fish straight from the wood-burning grill. It this was also the first time I was truly exposed to American portion sizes - I had a smoked fish sampler and the glass of wine (it might have been from Francis Ford Coppola vineyard) and I was done. Nevertheless, the entire experience was great and I’ve been returning there for many times. Some memorable dinners there.

Sadly, last year they were forced to close all their locations in the Bay Area.

The pop-culture wisdom says that steak is the national dish in the US and the Bay Area has no shortage of good places that server one. If you feel fancy you can of course visit the Alexander Steakhouse and eat 3 oz slice of Kobe beef that costs you an arm and a leg. Some of my friends fall for that and they were not particularly thrilled by the experience and even less about the final bill.

To avoid surprises like that I always try to go be the recommendation of the people living there. One evening my friend Luca took me to Black Angus in Sunnyvale and I have enjoyed it a lot. While I do not appreciate the barn look the food was making me forget all about decor and focus on eating. We even had one or two team dinners there. Sadly, after almost 40 years the restaurant was forced to close down

The Prolific Oven was my go-to breakfast place. They had two locations close to Google apartments - in Sunnyvale on Washington Avenue and in Santa Clara near Moreland Way. While they specialized in cakes and other sweets I really enjoyed their benedicts and omelets. The prolific oven closed in 2019, after 39 years of presence in Bay Area.

Niji Sushi near Castro Street in Mountain View would not win any prizes for interior decorations. Would not win a Michelin Star either. But the food was good, served quickly and they had an amazing choice of various rolls - my greatest marriage betrayal happened there when my wife ordered a Microsoft roll.

I’ve enjoyed dropping by for a quick lunch or evening bite when I was staying nearby. It was closed in 2019.

The Bay Area food scene can be amazing but from what I have heard is also fairly brutal - especially for places on the main streets where the rent is high. Businesses open and close all the time and we just need to accept that the places we cherish and remember fondly might not be there when we visit next month - so go to your favorite place and make memories.