Silicon Valley

This is the go-to-place for South Bay area to buy/rent their outdoor gear. They even feature the ski/snowboard bus that takes you to the slopes and back, same-day. All-in-one, full service, outdoor recreation spot here in the South Bay area. Read my Sports Basement Rental Guide Read more...

During childhood visits to Taiwan, I recall warm rolls of rice, stuffed with shredded pork, preserved vegetables and hard boiled eggs. They were conveniently rolled up within an outer layer of rice. These are called fan tuan. This was always paired with a cup of lightly sweetened soybean drink (dou jiang). Back in California, fortunate as we were to have Read more...

This is another favorite confectionery shop and patisserie of mine in Los Gatos that specializes in bonbons. I also enjoyed their fresh made marshmallows, which is just miles apart from the average store-bought marshmallows if you have never tried. Read more...

Ever since my former favorite confectionery shop closed (Teuscher in Stanford Shopping Ctr), I had to find a new place. I highly recommend Royce’ Chocolates, Nama chocolate line, for fine and delicate chocolates. You can find their booth in Valley Fair Mall as well as Mitsuwa Marketplaces. Read more...

Last month I went to one of my favorite local activities.. makers market by SJMade. And boy was I delighted to find some of my favorite old and new vendors there. Most of all, I was so delighted to find a new confectionery that was up to my picky palate! My former favorite, Teuscher, sadly closed their shop in Stanford Read more...

Vegetarian is a widely available all over Taiwan, from shopping malls to food stalls, while less-so in other countries. I was really delighted to finally find time to swing over to try out Joyheart Cafe today. I ordered their 3 cup mushroom dish and it was really enjoyable. I could tell they used decent cooking oils, it was not heavy, Read more...

Local cafe that features hard-to-find arepas! If you have never tried Venezuelan/Colombian arepas, it’s a must, and you can find them here. (The only other place I know that has arepas is down in SoCal, in Pasadena.) The two Palo Alto locations: 538 Ramona St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 111 Lytton Ave.Palo Alto, CA 94301 For more locations, check out Read more...

The best(?) Greek place in the Bay Area. Enjoy high quality Greek dishes in a festive restaurant atmosphere, watching your food cook in a large oven, and enjoying unique desserts, finishing with Greek coffee. One of my favorite places, perhaps a bit pricey, so good for special occasions. Read more...

One of the best Mexican seafood places in the Bay Area, with outdoor patio seating amongst colorful planters and cacti, with Mexican music playing in the background. Great place to relax and get some very well-made Mexican seafood dishes. I highly recommend the scallops quesadilla. Read more...

A decades old pizza establishment in North Beach, San Francisco. If you are ever in the city for a visit, this place is a must-try, especially their clam pizza. Read more...

My absolute favorite tea shop and vegan cafe. Authentic Taiwanese beverages and Taiwan style vegan foods.  Even though I’m not vegan/vegetarian, I try to eat in that direction whenever I get a chance and I’ve always found Taiwanese vegetarian/vegan to be really tasty. Of course the Taiwan style drinks and desserts are a must try. My favorite drinks are their Read more...

Small and friendly cafe featuring decent coffee and pastries. Open during covid/fires with socially distant ordering setup and the owners wore masks. Can order online for pickup from their website or with delivery services. Read more...

Dim sum in SF Chinatown that’s over 100 years old. Might or might not survive 2020. Read more...

Cute little cupcake shop featuring a wide range of cupcake flavors. It’s a bit on the sweet side though, so have a cup of unsweetened tea/coffee nearby for it. Currently have these SIP features: paper towels outside for you to open door handles installed plexiglass to separate workers encourages contactless payment Read more...

Authentic Taiwanese cuisine with lots of flavor Read more...

Another one of our favorite places for Taiwan village style comfort food and very nice handmade drinks. The young owner (and his siblings, all really nice) of this place is very particular about quality. Some of my favorite drinks are Seaweed Green Milk Tea, the Pineapple Shortcake and more. Our favorite dishes are the spicy wontons, the beef wrap, the Read more...

One of our favorite pizza joints. Highly recommend trying the Founder’s Special. During ShelterInPlace (SIP) you can order for pickup or delivery here: https://slicelife.com/restaurants/ca/san-jose/95129/via-mia-pizza-san-jose/menu?utm_campaign=order_now_button&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=viamiapizzamenu.com Read more...

This is one of our favorite Northern Cuisine comfort food restaurants. Their food isn’t the finest/most delicate, but it’s very tasty, authentic and comfort food style. We order frozen dumplings from two places, and this is one of them. 1. Call (408) 996-0317 2. Order from their menu (see photos) Closed Mondays Closed for Break (Daily) 2:30p – 4:30p Read more...

The famous Hanlin Teahouse has opened in Cupertino! Yay! Update: 1/5/2022 Had a lovely hotpot meal here. You also have to try their turnip cakes, and of course, their high quality teas   Use their Online Ordering System Or call below Check out their menus Call: （408）320-1080 to place your pickup order Closed: Tuesdays Taro Milk: Sadly their taro tastes Read more...

One of our two favorite places for dumplings. During the Covid-19 lockdown, they now take email pre-orders for pickup. Email: [email protected] with the following information… Name: Cellphone: Expected Pick up time: Name of the Dumplings, # of Bags Also specify the alternative flavor if it is not available. Read more...

San Jose Family Camp is our preferred family camping experience. It is located outside of Yosemite National Park and opens during the summer months only, typically from June to early August. Follow their website and most importantly Facebook page for details. Read more...

Small museum situated in the Financial District of San Francisco. Modest-sized museum compared to other museums, but it features the wonderful SketchTown by TeamLab as a permanent installation. This installation, within California, is only found in SF and SD. This small museum is surrounded by a skate facility, parks and many outdoor features. Read more on MetaFrost to get more Read more...

A local favorite that is a regular stop for me every time I’m in the area. Persian style cafe and bakery, so no pork here. Their omelettes and wraps are heavenly, especially when served with their in-house baked sangak bread. Lots of healthy fruit juices for little ones and lavender latte for me. We finish at this place with a Read more...

Highly recommended place to visit if you’re here in the summertime and can get your hand on tickets… namely the Walking Tour tickets. Not kid-friendly, so try to find a babysitter who can babysit late into the night, so you can free yourself to be amongst the stars. Be sure to click on the “Read on Metafrost” link to get Read more...

Through the years, we’ve hired many family photographers, but we keep thinking back to this one photographer (who sadly has moved further away) as still the one that gave us the best photos… Sarah Deragon. She does Families, Business and Professional Headshots Read more...

Pearl tea (boba) chain in Santa Clara. This location seems to be decent, slightly better than the Mt. View location (just my opinion). I found that when with 75% sugar, it’s still too sweet. They offer organic milk/foam option.. go for it as it seems to taste better. Not my top choice for boba, but good enough. Read more...

Yayoi is a modern Japanese comfort food place in Cupertino. You wait to get seated at the front, then you order through the iPads on your table. Additional requests for extra utensils and etc are also done via the iPad. Dessert ordering is done through the iPad too, as well as setting your status to “Ready for dessert”. At the Read more...

Pleasantly surprised at the opening of this little hole in the wall. Their street snacks has a few popular items, such as popcorn chicken, popcorn mushrooms and also the really obscure (aka. local) Mian Shian that they call Mee Sua (Fukinese dialect).Ever since our childhood location closed down, we were not able to get mian shian anymore and was sooo Read more...

A beautiful space for reading, sitting, writing drawing and enjoying a light drink/snack (that you bring, only coffee and tea are offered). This light & airy space is a temporary home for rescue cats. These cats have pleasant dispositions and ready to be adopted to a new home.By visiting and lounging in this space, you get a chance to interact with Read more...

Update 04/28/20: Unfortunately, despite loving this place, they have been very flakey with their stated operating hours. I am avoiding this place for now. Taiwan’s large dessert chain came to the Bay Area and draws lines out the door every weekend, evenings and often lunch times too. On this Sat weekend at 92F outside, we sit here waiting for our icy Read more...

A small dessert and snacks joint that features their signature Roti Buns aka. coffee buns. Many other establishments have tried to mimick their exquisite roti buns, such as Paris Baguette, without success. So far no other place has managed to capture the fragrance, that coffee flavor, crunchy surface and soft interior of their buns. Their bobas are not recommended however, tends towards Read more...

(Mountain View location closed in 2019, sadly due to increasing rent & parking difficulty.) Local plastics shop that can custom cut and make almost anything you need. I have used the Mt. View location multiple times over the years for various home projects and always been happy with the results. Their prices are fair and the service always great. Some Read more...

Authentic Vietnamese cuisine with a good range of traditional dishes (including frog). We really enjoyed it and is our Go To place for authentic Vietnamese (besides pho).There’s also Vung Tau, but it’s smaller and it as spacious for families. Read more...

Local delivery service and national mailing service for zero-waste household products that have been tried and used by the Founder Stephanie Regni. I’ve been using Fillgood’s services and products for a couple years now and appreciate how easy it allows me to cut down on my plastic packaging waste. Read more...