SMALL BITE: At the Hotel Valencia on Santana Row in San Jose, California, guests can wine and dine in style at Citrus Restaurant. As their website says, Citrus offers “a relaxed dining experience for a sophisticated palate. Sheer curtains, Venetian plants, warm walls, and terracotta ceilings create an engaging and versatile environment – perfect for your next romantic evening, group gathering, or business dinner.
SIGNATURE DISHES: Steaks, seafood and vegetarian fare. They use the best local produce and sustainable meat and seafood in accordance with the Monterey Seafood Watch program. In the morning, hotel guests are treated to a complimentary brunch as part of the price of admission. Breakfast choices include scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, country-style potatoes, hot toast and bagels, fresh fruits and pastries, and a variety of morning beverages.
DISH FROM DINERS: “Citrus is an international cuisine with an Asian flair kind of restaurant, hosting an interesting menu for a foodie with lots of temptation and tough choices. The quality was all generally good.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: On the 7th floor, you’ll find Cielo, an outdoor wine bar and terrace – complete with fire pits for chilly nights — that hovers over Santana Row and serves up gorgeous views of San Jose sunsets and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
HOURS: Monday through Saturday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Closed Sunday
To make a reservation, call: 408.423.5400
ABOUT HOTEL VALENCIA: If you ever find your way to San Jose, it’s an absolute must to spend some time on Santana Row – the Rodeo Drive of the Silicon Valley, a street lined with upscale clothing stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, including an outdoor wine-tasting bar featuring live music, and only one hotel – the Hotel Valencia. Standing tall in the middle of this bountiful boulevard, the Hotel Valencia, is a chic, modern boutique hotel that has picked up countless travel awards since it swung its welcoming doors wide open to the public in 2003. It even made the Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List as one of the “World’s Best Places to Stay.”
Behind the check-in counter is a large, floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks an impressive and picturesque courtyard (pictured below), where many a lovely wedding has taken place.
The hotel offers 212 guest rooms with either two extra-large double beds or one king, with the option of a balcony overlooking the dynamic bustle of Santana Row or the serene courtyard. Standard amenities include designer Egyptian linens, a 42-inch flat-screen TV, plantation shutters, a Keurig coffeemaker and marble bathrooms with double sinks.
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