Sometimes, when you’re visiting a new city, you’re lucky enough to run across a gem of a restaurant that you’ll talk about for weeks after you return home.19 Market is one of those places. And for good reason: While this chic San Jose bistro specializes in mostly Vietnamese cuisine, it also takes diners on an epicurean jaunt through Asia, drawing influences from the continent’s gastronomic delights.
Simple, fresh ingredients come together to create complex flavors and sophisticated dishes thanks to owner Hanna Pham (below), a chef whose culinary education started in her mother’s kitchen. Before she was a chef, though, Pham was a graphic designer, which might explain 19 Market’s stylish décor. With dark-wood furniture, white tablecloths, tea-light candles, earthy colors and contemporary paintings of Vietnamese country scenes, the décor reflects the simplicity and elegance of the menu itself.
Whet your appetite with one of the full bar’s fresh cocktails, such as the passionfruit 19 Market-hito, a twist on the Cuban mojito, or the refreshing VungTau Long Island, with vodka, gin, rum, tequila and green tea liqueur. Or, choose from a wide range of fine domestic and international wines.
These libations go well with any of the appetizers, especially the fresh Mekong Basa spring rolls made with basa, a Vietnamese catfish, which
is rolled in translucent rice wrappers with peanuts, cucumber, mango, mint and rice vermicelli, and served with a spicy vinaigrette. The crab puffs are also a hit—these crispy wontons are stuffed with Dungeness crab, shrimp, herbs and cream cheese and served with plum sauce.
For the main course, the Pho Ap Chao is a house favorite, with crispy rice noodles and savory seafood sautéed with Asian greens and tomatoes. You also can’t go wrong with the Shaking Beef, a classic Vietnamese dish with wok-tossed filet mignon cubes, onions, black pepper and garlic, served on a bed of cherry tomatoes and watercress.
The meal wouldn’t be complete without something sweet to eat, so try the sticky rice with mango, a Thai delicacy. Ripe mango slices are served with sweet sticky rice steeped in coconut milk and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, packing an ambrosial punch with every bite.
With a winning combination of friendly service, tasty entrees, and a tempting drink menu, 19 Market strikes the perfect balance between the exotic and the familiar, and appeals to even the pickiest palates. Now that’s something to write home about. —
Stephanie Soong
Hours:
Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11-3. Dinner: Mon-Sun, 5-10. Happy Hour: Mon-Fri, 5-7.
Location:
19 N. Market St., San Jose
More Info:
408/280-6111
www.19market.com
