A Gluttonous Review of San Pedro Square

Sampling six of best plates at a bougie food court

Jimmy FlynnTHE SANTA CLARAJanuary 14, 2016[dropcap]O[/dropcap]f the seven deadly sins, I am most often guilty of gluttony. I’ve been guilty of all of them, but I identify as a glutton.

So when I discovered a marketplace in Downtown San Jose with over 20 different food vendors, I took it upon myself to taste my way through the diverse spread.

San Pedro Square Market features an open-air plaza and three interior spaces frequently occupied by upper-middle class thirty-somethings and college kids.

There are bars, food trucks and upscale restaurants that serve comforting, high-quality (if somewhat expensive) dishes.

In addition to the cornucopia of delectable offerings from diverse cultures, the market hosts live music and special events everyday.

There’s something for everyone, and upon arrival I realized I was someone who wanted to try everything.

The roasty, fatty and savory scents mingled in the air as a scruffy musician sitting in the corner cooed sensitive covers of Fleetwood Mac and Bob Marley on his acoustic guitar.

I wandered the market, trying to narrow down which food I wanted to try.

It was an exercise in futility. So I sampled six places before my gills started tingling, the tell-tale sign of a successful food bender.

Here are some of the highlights, but that’s just a taste.

See for yourself the food, music and humbly luxurious atmosphere that typifies this market, then indulge in my favorite sin.

I ordered the namesake burger, which came with grilled onions, jalapenos, jack cheese and a fried egg. Figuring it to be a gut-bomb, I delighted in the use of quality ingredients and high level of execution. The bun was soft yet stable, the burger was medium yet juicy and the cheese held everything together in melty perfection.

Having never tried Colombian food, I decided to taste my first arepa. Stylistically similar to a papusa, arepas are flatbreads made of ground maize dough and filled with everything from shredded beef to black beans and cheese. I ordered the chicken salad with avocado. The chicken salad filling was a cool and creamy contrast to the perfectly grilled crust of the arepa. Overall, a solid option when one tires of traditional Mexican food.

As a general rule, any time you see a place that advertises fresh pasta (and you actually see the employees hand rolling the dough), go to that place. There may not be a better lunch in Silicon Valley than the Butternut Squash Ravioli that this place puts out. The pasta is pillowy, the filling is richly sweet and the brown butter and sage sauce will compel you to unapologetically lick the plate. The dish’s skillful use of nutmeg and parmesan cheese puts it over the top.

This joint (presumably named after a futuristic robot butler that knows how to work an Easy-Bake Oven) is known for its homemade ice cream, specifically its flagship flavors Horchata and the 408 (vanilla ice cream with Oreo’s and caramel). Since the stand was fresh out of both, I settled on Peppermint Bark (festive, with massive chunks of bark) and Chocolate Salted Caramel (bittersweet, and a richer than rich crowdpleaser). The scoops were ample and the texture was soft and elastic, similar to gelato.

If I lived next door to this place, I’d be dead. I’m not even much of a hot dog guy, but this place will make you believe in God. Their titular dog is made of Kobe beef (!) and is topped with caramelized teriyaki onions, spicy Japanese mayo, chili powder and deep fried seaweed. Add a side of nostalgic tater tots topped with Sri-Rancha (Sriracha and ranch dressing) and you’ve got yourself a reason to quit that New Year’s diet. CaliDog seems to be on a quest to ruin every other hot dog on the planet. It’s frustratingly delicious.

This adorably named luxury sweet shop boasts decadent truffles, frisbee-sized cookies and something called s’morcon, which a fellow consumer described to me as “like crack, and probably just as good for you.” Two graham crackers sandwich an inch-high marshmallow and the whole thing is coated in chocolate and topped with crispy bacon. I called my cardiologist afterward, but he told me it was too late. As indulgent and tasty as it was, however, I must say that fifteen seconds in a microwave could’ve made it that much better.

Contact Jimmy Flynn at jflynn@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.