Aqui Cal Mex Grill
1145 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA
408-995-0381
| posthoc's Late Night Restaurant Guide |
Nearly every night, the parking lot behind Aqui Cal Mex Grill in San Jose is jam-packed. During dinnertime/happy hour, it may take you a few extra minutes circling around to find a parking space. However, once you make it inside this unique and affordable restaurant, you'll immediately forget about the parking debacle outside the place.
Immediately upon entering, you're hit with happenin' salsa music coming from some unidentifiable location. Throw in some sleek southwestern art on the wall and you have an atmosphere that spells "party" but is still laid back like a small town south of the border.
Chefs Rob Francis and Jesus Naranjo have concocted a menagerie of colorful, cheap, and healthy dishes. They combine California cuisine with Mexican, Southwestern, and a little bit of Asian influence thrown in for variety's sake. Aqui boasts some of the most unusual and unique combinations I've seen in recent years.
The daily specials are the best buy of the house. Every day there are two or three of them, and the chefs claim to never have repeated a daily special once. Allow me to list some of the past specials: Chicken Breast and Roasted Plantain Tamale in Banana Leaf with Black Beans and Tamarind Chipotle Sauce; Blackened Tilapia and Shrimp Quesadilla with Mango Salsa, Jalapeno Tartar and Black Beans; and one that really hit home, Shitake Mushroom and Ginger Noodle Flatbread with Cilantro Pesto and Tangerine Salsa. Aqui does well with combining fruit sauces with hearty Mexican style dinners. The plates are very colorful and the presentation is attractive. Nothing is over $8.95 and many of these dishes are exactly the right amount of food: not too much, not too little, but just enough to get mildly packed.
The regular plates are surprisingly cheap, especially the burrito dishes, most of which tip the scales at $5.09. Try the Thai chicken burrito with roasted peanut sauce, ginger slaw, and a spinach tortilla. Don't miss the ahi wasabi grilled yellow tuna with wasabi vinaigrette, grilled onions, and spinach. For vegetarians, definitely go for the falafel and hummus with sesame jicama, cucumber, red chile sauce, and spinach.
For dessert, a number of daily specials are also on tap. We tried the Mexican flourless chocolate cake with coffee and whipped cream, which was to die for.
Everyday Aqui features a different selection of Agua Fresca, usually exotic flavors like kiwi-lime, peach lime, or blueberry. The refreshing drinks go down so easily, you'll want to slam two or three of them. For the boozers, there are forty kinds of tequila in the bar, along with a wide selection of wines for your tasting pleasure. At dinnertime the bar is packed with suits and ties -- the business crowd always stopping in for a few after work.
The only complaint I have, being that I enjoy food so spicy it makes my head explode, is that none of Aqui's dishes make you breathe fire for an hour afterwards. Spicy tidbits are not their specialty. To each his own, I guess.
Also, if you get bothered by loud restaurants, Aqui is not for you. There's a constant collage of salsa music, loud chatter, and clinking glasses. The bar especially offers quite a raucous environment.
Even though Aqui is constantly busy, you never have to wait very long to get your food. The service is dynamite -- it's difficult not to bump into the busboys who are constantly roaming the aisles, instantly swiping the empty plates and trays from your table. The place is self-serve, and you pick your tray up at the counter, giving you a great side view of the cooks doing their work.
Aqui is located on Lincoln Avenue, the main drag in an older area of San Jose called "Willow Glen", which has its share of ritzy dining establishments and assorted yuppie madness. Aqui, however, is quite affordable and you will find yourself coming back many times.
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