In a recent visit to San Jose, California (a quaint metropolis about 1 hr south of San Francisco), I stumbled upon a cool Mediterranean restaurant with great food and great drinks.  Me and a friend were seeking a place to have a quick cocktail (that is usually what we are looking for) and whilst strolling down First Street near my hotel in the distance I saw a sign with a bottle on it.  Again, since we are usually looking for liquor, I said “let’s follow the bottle.”

We came upon Nemea Greek Taverna.  The décor makes invites you into a neighborhood Greek restaurant with a modern twist.  We took a seat in the bar area and perused the happy hour menu (available from 2:30-6pm) which had significant food and drink options.  We ordered the Feta (imported Greek Feta, mixed olives, extra virgin olive oil & oregano served with pita) and Spanakopita (baked phyllo stuffed with spinach, leeks, feta & dill).  Both were excellent.  We also had the Greek Fries (Yukon gold potatoes topped with Feta & served with spicy yogurt sauce).  Who knew throwing feta on hot crispy fries could be so good.  The fries made us declare “feta makes it betta!”

More importantly, the happy hour menu has many options for drinks including specialty cocktails, draft beers, a couple Greek bottled beers, and several wine options as well.  I ordered the Blackened Strawberry.  It is made with a syrup created from grill-charred strawberries and balsamic vinegar along with Ketel One vodka, citrus, and soda, and, of course, garnished with a strawberry.  It was amazing!  It was so good that I had another and didn’t try any of the other cocktails.  However, there were a few that looked good including Baklatini (Chopin, Nocello, Honey), White Linen (Gin, Chase, Citrus, Soda), and Nemea Daydream (Metaxa, Tanqueray, Citrus, Grenadine).

Not in San Jose that often, but next time I am….I’ll follow the bottle!

~I’ll drink to that!