Brews, brats, bands and boogying: It’s time for Oktoberfest!
If you’ve never watched a stein-holding contest, you’re missing out. Contestants line up, holding a stein filled with beer or water at a right angle perpendicular to their torso and see who has the strength to be the last one standing (bent arms equal disqualification). As a non-participant watching the spectacle, it’s most fun to choose your expected victor and root for that person until his or her demise.
Last year was my first time cheering for a stein-holding contest, and it was an exhilarating rush. It was down to two participants, and neither was giving up without a fight – a very German-looking man wearing traditional garb and another man wearing a white tank, jeans and a chain. The crowd was abuzz, as both contestants had been holding their steins for an impressively long time.
But then, the man dressed in his Oktoberfest best began to shake, his face turning red, while the other was completely unfazed, a grin creeping onto his face. The crowd roared in anticipation of what would happen as the traditionally dressed man admitted defeat and put down his arm. White tank man was the victor.
If you want to experience a contest like this or just enjoy German beer, food and music, I rounded up five Peninsula Oktoberfests (which, contrary to the name, begin this month!). Also this week, assistant lifestyle editor Karla Kane and I took a look at the newest culinary happenings in Redwood City: a Salvadoran pupuseria and a Burmese restaurant.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
5 ways to celebrate Oktoberfest in Silicon Valley
It’s time to iron your lederhosen, build up your stein-holding arm strength and expand your beer belly because Peninsula Oktoberfest events are almost here.
Openings in Redwood City and Santa Clara, closures in Palo Alto and Los Altos, and food-related weekend activities
- There’s a new Salvadoran pupuseria in Redwood City selling pupusas for just $3.25 apiece.
- Craving Burmese food? Burma Spice – offering rainbow and tea leaf salads, noodle dishes and curries – is new to the Redwood City dining scene.
- HanaHaus, a downtown Palo Alto co-working space which houses Blue Bottle Coffee, will close Oct. 1, shutting the coffee shop with it.
- Meals on Wheels, a nonprofit providing meals to the elderly, is now operating in Palo Alto.
- 1 Oz Coffee will soft open its newest Santa Clara location Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon, according to a recent Instagram post.
- Robu Coffee’s Sunnyvale pop-up will have its last day of service Sunday. The Asian-fusion cafe is preparing to open a nearby brick and mortar.
- After decades serving scoops to the Los Altos community, the downtown Los Altos Baskin-Robbins permanently closed Sept. 1, according to the Los Altos Town Crier.
- The 42nd annual Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival is this weekend. This family-friendly event features over 160 artists and craft vendors, regional wine and food, a “Kids Kingdom” and live entertainment on two stages.
- Former Los Angeles Times and New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl is hosting a talk on food writing, food policy and her new book on Saturday at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto.
- Rossotti’s Alpine Inn in Portola Valley reopened Tuesday after a temporary closure to build “new bathrooms, a new bull pen bar, new foundation under the tavern, & the start of a bigger kitchen,” according to a recent Instagram post.
Potato bhajji pav at Mumbai Express
Starch lovers, this one’s for you: crispy fried potatoes stacked high on a fluffy buttered bun. And if you think that sounds bland, you’d be wrong. Coated in spices, topped with fried and salted green chili peppers and served alongside two flavor-packed chutneys, potato bhajji pav is far from one-note.
Mumbai Express is a recently opened Indian street food truck based in Sunnyvale specializing in vada pav (potato fritter on a pav bun), pav bhaji (spiced vegetable curry with pav bun) and egg curry. Located in the side parking lot of Chutneys Udupi Fusion Restaurant, the truck is easy to access and provides two large tables for seating.
The pav bun tastes like a hybrid of King’s Hawaiian rolls and Martin’s potato buns and is a great vessel for soaking up the chutneys – a green chutney that added freshness and brightness to counterbalance the decadent fried potatoes and a tamarind chutney that added sweetness to counterbalance the spice. My one critique would be to include more chutney (it was gone before the bhajji pav was.)
Mumbai Express, 954 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale; 669-225-1308, Instagram: @mumbaiexpressfoodtruck. Open Sunday to Thur
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The casual tapas bar is the first restaurant to open in the new Springline development, which aims to be ‘a Disney for culinary-savvy adults’
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