Mark's Notebook


	Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Zahir's succeeds far from crowds at restaurant row

San Jose Mercury News Restaurant Review

Wednesday 24 November 2004, 9:28 pm
Keywords: News Articles

By Sheila Himmel

For 24 years, the tall, courtly Zahir Quddus, an immigrant from Afghanistan, has greeted customers and fed them dependable Continental cuisine in a semi-undisclosed location. He has begun to warm it up with plants and paintings, and the round, open fireplace performs nicely at this time of year.

Salads include Greek, Caesar and spinach. The Kentucky limestone lettuce salad ($5.75) comes with a lot of bay shrimp and a little too much vinaigrette, but the lettuce is a nice change of pace from field greens. It's a tasty, light butter lettuce with crunchy ribs.

Mary likes the Greek salad; Mark likes the Limestone.

On to entrees, with a page each for chicken, seafood, veal, beef and surf-and-turf. Your server also will recite the daily specials, reflecting the Continental range of longtime chef Luis Saldivar.

Mary likes the pepper steak. Mark likes the salmon piccata, which we had served at our wedding reception here.

For dessert, a pyramid shape shows up as a chocolate mousse.

Mary says this is a true chocoholic's delight. Mark says the look on Mary's face as she eats it is worth the price.

Bread is fresh. Service is earnest. The many white-shirted, neck-tied servers take their work seriously, and Quddus makes a point of visiting each table.

Zahir's Cafe
1380 S. Main St., just south of Great Mall Parkway, Milpitas.
(408) 946-4000

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/columnists/sheila_himme
l/10238253.htm