The Cioppino I Like

Last Saturday, we found ourselves in San Jose – Valley Fair, to be specific. Yes, doing the women’s favorite pastime. After all the walking, sitting, and waiting, we felt the need to replenish our energies. We were starving.

My son, James, was craving for seafood, but said he can eat anything at that point. The pizza place had a 30-minute wait, so that didn’t work. The popular Thai joint around the neighborhood didn’t have parking and people were spilling outside. Obviously, we didn’t even bother to ask how long the wait was. At this point, we were all cranky and hungry.

Then, I remembered the crummy cioppino dish my wife had on her birthday at this San Leandro landmark. That was probably the worst, most expensive cioppino I have ever seen. Not worth the money I paid for. Since I knew she liked it, we decided to go to this place that served every living creature that you can find in the water. Well, almost all.

My wife’s natural choice was their cioppino. I got the same. Our son wanted crabs, but I convinced him that San Francisco had better ones. He settled for good ol’ fish n’ chips. After some time, our server came in with two 12-inch pans of rich, savory goodness. Did I mention it had mussels, clams, scallops, fish, shrimp, oysters, and crabs, simmered in spicy, chunky tomato sauce, topped with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs? To better enjoy the dish, it came with a bib, extra napkin, and wipes in case things got messy.

This cioppino was a far cry from the mediocre imitation my wife had a few weeks back. We were a bit overwhelmed by the serving size. It didn’t seem like we were making any headway. As much as we wanted to continue on, there was just not enough room left. The crab cakes and seafood platter appetizers certainly didn’t help. It was time to raise the white flag. It’s one of those rare dishes I didn’t mind taking home to eat the next day.

It sure was a satisfying and filling evening. And it was a quiet one, too, as my passengers fell in deep slumber as soon as we got on the freeway for the 25-mile drive home.

Author’s Note: Cioppino and other delectable seafood dishes are served at The Fish Market, which is located at 3775 El Camino Real in Santa Clara, and in other locations in the Bay Area.