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Photographs by Kris Holland Marching Orders: Ready to serve 24/7, the Mini Gourmet stands as a San Jose institution. Counter Revolution (continued) Diners, by and large, conjure up images of motherly servers and swarthy, tattooed cooks with monosyllabic first names who patrol the kitchen with a half-smoked cigarette dangling from their lips. They're also supposed to be intimate, with the "How's your day going?" conversations and "Anything interesting in the morning news?" queries going back and forth across the counter--patrons who opt for more privacy usually situate themselves at one of the few tables crammed together just beyond the bar. The menu shouldn't be anything fancy, and the prices should be cheap. And bring cash, please; plastic is not preferred. [ Back to page 1 ] Garden City Casino 360 Saratoga Ave., San Jose 408.244.4443 Open 24 hours Gilley's Coffee Shoppe 47 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos 408.395.3318 7am-3pm daily Happy Dayz Diner 2638 Union Ave., San Jose 408.377.6531 11am-8:30pm Mon-Sat; noon-8pm Sun. Mopar Night. VW Night. Harley Davidson Night. These are only some of the special events that take place at Happy Dayz Diner, that classic-car-themed burger joint on the Campbell/San Jose border. True to its moniker, many items on the menu are named things like the Fonzie Burger, the Potsie Burger and the Joanie Burger. (Unfortunately, there's no Joanie Loves Chachi burger.) But the best adventure is the Big Bopper, a ridiculous 1 1/3-pound monstrosity with eight hamburger patties that looks like four Big Macs piled on top of each other. If you can finish the whole thing along with a bag of fries and a Coke in less than 45 minutes, your name will be added to a plaque on the wall, where you'll join the star-studded ranks of chowhounds who've accomplished this task. Talk about a heart-stopping special. Happy Dayz sits in Maplewood Plaza, along with Walgreens, Kragen Auto Parts, Norm's Barber Shop, Reptile Ranch, ABBA Medical Supplies and a defunct trophy shop--a quintessential suburban strip mall scenario that only intensifies the classic diner experience. At Happy Dayz, you've got indoor and outdoor counters, checkerboard décor, James Dean photos, gum-ball machines, root beer, Vic Damone on the stereo, chili fires and everything else you need for stepping back in time to the 1950s. There's simply no better place to peruse back issues of vintage-car mags while you devour a Mr. C's Steak Sandwich. Look for the Model T's in the parking lot every Thursday night. Gary Singh Hard Work Cafe 1620 Almaden Rd., San Jose 408.289.9675 6am-midnight daily; 6am-2am Fri-Sat Holder's Country Inn 9985 De Anza Blvd., Cupertino 408.244.2798 1424 Saratoga Ave., San Jose 408.378.6022 7am-9pm daily International House of Pancakes 644 N. First St., San Jose 408.294.4130 5403 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara 408.996.3393 6am-9pm daily Jimmy's Restaurant 222 W. Capitol Expwy., San Jose 408.972.5570 Open 24 hours Just Breakfast 2901 Monterey Road, San Jose 408.225.7631 17415 S. Monterey Road, Morgan Hill 408.779.7044 6am-2pm In an era of exotic fusion cuisine (Indo-Mexicali-Cambodian sushi crepe wraps coming soon to a restaurant near you), one takes pleasure in culinary single-mindedness wherever it can be found. And it can be found on the Monterey Highway, a couple of miles south of downtown San Jose, at the corner of Pullman Way, home of the bluntly and accurately named Just Breakfast diner. For those who prefer the universal language of the rebus, a rooster graces Just Breakfast's sign, a beacon to motorists and even the occasional hardy pedestrian. The motif proliferates inside. On the wall behind the counter with its seven padded swivel seats, note the much-larger-than-life-size print of another rooster, with a comb redder than the ink in California's budget. A mono-menagerie of ceramic roosters and chickens (plus one nonplused clay cow) nests on a shelf near the window over the coffee machine. The diner opens at 6am, about the time that cocks crow the coming of the light, and the thickly laminated triptych menu confirms the obvious. Patrons can choose from a staggering number of omelettes--chorizo, Baja, Acapulco, Supreme, Joe's Special, and even vegetarian--in the sturdy $5 to $8 range. Specials (Italian sausage scramble the day I stopped in) are posted on an easy-erase board. The requisite "two eggs any style, potatoes and toast" selections can be supplemented by the slightly exotic (to Californians at least) biscuits-and-gravy option. The most intriguing is the Gourmet (back at you, Emeril!) Biscuits and Gravy plate: one buttermilk biscuit on grilled tomato slices (optional) ladled with gravy and topped with two bacon slices. The gravy at Just Breakfasts is surprisingly spicy and not so thick as the glue I've sometimes encountered in the South. Even the most ubiquitous of diner deals--the hamburger--makes its way in through the back door in the form of the High-Protein Breakfast: a half-pound hamburger, two poached eggs on toast, cottage cheese (dieters take note) and sliced tomatoes, for only $6.55. Judging from the jostling parking lot the times I've stopped by Just Breakfast, the diner has acquired a steady clientele for its narrow-cast menu. The service is quick and efficient: my cup of coffee never got past the halfway point before the waitress arrived, as if summoned by ESP, with a refill. People come and go fast enough that there's always an abandoned newspaper in case you forgot to buy your own. Above all else, a good diner needs to feel lived-in, well used by generations of patrons slurping sturdy black coffee and mopping up egg yolks with slabs of toast. Just Breakfast fulfills that requirement, from the veneer-paneled walls to the utilitarian heating duct snaking across the ceiling. When I asked the waitress how long Just Breakfast had been around, she said simply, "Seems like forever." That's just about right. Michael S. Gant Los Gatos Cafe 340 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos 408.354.4647 6am-3pm daily Mil's Diner 36 Abbott Ave., Milpitas 408.946.4773 5:30pm-9:30pm Tue-Thu; 6:30am-10pm Fri-Sat; 7:30am-3pm Sun Mini Gourmet 599 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose 408.275.8973 Open 24 hours With an interior that defies the very concept of "traffic flow," the Mini Gourmet may be the most confusing mix of remodeling ever to produce 24-hour gravy in the Western United States. Booths? Yes. Counter? Check. Strange and unappetizing open wait station? Certainly. Decorating aside, the Mini Gourmet probably qualifies as the most authentic diner experience in San Jose. The menu is huge and carbohydrate-heavy; delicious milkshakes come complete with their stainless-steel side shooters; a fantastic and gooey Monte Cristo sandwich waits to stop your heart; and when you've recovered: try the diet plate. Service is alternately grumpy and motherly, which anyone from a dysfunctional family will appreciate, and breakfast perpetuates. Hash browns are the size of a pair of '70s-era sideburns. At night, when the full moon rises, you can almost hear the Old Economy humming at the Mini Gourmet. Everyone knows innovation goes best over omelettes. Traci Vogel Mimi's Cafe 1200 El Paseo De Saratoga, San Jose 408.378.0778 7am-11pm daily Omega Restaurant 90 S. Park Victoria Dr., Milpitas 408.946.8748 7am-9pm daily; 7am-10pm Fri-Sat Pamela's East Side Cafe 2122 McKee Rd., San Jose 408.254.4000 6:30am-3pm Tue-Sat; 7am-3pm Sun-Mon Peanuts Deluxe Cafe 275 E. San Fernando St., San Jose 408.998.9778 Flexible hours Southern Kitchen 3378 Monterey Rd., San Jose 408.225.4391 6am-10pm daily 27 E. Main St., Los Gatos 408.354.7515 Mon-Sat, 6am-3pm; Sun 7am-3pm Just kitty-corner and down the block from Ferrari of Los Gatos sits a modest little breakfast and lunch nook where meals won't cost you a hood and a bumper. Housed in the same building as the 2wenty 9ine East Main Cafe and A Matter of Taste, the Southern Kitchen has a real following. This place is absolutely packed on weekends--especially on Sundays--with nary a table or a seat at the counter to spare. But on weekdays, it's an excellent spot for a quick getaway and a great homestyle meal. With exposed brick walls and a two-tone sea-mist and mauve color scheme, the décor is simple and unpretentious. The way the sunlight filters through the diner's cheery lace curtains lends a special charm to the place that makes every day feel like Sunday. A generous menu of down-home morning fare includes Cajun sausage and eggs, which comes with hash browns or grits and a choice of toast, muffin, cornbread or biscuit. A long list of tantalizing fluffy rolled omelettes (including a create-your-own option) and specialty pancakes (like blueberry banana), waffles (strawberry or blueberry) and French toast (apple cinnamon or apricot) are other menu staples. Lunch items include hot and cold sandwiches piled high with fresh ingredients. The diner brews coffee even a coffee snob can enjoy and offers real diner fare like the lo-cal plate, hot or cold cereal and even a bowl of peaches or prunes. One of the specialties of the house is fried green tomatoes, a seasonal item served in the fall and winter. Whether due to the restaurant's popularity with the locals or its close proximity to the Ferrari dealership, many celebrities have dined at the Southern Kitchen--among them John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman--and left autographed menus which hang proudly on the wall near the huge antique cash register on the counter. Sarah Quelland Sunrise Cafe 6120 Monterey Rd., Gilroy 408.848.1200 6am-9pm daily Tina's Restaurant 2306 Almaden Rd., San Jose 408.978.8006 6am-9pm daily [ Back to page 1 ] Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]