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Photograph by Dan Pulcrano Metro's Club of the Week Straits Restaurant 333 Santana Row, Suite 100, San Jose; 408.246.6320 www.straitsrestaurant.com By Todd Inoue Amenities: Live jazz on Thursdays, house music DJs on Fridays and Saturdays; specialty cocktails Signature Drink: Ginger Drop (house-infused ginger vodka with fresh sweet and sour served in a sugar-rimmed martini glass) WHILE THE CUMULUS clouds hung above the South Bay last Friday night, a monsoon of activity swirled inside Straits Restaurant at Santana Row. Inside the heavy doors, a house DJ spun records while stylish couples sat on couches and barstools, nibbled on Chris Yeo's Singapore-inspired appetizers and flirted outrageously. Yeo opened his third Straits outpost at Santana Row a couple of months ago, instantly attracting a stylish clientele looking for a unique nightlife alternative. Straits has flair; from its peacefully designed carpentry, to a DJ mixing in the lounge, to its creative menu of specialty cocktails. Try the Gin 10 Mule (Tanqueray with lime, mint and lemon-grass soda), the Japanese Cobbler (sake muddled with pineapple, lemon-lime, maraschino liqueur with soda over crushed ice) or a house-infused martini with a choice of ginger, mango, apple or pineapple. Its garnish station could fit into a star chef's mise en place. Music begins at 9pm. Thursday nights are more relaxed with live jazz. Friday and Saturday heats up with DJs spinning house music. Straits rolls up the carpet at midnight, which is kind of a drag, but the crowd--a mix of professionals freshly dipped from the salon or gym--were content to wait out the outside storms inside Straits' warm and comfortable confines. Ongoing Schedule: Thursdays: Live Jazz Fridays-Saturdays: DJs spinning house and down-tempo grooves Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]