Kart racing brought us back to our old neighborhood in Santa Clara, where we had lunch at Euro Grill on El Camino. With Jenny having done some research ahead of time, I knew to get their burger. The patty of the burger was made the night before to give some time for the seasonings to work their magic. The patty was dense, much like the meat in a gyro, Jenny's choice, only thicker and we were surprised to find out it was made of good old ground beef. The highlight of each of our sandwiches, though, was the bread, which might very well have justified the trip to Santa Clara on its own. Baked by the restaurant, it was soft, chewy and soaked up every drop of juice from the meats. Though the burger and the gyro were salty, we'd probably order them again because of the buns. By the way, be sure to get the sour cream on the side. It tastes great but you'll probably get much more than you want.
The crepes were terrific. The chicken inside was tender and the crepe itself light and fluffy. On its own, I liked Crepevine's Bombay more because it was loaded with hot tasty shrimp (and it came with potato and salad). However, if forced to choose, I'd take the Euro Market crepe because the portion was so darn big.
Jenny's gyro came with fries as a side, but the portion was so huge it was practically a dish in itself. All of us loved diving in. The kids each wanted strawberry juice, which came from a box. To the restaurant's credit, they were honest it came from a carton and at least it was a European box rather than one could find at Safeway.
Set in what appears to be a townhouse complex, one is struck by the homey environment upon entering Euro Grill. And, the server was very friendly. Make no mistake, though, they will try to upsell you if you drop your guard. The kids were offered the juice directly by the waiter and of course they said yes before we could put a muzzle on them. And, make sure you specify the water you want when you ask for it. Otherwise you'll be served a small bottle of Arrowhead (as we were) at $1.50 a pop. All that said, the portions were huge and lunch still had to be deemed a good value. For a little over $35 after tax but before tip we filled ourselves up with food left for dinner.
Euro Grill
980 El Camino Real
Ste 100
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(408) 244-9745
www.eurogrillsantaclara.com
