The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Adobe waiter Israel Andrade serves up a platter of tamale and chile relleno.

Authenticity is in the food--and the bricks

By Pam Marino

There's a lot more that's authentic about The Adobe Restaurant than just the real adobe bricks that make up the building many consider a historic landmark.

Most of the food at The Adobe is "homemade" by authentic Mexican cooks. The chile rellenos are made from scratch every day, as are the sauces. The fresh salsa is a favorite, according to the owners.

"It's great, authentic Mexican food," said Darlene Barone, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Ron. "I give all the credit and glory to the cooks."

Making a dish like chile rellenos from scratch is not an easy or quick process, Barone said, but the results are "delicious."

The food has kept people from all over the South Bay area coming back for years, she added.

The restaurant features some of the same items every Mexican restaurant carries: nachos and quesadillas for appetizers, enchiladas and tacos with rice and beans, for example.

But The Adobe also carries an array of chile dishes such as chile rellenos and chile verde, as well as machaca (strips of shredded beef or chicken with scrambled eggs), trucha (salmon) and shrimp dishes. There are also soups not found at other chain-type Mexican restaurants; menudo is served on weekends.

Prices for dinner range from $8.95 for a two-item combination meal served with rice and beans, and $9.95 for a three-item meal, to $11.95 for the shrimp dishes.

The restaurant also features a children's menu with a choice of enchiladas, tacos, tostadas or tamales, for $3.95 each. "We get a lot of families," Barone said.

There are lunch specials starting at $5.50. A two-item combination plate costs $6.95, and a three-item combination costs $7.95.

The fact that it is housed in an actual adobe building with a red tile roof helps the restaurant's Mexican atmosphere. Inside there are two smaller dining rooms, and outside is a large patio paved in terra cotta tiles. On the walls are Mexican landscapes, and bright silk flowers hang down from planters.

Heaters have been added to the patio, making it a pleasant place to enjoy a meal year-round.

Adobe, 20128 Stevens Creek Boulevard; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week; 257-9175.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, September 3, 1997.
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