Willow Glen Resident

Dining

Power lunch hot spots keep business execs coming back

By Jennifer M. van der Kleut

Silicon Valley is home to some of the wealthiest and most powerful corporations in the world--and every day, the executives who run those companies must ask themselves the same question.

What's for lunch?

No matter how many changes this tempestuous valley seems to undergo, one time-honored tradition seems to be here to stay--the "power lunch."

Carolyn Allen, the owner and chef at Paolo's in downtown San Jose, says she feels the low noise factor at her restaurant is one of the biggest reasons it is so popular amongst the Silicon Valley elite.

"A lot of other downtown restaurants are very noisy. So, if you want to have a good business lunch and be able to talk and hear the other people at your table, and actually hold a conversation, we're in a secluded location, and we have a lot of noise deadening, so you can really focus in on what you're discussing. You can come and relax and not have a lot of exterior noise going on around you," she says. "Plus, with our location, being located right off of Guadalupe Park, we have a beautiful view."

Allen says her regular clientele includes some of the Valley's most powerful car dealers, attorneys and stockbrokers.

"They like to come here to meet with clients, or hold [staff] meetings. We get the whole roster of who's who in the Silicon Valley. At one time or another, they're all in here for lunch," she says. "We've been around for so long--we're in our 48th year in business--so people know it's a great place to come, especially if you want to have a serious meeting. And they know they will get great service and food, so they don't have to worry about what they're going to get."

Parking in downtown San Jose can be quite a hassle, especially during the work week, so Allen says that's another factor that contributes to Paolo's appeal.

"Access is easy, with great parking, so [the power lunchers] don't have to stress about where they're going to park, or how they're going to get here; traffic isn't as bad for them," she says, pointing out that Paolo's attracts loyal clients from all over the Bay Area, not just downtown San Jose.

Of course, as the adage goes, time is money--so Paolo's promises to get its diners in an out in under an hour, no matter what the menu choice.

"That's important, especially in the Silicon Valley," she says. "No matter what your position, nobody takes a few hours for lunch anymore."

Curtis Valdez, who founded Seven Restaurant and Lounge on The Alameda with his twin brother Russell, with whom he also shares co-executive chef duties, says Seven's unique décor, ambience and food quality make it a natural magnet for some of the Bay Area's most important power lunchers.

"Our menu offers a lot of different choices. I don't think you can get the kind of food you can get at Seven at any other place in San Jose, at least not for this price point," he says. "The décor is also really nice, and it's kind of a happening spot."

Another criteria for many power lunchers in the Silicon Valley is the "see and be seen" factor, and Curtis says that is one area in which Seven definitely delivers.

"Last week, all in the same day, I had [former San Jose Mayor] Susan Hammer, a bunch of the San Jose Sharks, a bunch of the 49ers, and several downtown lawyers all in here for lunch," he says, joking. "I actually had jury duty the other week, and they excused me because I knew everybody in the courtroom--they all come in here for lunch, some of them four or five days a week."

A little farther north in Sunnyvale, the Lion and Compass restaurant has the same appeal to its clientele.

"It has a lot to do with tradition. We were founded in 1982," says manager Jim Hayter.

The Lion and Compass was started by the Nino family, which included Nolan Bushnell, the creator of Pong.

"Nolan was really big in the Valley, so a lot of local executives would come here. It was kind of laid out the way it is for that reason. It was made for business people--the restaurant was designed with a lot of private areas and quiet corners," Hayter says. He says the element of privacy is important to the power lunch experience.

Hayter says the restaurant's successful, 24-year history has also revealed how important inobtrusive service is when catering to high-powered business diners.

"Vice presidents, CEOs--a lot of them come here, very consistently. We also regularly hold board dinners here for companies like KLA Tencor, Intel, AMD and others. So our service isn't obtrusive. The servers know those people are here to do business, and the lunch is just a nice part of that," he says. "So they're respectful of the business taking place here, and they make sure to really come in at the right points in the meal to take orders and such. And we don't rush you. As we say here, once you book a table, it's yours for however long you want it."

Of course, great food helps. Hayter says Lion and Compass is known for its signature dishes such as the Chilean sea bass and the venison stir-fry.

"That's something people come in and ask for--every time," he says.

A newer dish that is gaining in popularity is the cowboy ribeye steak, Hayter adds.

It certainly seems as though, at least in the Bay Area, business executives need never go hungry.

Paolo's Restaurant, 333 W. San Carlos St., No. 150, San Jose, 408.294.2558.

Seven Restaurant and Lounge, 754 The Alameda, San Jose, 408.280.1644.

Lion and Compass, 1023 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Sunnyvale, 408.745.1260.