local union 271, Palo Alto

 You probably know this by now but if not, know that Casey and I love going to brunch.  It is something that we dabbled with in Indy, got obsessed with in Jersey, and constantly seek out in California.  In Jersey we had clear established favorites.  In California we have made a conscious effort to try more and more places.  On a whim, we decided to try local union 271.

Local union 271 is in downtown Palo Alto, a place we like to frequent as it has tons of restaurants and bars.  We found local union 271 through Yelp(I know...how hipster of us) and we were glad that we did.  The first thing that we noticed right away is that they have multiple types of mimosas.  They had mimosa flights even.  It was called "The Tree" and it gave you six 4 oz. samples of various mimosa types, including a jalapeno one which was actually our favorite.  If that isn't a good sign right off the bat then I don't know what is.

There were so many things sounded good but we both ended up getting the same thing, which was a berry French toast dealio.  The restaurant is a farm-to-table, so from the fresh squeezed oranges in the mimosas to the berries in the French toast, everything was so fresh and delicious.  They also had outdoor seating which even "sweetened" the experience even more so.  Nothing but positive things to say about this place.  We will definitely revisit at a later date.

SaveSave

Jose Tejas, Fairfield, NJ

Kevin found this restaurant for us one day when we decided to go out exploring our area. The way he was describing it, I thought it was just another Mexican restaurant (though that wouldn't bother me since we have yet to find out white queso like back home). Turns out, Jose Tejas is tex-mex and cajun cuisine (think Mexican food meets Louisiana). It was so amazing! We went around 1PM on a Saturday and it was pretty packed, but not so much that there was a wait. Personally, I like when a lot of people are at a restaurant I haven't been to because it must mean it's good. Once I know I like it though, the masses can leave the restaurant alone haha!   

We were served the standard chips and salsa which were good, not anything insanely special. We both accompanied our chips with a margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim of course. It, like the chips, was your same old typical margarita. I'm definitely not complaining though because the real showstoppers were our meals. Kevin got the blackened swordfish, complete with cajun seasoning. It was served with black beans and corn, rice, and mango salsa. I had a bite (or two) and it was so delish! The swordfish had great flavor with just the right amount of kick to it. The sides were quite tasty as well. I may consider getting it next time, but I like to try different things so we will see. For my entree I opted for a quesadilla. I know you're thinking how boring, but you couldn't be more wrong! It was a shrimp and crawfish quesadilla. It was jam packed with shrimp, crawfish, cheese, and tons of flavor! I was absolutely in love with my choice! I had never had crawfish before and while this isn't the traditional way to eat it, I sure didn't mind and would do it over and over again! Stay tuned next week for a post on Cricket Hill Brewery before I take a break for the holidays. We will be traveling back to Indiana for a couple of days, then we have family coming out here to spend time in New Jersey and New York (in case you were wondering where New York Christmas posts have been, I've been waiting for family)!