Which is the best of San Jose's Japantown restaurants? Locals come to blows over that question, but we're giving our vote to Minato. The key is to go with the cooked dishes: light-as-a-cloud tempura, pungent curries, tonkatsu (breaded pork) or my favorite: the shioyaki dishes. These are either mackeral or salmon are crusted with salt (to hold in the juices) and then grilled. It's a wonderfully healthy preparation, made even more delicious by the addition of two sauces which you dip your fish or vegetables into. Like all the Japantown restaurants, there's street parking only, but the waitstaff is good about reminding diners to check their parking meters.

-Pauline Frommer