San Jose, Newark

There's no shortage of great taquerias in East San Jose, but if you're thinking about carne asada fries — which we do quite frequently — make a beeline for a Santa Fe Taqueria.

They've got most of the bases covered here, including big burritos ($9-$10) stuffed with your choice of al pastor, barbacoa, carnitas, chile verde and more, as well as fish tacos ($5.49), tamales ($5.49) and chile relleno ($6).

These taquerias are part of the Santa Fe Foods company, which also operates several mercados and carnicerias in the area. The White Road and Newark taquerias are next to these markets, so you can combine lunch with a quick shopping trip — or take a detour from your shopping to sate your taco cravings.

FRY TO TRY >> Those carne asada fries ($16) are why we came, and it won't take many mouthfuls for you to figure out why. Crispy fries are topped with melted shredded cheese, piles of flavorful carne asada, sour cream, avocado sauce, pico de galo — and more cheese. It's as decadent as it is delicious.

DETAILS >> Opens at 8 a.m. daily with locations at 942 S. White Road and 2687 Story Road in San Jose, and at 7372 Thornton Ave. in Newark; santafefoods.org.

If you've read Malcolm Gladwell's famous New Yorker article, you've heard that beef tallow makes for some of the best fries around. But ever since McDonald's stopped using tallow in the 1990s, bowing to a national health trend, they've been hard to find — until recently.

Uptown Oakland's Clove and Hoof was originally a butcher shop selling Wagyu flank and housemade sausages — focusing on whole animals that are raised sustainably — with fridges overflowing with housemade sauces and rich stocks. A couple years ago, it refined its operations to become a full-time restaurant, while preserving its lovingly sourced meats for a decadent C&H Cheeseburger ($15) with double patties and pimento cheese and an Oakland's Cheesesteak ($15) with onion confit and warm beer-cheese fondue.

Saltbreaker's shoestring potatoes are topped with Parmesan, parsley and garlic olive oil. You'll likely want to sample the other varieties as well.

DETAILS >> Open daily at 2005 Crow Canyon Place in San Ramon and 3483 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville; fatmaddies.com.

DAI SUGANO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Clove and Hoof Hand-cut tallow fries accompany a double patty cheeseburger at Oakland's Clove and Hoof, which has recently refined its offering.

JANE TYSKA — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Saltbreaker