Chak's Take - Strawberry, as in the DJ, not the Fruit! The Opening of Capriotti's in Santa Clara County

I certainly have a good spring break, capped with a few small trips such as The Wharf in Santa Cruz, but the first Saturday in April did cap my Spring Break with a surprise, and that is where the freeway continues.

THE JOURNEY FROM SAN MARTIN

From my San Martin* nest, I started in the early morning hours from Morgan Hill on U.S. 101, taking advantage of the GasBuddy app to stop at a Shell near Bernal and Monterey Road to top up my fuel tank to maximum, then continued on 101 to get some morning breakfast at 7-Eleven on Alum Rock, lasting only 15 minutes. The final segment on 101 only lasted two miles before switching to I-880 north, although that segment was a short, three-mile trip before the Google Maps app forced me off the freeway at Tasman Drive (Great Mall Parkway). I continued on Tasman for the remainder of the trip and eventually arrived just before 7:30 AM, although I only saw fewer than 10 people ahead of me.

I did park inside the shopping garage due to fears that a "No Parking" sign might be posted by the City of San Jose. I was simply there to see what Capriotti's looked like. Despite that Capriotti's was started in Deleware since 1976, the current headquarters is in Las Vegas, with at least 2 stores along The Strip (Las Vegas Blvd). The San Jose (North) location is only the second store in the Bay Area (after Concord). (My last Las Vegas trip, by the way, was during the final days of 2015 of which I drove the entire trip!)

Just over three hours later, the door opened... And yeah, my first time ever eaten at Capriotti's.

THE MENU ORDER ITSELF

As for the sandwich, I ordered a simple menu that includes a nine-inch signature Bobbie sandwich, small kettle chips, and large soda (my choice is usually a no-calorie soda when possible). Using my app that I downloaded before the opening, I did not have to pay over ten dollars. The app is very straightforward despite a little confusion at first. I won't disclose the ingredients for that signature sandwich (the Bobbie, that is) other than the listed ingredients on the menu.

Incredibly, the Bobbie is probably the only turkey sandwich that I'll order as the other guys probably don't make the sandwich as good as Capriotti's! Here's why - normally, I would dislike any ordinary turkey sandwich, but the Bobbie has a special taste to my buds. The cranberry sauce and the stuffing is what balances the turkey taste, which even I was more than satisfied with the sandwich and the service that the guys and the owner would want customers.

My verdict: I'm coming back for more soon, although my order will generally have my sandwiches to be in the nine-inch size (small). When my rewards do indicate a free item of any size, I will usually get a large sandwich, but I generally pair it with chips and medium soda, except in certain circumstances (e.g. as in a discount, which I will switch to large soda). When I do any refills, I generally try to put a zero-calorie soda in my drink.

WHO IS "STRAWBERRY?"

The menu was not the only thing that was exciting. There was a sneaky addition to the lineup of which I was nearly unaware until I saw the confirmation. Then I went on Twitter and confirmed that a DJ was going to be on the scene, including to properly pronounce my last name "Chak."

And so after my lunch, it was time to meet "Strawberry."

Apparently, when it comes to the word "Strawberry," people tend to think of the red fruit that is very juicy and tasty, which is perfect for making juices, purees, jams, and so on. But I'm not talking about the fruit - I'm referring to Strawberry the DJ! It is unknown what his real name is, but let me tell my bloggers about him - he's a Silicon Valley native that grew up on music, and is mainly a DJ for a popular radio station named 99.7 NOW. (Note that same station (not including Strawberry) was spotted by me as I was on my night walk outside San Jose State University's Event Center the week before on a Friday night.)

The question is, how do I know about 99.7 NOW? The correct answer is one personality that I've seen before - Amy Robbins (Amy Robbins Mohler). In fact, when I asked DJ Strawberry about Amy Robbins, he told me that he only sees her twice a week (late in the week, to be specific) at 99.7 NOW. So if I do happen to spot any other personalities other than Amy at any time during events, I might only ask about Amy - it is meant to send a message to her that I sadly miss her in person.

DJ Strawberry is a very energetic and respected DJ that I would love listening to, especially as a listener that normally would turn to local Silicon Valley news to often report hot spots and pinpoint the exact location. I'll only be surprised if DJ Strawberry or Amy Robbins spots my social media posts (e.g. FB, Twitter, Instagram). My message to any high profiled personality is simple - please do accept my apologies if I do say too much.

If I happen to get any additional followers on my Twitter or Instagram (both are of the same handle, see end of blog) as a result of my posts, I'll be surprised - who knows when I might get a response... For now, I look forward to listening to the guy that knows Amy Robbins - DJ Strawberry! While I'll see Strawberry on the radio, I hope to see him at another event soon, so I hope I'll see him again.

Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
NOTE: * San Martin - pronounced as SAN MAR-TEEN
Bonus photos below. All of them in this blog are taken exclusively with my GoPro HERO4 Black camera, and are of the property of the original owner. If you do plan to use any of them, please ensure that you credit me for the pictures!