Farm-to-table Mexican: Are you one of the vital South Bay foodies clamoring for upscale Mexican choices? Caterer Anna Zamora Pizzo and trade spouse Susan Gentile have opened Zona Rosa, a San Jose eating place that specialize in cutting edge small plates with in the community sourced foods. Early menu standouts come with Pizzo's signature dip for tortilla chips, a smoked cashew salsa; tacos de costillas (Niman Ranch brief ribs braised in guajillo chile with tomatillo avocado salsa), tostadas atun ahi (sushi-grade ahi tuna and chipotle crema); and for dessert, buñuelos de calabaza (pumpkin fritters with a Mexican eggnog dipping sauce). Tortillas are hand-pressed day-to-day from natural masa from Los angeles Finca in Oakland. And it kind of feels best installing that an eatery named Zona Rosa showcases its Rose Lawn neighbors, with espresso roasted at Barefoot, chardonnay from J. Lohr and sangria made with farmers marketplace peaches.

Zona Rosa occupies the previous Calvin's Cheesesteaks, however you would not realize it by the transformation using artist-reclaimed wood, architectural salvage, antique unearths and, of course, plenty of stucco.

Details: Dinner from five p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 1411 The Alameda, San Jose. 408-691-6111; www.zonarosasj.com.

Expansion mode: Asian Box, the fast-casual chain that introduced in Palo Alto's The city & Us of a Village in advance this year, is branching out. Search for a Mountain View area to open q4 at 142

Castro St. and a Burlingame one to observe early subsequent 12 months on Primrose Highway. The corporate may be on the lookout for a domain in San Jose's Willow Glen house. By the way, if you happen to overlooked final week's Meals & Wine quilt tale on Asian Box's soundtrack, test it out at www.mercurynews.com/food-wine.

In the chefs' tent: Joanne Weir, of TELEVISION and James Beard award fame, will sign up for the roster of Peninsula cooks demonstrating recipes at this weekend's Connoisseurs' Market in Menlo Park. Weir, who owns a Sausalito eating place referred to as Copita, will get ready a summer time salad of seared tuna, shell beans and tomatoes with aioli at 12:45 p.m. Saturday. Admission is loose. In finding the whole lineup at www.miramarevents.com.

Send South Bay and Peninsula eating how one can Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@mercurynews.com.