Okay hamburger, misguided fegato

San Jose, California, March 19—

WE STOPPED OFF in Berkeley for lunch with a friend at a place new to us, Café Quince. A sweet little place for lunch: I had an okay hamburger, thick, grass-fed beef, with nice balsamic-pickled onions. And they have a good espresso, a rare item in that town.

Cold water

THEN DOWN HERE to San Jose, California's second city, where the Martini, at the Fairmont Hotel, was NVG; and the soi-disantsautéed calf's liver Venice style was misconceived and badly executed: thick chunks of liver, somewhat overcooked, served in a gluey, slightly sweet tomato sauce. Alas.

unattributed Pinot Noir by the glass, fortunately rather good

I've been thinking maybe I should assign numerical ratings, Zagat-style, to the restaurants we eat in, 0-30 for food, decor, and service. I'll begin with these:

Quince Cafe and Grill [19-20-19], 2228 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley; tel. 510-717-1408

Original Joe's [16-15-17], 301 South First St., San Jose; tel. 408.292.7030