Ditch all the startup stuff and spend a couple of hours reading up on where to find great Vietnamese food, sushi and burritos. The South Bay is full of treasures and these are well-documented online by obsessive, hungry people.
As for the Burritos, meh. Nobody in the bay area serves a proper breakfast burrito (Eggs, Potato, meat, cheese, and some kind of salsa but not pico, and no beans or rice). Almost nobody serves burritos enchilada style, and green chile is conspicuously absent from almost everything.
That said, the burritos can still be tasty, but they can't hold a candle to anything served in New Mexico. It's like Pepsi vs. Coke... they don't have that special kick.
I'd almost suggest skipping PA, especially the corner of Emerson and Channing, unless you enjoy crammed traffic of people trying to get in/out of Whole Foods.
The really remarkable thing about Palo Alto is how unremarkable it feels.
Vietnamese food is both delicious & cheap in Silicon Valley. I would say it's authentic in San Jose, but I'm not qualified to judge how legit it is. Vietnamese food may not be as familiar as other cuisines in America, but it is one of the best comfort foods.
[1] - Here in NYC, there is a dearth of good Vietnamese food. NYC Banh Mis are easily $6-8 for a subpar product. Contrast that to paying $2.50 in Milpitas for a giant Banh Mi.
Yummy, cheap, authentic Vnese restaurants in South Bay area. Since business is in our blood and everybody thinks they can cook, Vneses here are racing each other to open restaurants, the result is a ton of choices for quality and prices for us foodies. Yeah, I'm Vnese myself, and think that the quality of Vnese restaurants here are second to none, including inside Vietnam.
For business meetings and casual outings, try Vung Tau restaurant @downtown SJ or Paloma Cafe @Grand Century Mall on Story Road (try the beef stew there).
Really casual outings, try the food court of Grand Century Mall, chicken noodles by Pho Ga An Nam on Story Road (not on Google Maps! you got to ask a Vnese dude for directions! :) )
a little more upscale: Three Seasons @Palo Alto, Xanh @Mountain View.
btw, "pho" really is fast-food for Vnese like hamburger for Americans.
bonus: the best "French" bakeries are actually Vnese! For mouth-watering cake and desserts, try the bakeries in the Lion Plaza on Tully Road.
Don't think I ever had a decent burrito since I moved up here. I'm spoiled since I used to live in SoCal. I agree about the Vietnamese food and the sushi.
One gripe about the Burritos there - try to find a place that serves something other than 'mission' style burritos, because quite honestly they all taste the same to me after they're loaded down with 2 pounds of the exact same ingredients... I much prefer san diego style, which is just meat and guac. You can really taste the quality or lack thereof.
