Patrick Marleau’s Favorite San Jose Restaurants

“The people, the food, the fans, the area, the weather. I mean, you can’t go wrong with any of those things,” Marleau said in September, at San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Media Day.

In honor of the San Jose Sharks legend’s love for his adopted hometown, I asked him to name some of his favorite restaurants in town.

Marleau was asked if he could go back to 1997, what’s the most unbelievable thing that he could tell a 17-year-old Patrick Marleau?

“Probably that I would end up liking sushi,” the San Jose Sharks second-overall pick in the 1997 Draft quipped.

Not shockingly, there weren’t a lot of sushi places in Aneroid, Saskatchewan, population: 50.

“We didn’t have too many fish. We had rainbow trout in our pond, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it growing up,” Marleau recalled. “But now, I’m good. Crispy rice spicy tuna roll, that’s my favorite now.”

That’s a popular item at Marleau’s favorite local sushi spot, Mizu Sushi.

Marleau also rattled off three other restaurants, long-time San Jose Sharks players’ favorite, Aldo Café in Los Gatos, whose manager Giuseppe is part of the locker room fantasy football league, and local institutions Original Joe’s and Bertucelli’s La Villa.

Marleau, also a wine connoisseur, didn’t give up any of his favorites.

“Anytime you go to Napa, that’s good,” he laughed. “I [might] get in trouble up there though.”

That, I’d like to see!

Congratulations, Patty!