"I've tried counting the food establishments [in downtown MV] but run out of fingers and toes within blocks."

Dale, I actually have kept close track of them for years, and to address that detail, there are slightly over 100 (roughly 105) restaurant SPACES, most currently operating as restaurants, in the defined neighborhood "Old Mountain View" (which includes Castro St., side streets, and some surrounding blocks). The exact number may fluctuate any day of the week, as businesses open and close. A few restaurant spaces have been closed long-term: the sites of Spice Islands and New China Delight have been idle for years, and the former Hunan Chili has been under remodel (slated on record for a Little Sheep Mongolian Hotpot site) more than two years.

Thanks for giving attention to Vaso Azzuro. This place has been appreciated by many loyal local customers as a classy low-key good-value restaurant ever since the original pair of cousins from Turkey opened it early last decade. Their longterm chef (who continued under the Sardis) spun off his own restaurant a few years ago, nearby -- La Fontaine -- which has not only a historical connection with Vaso, but a related menu.