Page 144 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2021 REDISCOVERING CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST

IF YOU GO

We finally filed out onto the boulevard after What to do:
midnight, but folks were still kickin’ it at The Flo- Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum: 37417 Niles
rence, the wood-paneled biker bar a few doors Boulevard, Fremont, http://nilesfilmmuseum.org.
down. A live band had drawn big crowds to “the Closed through 2020 due to Covid-19, with hopes
Flo,” ranging from relative youngsters in their 40s to reopen by Spring 2021. In the meantime, check
right up to their 80s. out the website for monthly online programs.
Half a dozen ZZ Top look-alikes reclined coolly Niles Canyon Railway & Museum: http://
against the bar, but others couldn’t resist taking to www.ncry.org. Round-trip railway rides between
the dance floor as the band played covers by Niles and Sunol.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR and AC/DC. There was a Mudpuddle Music Shop: 37433 Niles Blvd, Fre-
whirling dervish of a woman with a black eye, a mont, https://www.facebook.com/mudpuddlemu-
mustachioed man wearing khaki trousers tucked sic. Tune in to Michael McNevin’s Facebook page
into cowboy boots, and a fellow in a leather vest for the musician’s twice weekly, free-wheeling
doing a vertical version of the worm. “virtual” variety shows.
The streets are a bit more silent these days— Where to eat and drink:
though not quite as quiet as Niles’ silver screen The Nile Café: 121 I Street, Fremont, http://
classics—as the town waits to emerge from Covid’s
www.thenilecafe.com. Popular breakfast and
cocoon. When it does, I’d love to return to see its
lunch spot with Egyptian-themed decor.
transformation. I picture a bold, brightly colored
Federico’s Grill, 37804 Niles Blvd, Fremont,
butterfly, a new species unique to this tiny East
Bay getaway, beating its wings to a funky, synco- https://www.facebook.com/FedericosGrill/. Cali-
fornian cuisine with an emphasis on Italian fare,
pated beat as it glides down the boulevard be-
with a popular back patio. Word on the street is,
neath a brilliant blue sky.
try the cioppino.
Joe's Corner, 37713 Niles Blvd, Fremont, https:/
/www.joescornerniles.com. Serving sandwiches,
salads, and a wide selection of beer and cider.
Niles Ice Cream Sweets & Eats, 37699 Niles
Opposite: Singer-songwriter Michael Mc- Blvd, Fremont. The name says it all.
Nevin (second from right) leads a jam with Bosco’s Bones and Brew: 11922 Main Street,
other local musicians at his Mudpuddle Mu- Sunol, https://www.boscosbonesandbrews.com.
sic Shop on Niles Boulevard. Copyright Amy Wash down hearty Cajun pasta, fish and chips, or
Laughinghouse veal scallopini with a brew from the Bosco tap.
Bottom: The Nile Cafe, with its Egyptian- Closed Mondays.
themed decor, is a popular breakfast spot Where to shop:
for locals. Copyright Amy Laughinghouse Mantiques and Toy Trauma, 37671 Niles Blvd,
Fremont.
https://www.facebook.com/mantiquesnilesfre-
mont/ and https://www.facebook.com/toytrauma
Keith’s Books and Collectibles, 37573 Niles
Boulevard, Fremont. http://www.keithsbooks.com.
More information: www.niles.org

144 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2021