a taste of the suburbs

Restaurant Round-Up

2008-08-20T13:14:00.001-07:00

Since I'm playing catch-up here, I thought I'd lump a bunch of restaurant assessments into one post.

But first, some background information: Tired of eating at the same ol' eateries in Cupertino EVERY DAY, the co-workers and I have been frequenting Santana Row for lunch. So all of the following are located at SR.

Sino. Since my first visit to this place — back in February 2006 — I've been back numerous times. BUT, I was boycotting for a while because the service was so incredibly bad. For example: One time, we filled out our dim-sum order and handed it to the waitress. I'm assuming that, at that point, her job was pretty straightforward. GET THE PIECE OF PAPER TO THE KITCHEN. After 20 minutes or so, we flagged her down to inquire about our order. Turns out, SHE LOST OUR ORDER SLIP. Huh? First of all, who does that? And secondly, why wouldn't you tell us this so we could fill out another form? Sadly, it actually went downhill from there.

Anyway! Fast forward to last week, when my young, single male co-worker wanted to try Sino because the women who work there are hot. Much to my surprise though, the service this time around was awesome. I could not believe it. I still can't. And the food was good, too. But I never really had any issues with the food there.

Sino, I will be back.

Pluto's. Yes, yes. I know, you already know about Pluto's. But did you know that for under $4, you can get a serving of mac'n'cheese, a side of garlicky fries, a small drink, and even a wedge of Rice Krispies treat? Indeed you can. It's called, ordering off of the kids' menu. And that is what I am all about. (If you don't like mac'n'cheese or fries, you can order other entrees and sides. But really, if you're reading this blog, you should like mac'n'cheese and fries.)

Pizza Antica. I don't even really like pizza much, but I like this place. It's not extraordinary — just, good solid fare. With good, solid service (which is not all that common at SR restaurants actually). I like the pizza with heirloom potato, caramelized onions and white truffle oil. Yeah, not your average pizza toppings. Maybe that's why I like Antica.

But either get a reservation or get here early. This place gets packed.

Two places that I'm in no hurry to visit again: Maggiano's and Roux Louisiana Kitchen. The food at Maggiano's is decent, but what burns me is the slow service. Coming here for lunch, I don't have time to wait and wait and then have you get my order wrong and wait and wait again for the correct dish to come out.

I really wanted to like Roux, but it's just not the best lunch spot because the food can be a bit heavy. And greasy. And make you ill by the time you get back to your desk.

Psychic

2008-08-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I just re-read my post from March. In which I joked that I would be back in August with another post.

Yikes.

Cupcakes!

2008-08-20T12:53:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't you know it — after a six-month hiatus, I return to bring you a cupcake-related post. Just when you thought Palo Alto had missed out on the cupcake trend, two bakeries are opening next month: Sprinkles and Kara's Cupcakes. I've tasted the former (thumbs up), but not the latter.

Sprinkles' opening has been delayed and delayed. Now, according to a Craigslist job posting, it's supposed to be in business at the Stanford Shopping Center in September.

On September 1, Kara's Cupcakes will be opening at the Town & Country Village. (Which, by the way, is looking much better these days with all of the new shops opening up there.)

So finally! We get our cupcakeries in the Peninsula. In the past, I've had to order from Sibby's, which requires large quantities and doesn't have a storefront. At least PA got in on the whole yogurt craze in a timely manner!

(Note: I do not like the service at the Red Mango on University, so I continue to frequent Fraiche.)

Still Alive ... And Eating Well

2008-03-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

I am so ashamed. It's been FIVE months since I last posted here and I have no good excuses. I have not learned to cook nor am I starving myself. I've actually been eating out quite a bit. But I just haven't made the time to write about anything.

Off the top of my head, here are some local spots that I am currently loving (places I've written about before on this site, and places that are new to me):

Old Port Lobster Shack - I don't care if they've expanded to SF and Napa, and are a mini-chain now. This is actually where Jon and I dined on Valentine's Day. Because I *heart* this restaurant THAT much.
Fraiche - Lord, their yogurt is addictive. And better than Pinkberry in my book.
Village Pub - Jon loves the burgers here. I love just about everything else on the menu.
Woodside Bakery & Cafe - A good brunch destination on a sunny day, since about half the seating is outdoors.
JZCool Eatery - Really cute, but really loud when there's live music at night (because it's a small-ish dining space). I'm a fan of the arancini. Next time though, I'm gonna try the sliders.

Okay, so that's five suggestions. One for each month that I've been absent. See you in August.

Just kidding. I hope.

Eating Elsewhere: Napa

2007-10-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

I forgot to share! Earlier this month, Jon and I spent a weekend in Napa — celebrating our three-year anniversary. Since we were staying at the Carneros Inn, we had dinner our first night at FARM and breakfast the next morning at the Boon Fly Cafe. I highly recommend them, even though I wasn't a big fan of our main waiter at FARM ... and Jon had some technical difficulties with the teapot at Boon Fly. The food at both was immensely enjoyable. And they are such charming spots.

We also had to go to Bistro Jeanty so I could order up the tomato soup in puff pastry. It is so good, I would make the drive to/from Napa just for that soup. The mushroom pasta special I had that day was also ridiculously good. Jon's Nicoise salad was bigger than his torso, and I think he ate almost all of it. (He started off his meal with some other salad that I don't recall. Can you tell that he's a much healthier eater than I am?)

What else ... Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc! Okay, so Jon and I are not really good with restaurants that have a single fixed menu. Even if they say it's because they're trying to create a family-style vibe. See, we don't always favor the same kinds of dishes. But we wanted to give Ad Hoc a try anyway. The food was fine (I liked it better than Jon), and the service was friendly but on the slow side. We probably wouldn't go back, but that's partly because there are so many great places to eat in the area. (Note: I loved that the servers at Ad Hoc get to wear Converse All-Stars!)

If You Find Yourself in Cupertino ...

2007-10-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

You must check out the new Whole Foods. It is enormous! And there are so many food stations! I think I could eat lunch there for an entire month and not have the same meal twice. (Though some of their food is a bit bland for me, I like that the co-workers and I can go here and all get whatever cuisine it is we're craving. Makes the daily "Where are we going to lunch?" debate much easier to resolve.)

The new location is: 20955 Stevens Creek Boulevard — which is basically across the street from the old store.

For the Singaporean food fans out there: Have you tried Merlion (at 19628 Stevens Creek)? I've had mixed reaction to the service and food there. But the one thing I've consistently enjoyed is the garlic veggie noodles, which is satisfying and not too pricey.

In the same strip mall: In case you're wondering what the deal is with Ramen Rama, the last I heard (a month or so ago), the place is *hoping* to be open by Christmas! I guess they're having problems with the permits. Sucks. On rainy days (like we're expecting this week), I love me a big bowl of noodle soup.

And speaking of noodle soups! My current favorite is served at Fatima (10125 Bandley Drive). They have these thick homemade noodles in a spicy broth ... Mmmm ...

Secret Restaurant Menus

2007-08-29T10:04:00.001-07:00

Apparently, In-n-Out isn't the only place that offers special items if you know the secret codes. Check out this SJ Mercury article about restaurants all over the Bay Area that have outside-the-menu options for those in the know.

Which now includes you.

Quattro, East Palo Alto

2007-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have been meaning to try this place for some time, but the review by Michael Bauer last year scared us off a bit. Recently though, some co-workers dined here and had nothing but good things to say about the food. So off we went to East Palo Alto for a purpose other than Ikea knick-knacks.

Since it wasn't too cold on Friday night, and the dining room was a bit loud, we opted for an outdoor table. Walking through the restaurant, we couldn't help notice how very busy it was. On the patio, however, it was just us and a group of 20 or so women celebrating something (we're not sure what; they seemed like co-workers).

The restaurant and the patio are both gorgeous. The latter actually gets more attractive as it gets darker, when the shadows from the fountain grasses and the pebble fire feature become more prominent. There are plenty of heat lamps outside, so there's no need to worry about the dropping temperatures.

Our waitress promptly took our drink orders ... But then she disappeared, prompting Jon to ask me: "Did our waitress get fired?" Shortly after that, she finally returned to take our dinner requests. (In the end, the service was so-so. Every time they brought a dish to the table, they would accidentally leave Jon's in front of me. And then they brought us an extra dessert, which we rejected, but that didn't stop them from charging us for it.)

Jon started his meal with an artichoke salad that was delicious. I don't usually even like salads, but I would have eaten his if he had let me. My choice, the crudo, was good — nothing spectacular. It came with salmon, ahi, hamachi and one plump oyster. I didn't finish the tuna because ahi and pesto together? I don't think so.

Next up were our entrees, which included two pasta dishes: the shitake-stuffed chicken over spinach/potato gnocchi (the special for the evening) for Jon, and the fettucini with buffalo ragu for me. So let me state the positive first: The flavors were excellent. And now for the negative: Both of our pastas were overcooked. Jon's gnocchi was mushy and some of my noodles were dry and clumped together. Not a good look for pasta. (Note: I've been told by other patrons that the pasta isn't always this bad; maybe it was just an off night.)

You know that Vanessa Williams song, "Save the Best for Last"? Well, apparently, Quattro is familiar with it, too. Because that's exactly what they did. I would definitely return for their donut platter. A trio of cinnamon and sugar donuts is served alongside two sauces: chocolate and caramel with roasted bananas. SO GOOD. Seriously.

I don't even know what else was on that dessert menu. And frankly, I no longer care what's on their dinner menu. I wonder if I can get those donuts to go ...

Quattro
2050 University Avenue
Four Seasons Hotel
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 566-1200

John Bentley's, Redwood City

2007-08-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

My sister is a picky eater. There are very few restaurants that she really likes. And when she is fond of a place, you can bet that you'll find her there ALL THE TIME.

When she recently raved about the John Bentley's in Redwood City, I was a little surprised. Jon and I had dined at the Woodside location and, while the meal was fine, didn't find it to be all that impressive. After she tried out the Woodside John Bentley's, she agreed with our assessment of the restaurant. And maintained that the RWC one was much better, and that we HAD to try it.

So we did.

A few weeks ago, four of us made our way to El Camino — near the border of RWC and Atherton. I can't remember everything that was ordered at our table because there was so much food. But know this: Everything was good. Really good.

I started with a special that night: gorgonzola-stuffed figs. Delicious. For me, a dish like this can easily be overpowered by the smell and flavor of the gorgonzola. But not this time around.

Next up, I had the grilled and marinated quail on a bed of arugula. I'm almost drooling just thinking about this one — crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.

For my main course, I ordered the crispy nuggets of sweetbread served with shallots, smoked bacon and Yukon golds. By now, I was actually starting to get a bit full, but did the best I could with this tasty entree. The accompanying grain mustard sauce didn't do much for me, but really, bacon and sweetbreads is usually a good combination in my book. (Note: It's not quite as good as the sweetbread appetizer at Village Pub.)

The desserts — which, as you can see in the photo above, my sister ordered about eight of — were underwhelming for me. Nothing was very memorable. In fact, I can't even remember what I ordered. (Maybe the sticky toffee pudding cake?)

Overall, it was a fantastic meal, even though the desserts were disappointing. (To be fair, maybe I was just too stuffed to really enjoy the last course.) The service was excellent; the server had clearly done her homework and referred back to all of the dishes that my sister and her husband had ordered during their previous visit. It's little things like that — and those figs! and the quail! — that keep you coming back to a restaurant. Again. And again.

John Bentley's
2915 El Camino Real
Redwood City, CA
(650) 365-7777

Kaygetsu, Menlo Park

2007-07-29T14:19:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a while now, but every time Jon looks at their menu online, he gets scared off by the prices. (The Kaiseki dinner is about $100/person.) So when we're craving Japanese, we usually end up at one of our usual, lower-priced favorites. (Like Naomi.)

But earlier this month, for my birthday dinner, I finally got Jon to go with me to Kaygetsu. Since it's located in a strip mall, I wasn't expecting much ambiance. But this part of the mall must've been renovated not too long ago, because it was actually quite nice. The restaurant itself is on a corner, next to an optometrist, and has about a dozen tables as well as another half-dozen or so seats at the sushi bar.

Since the dinner was a few weeks ago — and turning a year older probably is affecting my memory — I can't recall every single dish we ordered. Since seven-course meals aren't Jon's favorite, we decided to order à la carte.

The highlight of my meal was the otoro. At $12 per piece, it's steep. But that fatty tuna, taken from the belly, was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Well worth the cost. I also tried the chawan mushi (custard with shrimp, unagi and shitake) and the tako gohan (the octopus with rice dish is one of their current season specialties). Both were tasty, but I didn't want to fill up too much. Afterall, I still had the main attraction: a whole, deep-fried sole.

As a kid, my mom used to serve up deep-fried fish all the time — so it seemed appropriate, on my birthday, to go this route. If you've spent any time reading this blog, you know that deep-fried is almost always my favorite way to prepare anything. And I really enjoyed the platter at Kaygetsu. In one bite, you were treated to tender and flaky fish.

Jon went a healthier route, opting for the hamachi teriyaki. Usually, I stay clear of teriyaki at Japanese restaurants in the U.S. because they tend to overwhelm the meat or fish in sauce. If a restaurant is working with good, quality fish, I want to taste that — and not the sauce. Thankfully, Kaygetsu does it right. Their home-made sauce is neither too sweet nor too thick. Phew.

Service here was also spot-on. As each dish is delivered to the table, the server offers an explanation of what you're about to enjoy. Despite ordering what we thought was a good amount of food, we were still in/out of there in about an hour. (We don't waste much time when we're hungry.) And the bill wasn't too bad, even with that $12 otoro. Sure, you can easily ring up a high tab here, but I realized that we can also pop in for a quick bite that won't set us back much more than the other places we frequent. So the next time we decide on Japanese for dinner, we might have to make another trip to the strip mall.

Kaygetsu
325 Sharon Park Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 234-1084

Why, Hello Blog!

2007-06-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. The past month or so has been busy on all fronts, and the only recent meal I can think of right now to recommend to you: Fondue at Crepes Cafe in Menlo Park. If you order the dinner (two-person minimum), you get to share an appetizer crepe served with grilled veggies, caramalized onions, creamy chicken and mushrooms; a side salad each; and, of course, a pot of bubbling cheese.

What more could you ask for? (Okay, maybe the fruit that the menu says comes with the dinner — but we saw no sign of.) During our visit, Jon and I opted for the Savoyard. With gruyere, emmental and comte, it's considered the classic cheese fondue.

Since I was in NYC last month, I can offer a few more suggestions if you're lucky enough to make it out there any time soon: The Modern, Yakitori Totto, Pastis, Per Se, Shake Shack and Nobu 57.

Crepes Cafe, Menlo Park

2007-05-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have no idea how Crepes Cafe eluded me for so long. This place is a gem! (As long as you don't mind the train rolling through the station across the street every so often — which I didn't.)

I recently went for Sunday brunch with three girlfriends. Each of us ordered a different crepe (in both the sweet and savory categories) and they were all so good. I had the bananas and chocolate combination, but next time I'm going for the Belle Helene (pears and chocolate).

Most of the seating is outdoors, with heat lamps and a covered patio allowing for year-round al fresco dining. Although the restaurant was busy when we visited, service was still very friendly and efficient.

The fact that they offer fondue as well just makes this place even better in my book.

Crepes Cafe
1195 Merrill Street
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 473-0506

Pho Binh Hoa, Redwood City

2007-04-24T07:30:00.002-07:00

It's no secret that Jon and I are regulars at El Grullense — the one that's located inside the little strip mall on Woodside Road. But the other night, during our (at least) weekly visit, we noticed that the Asian restaurant a few doors down, Happy Day, had changed its name. It's now Pho Binh Hoa and, as the name implies, specializes in Vietnamese food.

Very affordable Vietnamese food.

Last night, we popped in for dinner. I ordered a bowl of pho that was the size of my head, and it was only six bucks. I went with the rare steak (which gets cooked in the delicious hot broth) and well-done flank version. But the latter meat was a bit too fatty for my taste. So next time, I think I'll ask for just the rare steak.

Jon, who does not like soups (it's crazy — I know!), ordered a stir-fried chicken and rice dish. He also is not super into white rice, so he ate up most of his chicken, but not all of his rice. And he left his side of soup untouched.

Okay, remember how my pho arrived in a giant bowl? Well, to neither of our surprise, I couldn't finish it. But, given what Jon left behind of his meal, and that I only consumed about 50 percent of mine, the extremely sweet server was very concerned when she came to clear our table. She was so sincere, that I admit, it further endeared this place to me. The first staffer we encountered here (a gentleman who may be the proprietor?) was also very kind. Oh, and this place is super-clean, so it earns extra points with both of us for that. And the easy-listening '80s music is a nice touch.

With our entrees and a drink each (fresh-pressed lemonade for Jon, iced coffee with condensed milk for me), our bill totaled less than $20. BTW, for those who enjoy those pearl drinks — the ones with the tapioca balls in them — they offer several flavors here.

Pho with beef is one of two standard dishes by which I judge a Vietnamese restaurant. The other is the rice vermicelli served with bbq pork and an eggroll. So I'll be making a return visit to Pho Binh Hoa to report back on that one.

In the meantime, check it our for yourself — and don't be scared by the tripe on the menu! (Coincidentally, El Grullense offers tripe as well. But the few times I've ordered a tripe taco, the cashier seems to question if I know what I'm asking for.)

Pho Hoa Binh
756 Woodside Road
Redwood City, CA
(650) 369-3767

Vallco ... Er, I mean Cupertino Square

2007-04-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

If you spend much time in Cupertino, you probably know that Vallco Shopping Center is undergoing a massive overhaul — which even includes a new name: Cupertino Square. I've only been to two restaurants there, Alexander's Steakhouse and Benihana,* but there are a couple that I'll probably be frequenting for lunch when their doors finally open.

CPK ASAP has had a coming soon banner out for months now. So today, I decided to look into the situation, because I'm tired of being teased about their opening. It turns out, the ground has been dug up, but they're still waiting for PG&E to come in and lay down some pipes. Only then can construction of the actual interior commence. So it's going to be at least a few months before I can get some BBQ chicken salad for lunch.

In addition to the yet-to-open CPK ASAP, Cupertino Square will also be home to an Islands burger joint. This has one of my coworkers very excited, because in Northern California you can only currently enjoy Islands in the Sacramento area.

* Speaking of Benihana, did I ever tell you that we went there for Jon's birthday a couple of months ago? We did, because we had some gift cards for the place. So when I called to get a reservation at the Burlingame location, I discovered that it's closed for a big renovation. Like a year-long renovation. I can't wait to see what it looks like afterwards! It'd better be really cool if they shut down for this long.

Giada Book-Signing

2007-04-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am a big Giada de Laurentiis fan because her recipes are actually within my culinary reach. I was at Books, Inc. at Stanford Shopping Center this weekend and noticed that she will be there this Friday at 2pm, signing copies of her new book, Everyday Pasta.

For more info, including the rules for the book-signing, click here.

Dutch Goose, Menlo Park

2007-04-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

Let me break this down nice and simple: If you like deviled eggs, you'll love the Dutch Goose. They serve these spicy deviled eggs ($1.25 for an order of two halves; $10 for a whole plate) that are delish. While we were waiting in line tonight, I was kidding with Jon and said I was just going to order a plate of eggs for my dinner. After I tasted them, I wish I had actually made good on that notion. Next time ...

(Apparently, the Dutch Goose's egg recipe goes several owners back — to Pete Eccles, who was the guy who gave the place its name. Before he came along, it was called the Busy Bee.)

As far as the other food here, it's your average hamburger, hot dog, etc., joint. The fries aren't consistently crispy enough for my taste. The ambiance is ... well, don't let it deter you. The wood booths and long tables feature years and years of carved names and sentiments. It's one of those eateries that's just an institution 'round here (especially amongst Stanford students and alum). But, really, how can you NOT love a place that sells bags of peanuts and lets you throw the shells right down on the floor?

Other perks: 12 beers on tap, plenty of flat-screen TVs, a heated patio out back, a pool table, and even some arcade games.

Dutch Goose
3567 Alameda de las Pulgas
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 854-3245

Chronicle's Top 100

2007-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Of the 17 new restaurants that Michael Bauer et al added to this year's Top 100, three are located in the Peninsula: Junnoon and Mantra in Palo Alto (both upscale Indian) and Kaygetsu in Menlo Park.

Actually, the only other Peninsula/South Bay eateries that made the annual list are Koi Palace in Daly City, Amber India in Mountain View and Manresa in Los Gatos. Hmmm ... I think the 650 and 408 are a bit underrpresented. What about Navio in Half Moon Bay? Or Evvia and Tamarine in PA? I'd gladly dine at either of those restaurants before I return to Junnoon or Amber India. (When we dined at the two Indian restaurants, the service was a little lacking — e.g., the wrong dish brought to the table, a nearly one hour wait for a table despite having a reservation.)

Trader Joe's

2007-03-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

You don't need me to tell you how great Trader Joe's is ... So since I haven't gone to any new restaurants in a couple of weeks (we went to Naomi Sushi a few nights ago and had a yummy meal as always), I thought I'd post about some TJ treats I recently discovered and love: 1) dried lychees, and 2) wasabi peas.

And stay away from the dried dragonfruit. Blech.

Young's Ice Cream & Candy Bar, Redwood City

2007-03-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Two posts in two days! Maybe this means I'm getting back into a regular food-blog groove?

Last Friday, after dinner at Mandaloun, we headed across the street to Young's. Because, despite already being quite satisfied from the churros at Mandaloun, who can resist a place that sells ice cream and candy? Not me.

The place caught my eye because the sign out front has an old-time drugstore look to it. Cute! Charming! Oh, and did I mention they have ice cream AND candy? In one convenient, and clean, location? The service was so friendly, which I must admit, shocked me because there were teenagers behind the counter. (Yes, I'm one of those people who assumes teenagers are up to no good 9 out of 10 times.)

In the candy department, you'll find a lot of the usual offerings. (Think Sweet Factory.) And the Loard's ice cream flavors aren't groundbreaking, but I'm all for oldies/goodies. I went with a scoop of the banana, which was delicious. Although I like my ice cream plain and simple, they did have a good selection of toppings. Which makes sense, since they have plenty of candy available to turn into toppings.

Those of you not familiar with Loard's: It's a Bay Area ice cream company that dates back about 50 years. It's rich. It's creamy. It's good stuff.

(BTW, eggnog ice cream was still on the menu last week. And, really, I think that's something that should only be served in late November or December. Otherwise, it just comes across like you never refresh your inventory. Maybe it's just me/my hang-up.)

In addition to frozen and sweet treats, Young's stocks a variety of knick-knacks, toys, small gift items. They also have these ice-cream cones that are made of chocolate chip cookies. I had never seen them before, but Jon claims to have. I couldn't convince him to order one just to see if they're good or not.

Apparently, he's not willing to fatten himself up for the sake of my food blog.

Young's Ice Cream & Candy Bar
2020 Broadway
Redwood City, CA
(650) 364-7500

Mandaloun, Redwood City

2007-03-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

If you follow this blog with any regularity, you probably know by now that there are a few sure-fire ways to entice me into a restaurant: fried-to-order donuts, beignets and churros.

And so it was that we ended up dining at Mandaloun on Friday night. Churros with chocolate-espresso dipping sauce for dessert? Count me in.

Since I was checking the online menu on Friday, by the time we walked through the Mediterranean restaurant's doors that evening, I already knew what I was going to order. Sadly, Mandaloun's online and real-time menus weren't in sync. Neither were the prices: online, the small plates were listed at 3 for $15; they have since been upped to $18. (By the way, I see that today, the site is updated to show the price increase ... and a more current menu!)

We decided to share just one small plate: polenta with a yummy bolognese sauce, topped with farmer's cheese. Although we both had really hoped to order the salt cod and fries starter that we had heard such good things about, the polenta dish more than satisfied us.

Next up were our entrees: Jon opted for the flat iron steak, served with fries; I went with the rabbit. My plate also included potato puree (basically mashed potatoes), onions and apples in a mustard-y broth. I thought my dish was okay, but Jon LOVED his. I looked over at his side of the table and asked if his portion was really small, or if he was just consuming his dinner really quickly. He said it was the latter, because the meat was delicious. (I thought the fries, although crispy, needed some seasoning. They sprinkled sea salt on the steak, but didn't have any for the fries???)

Non-food impressions of Mandaloun: The space is beautiful — lots of wood, stone and ironwork — definitely stands out from most of the other businesses on this strip of downtown Redwood City. We sat in what is called the "Fireplace Room," which is just a nice way of saying "the patio." It's basically an outdoor area in front of the main dining room/bar that's sealed shut with plastic screens when it's cold out. (Yes, there was a fireplace.)

The service was so-so. When I asked what kind of tea they had, the waiter said, "Chamomile?" in a bid to steer me in that direction. It turned out, he was hoping I would answer affirmatively because he couldn't remember what other teas they offer. And this may sound a bit nit-picky: When the teapot was brought to the table, it was accompanied by a large mug. Personally, I prefer smaller cups for hot tea because it allows the tea to cool down/become drinkable faster.

The timing was off with the service, too. We hadn't even finished our one small/starter plate, when our entrees came out. Then, we waited for what felt like a lifetime before our dessert order was taken. Towards the end of our meal, our area of the restaurant was starting to fill up. So our waiter was preoccupied taking orders from other tables, and then (apparently) hanging out at the bar with his co-workers.

At least the dessert was worth the wait. I was a bit annoyed that our waiter didn't bring us any utensils for the dessert course, but luckily, I still had my spoon from my tea. And let's be real here: I would have gladly devoured those churros with my hands, and happily licked my fingers of any residual chocolate-espresso sauce.

So I guess our experience at Mandaloun ended on a high note. But if we go back, I might be inclined to just order up dessert at the bar. Especially since they offer one of my favorite dessert wines (Inniskillin “Ice Wine” Cabernet Franc).

I hope Mandaloun is the start of something in Redwood City — and that more sophisticated dining options open up here. If the car and foot traffic that we saw on Friday night is any indication, the town is ready for it.

Mandaloun
2021 Broadway Street
Redwood City, CA
(650) 367-7974

Weekend Dining

2007-03-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Jon's parents were in town this weekend and when they visit, we tend to eat out. We usually reach into the "Greatest Hits" file and proceed to make reservations. So we decided on The Village Pub for Friday night's dinner, and Tamarine for Saturday.

The Village Pub - Jon and I have been here several times before, and have never been disappointed. I love the food, the service and the ambiance here. The four starters at the table were: sweetbreads (me); lettuce salad (Jon); Caesar salad (FIL); and cabbage soup (MIL). I usually don't order sweetbreads because it kinda grosses Jon out. But this place is the exception. The dish is so delicious here, I would gladly tell Jon to sit at another table if he can't handle my sweetbread-consumption. Theu are crispy on the outside, and velvety smooth on the inside. The poached egg on top makes the appetizer even more rich, but you won't hear me complaining.

Our entrees were: maple brined porch chops (me); pub burger (Jon); steak frites (FIL); and poached sole (MIL). Thumbs-up all around. Note: Jon likes the food at The Village Pub, but thinks it can be a bit heavy. So his entree is usually the burger off of the Pub Menu.

So after we were done enjoying our entrees, the GM stopped by our table. He mentioned that he'd read my blog; he actually remembered Jon's name; he referred to some comments I had posted about previous dining experiences at The Village Pub; and he even got to talking about South Carolina with the in-laws. As if all of that wasn't nice enough, he even offered to comp our desserts! My father-in-law was way impressed by all of the above.

I ended up being the only one to order dessert — the hot chocolate, served with pomegranate marshmallows and three miniature palmiers. (Note: The chocolate souffle here is completely awesome, but I decided to branch out and try a different dessert.) The hot chocolate, which is made with Valrhona, was so good. Thick, creamy and not overly sweet. At first, I thought the marshmallows were just ehhh ... But that was when I was just popping them, straight-up, in my mouth. Once I actually dunked them in the hot chocolate, the flavors totally came together and made sense. The palmiers were delightly crispy and buttery. And, really, who doesn't love miniaturized sweets?
Tamarine - Saturday night's dinner was just as satisfying as Friday's, although the cuisine and the restaurant were so different. Jon's parents have been to Tamarine a couple of times before. We decided to go back again because they've enjoyed it so much in the past, and there aren't a lot of Vietnamese dining options where they live (Hilton Head Island, SC).

To start, we ordered the crispy mushroom rolls; crab and garlic noodles; and salt and pepper calamari. For our main course, we shared the shaking beef (of course); hoisin lamb chops (the chops themselves are fine, but I really love the sweet potato fries that they're served with); lemongrass bass (Jon thinks it's fun just to say it); and the curried long beans. It was just the right amount of food for all four of us.

And, of course, I saved room for dessert! I have such a soft spot for fried bananas because it was my favorite dessert growing up. My mom made it all the time. So if it's on a menu (and this is very important: no coconut in the batter!), I am all over it.

We ate so well this weekend. And now it's back to frozen pizzas ... *sigh*

Beard Papa, Redwood City

2007-03-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Before we go any further, I'd just like to say:

YIKES.

Has it really been over four weeks since my last post here? Daaaamn.

It's not that we haven't been eating out. Because — trust — I have NOT been cooking any more than usual. It's just that things have been a bit busy and, instead of trying new places, we've been going back to visit restaurants that we already know and love. Like La Bodeguita, Flea Street Cafe and El Grullense.

But last Friday, after dinner at Old Port Lobster Shack, we made our first visit to the Beard Papa in downtown Redwood City. Actually, I had to buy some baskets from Cost Plus, and then remembered that Beard Papa is just around the corner.

So anyway! As full as I was from my fried clams and lobster roll dinner, I still decided to order two cream puffs: one vanilla, the other chocolate. The specialty flavor was pumpkin — which I just didn't feel right ordering because I associate pumpkin and all things pumpkin-flavored with the fall. And we're quickly approaching spring here, people.

I brought the pair of cream puffs home to enjoy with a pot of green tea. Way back when I visited the SF Beard Papa, I wasn't all that impressed with the goods. I'm not sure why, but this time around, I couldn't get enough of that vanilla cream puff! I didn't share any of it with Jon. I was totally surprised that I liked it so much AND that I was able to fit it all in my tummy (after the very satsifying OPLS meal). The exterior was perfectly crunchy, while the pastry itself still managed to be light on the inside. And the real vanilla bean in the smooth, creamy custard filling? Good stuff.

After I devoured the vanilla, I forged ahead with the chocolate cream puff. While also quite tasty, I could only make my way through about half of it before calling it quits. I liked that the chocolate wasn't overly sweet.

Maybe the fact that the cream puffs are more geographically compatible (being in RWC now, and not just SF) made them more delicious this time? I have no idea. I just know it was straight-up awesome. And I'm going back for more. Soon.

Beard Papa
835 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA
(650) 365-7272

Amber India, Mountain View

2007-02-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we found ourselves dining in Mountain View two nights in a row ... And both times, someone else did all of the ordering for us. And it was a few nights ago, so my memory of the evening is already hazy.

So this is yet another recap with no detailed menu items to speak of. Sorry!

But really, the important thing here is: If you like Indian food, you should go to Amber India. The food is tasty, and there's lots to choose from. I'm pretty sure we started with the Assorted Tandoori Hors d’Oeuvres (chicken tikka, seekh kabab and Anari kebab)and the Assorted Vegetable Platter (samosa, pakoda, harra kebab and papadum) — both of which were great. (I do love the sampler platters! Especially if there are deep-fried items involved.)

Of the main dishes, my favorites were a lamb curry and a chicken curry. Again, apologies for not being able to give any real useful details here. Nothing that our table ordered was bad though, so I'm sure whatever you order — assuming the description appeals to you — will be good.

The service here is so-so. Our party was rather large (about 15 people), and we had a 7:30pm reservation. Yet we didn't sit down until just after 8pm. And there was some confusion because two different waiters tried to take our order. And things were coming out from the kitchen rather slowly. But this place is so popular and crowded, I guess you sort of expect that.

Amber India
2290 El Camino Real, #9
Mountain View, CA
(650) 968-7511

Spice Island, Mountain View

2007-01-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

A while back, Jon and I enjoyed our first Singaporean dining experience (at Shiok Kitchen). We didn't know much about the cuisine, but were happy with what we ordered. Afterwards, however, we decided to extend a dinner invitation to a Singaporean couple we met through Jon's grad program. Yes, they would be our culinary guides!

So on Friday night, the four of us went off to Spice Islands. Located in downtown Mountain View, it appears to be one of a zillion restaurant options in the area. Even with all of the parking lots they have there, it took us 15 minutes to get a space! And that was after some serious stalking!

But it was worth it. I wish I could tell you exactly what we ordered, but I'm not sure. Our friends consulted with us, but did the actually ordering for the table. For the appetizers, there was a spring roll type of thing and some sort of layered egg dish. Both good. The entrees included curry fish head, okra, short ribs, and noodles with seafood.

Although I liked the flavor of the curry for the fish head entree, I can't really recommend it. The fish part was such a pain to eat! Too many bones. And in the thick sauce, I couldn't make out what I was spooning out; more often than not, ended up with a chunk of bones. No fun. My favorite item was the okra, which I generally just love anyway. But the flavors were sensational here — spicy with a hint of shrimp paste. And our dinner companions explained to us that in Singapore, okra is called "ladyfingers." (Quite different from the spongey cakes that we refer to as ladyfingers.)

So I guess this is only a semi-useful summary of our Spice Island experience, since I can't properly tell you everything we ate. But if you're craving some Singaporean food, you'll have to trust me — and our friends &#151 on this one and try the place for yourself. On a weekend evening, just give yourself plenty of time to find parking!

Spice Island
210 Hope Street
Mountain View, CA
(650) 961-0628

Quick Brunch Bites

2007-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few brief notes on a couple of recent places I tried ...

Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore brunch. It is my favorite meal — partly because it really is two meals in one. You can have your sweet or your savory. And you don't have to get up early.

A few weeks ago, I went to Cafe Brioche for the first time. I had read all sorts of rave reviews about how it was supposed to serve one of the best brunches in Palo Alto. As I expected, there was a short wait for a table for two when I arrived that Saturday morning. I wish I could tell you what I ate, but it really was THAT unmemorable. Nothing special. At all. So I'm not sure why there's so much love for Cafe Brioche. (Maybe I just made a bad menu choice?) The service was friendly but oh so very s-l-o-w. Even though I can't remember what I ordered, I do remember waiting 30 minutes for the check. And asking for it TWICE.

This past weekend, I met some friends for brunch at Scott's Seafood in Town & Country Village. First of all, I probably should have known better than to pick a brunch spot that has the word "seafood" in its name AND is a sort of a mini-chain here in the Bay Area. And secondly, that strip mall is one giant mess. The parking lot is a disaster — with people and cars behaving badly. I ordered an omelet that was decent, but not better than anything I can whip up at home (and that's saying a lot since I don't even like to cook). The accompanying home fries and biscuit were horrendous. I am a firm believer that it is really hard to go wrong with potatoes, but these? These had some sort of funky taste to them that I just couldn't figure out. The service at Scott's was very good, but it didn't make up for the blah food.

I wish I had better things to report. But after these two experiences, I think I need to go back to Alana's for my next brunch outing.

Eating Elsewhere: Carmel

2007-01-17T09:46:00.000-08:00

Poor neglected blog. Last January, I posted 28 times. This January? Not so much. This is just my second post of the new year. What's even sadder: The January 2007 posts thus far are not about the Peninsula!

It's pathetic, I know. But I can't complain because I've been busy with fun freelancing work and fun traveling. Jon and I spent the recent three-day weekend in Carmel Valley. To celebrate my sister's birthday, we had dinner at the Chef's Table at Marinus. SO AWESOME. Everything about the evening was amazing. We ended up consuming 10 savory courses and 3 desserts.

The next day, Jon had the brilliant idea to drive down Highway 1 to one of my favorite places on the planet: Big Sur Bakery. I love this place. It is so cozy and charming. And the food equally comforting (and delicious!). Behold the breakfast pizza:

After Marinus and BSB, I thought dinner at Bouchee in Carmel would be a let-down. But it so wasn't! Another great meal. Jon enjoyed the Kampachi Sashimi and the Free-Range Sonoma Chicken. I had the Monterey Abalone and the Beef Short Rib "à la Bourguignonne". Dessert was just as good: Churros with Hazelnut Hot Chocolate. (I was considering the beignets, but since they're chocolate, and I like mine plain and straightforward, we only ordered the churros.)

More pictures and descriptions from our Marinus and Big Sur Bakery visits can be seen/read here.

Oh, you know what our first meal was once we got home? Quizno's. We are so all over the map when it comes to food.

Eating Elsewhere: Turks & Caicos

2007-01-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but I've got good excuses for my blogging absence:

1) The obvious one - The Holidays.
2) And I was on vacation.

#1 involved lots of good eating, family time, post-Christmas shopping, gift-giving and -receiving.

#2 involved Hilton Head Island, SC, and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. Jon headed out to the East Coast a few days before me (work gets in the way of all the fun!). So we met up in HH for New Year's. And a couple of days later, we were off to the Caribbean.

Since this is a food-related site, let's talk about the food. We made it a priority to hit up the usual/favorite HH spots. It was my first visit to Turks, however, so we mainly took the advice of others. In case you're ever in Provo (which is how most folks refer to Providenciales), here are my dining-out picks:

Fancy Meal: O Soleil
Casual/Expensive Meal:* Bay Bistro
Casual/Cheap Meal: Da Conch Shack
Meal with a View: Magnolia

Prices were high pretty much everywhere we went. So your belly may be full, but your wallet will be empty. The best value was Da Conch Shack — where, for $12, I got a plate of fried conch; mac'n'cheese (it was baked-up so crispy, it was like a slice of mac'n'cheese); and fried plantains. So so good!

You can get more details on Provo restaurants here.

* This category explained: You don't have to dress up to dine here because the ambiance is very casual, laid-back, beachfront. But the entrees are still around $30.

Sibby's Cupcakery, San Mateo

2006-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go?

I've been meaning to post about these mini-cupcakes from Sibby's for over a week now:

They are just as delicious as they are adorable. Jon and I ordered 2 dozen for a recent holiday dinner party. Since we believe in variety, we went with the Sibby's Sampler — which I'm told is anywhere from 4-6 flavors.

We were quite pleased with ours: mocha, grandma's teacake (chocolate), gingerbread, snickerdoodle, eggnog and carrot. In fact, we — and our guests — enjoyed them so much, Jon and I are now scheduled to bring a batch of Sibby's mini-cupcakes to Christmas Eve dinner.

Here's the thing about Sibby's though: There's a minimum order of 1 dozen for the regular cupcakes or 2 dozen for the minis. And they don't have an actual storefront. You call/email your order and they'll either deliver it for a fee, or you can stop by their San Mateo location and pick up yourself. Whichever way you go, it's definitely worth checking out.

Sibby's Cupcakery

Bistro Vida, Menlo Park

2006-12-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of years, Jon and I have enjoyed dinner at Bistro Vida on numerous occasions. I love the ambiance (feels much more like a bistro in Paris than its neighbor, Left Bank restaurant) and the food is usually quite tasty. BUT ... the service is not the greatest. Friendly, but slow.

I kept hearing that the weekend brunch was the real reason to come here, so I finally got around to stopping by on Sunday morning. It was around 11:30am, and the restaurant was about half-full when I walked in. But over the course of my two-hour meal, it filled up almost entirely. Families. Small clusters of friends. Couples. Bistro Vida clearly has widespread appeal.

I ordered the French toast along with a side of frites (which are great here). Maybe my expectations were too high, but I didn't find myself loving the French toast. It was fine, but not addictive — as other diners have deemed it. The texture was more crunchy than eggy, so it's different than most French toasts that are served in restaurants. Different can be good thing, but in this case, it wasn't for me.

I'm glad I made it to Bistro Vida for brunch, but I think I'll stick to the dinner for future visits.

Bistro Vida
641 Santa Cruz Avenue
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 462-1686

Tanglewood, Santana Row

2006-12-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

When my sister heard that her absolute favorite server from the The Grill on the Alley (in the San Jose Fairmont) had been hired at Tanglewood, she immediately made a reservation for the Santana Row eatery.

Now I have to say, I haven't had the greatest dining experiences at the upscale shopping center. Food sometimes seems far too pricey for what you get. Stunning decor, but service is lacking. A lot of the restaurants in Santana Row are offshoots of well-known/successful local establishments (e.g., Chris Yeo's Straits Cafe and Sino, Bradley Ogden's Yankee Pier).

Tanglewood comes with a nice pedigree as well. The restaurant's proprietor is Roland Passot -- who is behind San Francisco's highly regarded La Folie. And Chef Quentin Topping is a graduate of Harvard University as well as the California Culinary Academy.

When I went to the Tanglewood web site the afternoon of our dinner reservation, I spotted a buttermilk-fried quail dish that sounded incredible. Did I mention that it comes with honey-butter mini biscuits? Drool. Sadly, it wasn't available the night my sister and I were there. But they had another quail option, served over grits and with a small salad topped with a fried quail egg. Although the quail itself wasn't fried, it was still quite tasty. And those grits were awesome. I could have eaten an entire bowl.

My sister opted for the Ahi salad that I don't remember much about. All I know is, she practically licked her plate clean. So it scored high marks with her.

Given that the Chef spent some time in the Boston area, I decided that my main entree should be a "Real New England Lobster Roll" (as the menu describes it).

I was a bit hesitant because the roll comes dressed, instead of naked, but the lobster mixture was delicious. There were chunks of sweet lobster meat, crunchy chopped celery, creamy mayo, and even a hint of curry. It was a nice combination of flavors and textures. Oh, and they did the bread right (i.e., a buttery New England-style hot dog bun). The onion rings were also very good.

My sister ordered the chicken, which was sort of a take on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was served over mashed sweet potatoes, with tiny marshallows sprinkled on the plate (even toasted -- a sweet detail!) and some cranberry sauce. Tasty. But I looked at her plate after she finished off her meal, and there were just too many bones to have to pick through. I don't like to work that hard to get some meat.

Next up were the desserts: a triple-layer carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for me, and an apple tart with salty caramel ice cream for her. They were good, but her ice cream was the only stand-out on both of our plates. (That's a little glass of cold apple cider in the photo below.)

The service throughout the evening was top-notch. The server my sister had come to see was actually off the night we dined at Tanglewood (bummer!), but I'm sure he couldn't have done much better than our waitress did. This restaurant, by the way, is beautiful. Dark wood, patterned silk upholstery on the banquettes, and this cool sueded table liner (instead of the usual white paper that sits on top of most restaurant tables). I loved watching the kitchen's sliding glass doors -- such a simple idea, yet it makes so much sense (you get to peek into the kitchen, the servers can see each other and there's no risk of bumping as someone comes in and someone else goes out).

Okay, so is there any downside of this place? Yes. The portions are small. And they're not cheap. My sister and I are not big eaters, yet we found ourselves still hungry after our three-course meal (that was just over $100, pre-tip). If I go back to Tanglewood, I might have to order a couple of appetizers in fill me up. I'm sure they'll be delicious, but whether or not the bill will be worth it is another question.

Tanglewood
334 Santana Row, #1000
San Jose, CA
(408) 244-0464

Shiok, Menlo Park

2006-12-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

I hadn't heard of this restaurant before Colin emailed to tell me about it. But once I took a look at the menu, I put it at the top of my list of places to try.

First of all, I have to say: Since we didn't have any prior experience with Singaporean food, we went into this rather blindly. We didn't know what the go-to Singaporean items were -- the Pad Thai or Shaking Beef of the cuisine, if you will. So we just picked what sounded good (from the lengthy menu) and crossed our fingers.

We chose well.

Since it was a chilly night, I quickly ordered myself a cup of the delicious, sweet honey-ginger tea. For our starters, Jon and I went with the Beef Samosa with Yogurt Mint Sauce and the Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce. The lightly breaded chicken was good (you definitely need to dip it into the sauce), but the samosas were outstanding. Inside the crispy pastry shell was a minced beef, onion and potato mix that was flavorful but not too spicy.

Noodles and rice -- comfort foods to me -- seemed like perfect entree selections for the evening. The Hor Fun is described as stir-fried broad rice noodles in rich egg gravy, with vegetables and your choice of seafood, beef or chicken. We opted for just the veggies. While we were expecting a heaping plate of noodles, what we got looked more like a stew. This is because that egg gravy is really thick. But there were definitely a lot of noodles in the bowl, and it was a satisfying dish.

Because I love Chinese sausage and claypot dishes, the next entree was a no-brainer for me: The Claypot Rice with marinated chicken, Chinese sausage, mushroom and bok choy. Simple and tasty. It reminded me a lot of a meal my mom used to make quite often when I was growing up.

Finally, we got to the dessert menu. In keeping with the theme of ordering food that's reminiscent of my mom's cooking, I ordered the Banana Roll (sans the ice cream -- it was just too cold!). Again, the beauty is in the simplicity: Just sliced bananas in a spring roll-wrapper that had been deep-fried. Awesome. Jon ordered the Fried Ice Cream, which was coconut ice cream with a layer of sponge cake around it, deep-fried and then drizzled with chocolate syrup. I didn't sample his, but since he ate it all, I can only assume it was good.

The decor here is attractive, but nothing fancy. I was a little thrown by the melamine cups, plates and spoons; it just seemed a tad too casual. When our bill arrived, we were surprised that our three-course meal was under $50. Maybe all of that plastic dishware (less breakage) helps them keep costs down?

Shiok Kitchen
1137 Chestnut Street
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 838-9448

Dairy Queen, Redwood City

2006-11-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

After picking up Jon from the airport on Friday night, we drove by the Dairy Queen on Woodside Road. It was 9:02pm and the lights were off, the place totally shut down. Weird, right?

The next night, while on a KFC run (please don't judge me!), we noticed that across the street -- where DQ sits -- it was all dark again. Two nights in a row. Nothing going on at the DQ. Was it closed? Say it ain't so!

Jon spotted a sign in the window and decided to drive through the deserted parking lot to check it out. Turns out, they were just closed for the Thanksgiving holiday week (yes, an entire week) so they'll re-open this Wednesday.

Phew.

Jon always gets some sort of peanut butter-related Blizzard (I think) and I'm all about the kids' size chocolate-dipped cone. Of course, now that I'm writing this, I really want a DQ cone. Just 48 hours until the doors open again ...

Oh! BTW, did you know that there's a Foster's Freeze in Menlo Park? I had no idea, until the other day. So I guess if DQ ever does close (which I hope it never does), at least we know that's nearby.

John Bentley's, Woodside

2006-11-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

After talking about going to John Bentley's for months and months, we finally ate there this past weekend. Located in an old firehouse, the restaurant is quite charming. The front dining room isn't very large. The focal point of the space is the rather modern fireplace that I really liked (you know, the whole juxtaposition between old and new thing). We were seated in the outdoor-ish dining room. I think it's technically a porch, but it totally doesn't feel like it because of all the enclosures and heat and comfy banquette seating that they have going on back there.

To start, I had one of the evening's specials: figs stuffed with blue cheese, served with greens and crostini. I could have done with a little less cheese in my figs, but it was fine (I spread some of the excess on the bread). Jon had the Dungeness crab cakes, which were tasty, but hardly special in my book. (Note: Maybe I've just never had outstanding crab cakes -- even in Baltimore -- so I don't know when it's really impressive and when it's not.)

Moving on.

For my main course, I enjoyed another special: halibut served over wild rice with green beans in a delicous beurre blanc. Loved it. The fish was so tender and flaky. Jon ordered the roast rack of lamb with scalloped parsnips and a grain mustard sauce. Parsnips! What a nice change from the usual potatoes. Very very good.

Finally, for dessert, I went with the panna cotta with strawberry and mango sauce, while Jon chose the apple tart with (some flavor I can't remember) ice cream. His was better, hands down. The tart was fairly large in diameter, but it was also pretty flat. There was just a thin layer of sliced apples in the puff pastry shell. Excellent. My panna cotta was a little too soft for my taste; sure, I like it creamy, but firmer (more gelatin, please!).

All in all -- food, service, ambiance -- it was a good meal, but nothing spectacular. For the most part, the dishes seemed fairly safe.

Although I'm glad we finally tried it, I think the next time we feel like spending $150 on dinner, we might have to drive right past John Bentley's and over to Village Pub instead.

John Bentley's
2991 Woodside Road
Woodside, CA
(650) 851-4988

Kanpai, Palo Alto

2006-11-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

I recently learned that the owners of Menlo Park's Naomi Sushi -- a place Jon and I both like -- opened another Japanese restaurant in Palo Alto. Kanpai takes over the space formerly occupied by Jidai-ya. How do I know this? Because the chopstick wrappers still say Jidai-ya on them.

Details, people.

Anyway! In terms of ambiance and service, Kanpai is definitely a step up from Naomi. It's not too slick though, so you'll still be fine wearing jeans and sneakers here.

This is what we ordered:

San Jose tofu (deep fried cubes in a light, flavorful broth)
Edemame
Ikura (salmon roe)
Hamachi (yellowtail)
Toro (fatty tuna)
Kanpai Special Roll (tempura shrimp + avocado + eel)
Tempura asparagus
49er Roll (tuna + avocado + spicy yellowtail)
Palo Alto Roll (um ... I can't remember!)

One of the nice things is that the nigiri is sold in single pieces ... Well, it's nice in that if you're just looking to sample something, you're only committed to one bite of sushi. But the prices are a bit steep, I think. Our overall dinner came to about $80.

I thoroughly enjoyed my selections, but Jon remarked that his -- which are the last three on the list -- were just okay. He thought the asparagus was too bitter and the 49er Roll not spicy enough. And this is coming from a man who doesn't even like really spicy food; I guess his point was that it was bland.

We ate fairly early last night -- and it was a Tuesday night -- so Kanpai wasn't too crowded during our visit. But I hear that the place gets packed later in the week and during the weekend. While I would definitely make a return-trip here, I may have a tougher time convincing Jon -- especially with so many other good sushi/Japanese food options in the area.

Kanpai
330 Lytton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 325-2696

St. Michael's Alley, Palo Alto

2006-11-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is going to be short and sweet ... Because I'm in the middle of working on several freelance articles ... And I wanted to mention this little eatery, but don't have time for anything too detailed.

I met up with some friends for brunch at St. Michael's Alley on Saturday, and since it was the first visit for everyone, we all commented on what a cute place it is. (Note: I like that they actually offer brunch both weekend days, and not just on Sunday.) The dining room isn't very big, but there are a couple of outdoor tables and seating at the bar as well.

Dishes enjoyed at our table: cinnamon-pear pancakes (the daily special); fruit sundae (which was basically a fruit salad, served in a bowl -- not a parfait glass, as I thought it would be -- with granola and yogurt); and Blue Monkey pancakes (blueberry and banana combined). All were delicious, and not too pricey. My short stack of pancakes and a side of crispy bacon came to about $10.

The restaurant wasn't too crowded when we showed up (which was good for us, since they don't accept brunch reservations), but it started to fill up around noon. On a sunny morning, when people aren't huddled inside their warm homes underneath a pile of blankets, I imagine that St. Michael's Alley probably attracts even more diners looking for a tasty meal, as well as lovely ambiance and service.

St. Michael's Alley
806 Emerson Street
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 326 2530

Oakville Grocery's T-Day Menu

2006-11-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have absolutely no intention of ever -- EVER -- cooking a Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, there are other members of my family who enjoy doing that. But if you're playing host this year and feeling a little unsure when it comes to your culinary skills, get yourself to Oakville Grocery.

They're offering traditional, but definitely gourmet, to-go meals. All you have to do is reheat, place on pretty platters, and serve at your Thanksgiving table. You can even test out Oakville's Thanksgiving meals at their customer appreciation parties, scheduled for this Thursday night at the Stanford and San Francisco locations. The entire Thanksgiving menu will be available for you to enjoy, as well as some goodies from the Fall Catering menu. (I'm sure this is going to be waaaay better than Costco free food sampling!)

From Oakville's press release:

Starters include homemade butternut squash and pear soup, wild mushroom tartlets, Medjool dates stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts and petite crab cakes. Side dishes range from our traditional classic cranberry sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, turkey gravy and artisan bread dressing with fennel and apples to Oakville favorites such as creamed spinach with Parmigiano Reggiano, maple-baked sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts with pancetta and cippolini onions. Oakville is known for its wonderful cheese and charcuterie selections and the stores are brimming with local and imported artisan products from house-made Gorgonzola Torta to Farmer’s pate.

As for dessert, finish off your feast with an assortment of delectable pies from Napa Valley’s Sweetie Pies Bakery. Choose from freshly baked apple crisp, classic pumpkin or maple pecan.

You can order your Thanksgiving meal from Oakville as late as Sunday, November 19. And in case you can't make it to either of the parties this week, call them up and they'll fax you a menu. So easy, it's making me think that maybe I should host a Thanksgiving dinner one of these years!

Oakville Grocery
When: Thursday, November 9, 6-8pm
Where: Palo Alto (Stanford Shopping Center); San Francisco (The Cannery at Del Monte Square)

La Bodeguita del Medio, Palo Alto

2006-11-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

I love this place. It's as simple as that. The food, the drinks, the vibe. La Bodeguita is now one of my favorite restaurants in the Peninsula.

Last night, Jon and I walked in (without a reservation) just after 5:30pm. Since that's what time the Cuban restaurant opens, we didn't have a problem getting a table. But if you're planning to arrive after 7pm, get a reservation. The main dining room -- as well as the bar area, which features some tables as well -- were both full when we were done with our meal.

We started off with a pair of mojitos. Fantastic. Even though I had to go non-alcoholic because I forgot my ID and the waitress actually carded me! Anyway. The drinks -- they live up to their reputation as the best mojitos in town. With rum or without.

For our appetizers, I opted for the empanadas -- a trio of flaky pastries stuffed with shredded pork -- and it was delicious. Loved the textures and flavors, and even the coconut sauce lightly drizzled over the dish (I'm not usually a fan of coconut-anything). Jon couldn't decide between the crab cakes and the croquetas, so he ordered both. The crab cakes were good, but weren't anything extraordinary. The deep-fried potato fritters, however, were awesome with the tamarind-chipotle dipping sauce.

The entrees: I had the ropa vieja (tender shredded skirt steak served over yellow rice with a few plaintain slices) and Jon had the masitas (spicy roasted pork with white rice, black beans and carmelized onions). We couldn't agree on whose dish was better (I thought mine, he thought his), but we did come to the consensus that both were amazing. The only disappointment for me were the plantains. They were on the dry side, and some slices were even gummy. I actually prefered the sweet plantain chips that served as garnish on my plate.

I purposely didn't finish off my entire dinner because I was saving room for dessert. We decided to share the Havana Bananas, which consisted of carmelized bananas, walnuts, and vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon. It was simple and tasty, but nothing special.

Last night, there were quite a few large groups in the dining room -- and this does seem like a great place to imbibe and dine with a gathering of friends.The decor here has a tropical feel to it, and Hemingway's influence is clear (his picture is on the menu, and his words are featured behind the bar). The restaurant's walls are filled with paintings from Cuban artists.

You may not be able to make it to the original La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana. But I can't imagine the food is that much better there anyway. And the Palo Alto eatery does offer plenty of rum cocktails and even cigars. No passport required, but remember to bring your ID.

La Bodeguita del Medio
463 South California Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 326-7762

Erik's Delicafe, Redwood City

2006-10-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am not much of a sandwich person, yet I still find myself drawn to Erik's Delicafe. Since I used to frequent the establishment back in my Santa Cruz college days, I think the appeal is partly nostalgia for me. I won't go to Quizno's, Subway or Togo's, but Erik's I will gladly order from.

Erik's isn't the kind of place you crave or even go out of your way for. I happened to be at a fabric store in Redwood City yesterday when I spotted it in the strip mall. Since my husband had never been to an Erik's before, we decided to pop in.

There's nothing fancy about the menu here. In fact, you could argue that the sandwiches can easily be made at home in your own kitchen. And what's wrong with that? Erik's offers simple, solid food at affordable prices. And, at a time when fancy sandwich shops are charging double-digits and leaving customers dissatisfied, Erik's is a nice respite. The sandwiches are made to order (quickly, might I add) with fresh ingredients. I usually opt for the half-sandwich/cup of soup combo. (I love the names of the sandwiches -- yesterday I had the Raging Bull, but the R.E.O. Speadwagon is also fun to order.)

I admit that the ambiance here is a little cheesy -- with the fake barnwood walls and ceilings, iron kettle in the room, etc. But where else around here can you get your beverages served in mason jars?

Erik's DeliCafe
See web site for locations throughout the Peninsula and South Bay (mainly the latter).

Junnoon, Palo Alto

2006-10-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

When we went to Junnoon on Wednesday night, I was a little surprised that the place was so packed. First, it was Wednesday (is that the new Thursday? which *was* the new Friday?). Second, I made my reservation on Open Table just a few hours prior, and it looked like there was quite a bit of availability for the evening.

When you enter the restaurant, there's a lounge/bar area that looks quite comfy. But the actual dining room -- at least when we were there -- had an awkward configuration to it. There were a lot of tables set up for 6-10 people, so maybe that's why it was so strange. A table of 3 was sandwiched between a party of 6 and a party of 10 (or so). What a miserable spot. Most of the tables for 2 were next to each other, with little room between tables.

But on to the food ...

Jon started with the Bombay Crab and Cod Cake, while I ordered the Minced Beef Patty. The cake was delicious, and had a lovely presentation on top of the mung bean relish. When my dish arrived at the table, I was a little surprised. I thought the patty was encased in puff pastry ... But what I got was a patty and some bread on the side. Hmmm. It turns out, I got the Velvet Lamb Kebob by mistake. D'oh. It was okay -- maybe it would have been better if I wasn't so looking forward to the Beef Patty. The lamb mixture was pan seared, but overall, too mushy for my taste. The flavors were nice though.

For our entrees, I had the Rice Flaked Sea Bass and Jon went with the Junnoon "Kaathi" Roll with chicken. I loved the crispy rice topping on the Sea Bass, and the fish itself was moist and flaky. The best way to describe Jon's was: chicken, wrapped in an omelet, wrapped in "paratha" bread. The thing was a monster, but it was so tasty, he ate it all up.

I absolutely love Mango Lassi -- it may be my favorite thing at most Indian restaurants -- and Junnoon serves a version that also includes Passion Fruit. It was so yummy, I had to order two.

Except for delivering the wrong appetizer to me, the service was fine throughout the night. I was too full (damn Mango Lassis!) to try out any of the desserts, but upon glancing at the menu, none of them really stood out to me as must-tries.

Around the same time that Junnoon opened up (in February), another upscale Indian restaurant arrived on the Palo Alto dining scene: Mantra. I'd be interested to check out that place soon to see if the food is as good as Junnoon's.

Junnoon
150 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 329-9644

Update: Beard Papa

2006-10-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

Judith sent me an email this morning with the scoop on the Redwood City Beard Papa:

Grand Opening!
November 10, 2006

835 Middlefield Road, RWC
Hours: Sun-Thurs = 9am-10pm; Fri-Sat = 10am-11pm

Vanilla Cream Puffs: 1 = $1.75; 6 = $10; 12 = $20

Special flavors will be rotated weekly, but may include: chocolate, caramel, gree tea, pumpkin, milk tea and strawberry. (Prices are slightly higher for these non-vanilla flavors.)

FREE! The first 50 customers for the first 5 days to order 12 or more cream puffs will receive a Beard Papa Coffee Thermos.

Gochi Fusion Tapas, Cupertino

2006-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I have raved about Gochi in the past ... But that was when my experiences were limited to the midday. With mainly rice and noodle dishes on their lunch menu, I couldn't figure out why the words "fusion tapas" appear in the restaurant's name. Well, now that I've been to Gochi for dinner, I get it.

The dinner menu is COMPLETELY different from the lunch one. Much more extensive, with really creative offerings. But just like lunch, this place gets packed in the evening. When five of us showed up without reservations last night at 6:10pm -- 10 minutes after they opened their doors -- we were told that there was ONE table available for us, but we would have to finish eating by 8pm. No problem, especially given how efficient the service was.

We shared all of the dishes, including: crab coquettes; sashimi (no one seemed to want the chewy octopus!); hamachi carpaccio; braised beef tongue (for real); pizza with crab meat, cheese, bacon and mushrooms (sounds strange, right? not bad though, and apparently one of their most popular items); BBQ eel claypot; and ground chicken claypot.

My favorites were the hamachi (the ponzu sauce added a nice, light flavor), the beef tongue (so tender) and the eel claypot. When I come here for lunch, I usually order the unadon (eel over rice). But the claypot took the dish up a notch -- with more flavors and CRISPY rice. SO GOOD. If they had that on the lunch menu, I'd order it every other day. And never get sick of it.

The desserts were fairly standard, with the Earl Grey Creme Brulee being the most distinctive of the bunch. The green tea ice cream was another good way to end the meal -- not too chalky, not too sweet.

Oh! I must also recommend the Shochu cocktails here. (Shochu is often referred to as the "Japanese vodka.") I had the lychee drink last night and it was refreshing and yummy. Another reason why coming here for dinner is better: cocktails!

Gochi Fusion Tapas
19980 Homestead Road
Cupertino, CA
(408) 725-0542

La Baguette, Palo Alto

2006-10-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but one of my favorite bakeries in the Peninsula is actually located in the shopping mall. It's not tucked away on a cute side-street in downtown Menlo Park. Or housed in a charming bungalow or Victorian. Nope, it's just sitting there next to a Banana Republic and a big ol' Macy's.

But let me tell you, I could eat their raspberry rings morning, noon and night. In fact, I have had it for breakfast ... as well as for dinner (just last night, which is what prompted this post). My husband always opts for one of their sandwiches. They're pretty simple but yummy -- just the delicious bread, meat, cheese and BUTTER. Yes butter. How Parisian!

There are lots of other great treats here, too, including cakes that look divine. And if raspberry rings aren't your thing, you can't go wrong with one of La Baguette's croissants.

La Baguette
170 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 321-0535

Oakville Grocery, Palo Alto

2006-10-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

I stopped into Oakville last night to pick up some Tea Sweets -- these excellent little cookies that are made by Amai Bakery in NYC. But as soon as I walked in, I knew I was in trouble. Yes, there's a reason why I only pop into the store a few times a year. It's dangerous, I tell you!

You'll want to put every other thing you come across in your basket. Pumpkin spread! Waffle mix! Fig balsamic! Pomegranate simple syrup! And then there's all the prepared foods and sandwiches.

After about half of an hour, I walked out having spent about the same amount of money as we normally do for a week's worth of groceries. But all I had in my bag were cookies and a couple tins of tea. *sigh*

And this is why I can't go back to Oakville until 2007!

Oakville Grocery
715 Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 328-9000

Waiting for Beard Papa

2006-10-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, for months now, I've heard that Beard Papa is "opening soon" in Redwood City. I heard June, then August, and September ... And now, people, it is OCTOBER. So where are the cream puffs?! (4-5 months does not equal soon!)*

Of course, I Googled. Nothing concrete came up. The Beard Papa corporate web site just gives an address (835 Middlefield Road), but no opening date.

Then I got smart and searched the Craigslist job postings. Sure enough, there was one for "Supervisor, Barista and Baker Positions" for the RWC location. The jobs were posted on Sunday for an October 20th hire date; but it also says the doors will open this month. Fingers are officially crossed now!

This is my favorite part of the job description:

Our location will be in the new entertainment hub of Downtown Redwood City next to the new 20-screen Century Theatres (just opened in July) and the Fox Live-venue Theatre (with recent concerts from Hootie and the Blowfish to Dave Brubeck).

Hootie? And the Blowfish? What kind of potential employees will be lured by this?

* While I didn't think the Beard Papa cream puffs were to-die-for (as some people do), I thought they were good -- and I'm interested in trying some of the non-vanilla flavors. Also, to me, they aren't worth a trip up to San Francisco. But sure I'd go across town to grab one.

Site Update

2006-10-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

PHEW!!! I just switched over to the beta version of Blogger, which includes some cool new features. One of which is the ability to label/categorize posts. So I just went through EVERY SINGLE post on this site to give them each a label. (I don't know if anyone actually signed up for the RSS feed of this site, but hopefully, my updates these past few hours didn't cause any weirdness.)

While labeling posts, I noticed that my Manresa review is now cut off! Right in the middle! Strange stuff. I'm not sure how that happened. But I guess that means I'll just have to go back again soon!

Higuma, Redwood City

2006-10-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Since I've heard that Higuma gets ridiculously crowded at lunchtime -- it's a small restaurant with maybe a dozen tables, and five chairs at the sushi bar -- Jon and I decided to try out the place for dinner. At 5:30pm. Chances of any place being packed at that hour are usually slim.

The restaurant was about one-third full when we arrived, and the take-out service was doing brisk business. We settled into a seat by the window, but with a clear shot of the sushi bar so we could watch the chef in action. (Thankfully, the restaurant has a courtyard-ish area in front of it, so you don't have to look out on to busy El Camino Real.)

There are a few dishes that I tend to use as a measurement of how compatible a Japanese restaurant is with my palate: unadon, tempura and udon. Higuma offers all three; I went with the unagi over rice last night. Jon opted for an all-sushi dinner.

The unadon was about a B- in my grade book. I would have liked it grilled just a bit more, for more texture/crispiness on the outside. The sweet basting sauce had a nice flavor to it. But I was telling Jon that part of the problem is that I have become addicted to Gochi's unadon and find their offering to be so superior to most other places I've visited.

Jon enjoyed his various sushi items -- the fish was very fresh-- but was slightly disappointed in the spicy tuna roll. (That's his Japanese restaurant barometer.) He prefers the spicy tuna served down the street at Naomi.

I pointed out, however, that the service at Higuma is much better than Naomi. The staff at Higuma was so attentive -- checking in with us often, making sure our cup of hot tea was always filled. They were such a delight. Whereas at Naomi, we've often sat there for a while waiting and waiting for someone to stop by our table to take our order, refill a drink, etc.

I'm definitely putting Higuma on my list of places to revisit. I've still gotta try the tempura and udon here! And some of the nigiri, as I only had one bite of Jon's sushi last night.

(BTW, I don't think the restaurant is open during the weekends at all. And, in case you have trouble finding it, it's located in a white cottage with a navy awning, and is just south of Whipple Avenue.)

Higuma
540 El Camino Real
Redwood City, CA
(650) 369-3240

Manka's, Inverness

2006-10-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is going to be a LOOOONG one!

When we planned our anniversary trip to Manka’s, we only reserved dinner at the lodge’s restaurant one night (Friday) because we thought it would be lame to eat there more than once -- despite the fact that we had only heard/read good things about the restaurant.

Well, it turned out that breakfast at Manka’s was complimentary both mornings we were there because they had a chef-in-training in the kitchen. And c’mon, who can pass up a free three-course breakfast!

But wait, dinner on Friday got such rave reviews, we also decided we needed to eat there again on Saturday.

Yes. We ended up eating FOUR meals at Manka’s during our weekend there. So call us lame. I don’t care because we were so frickin’ well fed. I got over the whole exploring other places thing after biting into their delicious biscuits at Friday’s dinner. So I’ll back up a bit and start there… making my way through all of the culinary delights at Manka’s.

Friday Night
The aforementioned biscuits. They tasted like biscuits I had had before. Bite after bite, I kept trying to place it. Finally, we realized that Manka’s biscuits were similar to the famous Meetinghouse biscuits! They served them with a scoop of spiced butter, but we barely spread any on. The biscuits are so good, you don’t need any butter! And coming from me, that’s really saying something.

Next up was the warm beet puree that was poured over a chilled garlic panna cotta. Yeah, that’s right -- garlic panna cotta. By itself, maybe it would have been weird; but combined with that puree, it was divine.

Then we had the salt cod cakes that featured a crispy exterior, flaky fish, and chunks of warm potato. Delicious. Even though I’m not a salad person, I even liked the arugula and tomatoes on the side. Yes, this restaurant could do no wrong.

The palate cleanser was basically a cucumber sorbet. It did its job.

Then we had the meat dish: a lamb shank that was shared. The server doled out a bit for each of us, then left the remainder on the table for us to fight over. The meat just fell off of that bone, and the beans on the side were quite tasty. There was also a yummy lamb meatball. Since I opted for the cheese course, I graciously allowed Jon to eat more of the lamb.

The cheese course consisted of two goat cheeses that I do not remember the names of. Sorry. One was a tad too salty for my taste, I do remember that. But I loved the figs poached in port and the candied/fried walnuts. Yeah, who wouldn’t love candied/fried anything!

Finally, we got to the dessert: upside-down plum cake with freshly whipped cream on top. One server presented the cake, the other followed him around with a gigantic bowl of whipped cream. He made sure that whatever dollop he gave you was sufficient before moving on to another table. That dessert was simply awesome.

Saturday Morning
Jon and I started with a pot of black tea each. Then we were served small glasses of fresh Gravenstein apple juice. So naturally sweet and good.

The first food item we got was a wheatberry porridge with chopped apples, served beside a pool of dairy milk. It sounded very hippie-dippie, but tasted great. In fact, I need to learn how to make this at home.

Coming in second was a plate of goat cheese soufflé and scrambled eggs. Sure, anyone can make scrambled eggs, but that soufflé was a thing of beauty. The texture was perfect – crisp on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. That soufflé didn’t even stand a chance with Jon, who does not consider himself a fan of goat cheese.

We ended our breakfast with a wedge of waffle (about a quarter the size of a standard round waffle) that was topped with honey syrup and those same candied/fried walnuts from dinner. Apparently, they know they’re going to have satisfied customers if they let them walk out the restaurant with memories of those candied/fried walnuts on their minds/palates.

Saturday Night
So I should mention that Manka’s menu changes daily, depending on what the kitchen gathers from local farms and such. Which is why we were cool with coming here two nights in a row; we knew we’d get something completely different -- but hopefully just as delicious.

Jon decided to go vegetarian on Saturday, while I stuck to the regular menu. My meal started with a mussel soup, while his was butternut squash. While both were good, I preferred his.

Next, I enjoyed squab served atop escarole with chunks of toasted bread thrown in. Jon’s was pretty much the same dish, minus the bird. And I believe he had tomatoes on his plate. For the third course, I was served a chunk of pork belly with haricot vert and figs; no bacon for Jon.

The palate cleanser was billed as “an ice of Inverness apples” but it was more like apple-flavored whipped cream. Good spices (cinnamon, cardamom) in it as well.

The main course is where mine and Jon’s meals diverged the most: I had venison with fingerling potatoes, while he had special dish that consisted of lobster mushrooms, zucchini and house-made spaetzle. As good as mine was, I thought his was even better.

The rest of our dinners were the same: We shared a cheese platter with goat’s and cow’s milk cheese. I really liked that Humboldt Fog! It was rich and creamy, not too tangy, slightly sweet even. I have a feeling it would be great when paired with anything (Manka’s served it with quince).

Finally, we were treated to a slice each of the flourless chocolate torte, with poached pears and mascarpone. Delicious!

Sunday Morning
Our final meal at Manka’s started with fresh-pressed orange juice. Then a plate of dairy cheese came to the table. I loved the figs with huckleberry sauce that accompanied the cheese. I could have easily eaten an entire bowl of the fruits.

Next came a poached egg served over creamy polenta, with two strips of bacon on the side. I have to say, usually I prefer fried polenta; the creamy version doesn’t do much for me. But this was the best polenta I’ve ever had. It was great by itself, but add in that salty and crispy bacon, and the flavors and textures were superb.

Breakfast ended much the same way that dinner on Friday night did: with a plum cake and whipped cream. The nighttime version had a hint of almond to it; other than that, they seemed quite similar. I liked it the first time it was served to us, and still liked it the second time.

So our stomachs were very happy all weekend, thanks to the kitchen at Manka’s!

P.S. I mentioned that breakfast was free both mornings, but dinner was not. Friday night set us back $58 per person (excluding the optional cheese course); the fixed priced for Saturday was $88. I really don't know why there's such a huge increase. Except that the restaurant seems to be busier on Saturdays. Sure, there were more meat items on the menu the second night, but Jon went veggie anyway, and it wasn't $30 more in quantity or quality.

P.P.S. I tried to take photos at dinner, but the lighting was too poor. And of course, using a flash would have been a faux pas. The breakfast photos turned out a little better because I put my dishes directly underneath the small lamp on our table.

Manka's
30 Callendar Way
Inverness, CA
(415) 669-1034

Food Bloggers/Photographers

2006-09-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today's Chronicle has a good article on camera-totin' food bloggers. This is something that I'm often torn about ... I don't offer up too many photos on this site because:

I'm not a great photographer, so more often than not, I don't think I can do the food justice.
I don't want to become one of those people (as the story touches on) that lets getting the perfect shot overshadow enjoying the food itself.
My husband isn't really a fan of me bringing out the camera with every course, although he's gotten better about it.

Yet I realize that:

In addition to smell, taste and texture, food is also a visual thing. There's a reason why people say, "Wow. Just looking at that [insert tantalizing treat here] is making me hungry!"
Some presentations are so beautiful, that it doesn't seem sufficient to describe them. Again, there's a reason why people say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Some culinary creations really do need to be seen.

Anyway. The Chron piece is good, solid reporting. And it includes one of my favorite restaurants -- Chicago's Alinea. The chef mentions that they get at least one food blogger/photographer a night. During my dinner visit, in addition to myself, there were two other tables in our (small) dining room that were snapping pictures. (Most of my photos didn't really convey how gorgeous the dishes really were.)

Dairy Belle

2006-09-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

So a co-worker and I were on our way to In-n-Out today for lunch, when I noticed that there was a Dairy Belle on the other side of the road. I asked him if he had ever been, and he said he had and that it's actually pretty good. A quick U-turn later and In-n-Out was replaced by Dairy Belle as our destination.

I debated and debated -- there's quite a menu here -- and finally decided on a bacon cheeseburger and fries. The co-worker told me that the shakes here are great ("better than In-n-Out"), but I decided that with the cheese, the bacon and the fries, a shake might be just too much. (In addition to classics like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, they offer some harder-to-find flavors such as pineapple and butterscotch.)

Even though I was all prepared for a big greasy mess of a burger, that's not what I got. The paper wrapped around my burger didn't even have any grease seeping through it! Despite the cheese and the bacon, this was a pretty clean burger. Nothing all over my face. No grease stains on my clothes. But I should also note that I didn't get "everything" (lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc.) on my burger. And the meat itself was fine; better than your average fast-food joint. The fries were very good -- crispy and, again, not too greasy.

Getting back to the extensive menu ... Aside from burgers, they also have fish'n' chips, hot dogs, ice cream products (dipped cones!), chili and a bunch of sandwich options. Note: Don't come here if you're on a diet.

So now that I've experienced both, if I had to choose between In-n-Out and Dairy Belle, which would I choose? Hmmm ... Since the co-worker said that DB beats I/n/O when it comes to shakes, I'd have to go with DB. I'm not crazy about I/n/O's fries -- yeah yeah, I know they're fresh, but they're only good for the first minute they're out of the fryer. And I like that I can get bacon on my burger at DB. And they have a bunch of other deep-fried offerings, which is great for days when I'm okay with showering eight times after eating.

Dairy Belle
See web site for locations. (I'm actually not sure which one I went to today -- probably Sunnyvale? But could be one of the San Jose outposts?)

Hobee's

2006-09-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've been coming to Hobee's for years. When I was in college, I'd frequent the downtown Santa Cruz location for breakfast. Now that I live in the Peninsula, there are several locations to choose from. Plus, there's one right down the street from my office. I can't really tell you much about the food I've eaten here, because most of it has never been all that memorable. You see, as far as I'm concerned, the only reason to go to Hobee's is the blueberry coffeecake -- whatever follows that is just filler. Inconsequential.

But that blueberry coffeecake? It is SO damn good! (Who cares if it's not good for you. Mmm... All that butter... Sugar...)

So if you ever visit a Hobee's, whatever you do, get the coffeecake.

Oh, and the hashbrowns are pretty tasty, too.

And if you're at the one in Cupertino, try to sit outside.

Hobee's
See web site for locations.

Sancho's Taqueria, Redwood City

2006-09-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

For months now, Jon and I have been intrigued by this Sancho's place that is advertised on a shuttle that is often parked at Woodside Plaza. But since we're such big fans of El Grullense, it's been tough for us to try out other local Mexican eateries.

Then the SF Chronicle came out with its "Bargain Bites" guide, which included a section on the Peninsula/South Bay. Sancho's was among the restaurants listed. So last night, we finally dragged ourselves up the hill to eat there. (I think it's still RWC, but maybe it's Emerald Hills?) We had to walk around a bit to locate it because it's quite small (only one table, plus a handful of counter seating inside) and there's a lot of dusty construction going on up there. A new parking lot is going in and some other business that is a mystery to me right now.

Anyway! So we found the place. And it's very cute -- lots of Day of the Dead-ish arts and crafts. Since it was our first time at Sancho's, we decided to try some basics that we love: fish tacos ($3), carnitas tacos ($1.25) and a grilled chicken burrito ($5). The fish is lightly battered and fried (always a good thing in my book), and served with a bit of shredded cabbage, diced tomatoes and a chipotle remoulade. I normally do not like sauces on top of my deep-fried food (because of the sogginess factor), but this I did not mind. It was tasty (though not too spicy), and the fish still managed to have a nice crunch to it.

The carnitas taco was also good, but since there's very little to a regular taco -- just the meat, salsa, onions and cilantro -- I would have liked more heat to my salsa. BTW, I actually prefer this bare-bones taco to the kind where layers of stuff are piled onto the meat. That, to me, is overkill.

Also kept simple is the regular burrito at Sancho's. It was just rice, beans, salsa and meat. Okay, usually I do like cheese in my burritos, but its absence did not diminish the deliciousness of the burrito. (El Grullense's chicken burrito is often quite greasy, so I prefer Sancho's in this department.)

The downside to Sancho's is that I didn't see any horchata on the menu, and they only take cash. Boo. But the meal was so cheap, it's not hard to scrounge up that kind of change around the house.

Sancho's Taqueria
3205 Oak Knoll Drive
Redwood City, CA
(650) 364-8226

Tomokazu, Cupertino

2006-09-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

I've often said that I could eat Japanese food EVERY DAY. And there's a new employee in the office who also claims the same. So, we've been putting ourselves to the test, and lunching at lots of Japanese restaurants lately. The newest one in our rotation is Tomokazu, where we've already gone twice this week.

In terms of selection, price, service and ambiance, this is definitely towards the top of our list of regulars. When you walk up to the place (or pull into the parking lot if you're driving), the restaurant doesn't look too impressive. The missing awning over the front steps doesn't help! But walk in, and you'll find a lovely, calming space. There are comfy booths lining two walls, a sushi bar along another, and window seating that overlooks a beautiful Japanese garden complete with koi pond.

The menu includes lots of our favorite dishes (sashimi, una don, udon, tonkatsu). A three-item bento box here will set you back about $11.50. In addition to the box itself, you get a bowl of miso soup to start with and a scoop of ice-cream to end with. (The latter is a nice touch, especially since it's been so hot this week.)

My first lunch here consisted of an order of hamachi (delicious) and una don (good, but definitely not as good as the same dish at Gochi). The next day -- yes, we came here two consecutive days -- I had a bento box with the saba, tempura and sashimi (which is a mix of tuna and salmon, but you can request just one or the other). I like tempura that isn't too heavy on the batter (I don't like a lot of excess) and offers a good variety of vegetables. Tomokazu's met this criteria; I'm now a big fan of their tempura.

I can't remember what the co-workers ordered, but everyone enjoyed their meals. So I'm sure we'll be back again soon. Maybe even tomorrow. You never know...

Tomokazu
20625 Alves Drive
Cupertino, CA
(408) 863-0168

Quick Bites

2006-09-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Not full-on reviews... Just my brief take on a couple of places I recently tried...

Oasis Beer Garden
241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Seems like a good places for large groups or dining with kids. The menu is simple and tasty (not anything mind-blowing), with burgers, pizzas, wings, fries, etc. On a nice afternoon, be sure to sit outside -- where there's even an odd TV in a wooden cabinet for your viewing pleasure.
San Remo Pizzeria & Ristorante
1152 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos
My sister LOVES this place. She's been going here for years. I, however, have a very different opinion of San Remo. I do not understand the appeal of this place AT ALL. On Saturday night, Jon had a pasta with pomodoro sauce. He was clearly disappointed when his dish arrived at the table, as the sauce seemed a bit thin and he was expecting nice chunks of tomato. Sadly, it was also pretty bland. (The homemade tagliatelle was good though.) I ordered a pizza with sausage and mushrooms. Again, it seemed to suffer from a flavorless sauce -- possibly the same one that covered Jon's pasta? Anyway. I walked out still hungry, and with lots of leftover pizza that I had no intention of eating.

Overall, the service was okay. Our waitress was actually very sweet and competent. But when we arrived at 4:30pm -- which is when they open -- we were rudely told by a staffmember that they don't open for another ten minutes (as if WE were the ones who did something wrong). Then, five minutes later, we were told it would be another 10-15 minutes. Is this any way to run a business?

Eating Elsewhere: Los Angeles

2006-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write about a few places we visited in L.A. over Labor Day weekend, and am just now sitting down to do just that. So here are few suggestions if you find yourself down south:

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. I love fried chicken. And I love homemade waffles. So, really, what could be better at 8am?
Sprinkles Cupcakes. This is the first cupcake shop I've ever visited where there's actually a line out the door! But the place is small, so it only takes a handful of patrons to make this happen. The short wait was definitely worth it, as these are some of the best cupcakes I've ever had. Flavors we sampled: peanut-butter chocolate, banana, red velvet and strawberry. Jon's favorite was the pb-choc; mine was the red velvet. But the strawberry was surprisingly yummy (the ladies in front of us recommended it). Not too sweet.

Jin Patisserie. By far, one of my favorite tea spots. Ever. I like to order the Afternoon Tea, a good mix of sweets and savories. On our recent visit, Jon went with the chicken salad sandwich on olive bread. It was SO good! I got a package of mango candies to go, too, and am still enjoying them. (The woman at Jin said they should last a few weeks if they're sealed up properly.)

(Image from Sprinkle's web site)

Nola, Palo Alto

2006-09-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

I must admit: When we showed up at Nola on Wednesday night, around 6 o'clock, I didn't expect much of a crowd. But the bar was pretty full and there were people (mostly smokers) spilling out into the street. Things were looking very promising. Because even if the food was just-okay, at least Nola seemed like it would be a good time.

And it was. Plus, the food was actually delicious!

The hostess originally tried to seat us downstairs, but we requested a move to a table upstairs, overlooking the courtyard. That area just has more of a New Orleans-vibe than the dining room that faces Ramona Street. So definitely ask for to be seated upstairs if you come here.

There were four of us, and we shared two appetizers: Hot Crab Dip and N.O.La Frites. I would highly recommend both of these dishes. But I wish the dip came with a few more slices of garlic bread. And of the three varieties of frites, the sweet potato ones were a slight disappointment; I wanted them to be thinner and crispier. Still, the Cajun fries and zucchini chips more than made up for it. They were so good!

For my entree, I picked the Southern-style Fried Chicken. The free range chicken was juicy on the inside, but I wanted a little more crunch to the outside. The corn was tasty though, and the mashed potatoes were awesome. Jon went with the mini Ahi Tacos (it's an appetizer that includes four of them), as well as a fried chicken Po-Boy. He had the same gripe about the chicken batter that I did, but aside from that, loved his dinner. Others at the table enjoyed the Nawlin's Spicy Jambalaya and the potato-crusted Mahi Mahi.

We still managed to leave some room for dessert, and went with the Beignets Du Monde and Big Fat Decadent Sundae. While they both get a thumbs up, I have to warn you that the beignets here are not like those from Cafe Du Monde. (Maybe it's true that you really can't find that style of beignet anywhere outside the New Orleans city limit.) Nola's version is denser, and definitely needs a dip in one of the three sauces that accompany the beignets. They're good, but more like donuts than the light and airy beignets in the Big Easy.

With drinks and dinner, it was about $40 per person. So not a super-cheap night out, but like I said, it was a fun night out.

Unfortunately, once Jon and I pulled into our driveway, I realized that I forgot my sunglasses. So we had to go back to Nolas to retrieve them. And you know what? The restaurant was even busier than when we had left after dinner! People just kept showing up! Didn't they know it was a school night!? I was both shocked and pleased that a place in downtown Palo Alto could pull in such a crowd. There is some semblance of a nightlife in the suburbs!

Nola
535 Ramona Street
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 328-2722

La Patisserie, Cupertino

2006-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't written about this place yet! After a satisfying lunch at Ramen Rama today, a co-worker and I decided to grab some sweets at La Patisserie -- which is in the same strip mall off of Stevens Creek.

I often complain (to anyone who will listen) that the Peninsula/South Bay is lacking in really good bakeries. You know, a place with tasty cookies and cakes -- like Tartine, Citizen Cake or DeLessio in San Francisco. But La Patisserie is one of the few places I've found down this way that can satisfy my sweet tooth.

The cakes are beautiful to look at, and just as wonderful once you take a bite. I am a big fan of their classic strawberry shortcake. But they also have a chocolate version that is topped with chocolate-dipped strawberries. Decadent! Whether your taste leans towards something rich or something light, La Patisserie probably has something to tempt you.

The cookies and tarts that I've tried have also been quite good. The fresh fruit tartlet is a winner -- no surprise considering it features an ALL-BUTTER shell. Today, I picked up a couple of mini-turnovers (available in apricot or raspberry), and they are proving to be the perfect afternoon treat.

La Patisserie
19758 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA
(408) 446-4744

Alana's Cafe, Redwood City

2006-08-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. But on the weekends, it's tough for me to drag myself out of the house in the morning to get a bite to eat. So when we do make the effort to go out for breakfast, it had better be good.

I was having trouble sleeping in on Saturday morning, and since Jon and I were already planning to hit the driving range early, I figured we should grab food somewhere while we're out and about. Alana's came to mind because we've driven by it before and I always comment on how cute it is. The restaurant is located in a blue Victorian, broken up into several dining spaces and with a lovely garden/patio in front.

Since it was a bit chilly when we arrived, we opted to dine inside -- at the table-for-two next to the faux fireplace. I ordered a hot chocolate (not water-based -- yay!) and a small stack of the Swedish oatmeal pancakes with bananas on the side. Jon went with the Farmer's Garden plate (homefries, tomatoes, scallions, mushrooms, cheddar and provolone sauteed and topped with two poached eggs). He also got a blueberry-lemon scone, one of three fruit options they had that morning. (The other two were cherry-something and papaya-coconut. I was surprised by that last one, and wasn't sure if I even heard her right.)

The pancakes were delicious! The oats made for a nice texture, but didn't overwhelm the batter or -- what I feared -- make it too dry. It's got a good flavor to it, too, so you don't need much maple syrup. Jon's scone was awesome. It was fresh out of the oven, so it was warm with a crusty top. He approved of his Farmer's Garden dish as well, as evidenced by the clean plate he left behind. The homefries were also a hit. Ideally, I'd like them a tad crispier, but they were perfectly seasoned.

The service was just as impressive as the food and ambiance. The staff was very friendly -- a tough task at 8am on a Saturday!

Since we got to Alana's shortly after they opened, it wasn't too crowded while we were there. But I hear this place gets crazy-crowded on the weekends. While we were in the middle of our breakfast, a man walked in to meet a friend of his who was already seated. "Isn't this place great!" he exclaimed, as he made his way to the table by the window. The friend confirmed that it was. And Jon and I also looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Alana's Cafe
1020 Main Street
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-1498

Openings

2006-08-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

Cocoa Bon
Last week, I received an email from Chris at Cocoa Bon, letting me know about the grand opening of their new place in downtown Los Gatos. Unfortunately, I was out of town last weekend -- or else you know I would not have missed the chance for chocolate and wine tasting. Anyway! The new store, which should be bigger/better than the old Valley Fair one, is now open and I am definitely going to check it out soon.

Cocoa Bon
78 West Main Street
Los Gatos, CA
(408) 354-5900

The Counter Burger
I haven't had a chance to go to The Counter yet (it just opened this week), but James wrote to tell me about his experience:

[My] friends and I had to go check it out this past Saturday. However, we didn't end up ordering a regular burger; we ordered one with every single possible topping (all the cheeses, toppings, and sauces) and we dared our friend Tim to finish it within 30 minutes. The burger ended up weighing 5 pounds and had a total of 54 toppings... The entire thing was a sight to behold (and apparently no one had ever attempted it before).

You can read more -- and see the crazy photos -- at his web site.

Eating Elsewhere: NYC and Boston

2006-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

We got back late Tuesday night from a week-long trip to the East Coast. As you can probably guess, there was a lot of good eating to be done in NYC and Boston. Believe it or not, the photo below is a FRIED TWINKIE from the Chip Shop in Brooklyn.

Although I was a bit skeptical, the Twinkie turned out to be quite good. The outside had a nice crunch to it, while the cake was still spongey and moist. (I think the heat from the frying process causes the cream filling to melt/become absorbed into the cake.) The raspberry coulis was a fancy touch! Here are some of the other food highlights from our vacation:

New York

Lunch at The Modern Bar Room, before taking in the MoMA.
Afternoon Tea at the Tea Box, on the lower level of Takashimaya.
Crispy rice with spicy tuna at Koi. (We first had this dish at the original Koi location in L.A. and loved it. So of course, when our hotel restaurant turned out to be Koi, we *had* to pop downstairs for a bite.)
Breakfast at Balthazar. (When you're dining here, it's easy to pretend you're in Paris.)
Small plates at The Stanton Social. (I loved the French onion soup dumplings! And the dessert of warm doughnuts!)

Boston

Meatball sandwiches at Quincy Market. (It was so hard to pick just one place to eat in there!)
Italian in the North End of the city, specifically at Piccolo Venezia.
Breakfast at Tealuxe.
Fried dough and Fenway Franks at the Red Sox-Yankees game.
Fried Ipswich clams at Jasper White's Summer Shack.
Dessert at Finale.
Yummy pizzas at Todd English's Beacon Hill location of Figs.

And now we'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming of local eating establishments!

Bad Blogger

2006-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've been a little sluggish in regards to posting lately... I'm still eating out a lot, but not necessarily at new places (maybe once a week?) and not necessarily in the suburbs (shame on me). Plus, it's summer -- so the hammock in the backyard is more enticing than the computer in the back office.

I didn't even get around to posting that:

Carvel opened in Los Altos. At Foothill Crossing on Homestead Road.
The movie theater FINALLY opened in downtown Redwood City. Hopefully, that means the restaurants (Fat Burgers, Beard Papa, etc.) will be in business soon.
The Counter Burger in Palo Alto had a pre-opening party last Friday and then held fundraisers (for local charities) the next day. The party was to help get their staff trained and ready to go. The official opening is next Monday, August 21.

Oh! I lunched at the Saratoga Country Club last week. I didn't bother blogging about it because: 1) It's not open to the public, and 2) It wasn't a very good experience. The service was funky as heck -- strange because the staff should (I think) be warmer, considering that the clientele consists of members who dine there often. The first person we encountered actually gave us a dirty look when we walked in (a party of eight) because apparently he was too busy doing nothing to put together a larger table for us. Then the waitress almost got into an argument with my sister about whether or not her fork was dirty -- it was, and the waitress finally conceded defeat. But if a diner says a fork is dirty and requests a new one, why stand around staring at the fork -- holding it up to the light -- and turn it into a debate? Just grab another frickin' fork, lady. In addition to the not-quite-right service, the food wasn't THAT great. On the menu, the coconut shrimp was described as being served "with plantains." You know what their definition of "with plantains" is? A two-inch, half-slice of a plantain. I kid you not. It was more like a plantain garnish. The coconut shrimp was actually tasty, and I liked how buttery the rice and veggies underneath it were, but I couldn't get over my plantain disappointment.

So that's all I know. With Jon starting school soon, I'll probably find myself scavenging for food around the Stanford campus a bit more. If anyone has any suggestions, as always, they are much appreciated.

Alexander's Steakhouse, Cupertino

2006-08-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I was a little skeptical about this place. Even though I had read numerous positive reviews, I just couldn't bring myself to believe that -- in the middle of Vallco Shopping Center -- was some kind of culinary gem. Driving by the place didn't offer any reassurances, as the exterior of the restaurant is dull and uninteresting.

But once you enter the building, you're instantly transported into another world -- one where you can drop $100 for an ounce of caviar or 2-3 times that much for a cut of Kobe beef. In case you had any doubts that they're serious about their meat at Alexander's, the first thing you notice here are the shelves of beef dry-aging on the other side of a window.

While waiting for other members of our dinner party to arrive, I must've said at least half a dozen times, "THIS used to be an EL TORITO!?!" Sure, the outside wasn't pretty. The inside, however, was sleek and contemporary. The waiting area included a couple of comfy couches and a stone fireplace, as well as a decent-sized bar.

Once our party of six was complete, we were seated at a corner table in the first dining room. Alexander's is indeed a steakhouse, but there are lots of Asian influences. (The menu actually reminded me of a place we ate at in Tokyo.) We snacked on edamame, seasoned with togarashi, while deciding what to order. So many things sounded so good, that we ended up over-ordering. I can't possibly go into detail about everything that made its way to the table. Instead, here is a quick rundown of what we liked and what we didn't like:

The Good

Mushroom Soup (the soup changes regularly)
Maine Lobster Tempura
Sea of Cortez Scallops (the scallops are gigantic)
Crab, Crab and Crab Again
Hamachi Shots (before shooting these into your mouth, you may want to loosen the hamachi et. al. from the glass a bit; otherwise, the sweet ponzu sauce is all you get at first and it's overwhelming)
Filet Mignon
Cow & Crustacean (the steak part was good, the lobster presentation was so-so)
28-Day Dry Aged New York
All 4 Love (I liked 3 out of 4 of the beef presentations -- the kobe sashimi was eh; the marinated jicama that the kobe was wrapped around was overly sweet)
Mac 'N Cheese (with truffle oil!)
Sauteed Chanterelle Mushrooms
Crimini Mushrooms
Haricots Verts (with bacon!)
Mashed Potatoes (mmmm... so buttery, and with chives!)
Steak Fries (these are HUGE -- you only get three to an order -- but deliciously crispy and well-seasoned with cumin)

The Bad

Sashimi Quartet (I like my raw fish to be relatively uncluttered -- so the fish itself really shines -- and this dish just had too many other flavors going on for my taste)
Crab Hand Roll
Portobello (described as "Gruyere Fondue" but was basically a portobello mushroom with some melted cheese on it -- disappointing because I was expecting some fondue presentation!)
Sweet Corn Medley

The good definitely outweighed the bad. My absolute favorite savory dish of the evening was the Maine Lobster Tempura. It was ridiculously good. The tempura coating was nice and light, so that it didn't overwhelm the sweet lobster meat. Next time, I would seriously consider just ordering two orders of this small plate for my entree. The only downside to this awesome dish was that it was really hard for anything else I consumed to follow in its footsteps...

That is, until the Eden dessert came along! The platter consisted of an apple souffle (with caramel sauce), peach souffle glace, and strawberry/chocolate fondue. I loved everything about this dish. The consensus among the table was that this was hands-down the best dessert. The Chocolate (Valhrona chocolate crunch cake) also received a big thumbs-up. But the trio of Creme Brulee (blueberry, Meyer lemon and mint) didn't fare so well. The Devilish (milk chocolate cheesecake, truffles, chocolate ice cream) fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

Given how much food we indulged in, we were pretty full by the time the bill arrived. Yet the restaurant had one more treat in store for us: cotton candy! You know we couldn't pass that up. The flavor of the night was Leapin' Lime, so three bright green spun sugar creations were brought to our table. Delicious!

P.S. I wish I had brought my camera because the presentation for a lot of the dishes was really something. Beautiful plating.

Alexander's Steakhouse
10330 N. Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA
(408) 446-2222

Marvin Gardens, Belmont

2006-08-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly what it is about ramshackle-looking eateries with large patios filled with rustic picnic tables, but I kinda like them. Maybe it's because, even in the fancy Silicon Valley, they don't feel compelled to be slick or pretentious. Maybe it's because their focus is on serving good food and drinks in an environment that's conducive to hanging out for hours with good friends.

And, in the case of Marvin Gardens, occasionally, you get to experience the residual trembles from the nearby CalTrains. And by nearby, I mean literally right behind the the restaurant's patio area -- right over your head as you enjoy your pint and burger. After a few trains, you just learn to pause your conversation. No biggie.

Jon and I met up with a couple of friends at Marvin Gardens last night. I ordered the fish and chips, which consisted of beer-battered rock cod. (The fish part of the plate was good -- better than the chips.) Jon ordered the veggie pizza, which he enjoyed (an individual-size is probably sufficient for one person). Our compadres ordered the fish and chips as well, and the El Gato burger (ground sirloin on toasted French roll with green chili pepper and jack cheese).

The restaurant's web site boasts that they serve "primo excellent food," and although that's a bit of an exaggeration, our meal here was quite tasty. I would go back again and, when I'm not wearing a white t-shirt, maybe try the half slab of ribs.

What I found especially appealing about Marvin Gardens is that everywhere we turned -- inside and outside -- there were groups of people that looked to be having a grand time. Young, old. Women, men. Families, coworkers, friends from back in the day. It's a neighborhood-joint kind of place where things are easy, casual and most importantly, fun.

Marvin Gardens
1160 Old County Road
Belmont, CA
(650) 592-6154

Coupa Cafe, Palo Alto

2006-08-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

I think this is my new favorite cafe in the Peninsula... Not that I really had a previous favorite... But this place has everything I like in a cafe:

Good ambiance (comfy and cozy, with indoor and outdoor seating)
Good food (including lots of sweet or savory food options)
Lots of beverages to choose from
Friendly service (order at the counter, they'll bring the food to you)

Jon and I stopped in yesterday before catching an early screening of "Little Miss Sunshine" (which, by the way, is hilarious!). Jon ordered a blueberry scone, BLT croissant sandwich and orangeade. I had a slice of Quiche Lorraine and an iced "Chuao" chocolate. The grand total was about $25, but it was a good amount of food (his sandwich and my quiche each came with a small helping of salad). Food-wise, the only gripe was that the crust on the quiche was gummy in some spots, and yet perfectly flaky in others.

As promised, that Chuao was spicy! At first, it goes down nice and smooth. Then suddenly, the chile and pepper kicks in and you feel the heat. I loved it. Coupa is actually known for its Chuao Chocolatier treats -- with unique fillings such as banana caramel and chevre -- as well as the strong Venezuelan coffee that's served up here.

We were in a bit of a hurry, so didn't really get to relax and hang out as much as we would have liked to. (I dig the leather couch in the back room, situated right in front of a fireplace.) Next weekend, maybe!

Coupa Cafe
538 Ramona Street
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 322-6872

Pho Vi Hoa, Los Altos

2006-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

On Monday, my sister and I had plans to lunch at Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino -- sort of a recon mission, so we could determine whether we should reserve a table for a larger siblings + spouses dinner later. I was reviewing the menu all Monday morning, pondering which appetizers and entrees and desserts we would order. (Mmm... Hamachi Sashimi...)

So we pulled into the parking lot and stumbled upon a mall security truck and a Sheriff's car blocking one lane. No problem. We went to the next lane. Then we got out and headed towards the door, where an employee was loitering. He proceeded to tell us that the restaurant is closed on Mondays. CLOSED! How did I not notice this during my half-a-dozen visits to the site that morning!

Anyway. I asked him for other nearby lunch recommendations, and you know what he told me? "There's a TGIFriday's across the street." Um, no. So my sister and I got back in the car all disappointed and famished (not a good combination). She then decided that she would take me to her favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Los Altos. She had been raving about Pho Vi Hoa for so long, that I put up with the sort-of far drive (remember, I'm HUNGRY) to check this place out.

When we arrived at the little strip mall in Los Altos, the parking lot was crazy -- full of bad drivers who were probably just as hungry and cranky as we were. We fought it out and got a parking spot, then walked over to the restaurant, where we were greeted by a line. *sigh* I was so unhappy. Like you would not believe, and so I started whining about how we could have just gone to Pho Hoa down the street from my office, and what makes this place so special, and blah blah blah... Goodness, I was such a pain.

But the thing about pho places is, the turnover is pretty quick. The wait ended up only being about five minutes, which probably felt like five million to my sister, who had to at least pretend to listen to me. She eats here about once a week with her husband, so she didn't even need to look at the menu. The waitress came over in about 30 seconds flat to take our order, which I was not prepared for. But we both ended up getting the classic Bun Thit Nuong -- a bowl of rice vermicelli with grilled pork, served with fish sauce. It was really, really good. And it made me shut up. The quality and flavor of the meat here is better than what you get at Pho Hoa, making it definitely worth the longer drive. We also ordered the Goi Cuon -- shrimp and pork spring rolls -- which were very tasty as well.

With a couple of drinks, two large satisfying noodle bowls and the appetizer, our total (before tax and tip) was about $25. It seemed a little pricier than Pho Hoa, but you'll find less fat on your meat and nicer ambiance at Pho Vi Hoa. So yes, the next time my sister drags me here, I won't be such an ingrate!

Pho Vi Hoa
4546 El Camino Real
Suite A12
Los Altos, CA
(650) 947-1290

Birthday Dinner

2006-08-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

I celebrated a birthday not too long ago, and Jon gave me the option of dining anywhere my heart (and stomach) desired. So where did we go? The Old Port Lobster Shack.

Yes, I know I've written about my OPLS dining experiences before (not once, but twice). But during this visit, in addition to the outstanding naked lobster roll, I ordered the fried Ipswich clams for the first time. At $21.75, the appetizer seemed a little pricey, but hey, it was my birthday.

Thankfully, like the $17.75 lobster roll, they turned out to be worth every single penny. The clams are whole, with the belly on. We're not just talking about some frozen strips here. The clams are sweet and crunchy and delicious.

The clams portion, which also comes with a helping of fries, is rather generous. Between Jon and I, we actually didn't even finish them off. I sat there for a while after devouring my lobster roll, hoping to make more room in my tummy for those remaining clams. But no go.

And this brings me to my only problem with OPLS: I'm always so satisfied and full from the appetizers and main dishes, that I never get a chance to try out their desserts. And I love me some dessert. So, sadly, I did not enjoy any of their homemade bread pudding or blueberry pie on my birthday. Oh well -- at least it's a good reason to make yet anothe visit to OPLS!

Old Port Lobster Shack
851 Veterans Boulevard
Redwood City, CA
(650) 366-2400

P.S. The SJ Merc finally published a review of the restaurant this past weekend.

Neotte Teabar, Palo Alto

2006-07-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

Jon and I first took notice of Neotte months and months ago -- back when the weather was cold enough to make a hot cup of tea sound like a sensational idea. Then the temperatures began to rise and we sort of forgot about going there. But last Friday, while sitting at my chilly, air-conditioned workstation trying to think of a good place to meet up with a friend in downtown Palo Alto, Neotte popped into my head.

Of course, once I parked my car and stepped out onto the sidewalk, it was blazing hot (okay, probably in the 80s -- not the 100s or anything crazy like that). And just when I was starting to regret my meet-up location, I saw that Neotte offers any of their teas iced. I opted for an iced Hong Kong milk tea, and my pal Evelyn ordered an iced white tea. Both were absolutely refreshing. No added sugar required.

Neotte also carries a few snacks (cakes, Chinese treats), and most of their teas are available for purchase in well-designed metal canisters. You'll also find some very cute teacups and pots for sale. The space is modern and simple, with a dozen or so tables and a few armchairs to relax in. Quite a few people were there with their laptops, so I'm guessing there's free wi-fi here.

So if you think -- like I previously did -- that Neotte is only a good place to go when it's rainy or cold, think again. With its friendly service, calm ambiance and delicious cold or hot teas, this is a solid year-round hang-out.

Neotte Teabar
429 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 330-1738

Flea St. Cafe, Menlo Park

2006-07-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

So it's got a strange name (Pulgas = fleas in Spanish). And it doesn't look like much from the outside. But Flea St. Cafe is one of the most charming restaurants I've experienced in the Peninsula.

Jon and I went with his parents to Flea St. on a recent Friday night. Our waiter was over-the-top enthusiastic about all of the items on the menu. He reminded me of that character Alec Baldwin played on "Friends" -- the one who is so in love with EVERYTHING. "The Chef is a genius!" "This is magnificent!" "That is exquisite!" (But the waiter managed to be entertaining/endearing instead of annoying.)

To start, Jon's dad and I both had the heirloom tomato soup with a puffed pastry crown.* It was delicious! I loved the cilantro in the soup, and it wasn't too creamy or rich. And the pastry was light and flaky. Jon had the blue corn almond vegetable fritto misto. I had just a bite of his and it was very good; the blue corn made for a nice crust on the veggies. Jon's mom went with the red beet goat cheese ravioli, which is not actually pasta. The ravioli's shell is made of thin shavings of beet, making for a gorgeous presentation.

For our main courses, it went down like this: I ordered the lamb special (served two ways -- osso bucco and thinly sliced tenderloin); Jon had the pork chop; his mom had the halibut cartoccio; and his dad had the grilled bavette. It was all so very good. I didn't finish my lamb, however, because I was saving room for dessert! (Jon's dad ate the leftovers the next day and the dish was still terrific.)

While Jon's dad abstained from dessert, Jon ordered the vanilla gelato served with a Russian tea cake cookie (the cookie was good, the gelato was -- eh -- vanilla gelato, not my favorite dessert). His mom chose wisely, ordering the bread pudding with rum sauce. And I enjoyed the rose petal lavender angel food cake served with strawberries and lemon mousse. Yum!

Since Jon's parents only visit us a couple of times a year, we try to take them to restaurants we really like. This was a little risky because neither of us had previously dined at Flea St. Cafe. But the place did not disappoint, and we all walked out at the end of the meal with full bellies and big smiles.

Flea St. Cafe
3607 Alameda de las Pulgas
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 854-1226

* By the way, the BEST tomato soup in puff pastry I have ever had was at Bistro Jeanty in Napa. I believe it's also on the menu at Jeanty at Jack's in San Francisco.

Eating Elsewhere: Pismo Beach

2006-07-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Prior to receiving an invitation to a wedding in Pismo Beach, I didn't really know where the place was. And for those of you who also need a little geography lesson here, it's basically halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along the coast. We stayed at a hotel overlooking the ocean (pretty! and not ridiculously hot!), but Jon and I still managed to venture into town a couple of times during our short stay in Pismo.

"Town" is filled with plenty of shops and restaurants. Nearly every place had a long line on Saturday night, so we opted for the one that seemed to have the shortest wait of them all: Mo's. Now, usually, if a restaurant is the only one that isn't packed, you have to wonder about the quality, right? But in this case, because I think most people come to Pismo for the excellent seafood and Mo's is a barbecue joint, I figured that was the reason it wasn't backed up around the corner. The food itself was quite good. Jon had the Shredded Chicken Sandwich, while I opted for the Rib Combo (1/2 slab of Philthy Phil's Pork Ribs and Sweet Carolina's Pork Ribs). Of the two sauces, I preferred the Phil's -- which was spicier and less sweet than the Carolina's. The meat itself was tender and just fell off of the bone. Jon liked the potato salad more than I did, but we both agreed that the corn muffins served with honey butter were delish.

On Sunday, we went back into town for lunch with six others. We decided on Splash Cafe, which we had read good things about... But apparently, everyone else had also read about the place, because by 11:30am the line already stretched around the corner. (It wasn't nearly as bad as what we witnessed the previous night though.) It took us about half an hour to get to the register to place our order. Then you get to the hard part: Finding a table. It was obvious that we weren't going to nab a table for eight, so we had to split up into three groups to enjoy our meal. But that was the only downside of the place. The food was awesome. Splash Cafe claims to have the best clam chowder and Jon's dad seemed ready to accept that after he took one bite of the creamy concoction. I went with the oysters and chips. The fried oysters were plump and juicy, while the fries were served crispy and hot. No complaints here. Jon and his mom both ordered the ahi tacos, which were piled high with fish. At $4.50 for a pair, they were a great deal.

So there you have it. If you ever find yourself in Pismo Beach, you've got at least two good dining options. Oh, and don't miss the place on the corner of Pomeroy and Dolliver that has all sorts of yummy fudge, and you can watch saltwater taffy being made!

Mo's SmokeHouse BBQ
221 Pomeroy Street
Pismo Beach, CA
(805) 773-6193

Splash Cafe
197 Pomeroy Street
Pismo Beach, CA
(805) 773-4653

Canton Delights, Cupertino

2006-07-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I worked in San Francisco. I took public transportation to and from work. Within a one-block radius of the office, I could get my morning coffee from Peet's or Starbucks or Tully's. The lunch possiblities seemed endless -- and this was even before the Ferry Plaza really became a culinary scene.

Now I work in the suburbs. And one of the things I hate the most about my job location is that you have to drive most days in order to get a decent lunch. So when a co-worker suggested we try this Cantonese dim sum place within walking distance, I was all for it.

During lunch, Canton Delights offers a choice of dim sum (which is wheeled to your table) or lunch entrees that you order from a menu. We went with the former, deciding that we should try a lot of them to really get a feel for whether this place would warrant repeat visits. Of the three of us, I was the only one who had no knowledge of the Chinese language; one dining companion spoke Mandarin, while another spoke both Mandarin and Cantonese. Basically, I just had to sit back and let them do all of the food-selecting.

Here's what we ended up ordering:

Cha Siu Bau (steamed barbecue pork buns)
Fung Jao (steamed chicken feet in spicy sauce)
Naai Wong Bau (steamed egg custard creme buns)
Ha Gau (steamed shrimp dumplings)
Siu Mai (steamed minced pork dumplings)
Siu Lun Bau (steamed Shanghai minced meat dumplings)
Fun Gwoh (steamed veggie dumplings)
Daan Tart (baked mini egg custards)
Ha Cheun (rice-noodle rolls with shrimp)
Loh Mai Gai (steamed rice with meat, wrapped in a lotus leaf)

If you're thinking that this was a lot of food for three people, you would be absolutely right. But most of the dishes, unfortunately, were just slightly above average. My favorite of the bunch was the steamed pork bun, which had a good ratio of bun to sweet pork filling. We initially ordered the baked mini egg custards as our dessert, but they weren't very satisfying; the crust was a bit gummy, and not flaky. The steamed egg custard creme buns were a better way to end the meal.

So, while there is definitely better dim sum to be had in the South Bay, we may still find ourselves back at Canton Delights some day... When we're craving dumplings and no one wants to drive to Joy Luck or HC Dumpling House.

Canton Delights
10125 Bandley Drive
Cupertino, CA
(408) 777-9888

Kitsho Sushi, Cupertino

2006-07-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

I could eat Japanese food every day. Really, I could. So I'm always on the lookout for new Japanese restaurants to try. Yesterday, the co-workers and I popped into Kitsho -- just off Stevens Creek Boulevard, across from Sears -- for an inaugural visit.

We walked in around 11:45, just before the lunch rush, and were immediately seated in the middle of the restaurant. One of the co-workers asked the sushi chef if we could move to a table by the window (he loves his natural light). We got approval, but the waitress still didn't seem too pleased. She was a bit cranky with us, but her mood/service improved by the time we finished eating.

I was too hungry to focus on what the others at the table ordered. I went with the Kitsho Bento Box, so for about $12, I got: miso soup; a small bowl of salad (I didn't eat it); several slices of fresh tuna sashimi (excellent, not too fishy); a rather generous portion of tempura (including two shrimps and a good variety of veggies); a few pieces of fried chicken; and a serving of broiled mackarel. Overall, that bento box earned a B+ in my book.

What else... I also ordered unagi, which had a bit more sauce on it than I like. The co-worker next to me ordered the sashimi appetizer with salmon and tuna, and she fully endorsed the raw fish here. On a future visit, I'll have to try the toro and hamachi. I have a feeling I'll be going back to Kitsho... a lot. (Don't be surprised if I make a repeat visit today even!)

Kitsho
19541 Richwood Drive
Cupertino, CA
(408) 873-1444

Alpine Inn Beer Garden, Portola Valley

2006-07-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing: Portola Valley scares me. Just a little. It's all woodsy and full of nature -- big trees, dirt roads, creeks, bugs, birds, etc. A couple of weeks ago, while driving to a friend's house in PV, we almost ran over a coyote. And there was a lady riding a horse alongside us on the road. Jon rather enjoys this type of environment. Me? Not so much. It feels too removed from civilization or something.

Yet I still agreed to go to the Alpine Inn Beer Garden the other night -- an eatery most locals refer to as "Zott's" (short for Rossotti's, one of its former names). This place is RUSTIC. Yes, worthy of all capital letters. Afterall, it is one of the oldest establishments on the Peninsula, dating back about 150 years. It's been a gambling house, a saloon, a "picnic park," and now, it's a restaurant/beer garden.

After parking in the dirt parking lot, we headed into the oversized shack to order our food. A bar immediately greets you when you enter the restaurant, with the grill towards the back of the room. This is where you actually do your food ordering. I went with a cheeseburger with a side of pickles and a large side of fries (there were three of us eating). After you've ordered and paid for your food, you head towards the bar area and order your drinks. Efficient? Maybe not. But I just did as I was told.

Then we went outside to secure a spot at one of the 2-3 dozen picnic tables in the beer garden. It's a massive space, with trees offering much-welcome shade and a creek adding to the feeling that you are indeed deep in this thing called nature. When our order was ready, our name was called on the outdoor speaker and we went inside to retrieve our food.

The burgers here are rectangular, served on a roll that's been put on the grill as well (nice!). The cheese in the cheeseburgers = cheddar. As good as the burger was, it was the crinkle-cut fries that really got me. They're crispy, and still managed to be tasty even after they had been on our table for over half an hour. (I saw Jon checking out another group's bag of peanuts; he likes that you can just throw the shells on the ground here.)

So I admit it: On a warm summer night, sitting in the garden at Zott's, is hard to beat. Even with the tree sap getting my arms all sticky. Even with the bugs landing on me and my food. Even with all that nature that freaks me out so much.

Alpine Inn Beer Garden
3915 Alpine Road
Portola Valley, CA
(650) 854-4004

Upcoming Event: Connoisseurs' Marketplace

2006-07-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

While driving to Draeger's in Menlo Park last night, I noticed a road closure sign along Santa Cruz Avenue. This weekend, part of the street will be shut down to cars for the 20th Connoisseurs' Marketplace. Here's a description, from the event's web site:

Summer festival season is in full swing. At the top of every festival lovers “must-do” list is Connoisseurs’ Marketplace, Menlo Park’s annual celebration of the Bay Area’s best in visual, performing and culinary arts. Every year on the third weekend in July, charming Santa Cruz Avenue is transformed into a moveable feast with big crowds and a colorful sea of tents. Presented by the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, this year’s 20th annual festival will be held on July 15-16 with thousands of visitors pouring onto the downtown streets for a vibrant celebration of art, music, food, and all-around family fun.

Connoisseurs' Marketplace
July 15-16, 10am-6pm
Santa Cruz Avenue, between El Camino Real and Johnson Street

After-hours concert featuring Double Funk Crunch, 5:30-8pm on July 15 in Fremont Park

Shalizaar, San Mateo

2006-07-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, Jon and I -- along with another couple -- paid a visit to Shalizaar in downtown San Mateo. It was my first Persian dining experience and, after reading rave reviews on Chowhound, I walked in with fairly high expectations of the place. Unfortunately, I walked out a couple of hours later slightly underwhelmed.

Soon after we sat down, a server brought a complimentary plate of Sabzi -- fresh herbs, green onions, red radish, feta and walnuts -- and a basket of lavash bread. I followed the lead of others and placed a little of each item on a piece of bread, rolled it up and enjoyed.

We ordered two appetizers to start -- the Mast-o-Khiar (Persian yogurt with diced cucumber, dried mint, garlic) and the Tah Dig (crispy rice topped with stew). The Mast-o-Khiar, which we spread on the lavash, was delicious. I especially liked the crunch of the cucumber in the smooth, creamy mixture. The portion is generous, but we tried not to eat it all because we thought we had a second appetizer coming our way. However, a mix-up in the kitchen lead to our entrees arriving before the Tah Dig.

The four of us decided to split two main dishes, and I thought we had ordered the Soltani (filet mignon and ground beef skewers) and the Shishlik (rack of lamb). But we ended up with a huge oval platter that included filet mignon, ground beef, lamb and game hen. Hands-down, my favorite of the bunch was the ground beef, which had the best flavor (onions, saffron, garlic, spices). The lamb chops were also tender and juicy.

When we ordered the Tah Dig, the server told us he would top it with Shalizaar's two most popular stews. The rice was nice and crunchy, but I didn't care much for either of the stews. One consisted of mostly yellow split peas, while the other was a spinach-y sauce. Aside from sampling a little bit of this dish, we hardly touched the Tah Dig plate.

While service was always friendly, it wasn't always efficient. Aside from the appetizer confusion, it took us a while to flag down anyone to give us our check. When the bread plates were cleared, three of us had them removed, yet they inexplicably left one on the table.

So would I go back to Shalizaar? Hmmm... Those ground beef skewers were really tasty. But it's probably not enough to lure me back for a repeat visit.

Shalizaar
120 W. 25th Avenue
San Mateo, CA
(650) 341-2600

Jersey Joe's, San Carlos

2006-07-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Just as my ex-New Yorker husband, Jon, is always searching for great bagels in the Bay Area, he is equally determined to find great cheese steaks around here. (He went to college in Philadelphia.) When you live in the suburbs, you learn that some of the best eateries are located in bland strip malls -- and Jersey Joe's is no exception.

On Friday night, we took El Camino Real north until we saw the Jersey Joe's sign by the road. There's not much to say about the exterior, except that there are a few tables set up on the "sidewalk." Inside, you order at the counter and take a seat until they call your number. The decor includes plenty of sports memorabilia and items invoking NY, NJ and Philadelphia (of course). There's a big-screen TV, as well as several smaller, ceiling-mounted sets.

Since the restaurant wasn't too busy when we walked in, it only took about ten minutes for our order to come up. We quickly got to work. Mmmm... tasty! After inhaling half of his cheese steak, Jon gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up, but did add that the bread is "different" -- and by that, I think he meant they aren't crusty rolls. Jersey Joe's uses "special rolls," and they are indeed special in that they are more like bread pockets. I love this idea -- even if it makes for a slightly less authentic East Coast-style cheese steak -- because you don't have any meat falling out of the bottom. And believe me, these cheese steaks are SO stuffed full of goodness (mine had thinly sliced steak, melted cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms) that it certainly would have spilled out into my basket if it weren't for the well-designed rolls. I only managed to finish half of my cheese steak, but Jon picked up the slack and ate his entire cheese steak plus my leftover.

Oh, and in case you like your cheese steaks with Cheez Wiz (a la Pat's in Philly), you can ask for that instead of American, which is Jersey Joe's default cheese.

If you're not in the mood for a cheese steak, there are lots of other options on the menu -- including hoagies, burgers and wings. In addition to our cheese steaks, Jon and I ordered a side of fries (eh, just okay) and a chocolate milkshake (very good). The shake, which was made with Breyer's ice cream, was not too thick (you could use a straw) and not too sweet (Jon and I split the entire thing and didn't feel sick later).

Another thing this place has going for it: tabletop arcade games! So you can eat, drink and face-off in Ms. Pac-Man or Galaga. Aside from a couple of Tastykakes, what more could you ask for?

Jersey Joe's
21 El Camino Real
San Carlos, CA
(650) 592-7317

Note: Jersey Joe's is in the process of updating its web site. Some of the prices listed online are outdated.

Eating Elsewhere: Chicago

2006-07-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

My recent four-day trip to Chicago was filled with so many gastronomical delights. I -- along with my two travel companions -- ate ridiculously well:

We landed in Chicago around 3:30pm and were famished because none of us had eaten breakfast before flying out that morning. And they served absolutely NO FOOD on the plane. Well, there were some muffins wrapped in plastic that you could buy. But those weren't the least bit appetizing. Where were the snack boxes?!

Anyway. As soon as we checked in, we headed to the Lobby restaurant in The Peninsula to get our grub on. Afternoon Tea service was just winding down, but they were happy to seat us anyway. Apparently, the dining space is modeled after The Peninsula in Hong Kong -- which is famous for its Afternoon Tea, which I have also enjoyed. But I don't know if it was just the extreme hunger, but I thought the Chicago tea service was actually better than the one in Hong Kong. Everything we ate was so good.
I've had the pleasure of dining at Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Mexico. But with superchefs like Trotter, if possible, I think one should eat at their original establishment to really appreciate their genius. And that's exactly what we did Saturday night.

There were three of us dining together, and we each opted for the Grand Menu:
- Amuse Gueule
- Japanese Hamachi with Roasted Bell Pepper, Kalamata Olive Sorbet, Spanish Paprika & Basil Oil
- Hawaiian Escolar with Steamed Dungeness Crab, Chives & Crispy Pig's Feet
- Whole Roasted Squab with Braised Sweet Onions, Chanterelle Mushroom &
  Szechwan Peppercorn Reduction
- Four Story Hill Angus Strip Loin with Kohlrabi, White Runner Bean, Pickled Garlic & Spiced Date
- Meyer Lemon & Olive Oil Sherbet with Candied Lemon Peel
- Poached Rhubarb with Jasmine Semifreddo & Celery
- Mignardises
The flavors... The textures... Delicious. And we even saw the man himself (Charlie Trotter) pass through the dining room.
And just when you think NOTHING could top dinner at Charlie Trotter's, along comes Alinea. The Tour Menu consisted of 24 courses. They were small, but still! TWENTY-FOUR! And each plate was a masterpiece. Truly beautiful. I have never seen food presented so well in my entire life.

Grant Achatz' cuisine can best be described as avant garde. It is so completely different than anything you've ever seen or tasted. For example, the first course was called Hot Potato/Cold Potato. It consisted of a translucent bowl -- small enough that you could easily cup it in the palm of your hand -- filled with chilled potato soup. Suspended over the soup, from a needle, was a bit of parmesan, a bit of cold butter, a sliver of chive, a warm chunk of potato, and a slice of black truffle. The server instructed us to pull the needle away from the bowl, thereby letting all of the suspended items fall into the bowl. Then sip and enjoy. The flavors blended so harmoniously. It was gorgeous to look at, fun to eat, and -- best of all -- tasted divine. Subsequent courses were just as brilliant.

It's hard to put the Alinea experience into words. You just have to go and appreciate it for yourself.

(Image from Alinea's web site)
After Charlie Trotter's and Alinea two consecutive nights, on Monday, it was time to get back to "normal" food. We hit Grant Park for the Taste of Chicago festival. This is where I enjoyed two of my favorite foods: deep-fried dough (funnel cakes!) and deep-fried potatoes (a plate piled high with chips).

We couldn't leave Chicago without sampling some cupcakes. So we made a visit to Sweet Mandy B's. Yummm! The cakes were so moist, and the frosting not overly sweet. The Red Velvet was my favorite.

And those were pretty much the food highlights from Chicago!

What's Cooking: Truffled Popcorn

2006-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

The lack of posts this past week can be attributed to my Fourth of July long-weekend trip to Chicago. A lot of good eatin' was done in the Windy City, and I'll post about it all when I have more time. But for now, I'll share with you one of my favorite snacks from the weekend.

To go along with our movie-watching, we ordered some truffled popcorn from the room-service menu at The Peninsula. It was SO frickin' good. Here's how I'm guessing it was made: Heat/combine butter and truffle oil in a small saucepan. Pop the kernels (over the stove, in a pan with vegetable oil) and then pour them into a large bowl. Add the truffled butter and toss. Grate some parmigiano reggiano over the popcorn and toss again.

Enjoy!

Madison and Fifth, Palo Alto

2006-06-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a "New York-style" restaurant had opened in downtown Palo Alto. Since then, I've passed by Madison and Fifth several times and it's always been really busy. So last night, Jon and I finally decided to check it out.

The decor is colorful, but certainly not NYC-hip (you would never find Carrie Bradshaw in a place like this). The walls are covered with murals of NYC scenes, and lots of mirrors (this came in handy when the young, female hostesses needed to check themselves out). We had the option of dining indoors or out, but we went with the former because the patio-style dining is just awkward here. Basically, they have a half dozen or so tables for two along the sidewalk. One member of the party has to sit with their back to the street, and there's no barrier between the diner and the public strolling by. (They should take notes from Niebaum-Coppola down the street; I believe they have planters or some other nice barrier set up.)

So what is this "New York-style" food? Basically Italian-American. And the menu was pretty extensive -- divided up into salads, appetizers, pastas, pizza, entrees and daily specials. Here's how our meals broke down:

Gratin of Pear Carpaccio - Thinly sliced pears, crowned with crushed walnuts, asiago, honey-vinaigrette and arugula. The dish was served slightly warm, so the cheese was good and melted.
Caprese - In addition to the usual mozzarella and tomato, the salad included avocado and roasted red peppers.
Pumpkin Risotto - Served in a small gourd filled with creamy risotto. There were chunks of lobster meat, asparagus and a few slices of black truffles as well.
Steak - I didn't notice how this was described on the menu, but when the plate arrived at the table, it included slices of meat and a cabbage salad piled on top of a large, crispy potato pancake.

This was a heavy meal, and the portions were generous. In terms of tastiness, Jon may have put it best: "None of the dishes was better than the sum of its parts." We liked all of the components of the dishes, so the meal was good; but we weren't wowed by any of the combined flavors and textures. I will say that this place gets an "A" for presentation. (Sorry for the terrible photo up there. I only had my camera phone to work with last night.)

The service was also great. Our water glasses were never empty, plates were removed promptly. And our waitress was super-friendly. I'll even forgive her for mispronouncing several of the specials (e.g., "four-grah" instead of "fwah-grah").

When I was reading through the menu at the beginning of our dinner, I mentioned to Jon that there were so many things that sounded good, we would surely have to come back. But once the bill came, I had second thoughts about repeat visits. Our total was about $100 and I admit I was slightly surprised. It just didn't feel like a triple-digit meal (or restaurant) to me.

Using the SF Chronicle's rating system, I'd give Madison and Fifth 2 stars overall (good) and 4 dollar signs (expensive, more than $25 for entrees). Oh, and by the time we finished our dinner, the place was nearly full and the noise level had reached about 3 bells (talking normally gets difficult).

Madison and Fifth
367 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 323-3900

(Note: The restaurant's business cards indicate that their web site is www.madandfifth.com, but as of today, the site isn't up.)

Hu-Chiang Dumpling House, Cupertino

2006-06-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the co-workers and I were wandering around the Cupertino Village strip mall, which is full of all sorts of Asian eateries. It was hot and we needed to make a decision quickly. We didn't feel like going to Joy Luck again. We walked into a restaurant that smelled bad, so we quickly walked out. And then I remembered a place that Catie had written to me about a couple of months ago: the Hu-Chiang Dumpling House. So that's where we went -- and I'm so glad we did!

The dining room isn't very large, but the tables are packed in pretty tightly. The slipcovered chairs dress up the space a little bit, but there's still not much that stands out about the decor here. The service is friendly and efficient. And if you go for lunch, don't come too late. When we sat down around noon, about one-third of the tables were still empty. By the time we left, there were folks waiting around.

After her visit to the Hu-Chiang Dumpling House, Catie had nothing but good things to say about the crab dumplings -- which happened to be one of the items we ordered. She was right; they were great. (She also mentioned that the dipping sauce is "a tad vinegary" -- again, I agree with her.) The crab dumplings and the Hu-Chiang juicy dumplings were both of the soupy variety, which I believe is considered Shanghai-style. You've got to eat these in one bite, or else you'll lose some of that juicy goodness. And the wrapper is quite thin, so be careful when you pick them up or else they may fall apart. The pork and cabbage dumplings were less soupy, and therefore, less favored by my lunch companions and me. One of my co-workers grew up in Hong Kong, and he would not stop raving about the juicy dumplings (he's already talking about going back next week).

Now, that brings me to the one thing at our table that I would definitely not order again: the soup with "fresh and salty meat." The meat turned out to be extremely fatty pork. The broth for the soup was fine, but I couldn't handle all that fat. The one co-worker who ended up eating most of the soup later got sick. I'm convinced it was that soup. So I wouldn't go there.

Oh, and another warning: The dumplings are ridiculously hot when they're brought to you. But they're worth it, even if you burn your mouth.

Hu-Chiang Dumpling House
10877 North Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA
(408) 873-4813

Screaming for Ice Cream

2006-06-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

As you know, it's been crazy-hot this week. So on Wednesday night, after having dinner at Naomi Sushi, we hopped over to Cold Stone in Menlo Park. Jon and our friend Rick each ordered "I Like It" (small) ice-cream bowls. I abstained because: 1) I think Cold Stone is overpriced, 2) I don't care for the service there, and 3) I was still pretty full from dinner. Jon and Rick's order came to about $12.

And I repeat, Cold Stone is overpriced. Way overpriced.

Fast forward 24 hours. I decided that I needed some ice cream, but would avoid all of the problems from the previous night by going to Rite-Aid, where: 1) A single scoop is only 99 cents, 2) The service is fast and friendly, and 3) The ice cream was actually my dinner.

Thankfully, after Rite-Aid acquired Thrifty in 1996, they still continued to serve Thrifty ice cream -- with the cylindrical scoops! I went with the Strawberry Cheesecake last night, but there were all sorts of other flavors available (Pistachio Nut, Medieval Madness, Rocky Road, Butter Pecan). It's not gourmet, but it's what it always has been to so many people who remember it from their childhood (including myself): It's good ice cream at a good price.

Back A Yard, Menlo Park

2006-06-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

"Back a yard" is Jamaican slang for the way things are done "back home." Now, I have never been to Jamaica (some day, I hope!), but I imagine that the food cannot be much better than what you can find at Menlo Park's Back A Yard.

Primarily a take-out joint, there are only four tables in the restaurant. Last night, Jon and I popped in, ordered our dinner and in less than ten minutes, we were back on the freeway headed home. (If your commute takes you by the Willow Road exit, this place is super-convenient.)

Back A Yard's menu offers a variety of jerk, barbecue, fried seafood, daily specials and side items. I ordered the Jerk Chicken meal. The portion was huge. For only $8.50, I got a pile of moist and flavorful chicken (spicy, but not too hot); perfectly fried sweet, ripe plantains; red beans and rice that had a hint of coconut; and a small serving of salad. I didn't touch the salad because I was too full after shoving forkful after forkful of the other delicious Caribbean food into my mouth.

Jon ordered the Caribbean Cobb Salad ($7.25), which has all the usual Cobb components plus some of that wonderful jerk chicken. He also ordered a beef patty. Since I was picturing a slab of grilled meat (like a hamburger), I was perplexed by this selection. But -- OMG -- it was so good. It's basically a flat meat pie, about the size of my hand, filled with spicy minced ground beef. I could really become addicted to those tasty, flaky pastries. Especially since they're just $1.85 each.

For dessert, I picked up a slice of the sweet potato pudding. It's a dense dessert, glazed on top and with raisins sprinkled throughout. I ate about three-quarters of it before collapsing on the couch in a food coma...

Note: Back A Yard also offers catering services -- something I need to keep in mind in case we have a graduation party for Jon next year!

Back A Yard
1189 Willow Road
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 323-4244

Coming Soon to Los Altos: Whole Foods

2006-06-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right. Whole Foods' domination continues, with a new store slated to open soon in Los Altos (4800 El Camino Real). The single-story, 55,000-square foot market will offer two levels of underground parking, which is enough for about 360 cars. It sounds like the set-up will be similar to the San Francisco (California Street) and San Mateo locations -- which have conveyer belts that deliver the grocery bags down to the parking area.

The Los Altos location has been posting job opportunities on various sites, so I'm guessing that the doors will be open around August/September.

Recommendation: Continental Caterers

2006-06-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's June, which means that the wedding season is in full swing. So I thought I'd give props to my own wedding caterer from a couple of years back.

Menlo Park-based Continental Caterers did an awesome job -- from start to finish. We worked with Paul Alexander, the president of the company, to plan our menu. After the tasting, we refined the menu a bit more until we were 100% satisfied with our selections. We didn't have a wedding coordinator, so Paul's assistance was invaluable to us. He helped us with way more than just the food, offering ideas (when asked) about the timeline, the layout of the room, the rentals, etc. Continental Caterers also provided an event manager, which made a big difference as well (again, because we didn't have an actual coordinator).

At our reception, these were some of the things that we especially loved:

Blackened Tiger Prawns
Seared Ahi on Wonton Triangles
Cornmeal-Crusted Eggplant Napoleon
Miniature Pizzas
Ice Cream Sundae Bar

(Note: Continental Caterers doesn't really specialize in wedding cakes. We ordered ours from the Noe Valley Bread & Bakery.)

Oh yeah, perhaps the BEST part of Continental Caterers' service was the picnic basket that was packed up for us at the end of the night. Hours later, after the reception, Jon and I realized we really hadn't eaten much and were still famished. Luckily, we had our basket filled with all sorts of goodies!

Update: Restaurant James Randall

2006-06-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Now that the kitchen remodel is done, Los Gatos' Restaurant James Randall is back in business! They're open for lunch Tuesday-Friday, 11:30am-2:30pm; and dinner is served Tuesday-Sunday, 5:30-9:30pm.

Coincidentally, I was just racking my brain this morning trying to think of a good place to go in Los Gatos, that wouldn't be too pricey. On RJR's lunch menu this week, the Mixed Greens (peaches, candied pecans, manchego) looks tasty, and I think Jon would be all over that Pulled Pork sandwich (on Dutch Crunch!). But I might have to drop in for dinner and order the Pancetta-Stuffed Figs with Endive Salad... Or the Tempura Roll with Spicy Tuna... Mmm... The menu is making me hungry, even though I *just* ate lunch!

(The hours above are from an email that the restaurant's proprietor, Brenda Hammond, sent me. But the web site shows slightly different/longer hours. It may be a good idea to call them up to confirm if you're heading over towards the tail-end of the hours I listed.)

Restaurant James Randall
303 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
Los Gatos, CA
(408) 395-4441

Update: The Counter Burger

2006-06-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

I got an email this weekend from the folks at The Counter Burger, which I blogged about waaay back in March. Although they were hoping to be up and running this month, it's looking more like a late July opening.

Since The Counter Burger did make GQ's list of top 20 burgers in the country, I think it'll be worth the wait!

The Counter Burger
369 California Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 654-8900

Japanese Snack Attack

2006-06-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago, I paid my first visit to Mitsuwa -- the gigantic Japanese supermarket located in San Jose. I had lunch there, along with a couple of co-workers, and didn't bother blogging about it because it was an underwhelming meal (tempura udon). But you know what was totally overwhelming in a good way? Mitsuwa's snack/candy aisle! It was quite awesome. And I figured I'd be going back there again and again for my Pocky and Gummy Choco fix.

But that all changed yesterday.

Yesterday, I was introduced to Imahara Fresh Produce, which is actually even more convenient for me to visit. Their selection isn't as extensive as Mitsuwa's, but there's still plenty to choose from. (For those of you who can't get enough macadamia-related snacks, Imahara carries Hawaiian food items as well.)

While Mitsuwa is hard to miss on Saratoga Avenue, Imahara is more obscure -- tucked inside a strip mall next to a JoAnn Fabrics. They don't take credit card, so you'll need cash or a check if you want to satisfy your own Pocky craving (yes, there are several flavors available!).

Mitsuwa
675 Saratoga Avenue
San Jose CA
(408) 255-6699

Imahara Fresh Produce
19725 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Cupertino, CA
(408) 257-5636

Rio Adobe, Cupertino

2006-06-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

A while back, my hairdresser -- a Cupertino native -- proclaimed that Rio Adobe, a Mexican/Southwestern restaurant, is her favorite place to eat out in the area. With such an enthusiastic review, I had to give it a try.

Yesterday, the co-workers and I walked in just before noon. There was no line at the counter, and a handful of people sitting at the tables. Within half an hour, the line would be consistently long and most of the tables (inside and out) would be full.

Even though we got there when it wasn't too busy, service was still a little sluggish. (My advice is to go around 11:30-11:45am to avoid the lines AND get your food faster.) I went with the Taco Plate (two tacos, rice and beans for $6), while everyone else at the table ordered the chicken quesadilla.

When my plate (finally) arrived, I was shocked by the quantity of meat. There was a generous helping of steak on each taco, which was good (more meat!) and bad (hard to eat). I like that the tacos don't come with a lot of extras -- just the meat, cilantro and onions. There's a salsa bar in the corner of the restaurant, so you can easily add some heat to your meal. The rice and beans were decent. The chips piled on top of my plate were great (fresh, warm, lightly salted).

Team Chicken Quesadilla LOVED their choice. They could not stop talking about how good it was. And I admit, looking at the crispy quesadillas on their plates, I wish I had also ordered the same. Oh well... There's always next time!

Rio Adobe
10525 S. De Anza Boulevard
Cupertino, CA
(408) 873-1600

Coming Soon to Los Altos: Carvel

2006-06-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Carvel is ready to take the Bay Area by storm -- opening up THREE ice cream shops. Los Altos' Foothill Crossing shopping center will be home to the only one in the Peninsula though. (Berkeley is also getting a Carvel franchise soon, and the Brentwood location recently opened.)

I've only had Carvel once (in Long Island, I think?), and can't remember much about the experience. So I'm looking forward to checking it out this summer.

Carvel
Foothill Crossing
2310 Homestead Road, #H
Los Altos, CA

Naomi Sushi, Menlo Park: Redux

2006-06-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

The last time I went to Naomi, I vowed to return and order the Omakase -- which literally means "entrusting" in Japanese (you're leaving it up to the chef to decide what to prepare for you). I made good on that promise when we stopped in for dinner the other night.

The menu indicates that to best create your Omakase meal, the chef needs to know how hungry you are, what you like/don't like, etc. But when I placed my order, no questions were asked. Luckily, I'm pretty open to all sorts of sushi. I did, however, ask how much food would be involved to make sure it matched my appetite. I was informed that the Omakase would include a couple of dishes, then 4-5 sushi pieces. Perfect.

Here's what came to the table:

Thinly sliced scallop bathed in lemon juice and garnished with a dot of chile sauce.
Yellowtail with black pepper and garlic chips.
The sushi platter included toro (fatty tuna belly), white tuna (albacore), yellowtail and sea bream. On the side were a couple of pieces of fish tempura (possibly snapper?) and a few other veggies (cucumber, portobello mushroom).

All of the fish was fresh and very good. For future visits to Naomi, I think the Omakase is definitely the way to go. Even though it can be a bit riskier than ordering a la carte, you're likely to get the highest quality fish that the restaurant currently has available. And, you may end up trying lots of great things that you would have previously shied away from (although none of the sushi I was served is considered that adventurous!).

(Note: The Omakase price will vary, depending on what the chef makes. On the night I went, my meal was $33. If you have a specific budget in mind, it's probably a good idea to communicate that with the server.)

Naomi Sushi
1328 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA
(650) 321-6902

SCAP Fundraising

2006-06-12T10:04:00.001-07:00

If you love Vietnamese food and love a good cause, have I got just the thing for you. The Southeast Asia Children's Project (SACP) is holding a fundraiser on June 24.

Jim Keim, the director of SACP, wrote to let me know about the organization's efforts: "SACP is dedicated to the prevention of human trafficking and to the treatment of its victims. Our volunteers, mainly from the Bay Area, travel on a regular basis to Southeast Asia to work on various projects including the creation of a documentary on trafficking (the plight of Vietnamese women trafficked into Cambodia), in the training of social workers, and in the provision of educational scholarships to girls at risk for being sold into prostitution. We are currently active in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand."

More details on the fundraiser can be found here, but below is the general info:

June 24, 7-9pm
Devi Yoga Studio
1011 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Ticket - $25

P.S. Even if you can't make it to the event, you can contribute in other ways. To support the important work that SACP does, I'm putting a donation in the mail this week.

Caffè del Doge, Palo Alto

2006-06-12T07:54:00.002-07:00

Caffè del Doge -- a Venice(that's Italy, not CA)-based coffee company -- has just one North American location. And luckily for us, it's in Palo Alto.

I won't go into the history of Caffè del Doge -- you can read all about that on their web site. I'm just here to tell you about their delicious European-style hot chocolate. It's super-thick, rich, creamy. While I loved it, I should warn you that it's not for everyone. Jon took a sip and was not impressed, maintaining it was like "drinking hot pudding." (Whatever!)

When I stopped in, it was about 9am on a Saturday, and there were still some seats available. But word on the street is that this place gets crazy-crowded later in the day.

Caffè del Doge
419 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 323-3600

The Best Bagels in the Bay Area

2006-06-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I am no bagel expert. Sure, I spent a summer in NYC and picked one up every morning on my way to my internship, but that hardly makes me a bagel connoisseur. Growing up in the Bay Area, donuts (not bagels) were my thing.

However, I have it on good authority -- from New Yorkers who do indeed know their stuff (my husband included) -- that the House of Bagels is THE place to go for bagels around these parts. Jon and I stopped in at the downtown Palo Alto location on Saturday morning. There was quite a selection (all the usual suspects -- plain, everything, onion, garlic, blueberry, egg, etc.) and a variety of cream cheeses in the fridge. The bagels are slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. And Jon says they're made the right way (i.e., the New York way): you boil the bagels before baking them.

Also, the House of Bagels carries another New York treat: black and white cookies. Yep, this place is the real deal, people.

House of Bagels
526 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 322-5189

Apparently, there are more than a dozen HOBs in the Bay Area, but I've only visited the above location. And Jon claims you can find their bagels in grocery stores, too, but I think it's best to go straight to the source if you can.

Junnoon's Grand Opening Ceremony (?)

2006-06-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Even though it’s been open for over three months now, downtown Palo Alto’s Junnoon just announced its grand opening ceremony plans. Scheduled to take place next week, the event is detailed in an email with the eye-catching subject, “Come Smash A Coconut on June 13.” (The lack of periods, the asterisks and the centered text are all straight from the email.)

This is not your garden-variety ribbon-cutting ceremony

Junnoon is the latest addition to Palo Alto’s dining scene, with modern Indian cuisine showcasing the finest local ingredients in healthy, bold, flavor-intensive dishes
*
Help Junnoon celebrate its grand opening by smashing a coconut on the patio for good luck (that’s how it’s done in India — 1.1 billion people can’t be wrong)
*
Come throw a coconut, and while you're at it, throw back a few specialty coconut cocktails
*
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres from Junnoon’s culinary team, who honed their skills at these world-class restaurants: Tabla and Tamarind in NYC; Cinnamon Club in London; Bombay Club in Washington, D.C.
*
Floyd Cardoz, of the critically acclaimed Tabla and Bread Bar in NYC, is Junnoon’s consulting chef
*
Complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres from 5:30-7 p.m.
*
Palo Alto Mayor Judy Kleinberg will smash the first fruit at 6 p.m.
*
150 University Ave. (at High St.)
*

New Restaurant in Palo Alto

2006-06-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Madison & Fifth just opened its doors this week in downtown Palo Alto. It’s described as “a New York style restaurant.” I'm not exactly sure what that means though, so I’ll have to do a walk-by and check out the menu soon.

Madison & Fifth
367 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA

Teuscher Chocolates, Palo Alto

2006-06-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

Julie wrote to me last week to let me know about the opening of the new Teuscher boutique at Stanford (it's in the old Swatch location, near Tiffany). She raved about the chocolates and the friendly staff, so I had to check it out for myself. I stopped in yesterday and I admit, I was overwhelmed by all the choices. But I finally decided on the champagne truffe (the house specialty), dark chocolate champagne truffe, dark chocolate truffe, 88% chocolate bar and an iced mocha. (They offer a small selection of beverages, some of which are made with their wonderful chocolate. Right now, you order inside, but soon the outside walk-up window will be ready.)

Julie also mentioned that Teuscher's champagne truffes are Oprah's favorite -- and after sampling them, I understand why. The creamy chocolate treats are flown in from Switzerland weekly to ensure their freshness, and they're made with high-quality ingredients (for example, the champagne center actually contains Dom Perignon).

In case you're wondering, chocolate this good does come with a hefty price tag (about $1.85 for a champagne truffe, $5.50 for a chocolate bar). Kids -- if you're allowing them to indulge, too -- will go nuts for the molded chocolates in fun shapes like pigs, butterflies, elephants, airplanes, etc.

(BTW, truffe and truffle are the same thing, different languages. Teuscher prefers the French spelling, so that's what I went with in this post.)

Teuscher
Stanford Shopping Center
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 384-0916

Eating Elsewhere: Hilton Head Island, SC

2006-06-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Jon and I just returned from a visit with his parents, who reside in Hilton Head. It's an idyllic resort town where golfing, tennis and going to the beach are the major pastimes. What makes it an even better vacation destination is the great food that can be found there.

On the casual front, Captain Woody's is a must. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. I usually order a basket with fried oysters and fried shrimps, plus a side of hush-puppies (which come with delicious honey-butter). Jon almost always gets a grouper melt sandwich.

For something a little nicer, it's got to be Michael Anthony's. They have a salad that is one of my absolute favorites: poached pear, sweet gorgonzola and honey-roasted pine nuts. We've never had a bad dish here, and the desserts are worth saving room for.

So if you ever find yourself in Hilton Head, both of these eateries are definitely worth checking out.

House of Catfish & Ribs, Daly City

2006-05-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out our itinerary for an upcoming trip to South Carolina, so I've got Southern food on the brain today. Hence, this entry about the House of Catfish & Ribs -- a hole-in-the-wall that I used to drive by on my way to/from work. (It's right next to the Colma BART station -- which was my stop back in the days of commuting via public transportation.)

This isn't an in-depth review by any means, because it's been a while since I've eaten here, but if you're in the neighborhood and craving some ribs, definitely check this place out. The ribs are tender and fall off the bone, the sauce is spicy -- making for a finger-lickin' good meal.

It's not really the type of place you sit down at (there are only a handful of seats), so business is mostly to-go. It's probably best that way because the service here is so-so. And I recall the hours being sort of funky, so be sure to call before you head over.

House of Catfish & Ribs
270 San Pedro Road
Daly City, CA
(650) 997-3700

Satura Cakes, Los Altos

2006-05-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Last month, I mentioned that Satura Cakes would be opening soon in Palo Alto. With that opening now nailed down for June 2, I decided that I should probably try out their Los Altos location. You know, so I could determine whether or not it's worth getting excited about their new bakery. And after sampling two of their cakes, I have concluded that it is indeed worth the anticipation.

I was in downtown Los Altos yesterday around 5pm, so a few of the goodies were already sold out for the day. But there was still plenty to choose from -- cakes, cookies, pastries, chocolates. I was tempted by a ganache-filled fig that was dusted in cocoa powder, and the mango pie piqued my interest, but I decided to devote my calorie consumption to the cakes.

I picked up slices of the Satura Shortcake ($5) and the Banana Chocolate ($4). I have to say, the shortcake is quite pricey when you consider that the slice is, oh, maybe a 1.5" square. That's it, people. So, $9 poorer, I walked out of the bakery with a cute little box with a label attached indicating that these treats should be eaten today. Of course, I complied.

After dinner last night, Jon and I brought out the box. The Strawberry Shortcake was delicious -- the cake was moist, the whipped cream frosting was light and not too sweet, and the strawberries were fresh. Jon's first bite into the Banana Chocolate resulted in an odd reaction. The chocolate sponge cake is rolled with a caramel banana cream. But looking at the cake, you might think the cream is mocha. So when you get caramel banana instead, it's a little strange. Once I explained to him what the cream was, he enjoyed the rest of it. I really liked the chocolate sponge cake, but wasn't crazy about the cream filling.

Those of you waiting for the Beard Papa to set up shop in the Peninsula (downtown Redwood City, to be specific), will be happy to know that you can get your cream puff fix taken care of at Satura. When I dropped in yesterday, the two flavors offered were caramel/banana and green tea. I think they were all out of vanilla. The cream puffs are $3 each (which is a little steep), but you can also grab 5 for $10 (much better).

Although Satura's Palo Alto location isn't even open yet, there are already plans to open two more in the Peninsula by the end of the year. Good news, yes, but it means I may have to join a gym if they set up shop closer to my house...

Satura Cakes
200 Main Street
Los Altos, CA
(650) 948-3300

Opening on June 2:
320 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA

Coming Soon to Los Gatos: Cocoa Bon

2006-05-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

A while back, I wrote a little something on Cocoa Bon -- a local company that makes wonderful chocolate products. And just last week, one of the owners wrote to let me know that the store is moving from Valley Fair to downtown Los Gatos. (The family-run business is actually based in LG.)

Set to open in mid-July, the new store will offer an expanded selection of goodies -- including ice creams, truffles and drinking chocolates. AND there will even be a little lounge area. I can't wait!

P.S. Whenever I polish off a tin of Cocoa Bon treats -- which is fairly often -- I hang on to the containers because they're both cute and functional. I keep a tall tin in my car full of quarters (for feeding meters), a small round tin in my office for pushpins, etc.

Double-Double Trouble

2006-05-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

So the co-workers and I just got back from In-n-Out, where a petite older woman equipped with a red cooler walked right up to the counter and said, "I called in an order for 75 Double-Doubles."

SEVENTY-FIVE!!!!!

And let me just remind you that a Double-Double consists of two patties, two slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions -- all stacked high between the buns.

What's Cooking: Pizza di Spaghetti

2006-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

A while back, I saw Giada De Laurentis make Pizza di Spaghetti on her television show and kept thinking that I should try it some time. And that time was last night. It's the perfect meal when you don't feel like putting forth too much effort, and happen to have some leftover spaghetti sitting in the fridge.

Oddly, there are three discrepancies between the recipe that's in the book and the recipe that's on the FoodTV site:

Book = 1/2 cup milk
FoodTV = 1/4 cup milk
(I think the 1/2 cup was fine.)

Book = 1 cup parmesan
FoodTV = 1/2 cup parmesan
(There ain't nothing wrong with a little extra cheese! I also swapped the parmesan for aged provolone.)

Book = 1/2 cup olive oil
FoodTV = 1/4 cup olive oil
(I definitely side with the web site on this one. In the middle of cooking, I had to drain quite a bit of the oil out of the pan because 1/2 cup is WAY TOO MUCH!)

The dish turned out well -- love the extra-crispy edges! -- and I will definitely make it again the next time we have some extra spaghetti. But I have GOT to remember to cut down on that oil!