Kaygetsu, Menlo Park

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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