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Oohhh, Yummy, Yummy, Yummy food in a superb ambiance. We waltzed into Bottega on a Tuesday 5:30pm without reservations. We were lucky, we were immediately seated. #1: The service here is fantastic. The team moves smoothly and effortlessly. This is Gary Danko level service. The tempo of our 4 course meal never missed a beat. Multiple servers were always right on cue yet never intrusive. #2: Yes you must order the creamy polenta under glass. And everything else that you can possibly stuff into yourself. I loved every morsel. There were no culinary misfires. #3: Give the 20 minute notice to order the chocolate souffle'. And order a dish of vanilla gelato on the side. You're Welcome. We drank 3 little pitchers (250mL) of wine. We spent $119. This is the fine dining deal of the decade. I liked the experience and food better here than the French Laundry.
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Bottega Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
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Napa |
5/7/2009
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Location is Forestville, West Sonoma county. NOT Santa Rosa. You come here for the home made 3 berry pie. The farm is a long standing Sonoma County family tradtition. The jams and jellies are sincere made in house. I think that they are rather bland. But the pie!!!! Oh Boy! Yummy!
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Kozlowski Farms Sonoma County Classics
Cuisine: Home made pies jellies jams
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Santa Rosa |
5/7/2009
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The Store offers clean fresh oysters cooked on a propane fired Bar-B-Que with various toppings. See the blackboard for the daily menu. Typical menu: a fish sandwich offering, a soup, a clam chowder & one vegetarian dish for you purists.
All is good and tasty. Service people are nice but too rushed when it's busy. Bottle drinks are in the cooler, no great selection there. A couple of beers, some sodas, maybe a couple bottles of lower quality wine.
Most diners eat at the tables on the road side. In bad weather this is a scary option. "Inside" is a glassed patio. Very funky.
Deserves 3 to 4 stars for the clean fast food, but the ambiance is too rustic for me to rate higher than 2 stars. Smelly Port-a-potty toilets, No hand washing facility!
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The Marshall Store
Cuisine: Seafood
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Point Reyes |
5/7/2009
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A sparsely stocked deli that is stylistically stuck in 1962. This location has not changed an iota (outside or inside) since the 1st time I moved to Santa Rosa in 1973.
Recently purchased a 2 boxes of Ravioli. One cheese, One meat.
Judgement? : Not so good. These house made ravioli are Bland, pasty, gummy. The fillings are generic tasting to a fault. Really, the frozen Trader Joe's ravioli are more tasty than these.
There's a lunch sandwich making operation here, but once you see the small cold cut selection in the display case it's a "Why bother?" proposition.
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Cannevari's Ravioli Deli
Cuisine: Italian deli
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Santa Rosa |
5/7/2009
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Small, cute, homey restaurant with very good food.
We had a party of ten for dinner. We ordered off the menu. Our single server (The OWNER!) handled us like a seasoned professional. He was lively, respectful, helpful with explanations. Plates arrived quickly.
My lamb shoulder was meltingly soft and supple. Flavored with a myriad of complimentary spices that brought out the sweet meat flavor, did not mask it.
Bambie had the branzino (seabass). She was delighted with the prep and flavors as well.
We did try many of the appetizers. The arancini (breaded & fried rice balls - tastes better than it sounds!) were the best I've had in the USA. Actually they rivaled many arancini I've eaten in Sicily.
The group were not drinkers, just three of us polished off a bottle of Melville Pinot Noir ($32). Total bill was $400. Which really us a pretty decent deal for food of this caliber.
Recommended!
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Cottage Eatery
Cuisine: Italian
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Tiburon |
5/7/2009
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$65 lunch for 2.
Included 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine. 2 espressos, one giant trio of sorbet.
Food quality was very good. Everything we ate was made in-house, including my Boudin Blanc sausages. We cleaned our plates. Portions are medium sized. Expect typical French Bistro style vittles.
Mature servers are enjoyable. Smart, conversant about food & light hearted.
Small, funky but pleasant enough dining room. Very clean, fresh looking and smelling. You are in Sebastopol here, not some fancy-schmancy big city establishment.
Sincerely recommended!
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K & L Bistro
Cuisine: French
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Santa Rosa |
5/7/2009
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Small shop, Hands-on operation with the owner in-house daily.
Not a tremendous variety, but what is for sale is very, very good.
Free tastes before you commit to an expensive lump of cheese.
I've bought cheese here 6 times in the past 16 months. Always enjoy what I buy.
I prefer purchasing cheese here compared to Whole Foods.
Support local small business owners!
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Cheese Shop of Healdsburg
Cuisine: Cheeses crackers wines
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Santa Rosa |
5/7/2009
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Visited twice with my pals. Both visits on weeknights. First night was a Monday. The place was cemetery quiet. 2nd visit was Friday night with free jazz music starting at 5:00 pm. The room was full by 7:30 pm. Older adult crowd sticking with their own little groups of 4 and 5 people.
Mixed drinks are pedestrian by sophisticated city standards. Plain ol' Stoli Martini cost $10 for a 4.5 ounce pour. A bit pricey. Bar snacks (Tuna Poke, Endive leaves with goat cheese) are mediocre to okay tasting. Again they are way too pricey for the quality and small portion sizes.
Room ambiance is comfortable. The gas fireplace is lit, casting a romantic glow for the people on the nearby leather sofa. The views of Courthouse Square from the full length front windows set a romantic mood.
1st time visitors who are under the age of 35 will be bored to tears.
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Upper fourth
Cuisine: Bar food - Liquor
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Santa Rosa |
5/7/2009
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Tiny little coffee shop. 5 small tables. Located on the right side of the Century 21 real estate sales building. Northwest corner of Oakmont Drive at White Oak drive.
Clean room. Some local artwork on the walls lend ambiance. Bulletin board postings keep you informed about the happenings in Oakmont (Yawn!)
All the employees are young, super friendly, smart & helpful.
Daily Lunch specials seem geared towards " ladies who do lunch" items. Like Quiches, tuna sandwiches, freshly made salads. Usually a dozen or so high quality pastries are in the glass display case. Early bird gets the worm there.
Quality is always high, prices are low. Of course the coffee selections are plentiful. Quality surpasses Starbucks & Peets.
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Dodo Coffee Shop
Cuisine: Coffee pastries salads sandwiches
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Santa Rosa |
5/7/2009
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Ate the Lunch buffet deal for $6.99. There were 35 items to choose. Lots of fried, batter coated mysteries. Many of the wok cooked brown items looked identical. Egg drop soup was watery & full of corn starch.
Food quality is just 2 stars. It's oily.
Cashier guy was friendly.
Dining room is medium ugly space. 100 seat restaurant that can accommodate groups, because it always seems deserted. Not a popular place.
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Kwei Bin Chinese Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
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Petaluma |
5/7/2009
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Extra yummy food, low prices, big portions, nice people own & operate. Many menu items veer toward hippie vegan goodness, but there is chicken, beef , one lamb dish and fish tacos.
Recipes span the globe. Asian noodles, Curry soups, Mexican wraps, Italian pasta, etc... All done with professional finesse.
Bambie & me ate lunch with drinks & dessert for $36. We were happy & stuffed.
Recommended!
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Cafe Zazzle
Cuisine: American Eclectic
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Petaluma |
5/7/2009
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Tiny little coffee shop. 5 small tables. Located on the right side of the Century 21 real estate sales building. Clean room. Some local artwork on the walls lend ambiance. Bulletin board postings keep you informed about the happenings in Oakmont (Yawn!) All the employees are young, super friendly, smart & helpful. Daily Lunch specials veer towards elegant ladies items. Quiches, tuna sandwiches, freshly made salads. Usually a dozen or so locally made pastries are in the glass display case. Early bird gets the worm.
Quality is always high, prices are low. Of course the coffee and tea selections are plentiful. Quality surpasses Starbucks & Peets.
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Dodo Caffee Shop
Cuisine: Coffee Shop Sandwiches
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Santa Rosa |
3/1/2009
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Bambie likes the food and vibe here. I think that it's hideous. It's a funky old house that's been converted into a bistro / bar / music venue. It does not do any of that really well. The entire interior is painted glossy tangerine. Yuck! It's a locals hangout. On live music nights, the action really gets going after 9:00pm. The crowd is mostly 30's single & childless couples. Lots of wine tasting room employees, restaurant workers, and various Sonoma county green leaning folks. Not very glamorous, but sincere & friendly. The by-the-glass wine list is good.
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Ravenous
Cuisine: Californian
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Healdsburg |
2/14/2009
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Bambi & I had dinner. We walked up 10 minutes before opening. Asked if we could get a table. The "yes" included the caveat, a tall bistro table by the bar, up against the wall. By 6:30pm the tiny eatery is packed with diners. The Italo-comfort food is decent. I think the cuisine has probably improved since Kushnir's visit last June. Bambie enjoyed her salad & pan sauteed fish. My beef dish was cooked to my liking with a good balance of spice / salt / olive oil. Portions are boutique small size. We drank wine by the glass. The mark-up is typical. I had a fruity Italian Barbera that was quite enjoyable. Are dishes overpriced? Well, maybe. We spent $120 on dinner with tip. That seems the going rate lately for any chi-chi restaurant good or bad. The food here is good. The service was okay. The narrow room is decorated euro-modern. Ah, what the hell, we're talking about a tourist restaurant on the Healdsburg plaza. You'll enjoy it.
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SCOPA
Cuisine: Italian
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Healdsburg |
1/25/2009
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Breakfast & lunch only, 1 page menu all day. This place is a small step above a certified dive. It's in a dicey neighbourhood that you don't want to wander around at night. Very busy on a Saturday at 10:30am. Bambie & me waited 45 minutes to be seated. No waiting area, you lurk over people in the cramped dining room who are trying to enjoy their meal. I decided to wait it out - Wasn't my best decision of the week. I had the huevos rancheros, Bambie had the salad with crab cakes. Portions are generous. Prep quality is merely okay. The open kitchen pumps the plates out quickly. This is all American comfort food. I've had better, & I've had much worse. Here the ingredients are better than Sysco crap. It's served on cheap second hand Salvation army dishes. glasses, cups, silverware-Nothing matches. Is this shabby chic OR just plain poverty? The mass popularity is based on the casual ambiance and the portion sizes. This cafe is a No return for me.
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Parkside Cafe
Cuisine: American Breakfast
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Santa Rosa |
12/14/2008
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Lunch for 2 on a late Monday afternoon. We ordered 1 cocktail each, 2 burgers, & finished with 2 espressos. Total bill $60. Nice dining room for a shopping mall. It's modern, nice and clean. The bartender served us. Friendly & relaxed guy, good conversationalist. The burgers were okay, good quality beef. The fries were crunchy twice cooked style (Fried halfway then recooked in an oven to crisp them up - Not oily). I much prefer eating up on the 6th floor of the Westfield shopping center than down in the basement food court. Down there it's dirty, noisy pandemonium.
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Lark Creek Steak
Cuisine: Steakhouse
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Downtown |
12/10/2008
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Boy it's crowded during the lunch rush! Well, boy howdy it's because the service is fast, the food is fresh, and the prices are right. My combo plate of 1/2 pound corned beef, big scoop of potato salad, big scoop of Cole slaw, a lettuce wedge with tomato and 1,000 island was a large heap of food. Cost = $9.20. It was so good that I licked my plate clean. Mac's food is fresher, less salty, & more flavorful than David's Deli across from the SF Curran theater, or Saul' s on Shattuck in Berkeley. If you need a little kosher lovin' in Santa Rosa - Sonoma County CA, this is your one & only choice, and it's a very good one.
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Mac's Kosher Style Deli
Cuisine: Kosher Deli - Chicago Style
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Santa Rosa |
11/30/2008
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Pre-opera dinner. Arrived @ 5:30. Spent 2 lovely hours here. The food is exceptionally good, but it does not taste truly French. Nothing of the 5 courses we enjoyed at Absinthe evoked fond memories of meals in Paris. Let's call the cuisine here French inspired Californian. Our young waiter gave sound food recommendations. In comparison to meals I've had at the Hayes Street Grill and Indigo before the symphony, Absinthe is the clear winner for food / ambience / service expertise. We got splash samples of wines before we committed to $12 - $15 per glass. I think my favorite aspect of the evening here was sitting in the romantic dining room that was full of busy people who were all well dressed for the opera & symphony. I didn't feel out of place wearing my tuxedo here. Food & wine bill before tip = $175.
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Absinthe
Cuisine: French Brasseries
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Hayes Valley |
11/30/2008
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Located in an upscale hidden commerical strip behind the Flamingo hotel. Really nice folks own & operate this restaurant. Tiny indoor dining room, 8 small tables. 3 outdoor tables. Clean & fresh room. The food is excellent. My former Santa Rosa Thai favorite Jhanthong Banbua is a far back second best in comparison. The flavors here at Thai taste are fresher, much less oily, more vibrant. For dinner Bambie and & I ate 5 items. We spent $60. We enjoyed the food and the banter. The waitress gave me Thai language lessons while delivering each plate of food. A must visit for Thai food lovers when you're visiting Sonoma county.
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Thai Taste Restaurant
Cuisine: Thai
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Santa Rosa |
11/14/2008
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If you don't live here in Santa Rosa - Rohnert Park, you'll need your GPS to find this tiny place. Salesroom is smaller than my Nissan Sentra. It's an authentic Portuguese bakery with a limited selection that carries just a few other items like Chorizo, salted dried cod fish, & a few soft drinks. I bought some fluffy dinner rolls and a few pastries. The construction and the flavors of the baked goods was yeoman & competent. Nothing spectacular. This is working mans' food. Prices are very low. A loaf of bread is 90 cents. The young lady at the cash register was friendly and sweet.
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9 Islands Bakery Cafe
Cuisine: Bakery
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Santa Rosa |
11/5/2008
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From the decor, employee behavior & food presentation it is obvious that Piacere tries valiantly to be a fine dining destination. I was impressed by the tall, luxurious & expensive flower arrangements that are displayed in key locations. Alas, the food did not send me to culinary heaven. All the food was too salty. Bambie & I were hungry. We ordered 3 courses each. We tasted each others selections. I ate everything on my plate. I liked it well enough, did not love any of it. We brought a small vineyard $80 bottle of wine with us. I doubt that the wine was sold on the extensive Piacere wine menu, but the print on the menu is so small and the dining room lights are so dim that I could not read the damn thing. Servers were professional if a little aloof and hard to summon on occasion. Maybe they could not see us well enough in our dark little table location. This place is a NO return for me. Next time I'm in San Carlos, I'll try TOWN (across the street).
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Piacere Restaurant
Cuisine: California Italian
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San Carlos |
10/17/2008
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On a warm October Thursday Evening the place is packed. It's lively, it's VERY noisy. We get seated w/o reservations immediately. Servers look crisp in their uniforms. They are fast with the bread, olive oil and drinks. Our young waiter was informed, smart, & cheerful. Bambie & I ordered from the regular menu, I avoid the menu specials at any Il Fornaio branch, as I've learned from many experiences that they usually under whelm. Our portions were huge. My chicken Toscano was a little overcooked, nothing disastrous. Bambie had a big slab o' salmon that was cooked just right. Vegetable sides were crunchy, flavors were fresh. We doggie bagged copious leftovers. Overall, this was a competent restaurant experience. I've eaten at almost all the Il Fornaio branches. This is one of the better locations.
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Il Fornaio
Cuisine: Bakery Italian
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Burlingame |
10/17/2008
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Bambi & I spent 2.5 hours & $145 on 7 menu items, 3 different glasses of wine, the house made bubbly water, one dessert. Overstaffed on Wednesday evening. The dining rooms was 35% full. Our nearly finished plates were removed too quickly. I lost a precious final spoonful of soup and didn't get to wipe up a yummy sauce because the multiple waiters were too hyperactive clearing plates. Owner / Restaurateur Sondra Bernstein was in the house, she checked in with every table. The food was good, very good. Inventive recipes are based on Italian cuisine, but California ideas and accents pop up frequently. Estate is the most impressive dining room in Sonoma. I love the tall ceilings and the modern art. The ambience is country chic. But the food is more lusty & soul satisfying at Sondra's other restaurant located just down the street, The Girl & The Fig. Estate is the perfect special occasion, fancy Sonoma destination restaurant.
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ESTATE
Cuisine: Californian
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Sonoma |
10/3/2008
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Well here's another restaurant opinion that'll generate hate mail & death threats. Scenario: Patty & I are working the 3pm-midnight shift at the hospital. We're getting slammed by patient emergencies. We're starving. The cafeteria is closed. We debate which pizzeria to call. Neither of us has eaten a Romeo's pizza. Since I'm in the middle of a patient disaster, I let Patty decide on the pizza, which we'll have to gobble in 4 minutes flat. She orders the BBQ chicken. She must be thinkin' we're gonn'a get some west coast gourmet goodness. 20 minutes later we get a super chewy undercooked dough slab covered with disgustingly sweet & unctuous bottled BBQ sauce dressed with flabby water logged fake flavor chicken nuggets & slices of purple onion. The cheese is gummy bear mozzarella. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? Tasted even worse. How do places that serve food this bad continue to stay in business? Astounding. Proof positive that you CAN fool most of the people most of the time.
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Romeo's Pizza and Pasta
Cuisine: Pizza
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Petaluma |
10/1/2008
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Great Italian food. An amiable if crowded room. Noisy. Nice servers. The food at this restaurant is above average quality compared to many mom & pops on Shattuck Ave's gourmet gulch. Bambie & I sat on high stools at the chefs counter overlooking the cooks at work. The food production theater is entertaining. We ate: Fritti Misti (deep fried squid, onion slivers, & lemon slices), Romaine lettuce salad (almost a Caesar without the salty anchovies), Whole grilled sea bass (18 ounces, enough for 2), sauteed spinach (enough garlic & oil to scare away vampires), Vanilla gelato topped with limoncello liquor. We drank Bastianich Rose wine (soft, dry, mildly acidic) Total bill = $90. I thoroughly enjoyed the food here. Bambi wants to return again soon. No reservations taken. Due to the usual crowd scene, don't expect a table to be readily available at peak dining hours.
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Corso Trattoria
Cuisine: Italian
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Berkeley |
9/11/2008
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A credible French Bistro on Berkeley's uber-corporate 4th street street shopping mall. Dining room is pretty. Servers have nice manners. Bambie & I lingered 90 minutes over a very good lunch. I had the steak with frites. Bambie had the Seafood stew. The rich 'soup' was not tomato based like a typical bouillabaisse, but had a fish stock / fennel / aromatic briny broth. Loaded with mussels. Very delicious. My onglet steak was chewy. The grass grzed cow meat was flavorful. The potatoes were stick fries, not oily. At $18 this BIG plate of food was a good value. Wine by-the-glass selection is small, but covers the bases to match all the food. I tried 2 French wines that were very agreeable with my starter salad & steak. Good strong espresso, perked me right up after the carbo, meat & wine load. Total bill = $61. A better value in Berkeley.
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Cafe Rouge
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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Berkeley |
9/11/2008
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The cupcake fad had to land in the 'burbs sooner or later, so here is Sift in beautiful downtown Cotati, Sonoma County. Sift is a real "girlie" looking establishment. A modern girl with wild ideas and a few tatoos. Check out the website, it's a good representation of what you'll find in this cupcakery. Over the past month I've eaten 25 Sift cupcakes. My favorite is the devil's food. Looks like the Hostess chocolate cupcake with the swirled loop of white icing on top. Sift's much better version tastes like real food, not chemicals. Other Sift cupcakes show spunk and imagination, I'm not in love with them though. My heart belongs to the deep dark chocolate with the white creamy heart. At $2.75 per cupcake, it's fun & fattening. The young & spunky owner will probably become a millionaire with this venture.
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Sift: A Cupcakery
Cuisine: Cupcakes Bakeries Dessert
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Santa Rosa |
9/4/2008
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Just ate lunch. A classic California Mesclun green salad, a quartered up early girl tomato, dressed in olive oil and a too tart & thin balsamic vinegar. Around the perimeter of the salad was 10 small nugget size curry sauteed chicken breast pieces. This was not a typical Indian meal, but it was a featured lunch special. Dining room is clean, neat & tidy. Smells fresh. Seats 46. Just a few booths, mostly free-standing tables with 4 chairs. Owners are friendly & accommodating. Service is cheerful. Food comes out quickly. Porcelain, glassware and utensils are above average quality. My salad & a Ginger-mint ice tea cost $13. Not a bargain, but the quality was above average. I'll return some evening when the dinner menu offers all the usual suspects, like Rogan ghosht, tikka masala, aloo gobbi - You know the drill. I'll report back after my next visit.
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Pamposh Restaurant
Cuisine: Indian
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Santa Rosa |
9/3/2008
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Located halfway between Santa Rosa proper and Sebastopol on a semi-industrial / rural road. This clean & tidy seafood market has a 12 foot ice case for fresh fish sale display. They also have a 2 placard menu hanging over the sales counter. Featured items are sandwiches with fries, deep fried fish, crustaceans, oysters, clams, one chowder, etc. Very rudimentary preparation here, this ain't fancy. The cooler has a few sodas, beers and a bottle or 3 of cheap wine. The "dining facility" is one picnic table outside facing the street. You're in plastic knife & fork territory here. Not a pretty place to dine. I've purchased fish here 3 times for home preparation. Everything has been fresh, never frozen. The quality has always been top notch. The prices are reasonable, (As in: 50% lower than Whole Foods). This business supplies most Sonoma County restaurants with their fresh fish. Bring city friends here so they feel like Sonoma County insiders.
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Alcatraz Seafoods
Cuisine: Seafood
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Santa Rosa |
8/25/2008
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Bambi has eaten here 6 times, last night was my 1st. The view of Napa Valley from the patio is impressive. So are the building & grounds, the multi-million $ open kitchen, and the retail store. Much more impressive than the restaurant food. Dinner menu had just 6 entrees, yet a 50 page wine & booze menu.(Profit center!). Our 4 course, 2 hour dinner was only as good as the CA Culinary Academy on Polk Street. Portions are smaller here. We ate on the patio during a perfect 78 degree evening. Our server retained her sense of humor though on duty for 11 hours straight. We ate: gazpacho, falafel & radish salad on arugula, day boat scallops, beef short ribs, & a peach souflee. We drank 2 wine flights (3 oz pours), & espresso. Bill before tip = $155. NOT a good value. Even though the plates were arriving fresh from the cook's hands, my short ribs tasted like re-heated, oxidized food. The scallops were fresher. Come for the spectacle, not the cuisine.
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Wine Spectator Greystone (CIA)
Cuisine: Californian
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Napa |
8/19/2008
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I arrive Thursday 1:15pm. The 75 seat room is 70% full. Everybody looks like they are enjoying their food. I'm greeted & seated in 10 seconds. Ice water & really good quality jasmine tea arrive 30 seconds later. I mark-up the dim sum order sheet. I pig out. I order 7 baskets of dim sum. Veal meatballs, shrimp siu mai, tofu in cabbage broth, BBQ pork buns, custards, puddings, etc, (Oink!) The quality is okay. It's not refined. Presentation & flavors are back-country outer province Chinese food, not fancy-pants ultra-refined Mandarin cuisine. The balance of sweet-sour-salty-brothy-spicy-smoky is there, with all its rustic charm. Total damage was $25. In addition to dim sum, there is a 4 page menu of the usual suspects. Almond chicken combo lunch special is $6.95. It's a ton of food. ~ (8 hours later: MSG warning; If you are MSG sensitive, beware here. I've got a classic MSG headache and mild itchiness over my thorax.)
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Hang Ah Dim Sum
Cuisine: Chinese
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Santa Rosa |
8/14/2008
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Located next door to the Petaluma Market, but do not park in their lot when coming to Hallie's - You WILL get busted! The multi-story muni-garage is across the street & it's free. Park the car there. Hallie's is a Petaluma local favorite for breakfast & lunch. It's homey. The decor is clean, bright, and cheery. The people are nice.
The food is okay, certainly better than Denny's, IHOP or a Black Bear Diner. When I need a waffle fix in Petaluma, Hallie's is my first choice. Sometimes you just want something "normal" to eat. That's what Hallie's does best - Nice, normal American food. A full on belly filling breakfast is gonn'a cost you a whole $9.95. Leave a generous tip.
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Hallie's Diner
Cuisine: American
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Petaluma |
8/11/2008
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Located in the Jack London Shopping barn in Glen Ellen. Open for breakfast & lunch only. The food is wholesome and delicious. This is home made tasting "country food". Quiches, Pannini, vegetable soups, fresh salads Ingredients are purchased at the local markets. It would be nearly impossible to spend more than $20 per person on a full out meal. Wine and beer are sold.
Dining room is decorated with wine country house wares. It's all for sale. Good lunch stop for something "a little lighter".
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Olive & Vine
Cuisine: American
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Sonoma |
8/3/2008
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Top notch gourmet pizza, using imaginative ingredients fresh from the garden and barnyard. All toppings are local farm products. In-house made salumi. The Italian chef owns the place. Uses a real wood burning oven. Recent press reviews are calling DiAvola one of the 4 best pizzerias on the west coast, alongside Delfina in SF, Serious Pie in Seattle & Pizzeria Mozza in LA. The recently re-hab'ed 100 year old brick storefront now looks urban chic cool. Service folks are sincere, cheerful, and efficient. Bambie & I loved our 2 pizzas and salads. Fresh, flavorful, authentic good food. Geyserville was an abandoned ghost town until recently. The rebirth started with Santi Restaurant a few years ago. With the new art galleries, 2 wine tasting rooms and this world class pizzeria Geyserville is becoming a fun destination. It's just 10 minutes north of Healdsburg. A worthy destination on your Sonoma wine week-end.
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DiAvola Pizzeria & Salumeria
Cuisine: Pizza Italian
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Healdsburg |
7/13/2008
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Yummy Alert. After buying Santi's French style white wine sausages at the Santa Rosa Farmer's market, I convinced Bambie to drive up to Geyserville for lunch. The best idea I had in 2 weeks. The food is simply fabulous. Bambie & me had roasted raddichio on toast & cheese crumbles spiked with anchovy sauce, a bowl of risotto, a bowl of simmered tripe, appetizer of marinated olives, & panna cotta. Finished with the most expensive & the richest cup of espresso I've ever had. Wine list has 150 bottles, 25 by-the-glass. Price mark-up reasonable. Tuesday night is 50% wine discount. Geyserville was a ghost town for many years. Recently several art galleries have opened. DiAvola Pizzeria (Owned & operated by Santi restaurant) opened last week to rave reviews. There's also two wine tasting shops open for your pleasure. Geyserville is now a fun tiny town destination when you visit northern Sonoma county. Eat here for fabulous Italian dishes!
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Santi Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
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Healdsburg |
7/12/2008
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This is Americanized versions of Indian food made for people who are afraid of spicy food. 3 of us hospital hooligans just had lunch here. We're all regular Indian food eaters, we all agreed that all the 7 different dishes that we ordered lacked aromatic spices. Food quality was a hit & miss ordeal. Tikka Masala is good, then the Nan is wet and drab. The rice was too dry. The spices on the rice were not well integrated, I actually got a raw clove in my teeth. The cauliflower/potato (aloo gobi) was mushy & had a yucky mouth feel. The spinach paneer was okay, but not very creamy. We ate a lot of food for $38. That's the deal here, it's low priced. I've had way better tasting Indian food in the SF bay area, notably Bombay Express in San Rafael and Raj Cafe in Albany (Solano Ave).
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Masala Jack's Original Good Ol' Indian Curryhouse
Cuisine: Indian
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Santa Rosa |
7/11/2008
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WOW! A fabulous brasserie in Graton California? Tuesday 7:00pm, the place is packed. The bar is 2 deep with chatty customers. The main dining room has the French bistro aura down perfectly. Also, 2 outdoor dining patios & a bocce ball court for your pleasure. The cigarette smokers are out there. The food is simply fabulous. The core menu has all the French meals you expect: Duck confit, steak & frites, French onion soup with a perfect melted cheese crust. My tuna tartare with all sorts of tiny vegetables & relishes was sublime. There are 3 nightly specials: 1 fish, 1 beef, and 1 vegetarian. Wine list: 18 by the glass selections, 75 bottles. Mostly Californian, some French. Wine mark-up is double Bev-Mo' retail. Bambi & I over ate on purpose to try many items. We really overdid it, without regrets. I felt fine in the morning. This food is California clean (no pesticides, no hormones). Served by knowledgeable adults who behave nicely. 4 courses, 4 glasses = $115. Gary Danko level food.
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Underwood Bar & Bistro
Cuisine: French Brasserie
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Santa Rosa |
7/9/2008
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Viet Namese restaurants are rare in Sonoma County. Except for Simply Vietnam in Santa Rosa, most serve mediocre food with surly service in funky dining rooms with dirty toilets. Mai's in Cotati is a refreshing improvement. The décor is clean & fresh, table setting is simple, the owners & employees are cheerful & respectful. The local press has awarded enthusiastic accolades. My Pho Tai & Mi Cuon were okay, not superlative. Mai's Pho was not hearty as the meat portion was slim just 1 slice of brisket, 1 tendon, & 1/4 sausage only. The broth had more star anise flavor than beef reduction. The side of basil, mung sprouts & lime were crispy fresh. I consumed every drop of pho. But I've had better in Paris France, SF, Viet Nam & even in Santa Rosa. My shrimp spring rolls were fresh, yet a bit too gummy. The peanut sauce and chili sauce sides were excellent. The place was full on a Tuesday @ 1:00pm. The $13 lunch was a good value. I'll return to try other dishes.
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Mai Vietnamese Restaurant
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Santa Rosa |
7/3/2008
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Out in the boonies west of Sebastopol where the 2 crows restaurant recently went broke in this building. The decor theme is funky American roadhouse. 3 rooms or dine in the backyard. The nightly menu is short, 4 salads & 4 entrees. The wine list is broader with50 bottles both Californian & European. Prices are restaurant average. Bambie & I swooned over the lobster salad filled with beets, new potato, shaved fennel, frisee lightly coated with a seafood remoulade. Bambie had a simple poached whole sea bass. So fresh it practically swam up to the table. My roast 1/2 chicken was perfect. Fresh corn on cob was cayenne peppered spicy without the ugly mouth burn. All flavors on the plate were balanced. Adult servers are down home casual, yet smart & engaging. Chef/owner Mark Malicki is a unique & gifted artist. I'm glad that he enjoys working the economic down-scale scene. He could charge Michael Mina prices in a high end location with food this good.
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Saint Rose
Cuisine: American (New)
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Santa Rosa |
6/26/2008
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I appreciate the historical importance of this place. This is California's oldest existing roadhouse restaurant. Been in constant business in the same location since the middle 1800's. It's an old stagecoach stop. You come back here to see if the business card and dollar bill that you stapled to the ceiling 30 years ago is still there. Food? Big greasy burgers, Big greasy French Fries, Big greasy fried chicken. Ride your Harley-Davidson up here on a sunny summer day. Come for the history, drink the Budweiser. If you eat the food, you'll belch all the way on the ride home. Don't forget to chew 4 or 5 Rolaids before going to bed.
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Washoe House
Cuisine: Steakhouse
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Petaluma |
6/20/2008
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Ate a lunch special, it wasn't. BBQ lovers pork. Not very good. Poor quality meat (Safeway quality or worse). 2 tiny & thin pork chops merely grilled on the stove no BBQ flavor. Too overcooked. When the meat cooled on my plate it was tough as leather. Steamed rice was fine. Tiny salad on the side of the plate accompanied by factory made sweet sauce from a jar. Not worth $13.99. Plate presentation was fine. The dining room is acceptable for a tiny space. Employees behaved okay. Owner is a cool guy. His Thai wife & friends running the kitchen are a bit too matter-of-fact. They're in this business for the money, Not the love. It shows in the food. I love Thai food, but not at this place. No return for me.
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Thai Ginger Bistro
Cuisine: Thai
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Petaluma |
6/20/2008
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This is a small husband (chef de cuisine) & wife (pastry chef) restaurant on the touristy Sonoma Plaza that absolutely charms. Especially in summer when you dine al fresco on the back patio. The indoor, ancient adobe dining room is both claustrophobic & dark; eat in there only during bad weather. The menu is short and focused. Features fresh, local meat & vege’s. The wine list, as well, is short, well balanced and fairly priced. Bonus: Dog friendly dining patio: Bring Rover (on a leash). Bambie & I tried 5 dishes and 4 wines. The food was sincere craft that approaches art. Art without pretense. This is honestly good food that is interesting, mildly surprising and satisfying. Servers know their stuff. They can explain the items and recommend the best wine to compliment the food. We ate for 1.5 hours. We loved every minute. Price $84 plus tip. Top notch recommendation.
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Harvest Moon Cafe
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean
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Sonoma |
6/19/2008
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So middle of the road, it may get run over by a slow moving taco truck. My roast beef sandwich and side of macaroni salad was so mediocre, I thought that the food came from an airport commissary. Bland & spongy French style bread encased Boar's head roast beef. Tasteless macaroni salad. Really, you can get better versions at any Safeway supermarket. Here's the real stinker, this meal with a Sobe bottle of ice tea cost $14! The elderly couple at the next table had a margarita pizza. It looked no better than a supermarket, cardboard box frozen pizza made by an Iowa food processing factory. Absolutely no pizza aroma drifted over to me from 3 feet away. This place is pitiful. Avoid. Go elsewhere.
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Giovanni's Italian Delicatessen & Wine Shop & Cafe
Cuisine: Deli
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Santa Rosa |
6/14/2008
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The menu is loaded with authentic Spanish cuisine you'd find in Pamplona or Barcelona. Great lunch specials. Bambie loved her shrimp salad. My yellow fin tuna sandwich was a savory, barely cooked 1/2" thick fillet on toasted slices of French bread. I usually dislike French fried potatoes yet I ate every one here, they were that good. The portion sizes were filling. Small wine list carries only organic & local labels made within 10 miles of Kenwood. A few Mexican dishes are thrown in for good measure. There's a full liquor bar that features 12 tequilas which can be made into a fancy Margarita or served as shots. Prices are reasonable. I live 400 yards from this place. I eat here. That's a local yokel endorsement.
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Vineyards Inn Restaurant
Cuisine: Spanish
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Santa Rosa |
6/14/2008
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This is the nicest looking dining room in Glen Ellen. Finest décor, it's fancy. I need to dress & behave nicely when I'm here. The menu is high cuisine. See the website link for the menu & restaurant photos. All items are overpriced for rural Sonoma County. Dinner for 2 people who order 3 courses & 2 glasses of wine will spend at least $200. My meals here have been good, not great. Glen Ellen Inn has some quality control issues with hit & miss food prep. I HATE crap shoot inconsistent quality in a $200 level restaurant. The restaurant caters to wine tourists with big wallets. Working class locals do not eat at the Glen Ellen Inn. Locals eat at the Fig Cafe, Bluegrass, Yeti Nepal, The Glen Ellen supermarket picnic tables, or @ Olive & Vine.
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Glen Ellen Inn
Cuisine: American French
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Sonoma |
6/8/2008
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This is the most up scale wine bar on the Sonoma Plaza. Travertine marble on the floors and walls. Some outdoor cafe tables in front. The fancy prices for wine and bar snacks pay for the decor. The service folks are well dressed & behave formally. The clientele seen here are usually upper crust tourists. If you drive an expensive car and dress fashionably you'll be comfortable here. If you drive a junker while wearing a T-shirts & jeans, you'll be more comfortable next door at The Town Square Bar & Grill.
I've been here twice for cocktails and food. Nothing outstanding. The help is almost timid to admit that food is offered. It's a single page menu of small plate tidbits such as: Cheese plate, smoked salmon, iceberg salad wedge.
The draw here is the weekly live jazz music. The musicians are sometimes nationally known acts featured on smooth jazz radio stations. Admission runs $25 for the shows.
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Ledson Hotel & Harmony Club
Cuisine: Small Plates
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Sonoma |
6/4/2008
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Here's what's good: *It's on the south-east corner of the touristy Sonoma Plaza.
*This restaurant is authentic. It's locally owned, it ain't corporate. *It's a Mexican restaurant operated by Mexican-Americans. *The tequila booze menu is seriously amazing. The mixed drinks are delicious. *You can drink booze at the small bar area which is family friendly. It's well-lighted, clean and cheerful.
*All service people are sincere, helpful, and eager for you to be happy. *The food is made from good ingredients. It's prepared well. It's pretty on the plate . *Service is prompt & cheerful. *Lunch for 2 with a couple of booze-y drinks will cost $45. The food here ain't high-class cuisine. It's filling and tastes good. If you order wisely you won't even suffer carbohydrate overload. See the website link for the menu. I'm a Sonoma local. I like this restaurant. You will, too.
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Maya Restaurant
Cuisine: Yucatan Mexican
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Sonoma |
6/4/2008
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Tiny size bakery located inside the antiques mall just south of Sebastapol. They make just a few items. Specialties are:
*Chocolate Tarts
*Pizzette (Personal size hand made pizza)
*Sfogliata - "Leaves" in Italian
There is coffee and a few bottled soft drinks in the cooler.
There are 4 tiny cafe tables to sit and enjoy your snack.
The Sfogliata are a buttery rich pastry filled with a ricotta cheese & almond paste. Size: One handful, Weight: 7 ounces. Genuine Sfogliata use a phyllo pastry dough to make the many leaves. The one made here is more or a "Caracola". You can unwind the pastry shell like a ball-of-yarn. Fun!
The pastry is crunchy on the outside, soft & creamy on the inside. Price = $2.50. Tastes Good!
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Sfoglia Bakery
Cuisine: Italian Bakery
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Santa Rosa |
5/26/2008
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A 3,000 square foot supermarket with gourmet salad bars and hot food service. The deli case is full of Killer tasty meals. Try the Mediterranean focaccia sandwich. It's the most delicious $6 you'll ever spend. This is the smaller sister operation with the Sonoma Market. Select your treats, pile them into the take-out containers. Pay at the cashier. Eat inside, 4 tables are available, Or go out to the back garden where 6 picnic tables are set up next to the creek. I live in Kenwood - 4 miles away. I come here often for a quick meal when I don't want to cook and I want something special & tasty. Highly recommended!
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Glen Ellen Village Market
Cuisine: Deli
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Sonoma |
5/21/2008
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Gourmet supermarket. Think..."Home grown, locally owned Whole Foods". The salad bars and hot food bars are big, & full of variety. You can have a full-on meal of: Mexican, or Chinese, or Italian, or an American Thanksgiving dinner everyday of the year. The gourmet cheese department is Killer! Prices are fair. Hot food averages $7 per pound. All employees are nice. I'd rather eat here, as indoor & outdoor picnic tables are provided, than 80% of the local restaurants. Oh, I'm a Sonoma local - I know the ropes. Want a really good meal in Sonoma for less than $20? Eat at the Sonoma Market.
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Sonoma Market
Cuisine: Deli
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Sonoma |
5/21/2008
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Located in the Lodge of Sonoma 5 star hotel. The food here is wine country high end. Bambie & I got married here in 2006. We stayed at the hotel 3 days. We ate all our meals here, hosted a pre-wedding party for 40. And then the kitchen catered the 80 guest wedding reception. The food was usually very good, & sometimes it was inspired. And I'm not a guy that often praises hotel kitchens & the cuisine that issue from them. The bistro serves a focused seasonal menu. Fresh ingredients actually are sourced from local farms, not the Bi-Rite truck. Cooking style is California Mission elegant. Highlights were: green fried tomatoes, lamb chops, the hamburger at lunch was juicy fabulous. Fancy breakfast egg dishes were very satisfying. The dining room is wine country ranch theme, simple & elegant. Service is thoroughly professional. Prices are 5 star hotel level. Expect dinner for 2 with wine to reach $200.
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Carneros Bistro
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean
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Sonoma |
5/21/2008
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Much better food than a Denny's, better food than the Black Bear mini-chain. In comparison to those 2 inferior competitors the prices are too high for what they serve here. My Fancy fish sandwich was a 4 ounce piece of turbot (previously frozen - Not really flavorful) on a toasted bun with coleslaw. Price $15. I got a small bowl of soup with the fish. With a Snapple lemonade I was out the door for $20 with tip. The room has nice art on the walls, Maxfield Parrish style Sonoma scenics. It's a pleasant dining room. Sincerely nice service people, very down home. Oh, they have a full booze bar here - cocktail hour anyone? This place is for locals. Everyone knows each other. Patrons read the Sonoma Index over breakfast not the SF Chronicle.
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Breakaway Cafe
Cuisine: American (Traditional) Diner
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Sonoma |
5/14/2008
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This is a cheap taco place in an industrial park neighborhood. The food is decent. My 2 taco combo plate had lots of tasty food on it. The stewed chicken meat taco was very tasty. There was plenty of it. The carne asada taco was less good, as it was too dry, but the grilled beef flavor was authentic - Ghetto authentic. Order at the counter. The counter girl is surly. I speak fluent Spanish, the girl smirked and answered all my questions in really bad English. Reverse discrimination? Pay your tariff, take your table number placard. 20 seconds later another surly girl brings your basket of tortilla chips, pico de gallo, hot sauce, lime slices, fork knife & napkin. The giant plate of food arrives 10 minutes later. It's filling, It's satisfying. The dining room @ lunch hour has 20 people chowing down. Some have jobs, blue collar jobs. Others look homeless. Some speak English, most do not. If you are a tourist to Santa Rosa, you do NOT want to come here.
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Taqueria El Sombrero
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
5/12/2008
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Cute storefront on a street full of storefronts. The food is a hit & miss deal. My grilled calamari on a bed of arugula had a good portion of squid smoky from the wood grill. My lamb sirloin was overcooked & a tough chew. The broccoli was overcooked. The roast potatoes were dead on arrival. The red wine reduction sauce meant to save the lamb was waaayyyy too sweet. Bambie had the fish stew. The light broth was pleasing. The chunks of salmon were almost tasteless. Using frozen farmed fish I bet. But I liked the flavors & aromas overall in this dish. Portion size again was generous. Bread is IL Fornaio, served warm & crunchy. It's the meal highlight. Dessert: Spumoni & Afogatto just passable. Damage was: $100. I brought my own wine. I eat in Burlingame only when at SFO to catch a plane. My previous trip dinner was at nearby Stella Alpina Italian restaurant. Stella Alpina food is much better.
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Sapore Italiano Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
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Burlingame |
5/7/2008
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Imagine that Pasta Pomodoro & California Pizza Kitchen got married and had a beautiful daughter. She grows up, moves to Sonoma to start her own restaurant. She is the Red Grape. This is where us Sonoma locals eat. The pizza are advertised as New Haven CT style thin & crunchy. They are that. They also come with your choice of 100's of toppings. I prefer the hand made pasta dishes here. Sonoma Pasta is made down the street. Ask your service person about the monthly special. My orchiette with sausage was in a clear broth, had cannnelini beans, fresh basil and loads of skinless Italian sausage. Giant bowl cost $13. Wine list is very Sonoma County. Again fair prices, generous pour in a Riedel glasses! The dining room is spartan, yet artful. Monthly art exhibits decorate the walls. Open back patio for alfresco lunch. Monthly wine maker events, too. Want to become a Sonoma insider? Eating here is a good start.
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The Red Grape
Cuisine: Pizza Californian
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Sonoma |
5/2/2008
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Located in Western Sonoma County, Hwy #1. Attached to the small Valley Ford Hotel. The restaurant prepares and only serves locally acquired food. Fresh daily oysters from Drake's bay. Beef from local rancher-butchers. Local produce, of course. The food here is rustic-sublime. Authentic flavors, cooked with pizz-zazz. My pork shoulder was melt-in-your-mouth perfect. The portion was he-man size. Served with corn griddle cakes, braised Swiss chard, baby carrots & turnips. The price was $19. Bambie had pan fried sea scallops with fantastic briny ocean flavors. Lemon meringue pie was farm house perfect. Not too sweet, meringue just the right amount of leathery texture on top with poofy cloud below. Real grown in the backyard Meyer lemon custard.
Full liquor bar. Decent wine list with mostly Sonoma labels. Fun, young crew.
Specialty nights like Kung FU Tuesdays: A DVD martial arts movie with Pan Asian food.
This is the perfect get-outt'a-the-city destination.
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Rocker Oysterfeller
Cuisine: Californian
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Point Reyes |
4/17/2008
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I've purchased buns, pastries, cakes, shui mai here. Over the past 15 years I've tasted everything that they make. When I'm driving on 19th Ave & I'm hungry (oh that's like always...) I drop into Victors. Sometimes I don't even bother to pop a quarter into the parking meter 'cause I know that I'm gonn'a be real fast.
The goods here always warm my heart. They are cheap - 75 cents average for a meat filled bready bun. They are warm, they are filling. They are vacuous Asian equivalents to McDonald's value meals.
This is not health food. But oh my peasant Italian heart appreciates the good cheap eats that Victor's pumps out. This is ambrosia for toothless old men, hungry beggars and me.
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Victor's Bakery
Cuisine: Bakery
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Inner Sunset |
4/17/2008
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Kashaya Adams pulls a real wood burning oven on a trailer behind her pick-up truck. She brings it to the Sonoma Plaza farmer's market on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays she makes sweet dessert pizza. Friday morning she makes traditional savory pizza. The pizzas are creative, earthy, rustic, healthy and good. A 10" diameter pizza costs $7. See photos of her creations at: http://samarati.biz/Sonoma-Farmers-Market-photo-blog.html
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Kashaya's Portable Wood fired Oven Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
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Sonoma |
4/12/2008
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An English style pub. Fish & chips are okay, not fantastic. Compared to stalwart Betty's Fish & Chips located slightly out of town? Well maybe a little crunchier deep fried batter here at the Toad, but equal quality to Betty's.
Cornish pastie was a bit too bland and soggy tasting. Mushy peas were very starchy and cold - not very good.
Beer, cider & wine selection is small but focused on good values. Prices are fair.
People who own and operate are friendly, courteous and helpful. Likeable blokes.
I'll come back on music performance nights to knock back a few brews - not for the food.
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Toad in the Hole Pub
Cuisine: English Pub Food
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Santa Rosa |
3/28/2008
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Santa Rosans love this pizza place. It wins local awards every year. The pizza is very authentic New York style. (I'm 3rd generation Italian New Yorker - I know how a slice is supposed to taste!) Unfortunately that doesn't mean that this is high quality food. Ths pizza are somewhat flat and ugly. The cheese is not premium quality. Electric ovens are used. In short this pizza ain't gourmet California wood oven organic goodness. This pizza is what you'd get from a vendor in a NY City subway station. Crispy crust, canned sauce, gooey factory cheese. You pay, you fold the diagnoal slice in half, you bite, you run on your errand while you chew.
If you want to try Mombo pizza I suggest that you take out. The eating area (4 tables) is horrendously ugly and mighty dirty. The young crew all look like they just returned from a heavy metal concert mosh pit & didn't have time to shower before making your pizza. Hence my neutral rating.
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Mombo's Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
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Santa Rosa |
3/26/2008
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Family owned shop open 7 days a week. Bright and cheery store. A small version of a Powell's candy store. More elbow room & open floor space than Powell's (Which I appreciate).
The Gelato is FABULOUS! The selection of at least 40 flavors come & go with market availability of fresh ingredients. Today I had the blood orange and cannoli. Bambie had the Zuppa Ingelese. This gelato is the real deal, better than most gelato that I've eaten in Italy.
If you eat commercial ice cream often, you will give it up completely after trying this gelato. Gelato tastes cleaner, richer, much more fresh and contains much less fat & absolutely NO preservatives.
Located next to the STIX restaurant, behind the Burger King on Commerce Blvd. 100 feet north of R.P. Expressway.
GO!!!!
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Del Secco Gelato & Sweets
Cuisine: Dessert Gelato
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Santa Rosa |
3/23/2008
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A downtown Santa Rosa office workers lunch-a-teria. I've been eating at La Bufa since 1977. It's still owned by the same family. The recipes have not changed an iota. The dishes have mild gravy like sauces. That's authentic for the Sinaloa regions of Mexico. Flavorwise, some dishes can be hit or miss. I find that you need to eat lunch at 11:30 am to get the freshest tasting refried beans and rice. By 2:30 PM the stuff has been in cauldrons too long and are completely dried out. Still, when I'm hungry and want to eat lots of carbs, La Bufa can dish it out! Thier chow is especially enjoyable on wet, cold winter days. Nothing on the lunch menu costs over $17. Soda, beer & one bulk wine on the menu. There's a counter with stools in the center of the room. Casual, clean, and cheap!
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La Bufa Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
3/22/2008
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Tuesday night at 7:00pm all 40 seats were taken. The crowd is fellow Sonoma County locals. The menu has all the classic French Bistro items you expect. Bambie ordered a green salad and the sauteed fish. I had the foie gras and the steak frites. My foie gras was low in flavor, & truthfully for $14 the portion was too small. Bambie raved about her moist & flavorful fish fillet served an a bed of sauteed mushrooms, dice onions, carrots, leeks, with pan juices. Just the right balance of briny & earthy flavors. My good quality hangar steak was grilled medium with a liquid herb butter topping. Good flavor. The frites were barely passable, too soggy. We had only 1 glass wine each. Total damage $75. Good value for the money. Bistro 29 is lots better than La Gare, the only other French restaurant in Santa Rosa. But Bistro Liaison in Berkeley blows this place away. Eating here reminded me how much better the French food is in PARIS.
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Bistro 29
Cuisine: French Bistro
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Santa Rosa |
3/12/2008
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I've been to Yoshi's Oakland restaurant & music hall 6,000 times, I'm considered human furniture there. Tonight was our 1st San Francisco Yoshi's experience. The modern chic open restaurant is very impressive looking. We did not order Sushi. We grazed on the European w/Asian influence dishes. Overall the food was good. The food here is much better than the Oakland Yoshi's. Bambie loved the shizo sautee black cod. The portion was ridiculously tiny. The thick flavorful miso soup, non-greasy vegetable tempura, perfectly roasted chicken, desserts, & wine were all quite tasty. We spent a pleasant 90 minutes at the table, service was friendly but not quite competent. I paid $200 for dinner. Due to the small portions I walked away still a bit hungry, so I felt ripped-off just like the 2 negative reviewers. But this is a food review - The food is fine, it's the prices that suck! If you are wealthy & like fancy food in a large ultra-modern space, you will love this Yoshi's.
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Yoshi's Jazz House & Japanese Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese
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Upper Fillmore |
3/6/2008
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Better than usual Mexican supermarket. I especially like the in-house bakery tres leches cake. Best "3 milks" cake I ever had, oh yes I've eaten more than a few. Today I ate at the in-house taqueria. Tried the lengua (beef tongue) and the roast chicken. Total price = $4.79 Simply said, these were the best tacos I've eaten in a long, long time. Juicy meats, great tangy salsas, crunchy onions with the right amount of kick, fresh cilantro. Really good!
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Lola's Market Taqueria
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
3/2/2008
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The Marin County mini-chain added this Santa Rosa outlet in the summer of 2007. Well, don't rush over for a giant, juicy $10 hamburger. 'Cause they ain't got them here (except for the $10 price). This place serves a Sysco frozen mystery patty on a pasty foam bun with tasteless condiments. The krinkle cut fries are pure elementary school cafeteria crap. Fortunately the newly remodeled store looks better than the food tastes. Really, I'd rather eat a burger king whopper that another Phyllis burger.
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Phyllis Giant Burgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
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Santa Rosa |
3/1/2008
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Date-night worthy restaurant. Old Pullman railroad car that has just a few tables. And those tables are small & close together. Walls painted with romantic local vineyard scenery. The look, vibe & menu emphasis on the wine country experience. Chefs, bartender, service people are all good humored, playful, and well informed on the food & drinks. 3 of us ate several dishes. The menu is medium small. We tried the apple salad, day boat scallops, lamb, duck 3 ways, a few different wines. The food quality & satisfaction level ranged from not good like the too greasy, too small lamb chops for $28 that made Bambie sad. But they erased the charge off the bill when she explained why she was not happy, to excellent. The highlight dishes this night were the crab cake & pizza. My duck confit was average. I'm more in love with the decor, the welcoming service, the wine selections than the food here. BTW: No hard booze license, just Soju cocktails.
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Starlight Wine Bar and Restaurant
Cuisine: American
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Santa Rosa |
3/1/2008
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Brand new launch Feb 2008. Located in the Jack London Village barns. Look for the building with the big water wheel. This is a meat lover's paradise. Dry rub BBQ. Traditional sides of corn on the cob, cole slaw, beans, spicy cornbread, etc... Fair prices for such high quality and generous portions. Plenty of BBQ pork ribs for 2 people with lots'a side dishes for just $24!!! Full liquor barfeatures whiskey tastings. That's a refreshing switch-up from the typical snooty wine tasting scene! This is a offical Samarati Yummy Alert! Come here for good dry-rub Bar-B-Que! Closed Mondays.
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Bluegrass Bar and Grill
Cuisine: Barbecue
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Santa Rosa |
3/1/2008
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Cafe Chloe is a French immigrant chef & his American wife making a splash into Sonoma wine country. The restaurant is the ex-cafeteria in a corporate business center. The ambiance is ultra-modern, slick office building. The dining room is hospital surgical suite clean. The food is St. Tropez, French Riviera FABULOUS! The restaurant is open only Monday - Friday 7:30am to 5:00pm. On Friday there's a French wine happy hour from 4 - 6pm. Bambie & I had the best pastries. I've been to France 6 times since 2001. I speak French very well. Cafe Chloe is the real deal! Check out their website. They make sandwiches on house made baguettes. They do catering. They import several French wine labels. They sell the wines at the café, priced super low & you will NOT find these wines anywhere else. They import their own organic coffee. A pound of Sumatra whole bean roasted in-house that morning for $5 per pound. A meal for 2 costs less than $20! Seek this place out!
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Chloe's French Cafe
Cuisine: French Bistro
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Santa Rosa |
2/24/2008
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This is the 3rd Santa Rosa outlet for Mary's Pizza Shack. This downtown location has a full bar. The dining room is at least 5,000 square feet, so expect lots'a noise, crowds, & poor service. I've reviewed other Mary's restaurants. There's 17 of them in Nor Cal. I've tried 5 of them several times since 1971. The food is consistently mediocre. Think Old Spaghetti factory meets Olive Garden. You get the picture. Pasty pizza, Gooey pasta. T-shirt wearing Servers are never older than 24. Semi-well intentioned confusion rules the roost. You come here for one reason only: Happy hour half price drinks and appetizers at the bar. Served Monday to Friday 4:00 to 5:00 PM only. 2 people can catch a buzz and fill up on calamari & bruschetta for less than $20.
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Mary's Pizza Shack
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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Santa Rosa |
2/24/2008
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Gets my vote for the most over-the-top girlie restaurant in NorCal. This business is an ultra frou-frou English antique knick-knack shop and a ladies tea house. Located across the street from the Petaluma Market. Bambie spotted the storefront window, took one glance at the finery inside and she was sold! Menu has 100's of different teas, 10 salads, 10 sandwiches. & a few pastries. Bambie loved her fresh tuna salad. My quiche was loaded with big meaty ham chunks & gooey good quality Gruyere cheese. It was plenty to eat for lunch. If you enjoy super cute, fussy, prissy old English parlor decor, cucumber finger sandwiches with the bread crusts cut off, then you will love this place. Advice for Ladies: Unless your man is the sensitive artistic type, do not force him to accompany you for a meal. A beer drinking macho-man would rather have a proctoscope procedure than spend 5 minutes here. He'll ruin the Jacqueline's experience for you. Dress pretty & take your girlfriends.
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Jacqueline's High Tea
Cuisine: English Tea House
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Petaluma |
2/24/2008
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Like Joey says below, this Max's location does not even make the middling standard set by other Max's such as Opera Plaza or Union Square. I ate breakfast here 3 years ago before getting on a SFO flight, it was pretty bad. Then again last week (I stayed at the next door Holiday Inn before flying out). The food was even worse and the restaurant furniture - decor is beat up & tired looking. Not particularly clean looking either. There are many good Burlingame restaurants across HWY 101. Go try one of those.
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Max's
Cuisine: Deli Sandwiches
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Burlingame |
2/17/2008
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Closed since December 2007. Rumors keep circulating about a re-open date. None of the rumors have proven to be true. Dark & in-limbo. I'll report when confirmed facts are available.
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Wolf House Restaurant
Cuisine: American (New) Californian
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Sonoma |
2/16/2008
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Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous! If you love Italian food, you will love this restaurant! Family owned, a Burlingame treasure. 60 seats. Homey. Attended by smart & sincere waiters who know the stuff. Executive chef is in the kitchen. Oh, he owns the place! Yikes, somebody who takes pride in what they are doing & is a really good cook & brings the family along to run the business - This is real restauranting, Italian Style. Bambie and I had perfect soups, salads, Osso Bucco & desserts. We came at opening time with reservations, which are absolutely necessary. Packed 6 nites per week. This place is on my list of the 10 best restaurants in the SF bay area. 2 hours of gourmet food & wine & tip = $120 for a hungry couple. You must go!
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Stella Alpina Osteria
Cuisine: Northern Italian
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Burlingame |
2/14/2008
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I ate here back in 1985, Again today. Bambie has eaten here a few times, She's a Santa Rosa girl. Today we had a Cesar salad & a La Vera special pizza (without the tomato sauce) and a bottle of beer for lunch. The young server was respectful, sincere, & efficient. The food is just okay. It is not Italian authentic. Really, La Vera food is no different than Mary's Pizza Shack for twice the price. My pizza today had a semi-puffy crust that was too salty and cake-textured. The tomatoes & sausage on top were fine. But, a 10" diameter pizza of this quality for $20? - Not good value. Nice dining room, it's quiet enough for romantics to whisper and be heard, it's well lighted and smells good. But, Go somewhere else if you're a pizza snob. This "Pie" don't cut it. - "I Love NY Pie" down the street 3/4 mile is a better choice for Pizza.
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La Vera Pizza
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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Santa Rosa |
1/22/2008
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Ate here 6 times since 1987. Zuni Cafe is a San Francisco version of a Paris Brasserie. In that: the menu has a focused small number of selections, the waiters wear white shirts, ties and vests. The tables are covered in crisp white butcher paper, the food quality can be middling to great, the prices are over the top too high for what you get. Yet, I like the food most of the time here. Last night the house salad was skimpy in size & too vinegar-ed-up with the balsamic. My white pizza was okay, if a little too chewy. Bambie' fish was delicious but the portion, again, was too skimpy. Caramel creme was rich & tasty, the espresso is top notch. We each had one pre-meal cocktail & a glass of wine each with the food. So, was our 4:00pm snack worth $128 with tip - No way! But the ground floor was packed with good looking rich folks, the buzz was lively. The service was cheerful & efficient. You pay for spectacle. I'll come back again in another 6 years, it's my SF civic duty.
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Zuni Cafe
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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Hayes Valley |
1/20/2008
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Okay Taco Truck fans, here's the throwdown challenge. Are Pepe's tacos any better than your favorite Taco Truck? I.M.H.O. - it depends.
Pepe's tacos are twice the price of a typical Sonoma County taco truck. I had a beef lengua and al pastor lamb. Pepe's flavored them good. Not too spicy, not too bland. The lengua was super soft, not chewy. Meat volume - Pepe's puts double the amount that the taco truck puts on a single tortilla.
The tables are clean at Pepe's. Taco trucks don't have tables.
The Pepe's waitress was nice, Taco trucks don't have waitresses.
You get the picture. I liked Pepe's tacos well enough. I would go back again and recommend that you go there, too.
You'll spend $7 at Pepe's instead of $3.50 at the taco truck
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Pepe's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
1/18/2008
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Open all 3 meals - 7 days per week. Upscale American Diner food. Lunch: Bambie had the Shrimp Wrap. I had the Hamburger. We sat in a window booth, orlooking the ugliest stretch of Hwy 12 in downtown Boyes Hot Springs - 4 miles from Sonoma. The food is actually pretty good. Though the bleu cheese on my burgr was too copious and way too tart. The cheese overwhelmed the meat, onions, lettuce & tomato. Bambie's shrimp were big, moist & tasty. Dining room pace on our weekday lunch was very casual, do not be in a hurry when you come here. The prices are considerably higher that you'd expect from a diner type menu - But this place is owned by the Fairmont Corp, so expect $13 hamburgers & $11 glasses of wine.
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Big 3 Diner at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
Cuisine: American Diner
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Sonoma |
1/16/2008
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Update: I've eaten breakfast here 6 times since last review. Portions and quality are straight up the middle. The food is a cut above Denny's but much lower quality than a 5 star resort restaurant. The biz caters to the Oakmont senior crowd here. Prices target the retiree fixed income client. Food is unadventurous. Dinner is Thurs - Sat 5:30 to 8:30 only. I can't really recommend. I have had 4 banquet dinners here now, all associated with golf tournaments. The buffet food line has held few surprises but some tasty dishes. On par with a Las Vegas mid-level buffet. But desserts have always been awful. The bar serves strong c***tails at bargain prices. And the short order grill for the golfer's actually makes good tasting sandwiches (huge sizes) and a decent hamburger.
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Quail Inn At Oakmont
Cuisine: American
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Santa Rosa |
1/13/2008
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Good house made Beer. Many different brew flavors from mild & creamy to triple IPA bitter. I tried 2. Butt ugly room. Bare cement floors. The bare brick walls look dingy. Management really needs to spend at least another whole $100 for decor of this place. Oh & a good floor scrubbing will improve the room's aroma. I would NOT bring a pretty girl here. Service was fine on my short visit. Friendly bartender. Kitchen looked busy. I did not order food. Menu is pizza, sandwichs, & fried crap. Y'a know - Pub Food. Until 6:00pm avoid the possible parking meter-parking ticket hassle. Use the multi-story paring structure behind the storefront on 5th street, it's a electronic lot. Pay 50 cents per hour to avoid a $25 ticket.
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Russian River Brewing Company
Cuisine: Pub Food Pizza
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Santa Rosa |
1/9/2008
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This is a normal, non-gourmet place to eat when you're not in the mood nor have the "ka-ching" in your wallet for the expensive Yountville restaurants.
Think family owned American Diner with a better wine list.
Bambie & me had a good lunch with 2 glasses of wine. Minestrone soup was mild, fresh, flavorful. $5 for a BIG bowl. We shared an crispy Iceberg lettuce wedge with a very good home made bleu cheese dressing. We finished up with a trio of grilled vegetables, polenta, & a generous 1/2 plate of nachos (Yes a weird but fun combination).
With generous tip for the friendly & efficient waitress I spent $45. It was money well spent.
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Pacific Blues Cafe
Cuisine: American Diner
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Napa |
1/5/2008
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Update March 2009: I now must rescind my previous glowing review. The last 2 meals have been disappointments. The $15 hamurger (no side dishes) was dry and flavorless. Flavors in the 4 other items we ate last visit were flat. Portion sizes have shrunk, the usual high prices have not. I live in Kenwood. You'd expect me to support the home team, but No. An expensive wine country restaurant that serves mediocre food gets my label for what it is: "Tourist trap". And yes Kenwood Restaurant was packed with tourists who were happily gulping down wine while gazing onto the perfect scenery. Location is killer. 3 distinct dining rooms. Patio dining on warm beautiful days. Full liquor bar. Reservations are a must. Closed Mondays.
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Kenwood Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: California
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Sonoma |
1/5/2008
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It's the old Chateau Souverain - Geyserville. 20 mins north of Santa Rosa. A wonderful location on a hill that looks down a scenic piece of the Alexander Valley.
The restaurant is really just an Italian food short order cafe. The menu is a few salads, a soup of the day, a few pizzas, several desserts. Bambie & me ate a relaxed lunch. We drank a couple glasses of the lower priced Coppola wines. The wines are actually pretty good. The few that we tried are a BIG improvement over the wines made by Chateau Soverain in their final years.
The gift shop / wine tasting room charges $10 for the lower level wines & $15 to taste the higher priced vintages. The tasting fee is waived if you ate in the cafe first.
A fun, pretty & casual place to spend an hour or two.
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Rosso & Bianco Winery & Italian Cafe
Cuisine: Italian
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Santa Rosa |
12/29/2007
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Lame little restaurant inside a lame little outskirts airport. Terrible food. Owner operates several other restaurants. He should know better than to serve such slop. Sky Lounge was recently reviewed by the local papers (for a particularly incisive review see: The Bohemian 12-21-2007). Airport restaurants can act as watered down diplomatic embassies for local culture. Sky Lounge needs to be closed down so it can't torture anyone else nor give damning judgment from visitors. This place is a local disgrace.
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Sky Lounge
Cuisine: Steakhouse
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Santa Rosa |
12/24/2007
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Good quality chicken that almost tastes authentic home-style. Bambie and I shared a four piece combo. The 1/2 breast portion was HUGE! The batter is not too thick. As advertised “The spice is right!”
We decided to try all the side dishes. Collard greens are lemony. The Mac n' cheese is more crunchy than gooey - Nice! The Cole slaw states like cabbage, not pineapple, not sugar, not raisins, Cabbage! Fried cornbread pancake is too rubbery & sweet for me.
We were too full bellied for desserts, though Bambie was fascinated by the red velvet cake. We'll try that the next time.
No alcohol. We drank Coca-cola. We were stuffed for $18.
My new favorite fried chicken place.
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Louisiana Fried Chicken
Cuisine: Southern
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Oakland |
12/19/2007
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Just middling quality food in an old, funky building. Interior decor is picnic tables. Not a pretty dining area.
Bambie & me had the Lobsters who were wiggling their antennae in the big aquarium right next to our table just 15 minutes before we started to tear apart their crusty little bodies. Fresh? YES! Delicious? Not really. Nice texture meat but bland flavor, No briny fresh seawater taste.
Thick cut fried potatoes are extremely starchy. Cole slaw is super sweet, with pineapple & raisins swimming in drippy mayo based sauce.
Other diners were having fish n' chips, fish fillets on buns, breaded & deep-fried what-ever's. That all looked really oily.
Servers are all young, happy, & pleasant.
3 beers from Maine, more from elsewhere. 12 wines.
Ignore Google maps, Enter from Soskol Ave / 3rd street. You can not enter from the eastside due to rail tracks and tall fences.
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The Lobster Shack
Cuisine: Seafood
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Napa |
12/19/2007
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Yes, fish tacos on Tuesday night are $1 each. That's half price. I was really hungry. 4 filled me up completely. 4 of us spent $18 for dinner. I snuck good Chardonnay in a Fuji brand plastic water bottle to complete my cheap meal experience. Next week I'm not going to shower before going to Rubio's so I feel even more like a homeless person. The indoor dining area is a hodge-podge of cramped spaces with uncomfortable furniture. This shopping mall storefront needs a serious Feng-Shui consultation and rebuild. The fish tacos are barely average. But the mall location / cruddy ambience / stupid high school drop-out staff & trash clientele warrant a negative rating. The cashier person who spoke fluent English did not know the word "dozen" meant 12. No really, I'm serious.
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Rubio's Baja Grill
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
12/12/2007
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I was completely blown away that a business class hotel in SF could have such a great restaurant. Yeah, call me jaded. We relaxed in the circular bar-lounge area for 30 minutes before dinner. Yet, we got greeted and served almost immediately by a very hip guy who was sincere and had a healthy sense of humor. After lubricating up with a couple Martinis we proceeded to dinner. The dining room is spacious. The acoustics are near-on perfect. No need to shout to be heard by your dining partners. The tableware is fun. I liked the home made forks that have hand-turned copper handles. They are weighty, interesting to look at and work well. The menu: Tuscan Italian - High class style! We ordered: Squash custard with pickled rind, 5 cheese platter with jams, nuts, jellies, etc. Arancini - Fried rice balls filled with gooey cheese, Roast chicken, Wild King Salmon. For 2 people this was a LOT of food. It was also some of the best cookin' I've had in San Francisco in 2007.
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Ducca
Cuisine: Italian
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Downtown |
12/12/2007
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The one & only Chili's chain restaurant I've ever entered & had the misfortune to chew & swallow the cookin'. I lived down the street from this one for 13 years. My hateful ex-wife made me do it. She had a guilty penchant for really bad food. This place makes REALLY BAD FOOD. I can't honestly say that I divorced that woman after 26 years of marriage because we disagreed about Chili's food so vehemently, but..... could be!
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Chili's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
11/28/2007
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1/2 block off the too precious Healdsburg tourist town square. Across the street from the always packed Oakville Grocery. El Sombrero is a workin' class taco, burrito, tostada place. Prices are low, Bambie & I each ate a big lunch with Snapples for $18. We were the only Anglos in the place that was filled with local vineyard workers & their families. The food is authentic & flavorful. The pico de gallo has plenty of jalapeno, it was actually too spicy for Bambie. Dining room is reasonably clean. The juke box plays Norteno ooomm-pah-pah tunes only. This ain't fine wine country dining, it's good honest Mexican grub. I like it!
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El Sombrero
Cuisine: Mexican
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Healdsburg |
11/25/2007
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Italian bakery goods deluxe! Fabulous Italian cookies, biscotti, cakes.
Fiorini made the wedding cake for my 80 guests in 2006. It was a four layer, 3 flavor extravaganza! Every guest raved how good the cake tasted!
Small cafe with limited lunch menu. But all is fresh & tasty.
Just a few shelves with imported foods and some Italian kitchen paraphernalia.
Top notch. Gets my highest endorsement.
Closed Mondays.
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Fiorinis Truly Italian Bakery & Cafe
Cuisine: Italian Bakeries
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Sonoma |
11/22/2007
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West Sonoma county. Chef owned. Seasonal fresh menu. 7 app's, 7 main courses, & 7 desserts on menu. 125 wines, 12 by the glass with 2X retail mark-up. Adventurous menu combinations, sometimes misguided. Sincere preparation, some weird flavor fusions. So overall do I recommend Mosaic restaurant & wine lounge? YES, with caveats. Eat what you know you like. Read the menu carefully after listening to the server. If the ingredients seem like a strange combination, they are! If you're a super-taster with a sensitive tongue you may not like the non-traditional combos. If you're a normal person who likes an occasional surprise on your plate, Go for it. The dining rooms, the ambiance, the servers & most of the food make this a nice place to spend a whole evening in comfort & warmth. Certainly for rural west Sonoma County this is a valuable dining destination.
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Mosaic Restaurant & Wine lounge
Cuisine: Californian
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Santa Rosa |
11/21/2007
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Tiny storefront "dive". 4 tables & 5 stools at the counter. Excellent cooking of a surprisingly varied menu, though the slant is definitely Asian. Vibrant flavors, good plate presentation. I had the Koh Samui rice bowl with spicy creamy coconut curry, chicken, yam, mushrooms, long beans. Big portion, cheap price. Tasty! Bambie had the Philippine pancit, I tasted it - I liked the Koh Samui better. My pal, Robert, had the Soba noodles with barely grilled fresh tuna steak coated in sesame seeds. That was truly excellent. It is amazing how good the food is from an open kitchen that's 30 square feet which has just a 4 burner stove. The high food quality here proves that selecting good ingredients and paying attention to careful preparation is 95% of the restaurant game. Decent selection of beers, wines, & teas. This Pomelo location wins my SF award for great eats on the cheap!
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Pomelo
Cuisine: Eclectic
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Inner Sunset |
11/20/2007
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Located among auto repair shops, in an old blue collar residential neighborhood, this family low budget eatery makes great Pho, noodle dishes & spring rolls. Interior is clean, uncluttered, Seats 60. Mainly patronized by the local rather substantial VN population here. Small menu, Big flavors. Food quality is better than average. Actually better than 90% of the VN pho places in San Francisco. And the service is certainly more friendly, helpful and efficient than anyplace in the city. Bambie & I were the only Anglos having an early lunch (when the beef & chicken broths are at maximum intensity). Soups were hearty, fresh tasting, wholesome. Salt level, just right. Spring rolls crispy & fresh. Noodles were limpid and NOT sticky. Super creamy peanut sauce - Yummy! Home made chili sweet sauce in the squirt bottle will sear your palate, be careful! Total bill = $21. Replaces my former favorite "Pho Vietnam" on Stony Point Road.
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Simply Vietnam
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Santa Rosa |
10/27/2007
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The food is wholesome, fresh, well prepared, "fancy" without being precious nor overwrought. They do NOT take reservations. The place can be packed during the dinner hours. I'm a local, 3 of us showed up at 7:00 pm on a Monday night. We got lucky, a small table was vacated as we entered. The parties of 5 & 6 in front of us had to wait. And wait, & wait.
I've given high marks to the Girl & the Fig restaurant on the Sonoma Square. Equally great review for the Fig pantry on the eastern outskirt of Sonoma. Same owners here. The Fig Cafe is my favorite of the 3. Smaller room, more homey. Open kitchen. Diners are mostly locals. Servers are casual, smart, & efficient. NEVER a wine corkage fee. So bring a really good bottle if you're coming here. Gets my highest recommendation.
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The Fig Cafe
Cuisine: American
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Sonoma |
10/16/2007
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Owner / Chef makes Northern California-French-Hawaiian fusion food. Our meal was absolutely delicious! 4 to 5 daily specials. Your server will guide you to food nirvana. Several micro-brew beers on tap. Fairly priced wine list features local vintages. 12 tables inside. 4 more outside on the patio. 3 course meal for 2 with 2 glasses of wine = $60. Artistic gourmet food / humble dining room / friendly people / low prices. My new favorite restaurant!
UPDATE: 2/14/08: Valentine's dinner special = $65 per person. 3 courses. All splendid. Alex Purroy can juggle Asian, American. Mexican & Italian simultaneously, and nothing gets cross contaminated! My respect & amazement about this guy's cooking abilities grow with every visit. He's a humble chef owner genius.
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Doce Lunas
Cuisine: California Fusion
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Santa Rosa |
9/10/2007
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Good pizza. Relaxed casual place. 25 chairs. Not fancy. Can get crowded.
I ate the twice baked no sauce pizza on a lark & actually liked it!
They make all the regular pizza toppings you'd expect, too. Also have some fresh salads, some glasses of red wine, Beer in bottles.
I'm 3rd generation NY'er. Born & lived in the east village until I was 20. The owners of this place are ex-pat's, too. We reminisce, we kvetch, we eat some pizza. It's all good.
For $20 you & your sweetie are gonna' eat pizza and have a few beers. What's not to like?
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I Love Ny Pie
Cuisine: Pizza
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Santa Rosa |
9/4/2007
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The food here is just merely terrible, not deadly. It is high production, assembly line, tourist fare. Crowded & noisy room with surly staff. It's been like this forever. I've eaten here 3X with visiting family. I don't like the food here, but every year millions of tourists do. Alioto's is a SF institution. If your home zip code starts with a 94XXX, you are NOT supposed to eat here.
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Alioto's
Cuisine: Seafood Italian
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Fishermans Wharf |
9/4/2007
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Bambie started with the Caesar salad with fresh anchovies. Big & good. The cheese was not salty, it gave the salad a rich creaminess. My seasonal heirloom tomato gazpacho was simply fabulous. BEST Gazpacho I've had in years. Deep purple color, sweet tomato flavor without acid burn, dribble of good olive oil. This "soup" would be my sole reason to return to La Salette. Entrees: We had the recommended Portuguese specials. Bambie liked the pan fried Halibut filet with fresh corn & Swiss chard. I thought it was too salty. I went for the lamb stew. Served in a casserole dish, swimming in a beef broth reduction. Side of mixed farm fresh vegetables, pan fried, again a little too salty. Wine by the glass. List is mostly Sonoma County. Though I did have a Portuguese red with the lamb. By the glass cost: $6.50 - $10. Dessert: Cheese selection topped with marmalades. Some interesting combinations, but the salty brie with honey & almonds doesn't work. Good meal, not great. $119 bill.
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Lasalette Restaurant
Cuisine: Mediterranean Portuguese
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Sonoma |
9/4/2007
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You come here for one reason only: Half price happy hour drinks & appetizers. 4:00pm to 5:00pm Monday to Friday only.
4 pints o' beer (Moretti on tap) 1 calamari fritti, 1 bruschetta = Less than $20!
Other than this bargain I'd never step inside this place.
The pizza, pasta & salads are pretty awful. Cheap ingredients, mass quantities of gloppy food, cooked by teenagers, served by teenagers. Served to financially struggling young marrieds with 2.3 children. For dinner, expect lots of unhealthy carbs in a very noisy room. Welcome to Sonoma, family style.
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Mary's Pizza Shack
Cuisine: Pizza
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Sonoma |
8/22/2007
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Update: May 2008. I've eaten here 4 times. Rosso is now Santa Rosa's finest trattoria. The Neopolitan style pizzas are perfect! The salads, appetizers, sodas, espresso are perfectly Italian. And the restaurant has been discovered by the masses. Get here early for lunch if you want a table. Wine list features "Here, there, elsewhere". All wines are reasonably priced. On our last visit Bambie & I had 2 appetizers, shared a salad, 2 pizzas, 2 glasses wine, 1 liter of Pellegrino water. Bill was $46. I LOVE this place, you will too.
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Rosso Pizzaria & Wine Bar
Cuisine: Pizza Italian
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Santa Rosa |
8/15/2007
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Eaten here 12 times. It's okay. Pho is better than the rice or noodle dishes. Bambie hates the food here, but she's very critical of Asian flavors. My friend Xuan who came to America during the 1975 airlift from Saigon likes this place just fine. It's the only Viet Namese cafe in Santa Rosa that he'll allow me to frequent. I come for lunch no later than Noon to beat the crowds and to get the thickest portion of the chicken broth before it gets too watered down. Surburban cheapo ghetto Storefront ambience. Low prices.
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Pho Vietnam
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Santa Rosa |
8/11/2007
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There aren't a lot of Chinese restaurants in Petaluma. This one is the best of the 8 that I've tried here in "Butter n' eggs-ville". I had a large portion lunch special. There are 24 on the menu. I got prawns with deluxe vegetable mix in a mild clear glistening garlic sauce. Of course, egg drop soup, a fried imperial roll, and tea are included. Cantonese style. Tasty. Cost: $7.95 Staff is almost exclusively female. They work hard. Dining room is clean & bright. Located in a strip shopping center. Plenty of parking. Worth the 4 minute drive off Hwy 101, exit Lakeville hwy (a.k.a.: Route 116).
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Lily Kai Chinese
Cuisine: Chinese
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Petaluma |
8/8/2007
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One of the worst Max's Opera cafes in the corporate chain. Dirty dining room, soiled & worn out furniture. Food is usually dismal. Service help is either young n' clueless or old & bitter. I'll eat at the Max's Opera Plaza on Van Ness in a pinch, but I'll never return to this Corte Madera outlet after being served crap on 3 different occasions.
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Max's
Cuisine: Deli Sandwiches
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Corte Madera |
8/5/2007
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Bambie & I decided to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary here, a good decision. Thoroughly up-scale Sonoma Plaza tourist hotel restaurant. Cuisine is Cali-fusion. My extremely creamy cesar salad dressing was contrasted by the piquant tapenade toast. Bambie had the osso buco. I had the roast chicken. Flavors were interesting, vibrant, distinctive. Prep perfect. Sides of lentils & Yukon golds were great comfort food. Chef worked @ the French Laundry. He paid attention while he was there. Desserts actually were the highlight. My ice cream sandwiches were delightful. The caramel & fudge chocolate dipping sauces were extremely rich. Bambie had a fresh peach-strawberry-vanilla ice cream, almond granita with pistachio crumble dusting. It was incredibly refreshing. Oversized plates belie the portions that looked small. Optical illusion - We were stuffed! Wines are mostly local boutique bottles. Typical mark-up. We ate on the pretty outdoor patio. Total damage - $155 plus tip.
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El Dorado Kitchen
Cuisine: French (Bistro) Mediterranean
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Sonoma |
8/1/2007
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Used to be downtown on Humboldt St. Previous owners made good pastries.
New owners moved the "biz" to the corner of 4th street at Brookwood. In the old KFC building.
Dirty inside. Needs paint. Sparse & ugly furnishings. Run by sloppy young hippies. Poverty mentality.
Croissants are terrible. Doughy, undercooked. Not flaky.
No better than a Svenhard pastry wrapped in plastic on the shelf at Safeway.
Wann'a bet this place is out of business before the end of 2007?
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Cafe des Croissants
Cuisine: Bakeries
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Santa Rosa |
7/22/2007
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I've eaten lunch here 7 times to date. It's next door to Bambie's real estate agency.
I always order a combo lunch special. There's always 30 on the menu. The food is American-Chinese hybrids prepared for Caucasian tastes. So with that low expectation perspective, the food is okay. The oil level is moderately low, with the notable exception of the deep fried imperial roll - It's Too greasy. The chicken & shrimp dishes I've had are flavorful. I think that they're using fresh stuff instead of freezer burn waste materials.
The portions are on the generous side. I usually arrive hungry, get plenty to eat and feel stuffed upon completion.
Prices are typically Chinese restaurant low - $5 to $9 for the 3 course lunch.
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The China Room
Cuisine: Chinese American
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Santa Rosa |
7/20/2007
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Eaten here just once. It's really just a funky old, hole-in-the-wall storefront one block off Bridgeway. Bambie & I were crammed into a 2 top that would be too small to play cards or dominoes. T'was a Friday night and the 25 seats were packed, uncomfortably so. The pasta items we had were made in house. Everything was just good. Nothing spectacular. Run-of-the-mill family owned place that provides down home "atmosphere" along with the vittles. Live small jazz combo music on the weekends. Poor musicians are jammed into a tiny space, no stage area. Prices are too high for the quality of the food & the rickety old building. I guess even the old Sausalito fire-trap wooden buildings cost a fortune to lease.
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Rustico
Cuisine: Italian
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Sausalito |
7/18/2007
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Owned & operated by semi-famous Santa Rosa restaurateur Gary Chu. This place serves fancied-up American / Japanese inventions to stun the hip Santa Rosa crowd. Signature item is Martini shrimp. So named as it's served in a large Martini glass. It's batter coated fried shrimp with a mayonnaise-y sauce augmented with sesame seeds & some fresh spices. Interesting & fun to eat. Especially after a few drinks. Sushi dinners are okay. Other menu items are a love-child of American, Chinese & Japanese parents. Naughty sex food. Plating is pretty. Nice quality porcelain, glassware, silverware. All tableware contributes to an adult, sleek, sexy look. The food cleanliness factor is high - Very low oil content. Ingredients are good quality. Still, I'm not crazy-in-love with the food nor the concept here. It's just a bit too suburban trendy to please me. But as I live in this town now, this will be a place to bring guests who want this kind'a thing ~ A family owned PF Chang with hormones.
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Osake Japanese Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese
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Santa Rosa |
7/18/2007
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Good tasting, solidly prepared German food by German immigrants. Authentic flavors & presentation. The storefront is in a strip shopping center. The interior is cuted-up with Coo-Coo clocks, German decorative plates & scenic paintings. Dinnerware, glassware & silverware are good quality. 4 of us ordered different dinners & we all shared tastes. Everything was good. Bambie' 4 lamb chops ($16) were the best of the group. As good or better than any I've had in SF. Dinners include soup or salad, 3 side vegetables, & home made whole wheat dinner rolls. Portions are generous, prices are low. Wine list has interesting & some rare bottles (Sonoma County wines predominate) that are priced no higher than your local wine shop. UPDATE - Go now: Family plans to retire adn close at the end of 2008.
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Cafe Europe
Cuisine: German
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Santa Rosa |
7/18/2007
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Enthusiastic positive rating. They deserve it here. We had a very tasty breakfast in this sparkling clean family owned storefront. My machaca con huevos was not absolutely authentic because it was not in a puddle of grease - Bravo! Clean Hispanic cuisine! Bambie's breakfast burrito was a heavenly mix of sauteed veges with the lightest & tastiest fontina cheese. The mild huasteca sauce on top was perfect. American dishes in addition to the Mexican are abundant. Also features many McDougall heart healthy meals. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Most expensive item on the menu is $13.
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Su Casa Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican American
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Santa Rosa |
7/14/2007
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Big Bar & restaurant connected to the Rohnert Park Doubletree hotel. Trendy decor: Modern Asian-Cali architectural ambience. Place is the hang-out for Sonoma county 20-something yr old party girls & boys. DJ week-ends. Lame scene. Typical hotel style dining room with hotel "fancy" food. Everything comes off the Sysco truck. Food is Not very good. Way overpriced. Dining room is a Divorcee-Cougar lair. If you're staying at the hotel, you obviously came by automobile. Get back in it for dinner, drive 10 minutes to downtown Santa Rosa and try a better restaurant there.
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Latitude Restaurant
Cuisine: American
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Santa Rosa |
7/7/2007
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This review is a minor rant based on having breakfast here just before a massage upstairs in the hotel spa. The morning food service is just too bare bones. All they have is coffee, espresso, fruit juice, & some pastries. You know "continental" style. You'd think that this super-duper expensive restaurant in the even more expensive Madrona Inn would offer real food in the morning. I'm Italian, I go to Europe every year, I understand that a small breakfast is what they do there. But this place is in Sausalito California. I want substantial fuel in the morning to rev my engine. Come 'on Poggio. If you're gonn'a be open in the morning, serve a real breakfast. ~~ Okay I have not had dinner here. Other reviewers who have give the place a solid thumbs up!
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Poggio Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
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Sausalito |
7/7/2007
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My good friends held a B-Day party here for themselves. 20 in attendance on the side patio. This little hole in the wall that is barely making it as a wine bar. (Local rumour is that they will close soon). There are just a few nibbles on the menu. There is no kitchen, just a pannini press. This is a bare bones dark bistro, not decorated well, crappy furniture, hippy-dippy service attitude. It's a little too California casual to please me. So we convinced the B-day girl & her husband to have dinner with Bambie & me at Christophe's after the reception at Cork ended at 7:00pm. We had a great Parisian style meal at Christophe's. Just down the street from Cork.
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Cork
Cuisine: Italian
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Sausalito |
7/6/2007
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Had dinner here with my visiting NYC family. They wanted to eat here despite my protests and recommendations for other places. Well, I guess we all had our expectations fulfilled. They thought the dinner was good. I was pretty disappointed by everything that I ate. Nothing was fresh tasting. My salmon filet was big but flat flavored. Probably was Atlantic farm salmon complete with artificial red dye to add some color. Sides: pasty starches, flavorless potatoes. Mediocre dressing on Safeway quality Mesclun greens. I buried my sorrow with the overpriced supermarket level Napa valley wines. Service staff tries hard. It was a slow mid-week night and we were a 10-top who looked like we could afford a generous tip. My cousins gave them one. You come here for the waterfront view - No other reason.
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Scoma's
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
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Sausalito |
7/6/2007
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Best french style bakery in Sonoma county. Cakes are sublime. Fancy, imaginative, Expensive. Also make lunch sandwiches, some salads. Premium level prices. Worth every penny. Located in Montgomery Village shopping center. Highly recommended.
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Michelle Marie's Patisserie
Cuisine: French Bakery Deli
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Santa Rosa |
7/6/2007
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I've eaten here 3 times. Bambie has eaten here 15 times. She likes the place much more than me. I've had 2 enjoyable lunches here with booze drinks. (Full bar pours premium liquor), but the food is not spectacular, and the prices are high. So value score is low. The food is more American than Mediterranean. See the website menu. There is a rotisserie that roasts the chickens, those are good. Appetizer portions tend to be small. The deep fried calamari was okay, it had good batter crunch but the flavor was timid. The bistro-like dining room is dark, adds romance for dinner dates. The real draw here is the good looking staff, pretty waitresses and buff bartenders predominate. Location is Montgomery Village, a 1950's vintage shopping center that has high-end shops, & is kept immaculately clean. A nice place to dine, keep your food expectations reasonable and you'll be perfectly happy.
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Monti's Rotisserie & Bar
Cuisine: American Medierranean
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Santa Rosa |
7/6/2007
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Authentic Italian restaurant run by 1st generation Italians. The chef has solid kitchen credibility from 10 years in prestigious SF restaurants. This 44 seat unpretentious storefront is located in a 1950's strip shopping center. Even though Petaluma has added many new exciting, high-end boutique restaurants over the past 5 years, Cucina Paradiso still makes the BEST food in town. Bambie & I had 8:30pm reservations on Monday night. The place was packed. We didn't get seated for 15 minutes. The diners were boisterously happy, jubilant with good food & wine. Food: All near perfect. Salads dressed mildly so the fresh greens come thru. Pasta handmade in house. My pappardelle was stellar. Bambie's fish was simply sublime. Best red wine by glass is a silky Sicilian Nero D'Avola, $7. Dessert: Real Cassata was fluffy, flavorful. Cannoli good, not as stellar as Mezzo-Mezzo (San Rafael). You get little extras if you speak Italian. Euro-Pro level service. Dinner for 2 = $100.
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Cucina Paradiso
Cuisine: Italian Southern
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Petaluma |
7/5/2007
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Whoops! Submitted Twice. See the review above!
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Cucina Paradiso
Cuisine: Italian Southern
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Petaluma |
7/5/2007
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I've purchased egg custard tarts, moon cakes and other items at Golden Gate at least 30 times over the past 34 years. I consider these just snacks, just cheap pick-me-ups to munch while I stroll. A $1 pastry is not worth exercising the food critic mind into high heat. I've had better tarts and pastries elsewhere out in Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods. And I've had a LOT worse items right in Chinatown & out in the Aves. If there's a long line at the door, skip it. If you can walk in & easily order what you want, give it a try. You might find something you like for 65 cents to $1.
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Golden Gate Bakery
Cuisine: Chinese Bakeries
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Chinatown |
6/28/2007
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I've eaten here 3X. First time was 5 days after the grand opening. Early launch jitters were not apparent. The owner & his entire family were running the kitchen & house. The Santa Rosa newspaper rave review primed me for an excellent meal. I was happily delighted! I was with 6 high profile local real estate brokers who were recognized at the door, we got the red carpet treatment. 6 months later & again 5 months later I had lunch with Bambie. The food & service were stellar on opening, but the high levels have fallen a bit. Too young, untrained kids waiting tables, they're not doing a great job. Uninformed & lackluster. None the less, the place is always packed lunch & dinner. Food prep can be uneven. The same kitchen team can nail a fresh fish dish & then a chicken dish will be completely dried out. So, make a reservation, hope that you get a smart wait person, ask them what's really good and order that. Lunch = $20. Dinner = $40.
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Flavor
Cuisine: American
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Santa Rosa |
6/28/2007
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Despite being located in retirement village Oakmont not everyone eating at Playa Azul is a dinosaur. The table next to me for lunch had a blond soccer mom with her 3 primary school age kids munching down on the, YES, very mild food. Playa Azul has a spiffy clean dining room & an outdoor patio looking out towards the Valley of the Moon. They pour $5 Cuervo Gold Margaritas. Their mild cuisine is clean, oil-free, fresh tasting. The place is family owned by nice people. Our extremely sweet young waitress was drop-dead gorgeous.
Bambie had the shrimp salad that was loaded with fresh vegetables and avocado. My Taco salad had at least 18 oz of succulent carnitas. Best I've had in 2 years. Not too salty, extremely tender, great pork flavor.
Well worth $30 with tip for a big lunch for 2 people. Recommended!
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Playa Azul
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
6/26/2007
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With a front seat view of the southbound traffic Hwy 101, this place serves really good Mexican food for bargain prices. Clean roomy dining room plus a covered outdoor patio. Not fancy, formica tables, paper napkins, cheap silverware, plastic beer mugs. Bambie had the fresh fish (Not Frozen!) filet with beans rice salad with avocado for $8. I had the diced chicken breast in tomatillo sauce for $8. Most expensive item is the breaded shrimp dinner for $10. Portions are very generous. Bambie's filet covered most of a 15 inch wide plate. Only minor criticism is that the meats were a little over salted. Family owned. Service is fast & cheerful. Recommended!
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La Hacienda Taqueria
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
6/26/2007
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Oliver's is THE premium supermarket in Santa Rosa. Blows Whole Foods away by a mile. The Deli prepared foods, the steamtable items, the fresh made sandwiches & salads are all better. Fresher ingredients, better quality ingredients, prepared with more style & savvy than the hippies at Whole Foods are capable. Oh, the prices are lower than Whole Foods. I think Oliver's is the demonstration of Santa Rosa's metamorphosis since the 1970's. I lived 1 block from this very location for most of the 1970's. It was the IGA market back then. It carried the worst quality everything, going to a Smart & Final seemed luxurious in comparison. When I discovered Oliver's 3 years ago after meeting Santa Rosa Bambie (Now Mrs. Samarati) it made perfect sense that bigger-better Santa Rosa would finally have a real European style market with gourmet everything. All the millionaires in Skyhawk & Thomas Lake Harris love this place. So do I. Perfect stop for your Valley of the Moon picnic food.
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Oliver's Market
Cuisine: Deli Barbecue supermarket
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Santa Rosa |
6/25/2007
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My 1st dinner at the Villa - 1976. I was 24 years old. The place seemed old, fake fancy, and fuddy-duddy then. The Villa hasn't changed an iota in 31 years, neither has my opinion. We took my 83 yr-old father in law & his 75 yr-old girlfriend (You go! dad) there for dinner a few weeks ago. The oldsters like the place for the view, the old time recipes, and the fancy (to them) service. The food: Mid 20th Century Italo-American. Santa Rosa's version of Capp's Corner in North Beach, though Capp's food is better. The Villa's got the minestrone, veal Parmigiana, the pasta, the Ravioli, all the favorites from the Eisenhower presidential era. The prep is honed to a science. The flavors are not distinctive. Every thing sort'a tastes the same. Probably a by-product of 50 years old pots & pans manned by the same cooks since forever. There's a place for tradition in every town, The Villa is it for Santa Rosa. Want good Italian? Go to LoCoco's - Old Railroad Square.
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The Villa Italian Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
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Santa Rosa |
6/25/2007
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How did I forget to review Betty's for the past 2 years? This place is my 83 year-old father-in-law's favorite restaurant. I've eaten here at least 12 times. I half shamefully have to admit that I really like fried food when it's done well. The shame is imposed by outside forces, ie; a health conscious wife & my medical education. I should know better, but when Betty's puts a plate of fresh cod, battered to the hilt & fried to perfection in front of me I become a happy man. So I forego the French fries (Which are mighty good) & get the cole slaw to appease the food health police forces external & internal. But then I break the cholesterol bank & order one of the home made lemon cream pies. Ooooh, they are 6 inches in diameter and so creamy that you'll have fantasies about them ever after. The place is a plain Jane storefront. Beer & soda from the glass fridge. Cooks & waitstaff are young, energetic, informal. The BIG 3 piece plate with side dish costs $12. Recommended.
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Betty's English Fish 'N' Chips
Cuisine: Pub Food
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Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
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Update: 11-1-2008. Revisit after new owners and a slight redecoration of the dining room. The chef remains the same. This was my 3rd visit since 2005. 3 of us plunged into a boozy & carbo load meal at 6:00pm. We finished at 9:00. We ate & ate. The food here still is competent, and they certainly serve large enough portions to satisfy even the most hungry diner. The menu selection is large. It's not adventurous. It's a mishmash of Italian - America favorites from years ago. It's heavy on the pasta. The quality is good, not great. For SF city folk accustomed to north beach tourist Italo-crap cuisine, Roberto's is a definite cut above that level. Prices are reasonable. Waiters are sincere and helpful. The new owner is usually hanging about. He dresses in a dapper Italian made suit with silk necktie. He visits tables to ask if everyone is happy. He takes the back corner table with friends in the later evening to survey his kingdom. Very Italian.
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Roberto's Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
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Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
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I've eaten here 3 times. Twice for the hearty breakfasts, once for dinner. This is diner food done better than usual. The place is an 80 year old converted funky house on busy 4th street. Only 4 parking spaces out front, parking could be a hassle. Omelet breakfasts are huge. Dinner can be a burger or more up scale steak or fresh fish. Servers are friendly & competent. Dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine will cost $60.
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Hank's Creekside Cafe & Emily's French Bistro
Cuisine: American Comfort French
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Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
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I've eaten here twice. Decor & dining room appointments make this the classy Chinese restaurant in Santa Rosa. The menu is also a cut above the typical cheap Chinese family restaurant in that the creativity is fancier and the plating is artistic. This may be the only Chinese place in Santa Rosa where you can get a whole Duck done Mandarin style. Flavors are clean, less oil is used than the norm. But the flavors are designed to please tame American palates. Nothing is very spicy nor too exotic. Portions are smaller than other places. They do not serve family style (Big bowls that are shared). Full bar. Nice servers. Street parking. Dinner price for two will average $60 without booze.
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Gary Chu's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese
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Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
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Quite mediocre. This is a theme joint that reeks of KorpKuisine Krap(tm) mentality, fake-y decor & poor food. Same owners as the Mill Valley Cantina. There's a buzz that rock guitarist Carlos Santana is going to buy the CAntina "chain" & transform it into a real soulful restaurant. The mixed drinks are as crumby as Chevy's Tex-Mex chain. Cantina's menu is a carbon-copy of Chevy's. The food flavors & prep are even worst than Chevy's. I've been tortured here twice because other folks in the parties wanted to eat here. Why bother? Go down the street to La Bufa instead. There you get real Mexican food in a family owned place in business for 36 years.
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The Cantina
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
6/22/2007
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This is not the worst Chevy's in the chain, but it still is resolutely mediocre. Starchy pasty food, almost alcohol-free margarita's that require you buy a shot or 2 of tequila to make them semi-authentic. This Chevy's has been here for 15 years or so. Santa Rosa's Railroad Square still struggles for economic viability. Good restaurants on this block have come and gone. Other mediocre one's like La Gare remain because they were established when real estate prices were still low. Add to that fact that most Anglo Santa Rosa residents have never tasted real Tex-Mex food, even though the town is 35% Hispanic. Before Chevy's arrived the "HOT" super-busy Mexican restaurant in Santa Rosa was Acapulco & their food was the absolute worst! If you need a Mexican food fix in Santa Rosa go to: Pepe's, La Bufa, El Patio or Lola's market. Those places serve authentic, good tasting meals made by Mexicanos for low prices.
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Chevy's Fresh Mex
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
6/22/2007
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I've eaten here 3 times. Not recently. The dish that I fondly remember is the sauted calamari that is knifed scored and resembles a pineapple skin, that's why they called it pineapple squid - Not because it has pineapple fruit. Served with a mild white sauce. Other items are low oil, and usually fresh tasting. Dining room is nice enough. Place settings & tableware are better quality than most low cost competitors. It's certainly a step above the typical Chinese dive.
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Mayflower
Cuisine: Chinese Seafood
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Outer Richmond |
6/21/2007
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Small, family owned, hi-end supermarket in a 1950's neighborhood shopping center. The deli section has 15 hot food selections, the Rocky farms fried chicken parts are particularly good. Guilt-free alternative to KFC. The heart attack, gooey mac n' cheese is pure comfort food. It's so weighty that a small container, 1/2 pint will cost $4. The hand made sandwiches are the draw here. At lunch time the crowds are big. Take a number, wait your turn. I like the bar-b-que chicken breast sandwich on the Italian crunchy bread. They slice a real chicken breast from the hot deli display case. Cost: Sandwich, bag of chips, & a soda = $9.50. Not cheap, but worth the price.
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Scotty's Market
Cuisine: Deli Barbecue Supermarket
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San Rafael |
6/21/2007
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New 3,000 square foot (small compared to any Corporate) supermarket that's local family owned. Caters to premium level clients. The deli case has many prepared items that are excellent. Hot buffet steam tables features only 10 items, but the menu changes daily. Outdoor bar-b-que on Fridays has smoky pork ribs, tri-tip, and half chickens, Hamburgers, Hot dogs. Bambie & I have been here 7 times in the past month. (We just moved to Kenwood). I've especially liked the Mediterranean items like: cous-cous, taboullah, the roma tomatoes with feta cheese, the spanikopita. Bambie likes the tuna salad. You can get a lunch size ceasar salad for about $4. Beverage fridges have local wines, premium beers, and lots of esoteric brands of soft drinks. There are 8 outdoor tables with chairs to eat your lunch. Great place to stock up for a picnic when you're visiting the next door Valley of the Moon.
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Skyhawk Village Market
Cuisine: Deli
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Santa Rosa |
6/20/2007
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The Denny's of Japanese food. I attended San Jose State for 3 years. When I had a break between classes, I'd wander around San Jose. I ate here twice. Food always tasted too pasty, never fresh. It was cheap. Amazingly on other restaurant review sites the self declared Japanese-American writers all like this small chain better than any of the Anglos. What do they know & taste that elude me & my Euro-comrades? I've had the gyoza, the noodles, the rice dishes. All tasted like they came from freezers and boxes. My Mom & Pop meals on Taylor street (San Jose's one block Japan town) were always much better.
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Ringer Hit
Cuisine: Japanese
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San Jose |
6/19/2007
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The MacDonald's of Viet Namese Pho parlors. Cheap chrome, formica covered, neon lit strip mall storefront. The 60 chairs always filled with happy slurpers. Americanized Pho with milder flavors, too little chicken broth in the soup, rather mushy noodles. And I've gladly eaten here every time I buy a another guitar at the Starving Musician store across the street. I own 3 dozen guitars, so I've eaten here many, many times. It's cheap, it's filling, it's got plenty of MSG. I'll eat semi-crap VN food over any Mickey D's, Burgey King, Wendie's anytime, anywhere. Service is fast and semi-surly. You can get in & out in 20 minutes if you're really in a hurry. My vote for best $7 lunch in Santa Clara.
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Pho Hoa
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Santa Clara |
6/19/2007
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A chain with 8 outlets from San Diego to San Jose. I've eaten at 5 of them. Probably 15 times at this Santa Clara outlet. (My ex-wife liked this place). The Food? Think Red Lobster at 2X the price. For the price hike the fish can be fresher it's not always frozen, but usually. The oysters are always fresh. The sides are boring. I order the rice pilaf as it looks better than the baked potato. Broccoli/vege medley is steamed a la Marie Callendar's, ho-hum. Decor is cookie cutter barn like, wood interior warehouse with lots of big trophy fish hanging about. Full liquor bar. Always busy, always crowded. Reports on other websites say that this outlet has gotten particularly bad recently due to poor food prep, dirty tables, listless service, wrong orders delivered, etc... Sounds like they need to fire the manager. I ate at the Irvine outlet last January. It was pretty good. So quality hinges on the location. Be wary.
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The Fish Restaurant
Cuisine: Seafood
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Santa Clara |
6/19/2007
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My 1st Mary's visit: Boyes Hot Springs, 1971. The food was mass quantities of cheap carbos. Big over-sauced spaghetti, bread like pizza, all meat dishes featured ground beef. All cheaply priced Italo-American staples served on red & white checkered paper tablecloths over a picnic bench. Well the Mary's family did well these past 36 years. Now there's 15 outlets around Nor Cal. They all suck! The food is even cheaper ingredients than in the past. Last week my co-worker brought me a gift hot meatball hero sandwich from the Petaluma outlet. It was pasty, it was doughy, the meatballs tasted like sawdust filler with canned tomato paste plaster. It was horrible. His spaghetti in the Styrofoam box looked like a plastic model used in the windows of sushi restaurants. The Styrofoam would have been tastier. The success of Mary's proves you can fool most people most of time if the price seems low enough. Mary's food is worse than Old Spaghetti Factory. A place to bring guests you resent.
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Mary's Pizza Shack
Cuisine: Italian
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Petaluma |
6/19/2007
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A Santa Rosa landmark for 35 years & it hasn't changed an iota. Your grand-parents will love it, if you're younger than 30, you will not. Back in the '70's this was THE French restaurant in Santa Rosa. Now it's old & Old-fashioned fuddy-duddy French food. Starchy Beef Wellington, fake saucy veal cordon bleu, occasionally sauted frog legs - Why bother?, nobody really likes frog legs... I love French food. I go to Europe every year to re-visit France & Italy. I speak French fluently. This place does not evoke Parisian memories or food lust. I've eaten here 10 times since 1975, I like it less every occasion. It's one of my father-in-law's favorite places so I grin & bear it.
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La Gare French Restaurant
Cuisine: French Swiss
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Santa Rosa |
6/13/2007
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Not very good quality ingredients nor preparation. Resulting in ho-hum tacos, burritos, enchiladas. This is a carbo-load that you may regret later. Petaluma is loaded with mediocre, cheap Mexican restaurants. This is one of them...
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Mi Pueblo Taqueria #2
Cuisine: Mexican
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Petaluma |
6/13/2007
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Small friendly place with just 12 tables inside and 4 more on the sidewalk. This is northern Thai cuisine with the requisite curries, meat and vegetarian combos with lots of rice. Food quality is above average, but the prices are way lower than average. Bambie & I had good size lunch portions with fresh salmon, chicken, rice, pickled vegetables, ice teas for $20. Menu features daily specials. Wait staff are all Thai, young & unassuming. Open 11 am to 10 PM daily. Worth a visit if you're in a small Thai bistro mood.
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Thai Smile Cuisine
Cuisine: Thai
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San Rafael |
6/1/2007
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Bambie likes San Rafael Joe's more than I do. She likes the fish dishes. I've eaten here 4 times. For me it's the typical big-portion American with Italian overtones restaurant. (Think Capp's Corner). This Joe's has been in San Rafael over 40 years. They got the successs formula down. Full bar, big rooms for catered events. Comfort food like pot roast, beef sirloin, prime rib, American style veal parmigiana. The pasta dishes are American style not Italian. And for the locals this is good enough! The dining room was modernized in 2005. The staff are always friendly. Prices are pretty fair for the mass quantities. Typical 4 course dinner will run $25, you'll be Thanksgiving dinner stuffed. Although this place is not on my favorites list, I won't complain if you buy me dinner here.
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San Rafael Joe's
Cuisine: American Italian
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San Rafael |
5/26/2007
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Finding a good Burger is a tough proposition on 4th st downtown San Rafael. You want a better burger than Barney's mediocre attempt? Go across the street to San Rafael Joe's. For lunch sit at the counter. You're a big kid, order a beer or wine with that burger. See my San Rafael Joe's restaurant review for more details.
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Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
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San Rafael |
5/25/2007
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This is THE place to get your wine country picnic food. Owned & operated by the Girl & Fig restaurant. All the food here is house made. Everything is scrumptious. This is high quality cuisine even though it's salads, sandwiches, soups. Check out the cheese selection. Wine selection is great too, European bottles besides Sonoma valley labels. House made gelato is to die for. Also has a gift shop / culinary tools section. Go!
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The Fig Pantry
Cuisine: Californian Deli
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Sonoma |
5/25/2007
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Bambie says "Give the place a score of 3 outt'a 10". Whoa! She's never that harsh when a restaurant is making a valiant effort. But the meal was a real hit & miss proposition. Safeway quality mixed greens salad with the most puckery cheap white vinegar acid & mustard dressing ever. Mouth burn. Terrible! Antipasti plate filled with ordinary stuff from bottles & cans, Columbo salami & Boars Head Coppa. And a side of the vinegar mustard poison again. Arrrgh! Thin crust
pizza was good. I give it an 8. House made Tiramisu creamy. Cannoli shells are terrible. Wine list is decent. Happy hour full Bar is making cash. Staff are friendly, smart, efficient. For the past 11 years I've lived 1/2 mile from this building. I've seen 4 restaurants come & go here. Papa & Mama Gaspare need to come up from the city to pay closer attention to what their son & daughter-in-law are doing here, 'cause the food ain't making it. Bambie; "$79 for pizza? Totally not worth it!" She's right you know.
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Gaspare's Pizzeria
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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San Rafael |
5/24/2007
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We entered a nearly deserted 50 seat restaurant with cute decor, nice classical music playing. Empty is usually a bad omen, but this is sleepy little Ross & Wednesday is not wealthy mommy & daddy date night. Menu is French Bistro style with fresh Cali food galore. Seasonal menu uses the farmer's market items. Bambie had warm goat cheese on butter lettuce with lardons that were a bit too chewy. She followed with the halibut with tiny pasta "peas" in a briny tomato light sauce. Real Good! I had Bruschetta with fresh lima beans. YUM! Then Milanese breaded pork slab. Moist & good. The side arugula salad was perfect to cut the fried pork. Various glasses of French & CA wines are $7-$9 /glass. Per glass selection is minuscule, just 2 choices per color. Dessert: Hot chocolate cake with sides of warm hazelnuts & home made Vanilla ice cream. Good, not great. Competent, cheerful, friendly service: Well, the place was empty. $107 total bill. I like Berkeley's Bistro Liaison better.
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Marche aux Fleurs
Cuisine: French (New)
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Ross |
5/17/2007
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11-4-2008 Update: My 1st review in April 2007 was my 1st meal here. I moved to Sonoma Wine country July 2007. I have since eaten here more than 20 times. Girl & the Fig is my 2nd favorite restaurant in Northern CA. I'm a sucker for French style Bistro food. Underwood Bar and Grill in Graton (West Sonoma County) is my absolute favorite restaurant, this place is right up there. All ingredients here are locally procured. Everything is fresh. Preparation is always top notch. There are very few French style bistros in SF that can make food this good. I've been to Paris 13 times since 1973, there are very few bistros there that are as good as The Girl & the Fig. Prices here are MUCH lower than city prices. I've recommended this restaurant to 50 people over the past year. Every single person raved about how much they enjoyed the meal and the setting. If you are in Sonoma for one day only, this is THE restaurant you want to enjoy.
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the girl & the fig
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
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Sonoma |
5/15/2007
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Tourist trap deli / cheese maker / gift shop. Cheese quality is pure supermarket level - Kraft. $8 per pound for gummy & gooey monterey jack is no bargain. Sandwiches ain't nuthin' special. Place is a throw back to 1960's era Sonoma, with up-to-the-minute prices. My last visit with out of town friends who insisted to snack here for nostalgic reasons aren't aware that there are so many much better places to find a nibble. Now you know, too.
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Sonoma Cheese Factory
Cuisine: Deli
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Sonoma |
5/13/2007
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Owned by the same Pacific Cafe family with the original location on Geary at 34th Ave. Same menu, more room than the SF location, plenty of parking in the lot behind this building. Free glass of Inglenook Chablis while you wait for your table. Typical dinner with starter soup or salad, fish selection with vegetables and a dessert will run you $30. Add $12 if you drink 2 glasses of wine. Food is steady if unremarkable. Fish is fresh, prepared simply and adventurous diners may feel it's a bit bland. I like it. About the same flavors as the San Rafael Seafood Peddler. This Pacific Cafe dining room is quieter & more calm than Seafood Peddler. Location is next to College of Marin. Address header says city is Greenbrae, it's actually Kentfield.
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Pacific Cafe
Cuisine: Seafood
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Greenbrae |
5/12/2007
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The biggest and best bakery featured at the Marin Farmer's market every Sunday. I purchase something from these guys every week. Brioches are great, the morning buns are crunchy on the outside with the right amount of chewiness inside. Slightly different flavor than La Farine cinnamon morning buns but equally delicious. The Epi olive loaf bread is authentic & fabulous. The foccacias are wonderful. The croissants equal those that I eat in Paris every September. The wholesale store is at this address in South Basin. Retail store on Columbus in North beach as well.
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Crepe & Brioche Bakery
Cuisine: Bakery
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North Beach |
5/12/2007
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Location #2 for this bakery. Retail section slightly larger than the College Ave - Oakland store. La Farine makes my favorite cinnamon morning buns in the bay area. Breads, tartes, pastries are all equally as good. I drive from my San Rafael home to purchase baked goods here. Worth the commute!
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La Farine Bakery
Cuisine: French Bakery
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Berkeley |
5/12/2007
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I try to like the Boudin bakery sites, even this revitalized one in the Corte Madera shopping mall, well almost.
When Boudin bread comes fresh from the oven the flavors and textures are tempting. Crunchy exterior, poofy moist innards. My chief complaint is that Boudin breads have very short shelf life. Six hours after taken from the oven Boudin breads become chewy, gummy sourdough stomach bombs.
I've had Boudin sandwiches once or twice over the past 10 years, I do not seek them out as there are so many much better places to eat this kind'a thing.
Cafe Z in nearby Greenbrae comes to mind. And if you're just after a loaf of good European style bread, Grace baking, Semifreddi's, La Farine or Acme blow Boudin away.
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Boudin Bakery and Cafe
Cuisine: Bakeries
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Corte Madera |
5/11/2007
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A So Cal cafe chain. Step inside this location and you'd never suspect that this is a franchise chain operation. Feels like an elegant mom & pop. Simple dining area with 8 zinc top tables. Decor is minimal - You feel like you're eating in the lobby of a take-out bakery. Prettiest pastry you'll ever see in the cases, delicious too! The number of food selections is small, but focuses on fresh ingredients made into simple bistro style eats. Website link connects you with the menu. I had a bowl of soup ,a turkey tartine, & a glass of white wine. It was a fine pick-me-up while shopping at the Corte Madera village. Prices a little on the high side for what you get. Another location in downtown Mill Valley, which Bambie & I have visited 3 times. Food / Ambience are identical.
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Champagne Bakery
Cuisine: French Bakeries
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Corte Madera |
5/11/2007
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Across the aisle from Il Fornaio in the Corte Madera Village mall. Corp cuisine look & feel to the dining room. Bambie & I had lunch. No booze. She had salmon. I had Ahi. Everything was okay. The place was NOT busy and the waitress gave us adequate attention. The food really is just a bit better than Red Lobster. I'll forgive the ambienece and middling food quality that lacks pizzazz 'cause the prices are fairly low. With soft drinks I spent just over $30. If you're here, this will do for lunch. Don't make a special trip.
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Pacific Catch
Cuisine: Eclectic Seafood
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Corte Madera |
5/11/2007
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I've eaten here a few times in the distant past. For me this place and Tommy's are interchangeable. Food is old school. Pasty textures. Bland flavors. Menu populated with typical Tex-Mex style tacos, burritos, enchiladas. If I'm in the mood for good Mexican cuisine, I'm gonn'a travel to the Mission to get more authentic food that tastes better.
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Tia Margarita
Cuisine: Mexican
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Outer Richmond |
5/3/2007
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Was my 1st visit last night at the SFSurvey dinner. How have I managed to miss this place for the past 15 years? The $21 prix-fixe 3 courses of tasty, authentic, clean, well made French-style food is a great bargain. We came for NO wine corkage night. Waiter popped our 5 bottles without a sniff of "You cheap bastards" attitude; he even brought an ice bucket for the Pinot Blanc. Wayne had the burger, he liked it. JilDufy had the marscapone polenta (You need to eat more girl, you're too skinny!) The rest of us ate wild salmon on a bed of parsnip/celery root mash. The fish quality was excellent, perfect texture. Lightly pan grilled with a hint of butter. Topped with quickly wilted pea shoots & a few tiny sweet tomatoes. This dish in France would be no better for the same price. Chocolate pot au crème dessert was divine but way too small at 3 ounces. I happily could'a had cup more. Verdict: Good dinner, low price, funky-cute room, good service, great dining companions - A winner!
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Zazie
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
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Haight-Ashbury/Cole Valley |
5/2/2007
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Family owned Pizza chain from Portland Oregon that just went franchise. This Petaluma outlet is franchise #2. Been open since Feb 2007. Hand made, fresh everything, best quality ingredients, cooked right. Thin crust only. Usually 5 flavors on deck for those who want a slice in a hurry. 35 more custom combos can be made for you. Small, Medium, & Large pies. Priced from $8 to $20. I've said this before: I'm 2nd generation Italian, I'm from NYC, I visit Italy almost every year. I know good pizza. I'm a certified Pizza snob & expert. This Pizza is FANTASTIC! Better than Zachary's. Better than Little Star. Better than Food Network's 2005 Best Pizza in America award winning Mulberry Street Pizza in San Rafael. If I had the cash, I'd open franchise #3 and clean you all out of your disposable incomes. 9 wines on the list, all from California except 1 Italian. All priced $4.50 to $5 per glass. Some sodas, 4 local micro-brewed beers. Nice dining area, 42 chairs. GO there NOW!
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Pizzicato Gourmet Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza Italian
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Petaluma |
4/23/2007
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Solid easy-going American bistro food. This is a better quality Squat and Gobble. Most expensive plate is $9.50, the salmon filet sandwich with home fries & medium size mesclun salad. Bambie had the fish crepe, I had the catfish Po' Boy sandwich. Portion sizes are generous, flavors are authentic if simple. Meets my expectations, especially for the reasonable prices. 2 or 3 beers on tap, 5 California wines by the glass, Torani Italian sodas, house made Mango ice-tea, & espresso machine. Cakes & pies by Just Desserts. Good meal for 2 people for under $30.
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The Crepevine
Cuisine: American Bistro Crepes
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San Rafael |
4/20/2007
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Bambie & I were part of the SFSurvey group dinner. I enjoyed the food less than Mr Coconuts. I feel the food looks better than it tastes. Adventurous ideas & ingredient combinations do not gel harmoniously. Effort = Grade A, Execution = Grade C-. Starter biscuits are too dry. Too spicy carrot curry soup. Most did not get past one spoon. I thought the tiny fish tacos were watery and flavorless. The rolled sushi of mango, rice, cut leaf lettuce was interesting but not satisfying. Pork sugo was red paper flake spicy, no subtle anything else. Parchment baked halibut in broth was watery & flabby textured. Desserts were the highlight, though the creme Brule & strawberries did not set, very liquid texture. Berry crisp was best dish. Wine at $10 / glass for average quality is overpriced. Kirk is a great guy. I like his effort, attitude, humor, and generosity. But I'm not satisfied by the food I had that night. Mercy Positive score.
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Cafe Kati
Cuisine: Asian Californian Fusion
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Japantown |
4/18/2007
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Get 'em fresh at 6:00am. They have about 25 varieties in the morning. All the usual suspects like apple fritters, crullers, cream filled. Also a few ham n' cheese filled croissants. Bonus: As the owners are Asian there are a few steam buns in the display case as well. Average donut costs 75 cents. 5 flavors of fresh brewed hot coffee in the pump carafes. Big cup for $1.
They're right next door to a Starbucks and still making a profit after being here the past 10 years."
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Jelly Donut
Cuisine: Donuts Coffee
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San Rafael |
4/15/2007
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Excellent meat market, Good selection of high end cheese, some fresh produce, some gourmet canned & bottled goods. You can order a sandwich from the deli counter. Freshly made. Excellent flavor. Low prices prevail. Typically $5 to $6 for a big meaty / cheesy hero.
Competitively, A.G. Ferrari is right across the alley in this outdoor shopping mall. Go there if you're in an Italian mood.
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Bryan's Foods
Cuisine: Deli
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Corte Madera |
4/14/2007
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Granted it's a chain operation, but it is fairly good. The canned, boxed, and bottled selections on the shelves are passable for the quality. The gourmet dried pastas are good tasting, better than Barilla or Ceci brand. Prices are high, typically 3X what you pay for the same items in Italy. But those items didn't walk here for free.
Bambie & I have lunched here several times. We usually get a freshly made salad, a panini & a couple of imported sodas. We lunch in the sun at this outdoor corporate shopping mall & drink in the sun while we chew. Nicoise salad = $7.99. Turkey Panini with side salad = $7.95
Competitively, Bryan's fine foods and deli is right across the alley if you're in a French mood. Equal or even better quality food.
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A G Ferrari Foods
Cuisine: Italian Deli
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Corte Madera |
4/14/2007
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The best ice cream made in SF. I do NOT bother with the Mission location. The Pacific Cafe Fish house on Geary & 34th serves at least 4 flavors of Mitchell's every night. Last week I asked for one scoop Vanilla & 1 scoop pistachio. They brought out a giant glass cup with more than a pint of ice cream in it. It was plenty for the three of us to share. Price = $4.95!
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Mitchells Ice Cream
Cuisine: Ice Cream Dessert
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Mission |
4/12/2007
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Bambie & I had a relaxed Monday lunch. At 1:00pm all 17 tables were full, but a 4-top exited 30 seconds after we entered. Servers & owners at this small place are friendly, efficient & smart. Handed out the menus, wine list & asked us what we wanted to eat. Then the waitress made recommendations to suit our stated expectations. Bambie had the petrale sole with lemon capers. I had the linguine with 2 big veal meatballs. We split a mesclun starter salad. Good feta cheese on the greens. Main courses were filling, fine flavored, satisfying. Wine by the glass is mostly Californian.. Typical big goblet of Chardonnay costs $7.5 House made Tiramisu is excellent. Cake & cream are heavier than most others, but the not-too-sweet coffee flavor is just right. The espresso is acidic and 2 cups have enough caffeine to blow the hair off your skull. My big surprise was that lunch ran $100 with tip. You can have a Panini & salad for $7. Good food, meek place. Recommended!
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Cafe Giostra
Cuisine: Italian
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Petaluma |
4/3/2007
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Update: November 28, 2007. New Owner, New Chef, New Menu. Gone is the French Brasserie food, new menu is Cali-Fusion comfort food. "Reserve" wines list features 16 bottles priced from $145 to $400, an outlandish pandering to wealthy tourists. The regular wine list still features bottles in the $25 to $100 range. The food has lost the former magic. I raved about Cafe La Haye in 2005 & 2006. Now the food is merely competent. 2008 Zagat book gives a score of 26 points out of 30 for food. I disagree, my score is 19. Bambie & I used to love this place, we went often. After tonight's meal, I doubt that we'll ever return.
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Cafe La Haye
Cuisine: American (New) Californian
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Sonoma |
3/31/2007
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Big flourescent lit restaurant wth crappy food. My pad thai noodle lunch was gummy & greasy. I felt yucky for hours after swallowing the crap. Avoid this place for your own good - I certainly will.
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Cha AM Restaurant
Cuisine: Thai
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SoMa |
3/29/2007
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Barbara & I had dinner on a Wednesday night. Place was packed at 7:00 pm. Great lively vibe in the room. Looks & smells like a Southern French bistro. Food was really good.
She had the Salmon flown in from Norway. Tasty, firm & rich. I had the pork, osso buco style. The caramelized onion reduction sauce was perfect.
Wines by the glasss are reasonably priced. We had 4 different glasses. The Vauclose Rhone is exceptional, $8 glass.
Desserts: Mine - Raspberry tinged Chocolate mousse - YUM! Barbara - Fudgey covered poached pear, sinfully thick & exhilarating. Espresso is better than what you get at 99% of the coffee shops in the bay area.
Waitress was wonderfully knowledgeable, accessible, & friendly.
The Fixe-Prix dinner for $30 is a bargain. Our total bill = $102.
Highly recommended!
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Bistro Liaison
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
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Berkeley |
3/29/2007
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People book this place for events because the view, not the food. I've hung out here twice for afterwork social hours before going home on the Larkspur ferry (located 50 feet away). Finger food that I tried was typically bad. Mixed Drinks were watery. I didn't have to pay, so no personal loss. Look at the collected reviews so far. Yikes - Almost all negatives!..... We warned you!
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Sinbad's
Cuisine: Seafood American (Traditional) Brunch
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Embarcadero |
3/28/2007
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I've been a museum member for at least 20 years. The food has gotten so much better with the current caterer. Our lunch last week was pretty good. We had soups, entree's & wine. Flavors were fresh & snappy. Service people on the line were all cheerful and gracious. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon so the place was only 10% full. Nice quiet peaceful lunch. Total bill came to $45. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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Legion Cafe
Cuisine: californian
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Outer Richmond |
3/25/2007
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Take out order. 2 chickens. One Adobo, One lemon garlic. Both real good. Chicken sizes are a bit small, but the meat quality is high and so is the spice rubs and roasting.
Also got a heap of the mac and cheese that had swiss chard in it. Really good runny cheese in that dish. Delicious.
Prices are reasonable. Cafe area is spartan. Decor makes a try for french cafe cute but is a little too forlorn to really please.
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Poulet
Cuisine: French
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Berkeley |
3/25/2007
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After reading all the raves & praise about this place, I'm not too impressed with the Yukon Gold potato , Rosemary pizza that we had yesterday.
The flavors are good. But, the crust is a little too chewy and the oil level is too high. It's good quality olive oil, but there is too much of it.
Nice people, friendly old hippies, just like me.
Still, I prefer Zachary's Oakland College Ave pizza more than this place.
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Cheese Board
Cuisine: Pizza
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Berkeley |
3/25/2007
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Located in a former Max's Opera cafe. No leftover decor from the former tenant. I like the dining room design, the personnel and the food here. We had 2 of the $17 power lunches. The portion sizes were very generous. The food flavors are elegant. Big step above the typical cheap Pho joint. Shredded papaya salad was one of the best I've had in SF. Scallop curry was overcooked as the scallops they were a little rubbery. Caution: Watch out for $6 pots of tea. We ordered 2. $12 for TEA!!! Likewise think twice about ordering $7 fizzy water that sells for $1.29 at Trader Joe's. Prices are not bargain. Lunch total was $68 without any alcohol.
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Bong Su Restaurant & Lounge
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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SoMa |
3/20/2007
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Spruced up army barracks that retains some of the original archtectural feel. Bartenders are pros & the mixed drinks are good. No blenders at the bar, the House Margarita is on-the-rocks. We had just a few plates of appetizers. All were tasty. We got there at 4:50 pm on a Monday, so there was parking available in front of the building and the dining room was just starting to fill. By 5:30pm the place was crowded pandemonium. Michael Bauer just reviewed this place in the Sunday Magazine with several photos, check out his review on line. I'm not Ga-Gah over the food, the scene, nor the location, but it is a fun destination IF you do not have to work too hard to get inside.
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Presidio Social Club
Cuisine: American (New)
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Presidio |
3/20/2007
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Good hand made Burgers with BIG Grey goose vodka martinis (3 olives) at Noon. Full bar! Leave the kids with friends for a few hours. Take the day off, you're gonn'a need a siesta after lunch here.
Simple decor, brightly painted walls with bold graphics. Practically picnic table furniture. Nice servers.
Burgers & Booze!
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Carmen's Burger Bar
Cuisine: Hamburgers
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Santa Rosa |
3/14/2007
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This is one of the best Japanese restaurants in NorCAL. I've eaten here at least 30 times. Flavors are always clean and bright. Sushi selection is small, focused, and always fresh! Cooked lunch specials are always enjoyable.
Small dining room full of blond wood furniture. 30 seats total. 3 paper screen booths. Sushi bar holds another 6 people.
Nicest people in the world own & operate. Recommended!
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Sushi-Ko
Cuisine: Japanese
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Larkspur |
3/11/2007
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The trick to get something better tasting at this place is to order a meal that they cook in the back kitchen rather than selecting from the steam table. Your custom order will take all of 6 minutes.
This is a family owned Panda Express. No better no worse. It's in a shoppng mall for cryin' out loud. Lunch costs $4-$7.
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Combo King Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
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San Rafael |
3/11/2007
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Ate lunch here today. Had the place to myself for most of the meal. Located in a forlorn, out-of-the-way shopping center. Clean dining room is very basic. IT's late March, They still had a little fake Xmas tree up.
Woman who greeted me did not understand a single word of English. She disappeared & the younger waitress who spoke perfectly good English appeared. The waitress was very sweet & accommodating.
Menu is large selection of typical Cantonese items. My lunch was egg drop soup, almond shrimp (generous portion), fried rice, fried egg roll, & fortune cookie. It was the highest priced lunch on the menu for a whopping $5.95. Big pot of green tea and fresh orange wedge are free.
Quality was just typically acceptable cheap Chinese food. Starchy, filling, not too oily, tasted fine.
You have to applaud these immigrant businesses that can deliver a decent, hot, freshly made meal for the price of a Burger King combo.
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Shanghai Garden
Cuisine: Chinese
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Novato |
3/8/2007
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Been here twice. It's just okay. Go up the street 150 yards to Grilly's. Same type of cuisine, just a whole lot better quality and more flavorful.
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Joe's Taco Lounge & Salsaria
Cuisine: Mexican
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Mill Valley |
3/7/2007
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Low priced breakfast in an old diner style environment. Place doesn't look like it's been upgraded for 50 years. It's hard for me to believe that old crumbling restaurants like this can still exist and make enough $$$ to pay the bills.
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Tennessee Grill
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
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Inner Sunset |
3/7/2007
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Old, small, dirty diner. Staff by H.S. drop-outs, frequented by bikers, truckers, and old mud covered cattle farmers.
My hospital co-workers told me to come here for breakfast instead of the Denny's across the street. Big Mistake.
Henny Penny actually served me the 2 sunny side up eggs with a big curly black human hair right on top. No extra charge for that.
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Henny Penny's
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
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Petaluma |
3/6/2007
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Six chairs, hole-in-the-corner-wall place that makes waaaayyyy above average salads, burritos, tacos, tostadas. Two big lunch plates for Bambie & me with soft drinks costs $14. BEST BUY!"
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Grilly's Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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Fairfax |
3/6/2007
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Okay, so we had a post funeral memorial service dinner here for 250 people. The dearly departed was a popular, well loved man. The place looks like my old high school auditorium. The whole production is pure workingman's banquet on a budget. I spent the afternoon with friends I had not seen for too long a time. We spent the time catching up. The food was exceptionally mediocre, the wine was even worse. There is a reason that places like this exist. I imagine that cultural customs play a big part, & membership dues must drive the budget. Money is made on catered wedding receptions where the mother-of-the-bride resents the groom's family so much she books the wedding reception here to spite them.
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Basque Cultural Center
Cuisine: Spanish
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South San Francisco |
3/5/2007
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Cheval servers were pleasant this Monday night. The house was nearly full , not as hectic as week-ends, that's probably why the mood was more relaxed & friendly than usual. Bambie & me over-ordered. We forgot that the portion sizes are so big. Calamari & veges, lemongrass beef, claypot rice with seafood, spring rolls, 2 vodka martinis. Total price $52. The food here is good, not great. We just kept chugging thru the meal, very happily. Amazingly, we left very little behind. Flavors of each dish are distinct, lemongrass is particularly aromatic. There are more tasty & adventurous Viet Namese places downtown Oaktown. Still I like Le Cheval's Americanized dishes, slightly weightier sauces (No pla nam, salty-sweet-sour-vinegary taste in anything, that's a real PLUS), big portions and low prices. The old dining room has a workingman's charm about it. You get a sense of old town history. I'd rather eat here than nearly anywhere else 4 blocks over in Oakland's Chinatown.
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Le Cheval
Cuisine: French Vietnamese
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Oakland |
2/20/2007
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Location is downtown St. Helena, Napa Valley. Nice relaxed dining rooms. Knowledgeable servers. Fun scrapbook wine list. American cuisine of the highest level. Bambies lobster Mac n' Cheese was fresh tomato puree mixed with ziti & loaded with fresh lobster chunks. My sea bass stuffed Dungeness crab over fresh peas, lima beans, pancetta in a light chicken broth was spicy, tummy filling. The black bottom creme brulle had a really rich pudding flavored fudge consistency over fresh vanilla bean custard. Well done!
Highly recommended.
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Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen
Cuisine: American Californian
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Napa |
2/17/2007
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Opened Feb 2007. What a great restaurant! Rookie owners, their 1st restaurant venture. They've hit an amazing home run! This place is authentic. The food looks, smells and tastes Sicilian. 40 seat room is lovely.
Dinner: Fennel & potato salad - Light & great! Stewed then roasted Chicken - Fabulous. Wild Salmon fillet - Fabulous. Earthy top quality fresh vegetables simply sauteed,true flavors shine through. Generous wine pours. Features Sicilian labels by the glass. Perfectly compliments the food. They make the cannoli in house. This is the best cannoli in America. I kid you not. I'm Italian. I've eaten 10,000 cannoli in my lifetime. These cannoli have a perfect balance of marscapone texture, Marsala wine sweetness, just the right amount of grated pistachio. The crunchy, light-as-a-feather-pillow shell is an epiphany. Not dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect. Our 90 minute dinner full of laughs, great service, terrific food = $111. It's my new favorite place!
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Mezzo Mezzo
Cuisine: Sicilian Italian
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San Rafael |
2/17/2007
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$173 plus tip for a good, not great meal. Bambie has eaten here 3X before. She prepped me with superlatives for 3 weeks prior to our Valentine's date. Was my 1st visit. I've eaten at all the other Thomas Keller restaurants. Bouchon claims to be a "French Bistro" It is not as good as Chistophe's in Sausalito. Bouchon does not even remotely approach the food satisfaction given at my favorite backstreet bistros in the Latin quarter of Paris France. The fabled Bouchon steak frites {"Ooo, the frites are fried in fresh duck fat"}, are less satisfying than the In & Out Burger version (When their deep fryer is filled with fresh oil). Bouchon pluses: Baked goods Breads & cakes are fantastic! Steak is filet mignon top quality. Fennel cream soup was richly satisfying.
Bouchon problems: Tight table quarters, too close to neighbors. Stuffy air system "Can we open a window and get some fresh air?" Some wines suck - notably Cotes du Rhone.
Will I return? - Nope!
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Bouchon
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
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Napa |
2/15/2007
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I wanted so badly to like La Toscana. Close to my house. 1st visit last night. Parking lot & main dining room was packed at 8:00 pm on a Tuesday night. I was excited that the food was going to be really good. - Disappointment! Fast summary: Cold & tough sourdough bread with aluminum packets of frozen butter. Mesclun salad soaked in a bitter, acidic, mouth searing vinaigrette. They brought Bambie the wrong salad, corrected that fast & brought decent warm spinach with bacon - She liked it. Not so with her practically raw cheese Ravioli, so undercooked was practically inedible. My Salmon with spinach, cherry tomatoes, potatoes was okay - Not Italian tasting. All waiters were from the Veracruz area of Mexico, I suspect that all the cooks are as well. Lemon Tiramisu a nice change from the coffee-chocolate type but it was rough as well. Not creamy. Lemon zest was chunky. Wine by glass averages $9. Overall: Some fresh items, almost all poorly executed. Nice service. Never return.
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La Toscana Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
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San Rafael |
2/7/2007
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My favorite "Smorgy" type restaurant in the whole bay area. I eat here when I have monthly business at the Gift Center. The food selections are varied, sometimes surprising & usually very good tasting. All food priced by the ounce. Usually $7 per pound. Cheap for this high quality. My last meal was Asian theme. Even the maguro & Salmon nigiri sushi was good. On the flip side, when I'm in a Roast Turkey and starchy vegetable mood, they have that as well. Squat & Gobble wished that they could make food this tasty.
Dining room has about 40 chairs. Decor is strictly IKEA grade.
Open only until 2:30 pm Weekdays only.
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Julie's Kitchen
Cuisine: Eclectic
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SoMa |
2/4/2007
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Eaten Lunch here twice. Deli Food all made on site. And it's better than most. I really like the dry-ish NY Style potato salad here, not too mayonnaise-y. This business is primarily a busy caterer. They also provide take-out dinner-in-a-box for $9. The 24 chairs are in a nice small dining area at the front of the shop. Connected next door is a cooking implements store. Fun location, good food.
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Pearson & Co
Cuisine: Deli American Bistro
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Santa Rosa |
2/3/2007
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New building, nice nuevo-Arts & crafts era architecture. Comfy booth seating. Food is carbon copy of their old time, 3rd family generation owned Union Hotel in woodsy Occidental. I had a BIG lunch. Mixed iceberg lettuce salad with canned kidney beans, carrot shavings, & creamy ranch dressing a la 1965. Giant hamburger on a cornmeal bun with all the fixin's costs $13. It's Harris ranch beef, way below Niman Ranch, but a lot better than McDoodle's. Bambie's Minestrone had fresh new potatoes & vegees, but institutional pasta shells. Broth was watery tomato & hint of beef. Really had a mass quantity construction & flavor. Boylan's soda's (I had to go to work after lunch). Pellegrino water by liter bottle. Decent NorCAL wine list. Decent mark-ups on beverages. Bakery out front, just like Mary Callendar's. I bought cookies. They are very good! Cakes looked yummy! Great food? No. Keep your cuisine expectations in check, (This ain't Gary Danko) you will have a good time here.
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Union Hotel Pizza & Pasta Company
Cuisine: Italian American
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Santa Rosa |
2/2/2007
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Great Italian food. Total update to this early 1900's era building. Original brick walls, low lighting, sparse imaginative art. Regional cuisine of Liguria, Bologna, Il Marche. We had spinach salads with blue cheese and blueberries. Baked polenta with melted provolone and pancetta bits, while comfort food satisfying was a little too starchy & overcooked tasting. Acqua Pazza (Crazy water) with Halibut was sublime. Fresh piquant flavors in a light broth with all sorts of little tasty surprises floating within. The spaghetti frutti di mare was excellent with plenty of clams, scallops, & big piece of seabass. Really sparse amount of spaghetti, which was fine by me. The light tomato sauce was freshly made, it had lots of fresh garden herb flavors. Cooked perfectly. Desserts are weak. Panna Cotta and Ricotta with honey & pistachio are very small portions. Fresh, not terribly sweet. Good wine list. Great dinner for 2 averages $90 with 4 glasses wine. Recommended!
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Vin Antico
Cuisine: Italian
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San Rafael |
1/31/2007
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I've eaten here 3 times. Not recently. The glorious aromas & flavors here send me back down memory lane to age 8, sitting in some blue collar Italo-American restaurant in Brooklyn with my parents. We're digging into Spaghetti & meatballs and burnt-on-the-edges thin crust pizza. The sauces are thickened with tomato paste, which gives them an acidic bite, that is not altogether unpleasant. I walked by Giorgio's just the other day & poked inside the door for just 30 seconds to take in the smells, and Yep! The sense memories snapped right back. This is good, old style Italo-American cooking. As authentic as it gets. If you like Capp's Corner, you'll like Giorgio's.
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Giorgio's Pizzeria
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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Inner Richmond |
1/28/2007
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Petaluma's long standing version of Zachary's Chicago style Pizza. You know it's just about as good as Zacahry's College Ave location. And probably better than Zachary's Solano Ave location. First time I ate here the year was 1977. Thirty years later in the same location, same furniture, same owner (looking a LOT older), same great thick, layered, poofy bread and filling Pizza. You can get any imaginable toppings on the "pie" here. Soda, Beer & bulk wine. Low prices for the quality and quantity. Highly recommended!
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Old Chicago Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
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Petaluma |
1/28/2007
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Barely converted 1940's cinder block building. Some picnic tables outside. This is a plastic fork & Knife, paper napkin, paper plate kind'a place. The Fish & Chips are good here. I like these better than my father-in-law's favorite place, Bette's Fish & Chips in Santa Rosa. Batter crust is not too heavy nor oily. Fish is fresh tasting. Salt level is just right. If you're not in a Fishy-chips mood, the fresh fish tacos are good & marginally healthier I'd imagine. The big size meal is gonn'a cost you a whole $9.
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Fourth and Sea Fish & Chips
Cuisine: Seafood
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Petaluma |
1/28/2007
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A Great Novato institution for Breakfast & Lunch. My corned beef hash was superior to anyplace else that I can remember. Not greasy, right amount of green onions and potato hunks to balance the juicy corned beef. Portion size was very generous! With 2 eggs, lots of toast, perfect texture hash browns and small bit of fruit for less than $8! A great value!
Not fancy place. Old storefront. Cute sign on the halon hood over the massive grill ..."Caution: Men cooking!"
Perky young wait staff. THis is a home town kind'a place.
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Marvin's Restaurant
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Novato |
1/24/2007
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Had breakfast here with my extended family. Like the location, liked the food, liked the company. Food flavors were fresh. I had the French toast. Coffee was good. Service folks were young, energetic, smiling. On a warm sunny day, you can't beat a table at the end of Townsend to fall in love again with SF.
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Town's End Restaurant & Bakery
Cuisine: American (New) Bakeries
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Embarcadero |
1/24/2007
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Welcome to Downtown Nicasio, population 250. I've eaten here 20 times. Frequently for the week-end summer music concert bar-b-ques on the back lawn. Saw some semi-famous Rock / Blues / Jazz groups here. This place is a fun, meat & potatoes roadhouse. The food is a cut above Cattleman's, but far below Ruth Chris for quality. Prices are moderate, such as $18 for a full on B-B-Q Chicken dinner. T-bone steak with all the fixin's will run you $20. Full bar. Try their top shelf "Cadillac" Margarita. For $9 it's the best damn Margarita I've ever had, & I own property in Mexico.
Dining room dinner hardly more formal, patrons eat and then dance to the live music. It's a west Marin cowboy party! I'm not sniggeing here, Nicasio is the 20th richest zip code in the USA!
Want to get away from the urban hustle & bustle just 45 minutes from SF? Try Rancho Nicasio.
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Rancho Nicasio Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: Steakhouse
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San Rafael |
1/24/2007
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It's an modern art gallery, it's a world music dub house, it's a wine bar, it's a restaurant, IT'S Triptych!
Great food, NO pretension service, nice wine selection, sexy Euro beat music. I love it!
Best poofy texture, crunchy crusted rosemary foccacia in SF. Salads with dates wrapped in pancetta and deep fried baby artichokes - Brilliant! I could happily eat an entire movie theater size popcorn box of those fried artichokes.
Paella - Good. Not the best in the city but pretty fabulous when you look at the pile of seafood, chicken and chorizo in that mass of perfectly cooked rice. Costs a whole $24 for two people.
Cappuccino torte was smooth. Chocolate molten cake started with good ingredients but was overcooked and a little gummy as though it was warmed in a microwave. Breads & cakes do not go into a microwave!
Crumby neighborhood location, but parking is easy.
Go! Eat! Enjoy!
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Triptych
Cuisine: Fusion
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SoMa |
1/17/2007
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Restaurant is downtown Healdsburg, right off the central square.
One of the best small plates meals that I've had in the past 6 months!
Bambie & me made it for late lunch - Open at 4:00 pm.
6 raw oysters, 6 plates of food to share, 3 cocktails. $97.
All items were top notch. Simply fabulous!
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Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar
Cuisine: Seafood Raw
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Healdsburg |
1/16/2007
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Fast, Italian-American style food like Olive garden & Pasta Pomodoro. And that's where the quality scale lies for this place. Smack between those two chains. If you can tolerate Corporate cuisine in the fake Italian style, then you'll give this place a passing grade.
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Romano's Macaroni Grill
Cuisine: American Italian
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Albany |
1/11/2007
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What's happened here? Bambie & I had some terrible items. Home made breads are warm, poofy & wholesome. Unfortunately that was the highlight. Amuse bouche is 3 coins of greasy flavorless goose sausage with a tablespoon of balsamic & salt soaked arugula. Salads, way too salty. Bambie tasted mine & told me to send it back. Her Hobbs bacon salad was okay. $11 goose pate was a slimy, flimsy 25cent sized coin on a mini burnt toast on a bed of fresh corn kernels slathered in too salty & buttery squash puree. My roast chicken inundated with black pepper & overcooked 8 minutes. Bambie's halibut on white beans & artichokes soaked in horribly strong white vinegar. Fish topped with a stone cold garlic aioli, smelled like spoiled brie cheese. She picked at it & promptly gave up. The renown banana meringue was okay, nothing special. Okay apple strudel had a clotted butter blob as cream. Tiny wine by glass selection. 65 seat room, 6 diners for the entire evening. Word is out, this place sucks now.
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Cafe Majestic
Cuisine: American (New)
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Pacific Heights |
1/11/2007
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Kenwood, Valley of the Moon, 8 miles south of Santa Rosa. Magical place. This deli looking restaurant serves real trattoria Italian food that would get a good review in Tuscany. Big menu on white boards updated daily as the fresh stuff comes in from the farmer's markets. Pizza is NOT made everyday. It's actually a special that appears just 2 days per week. So, Bambie, me and my two best friends go for lunch today. You order at the counter and then the GOOD server brings the food. Everything served on heavy porcelain with real glasses, good cutlery. Roast whole chicken, cut up into manageable pieces - Perfect flavor, $9.95. Margherita pizza, 13" diameter-$11. Giant ceaser salad with real Mediterranean anchovies-$4.95. glass of Chianti $4. PERFECT cannoli worthy of an award, $5. We brought food home because the portions were so large. This is a casual down home restaurant that will blow your socks off! Family owned by immigrant Italians. They do it right! You must eat here!
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Cafe Citti
Cuisine: Italian
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Santa Rosa |
1/8/2007
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I've played music here a few times. The comp meals I got for my services were completely mediocre. You want a decent fish dinner for a low price? Go to the Seafood Peddler in San Rafael, instead.
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Saylor's Landing
Cuisine: Seafood
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Sausalito |
1/3/2007
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Small place inside the Petaluma mill building, south end. 6 tables. 40 wines by the glass or bottle. Some good selections that you will not find everywhere else. Go between 4 pm-6 pm, "happy hour" 50% discount! Food menu is small & focused. We had the seafood gumbo, fish tacos, & the cheese platter for dessert. Portion size is normal city size. Surprisingly small portions for old school Petaluma though, so if you're a 3rd generation local raised on Volpi's mass quantities, you will consider Sooze too dainty.
Ingredients and preparation are top notch. Gumbo was spicy & full of shrimp, langostine hunks in a shredded halibut creamy puree. Fish tacos had just enough cabbage and homemade mayo to make them yum-yum without dribbling all over the place. Cheese platter had 4 samples. Nothing too exotic or over the top flavor-wise. Cheese accompanied by precision cut slices of apple & mini-baguette toasts. Not a bargain for $70 with 2 glasses wine & a bottle of Pellegrino. I'll return.
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Sooze Wine Bar Cafe
Cuisine: American (New)
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Petaluma |
1/3/2007
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Ate here 33 years ago, and then again last night. Hasn't changed much. The celebrity photos all over the walls have been updated. Place was packed Friday night at 9:00 PM. I asked the greeter in Italian for mercy. We got seated in 15 minutes. This is old school Italo-Cali-American cuisine at its best. Family style, shared portions. Minestrone comes in a bowl with ladle. The soup was based on a fagioli mash with chicken broth, loaded with sauteed carrots, escarole, barley & potato hunks. Goes great with the fluffy, tasty bread. Salad equally fresh & full of little surprises like big slices of sweet red beets and stewed ceci beans. We both "splurged" on the $21 osso buco. Portion size was tremendous. We brought 50% home in a container for another meal. The waitress effortlessly served at least 30 people without breaking a sweat & kept her good humor. Capp's is an enduring landmark. Eat really GOOD Cali-Italy food for Pasta Pomodoro prices!
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Capp's Corner
Cuisine: Italian
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North Beach |
12/30/2006
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Sol Food location #2. Located one street from the postage stamp size place #1.
Identical food to the original. Now you can get a place to sit indoors. Share a picnic table with strangers. Lunch crowd is big. 80% are take-out orders, still the dining room is over full from 11:30am to 2:00pm. Food = Typical PR street vendor fare. Tostones (fried plantains) the major item in many guises on the menu. I had the Jibaro. Meat quantity was small. Oil quantity was high. Nice folks, friendly & fast. Meal for two = $15.
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Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
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San Rafael |
12/17/2006
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Brand new venture, open just a few weeks. Festive decor with blinking lights fake palm trees. Colorful Carib theme decor. No Scary voodoo-Santaria decor like at Cha-Cha-Cha on Haight St.
Cuban / Carib street vendor type food choices. Lots of deep fried items.
Cheap! prices. Friendly staff. Next door to the extremely popular Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine #2. Are we having a Caribbean food invasion in San Rafael? If yes, it's a welcome change.
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Mambo's Cafe
Cuisine: Cuban Caribbean
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San Rafael |
12/17/2006
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Tiny,Tiny place with 3 tables and 500 customers for lunch!
Diners literally take their plate of yummy food to the curb and eat there!
Been here for 8 months, Smash hit for the roast chicken, plantains, Caribbean specials. Cheap prices - Most dinners $7.95 to $10.
Owners made so much money in 6 months they have opened a much bigger location ONE STREET AWAY! New restaurant located in the old Cente Stelle Italian location on 3rd street and Lincoln - Downtown San Rafael. Look for the bright lime green 2 story building.
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Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
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San Rafael |
12/16/2006
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Grand Cafe indeed! BambieKat & I had a satisfying dinner here. The room is marvelously decked out for the Xmas season. This is a great looking dining room. Imaginative decor. Our Polish waitress is a sister of the Old Krakow restaurant family in West Portal. She was a true professional. Grand Cafe menu creations were a bit twisted. Like: Sturgeon Osso Buco? Too weird. We stuck to the tried & true. Beef Burgundy for Bambie & Cassoulet for me. We had wines by the glass. We split a GIANT starter salad it was plenty for 2. Entrees were a good value. Portion size was hefty. Was this top notch fine dining? No. Was it good, filling & fun? Yes. I had the famous banana mousse for dessert. Bambie had the lemon tart which she swooned about, I was not impressed by it. Prices can get astronomical. Total bill was $173 for two. We left Full & happy enough.
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Grand Cafe (Formal Dining Room)
Cuisine: French Californian
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Downtown |
12/2/2006
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Had the $10 Bento special lunch. Was better than most. Miso was almost thick. Had lots of little tofu pieces and lots of seaweed. Bento was heaped with chicken meat sautee, 3 pieces of maguro sashimi, 3 pieces of nigiri sushi, a fried fish cutlet, a giant iceberg lettuce salad with the white mystery thin mayo dressing that I love to hate. Big bowl of sticky rice. Free pot of good quality green tea. The meal energized me. No burps or bloat afterward.
Nice people. Quick & friendly. Made me happy to eat here.
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Maki Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese
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Japantown |
11/21/2006
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We had lunch at 3:00 pm on a rainy Monday. The place was nearly deserted. We ordered salads and a bowl of the clam chowder. Drank good glasses of Estancia Pinot Grigio for low price. Got a generous pour.
The food was clean, maybe a bit too salty on the cesar salad and clam chowder. Portions were huge! The food quality is certainly better than most restaurants in this low price range.
Place is a little funky. Could use a good scrubbing & some fresh paint. Restroom needed cleaning too.
Still a worthy place for a quick lunch or a cheaply priced dinner of Cali-American style food.
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Squat and Gobble
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners American (Traditional)
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West Portal |
11/14/2006
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New eatery alert! Located in the Scotty's supermarket shopping center in Terra Linda. The new owners have cleaned up this site. The supermarket area is now tidy. Almost all products are from Mexico & Latin America. The front 1/3 of the floor space is a simple, clean restaurant. Two tables outside on the sidewalk for al fresco dining on nice warm days. Food: Simple Mexican cuisine from the Aguascalientes region. Tacos, Quesadillas, enchiladas, tamale. I had the #15 with carne asada tostada & chicken tamale, rice & beans. All were EXCELLENT! Add a 20oz can of coconut juice for $1 and lunch comes to $9. I like Panchito's Mexican restaurant almost next door, but this new place will give them serious competition. Open 9am to 9pm everyday.
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Rojas Market & Taqueria
Cuisine: Mexcian
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San Rafael |
11/6/2006
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Bagel place closest to my home. Pretty good product. Lots of different flavors. For you purists, the onion bialys are pretty good. Low prices. Certainly a better bagel than Marin Bagel Company (Yuck!) or Noah's. This place makes all the sandwiches you expect in a California Bagel Shop. Popular place, crowded on Sunday mornings.
I'm a NYC transplant, you don't hear me complaining. I've had way worse bagels in Brooklyn.
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Bagel Street Cafe
Cuisine: Bagel
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San Rafael |
11/1/2006
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I read so many glowing 5 star reviews about Milano, it was our civic duty to finally eat here. Russian Hill parking is maddening & impossible. Take muni or pay for parking somewhere down on Van Ness and hike up the hill. Our table reservation promptly was honored. Friendly greeting then quickly seated in the cramped front window room. On a busy Sunday night, we waited 25 minutes for a waiter to take our orders. Romano salad was good, light, fresh & crunchy. Minestrone with homemade beef stock equally good. Hankercheif Lasagna was sautée style, not the baked goopy mess you get in Americanized places. Good but a bit watery. Bambie's linguini with cream sauce was powerfully rich & subime! Ricotta dessert tart was warm and tasty. Small glasses of wine at $10-$12 each are way overpriced. Bill for this 90 minutes of fun = $114. Verdict: Very good food, nice service people, cramped & crowded room. I prefer Antica Trattoria located 2 streets away.
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Ristorante Milano
Cuisine: Italian
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Russian Hill |
10/30/2006
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Decent, run-of-the-mill suburban Thai restaurant that cooks up all the usual suspects. Ask for the recommended dishes. The owners will steer you to the better stuff. Everything is made here, so you're getting fresh but not spectacular cooking. Can be a little too heavy on the fish sauce and salt. Dinner for two who eat a lot of food will cost $35 with beer.
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Cafe Bangkok
Cuisine: Thai
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Novato |
10/28/2006
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Simply, The best Italian restaurant in Sonoma County. I've eaten here 10 times. The place can be screamingly busy, literally. Crowd can be intensely noisy. Rates three bombs for noise! Food is the best quality fresh seafood, meats & pasta. Owner is from La Spezia, Liguria. Recipes are authentic. Staff all well trained, friendly & fast, if occasionally overwhelmed. I love the Osso Buco here. Meat is fall-off-the-bone soft and flavorful. Chicken under a brick is the best I've had anywhere, including Italy. Portions are generous. Salads all super fresh with homemade dressings that enhance the greens marvelously. Wine list is 50% Californian, 50% Italian. Wine prices are fair. A good Chianti is $22 bottle.
All desserts homemade. Best cannoli I've had in a long time. Better than Stella's on Columbus Ave. Dinner reservations any night of the week are a must. Total bill for two who eat and drink heartily is $80. Gets my highest recommendation.
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Lococo's Cucina Rustica
Cuisine: Northern Italian
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Santa Rosa |
10/7/2006
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I've lived in the bay area since 1973. I'm skeptical of Fisherman's wharf & Ghiradelli Sq. I'd love to own a successful retail business there, but don't go there for food nor entertainment, it's too Disney-esque for me. Bambi Kat took me here for a special date nite as she remembered good meals here back in the day. We got reservations, and a table too close to the door with just a slight view of the bay. The food was okay, not terrible. I asked for the best fish of the day, I got rex sole with a sauce, it was edible. Bambie was happy as the service was attentive, & the room was full of chatty tourists having a good time. Her dinner was passable as well. We drank a good Napa Valley white wine, had dessert & coffee and was back out into the crisp evening air in 75 minutes. 'Twas an enjoyable enough repast. Bring out-of-town family here when they come for the big west coast visit. You'll score high points with the in-laws for such a "snazzy" restaurant selection.
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McCormick & Kuleto's
Cuisine: Seafood
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Fishermans Wharf |
9/30/2006
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Enthusiastic endorsement #8 here on SFSurvey.com. I've enjoyed cookies and creamy pastries from Victoria's more than 30 times. That's a big endorsement , as I only return to places that are delicious and provide great value for my $$$. Of course you come here for traditional Italian cookies. Pignioli, Amaretti. etc...
Also see the Victoria Pastry outlet in the Bon Air shopping center when you're in Greenbrae, Marin county.
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Victoria Pastry Co
Cuisine: Bakeries
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North Beach |
9/30/2006
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Low prices, large portions. BambiKat & I skipped the sushi. We had the evening specials that include miso, a starter salad, unlimited tea, a large bowl of rice with the 3 item bento boxes.
Bambie had sauteed chicken, spider roll & pork katsudon. I had the salmon teriyaki, California roll and 2 beef skewers. Large shredded iceberg lettuce with white mystery salad dressing, a slice of cantaloupe, and wasabi fill out the large box.
This is a LOT of food for $13.95. Is it top flight Japanese cuisine? No. It is edible & clean tasting.
Service was fast and friendly. We were seated in a curtained booth that was private & quiet. The sushi bar guy was making large portions for the other diners. The Tempura delivered to other tables was large and fresh looking.
We parked on the street in front of the door.
I've had much worse Japanese food for way more than $35 with tip.
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Kotobuki Japanese Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese
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Oakland |
9/25/2006
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Traverso's is THE Italian Deli in Sonoma county. There are others, this IS the one! Been here forever. My uncle Marcello used to patronize this place 40 years ago - He complained about the high prices and relished every morsel that he bought. I carry on his legacy. The shop is a little more glitzy than years past. The picnic basket kits are high end. This is a big shop with lots of items. Gourmet olive oils, Italian wines. Lots of kitchen gadgets. The deli case is huge. They have the best quality imported meats and cheeses. They make sandwiches for your picnic. It's always real good. Still family owned & operated - authentic.
For city dwellers who pass thru Santa Rosa on wine tours - Come here if you're in a Molinari kind'a mood, as this place is as good or better. Certainly is cleaner and more spacious than Columbus ave.
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Traverso's Gourmet Foods
Cuisine: Italian Deli
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Santa Rosa |
9/22/2006
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Clean new establishment that is more grocery store than eatery. A few small tables for those who want to eat inside. Deli cases have all the expected salamis, cheeses, olives, roasted peppers, etc. Freezer case has home made ravioli, tiramisu, even gelato. Prices are high.
We had a couple of sandwiches, some American macaroni salad, Pellegrino water. It was okay, nothing outstanding. Nice people own and operate. Parking around back. Location is the new downtown Petaluma waterfront district. Worth a visit if you're in the mood for this kind'a thing.
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Lombardi's Downtown Deli 2
Cuisine: Italian Deli
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Petaluma |
9/22/2006
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They sell hot dogs. That's their specialty. Been in business for many years. Obviously this is a good business strategy. To sell hot dogs, I mean. Who'd a thunk? I eat their hot dogs once in a blue moon. They taste like hot dogs. Sometimes I'll drink a coca-cola with the hot dog. That's about it for $3.
If you like to eat hot dogs & maybe drink a soda, this is a place you can do that._____
After 250 restaurant reviews I've sunk to this. I've got to find another hobby.
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Jimbo's Hot Dogs
Cuisine: Hot Dogs
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San Rafael |
9/12/2006
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Kushnir is my hero, I like his reviews, I agree with everything he said about Toy Boat. EXCEPT - Toy Boat deserves a neutral rating when they are performing at par. I've been here many, many times. Always for dessert. Usually just ice cream & a coffee. How badly can anyone screw up a cup of Dreyer's ice cream? Toy Boat doesn't, but they also do not do anything really well. I like looking at the toys up on the shelves more than eating here. The shop is not very clean. The furniture hasn't been replaced in 20 years. Still this place is an ice cream island surrounded by rice noodle houses. Take it for what it is...
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Toy Boat Dessert Cafe
Cuisine: Coffee Shop Dessert Ice Cream
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Inner Richmond |
9/10/2006
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Eaten here just once. Not very good. El Patio is five streets away. El Patio is much better for Tacos, Burritos, Enchiladas, etc...
La Bufa Mexican Restaurant downtown Santa Rosa is certainly better, too.
Stuff here at Chelino's is a little too gloppy with fake canned-tasting sauces. Portions are big though! You'll get plenty of it, whatever it is!
This is just another mediocre, casual, drive-in Mexican place that churns out the same stuff you get everywhere else.
My recommendation, Good someplace else that has better food."
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Chellino's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
9/4/2006
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Converted old hamburger place close to downtown Santa Rosa. Order at the inside stand-up counter. Fast, friendly service, take a number and sit at the picnic tables outside. They'll bring your food. Real casual. Plastic plates and cutlery. Paper cups. Cuisine is typical northern Mex standards. Soft tacos, enchiladas, burritos, taco salad. Rice n' beans. Also features Heart Healthy menu for you health fanatics. Coke & pepsi. No alcohol. Meats are good quality, cooked right. Starches are all well made as well. Nothing spectacular. Everything is good. Most expensive dinner on the menu is $9. Good lunch place.
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El Patio Mexican Food
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
9/4/2006
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Closed September 2007.
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Celia's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican American
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Petaluma |
9/2/2006
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Eaten here 4 times in the past 30 years. My positive rating is not enthusiastic.. This is a nice spot for Petaluma, but nothing remarkable when compared to a good reputation Italo-American restaurant in any big city. Graziano: Portion control is good. Ingredients are decent. I think the preparation is a little too salty, too starchy, and run-of-the-mill. Sort'a old school cooking - Hearty cuisine with "hazy" flavors. Nothing surprises. I can cook this good and better when I make an effort. Dining room is nice enough, clean, semi-elegant. Bar does serve good booze. Welcome at the door and service are Petaluma friendly, never pretentious.
Petaluma is gentrifying. Lots of new restaurants opening, as maturing X-gen's chefs leave the city to raise their kids in a more rural environment. Check out Central Market as an example of the new Petaluma wave. Kentucky street has 6 new bistros that have sprung up in the past year. Take a day off and check it out.
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Graziano's Restaurant & Lunge
Cuisine: Italian American
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Petaluma |
9/2/2006
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Petaluma Landmark since the early 20th century. Decor & housekeeping are still stuck in 1920. Gets NORCAL award for ugliest bar. Peeling lime green walls covered with dusty old animal trophy heads. Big tables, red checkered cloths. Funky chairs. Crappy porcelain & glassware. A crohn plays the accordion (poorly) for the old Italian farts. Restaurant is 3 rooms. You want the front dining room. We ate in the "alcove" next to the bar. Should be renamed "The Hovel", not recommended. The food: BIG portions of fresh vegetables, fish, meats, and pasta. This is 1920's Italian-Californian style cooking at its best. Drink house jug Burgundy with your meal, it is the best match for the hearty, good tasting food. Prices are not cheap. Full on family style rib eye steak dinner is $35, Filet Mignon is $42. It's so much food you will burst if you eat it all. Smaller portions than Buca de Beppo but the quality is 900% better. Get dinner reservations as it is always crowded.
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Volpi's Ristorante & Bar
Cuisine: Italian American
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Petaluma |
9/2/2006
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Cowboy cuisine from hell.
Over the past 30 years I've been brought to this Cattlemen's in Petaluma 3 times by different hosts. They all waxed ecstatic over the meat here. These guys were all from Petaluma, they are not gourmets.
Cattlemen's features big slabs of greasy red meat. They add big portions of potatoes and chili style beans. Look at your server's apron. It's covered in grease and bean splatter. Not a pretty sight.
If you're young, in good health and can handle a meal of excessive carbos and cow fat you'll do fine here. You do not want to make this a regular dining destination as you will hasten clogged arteries and promote future heath calamaties.
I do NOT recommend that you take your 55 year old mother here as the food will cause her to have terrible gas pains and a gall bladder attack.
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Cattleman's
Cuisine: Steakhouse
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Petaluma |
8/26/2006
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No, no,no,no no... This place is a low budget tourist trap. I've eaten here 5 times since 1973 because my stupid visiting relatives read about it & insisted we must indulge. They are New Yorker's looking to be annoyed about something while in beautiful San Francisco. The food here is cheap, greasy crap. I had the oiliest donut in my life here. Simply disgusting. I, too, knew and was annoyed by the famous waiter Edsel Ford Fong, back in the day. Really, to spend your valuable short lifespan on earth to be insulted by a curmudgeonly waiter in a crappy dive restaurant is not a good use of time. You're cruising Chinatown? Go ahead buy some cheap trinkets, have your photo taken at the entrance to the Bank of Canton. When you get hungry, Go someplace else! Sam Woh & all the other cheap restaurants in Chinatown are sub-par.
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Sam Wo
Cuisine: Chinese
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Chinatown |
8/20/2006
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The in-house restaurant for the Rennaisance Lodge of Sonoma hotel. Located 1 mile south of the central town plaza. BambieKat & I just got married there. Stayed for 3 nites. Ate 10 meals here. Rehearsal dinner party for 15 was remarkably good. Ordered from menu. Lamb chops are remarkable, soft, succulent, juicy. Crab cakes too salty, skip those. Jumbo shrimp appetizer wonderful with fresh from the sea flavor. We had a 80 person wedding dinner. I expected a cafeteria production line disappointment. Was surprised to have a fine dining experience with great tasting food! Rated 4 stars by SF Chronicle, I save that esteemed rating for Gary Danko. This place is a bit too casual & my final lunch $12 hamburger, which was just okay, makes me rate Carneros 3.5 stars. Still, this is one of the best places (if not the very best) to eat in Sonoma County.
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Carneros
Cuisine: Californian
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Sonoma |
8/1/2006
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I had a fast lunch of the ground pork imperial rolls and a small bowl of Pho soup with beef 4 ways. Served Saigon style with the side plates of fresh herbs. All was clean, flavorful, fast. Cost = $15 with generous tip. Clean dining room, brusque but friendly enough staff. I was the only Anglo in place. Obviously this place has local community credibility. I'd gladly eat lunch here again.
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PPQ Dungeness Island
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Outer Richmond |
7/24/2006
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Ate here the 1st time right after it opened. That was a while back! It was good then. Ate here again recently. Still good, still cute. Nice folks. Great neighborhood, I just love upper Polk.
There are millions of Thai restaurants in California. This one ranks in the upper echelon for food quality and casual dining experience.
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Lemongrass
Cuisine: Thai
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Russian Hill |
7/20/2006
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Here's positive review # 10. This is an excellent restaurant. Yes, parking is a hassle. We cruised the streets 20 minutes before squeezing into a tight spot on Van Ness 3 blocks away. Meal: Butter lettuce salad with mustard vinaigrette / Parmesan, Spring salad mix with peppered tiny strawberries, pork chop with non-pickled kraut & small roast potatoes / mushrooms, Succulent pan fried halibut, a side of fresh shucked English peas with sautéed onion / pancetta. Desserts were the signature tiramisu & the even better panna cotta topped with huckleberry compote. We had several glasses of Italian wines. All were excellent, priced @ $6 for a generous pour. Like the other knowledgeable reviewers for this restaurant, I've been to Italy many times. I know Italian home & restaurant cooking. Antica Trattoria serves very authentic tasting Italian food. Our meal here was better than 75% of the restaurants we eat in Italy. The bill here was $105, I'll return often. Highly recommended!
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Antica Trattoria
Cuisine: Italian
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Polk St./Van Ness |
7/20/2006
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Typical suburban not-so-good Chinese place. I've had take-out from this place several times as I work the evening shift at the hospital across the street, and authentic food selections go scarce after the sun sets in Petaluma, CA. I'm underwhelmed by the overly sweet and overcooked Schezuan beef. Cashew chicken is bland and unremarkable. Won-Ton soup was flavor-free. Gyoza was rubbery. Hong Kong style noodles were just a bit too oily, but at least they were toothsome, not overcooked. Prices are low. I get 5 courses for less than $10. When I'm hungry I will eat crap, the food from this place is just one cut above that.
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Hunan Village
Cuisine: Chinese
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Petaluma |
7/19/2006
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Hole-in-the-wall, shopping center storefront place. 7 tables. Mostly a take-out operation for big burritos, tacos, enchiladas. Lunch specials with beans and rice are priced in the $5 range. Surprisingly good chow for such low prices. Meats taste fresh. Vegetables are clean tasting too. No alcohol. The perfect little fast cheap yet good lunch place when you're in the hinterlands of east side Petaluma.
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Coyote Grill
Cuisine: Mexican
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Petaluma |
7/19/2006
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Quite mediocre. Fake, theme joint that reeks of KorpKuisine(tm) mentality, decor and poor food. Mixed drinks are as crumby as Chevy's Tex-Mex. Why bother? Go down the street to La Bufa instead. There you can get real Mexican food, family owned for 35 years.
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Cantina
Cuisine: Mexican
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Santa Rosa |
7/6/2006
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Casual Italian dining in the waterfront district of Petaluma,CA. We had an early dinner of salads, pasta, a fabulously flavored and perfectly sauteed large Tilapia fillet. Reasonably priced wine by the glass. Generous pour. The tiramisu is house made and quite good. The lady fingers are dry and spongy with a delicious cream, dusted by high quality chocolate powder. Total bill $73. Because the weather was unusually gorgeous in this traditional fog zone, we sat in the front patio which is way too close to the cars in the parking lot. I was stared down by the front grill of a monster pick-up truck parked 48 inches away for the whole meal. Dining room is basic. No linen tablecloths. Friendly wait staff. Locally owned mom & pop. I'm going back to try the hand made ravioli soon. I'm going to sit inside.
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Sugo
Cuisine: Italian
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Petaluma |
7/6/2006
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I'm half Polish, mother's side. Came here for dinner with 4 of my 100% Polish cousins, one nephew & my Anglo Saxon fiancé' Bambie Kat in tow. Bambie is a foodie, but she was quite confounded by the strangeness of the menu selections.
Well, we talked up a storm about our immigrant Polish grandparents around a meal of Pirogues, bacon laced sauerkraut, Goulash, Potato dumplings, & the like. Dinner was a delightful 3.5 hour occasion, where we drank lots of wine and had a good old time. Us diluted Polacks agreed that this was like the food we remembered as kids from the family get togethers of the 1950's & 60's. All that was missing was the loud & terrible polka music & the requisite late night drunken testosterone brawl.
Hearty, starchy, food. Great service. Nice neighborhood. Recommended!
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Old Krakow Polish Restaurant
Cuisine: Polish Czech Eastern European
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West Portal |
6/29/2006
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Total agreement with reviews by punks and il'uomo below. I ate here a few years ago. Knew what I was getting into as soon as I saw the merchandising. Stupid of me to stay to order food & wine. Meal and experience was absolutely terrible. Why is this place still open after 7-8 years of mediocrity? Can you spell Tax-Write-Off?
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Cafe Zoetrope
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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North Beach |
6/24/2006
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Fancied-up Mexican food. Went on a week end night when place was filled with young partyers that gave the place a great buzz. Menu is more interesting than the typical mom & pop burrito / taco joint. We ordered meats with sides & some cocktails, I even had the fancy flan. All was acceptable. I thought that it was all a little amateurish, (in a good way), Room decor is a little kicky, it has big heavy wood furniture w/o being serious. Food is a little adventurous w/o pretension. Obviously this is a product of young people doing a yeoman job. Prices are higher than similar places in the ''burbs. Good for downtown / tourist crowd. Locals with transportation will still prefer their favorite Latino joint in the Mission.
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Colibri Mexican Bistro
Cuisine: Mexican Small Plates
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Downtown |
6/22/2006
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Eaten lunch here 3 times. Quite good in that flavors are clean & crisp. Not oily. Chicken broth in soups is rich, I bet that they melt down those chickens and do not use canned broth. Had the spring rolls last visit, I was underwhelmed by the soggy wrapper and bland not crisp contents stuffed inside. Poor showing & taste when compared to better shrimp rolls at Mai's or Tu Lan or many other Viet Namese lunch places in the big city. Dining room has 30 seats. Ambience is pure Petaluma roadside strip shopping center, clean & clutter free, but no charm. Full on lunch with rolls, BIG Pho, soda will cost you $11. Dinner with several fancier dishes will run less than $20. Most expensive item on the menu is a clay pot whole fish with curry for $9.95. Good value. Probably the best quality VN food in this town.
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Thang Long Vietnamese Restaurant
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Petaluma |
6/18/2006
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All American Bar & Restaurant. Ribs, Bar-B-Que Chicken, Steaks, Fresh Fish with good sides of potatoes, cole slaw. I really enjoy lunch here. The biggest & best burger in Sonoma County. Owned by the next-door Mystic Theater folks. Fun bar with micro-brew beers, some local wines and hard liquor. Dinner with plenty of drinks will run you less than $30. Gets lively at night
& week-ends. Recommended!
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McNear's Saloon & Dining Hall
Cuisine: American
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Petaluma |
6/11/2006
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Small selection of fine pastries and breads. This is the real deal! They make the best morning buns in the SF bay area. Crunchy on the exterior, poofy and slightly cinnamon loaded on the inside. Items are never overloaded with butter. A new outlet has opened on Solano Ave in Berkeley which is larger than the College Ave original location. This is my favorite bakery in the bay area and I drive from Marin a couple of times per month especially to purchase La Farine goodies!
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La Farine French Bakery
Cuisine: French Bakery
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Oakland |
6/11/2006
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Eaten here twice over the past 10 years. Some of the previous reviewers accurately describe my experiences here. Okay food, nothing special. This is just another tourist trap place in North Beach. For flavor, you could eating Caffe Sport or any other of a dozen places in the neighborhood. Passable quality starchy pasta. The patio is nice. Attracts loud, happy, lively crowds at night. Another worthy north beach destination when you are carousing with your troop. We really appreciate that you take the time to drive from far flung Walnut Creek, San Ramon, & Santa Rosa in your Lexus SUV to spend your hard earned dollars here. Party down!
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Bocce Cafe
Cuisine: Italian
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North Beach |
6/8/2006
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This is the best Thai restaurant in Santa Rosa. Nicest dining room & the most flavorful, high quality cuisine. Still reasonably priced. Lots of meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes. They can spice it up here! Some others have reported aloof service. I've been here 3 times. I greet the hostess with a friendly "Sah-Wah-dee", smile genuinely fold my hands into prayer position & give a small bow forward. They then treat me like a king for the rest of the evening. Lesson: Show respect & get respect. Almost all Thai places have the same 20 dishes. The ones made here are more soulful, have deeper complexity, & are served on pretty plates. Highly recommended!
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Jhanthong Banbua
Cuisine: Thai
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Santa Rosa |
6/8/2006
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Way off the beaten path in the down scale Santa Venetia neighborhood of San Rafael. I've been here twice for company meetings. I think the food is really mediocre. Everything tastes overcooked and bland. Soups are watery. Place is a converted house and feels like it was done on a low budget. Owners are nice. I've eaten Basque cuisine in 6 places around California & Reno, NV. I'm not a real fan of this regional cuisine that is distinct from French or Spanish. Still, this place is the worst of the 6 I've tried.
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Le Chalet Basque Restaurant
Cuisine: Basque
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San Rafael |
6/8/2006
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Located across the street from the Frank Lloyd Wright Marin Civic Center. Bogie's has been here for decades. It's my best friend's favorite place for breakfast. He's a smart guy that normally eats well, but this place is a typical small family run greasy spoon hidden in a dilapidated 1950's shopping center. Small cluttered interior is car & American highways theme all over the walls. Furnishings are well worn. My omelet was heavy, oily. So are the potatoes O'Brien. Coffee is Folger's. I know & appreciate that there is room in this world for everyone, even little mediocre family owned breakfast places. But I'd rather eat at the IHOP in Novato than at Bogie's again.
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Bogie's Cafe
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
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San Rafael |
6/8/2006
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Wow! Sumptuous & scrumptious! Seats just 45. Open redwood beam ceiling makes it feel bigger. Elegant tables, comfy seats nice linen, earthenware rectangular dishes, Reidel crystal. Modern art on the walls. Food theme is small plates that you share. We started with premium bar drink: $10. Ahi Tuna Tartare on walnut toast crisps, elegant complex, wonderful. Carrot flan with fried pea sprout greens, pea creme and carrot cream, mild but interesting. Pan seared halibut with morels & fresh creamed corn, excellent. Mini-hamburgers are round meatballs with goat cheese and other fancy fixin's, stupendous. Chocolate madelines with 4 little Godiva liquor milk shakes - "oh my god"! Also had 4 fresh fruit homemade sorbets on home made graham crackers & fresh ollalaberry compote, great! Wine list is large, interesting & pricey. Service from my newly hired young lady was impeccable. I enjoyed this meal more than Gary Danko or the Lark Creek Inn. Dinner was $134 plus tip. Fabulous value!
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Picco
Cuisine: Eclectic Small Plates
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Larkspur |
6/8/2006
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Identical twin sister restaurant to the San Rafael place with the same name. Meat carvery and steam table. Grab your tray and tell the guys behind the food what you want. Giant portions. Always a big roast beef and a giant fresh turkey on the carving table. Everything is too salty. It's always busy. All the local cops and firemen eat here. For $11 you get a meal that will stick to your ribs for days. Beer and soda. Burp!
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Roast Haus-Hof Brau
Cuisine: German
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Novato |
6/7/2006
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Typical meat carvery with all the side fixin's on the steam table. Always a big roast beef and a giant fresh turkey on the carving table. Cafeteria style. Get your tray and tell the guys behind the food what you want. BIG portions. Dinner will cost $11 and you will burst from the food quantity. All the local older police officers and firemen eat here. All the food is over salted. The place is busy from the time it opens at 11:00 am to closing at 9:00 PM. This is all American food via Germany. Bottled beer in the cooler to complete your carbohydrate sodden meal. Burp!
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Hof-Brau Roast Haus
Cuisine: German Cafeteria
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San Rafael |
6/7/2006
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I've been here 5 times. I endorse the previous reviews by tastebuddy and eats-a-lot , though I disagree with their negative rating decisions. The desserts are lovely, and yes they are prettier in appearance than the flavor. Dinner portions are too small. The servers that I've met are too "downtown hip" for my taste. Acting rude is not a sign of urban sophistication. I suggest that they start to hire emotionally balanced adults to serve customers. Still the food here is above average for San Francisco when the kitchen is on. If you can snag a table reservation 90 minutes before the symphony begins, consider yourself lucky.
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Citizen Cake
Cuisine: Californian Bakeries
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Hayes Valley |
6/7/2006
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Old & tired. If you like cheap cuts of steamy meats hof Brau style, this tourist trap may please. I think that it's yucky. After I ordered the roast beef with starches, the only saving grace was the Anchor steam beer. And there are way better beers made in the bay area than Anchor Steam. Hey, here's a suggestion.... If you like this kind'a food, save $9. Go to the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen for the homeless. It's about 10 streets from Tommy's Joynt. Same "cuisine" probably made from more healthful ingredients.
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Tommy's Joynt
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Downtown |
6/6/2006
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Been here twice. It sucks. Terrible food. Non-existent service. It's been in business for years. Can't be on the merit of the food. Avoid!
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Maya Palenque
Cuisine: Mexican
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Novato |
6/2/2006
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Downtown Santa Rosa, off Courthouse Square. 20 tables, 4 on the sidewalk. Menu is a smattering of world cuisine done California style. Focaccia sandwiches, Thai noodle salad with chicken breast, Chinese chicken salad, Tomato Basil soup, small pizza, etc... Menu has 25 items. For dinner they place linens & crystal glasses on the tables. Bar is beer and wine. Smallish list, priced average. My lunch today was barely okay. Steamed mussels (overcooked & not fresh) & Thai noodle salad (somewhat better but still ordinary). 24 year old hippie chick server really didn't pay enough attention to empty water glasses, even though there were only 2 tables with customers. She was too busy chatting up the 28 year old manager. 2 simple lunches with tap water for $38 plus tip. Not worth the price. Santa Rosa is going thru another food "Renaissance" if you believe the local press. If this place is part of the excitement, then the locals need to get out to the big city more often.
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Checkers
Cuisine: California Fusion
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Santa Rosa |
6/1/2006
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Little place on a corner in a light industrial zone off the Lucas Valley Rd exit of Hwy 101, North San Rafael. Breakfast & Lunch for us small time business owners who have offices here. Open 6:30 am to 3:00 pm only. Good coffee! Has good quality pastries. Makes sandwiches for lunch. A few salads, bottled drinks in the glass cooler. A more healthy menu than running to Burger King for lunch.
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Redwood Cafe
Cuisine: American Bistro Coffee Shop
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San Rafael |
5/31/2006
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...Reviewing an IHOP in Novato? I'm kidding, right? Not really. There are way better places to eat breakfast in Novato, Marin County. I've written a few reviews for those better places. And there are LOTS of worse places to eat breakfast in this sleepy little town, too. This IHOP is fairly new. The dining area is still in good clean shape. Manager & workers seem to care about cleanliness. I've eaten breakfast here 5 times. Short order cooks here are competent. Omelet eggs are fluffy, never greasy. Pancakes are poofy, not leaden. Avoid on Saturday & Sunday mornings as the place is packed, staff is hurried, noise level from screaming kids is a nuisance, and the cleanliness factor suffers. Still this is a better quality IHOP in the bay area, (The IHOP on 4th Street San Rafael is ALWAYS disgusting - filthy). This IHOP beats Denny's for menu selection, food flavor, & room cleanliness.
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International House of Pancakes
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
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Novato |
5/31/2006
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Pretty restaurant in a pretty setting. Had the Sunday brunch and met my future father-in-law for the first time here. Great personal service from a mature, professional waiter. Food was above average in flavor & presentation. I had eggs Benedict. Of course all wines are Sonoma County vintages. Good wine selections at average mark-up. Large dining room windows overlook a perfectly manicured vineyard. Dress up for this special place to take your parents. Recommended!
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John Ash & Co
Cuisine: Californian
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Santa Rosa |
5/30/2006
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OOOooo, we got off to a bad start with the two reviews below. Take it to a chat room boys. BOCA, replaced the long beloved Restaurant Orsi in beautiful downtown Ignacio. Orsi was a family style place that served just okay food with enthusiasm, laughs & conviviality. BOCA bought the building, put in $400,000 of improvements, now it's high end dining. Praise from SF Chron, Gayot, & Zagat reviews. This is adult destination dining with high prices. The Food: Good steaks! Flaky empanandas. Cool avocado soup. Check the website for the menu. The Bar: Good label booze at above average prices. Hip bartenders know how to mix. The Dining room: Nice linens, china, silverware & crystal. The Sound: Louder than a Rock Concert! Tall ceilings do not mitigate the noise level. Almost impossible to talk when all tables are taken (with or w/o screaming babies). Outdoor patio. The service: Good, not great. Waiters in uniform look sharp. Overall positive, especially for Novato
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Boca
Cuisine: Argentinian Steakhouse
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Novato |
5/30/2006
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Okay you're in Novato, on the east side of the freeway. The neighbors are Macy's Furniture store, Chevy's, IHOP, Target & Costco. If you're hungry for any kind'a cuisine while in the area, go to Jenny Low's Chinese about 100 feet away. TOP NOTCH Chinese for a low price. If you're in a Pasta Pomodoro mood, this outlet is just fine. Compares well to or better than most of the P.P.'s in the city. The servers here are clean cut, friendly local kids. This is an improvement over the typical moody wanna'-be actor that will mistreat you at a downtown SF Pasta Pomodoro location. Remember this is a Pasta Pomodoro, there are no Italians in the kitchen. You're geting Italian style fast food made by a central American short-order cook.
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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Novato |
5/30/2006
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Let's talk perspective inside the Max's Opera Cafe universe. How is this one compared to the others? This one is worse than most. The best Max's for flavor & service is Palo Alto - Stanford shopping Center. The worst is the Airport / Burlingame location or this one here in Corte Madera. Why? 1. Tired looking room, worn out furniture. Less than clean room. 2. Lackluster flavor, is this place getting the oldest product from the south San Francisco factory? Or is the stuff sitting in the 'fridge here for too long before being served to you? - I'll agreeably eat at Max's Van Ness Opera plaza location when attending the symphony. I'll never return to this Corte Madera location, it's that bad. There are many better alternatives across the street at the Corte Madera Town Center shopping center. Go there instead.
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Max's
Cuisine: Deli Sandwiches
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Corte Madera |
5/28/2006
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I love the noise and staff rushing about on a busy afternoon at Yank Sing. The visual and aroma barrage of the constantly passing food carts does lean towards sensory overload. I like the food here, my constant companion, Barbara is less enthusiastic. She's not a fan of any Asian cuisine, so take her opinion in stride. Recent lunch was $58 for us & Barb did not eat heartily like me. I used to visit the old Battery Street location. Was the food better then? Maybe. The old place was a dot.com & banker hang-out, it was always more kinetic with happy diners than the new address. Still for variety & flavor of dim sum, Yank Sing is up there with the best places.
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Yank Sing
Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum
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Embarcadero |
5/28/2006
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Not as nearly as good as the Oakland College Ave Zachary's. Our salad was fresh, big enough for 2 hungry adults to share, the vinaigrette dressing is perfectly polite. Thin crust Pizza here was too crunchy, cheeses were a bit too gluey. Still the pizza had good flavor. I enjoyed the Berkeley micro-brewed Pilsner style beer. On the plus side, this location is not nearly as crowded nor noisy as College Ave Zachary's. Servers here were all nice, unrushed, and competent. For the sheer number of restaurants, the variety & the relatively good quality - Solano Ave rocks!
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Zachary's Chicago Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
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Berkeley |
5/25/2006
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This place defines California fusion cuisine to me. Fast food made well with quality ingredients. Menu selections with inspiration from everywhere. Have Japanese style sweet soyu salmon with a Mexican tortilla flavored pita / Harissa wrap & a Watsonville strawberry smoothie. This place must be a spaceport food franchise outlet from the Sirius Star system that features "earth food". Bring your inter-galactic friends when they suddenly pop thru the hyperspace worm-hole for a surprise visit. Okay, seriously - This is clean food, served fast, that is good for you. Priced reasonably. May the force be with you.
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World Wrapps
Cuisine: Eclectic Deli Wrapps
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Corte Madera |
5/23/2006
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Nicest Viet Namese restaurant dining room I've ever visited. Candle lit romantic, sleek & sexy, cool, upscale room. The hostess / Owner is an exotically beautiful older woman dressed to the 9's. You pay for what you see. They use the word contemporary in their self description. In California, I've noticed that "contemporary" is synonymous with "overpriced" in restaurant sales lingo. The dinner: I had small portion (just a few 1" cubes) of boneless braised beef rib for $20!!! Salad, some noodles. Barbara had a curry fish dish, sauteed vegetables We drank two glasses of wine. Ended with coffee. Bill over $130 before tip. Not a big amount compared to my tabs @ Boulevard, Gary Danko, French Laundry. Yet way over priced compared to Mai's, Turtle Tower, or Aux Delices. Is the food here really 3X better than the other V.N. places? No. But it is well done V.N. / French fusion food in a nice room. It's a worthy romantic date night spot.
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Maison De La Reine
Cuisine: Vietnamese French Fusion
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Corte Madera |
5/23/2006
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This place exceeded my expectations. I abhor tourist location restaurants, will go far out of my way to avoid them. The entry door was open, the aromas wafting into the street were yummy. The sidewalk chalk board displayed many items that were fairly priced. I shrugged my shoulders and dragged Barbara in. I had the full on dinner with salad, pasta, fish, dessert and coffee. Barbara had the cioppino. My food was yeoman competent, really! Another example of hard working Mexican cooks making Italian food not quite authentically, yet wholesome & enjoyable. Barbara declared her cioppino to be superior! What a surprise. Place was packed. Loud noisy room. Service was fine, I'm sure that I got extra appreciative attention as I spoke Spanish with the hostess and waiters - insider's edge. Are you stuck touring the tacky wharf area with visiting family? Come here to eat instead of the crap tourist traps down the street.
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Cioppino's
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
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Fishermans Wharf |
5/23/2006
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The Embassy Suites hotel chain owned by Hilton is my favorite place to stay when on the road for business. I like the big guest suites, the buffet breakfast, and the evening free c***tail hour. Usually the restaurant concession inside the hotels are bad. This one is pretty mediocre. I've booked several business events here for 20 to 300 people. Food is resolutely institutional. Bland, Sysco quality frozen ingredients, prepared and seasoned no better than a hospital cafeteria can make. On the plus side it is consistent, you get exactly what the catering manager shows you in the photos. They serve it on time. The meeting rooms are big enough for social hour & dinner. If you're staying here for a visit, do yourself a favor, go someplace else for dinner. There are plenty of good restaurants less than 2 miles from here. Type San Rafael in the search box at the top of this page. I've written plenty of reviews for San Rafael restaurants that you'll really enjoy.
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Ring's Steak, Seafood & Chops
Cuisine: American Steakhouse
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San Rafael |
5/22/2006
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Of just the few small homey restaurants in "downtown" Stinson Beach. This is my favorite. White table clothes, good silverware and glasses. Nice wait persons. I've eaten here just twice. Had good dinners both times. Menu changes with the fresh ingredients at the market. Chicken & Fish dinners are a good bet. Prices are moderate. Wine list is small, Californian and fairly priced. Outdoor dining patio for the nice weather. Live small combo jazz during the summer. A great way to wrap up a week-end evening at the beach.
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Stinson Beach Grill
Cuisine: American
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Stinson |
5/22/2006
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In house restaurant for the newer Best Western Hotel in Ignacio - South Novato on the west side of Hwy 101. Big plates of wood fired meats. Largest stuffed pork chop I've ever been served, & they brought 2 for $15.95!!! Taste, flavor, texture? Not the best when you compare with the high quality chop houses in the city. But they try hard & do make most diners very happy. Room is large, light filled, clean. Service is prompt, pays attention, is friendly. Wine list is middle of the road Californian. Wine prices are decent, lower mark-up than usual. I've eaten here twice. No burning need to return. When I have a craving for this kind'a food, I go to the Buckeye in Mill Valley, which is much better - Though much more expensive.
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Wild Fox Mesquite Fired Kitchen
Cuisine: American
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Novato |
5/22/2006
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Located in the industrial zone of East San Rafael. 40 seat place that serves Chinese and Japanese dishes. I've had both types several times. All what you'd expect for the low prices. Pretty clean restaurant especially when you consider the neighborhood. Cheery wait staff, fast service. The hand made sushi is always fresh. Portions are larger than most traditional Japanese Sushi eateries. Chinese food can be a little too starchy and oily. Great for a filling lunch.
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Yu Shang Mandarin Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Cuisine: Chinese Japanese
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San Rafael |
5/22/2006
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New, family owned, single location Ice Cream maker. I've been there 3 times. Sustainable is the key word here. No petroleum products come in the door. Ice cream cups are made from corn products. So are the spoons. If you are "Green", this is the only place you can eat ice cream guilt free. The product is unique in composition and flavor. This is some of the best ice cream I've ever eaten, & I'm 53 years old. Made with all organic ingredients. The carefully mixed small batches gives a texture that you never find in other commercial ice cream. This stuff has body without the slimy gooey heaviness of other "gourmet" ice cream brands. The chocolate has an appealing authentic cocoa grittyness on the tongue. The body of the ice cream has a lightness without being puffed-up with air. He's giving away tastes at the Sunday Marin farmer's market. Meet the guy, he's the Ice Cream guru for the new millennium.
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Three Twins Ice Cream
Cuisine: Dessert Ice Cream
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San Rafael |
5/21/2006
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Named for owner Brendan Moylan who also owns Noonan's Restaurant and the Marin Brewing company in Larkspur Landing . The Novato outlet is bigger than both Larkspur locations. Theme here is great beer, of course. Pub food is hearty here. Big portions, lot's of meats. I've eaten here twice. I think that the food at the Marin Brewing location is better tasting and less greasy. Moylan's lacks the clubby vibe felt in Larkspur, the large room is a bit cavernous & soulless. When you're in Novato & craving a home made, private label premium beer and a big juicy hand made burger, this is a good bet. If you want to skip the beer and want a better hand made burger, go to the California Rotisserie Grill on South Novato Blvd. Check out that review for directions & website menu
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Moylan's Brewery and Restaurant
Cuisine: American Pub Food
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Novato |
5/21/2006
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A successful Mom & pop that has been here for many years. Despite being located in a hidden, ugly strip shopping center between the industrial fishing boat harbor and auto dealerships. Does a brisk evening business. Inside decor explains the "village". Intricately carved teak wood "buildings" make up the dining booths. The interior looks like an old Indian mountain village. Menu items are all the dishes you expect: Tandooris, curries, etc.... Food here has a distinct smoky flavor, it's agreeable. Dishes have a little different flavor than the other Indian places that I frequent. Servers are always happy & energetic. A few of my gourmet friends say that this is their favorite Indian restaurant in Marin. I prefer Bombay Garden on 4th st. downtown San Rafael. But if you drag me here to the village and pay for dinner I won't complain.
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India Village
Cuisine: Indian
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San Rafael |
5/20/2006
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Interesting old place hidden in the run-down industrial, back harbor of east side San Rafael, Been here since the1960's. Attracts a working man's crowd. Live music on week-end nights. Their specialty drink is Budweiser in the bottle. I've eaten here a few times when playing guitar with the band. They have burgers, steaks, a big salad, a soup. Portions are large enough to satisfy a burly Harley rider or a tough working fisherman. You'll be served by a friendly enough, totally matter-of-fact woman who has seen it all & done it all, twice. This place is a slice of real Americana that is dying off to be replaced by KorpKuisine (tm) fakery. There's a back outdoor patio where you can smoke, but the view is urban ugly.
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Pier 15
Cuisine: American
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San Rafael |
5/20/2006
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Another Mexican place in San Rafael on the South east side, the barrio. Building is an old fast food place that has been minimally redecorated. Ordering and pick up at the counter is still fast food method. Has all the expected menu items: Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tamales. Better tasting than the fast food chains, better ingredients and preparation. But still not one of my favorite Mexican places here in San Rafael. The rice is watery tasting, and the beans have little flavor at all. The room always seems almost empty of people and the stone walls & floor reverberates with every !Clank! in the kitchen. Clean enough. Prices are low enough for what you get. Not worth a special trip, but if you're down the street at the Circuit City, I guess this is an okay lunch stop.
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Picante
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
5/18/2006
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Located across the street from College of Marin in Kentfield. This is the BEST place in Marin county for breakfast. And the crowds on the week-end prove it. No reservations, and you will wait up to an hour weekend mid-mornings to be seated. They have 150 chairs, it's really busy! Food is top-notch. They make my favorite buttermilk biscuit in the world! They taught me how to make them after I begged like a sick child. Good size portions. Lots of different items that span the globe. From huevos rancheros to Chinese chicken salad - It's all good! Pancakes are a kid's favorite here, eat your heart out IHOP! Good people watching spot. The wealthy & beautiful Marin crowd comes here, yes that is me at table 19. Wait staff is young, energetic. Clean kitchen open to view. Closes by 2:30 PM.
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Half Day Cafe
Cuisine: American
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Ross |
5/18/2006
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Another hidden treasure in San Rafael, you'd never find this place if you're a visitor. Located out past the San Rafael Marina. Tiny place with 10 tables, half of them out on the front patio of this wooden ramshackle hut facing the boats of the marina. Breakfast & lunch only. Big ommelettes, giant juicy burgers. Alcohol = Beer, only. I've eaten here 30 times in the past 10 years. Not heart healthy! Home-town friendly service. Super casual. You can tie your dog to your chair, everybody else does. Come Sunday, bring the paper. Sit in the sun enjoy the fresh bay breeze. Eat lots'a carbs that taste all-so-good. CASH only.
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Bobby's Fo'c's'Le
Cuisine: Hamburgers
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San Rafael |
5/18/2006
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Small, clean, family owned Burrito place. Located catty-corner across from the Marin county Civic Center. Good place for a fast lunch when you're on jury duty. Much better than any corporate fast food Mexican place. They can spice it up mightily if you ask. Nice people own & run the place. A few tables inside and on the patio. Low prices.
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Ay! Caramba
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
5/18/2006
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Barbara & I had big seafood salad lunches at the counter. Fresh, good, tasty! Similar menu to, but Waaaayyy better food & ambience than Swan Oyster depot. Healthy food that will not weigh you down as you rush around the Ferry building spending your entire paycheck on gourmet items.
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Hog Island Oyster Company
Cuisine: Oysters Seafood American (Traditional)
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Embarcadero |
5/18/2006
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SF magazine raved about this place last year, so we decided to go in for lunch. Ordered the "pizza" (quotations marks intentional). Had some salad, ordered a couple glasses of wine. What's with the pastry-like, filo-dough type, oily croissant "pizza" crust? I'm Italian, Pizza is Italian - Pizza is NOT made with croissant dough! Somebody's misguided invention. Okay the toppings are good quality ingredients, but goat cheese and sweet fresh herbs on a croissant dough? Stop it - Now! Come here to buy a loaf of bread, it is good. Sit, have a salad & a glass of wine. Tell them to start making real pizza, then you'll order one.
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Rigolo
Cuisine: Italian Bistro Bakeries
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Presidio Heights |
5/18/2006
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A So Cal cafe chain. Step inside this location and you'd never suspect that this is a franchise chain operation. Simple dining area with 8 zinc top tables. Decor is minimal - You feel like you're eating in the lobby of a take-out bakery. Prettiest pastry you'll ever see in the cases, delicious too! The number of food selections is small, but focuses on fresh ingredients made into simple bistro style eats. Web link connects you with the menu. I had a bowl of soup ,a turkey tartine, & a glass of white wine. It as a fine refresher while shopping downtown Mill Valley. Prices a little on the high side for what you get. Another location in Corte Madera that I have not tried, I'd expect it to be almost identical.
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Champagne French Bakery Cafe
Cuisine: French Bistro Bakeries
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Mill Valley |
5/18/2006
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Another Thai restaurant of the 100's here in Marin County. This one actually is in the higher echelon for quality of food, service, location conveneince, & parking availability. Popular place that does a brisk business. Nice light filled room with 30 tables. Friendly owner and staff. Menu has all the same items you see in every other Thai restaurant. I've eaten here twice. I liked it okay. Prices are average. But 4 blocks away is Lanna Thai, for which I am Crazy-in-love. For the same price level as Orchid, Lanna will make you something special that will amaze and delight you! Have a busy, hunger inducing day in Marin, eat lunch at Orchid then have dinner at Lanna Thai. Afterwards you'll agree with me, Orchid lunch - good, Lanna Thai dinner - better!
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Orchid Thai
Cuisine: Thai
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San Anselmo |
5/16/2006
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Sort'a romantic, muted, cozy, small Italian place in the heart of downtown Mill Valley. Within 4 blocks there are 5 Italian restaurants, but I prefer this one because it is quieter, caters to a more sedate adult crowd, and the wine list is good without being overpriced. Here you get all the expected Italian dishes. I've eaten here just twice. Food is good, Not fantastic, not really authentic Italian tasting. Par for the course - competent yeoman cooking with inexact flavors made by cooks from central America, not Italy. None the less, you & your sweetie will enjoy a candle light dinner at a small table where you can hold hands, longingly gaze into each other's eyes and splatter drops of tomato sauce on your clothes. Ahhh love!
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Vasco
Cuisine: Italian
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Mill Valley |
5/16/2006
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Small, tidy take out burrito place on the Hwy 101 eastern side frontage road just north of Strawberry village. Big burrito made with a quality tortilla stuffed with moist and succulent ingredients. I like the pork with everything. Reasonable prices, nice lady. Take out only, you'll have to find a place to sit elsewhere.
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Lucinda's Mexican Food To Go
Cuisine: Mexican
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Mill Valley |
5/16/2006
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I LOVE the Jennie Low's in Novato. It is my favorite Chinese restaurant in NorCal, better than 99.9% of the places in the city. The original Jennie Low location here in Mill Valley does not ring my bell. The food here is a little less fresh tasting. There is a bit too much sesame oil being used in the woks that transfers to the food, a flavor you Never taste at the Novato location. The Novato location dining room sparkles with light and cleanliness, this old storefront is tired feeling, darker and worn. I was surprised at my own disappointment with the food here in Mill Valley after eating so many great meals in Novato. Still I give a green positive for family association. Good thing I live closer to Novato than Mill Valley, makes life easier & tastier.
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Jennie Low's Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese
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Mill Valley |
5/16/2006
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A mighty 2 outlet chain owned by locals. This is good tasting authentic Mexican food made with quality ingredients, served quickly, and priced cheaply. See the web site. The style is a little more Oaxaca than Sonora Mexican, so the sauces are a little more interesting with the earthy tasting dark chiles. Frequently Wins the annual reader polls in the Pacific Sun weekly for chicken burrito. I think the pork dishes are even better. No alcohol. You order at the counter, you eat at a picnic table on the sidewalk. It ain't fancy, it IS good!
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Grilly's
Cuisine: Mexican
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Mill Valley |
5/16/2006
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Barbara just loves the food at this place, and I'm completely underwhelmed by it.. The spicy rub they use is redolent of rosemary, fancy seasoned salts, pepper. Fantastic smell. But the chicken meat is watery tasting. The take out roast chicken at Costco for $6.99 is waaayyy better. The roast potatoes are mushy inside and lack flavor. The restaurant is nice enough. The owners are friendly guys. A chicken dinner costs $16 - Fair enough price, especially here in Mill Valley. Green salads, beers, wines available. I just wish the food tasted as good as it smells.
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Gira Polli
Cuisine: Italian Southern
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Mill Valley |
5/16/2006
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Very popular place with the local families. I've been here twice and it was crowded both times. Friendly & energetic young service staff. Chain restaurant feel without being a chain.... In reality the food is just a little better than a suburban Chevy's "Authentic" Mexican. Menu has all the same items, pretty much served up the same way. Burritos covered with salsa and cheese, Taco salads - You know the drill. A great place to bring your kids, they'll have plenty of peer group company.
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Cantina
Cuisine: Mexican
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Mill Valley |
5/16/2006
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Pho soup stock is watery, lacks flavor. I had lunch at 1:30pm. The chicken stock must have been completely diluted down by that early hour. Cleanliness factor is barely passable. The bulk of plastic chopsticks on your table are oily feeling. The room is so plainly decorated it's ugly in it's fluorescent lamp glow. Staff aren't welcoming, they exude crabby attitude. Are they urban-hip-cranky, or they just don't like Anglos? You should avoid this place as many other good VN restaurants are within 2 streets. I recommend that you eat at Mai's instead.
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Pho Hoa Clement
Cuisine: Vietnamese Chinese
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Inner Richmond |
5/16/2006
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I've been here twice for work related dinners with large groups. Gayot.Com gives this place 13 points / 20 possible. That's about my score as well. Place has been here since 1980 or so. Family owned. Novato people come here for the view up & down the valley from the large windows on all sides of the dining room. Come after dark to watch the lights stream by on Hwy 101. The bar pours only premium liquor at fair prices. Large menu full of fish, meats, even vegetarian items. See the web site for all the menus. Nothing wows me here. This is solid, old style cooking in the "Joe's of (you insert town name here)" vein. The place attracts the older clientele. Wheelchair accessible.
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Hilltop Café
Cuisine: Italian American
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Novato |
5/14/2006
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A family owned "chain" restaurant with 3 locations in Nor Cal. Very authentic food. 85% of the customers are mono-lingual Spanish. Big bowls of menudo. Large Ceviche glasses full of fresh chopped fish & lime., Real flavorful soft corn tortillas with carnitas. Just like a low-budget restaurant you'd find in non-tourist coastal Mexico. This place is not super clean. Madhouse crowds with long lines on week-ends. Good salsas, great pico de gallo. Lot'sa rough hewn guys drinking a half dozen beers with their food. Pretty Anglo girls I take here do not like it, as it's a little gritty. Me & my friends who have lived in Mexico think it's one of the authentic food joints in Nor Cal. Hidden underneath Hwy 101 in central San Rafael. Lots of parking in the public lot.
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Taqueria San Jose
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
5/12/2006
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Greek Fast Food - Cool! 80+ locations now open. I never heard of them before. I stopped in on opening day for the Petaluma store. The Mgt team from SoCAL was there. They assured that the launch was flawless. Giving away tastes on the sidewalk got the crowds to enter. The look is fast food sleek with a Greek twist. Hand painted greek murals. Order at the cashier, they'll give you a # and deliver to your table. Real silverware. No alcohol. My combo lunch was lamb kebob, roast chicken & beef gyro. Rice, small salad & big lemonade was $11 - This is the most expensive meal you can buy. Yes, higher price than any American fast food joint. Food here is better tasting & healthier for you than any USA fast food. Is it as good as Kokkari Estiatorio? Of course not! but you spend pocket change at Daphne's. Give it a try instead of same price level Quizno's for lunch sometime.
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Daphne's Greek Cafe
Cuisine: Greek
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Petaluma |
5/11/2006
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Kushnir's review says it all eloquently. I've eaten here 6 times over the past 15 years. Full flavored cuisine. This is "lusty" bistro food. Not city refined, more earthy than most French food at the high priced places. It's been almost a year since I've eaten here, yet I can accurately sense memory the meal for it's richness & the smell of the ancient room. This is a well lived in place, the owners have made this place their life's work - It shows. Like visiting an old friend who lives in a well worn country house, and he can cook really good! A remarkable & unique place to eat. Come dressed casually, you won't feel self conscious.
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De Schmire
Cuisine: french bistro
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Petaluma |
5/10/2006
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Located in a shopping center between a Panda Express & a See's Candy shop. You'd expect a fake Italian deli on par with Togo's or a Subway, but you would be so wrong. They bake their own bread. They use the best quality cold cuts, roast their own turkey everyday. Cheeses are all good, freshest lettuce and flavorful tomatoes. The place is sparkley clean and sparsely furnished, only 3 tables. 99% of the customers are take-out. I've had 8 sandwiches here and they are all outstanding. 9 inch long sandwich on the fabulous sweet roll costs $7 to $8. It's a fine tasting meal all by itself. The macaroni & potato salads are delicious, because they have a minimum of mayonnaise. Grab a Moylans root beer or a Stewarts soda from their 'fridge & enjoy! A real big asset to the Petaluma food scene for what it is!
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Lucchesi's Delicatessen
Cuisine: Italian Deli
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Petaluma |
5/10/2006
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My 1st meal here tonight. Oh my god good! 3 course dinner for $30 per person is a large quantity of high quality Italian style home cookin'. Barbara has been here 3 times before. Always telling me how good it is. I was a skeptic, but no more. We were in Italy for 5 weeks last October. We ate a lot of good food. Villa Santina is better than 80% of those places we yummed about when in Rome and Tuscany. Tonight we added desserts, 4 glasses of wine, coffee. Total bill = $108. Real good food, real romantic garden back patio. Lots'a happy folks at every table having a good time. Indoor dining room was practically empty, so I'd say that walk-ins without reservations should have no problem getting seated on week nights. Waiters are all friendly & eager to please. Highly recommended!
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Della Santina's
Cuisine: Italian Tuscan
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Sonoma |
5/9/2006
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Location: Same parking lot as Cafe Gratitude on San Rafael's Miracle mile. Advertises as the best burger in Marin County. That's marketing hype & wishful thinking. Inexplicably, Phyllis Burger now has 3 locations in Marin county. I've eaten here just once. The burger is BIG! But the rock hard frozen Sysco patty is a tasteless disc unceremoniously slapped on a grill. White foam sponge bread,
flavorless tomato, nitrite soaked lettuce. Blah flavor. French fries are Dairy Queen quality. Limited menu, prices are 3X McDoodles. For this price you can get a better burger at any number of places close by. Even Bubba's in downtown San Anselmo makes a better burger, and I rate Bubba's as a neutral, too.
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Phyllis' Giant Burgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
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San Rafael |
5/8/2006
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We were in Union Square Macy's yesterday. Went up to check it out, Again. Half the population of Contra Costa county was waiting on-line. I have a suggestion. Fight your way to the podium. Get your name put on the list. Go down, go out, get back in your car. Drive to the cheesecake factory restaurant in Corte Madera, Marin County. Eat 'til you burst. Do NOT have dessert! Get back in your car, drive back to Union square, park. Go back upstairs to the podium, ask about how much longer it will be before you'll be called. You should only have about 5 minutes to wait before they'll seat you for dessert.
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Cheesecake Factory, The
Cuisine: American (Traditional) Dessert
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Downtown |
5/7/2006
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Here's a place you'll never find on your own if you're a visitor to San Rafael. The hotel & restaurant resemble a family owned pension located somewhere not-in-the-USA. Do you like Rick Steve's PBS TV travel show patter & his European family run hotel/restaurant selections? Then you'll like this place. I've eaten here 4 times over the past 10 years. It is not sublime top notch dining. It IS better than the low prices would reflect. I'm not kidding about the cuisine style description. This is pan asian-meso-American- italo interpreted by a guy from the rural mountains of Guerrero Mexico. He's never been to Italy nor China, so he cooks his way. It's okay! The room is small, romantically dark at night. Candles the major light source. I'm a part time pro-musician, but still I avoid live music nites here. They're too close to tables, they're too loud, oh & they're not really good musicians - Must be relatives of the owners. Come for food, skip the entertainment.
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Panama Hotel Restaurant & Inn
Cuisine: Italian Mexican Californian
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San Rafael |
5/7/2006
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Ate lunch after an exhausting Macy's shopping spree with my bride-to-be. We did wait on-line for 15 mins. We got the only tiny window table in the front side room. Our waiter was professional & fast. We got fueled back up on carbos, proteins, & iced tea. The bill was not expensive for the quality / quantity. I hate Lori's Diner, have said so in my review here @ SFsurvey. Sears may be owned by Lori's but the food is much better. Sears compares well with many New York City tourist restaurants that serve this kind'a food, in this kind'a place. I think Sears is better than Elaine's on the upper west side (Place where Meg Ryan's does the scene in Harry met Sally - sitting at the table having a luscious faked orgasm; "I'll have what she's having"). We can argue about this opinion. I'm from NYC. You want a toasty mayonnaise-y triple decker club sandwich in SF Union square? You come to Sears.
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Sears Fine Foods
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Downtown |
5/7/2006
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Same Yet Wah chain from San Francisco. Dumbed down menu for Marin Anglos. No dim sum and no steamed chicken feet. Still the cashew chicken, broccoli beef Americanized concoctions are passable. Probably one of the better Chinese restaurants in downtown San Rafael. Food served until 1:00 am most nights. Live music in the back room 4 nites per week. Full liquor bar. They actually make a decent classic martini. I've eaten here 5 times. I like it well enough when I reign in my expectations. Jenny Low's in Novato has better food. Yet Wah room is more fun (Is that the booze talking?). If you're having a "late night" in my sleepy little town, this is about the only place you'll find open. You'll live...
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Yet Wah Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
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San Rafael |
5/6/2006
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Ate lunch here 10 years ago & then last week. It hasn't changed. It's just okay. This is the annual Pacific Sun weekly #1 people's choice Mexican restaurant almost every year. It is a somewhat feminine room so the girls do like it. Decor needs to be updated. The food is not as robust as most "macho" Mexican places. It's more refined than Celia's on the other side of Hwy 101. Las Camelias frijoles seem to be too creamy for me, too much manteca & cheese on top & maybe some milk in them. I'll go with the flow, it deserves a positive rating, but you ain't in Mexico nor the Mission. More authentic than Chevy's. It deserves your visit more than any KorpKuisine chain Mexican restaurant. But there are many other Mexican family places on this same street, try those as well.
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Las Camelias
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
5/6/2006
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Eaten here twice. Took Bambiet for 1st time last nite. This is one of the most popular restaurants in San Rafael. Lots of older Marinites eat here. Especially in summer when they lounge at the sidewalk tables, pretending they are back in Rome. The food is pretty bad compared to a family restaurant in Rome. None of the cooks have ever tasted Italian food in Italy. They try valiantly, but they ain't got it. Previously frozen steak theown on a grill = $26. Greasy fried calamariis terrible. This is not Italian food, it's not even good Italo-American food. But the dining room is nice. The higher than average prices keep out the riff-raff. It's busy on date nites. Dismally slow & amateurish service. Still, you'll need a reservation. It's very mediocre. You try it and tell me I'm wrong.
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Il Davide
Cuisine: Tuscan Italian
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San Rafael |
5/6/2006
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Another Thai restaurant on the main street of San Rafael. This one has a little nicer dining room than the others in the large local pack of Thai places. Storefront full length windows completely open up in the warm weather, so you get al fresco dining while sitting inside, cool feature. Eaten here twice. Food is okay. Don't expect taste bud nirvana. Selections are all typical Thai. Am I still just a rank amateur after eating in 100's of different Thai places, OR is Thai food really limited to the same dishes that we find everywhere? - My servers both times were pretty young Thai women with sincere peaceful smiles. A pleasant enough spot for a meal.
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Bongkot Thai Express
Cuisine: Thai
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San Rafael |
5/6/2006
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Another one in the middle of the pack of Thai restaurants in San Rafael. Eaten here twice. It's okay. Certainly is a popular lunch spot. Often full at Noon during the week. Menu is all the Thai items that you see everywhere else. Flavors are all okay. Doesn't blow my socks off. Room is decorated up with lots of Thai paraphernalia. Tables are small hand carved wood. Lots of visual interest in the place. Prices are reasonable. $7.95 is going to get you the full lunch combo. Servers are usually nice young Anglo-Buddhist kids who always smile & are friendly. Good choice for Thai if you're going to the Rafael Cinema a few doors away.
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Tavan Thai
Cuisine: Thai
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San Rafael |
5/6/2006
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A small hometown favorite eatery tucked away almost secretly in a discrete building full of Chiropractors offices. Been here for many years, has a loyal following of Gerstle Park neighborhood regulars. There was a 2nd outlet in Terra Linda for years that closed in 2004. At Casa Manana you get the empanandas, tamales, sopes, fried platanos that you see in Southern Mexico, Guatemala and San Salvador. Flavors are a bit more refined than in the native countries, been Anglo'ed up a bit.. Huevos ranchero are a good bet. The room is small, clean, unremarkable, service is casual. I've had lunch here 3 times over the past ten years. I don't go more often just because it's not on my usual route. Prices are low. If you can find it under the lush cover of trees next to the creek, give it a try.
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Casa Manana
Cuisine: Salvadorean Mexican
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San Rafael |
5/6/2006
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Over the past few months I've resisted the urge to rate this place, as I'd have zero positive to say. But reviews keep rolling in from other victims, so I'll chime in as well. I got talked into coming here late one night as well. My ex-wife was hungry, and she' s from Modesto, so the whole American Grafitti, apple pie iconography thing swells her pride, so I got stuck coming to this pseudo-restaurant. That was reason enough to divorce her a year later. Really folks, this is very bad food. The bright diner lights alone at 1:30 am after you've had 7 tequilas at Tommy's down the street is just too much to bear. Not to discount that the food here may kill you. You'd be far better off by going to the Korean place on Fillmore & Geary that's open until 4:00 am. At least they will not try to poison you. Let's all just start a petition and get Mel's thrown out of SF!
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Mel's Drive-In
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
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Inner Richmond |
5/5/2006
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Relatively cheap eats by striving culinary students. Dining room is the old German Cultural Hall on Polk street It was San Francisco's Opera House a century ago. Soaring ceilings with marvelous sculpted columns. Food is over the top Cordon Bleu cooking school with hiccups & occasional home-runs. Rotating menu every night, with many choices. Reservations are a must. Large amounts, big portions. Young eager faces greet, serve & cook. The place during dinner seating is orchestrated pandemonium. I've eaten here 5 times. Always underwhelmed by the food but overwhelmed by the experience. During a long dinner I watched a dozen novice bakers thru the glass partition make 600 petit fours on a giant prep table. The master graded the designs and then shoveled the entire mass into a giant trash barrel with a snow shovel! Like I said - Overwhelming. The cellar lunch bistro is less daunting. A must do experience for any real SF foodie at least once.
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Careme Room
Cuisine: Eclectic
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Tenderloin |
5/5/2006
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I've had dinner here just once. It was an okay, homey experience. This is a little restaurant run by the owner and it shows. They take pride in what they do. They are successful with most of the cooking, most of the time. I had an Italian style dinner which was a vestige of mama's original menu, even though this is now a "Mediterranean" restaurant. My food was comfy, warm, starchy in a good way. Satisfying. The room is a glass walled conversion from a live plant nursery or automobile sales lot or some other non-restaurant venture from unknown years past. Gayot.Com gave the place only 13 points out of 20. Yeah, I agree that this ain't fine dining. But the prices are reasonable, the family staff is nice. You can park right out front on the street without hassle. During the nice weather you can have a candle light dinner on the patio under the birch and maple trees. Try the lamb, it's advertised as the signature dish.
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Hanna's Italian Mediterranean Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian Mediterranean
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San Rafael |
5/5/2006
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Out-of-the-way commercial office bldg location. Drinkin' establishment for professional working drunks, I'm not kidding. Wondering where your house painter, car mechanic, SBC lineman or carpenter is when he's really late for your job appointment? He's here drinking his 4th morning beer. I've been observing this place for 5 years. My office window faces the place. Always busy. Always at least 10 cars parked in my lot. Average patron age is 55. Lunch and dinner is made here. I know all the cooks. You get BIG helpings of Roast Beef, Roast chicken, huge hamburgers. Menu changes daily. Nothing costs over $15. The crowd is friendly enough until about 7:30. Then the mood gets a little edgy & the loud Harleys start to pour-in. I don't recommend a Friday nite visit, can get a bit rowdy on "lingerie model" nite. They crank the juke box loud, playing ZZ Top & Rolling Stones. Girls come here, too. Lotsa' cigarette smoking happening. This might be the adventure you're seeking.
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Shannon's Bar & Grill
Cuisine: Pub Food American (Traditional)
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San Rafael |
5/5/2006
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Located on the commercial strip of Hwy 101 east side frontage road thru Northern San Rafael. Joe's Cafe is a good, reliable, cheap eats with decent quality. Clean, long white room with large windows facing the highway. Busy for breakfast & lunch. Serve dinner as well. Got all your favorite American high cholesterol items, bacon & eggs, hamburgers & fries. I've eaten here twice. Never spent more than $14 per person. Service folks are eager to please. You might even get a little "Hi honey", good natured hometown sass with your meal. You'll love it. You feel like you belong. Open for dinner as well. It ain't fancy, it is good.
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Joe's Cafe
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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San Rafael |
5/5/2006
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Gets my "Best of" Award for Breakfast & Lunch. This is a great Soup n' Sandwich place. Everything is homemade, even the bread. Cafeteria line service. Great salads, usually one hot entree. . Always 6 Homemade soups on deck. Desserts are homey & deeeelicious. Beer & one wine only. Great staff, Owner is always here. Place is spotless. Tricky Hwy 101 exit on the Manuel Freitas side, easier from the Lucas Valley exit.. Make the effort to visit this place. Max's Opera cafe wishes they could make food this good. No dinner - Closes by 3:00.
PM.
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Eduardo's Restaurant
Cuisine: American Bistro
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San Rafael |
5/5/2006
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Kushnir's review below is benevolent. Someday this place is going to have a grease fire start in the kitchen and half of Corte Madera will burn down. When the place is busy, (frequently) you walk into the room filled with a thick miasma of grease saturated air. Atomized meat grease film covers everything & everyone. No intelligent mother would take her children here for a meal. This place is as bad as Cattlemen's in Petaluma and Vacaville. Proceed at the health risk of your own arteries. I love steak. I had one last night, a good one. It was not at this place. Marin Joe's been open since 1954? Yeah so has Denny's and McDonalds. Length of business life and good quality food are not mutually inclusive.
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Marin Joe's Restaurants
Cuisine: Italian Steakhouse
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Corte Madera |
5/5/2006
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Small place connected to a Gas station. Four parking spaces. 5 tables. Clean, no atmosphere other than deli cases. Sit by the big window that faces the traffic for visual interest. Does brisk take out Biz. Pretty authentic for a San Rafael "Kosher" deli. It's not really Kosher if you're orthodox and care. I've eaten here 6 times. I enjoy talking with the owner and his neurotic kvetching mother as much as the food. The brisket is good, the pastrami is good, not too salty. Chicken liver pate has the right seasonings, you could be in Brooklyn with it. Hot dogs are Hebrew National, steamed correctly. Bagels are good, get yours with scrambled eggs and lox. A full on lunch that will bust your belly will cost $8. They got Dr. Browns Cel-Ray soda and Yoohoo. Ex-patriat NY'ers will feel nostalgic for home
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New York by the Bay Deli-Cafe
Cuisine: Kosher Deli
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San Rafael |
5/5/2006
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I ate here the 1st week they opened, and have returned 6 times. Barbara loves this place, I'm okay with it, though it is not my favorite seafood joint. Pluses: Clean preparations, low oil, Great tasting lobster roll. Nice wine list, friendly staff, easy parking if you know the secret spots. Stays open 'til 1:00am... My picayune negatives: Portions are small, prices aren't. They've gone thru 4 chefs of variable talent levels since start-up, the 1st was the best. He went off and started some famous restaurant in the Mission. Now that I've got Barbara hooked on Taddich Grill and Pacific Cafe for fish, she doesn't clamor to go to Maritime much anymore, though I do watch her stare longingly at the storefront when we drive past. You try it, see what you think.
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Cafe Maritime
Cuisine: Seafood
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Marina |
5/5/2006
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Oh Mocca - How I love thee! Steps off Union Square. Great Italian Bistro food. No waiter service, Walk past the glass cases loaded with
dozens of beautiful salads, meats, grilled vegetables, & fresh fruits. Proclaim your order to the uniformed staff. They make it up fast. My seafood salad on a bed of Mesclun mix had at least a pound of shelled shrimp, mussels, clams, squid, and a big slice of smoked salmon. Price = $13, Good beer and wine. About 15 small bistro tables inside. On a sunny day there are 25 tables smack dab in the middle of Maiden lane. Always crowded at lunch hour. Go before Noon or after 1:30 to miss the hordes and to score a table. I've eaten here 4 times. Always Top Notch, Recommended. Cash only, No Credit Cards.
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Mocca On Maiden Lane
Cuisine: Italian Bistro
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Downtown |
5/5/2006
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This place has actually been positively reviewed by the SF Chron, Zagats, Gayot's, etc. Taken in context this Shopping mall food court cafeteria is superior to all expectations. The items are Spicy! And they can be a little gloppy if left in the steam table too long. Owners have the premium Thai restaurant in Santa Rosa. Curries predominate here. Usual selection is 12 items. They can cook you up a special order in the back that will take 8 minutes longer. If you need a hot spicy chili Thai fix after shopping at Mervyn's then you are in luck. Grab your plastic tray and begin!
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Jhan Thong
Cuisine: Thai
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San Rafael |
5/4/2006
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Barbara & I ate here just once recently. Cute little storefront on a street full of cute little storefront restaurants. This place has been blasted with bad reviews on Yahoo.com - We got a decent dinner. We had pasta, veal, salads, red wine, desserts. I thought that the kitchen pace was a bit slow, but we weren't in a rush. Prices seem too elevated for the humble dining space and the "normality" of the food. The web site proclaims that you'll have a spiritual food experience, Wishful thinking on their part. Good enough for a positive rating. It'll be interesting to see what other SFsurvey'ers say....
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Locanda Olmo Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Cuisine: Tuscan Italian
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Berkeley |
5/4/2006
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Small cute family owned Thai food just off San Pablo Ave. Located next door to the fantastically good Cafe Raj Indian Food restaurant. This Thai place is one of the better in the east bay for authenticity and sincerity. Of the 5 Thai places on Solano Ave this is probably the best. (Aside thought: Isn't this amazing to think that one street in a suburb has close to a hundred restaurants representing cuisine from dozens of nations? - I was in Rome recently for 4 weeks, I ate Italian food, 'cause that's all you find. There were 2 Chinese restaurants close to my hotel, but that was it, No Thai, No Vietnamese, No Indian. We are blessed here in the USA.) Bua has daily fresh fish specials. Always cooked with plenty of spicy snap. Well worth the low prices. Room is homey, clean. Owner is happy to be here. Good service.
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Bua Luang Thai Cuisine
Cuisine: Thai
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Albany |
5/4/2006
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Not the best Thai food. Just passable. Too much coriander in some dishes give a "soapy" flavor to fish and meats. Old basement dining room in this Victorian is claustrophobic feeling. Room is clean, Kitchen is not. I've eaten here 3 times. I will not go back, as there are 1,000's of bay area Thai restaurants that are so much better. Notably Phuping Thai inside the East West Ranch 99 shopping mall. Drive the extra 2 miles to go there instead.
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Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine
Cuisine: Thai
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Berkeley |
5/4/2006
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A clean, well stocked, deli with a few tables for lunch. The Best Middle East deli in the Bay area. Food is incredibly good. Better than all the other "Mediterranean" restaurants, even the fancy sit-down, linen service places. Flavors and textures of the food here are superior. Freshness counts, care in preparation counts. Madame Zand & her family care about what they do, and they excel. I've eaten lunch here 5 times. I always order and eat too much. It's that good. I really come for the pastries. A classy Iranian lady makes good pastries?, Hey she's not French! Yeah, and neither are most of the pastry chef's in the "French" pattiseries around SF. I prefer Zand's Napoleans & Creme Eclairs over anyone else's, including top notch, top price level Victoria Pastry in Greenbrae. Of course the Zand's Baklava is the best ever. Have I convinced you yet to go here now? Check out the website, ratchet up your appetite, & get going.
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Zand's
Cuisine: Middle Eastern Bakeries Deli
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Albany |
5/3/2006
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Eaten here just once. Pride themselves on free range, hormone free meats. Food is okay. Room is storefront Mom+Pop decor. Staff is Anglo. Has all the typical India menu items. Nothing tastes remarkable, that's why I have not returned. There are 5 Indian Restaurants on Solano Ave. Cafe Raj blows them all away for flavor.
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Ajanta
Cuisine: Indian
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Berkeley |
5/3/2006
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Local owned and operated place that is elegant without fussiness. Has won many food review awards. I've eaten here twice. Consistent extra good meals both times. Sort'a Cali-Italian menu. Rich, tasty sauces, I loved the Osso Buco (Lamb shank) here. Wine list has interesting items that you don't see everywhere else. Prices are reasonable. Menu items are similar to & food quality is at the level of Chez Pannise and Boulevard without their lofty prices. Solano Ave is a restaurant row, this place is one of the shining stars. Check out the website, make reservations, Go!
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Rivoli
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean
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Berkeley |
5/3/2006
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Extremely busy Indian food restaurant with the BEST food in the east bay. Was my favorite Indian food place for years. I'd make special trips just to eat here. Family staff belts out the cuisine from a small kitchen right behind the cash register. You can watch the hectic action as you walk past to use the restroom. Used to be a single wide storefront, expanded 2 years ago into the nextdoor 15 foot wide space. So now they have 18 tables. You are going to wait to be seated, there's always a line. No reservations taken. After you get seated you enjoy sincere, helpful service. No rushing here, no attitude, just good eats & nice people. The Vindaloo, tikkas, and tandoor are top notch. I love the moist Nan here, flavorful, just right texture. Portions are large, prices are low. Dining room is clean but down scale decor. No "Fancy" Dress-up to go out for dinner Indian restaurant in the entire bay area has food this good. Try it, you'll eat & believe.
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Cafe Raj
Cuisine: Indian Middle Eastern
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Albany |
5/3/2006
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Located in the East West Shopping Center (Ranch 99 Supermarket) on the Richmond / El Cerrito border. 10 years ago, The Chronicle
Pink Sheet reviewed Phuping as the best Thai restaurant in the bay area. I've eaten there many times since. It's not the best in my opinion, it is in the top 5. Clean textures, lack of oil, fresh ingredients make for excellent food. The staff are all Thai and delightfully pleasant, humorous, and eager to serve. The decor is remarkably nice for a shopping center. Best restaurant in the East West Mall. All your Thai favorites are here, The curries, the soups, the noodle dishes are all good. Prices are quite reasonable for the great food quality and for the fine linen / real porcelain service. Try it! .......Side note: If you are a real SF foodie, you know about the Ranch 99 Asian oriented supermarket chain. Best produce, fish and meat market in the Bay area. Lowest prices
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Phuping Thai Cuisine
Cuisine: Thai
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Richmond |
5/3/2006
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I ate here regularly and enjoyed it well enough until I discovered Raj Cafe on Solano Ave in Berkeley and now that we have Bombay Garden in San Rafael. This place is family run by a cheerful group. There's a large Ganesh elephant idol in the welcoming lobby. He's covered with small money offerings for good fortune. The food is typical northern India fare. Curries, tandoori, nan, pilaf, aloo gobi... Smoky flavors, not too spicy. Prices reasonable enough. Dining room is somewhat funky. Restrooms are even funkier. Music Students from the ali Ahkbar College of music perform ragas sitting on the floor. It's a nice diversion. But the food is a noticeable notch below the other Indian restaurants I mentioned. Easy on & off the freeway. $50 for all out dinners with beer for 2.
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India Palace
Cuisine: Indian
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Mill Valley |
5/2/2006
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The old Dominic's Seafood restaurant. Still has the old fishing boat high up on the flagpole visible from Hwy 101. This ain't fine dining, it's good, old school, dependable, solid, though not very interesting fish of the freshest quality. Prices are low. Large grilled sea bass with veges, bread, salad, soup is gonn'a run you $18. Check out the mid-week surf & turf special for $22!! They have a full bar. Live jazz music 5 nights per week. Drink prices are lower than average. Large dining room downstairs. Another upstairs for large groups, & a separate event room. Front lobby has a large glass ice case full of today's catch. You can buy to take home fresh fish as well. My girlfriend Barbara actually likes this place better than me & she's a certified gourmet. I appreciate that the flavors are clean & uncomplicated. I especially like that we can eat and drink to our hearts content for $55.
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Seafood Peddler Restaurant
Cuisine: Seafood
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San Rafael |
5/2/2006
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I chose the green positive as I do not want to be lynched by the hordes of rabid Thomas Keller fans. Ate here once. In short, Tallest narrowest food creations I'd ever seen, taller than any Parisian chef can design. Okay ingenious. Had the 9 course tasting menu. The richest & most gallbladder challenging meal I've ever eaten. Unique flavors? Well not really. After course #5 this all becomes way too much work. Flavor perception starts to dull from the constant challenges. Kinda' like going Zinfandel exclusive wine tasting, after #5 they all taste the same due to tongue fatigue. We were seated in a small pass-thru room upstairs. Felt like a closet. Server was 3 days outt'a Culinary Academy, earnest but not polished yet. $485 lunch for 2. My liver didn't feel normal for three days, I felt bloated & fatigued. This "Once in a lifetime experience" was plenty for me. Gary Danko more enjoyable experience and digestible food.
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French Laundry
Cuisine: French
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Napa |
5/2/2006
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Best "casual" restaurant that Barbara & I have visited in a long time. Room is pleasant, not stuffy but still nicely decorated, real linen covered tables, real porcelain and silverware. Food is wonderful. Interesting seasonal menu that uses market fresh ingredients. American comfort food with interesting updated flavor twists. We enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch, drank a few glasses of wine. Bill = $65. Our server was friendly, engaging and thoroughly professional. I wish we had a restaurant this good close to home, I'd be a regular. Highly Recommended!
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Pearl
Cuisine: Californian
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Napa |
5/2/2006
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All American hearty family Bar-B-Que with premium Roast meats, filling sides of potato salads, cole slaws, corn on the cob, baked beans - You get the picture. Everett & Jones wish they could cook this good! I've happily eaten here 3 times. Always amazed at how good the food is for such a low price. Dining ambience is enclosed patio with picnic bench seating, Get your own silverware and ice water. Alcohol = Beer and wine only. Kids eat at half price. Never tried the giant size breakfast buffet for $8.95. If you're in Novato and you want Chicken n' Ribs, this is THE place.
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California Grill & Rotisserie
Cuisine: American California Barbecue
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Novato |
5/2/2006
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A great new Bistro style Italian restaurant on Grant ave Novato. Only 12 tables & some tall bar stools at the window counter. Delicious healthy Italian cuisine. Got your fresh market salads, vegetables. Paninis, sandwiches, fish dishes for lunch. A little fancier menu for dinner. Reasonable prices. Barbara & I had lunch appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine, a liter of San Pellegrino water, and 2 espresso for an amazing $34, plus tip. Food quality approaches Mobil Guide 4 stars. Servers are friendly, knowledgeable & competent. This place is going to become my "regular" when in Novato. If you live in Marin, you gott'a try it!
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Grazie Cafe
Cuisine: Italian Bistro
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Novato |
5/1/2006
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I've been buying those small fancy Italian cookies at Stella's for more than 20 years. I visit about 5 times per year. This is about the best North Beach Italian bakery. I like Mara's located across the street as well. Stella's cookies are a little more refined tasting. Stella's prices are slightly higher than Mara's. On a warm day I like to get a dozen cookies at Stella's, a can of San Pellegrino Limonata, then walk over to the park down the street to sit on the grass and indulge. Ah, the good life on a budget.
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Stella Pastry
Cuisine: Italian Pastry Coffee
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North Beach |
5/1/2006
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Not the best tapas in SF. Bocadillos in North Beach has much better food. I like Russian Hill. I don't like trying to find parking here. We came with a family party of 8. We had reservations for a Saturday afternoon. We got a big central table. This was a party occasion. The food was purely incidental. Good thing, as it is not very good. We tried all the various traditional Spanish bar food selections. None compared favorably to any dishes that I've had in the most modest neighborhood bars in Spain. Chris Isaak and his large family were at the next table. That made all my 20's-something year old neices and nephews coo with curiosity and delight. We went across the street to the original Swensen's Ice cream for dessert.
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Zarzuela
Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
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Russian Hill |
4/30/2006
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Wow a sushi place with almost 100% of the reviews being neutral. Here's my vote. I've eaten here 4 times over the past 20 some years. You come here when you are a sushi neophyte. You get to see what you're gonn'a get before you commit your choice and dollars. Result? sometimes edible sushi of the most middling quality. Yes, some of those dishes on the boats have been floating by for hours. Use your eyes and nose to pick out the fresher items. After you've visited here a few times and learn the ropes you can graduate to the better Sushi places. Plenty in town to explore. Use SFsurvey reviews as your guide.
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Isobune
Cuisine: sushi japanese
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Japantown |
4/30/2006
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Shopping center, storefront Burrito place with a few cafe bistro tables on the sidewalk. This is a gringo owned & operated burrito maker that is good. Some interesting twists on the usual formula. The lamb burrito with smoky dark red sauce is good. You can have yours made with those fancy tomato or spinach flavored flour tortillas. Better food than the High-Tech Burrito chain, in the same category. Prices higher than your Mom-Pop greasy spoon Mexican place, this is Greenbrae - Not the Mission. Watch the millionaires stroll by. Enjoy.
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Road Runner Burrito
Cuisine: Mexican
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Greenbrae |
4/27/2006
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Small family owned and operated storefront restaurant. Clean preparation with fresh ingredients. Not really inspired cooking. Flavors are just run-of-the-mill. You expect Hunan to be chili-fired spicy. Not here. Pretty mild, a la Cantonese. Still cheap enough for a clean place in a fancy Marin Shopping center. Authentic if a little blah. Worth the $7 lunch combo price.
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Hunan First
Cuisine: Chinese
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Greenbrae |
4/27/2006
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BEST PASTRY BAKER IN MARIN. Fancy shop with fancy prices staffed by some of the most imperious old ladies you'll ever meet. They're polite, just humorless. Go ahead & try to make them laugh, it's impossible. I've tried and failed dozens of times.
The cakes, pastries,& the chocolate truffles are to die for! Surprisingly, the bread is not in the same league. Acme / Grace baking / Il Fornaio bread is better. Eat lunch at Cafe Z Epicerie 5 doors down, then come here for dessert. This is food heaven on earth.
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Victoria Pastry Company
Cuisine: Bakery
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Greenbrae |
4/27/2006
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Small cheap storefront eats in the ugly industrial zone of San Rafael. Just a few tables. Family owned. Another classic Pizzeria owned by a Brazilian family. The NY style thick, poofy "Sicilian" style pizza is quite good. And that's a compliment from a 2nd generation NY Italian pizza snob. (BTW, I just got back from a 6 week visit of Sicily. Lots of pizza there, No thick, poofy bready crust. That a NYC invention). Some pasta, large green salads. Bud beer on tap. One cheap red bulk wine, by the glass or carafe. It's a perfect compliment to your workingmans meal here. After Zachary's Pizza on College Ave Oakland, this is my 2nd favorite Pizza in California.
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West Brooklyn Pizza Company
Cuisine: Pizza
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San Rafael |
4/27/2006
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Bellam Square Shopping center, San Rafael. "Ground Zero" for the illegal manual laborer hiring zone. The classic example of a busy, low budget Mexican joint. Stand on the long line. Order at the cashier, pay. Wait 5-10 mins for your order to be made. Eat in a beat up formica table and bench. Enjoy. Large selection of tacos, burritos, tamales, enchiladas, Shrimp ceviche, tortas. Most expensive meal is $9.50. Fresh juiced carrot or orange. Tamarindo or Horchata. Beer + sangria. Big food portions. Fattening. Noisy room. If you're Anglo, you may be the only one in the room. This ain't fine dining, still I love it on occasion.
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MI Familia
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
4/27/2006
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Destination since the late 1970's. We had lunch. Sat on the front porch dining area. Nice sunny day. Place was full at 1:00 PM. Gracious greeting, immediate seating. Service staff are pure professionals, prompt, well spoken, dressed nicely. Lunch menu is just a few items. Interesting assortment of seafood, meat, and a vege creation. Barbara had sea scallop salad. I had spinach stuffed chicken leg with chard and creamed potato. Started with a good cream of asparagus soup. We drank Verdad Rose from San Luis Obispo. (Recommended). Bay Wolf is considered by many locals to be equal to Chez Pannise. That's a stretch of imagination. Bay wolf is good, but not at the same level of creativity nor control of flavors. My swiss chard was supposed to be piquant with balsamic vinegar, it was doused and unedible. Chicken was okay, but the somewhat bitter spinach had no spicing before being stuffed into the leg, not really creative nor succulent. Maybe it was an off day in the kitchen.
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Bay Wolf
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean
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Oakland |
4/27/2006
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Exceptionally clean, small place in a little shopping center, tucked away in the back. 12 tables, 3 outside on the sidewalk. Best Burrito in Novato. Menu has 18 combo items. Bottled beer is the only alcohol. Home made great tasting Horchata or Tamrindo to drink. I've eaten here 30 times. I like it! Fresh flavors, good ingredients. Always Chicken, beef, pork, fish on the menu. Walk up to cashier to order. They call your number, you pick-up from the counter. You eat, you enjoy. You spent about $7. Recommended!!
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Tommy Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
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Novato |
4/26/2006
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Big old converted Victorian house with a giant patio dining area located a half block off the main street of "bustling downtown Novato". (Is my tongue poking thru my cheek?) There's another outlet in Cotati-Rohnert Park. When the place is busy, it's party time with a loud crowd whoopin' it up! Still "G" rated enough to bring your little kids. The food is just okay. I've had good large crispy shredded beef tacos, an okay tamale. Beans and rice are from the 80 gallon cauldrons. Wait staff are usually young and friendly. Full bar. They make a good house margarita here, you'll catch a buzz on it. Better Mexican food can be had in Novato (Tommy's Salsa), but this place is fun destination, especially if you're young or young-at-heart.
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Las Guitarras Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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Novato |
4/26/2006
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Best Chinese Food in Marin County. Better food than 98% of the places in the city. Best quality, fresh ingredients. Expert staff. glass wall kitchen for all to see. Immaculately clean. 30 tables. Has daily white board specials that are always worth a try. This is the 2nd outlet for Jennie. Truth be told, this one is cleaner tasting, less oily than the Mill Valley original restaurant. I've eaten here at least 50 times, Loved it every single time. Prices all end in 8 cents. That's some kind of Lucky charm / prosperity numerology thing. Prices are very reasonable for the super high quality. You're in Novato? You like Chinese food? You eat here!
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Jennie Low's Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese
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Novato |
4/26/2006
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I've held 2 company parties here. Nice room for gatherings. Somewhat fuddy-duddy. Geared towards the senior set. Ordered full on dinners for 50 people. Owners are gracious. Food is Italo-American. More American than Italo, for sure. Doesn't really make the grade for me. I'm critical about flavors and authenticity especially with Italian cuisine. I'm 2nd generation northern Italian-American so I expect food to taste like mama used to make or at least be a creation on that level for style & taste. Arrivederci is formal Italian for "See you, Goodbye". -- Appropriate. Go to Il Davide or Giorgio's instead.
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Cafe Arrivederci
Cuisine: Italian
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San Rafael |
4/26/2006
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I came here due to the reviews in the pink section, some travel guides,and the SF Weekly. All boast "Best Thai food in SF". Not by my experience. Place was packed. Service sucked. I try a new-to-me Thai place by ordering the staples: Tom Kha soup, Pad Thai noodles, a shrimp or fish curry, steam rice, some special tea. The meal for the ex-wife and I was Pure C- grade. I can name 30 other Thai places in the bay area with better food. I could not believe all the positive press for this dive. I thought the decor was dirty & tired. Owner lady was there, yes she is a character, She's loud enough. I was gonn'a give a neutral, but you know what? This place really is a Red Negative.
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Marnee Thai
Cuisine: Thai
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Outer Sunset |
4/24/2006
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My 2nd Italian Deli choice, 1st is Molinari in North Beach. Lucca does have parking so props for that. Lucca is not as earthy smelling as Molinari. Lucca has a better wine selection. I like the bulk tortellini at Lucca better. Molinari's sausage is more flavorful. Molinari's ravioli is better, so are the sandwiches. Price-wise the places are equals. I manage to spend $100 at either place every time I go in. Both deserve your regular business.
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Lucca Ravioli Co.
Cuisine: Deli Italian
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Mission |
4/24/2006
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Yes! Of course another positive recommendation. Molinari is becoming a worldwide anachronsim. You don't see delis like this anymore in re-modeled New York City nor in Italy. This place looks, & smells like the delis of my NYC childhood, 50 years ago. I like the various sausages, particularly fond of the small ready-to-eat Finnochinos cost = $1 each. Ravioli is good as well, again a bargain. Of course they have all the package goods, the oils, the pasta, the tomato pastes, sauces... Come in, take a number for deli counter service, browse the shelves and buy what your nose and heart desires. You'll eat well later.
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Molinari Delicatessen
Cuisine: Italian Deli
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North Beach |
4/24/2006
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I was dubious when Barbara insisted that we eat here. Me; "It's in North beach (tourist-ville). It's tiny, they only have an oven? No stoves, really?" I'll try anything once, So she won out. This is the smallest & best restaurant on Columbus. Barbara & I waited at the door 30 minutes to get in. We got a table for 3, I took pity on the forlorn single guy in line behind us & invited him to sit with us. He was a north beach regular, ordered up his usual which seemed chosen for economy rather than culinary exploration. Barbara ordered manicotti, I had cannelloni. Sauces were subtle, well made. Textures were extremely creamy, excellent mouth feel. Obviously they are using top notch ingredients. Good food! We had glasses of what ever wine was on the chalk board, regular drinkable quality Italians priced okay. We went elsewhere for dessert. I wanted to leave the crowded room & overly warm air. They should get a bigger room and buy some stoves & expand the menu.
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L'Osteria del Forno
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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North Beach |
4/24/2006
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Winner of TV Food Network's 2005 National Pizza competition. Is this the best Pizza in the USA? Not to me, Yet it is very good. Strip shopping center location across the street from the Regency Cineplex. Easy Hwy 101 access. 24 tables. Homey room, not fancy. Nicest people in the world own and operate. Staff always strives to please. My office is 2 streets away, I've eaten here 30 times. Always good preparation, consistent quality, never had a bad meal. In addition to pizza there are salads soups, pasta dishes, some meats, some seafood. Prices are medium low. Wine and beer. Small selection of a few European & Californian wines. Wines priced low. Overall good casual dining. Check out their website for menu, hours, etc.
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Mulberry Street Pizzeria
Cuisine: Italian
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San Rafael |
4/24/2006
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I've booked 3 company Xmas company parties here, and ate once with a friend. It's okay. Not as good as the Corte Madera Il Fornaio - Same type cuisine, so I think that it's a fair comparison. An old colleague down in Monterey used to rave about the Piatti in Carmel. I ate there with him several times. I actually think that the food in the Carmel Piatti is tastier than Mill Valley outlet . But maybe it's just the conviviality of dining with old friends that makes the food taste better. Easy drive & exit from southbound Hwy 101. Lots of parking. The service people are nice, there's live jazz music occasionally. The food is passably good or better. Prices are reasonable. If I'm in the neighborhood, hungry and don't want to drive anywhere else, I would eat here again.
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Piatti
Cuisine: Italian
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Mill Valley |
4/22/2006
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Update: Highly recommended breakfast, brunch & lunch cafe. Family owned, single store front location. Part cafe, part bakery, part take-out, part restaurant. Don't worry it works! Inside you can sit next to the shelves stocked with the delicacies. Outside you can sit at sidewalk tables to watch Marin county village life pass by. NEW adjacent pretty, modern dining room with 20 more tables. I've eaten here 5 times. It's casual. You read the paper while you wait for your food. Service is not too swift, but you forgive them that because the food is top notch. Bistro food, Big salads, Best hamburger, Pastries are Oh-My God! good. Short interesting wine list, low mark-up. This is about the best healthy, fresh tasting brunch you're going to find in central Marin county. Check out the web site, then go.
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Comforts Restaurant and Deli
Cuisine: Californian
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San Anselmo |
4/22/2006
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I've eaten breakfast here 4 times and stopped goin 'cause the food is too heavy and greasy. Small place gets lots of positive local press. Occasional Hollywood movie star sitings occur here. Their web site is pretty slick. The link is on this page. Yes, diner theme with northern California upgrades like better quality produce, Organic Clover dairy products. I'll give them props for not buying off the Sysco truck. Popular with locals, always full room. I've had omeletes, pancakes, with the meats sides, hash, etc... Just doesn't do it for me. Granted I'm not great fan of the All-American-Breakfast, still the food here made me feel bloated & slightly over lubricated with oil. Here's a local alternative. Try Comfort's down the street. That's good a breakfast or lunch, cute ambience, that results in a happier ending.
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Bubba's Diner
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
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San Anselmo |
4/22/2006
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Big room, probably 220 seats. I've passed it 5,000 times without ever stopping. Finally made it in for lunch while waiting for my bicycle to be repaired down the street. There were 50 people seated at 1:30 PM. Combo Lunch specials menu has 30 items. Prices are $4.95 to $7.95. I got the ling cod with sauted mixed vegetables & clear sauce. You get the whole shebang here. Fried imperial roll is too oily & heavy. Won ton soup was okay, generous amount of pork dumplings in the bowl. Main course is a giant pile of fish / vegetables with fried rice. I was hungry, ate it all. Drank the whole pot of Jasmine tea. Was it really exceptional - No, but come on, my bill was only $7.31. Cleaner room & better food than most Chinese restaurants in San Rafael & the city. I'll come back for a seafood dinner some night and re-review.
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Pier 6 Seafood Restaruant
Cuisine: Hong Kong Chinese
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San Rafael |
4/22/2006
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Read all the reviews here. This place wins the dubious prize for most variable consistency. We ate on a Saturday afternoon. Parked in front. Place was practically empty. Instant smiling greeting from hostess, bartender and manager. Immediate sit down at the window facing Embarcadero. Gin & Tonics were refreshing, strong enough. Hamburger & fries for me. It was good, high end restaurant good. So it costs $11.95, this is ground up steak not McDonalds 70% mystery meat-bone meal-tallow patty. The tomato, lettuce, dill slices were fresh crunchy. So my experience was positive. I was happy at end of the meal. If I return and it sucks like it did for so many other reviewers here, I'll let you know about it.
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Fog City Diner
Cuisine: American (New)
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Embarcadero |
4/22/2006
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Last nite we had our splurge meal for the year. Barbara had 3 courses and 2 glasses wine, I had 4 courses with a 4 oz wine per course. Bill = $389 plus $60 tip. We both have good payin' jobs, still this is a little pricey. Okay, Full accolades. I was in a foul mood when we arrived late. I just got my 3rd speeding ticket in 6 months from CHP. I was doing 65 in a 55 zone locked in a line of cars on Hwy 101 approaching the GG Bridge. I was pissed! The servers and the first glass of champagne started to cool my spirit. I had seared foie gras-Excellent. Lobster meurniere-Excellent. Guinea Hen-Best plate so far. Raspberry souffle creme Anglais + coconut ice cream-Excellent. My mood was jubilant at the end. I completely forgot & forgave the CHP. That's magic! Barbara wants to come back again soon. I just can't afford $450 meals frequently. I eat out constantly, even though Barbara & I are both great cooks. I'd rather have 4 meals for $100 than Gary Danko again.
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GARY DANKO
Cuisine: American (New)
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Fishermans Wharf |
4/22/2006
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UPDATE: Northern Italian cuisine, casually fancy room, nice decor that is just starting to fade a little, located at an excellent Marin waterfront address. Caters to the blue hair Greenbrae crowd for dinner. I've eaten here 6 times. Food is good, was better when LoCoco owned it. Large & gorgeous antipasti plates on display at the sideboard hint at the food you'll get. This is Tuscan style cosmopolitan food, lite on the pasta, focus is on grilled meats with vege side dishes.Barbara's steak was BIG & luscious. Veal is always excellent, I like the roast chicken here. I'm Italian, I go to Italy almost yearly, this tastes Italian. Full bar, Small wine list , medium priced. Desserts made here, Good creme brulee. Pretty on your plate, clean flavors in your mouth. Polite live piano jazz on weekends. 4 course dinners for 2 with wine will cost $120. Good value for a fancy restaurant that serves good food.
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Giorgio's Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
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Greenbrae |
4/22/2006
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The secret is out on this fairly new place in the Bon Air Shopping center, as it is always packed with happy diners. French Bistro cafe for brunch thru 9 PM dinner. Food here is the highest quality at amazingly reasonable prices. Better than 95% of the French Bistros in the city, really. Better than 90% of the bistros is Paris. Fresh breads, Fresh mesclun salads. Tuna Nicoise is perfect. Grilled anything is sublime. Ambience is shopping center - deli. Walk up to cashier and order. Bottled drinks in the glass cooler, tap beer and small wine selection. Order at the register, they'll bring to your outdoor patio table. Bask in the sun. I've eaten here 6 times since they opened in late 2005. Simply amazed how good it is every visit.
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Cafe Z Epicerie
Cuisine: French Bistro
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Greenbrae |
4/20/2006
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Located in the Terra Linda Shopping Center, San Rafael. 2 miles off Hwy 101, around back behind the Scotty's supermarket. Family style Mexican-American cuisine. Typical menu suspects of: Burritos, Tacos, Carne Asada, Tamales. All prepared well. They use good ingredients. Salads are fresh with crispy lettuce. Beans and rice are equally fresh, NO grease here! The sit down dining room is totally 1960's era shopping mall kitsch. It is a very clean if low budget room. You come here in your jeans and tee shirt. You get a decent quality, belly filling meal with a beer for $15. You like it. If you live around here, you come fairly often. That's why they have been successful for years, we loyal neighbors love the joint.
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Panchitos Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
4/20/2006
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Last April I gave a neutral rating as it was my honest opinion about this place. Food was not very good, Dining room was over packed with too many people. Prices were overblown for the quality. Here's a clincher: I got a hate e-mail thru SFsurvey.Com from Vitale "the owner's nephew" today. He threatend violence against me for my non-endorsement of Mona Lisa. I'm sure that the other negative review writers are getting the same communication.
Now this is a good way to build business through happy customer relations!
If you are passing by Mona Lisa, Ask for Vitale. Tell him that I said Hi! Then keep walking, Do NOT eat here.
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Mona Lisa Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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North Beach |
4/18/2006
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Spaghetti for the McDonalds consumer. This is cheap carbo-load food. This is Purina Human chow. When I was young, poor & needed 3,000 calories a day to fuel my hyperactive body, I'd come here for the gloppy pasta, floofy bread, cheap red wine, and spumoni. It's not good, it's filling. Did I mention cheap? If you have a discriminating palate, like to eat fresh vegetables, or a slice of meat that hasn't been frozen for the past 6 years you do not come here. Instead you save up an extra $7 and go to a local real Italian Mom + pop for an authentic meal. The number of outlets for the old 'pzghettie factory has been shrinking over the past 5 years, they must be running out of crappy antique furniture sources and clueless high school kid employee candidates.
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The Old Spaghetti Factory
Cuisine: Italian
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San Jose |
4/18/2006
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Barb & I had a 5:30 reservation. We got seated upstairs in the loft at 5:50. We drank at the bar, watched the crowd scene. We weren't in a hurry, the seating delay wasn't a problem. From other reviews, seems like this place is hit or miss. It was a good bulls eye hit for us. Appetizers, salads, fish dishes, sides, wines were all good. I enjoyed every bite. Plate presentation was above average. Neighbor tables had other dishes that were artistic looking & smelled wonderful. Not too happy about the upstairs seating that is dark, somewhat claustrophobic, though it is quieter up there. Our young Mission style boho hipster server got engaged after we offered sincere social niceties - He did just fine. Barbara wants to return again. I'm ambivalent due to: Parking difficulty, high noise level, bang-for-the-buck value is just average. This is another trendzoid place that will last 5 years before the owners move on to the next fad. Good for them. Good for us, as we like the new next thing.
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Limon
Cuisine: Peruvian
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Mission |
4/18/2006
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Did you ever have a really good meal at a Municipal 9 hole golf course clubhouse? You will here! Located in northern San Rafael, edge of San Pablo bay. Americo-Italian cuisine. Nice big room with high ceilings, an open fireplace, full liquor bar manned by the best bartender in Marin County. I've eaten here 25 times. Food consistency is remarkable. Always fresh ingredients, always prepared well. Good hearty core menu with occasional seasonal improvisations. All your favorites: Beef, Fish, chicken, pastas. BIG portions. Grilled items always good. Best hamburger in northern California. Friendly, competent, casual, professional staff. I needed to make reservations just once for a Friday/Holiday night to get a table for six. Usually can walk in and be seated immediately. I'm a 10 handicap golfer, eaten in too many mediocre club houses. Food is better here than in most private clubs that charge a $50,000 initiation fees
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The Club at McInnis Park
Cuisine: Italian American
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San Rafael |
4/18/2006
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This is the original Il Fornaio, the family still owns this location. Food here is much better than the other locations. I've eaten here 15 times. Food ranged from good to excellent. Service has ranged from arrogant-terrible to excellent. The menu has monthly region-specific specialties. These can be interesting items that you don't often see elsewhere. Now my criticism, the suggested "special" wine pairings never work. The wines clash and brutalize the food and my taste buds. The wine steward must stop recommending these tannic, puckery, unsatisfying wines. The dining room has several sections. The fireplace is cozy. They put the good looking older couples there. The patio is usually filled with the larger party functions. Friday, Saturday nights can be crowded & excessively noisy. Reservations mandatory on date nights. Prices reasonable for the food quality & presentation. A couple having cocktails, three course meals, a bottle of vino, coffee will spend $130.
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Il Fornaio
Cuisine: Bakery Italian
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Corte Madera |
4/17/2006
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Review by C McGravarn below hits the nail right on the head. This is a "G" rated blues club in a downtown basement. You can safely bring your conservative mid-west parents. I've come here dozens of times for the music. A few times I actually ordered the food. Southern inspired menu made by an earnest but amateuw kitchen staff. It's Culinary Academy of America student fare. You ain't gonn'a get sick, and you ain't gonn'a spend a lot of $$$. The club actually is a non-profit foundation for the performance of america's homegrown music. Typical ticket price is $15 for a night's worth of loud live music. Sometimes it's quite good with up & coming national level stars. I've always had a good time. Park in the downtown Mason st garage after 7:00 PM for $12. You'll have a fun nitetime date in the gritty city for less than $100 for everything.
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Biscuits and Blues
Cuisine: Southern
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Downtown |
4/17/2006
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Lively nite spot for live jazz music on Columbus. I'm a jazz musician and snob about the music. My philosophy is more Wynton Marsalis than Louis Prima. So this place is noisy, not with the music, but with celebratory mostly tourist patrons who are all talking constantly & loudly. If you're serious about wanting to hear the musicians perform, sit in front of the bandstand. Hard liquor drinks flow, the party is on. I've never eaten here. I think there's a short hot food menu. New owner Kim Nalley is a certified jazz artist. She brings authenticity to the joint. Nice decor. If you want a hushed appreciative jazz house experience of the highest quality, go to Yoshi's in Oakland. You come to Pearl's to party with the older adults, the music and the food are added features.
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Jazz at Pearl's
Cuisine: American
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North Beach |
4/17/2006
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Housed in a large old Craftsman style 1910's house. Bottom floor. I've eaten here gladly 25 times. This is typical Chinese American food, done well , served by the nicest people, in a quiet room. Located in in a nice neighborhood. Parking is easy. Lunch specials for $6.95 are generous portions, good ingredients. You eat plenty and feel good about it afterwards. Picco Pizzeria, Yankee Pier, Lark Creek Inn, Fabrizio's, Left Bank, Emporio Rulli are all on this quaint little treesy up scale Marin street within 100 yards. You know what? I'd rather eat lunch here 90% of the time rather than those other places. So will you...
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CJ Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese
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Larkspur |
4/17/2006
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This is a tourist trap as mentioned by many reviewers. The food theme is garlic, lots of it. No sane Italian uses this much garlic in any dish. I'm 2nd generation Italo-American, I go back to Italy every year, I know of what I speak. The pasta here at Stinky is pasty, the sauces are gloppy. The garlic additions are usually quite bitter tasting. The Bagna Cauda is edible, it is the best thing served here, & really the only reason this place continues to exist, besides the location. If I had more room to write an extended essay I'd bemoan the fact that North Beach is no longer an Italian neighborhood but a tourist parody of one. Even the hookers on Broadway look like Disney painted-up versions. Want real Italian food?, Hard to find in this area. Cooks & help are all from central America. This place could be on fisherman's wharf. It's got: phony atmosphere, poor food, it's overpriced. Stage a SF Revolt, stay away!
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Stinking Rose
Cuisine: Italian Californian
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North Beach |
4/17/2006
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Ate here 25 years ago with 4th generation SF friends and again last night with Barbara. The decor and seating haven't changed since 1981. Style is one cut above semi-funky. We joined the line at 4:35 for the 5:00 pm opening. Free Inglenook Chablis is brought out t while you freeze in the outer Richmond breeze. Place filled instantly then, a crowd of 20 waited a full hour for the next seating. We got the booth closest to the kitchen, I could watch the dishes hitting the pick-up deck. Crab salads had a generous portion of fresh cracked meat on them. We got soups, salads, I had Ahi, Barbara had Halibut. Both were sauteed perfectly. Mine had a wasabi butter. Spicy enough to open my sinuses. We ordered Estancia Pinot Grigio for $20, it sells at Bev n' Mo for $14, so low mark-up. Dessert was homemade apple tort with Mitchell's Ice cream. Bill was $70 for everything. For food this good, it was a bargain. Good Fish house, Eat here!
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Pacific Cafe
Cuisine: Seafood
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Outer Richmond |
4/17/2006
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Eaten here a few times gratis as I was the Friday night Jazz guitar player for a while. Small romantic room. Decorated like a family place in Italy. Bar is beer & wine. Wine list is smallish and price friendly. Menu has all the usual suspects. Veal piccata is good. Of course as the underpaid musician I got fed the spaghetti with bolognese sauce, which is a good standard dish to rate an Italian place. This one is okay. Rich enough sauce on good quality Barilla pasta. Would I pay $12 for this privilege? Probably just once, I live 7 miles away and don't seek this place out for Italian food. Summary: Cute, sort'a romantic restaurant with passable food located in an area full of cute little restaurants with passable food.
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Benissimo Ristorante & Bar
Cuisine: Italian
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Corte Madera |
4/17/2006
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Newly opened March 2006. 2nd restaurant in a family chain of 2. Original location going strong in Larkspur. The young cook here is a mainland Chinese recent immigrant who culinary trained in Tokyo. So he has a full Japanese menu and a Chinese menu. Japan cuisine includes sushi and hot dishes like katsu-don, oyakodon. Chinese dishes are northern style items, Hot n' sour soup, sauteed meats with sauces. He's got talent, the food is fresh ingredient's cooked with panache. I ate here on opening day. Practically had the 15 table place to myself. Room is 1950's shopping center suave. Walked by the other day at lunchtime, it was full of happy diners. New success story in the 'hood. Located in Terra Linda (Scotty's market) shopping center. Same location for Panchito's Mexican & LoCoCo's Pizza, which I've also reviewed.
Update: Eaten here 3 more times, always good, not great, but passable.
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King of the Roll #2
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese
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San Rafael |
4/17/2006
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Ate here just once because a co-worker endorsed it highly.. There are many, many Thai restaurants in Marin County. This one is just run-of-the-mill. No need to make a special trip from the city to find this hole in the wall. Dishes are the typical: Pad Thai, Tom Kha soup, curries, etc. Prepared well enough, but not remarkable. As mentioned by the reviewer below, the room is tiny, the tables are close together, the decor is real-estate white walls. Romance factor is zero. Place has been here for years, survives on the good will of the locals.
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Tub-Tim Thai Restaurant
Cuisine: Thai
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Corte Madera |
4/17/2006
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A little more upscale than the typical Chinese joint. Linen table cloths,
real chinaware porcelain, good glassware a pretty flower vase arranged on your table. Flavors here are a little more pristine than cheap Chinese cooking. Noticeable lack of cornstarch and MSG. Menu items are fairly standard American Chinese dishes with an occasional surprise. Some dim sum at lunchtime. Nice owners. Service is gracious. Best eatery at this shopping mall. How can it not be with Applebee's next door?
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China Villa
Cuisine: Hong Kong Chinese
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San Rafael |
4/16/2006
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I lived a half mile from this place. I ate here 5 times. I can't
say that I'll ever return. 100% Mexican staff, that should add authenticity, unfortunately the food is NOT good. Problem is quality of ingredients. The chicken is frozen, old tasting & greasy. It must be the cheapest hormone injected bird on the commercial market, junk that even Col. Sanders won't purchase. Same for the beef and pork. Every time I ate the grilled
specials here I wxitwd feeling bloated & unhappy. Too many carbos but not enough nutrition. None-the-less, the place is always busy from opening to closing time. Extra noisy room. Slow clean up. 50% of tables seem to be covered with after meal garbage for 20 mins. It's an unpleasant place to spend mealtime. Drive up Manuel Freitas parkway another mile to the Terra Linda Shopping Center. Go eat at Panchito's Mexican instead. You'll thank me for the recommendation.
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Sonoma Taco Shop
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
4/16/2006
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Alice Waters and Chez Panisse are now time honored institutions. She invented Californian cuisine 35 years ago. I don't think that this place is the most cutting edge CA cuisine anymore or that it is the best restaurant in the Bay area, 2 accolades it enjoyed a generation ago. But it is still a culinary mecca that makes good food with charm and competence. Our winter dinner was an enjoyable 3 hour experience. We drank a good Oregon pinot, that went well with the fixed menu. Our server was a professional, friendly without being familiar. This was my 3rd visit in 30 years. I'll gladly come back in another ten to check up on progress.
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Chez Panisse Café
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean
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Berkeley |
4/16/2006
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I've visited many times for the music and drinks upstairs. $10 door fee for the live music. Music starts early and goes to 1:30 am. Sometimes three different bands per night. Crowd can be a mixture of rowdy locals and clueless tourists. Age group seems to usually be above 30, the DJ belly-button pierced jewlery scenesters don't visit here. Eat downstairs? Not interested. I avoid eating in neighborhoods where New England style clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl is the main course, and this street has about 15 of those booths right in front of Lou's Pier 47. This neighborhood is the San Francisco version of an open Disneyland, just like Anaheim's magic kingdom you do not come here for the food.
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Lou's Pier 47
Cuisine: Seafood
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Fishermans Wharf |
4/10/2006
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I've eaten here 4 times. After it just opened the manager and staff were making great efforts to excel. The room sparkled, the service was punctual and competent. The food was good, not as good as the Corte Madera outlet that is still owned by the founding family, but still this location could hit the target of a busy Friday night. Recent visit showed me that the bloom has fallen off the rose. The entry looked forlorn & dirty. The little bakery booth next to the door was abandoned and clutter was piled in there. The manager was at the bar, and he looked pretty scruffy. We ordered lunch paninis and drinks. Totally unremarkable. Are the Fornaio Corp officers planning to close this location? Sure looks like it. Skip this place, go to Houstons or Fog City instead if you're parked next to Levi Plaza.
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IL FORNAIO
Cuisine: Italian Bakeries
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Embarcadero |
4/10/2006
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Another YES! vote from a guy who dislikes Corp chain restaurants. Juicy & flavorful steak, great potato. Good quality liquor drinks. Small clubby decor & atmosphere. Feels like a high end golf course restaurant. You almost expect to see the mature patrons light up cigarettes after the big meat meal - Ah the good ol' days, I am getting old! I've eaten here just once. I don't frequent the steak places much. I've got the big gas Weber in my backyard, and for the 4 times a year I crave cow flesh, I'll cook Costco's most expensive cut myself. Got say that Ruth Chris does a better job than me. Succulent buttery flavor, nice satisfying mouth feel while chewing. I ate it all up and was very full afterwards. Protein overload. Next time I'll fast for a day before going again so I can really relish the meal.
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Ruth's Chris Steak House
Cuisine: Steakhouses
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Polk St./Van Ness |
4/10/2006
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I've eaten here 4 times since it opened and the meals went from very good to abysmal. 1st time - just months after it opened (yes a long time ago!) 8 of us waited 30 mins for a table. The press about the place was laudatory back then. We weren't allowed to order. They just brought us many different dishes until we told them to stop. We had a great variety of Won Tons, fishes, meats, vege's, noodles, etc.. Flavors were distinctive, all was good. Waiter was arrogant yet extremely fast. Subsequent visits I kept my hopes alive, but H of N never again delivered. Over the following 15 years I came back 3 more times just with one companion. Got crammed into tiny tables rubbing shoulders with the next table diners. Had to shout above the noise. Oily air, surly waiters. Greasy food that attempted to be adventurous and new wave, but just was plain bad. I've since given up looking for a decent meal in Chinatown.
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House of Nanking
Cuisine: Chinese
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Chinatown |
4/9/2006
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Had a late lunch refresher after clothes & shoe shopping for hours with 2 females. We ordered sandwiches, salads, soft drinks and finished with espresso. I was actually surprised by how good my food tasted. Yes, I was tired and hungry, yet this sort'a Frenchy baguette "spa" sandwich is pretty good. Better than most other bistro places I've visited around town. Actually pretty good even compared with places in Paris in this price range. As we arrived after the lunch rush was over, we got rapid service and had most of the room to ourselves. Wait staff were weary from the rush of lunch crowd, but were helpful & upbeat for us. If I'm hungry some future lunchtime when at Kearny & Sutter I would gladly stop in again.
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Cafe Metropol
Cuisine: Californian
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Downtown |
4/9/2006
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Barbara & I ate a late Saturday lunch. Place was crowded with young local families, so lots'a small kids and baby strollers in the aisles. Without reservations we waited in the doorway for 15 mins after giving our name. We struck up a conversation with a diner at the bar who was enjoying his pizza. He said that he'd eaten here 15 times and was always satisfied. Blessedly we got a table in the back, which is plainer visually, but much quieter. We didn't order pizza. We had salads, some pasta, a roast chicken. We ordered reasonably priced wine by the glass. Some interesting wines are on the list. Overall the food is pretty good. We were expecting gourmet on the cheap from the professional press reviews we read, It's not gourmet. But earnest, honest, clean tasting, fresh and flavorful - YES. The dining room is one cut above a local storefront diner - intentionally. Room retains old brickwork and plaster,- re & de constructed. Good new wave Cali-Italo-American food. Try it!
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Pizzaiolo
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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Oakland |
4/9/2006
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This isn't Cali-Mexi-Texi food. I'm not quite sure what it is. The flour tortilla on my burrito was dry and tasteless. Are they using the Safeway brand tortillas? Colorado sauce tastes like bland marinara. The beans and rice are straight out of the can mediocre. I only drank a Bohemia beer, so I missed out on the Tommy's Tequila experience. Obviously a mistake. I would have been more tolerant of the poor food if I was drunk. It wasn't that crowded during my visit, got to a table pretty quick. Service wasn't as bad as some of the other reviewers experienced. Still, I'd never return.
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Tommy's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: mexican
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Outer Richmond |
4/6/2006
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Good Pizza in a small storefront that has 2 tables. Get your remarkably fresh salad from the glass front giant fridge. This place actually won "Best Pizza" Bay Guardian readers poll several years in a row. I ordered the cornmeal crust with the feta and spinach, I must'a been in a Greek mood. Bought the chopped salad and a beer. While waiting for the pizza to cook, I used the restroom. Walk out the back door into the corridor. A big friendly cat saw me, came running while meowing and proceeded to sit on my lap while in the restroom. I came back, told the Pizza lady, she says "Yeah, that's Jizz the cat, he's everybody's best friend" - I'll say. The Pizza is good, sort'a Zachary's of Oakland style, though this pizza is not quite as rich. The price is reasonable. You ain't coming here for the dining room. Popular delivery joint, the guy was constantly back and forth on his scooter. If you live close-by & enjoy informal, this place is great.
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Panhandle Pizza Co.
Cuisine: Pizza
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Hayes Valley |
4/6/2006
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4 of us walked in Friday nite, no reservations. Got escorted to Mama's table inside the kitchen. Let the show begin! Kitchen manager is our server. He's in rare form, pretend harassing wait staff, yelling at prep cooks, ridiculing customer menu selections. Place is controlled chaos as the mass quantities are produced. Kitchen is very clean, outfitted with good equipment, compares well to the hospital kitchen where I work. Food quality at Buca is comparable to the hospital as well. Made on a strict budget, adheres to a formula, bland enough to offend no one. What's different is portion control, Our family spaghetti bowl was more than enough for ten hungry men. Salad was equally large. Our meat dishes were okay, better than airline food, worst than home cooked. We drowned our criticisms with cheap red wine. Hilarious entertainment, keeps the visible kitchen staff on their toes having customer eyes watching. Go for the food? If you want giant size institutional pasta, sure.
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Buca di Beppo
Cuisine: Italian
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SoMa |
4/6/2006
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The most popular Sushi place in San Rafael in a group of many competitors. The place is a narrow storefront, kitchen takes up 40% of the floor space. Usually is packed with young noisy customers. For good reason, this is the most adventurous Sushi place in town. Special rolls include Rock n' Roll, Harley Davidson, Godzilla, Atomic bomb, Outer-space monster (Okay, I made the last one up). More traditional sushi and sashimi are fresh top grade cuts. Flavors are good. Chefs are having a marvelous time, customers are buying them drinks and the knives are flying. I've eaten here 6 times, has always been interesting at the least, and usually good eats. Dining room ambience is pretty funky, just a cut above a dive. So don't dress up for the occasion. City level prices. Beer & wine only.
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Sushi to Dai for
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
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San Rafael |
4/4/2006
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I pop in here often for a quick walking afternoon snack. The pastries are good, not real elegant. Usual assortment of cakes and cookies that you see at most Italian bakeries. I come for the focaccia bread "pizza". They usually have 3 or 4 varieties of toppings. I like the tomato & olive. Puffy bread texture, belly filling, good tasting 6" X 6" square will cost you a whole $2. Holds you over until your 8:00 PM dinner date.
Requisite espresso machine here, 4 or 5 tables. Nothing fancy, you won't want to linger.
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Mara's Italian Pastry
Cuisine: Bakery
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North Beach |
4/4/2006
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This review is difficult & confusing for me. 4 of us (2 gourmets, 2 wanna' be's) came after Michael Bauer (SF Chron) gave 4 stars. My expectations were high. Small room sparkles with quality furnishings, linens, glassware, silver, plates are all top notch. Server was well informed on menu & wine choices, but had a supercilious attitude. Laughable for a 24 yr old working the "premium" Novato restaurant, we're 500 yards from cow pastures here, not the modern art museum. We each ordered different items to taste the largest variety. Here's my confusion: I cleaned my plates, but I was NOT wholly satisfied by any of it. Frisee salad had a touch too much salt. Soup had a touch too much Sherry. Sauce on the beef had nice pepperiness, but the pan glaze was a bit too fruity. Dessert was rich, but oddly sterile. We talked after exiting, we all agreed. Good ingredients, obvious chef talent, nice place, we ate it all, food cost=$60 per, but we're not satiated nor happy. We won't go back. Weird.
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Kitchen at 868 Grant
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Novato |
4/4/2006
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Eaten here 6 times over the past ten years. It's actually one of my favorite North Marin county restaurants. This is American comfort food done right. Large portions of well prepared items. If they have the meat loaf on the menu when you visit, Order it! I don't care if your mother was Julia Child, she didn't make meat loaf this exotic, rich tasting, and delicious! Chicken, steaks, fish dishes all hearty and great tasting as well. Creative use of nut crusts on fish. Creamy mashed potatoes. Large open dining room, looks like a converted meeting hall or church - high ceilings, carved wood. Has 2 alcoved smaller rooms for private parties. Also has the large covered patio mentioned by Lunabeam. Seats about 200. Full liquor bar service. Wine list has a decent California roster. Service is professional, friendly, and efficient. This is a good dining experience that will cost you about $30 per person for three courses, add drinks and tip. Recommended!
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Cacti Grill
Cuisine: American (New) Southwestern
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Novato |
4/4/2006
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A beloved Marin county beer institution. Brewery on the premises. Owner is the nicest guy in the world. Staff always cheerful and energetic. Beer quality is top notch. Lots of different brews on tap. Makes some of those funny beers like Blueberry. Hearty brew pub food that is much better than the norm. Fresh roast turkey on your giant sandwich. Always a fresh fish selection. Of course requisite fries and onion rings are available. I've eaten here 20 times, always enjoyed it, Decor is tribute to Marin Mountain bikes, soccer, and sporty themes. Outside patio has plenty of benches for warm days. Take the ferry from the city to Larkspur. There's an elevated wheelchair accessible walkway to the shopping center and this pub. Also owns Noonan's restaurant in same shopping center. Full bar and up scale dining there. I have not tried Noonan's yet.
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Marin Brewing Company
Cuisine: Pub Food American
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Larkspur |
4/3/2006
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I brought 2 work associates here for a post-deal closer beer & snack BS session. The beer is good, better than the same brews in bottles for sale at the Safeway - Duh! The brew pub food is mediocre as stated by many reviewers below. We were here on a quiet early afternoon before the post-work crowd arrived, so we got attentive service and fast food delivery. I would not consider coming here when it is packed with people on sunny week-ends or Friday after work. The food doesn't warrant a long wait. Nice view of the Bay Bridge underside if you're into architecture - structural engineering.
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Gordon Biersch
Cuisine: Pub Food
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Pacific Bell Park/South Beach |
4/3/2006
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Opened several years ago. Food was good with the first chef, has slipped into mediocrity since then. Smallish mom & pop with 50 chairs. They project fuzzy B/W Italian movies with a crappy DVD projector on the back wall, hence the restaurant name. Cinecitta is the film studios complex located in south Rome. The menu here is a variety of meats, fishes with salads and risotto. This is northern Italian food, not Roman. Wine list is small. Wine bar at the front door has 3 stools. Service is attentive and friendly. The room is rarely crowded,it's decorated nice enough for a small neighborhood place. Use real cutlery, starched linens & heavy duty dishes. Food portion sizes are "measured", you're going to see white porcelain when the food arrives, they do not pour it on like Buca de Beppo! Quiet ambience. you can talk here. The movie sound track is muted-off. They ludicrously put 4 tables on the sidewalk with zooming car traffic 4 feet away, you don't want to sit there.
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Cinecitta Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Northern Italian
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San Rafael |
4/3/2006
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My neutral vote is a compromise. Barbara brought me here for special dinner date. Marina parking is a hassle. The place was packed, literally, it was shoulder to shoulder. Be prepared, I'm going to repeat this many times "THE NOISE LEVEL WAS DEAFENING." After screaming our names to the host, we were escorted to a table just past the open kitchen to the rear of the narrow alley-like room. Barbara sat at the banquette I got the chair on the crowded bump-way. We sat within 18 inches of our neighbors on both sides. I like cute young women on 1st meeting, I just don't want them sitting on my lap during an expensive dinner. Barb liked watching the chefs at work. I would talk with her, but the noise level prevented it. We ate really delicious food. I skipped dessert to get out of the place. I yelled to the waiter "IT'S TOO FxxxxxG LOUD IN HERE!" He was offended, too bad since I had to pay for the sonic abuse. Take out 50% of the tables & chairs, then maybe I'll return for the food.
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A16
Cuisine: Italian Wine Bar
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Marina |
4/3/2006
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Oh, Icky! The decor is fake 1950's cutesy-pootsy. That's the best feature of this chain. I disagree with my fellow reviewers that the food here is not as bad as Denny's. I've had better meals at Denny's, IHOP, Stucky's, and Howard Johnson's than Lori's Diner. This place specializes in oily, dead tasting food facsimiles. The hamburger is much worse quality than a Big Mac. I got dragged in here one night by a clueless date. If it's 4:00 AM and I'm too hungry to wait for a decent breakfast place to open up in 2 hours, I'd rather go to a quickie mart to get a Hostess cupcake and a bottle of Gatorade than eat at Lori's.
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Lori's Diner
Cuisine: American (Traditional) Coffee Shops/Diners
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Downtown |
4/1/2006
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Very popular Thai restaurant close to Hwy 101 in downtown San Rafael. Gets packed, get reservations. I've eaten here twice. Menu features all the usual items that you see in all American-Thai restaurants. The location is an old Victorian house with dining areas spread throughout many rooms. Easy parking in free city lot. Decoration style is nice enough with Thai paraphernalia on the walls. Food is just okay, polite with the chili, not too spicy for American palates. The Tom Ka soup is okay, not as strongly fragrant with galangal & coriander as I prefer. Pad Thai noodles again just okay. All the ingredients are there, the owners are Thai, so what's missing? Some authentic soul to the cooking. There are many, many Thai places in San Rafael. This one is just in the middle of the pack, quality wise. Prices slightly higher than typical Mom & Pop Thai. Check out my review of Lanna Thai in San Anselmo. Great Food there.! It's 4 miles from Hwy 101. Worth the extra 10 minute drive.
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Royal Thai
Cuisine: Thai
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San Rafael |
4/1/2006
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This is a local favorite for Indian cuisine. Wins the annual Pacific Sun weekly paper "Best of-" award by the readers poll. I've eaten here twice. Can't say that I liked it. Tandoor dishes are way too smoky tasting. My chicken had a decidedly burnt flavor. The sauces were a bit one dimensional. Nan was too dry as well. I like nuance, intrigue, spiciness with smooth finish in my Indian food. Lotus didn't deliver what I want. The owners and wait staff are amiable and competent. The dining room is nicely decorated and clean feeling. Prices are a little above average for Indian food. Menu consists of all the usual dishes.
Alternatively, if you want better tasting Indian food on this same street go west 2 more intersections, visit Bombay Garden which is Oh-my-God-Good! See my SFSurvey review of Bombay Garden for location, phone number etc... You'll thank me for the recommendation.
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Lotus Cuisine of India
Cuisine: Indian
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San Rafael |
3/31/2006
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I'm a contrarian. Many of my Marin friends testify that Amici Pizza is good, they go there often, and they like it! Well, not me. I've been here twice. I'm a 3rd generation NY'er who moved to NorCal in 1972. I'm a typical NY City pizza snob. Yet, I LOVE Zachary's Pizza over in Oakland. West Brooklyn Pizza in San Rafael is pretty good, too. Amici's makes a thin crust pizza that tastes like a burnt yet soggy Matzo cracker with bitter tomato paste and crappy American cheese. I think that a frozen Safeway Freschetta bake-at-home pizza is better than Amici's best effort. This place is always packed with happy families. Amici's will deliver pizza to your home. There are many Amici outlets The Amici's chain is successful to the tune of $18 million per year! (PizzaWorld trade journal). WHY? Beats me, There are many better quality mom & pop pizza joints in San Rafael. Go to one of those instead.
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Amici's East Coast Pizzeria
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
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San Rafael |
3/31/2006
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2 miles off Hwy 101. Terra Linda Shopping Center. The pizza is good. Zachary's of Oakland good? No!, but pretty darn close. The owners are 1st generation Sicilian. The kitchen crew is almost 100% Mexicano - All talented pizza throwers. The socio-culinary mixture works. Hey! you ain't in Palermo, this is Marin County! Dining area is formica tables, wooden captain chairs circa 1977. Young families coming from softball games abound, kids running everywhere. Room is brightly lit, clean. Wine choices are several glasses or bottles of cheaply priced California usual suspects. Everybody is mostly drinking Coke, Sprite or Bud anyway. This is the pizza place for the smarter set who have out-grown Roundtable and the other chain pizza franchises. Neighborhood favorite, you ain't gonna' make a special trip from the city to eat here.
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Lo Coco's Authentic Italian Pizzeria
Cuisine: Pizza Italian
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San Rafael |
3/28/2006
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I'm giving away a favorite secret here. I love Thai food. I've been to Thailand several times. I have eaten in 100's of Thai owned restaurants across the USA. This place is the best . Check out their website. Cute little converted old house with 18 tables. Immaculately clean inside and out. 100 rose bushes growing at the front entry. Dining room always full of fresh roses on display. Smells wonderful when you enter. Family owned and operated. Mom runs the house, Dad cooks. They know how to use galangal, coriander, & chili here. The spiciness never overpowers the delicacy of the dish. Fish specials are fragrant, sweet, delectable. Pad Thai noodles are never oily. Tom Ka coconut milk based soup is always fragrant. Stuffed Angel wings are divine! Salads are fresh and crunchy. I've eaten here 30 times, I still try other Thai places, they never measure up to Lanna. Dining room is never crowded. Bill for 2 = $50 if you eat many items.
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Lanna Thai Restaurant
Cuisine: Thai
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San Anselmo |
3/28/2006
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Family owned chain of 5 or 6 locations. I've eaten at 3 of them. This one cooks the best food. Located east side of San Rafael, "the canal district" which is the barrio. This is the largest and best restaurant in the neighborhood. Festive & funky interior, hanging Xmas lights, carved fake Mayan wood furniture. Raised platform with canopy dining area for parties. Place is usually busy and full of chatty happy energy. The food is hearty typical Mexican selections. Big menu of the usual suspects: Carne Asada, Carnitas, Huevos Rancheros, Sopes, Tacos, Burritos. Large portions. Think Chevy's except this food is really good. Full bar, lots of tequila shots to sample. Wait staff & bartender have been here forever, they've seen it all & still have a sense of humor. You get extra points if you speak Spanish well. Dinner for two with plenty of beer will run $40. With the money you save on dinner, you can go across the street to bowl a few games at the last remaining Marin alley.
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Celia's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
3/28/2006
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I've eaten here 4 times. Always good. Located just north of the heavy traffic hub-bub in Oakland's Chinatown. Dinner hour parking has always been within one street for me. The dining room is nice as mentioned in previous reviews. Surprising to find such a nice dining room in this somewhat run-down neighborhood. Colorful walls, elegant decor. Small room @ about 50 seats. The food goes beyond street Pho and shrimp wraps. The sauteed meats and fishes are good. Some clay pot entrees are available, the aromas from those are exotic and flavorful. Tiny wine list of inexpensive selections. I find that tea or beer goes better with the cuisine. I have 4 or 5 favorite bay area VN restaurants, this is one of them. Bill for 2 people that eat well and try several items will run $60 with drinks.
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Huynh Vietnamese Cuisine
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Oakland |
3/28/2006
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I have a love-hate relationship with Fabrizio's. I love the food. I've eaten here at least 50 times. I worked at neighboring Marin General Hospital for 7 years. The food is usually good and can approach sublime on nights when the kitchen is ON. The hate? The service people are hapless, hopeless, confused, & forgetful. They have good intentions, are cheerful, & are completely inept. This is not a judgment from 1 or 2 experiences. I've known some of the waiters since 1997, they still work here. But my orders get lost, they bring the wrong items, they forget to give my order to the cook for 45 minutes. I brought 8 guests to dinner & we waited 2 hours for the entrees to arrive! This happens too frequently to forgive. Fabrizio & his mother are usually in the house. They don't notice that the waiters are constantly screwing up. So it must be DELIBERATE! This is Bambie's favorite Marin Italian, so we'll return again & again for the food & the abuse.
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Ristorante Fabrizio
Cuisine: Italian
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Larkspur |
3/27/2006
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I won't be as critical as Kushnir below, but he has a valid point. I've eaten here 3 times. After a very mediocre pasta lunch several years ago, I wasn't anxious to go back. Had someone take me to lunch a year later, wasn't much better - I ordered pan sauteed fresh fish. Totally ordinary, something I could whip up in 10 minutes.
My finance' Barbara is a Bradley Ogden fan, she begged me to take her here after we ate a marvelous meal at the Lark Creek Inn last month. Well, Bradley's artistic mark is nowhere close to the Yankee Pier. We ordered oysters, clam chowder, pan sauteed fished, had some salads and vege's. Everything was just okay at best. I drank Sierra Pale Ale.
The place was full to the rafters. Lots'a young local families with plenty of screaming children. Not the kind'a place I like to spend free time. If it closed, I would not be sad.
You can get way better food across the street at Fabrizio's for about the same price.
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Yankee Pier
Cuisine: Seafood
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Larkspur |
3/27/2006
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We enjoyed a leisurely Valentine's dinner. The food was excellent. There's a fairly new chef here (Feb 2006) and he has his act together! Dining room ran like a well oiled machine. Our young server was very knowledgeable about the night's menu and the wines. She & I debated wine pairings, she backed her cheerful suggestions with sample tastings. Cool! This is American comfort food at its best. Top notch local farmer's market ingredients combined in playful ways that intrigue your mouth and mind. Richly satisfying flavors, wonderful mouth feel. Meal portions are generous, more so than the usual high priced restaurants. Dining room is a re-vamped large Victorian era wood house. Romantic at night with fireplace, low level lighting, & candles. Perfect date place. Lots of pretty people here. I expected to empty my savings account to dine here. We ate plenty, drank well, had desserts, coffee. Bill = $130 with tip. A bargain for such a good meal & experience.
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The Lark Creek Inn
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Larkspur |
3/27/2006
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I've eaten here more than a dozen times. Food has ranged from above average to superb. Dining room is bright and welcoming. Large fireplace in the main room. Full bar, jazz trio at the bar on week-end evenings. This is white linen, fine tableware dining. Dress up to see and be seen in a tony Marin crowd. Sophisticated French-California dishes that rotate with the seasons. Portions are reasonable size. With a good appetite you will go from appetizers thru to dessert without getting bloated. I usually spend between $150 to $200 for two depending on the alcohol consumption. Ordering French wine will inflate the bill. This is a good destination for a young-at-heart romantic date, classy enough but not stuffy. Lively evening location but not too loud to make conversation with your partner.
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Left Bank (Blue Rock Inn)
Cuisine: French (Brasserie)
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Larkspur |
3/27/2006
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Positive review with caveat. Rulli is unique for Marin. This is a European Bakery & Cafe in cute little Larkspur. It's very popular, it's almost always completely crowded. The pastries ARE top notch. The small market area has some Italian wines that you won't find at Bev n' Mo. Wine prices are steep. I've eaten here many, many times as I worked at neighboring Marin General Hospital for 7 years. This was a go-to place for lower cost business lunches outside the hospital. Barbara & I ate lunch there yesterday. Here's the caveat, the Panini are just so-so. In reflection, they always have been. The proscuito is too salty, the Parmesan cheese is too salty. They grill the Panini's well done, which adds flavor, but they squash the things to roof shingle thinness As this is about the only thing they cook besides soup, you'd hope for a better panini - Unfortunately they suck. The salads are good, Soups are good, pastries are divine! Just skip the salty paninis.
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Emporio Rulli
Cuisine: Dessert Italian
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Larkspur |
3/27/2006
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This is a chain with several outlets right here in San Rafael. The food is just passably good. The food is identical at any of the outlets. $6 meat burrito. The rice as a side dish and burrito ingredient tastes steamy wet & flavorless. Beans (your choice: Ranchito pinto, negritos, refried) are not spiced enough either. This is fast food in a fast food ambience. Burritos are aluminum foil wrapped. You unwind the Alum foil as you eat your way down the vertical burrito. Large size is a big portion even for a strong eater like me. 99% of girls won't be able to complete a large size. I eat here when the local alternatives are slim picken's. Better than Taco bell, not as good as the Road Runner chain here in Marin. Want good Mexican food in San Rafael? Go to La Familia on Bellam Blvd or Celia's on East Francisco Blvd.
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High Tech Burrito
Cuisine: Mexican
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San Rafael |
3/26/2006
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UPDATE: 2nd visit. Last year we had an okay meal and I submitted relatively positive reviews to SFsurvey.com & Dine.com. I want to update those reviews so I wont mislead anyone. The bottom has fallen out of the game for this place. The waiter admitted there is a new chef. He lacks talent. Dinner tonight for five of us was disappointing. BambieKat HATED her $24 sea bass special. Dredged in pulverized rosemary powder & oven baked it WAS awful! After she complained,(something she never does), the manager did remove the travesty from the bill. My Margharita pizza was merely mediocre. Chewy thin crust with no merit, thick acid tomato paste sauce, Hey Where's the fresh basil? It's the middle of July there's fresh basil for sale everywhere! Our east coast guests tried to be polite about their crappy meals, too. Wasted calories and an embarrassment for us Marin hosts trying to show off our local scene. $290 for 5 people to eat badly. Screw it! We're not coming back ever!
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Frantoio
Cuisine: Italian Northern
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Mill Valley |
3/26/2006
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Most popular restaurant in Marin. Reservations mandatory, anytime. Place is always packed. Free valet parking. Full bar, strong drinks. Good wine selections. Alpine lodge decor. White linens, heavy weight sterling silver flatware, real porcelain dishes, crystal glasses. Smoked meats are delicately flavored with many nuances. Sauces are complex and match perfectly. You ain't eating county fair Bar-B-que here!
I've eaten here 6 times. Every meal was wonderful. I tried a different dish every visit. Highly recommend the filet. Chicken is moist, smoky, saucy, sublime. The sides are comfort food of the highest order. I've had plenty of mac n' cheese over the past 52 years, this is the best so far.
Come with a big appetite. Leave the fussy vegetarian at home, there's not much for them to eat & the carnage will probably upset their delicate balance. Food quality & dining experience here get my highest recommendation.
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Buckeye Roadhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
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Mill Valley |
3/26/2006
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POPULAR place. Big breakfast, Good salads, giant delicious burgers, tall soft drink glasses. Big portions. My lamb burger was good. I said "No French fries" in English & Spanish to get the point across. Got them anyway, and then a free side salad when I pointed out their error. Wait staff are very amiable and accommodating. Family destination, Marinites with kids come here in droves. Parking lot can be full up during peak meal hours and alternative safe parking on shoreline drive is non-existent. You can park down the street across the road and run the risk of being mowed down by the 55 mph vehicle flow. Just a few outdoor patio tables with view of creek & road. Dining room is large, bright, cheerful. American food at its best.
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The Dipsea Cafe
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Mill Valley |
3/26/2006
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I've eaten here 5 times, always come for the view just like kushnir says below. The food is consistently mediocre. 1950's era style fish & chips, seafood salads with gloppy dressings, etc... You come here to sit on the back patio on a sunny day. Watch all the beautiful 20-somethings get plastered on alcohol. Want good food? Go elsewhere.
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Sam's Anchor Cafe
Cuisine: American Seafood
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Tiburon |
3/26/2006
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Glowing reviews of the past were deserved. This was once a great, inventive eatery, that served creative Meso-American dishes with style, flavor and a kicky attitude. Alas, the bottom fell out of their game in 2004. Obviously a very important "sparkplug" left the restaurant. The food now is terrible and the service is bad on its best days. Marin locals like me have given up on the place. It needs to close and be put out of its misery. The only possible reason Guaymas is still in operation is due to the view of the San Francisco skyline from the patio dining area. Go there for a beer on a clear day, enjoy the view. Eat elsewhere.
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Guaymas
Cuisine: Mexican Seafood
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Tiburon |
3/26/2006
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Better food than other Il Fornaio franchise locations. I've eaten here a dozen times. Food ranges from good to excellent. Service ranges from arrogant-terrible to excellent. Menu has monthly region-specific specialties. These can be interesting dishes that you won't see elsewhere, they may be worth a try. My criticism is the suggested wine pairings never work! Recommended wines clash & brutalize the food & my taste buds. I do not know who supplies these tannic, unsatisfying wines, but (s)he needs to stop! Please find this person a new career. Dining room has several sections. Full liquor bar. The fireplace is cozy, the good looking older couples get seated there. Patio is usually filled with the larger party functions. Friday, Saturday nights can be crowded & excessively noisy. Reservations mandatory on date nights. Prices reasonable for the food quality & presentation. A couple having c***tails, three course meals, a bottle of vino, coffee will spend $100 plus tip.
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Il Fornaio
Cuisine: Bakery Italian
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Corte Madera |
3/26/2006
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Whoa! What's with the preponderance of negative reviews for this place? Yes, the menu is small. Yes, $4 for a Taco is too high a price in the Mission, but you're not in the Mission. You're in one of the most expensive real estate locations on planet earth, blame the landlord, not the renter.
The taco ingredients are clean, the crunch of the cabbage and taco shells is good. They got real Mexican soda. The cooks are all Mexicano. They know what they're doing. The decor is minimal, I've been in prettier Taco Bells. You come here to eat at one of the cheapest places in the Ferry Bldg, and then get back to the way over-priced shopping experience. You want a cheaper good Taco? Go down to La Taqueria on Mission and 23rd, find parking, stand in-line for 20 minutes, go deaf from the noise and enjoy the best taco in SF.
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Mijita
Cuisine: Mexican Gourmet Taqueria
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Embarcadero |
3/25/2006
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Update: I've eaten here 5X. Mediterranean food & more. All the usual suspects on the menu, Baba Ganoush, Spanikopita, mezes, etc... Women love this place. I had a lunch here last year & the room was female filled (120 people), I was the only male in-house. Dinner last night was good. More couples & families than in my past visits. Room filled up fast. Barb had the chicken. Generous portion, good smoky flavor. My $25 beef filet was excellent. The porcini mushrooms were basted in oil & cooked perfectly to bring out their unique succulent flavor. Beef portion was generous. I was too full for dessert. Bill for two app's, 2 c***tails, 2 entrees, big bottle of San Pellegrino was $86. Wait time between App's and entree was waaayy too long, but we were happy when the food turned out to be so good. Nice wine list, average mark-up. Overall: 2.5 stars. I'll go again sometime. If you're in San Anslemo, this is a good choice.
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Insalata's
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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San Anselmo |
3/25/2006
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Newest restaurant for this family owned chain of three. The food here is superlative. I've eaten at 1,000's of different Indian places over the years, this place is about the best I've ever tried. Dishes are richly flavored, preparation skills are extraordinary. This is Northern India cuisine. The owners are Sikh. Meat and vegetarian menus. Tandoori is excellent. Nan is wonderful. Alcohol is Beer & wine only. Dining room nicely done with colorful walls. Tables and chairs are intricately mother of pearl inlay masterpieces. Everything matches, yet every furniture piece is unique, design just a little different . 100% Indian staff in front and in Kitchen, 100% authenticity here.
I wish that my spouse enjoyed Indian food, I'd eat here more often.
Highly Recommended!
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Bombay Garden
Cuisine: Indian
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San Rafael |
3/25/2006
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Il Cantuccio "The corner" is in the middle of the block. We booked early dinner at 5:30PM opening. We were the only diners until 6:30 on a Wednesday evening. The young hostess / manager is from Milan. She provides lots of Italian credibility, she's hilariously animated, loves to talk. The place is smallish - narrow. Typical Mission area interior (read semi-funky) decorated with Italian bric-a-brac. We ate grilled vege appetizers, poofy bread, had salads, I got lamb shank, Barbara got veal scallopini. We drank Italian wine by the glass. Food is good quality, earnestly prepared. Doesn't taste Italian. The cook is Mexican, so he adds Mezo-American perspective on classic Italian dishes. This is not a criticism, the best Calzone I've ever eaten was in Puerto Vallarta by a cook who couldn't find Italy on a map. The menu here is 3 pages long. Got all your favorites. Wine list has 50 bottles, average price = $30. Was this meal in this funky setting worth $110 for two? Not really.
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Il Cantuccio
Cuisine: Italian
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Mission |
3/23/2006
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I've eaten here twice. Lunch was off the specials menu. We ordered some banana leaf wrapped rice with minced meats, vegetables, chicken, broccoli, etc. Drank house tea. I thought the flavors were different than most tourist oriented Chinese restaurants, more earthy, with some fermentation flavors. Menus are a bit cryptic with the descriptions. Servers had good intentions and very limited English speaking skills.
Following month the family dinner for 8 of us was too much of a challenge for the out-of-town "in-laws". The folks couldn't comprehend the menu, there are barely any comparable dishes to pork fried rice, chop suey, cashew chicken and other Americanized plates that the folks are accustomed. I watched them grimace at some of the flavors (ie, black mushroom) - I guess this is place is a little too exotic for white bread middle Americans. I liked the whole fish with sauce. If you've got an adventurous palate give this place a try.
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Yet Wah
Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum
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Outer Richmond |
3/21/2006
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2 weeks ago Barbara & I ate here before going to a jazz show @ Yoshi's. I echo Chub415's review below. Place was packed, we got a table in 10 minutes. I wanted fall off the bone delicious ribs with sides. I got grisly, somewhat chewy ribs that I couldn't finish because they were undercooked and rubbery. Sauce tasted institutional to me. Potato salad and cole slaw sides were better than Max's Opera cafe, had more soul. Baked beans were good. You get free seconds of sides by asking. Beer served in Mason jars, 1970's cute idea that should have died permanently back then. Barb had chicken, which was better cooked than the ribs. The good looking young couple seated next to us picked at the food for 15 minutes then split after paying. They looked hungry, probably went someplace else to eat. I recommend that you do the same.
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Everett & Jones Barbeque
Cuisine: Southern Barbecue
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Oakland |
3/21/2006
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The only place in San Rafael to get Spanish tapas. Barbara & I tried several dishes with some Tempranillo wines. I thought that the "creations" were imaginative, somewhat whimsical, and tasted okay. These are not traditional tapas you find in Spain - This is a more CA fusion enterprise, even though the owners and some of the staff are Spanish. Though the prices are premium, the tapas are not at the level of Bocadillos in North Beach. The dining room holds 80. The decor is sleek Euro-modern. You get a view of the street thru floor to ceiling glass. I compared notes with several friends who ate here the same week. They panned the place, said that their food was mediocre at best.
There's a deli connected that sells Spanish Serrano ham, cheeses, some wines, olives, etc.. Again the prices are on the high side, but they do have items that you do not find in your favorite upper end supermarket. Will I go back? Probably not.
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Sabor of Spain
Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
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San Rafael |
3/20/2006
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Barbara & I ate here a few weeks ago. The room is small. Painted colorfully. Chairs are comfy enough. Wall side table for 2 is bistro size-smallish. They use good quality cutlery, plates and linens. The food was very good. She started with the butternut squash soup. I got to taste. It was delicately spiced, the earthiness came thru, and there was a medley of spice/herb flavors on the buttery, creamy texture. Excellent. My green salad starter was excellent as well. Barb had the fish, I had the steak. I preferred the steak. The blue cheese, butter topping was piquant, creamy, added a luxurious mouth feel to a good quality cut cooked perfectly. We drank a bottle of Pinot that went well with both entre's. The wine mark-up seemed typical. We had desserts, the profiteroles were pretty good. Finished off with good quality coffee. The bill was less than $100 with tip. A good value. Recommended!
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Jojo
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
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Oakland |
3/20/2006
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NEW MENU ALERT! - 12/28/2006 -
Yoshi's is my "second home". I come to see jazz acts at least twice per month. I've been doing so since the Oakland location opened in the late 1980's. I've eaten at the restaurant at least 100 times.
A new chef & menu has arrived. Everthing is now a la carte. There are American dishes like pork chop on the menu. New combinations with americanized japanese dishes are a mis-fire. My pork chop was mediocre Safeway quality meat cooked on the grill. Fatty & fairly tasteless. Dollop of daikon turnip mash with crispy garlic slivers is a silly addition. Bambie's fish filet was also nothing to rave about, it was just plain.
Prices have gone thru the roof. We did not eat nor drink much. Dinner was $98. I'm not happy.
Sushi bar now is the only reason to eat here, and it has always been acceptable not superlative.
"Bring back the Oyakadon & Soba noodles"!
From now on I'll eat elsewhere before a Jazz show in the auditorium.
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Yoshi's at Jack London Square
Cuisine: Sushi
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Oakland |
3/20/2006
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After reading many positive reviews in the weekly papers for years about Zachary's , Barbara & I finally made it here for lunch. At 2:30 PM the place was packed with ecstatic customers. The room is sort'a funky, very populist, and smells divine with food aromas. We ordered a thin crust pizza with vegetables even though we saw all others ordering the Chicago Style deep dish. This is about the best Pizza I've eaten since I left my hometown of NYC in 1970. The cornmeal crust is crunchy & delicious. The sauce is the perfect mix of aromatic, slightly spicy, fresh tomato without the acid bite. The cheese amount was perfect & creamy. Good quality ingredients! I drank a pint of tap beer. Barbara had a glass of wine. We got a big bottle of fizzy water. A perfect lunch. I now tell other ex-pat New Yorkers who complain about poor quality west coast pizza to visit this place. Beats 99% of NY pizza places for flavor and pure eating satisfaction.
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Zachary's Chicago Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
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Oakland |
3/20/2006
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So Barbara & I are strolling around North Beach on Saturday night without reservations and we're getting hungry. We poked our heads into 10 places along Columbus to beg a table. No place would seat us for at least 45 minutes. I reasoned that Cafe Sport is a block off the main drag, so maybe it's not as busy. We walked into a full house. Crowded room with live music is noisy & fun. The podium girl was not hopeful for seating, so I greeted the bartender in Italian & pleaded that we're hungry and he can't turn a Paesano away. He came out from the bar and got us a mid-room table in 15 seconds. Servers appeared quickly and we were beveraged up fast. We ordered the pasta,salads, etc. This is not gourmet Italian cuisine. This is tourist oriented, large volume, production line food. It served our need to consume lots'a carbos & red wine. We stayed 90 minutes, spent smallish cash. I'm giving a positive review because we got preferential treatment.
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Caffe Sport
Cuisine: Italian
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North Beach |
3/20/2006
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Barbara brought me here for a surprise date. I think she actually planned for dinner which I nixed after 2 drinks at a window small table . The view is fabulous. The "jazz" combo was starting up. The tall young blonde servers in the long cocktail dressss are enticing eye candy. All the red velvet curtains and fake 1950's Rat Pack decor is too gagalicious for me, and I'm a 2nd generation Italo-American who loves Frank Sinatra music. Mr. Denton was in the house, tuxedo clad. The place was packed with starry-eyed, corn fed faces from Iowa, Nebraska, and Turlock. I thanked Barbara for the invitation and took her to Kuleto's for dinner instead. I love Disneyland, Las Vegas and other tourist spots for the kitsch. This place gave me an mental allergic reaction.
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Starlight Room Harry Denton's
Cuisine: American light fair
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Downtown |
3/19/2006
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I have Santa Cruz friends who love this place. They always eat here on their twice a year visit to the city. I had the misfortune to join them here for dinner even after I offered to pay to go elsewhere. The food here is horrible! It delivers all of the badness of cheap Chinatown slop house food. The selections were all super oily. Every dish tasted like cheap chili oil and burnt wok. The dining room is filthy. The surly waiters hate their jobs, they hate the tourist customers & they are not shy about showing it. But the place was packed with customers at 9:00 PM. Unbelievable! On my friends next visit, I'll decline a dinner invitation. Life is too short to eat food this bad.
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Brandy Ho's
Cuisine: Chinese
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Chinatown |
3/19/2006
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Barbara & I arrived at 5:00 PM Friday for drinks and food. I think that Barb made a reservation, as we got a table right away and it was crowded. The crowd was young and peppy and seemed to be enjoying the food. I've been to Spain twice for vacation and have had my share of free bar food, some of it quite good. This place is quite good as well. We tried 8 different plates between us, we drank of couple glasses each of different Spanish wines. Wine / food pairing were compatible.
The tables and chairs are perched high in the sky, it is not comfortable seating as mentioned by other reviewers. Prices are a little higher than the other, older Spanish tapas places in the city, but I think that the food quality is higher here. Service was timely, cheerful, & knowledgeable. This will be my go-to recommendation tapas place when friends ask.
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Bocadillos
Cuisine: Tapas
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North Beach |
3/19/2006
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I've eaten here 5 times. Every meal has been excellent and a pleasure. I love the Gold Alley location for the romance factor, and then to window shop the Jackson square antique stores after dinner. This is a higher end dining experience price wise. Even though I tend to be a bargain shopper, Bix is always worth the higher than normal dining bill. I usually drop $200 plus tip on a dinner for two here, but never regret it. Probably the best bar in the city for a classic Martini. The glasses chilling in the mountains of shaved ice is eye catching. Make reservations, Dress up! Then go to see, and been seen. You'll love the food.
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BIX
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Downtown |
3/19/2006
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I've eaten business deal lunches here with visiting Corp suits and had after hours co-worker get togethers. The food is terrible. The drinks have little alcohol. I think the frozen margarita can legally be served to minors. This location is particularly low on quality. The Mission @ 2nd St location is a little better, but still... Why are there 3 Chevys in our authentic food obsessed town? They obviously turn a profit. My theory is that Chevy's survives on tourists from small towns who are overwhelmed by the "big city" experience and they need to recoup their equilibrium by visiting a familiar restaurant "just like back home". If you speak more than 100 words of Spanglish or have ever eaten a real taco, you do not go to Chevy's of your own free will. Please dine @ any family owned Mexican place instead. You will get a meal that's a lot better than Chevy's.
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Chevy's Fresh Mex
Cuisine: Tex-mex Mexican
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Embarcadero |
3/19/2006
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Barbara & I ate a mid-week lunch here. The line was out the door at Noon. I've walked past this place 500 times without giving it a thought beyond..."This place is a hole-in-the-wall, it looks old, dirty, and funky. Everybody waiting on-line looks like a tourist". Barbara ate here many years ago and insisted that I try lunch with her. I'm going to admit that the crab louie was good. A bit too old school for me, but the quality is high. Had a bowl of chowder - Thought that it was a bit watery, I guess they do not use potato to thicken the broth. Bread was okay, not the best . I drank bottled beer. Barbara loved her seafood salad and sides.
I'm put-off by all the junk on the shelves above the food prep counter. Looks like there are 4 years worth of newspapers dropping dust on my food. Fixtures, counters, seats look like they haven't been cleaned in 50 years. Too gritty for me. Yes the servers all all wonderfully friendly and clever. Good food served in a dive.
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Swan Oyster Depot
Cuisine: Seafood
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Polk St./Van Ness |
3/19/2006
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Dining as theater, sure. The restaurant decor is pure Hollywood movie set perfect. More calculated and better production values than a Las Vegas theme restaurant. You leave San Francisco when you step inside. You're not in V.N., you're in a fantasy world - Enjoy.
The food? Well, weird. I'm a Viet Nam era US Army veteran. Had my share of local cuisine back in the early 1970's. The meal I had here is not V.N. cooking. So it's fusion what ever. Was it well done? Not really. I had the rolls, some sauteed squid, some greens. Drank tea. Strange spices like cardomon mixed with lemon grass pop up. What's that about? I guess they're shooting for "exotic" to wow the tourists. Texture of the roll was too wet and slippery, bland flavor, not the freshest. So go for the decor. Have a few drinks, loosen up and then appreciate the food for what it is - CA fusion something-or-other.
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ANA MANDARA
Cuisine: French (New) Vietnamese
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Fishermans Wharf |
3/11/2006
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Had dinner here with an old friend and her 88 year old mother who is the wealthiest person I know, and since she paid, I'm disinclined to discuss price vs. food quality. Busy week night, we arrived a cocktail hour. Hiz' Honor Willie Brown was at the bar with a group of gorgeous women. We ate a leisurely paced meal. I started with soup - It was bland. Granny was having something expensive, I think her restaurant strategy is to order only the highest priced items, then she gets the "best". She remarked that everything was "good", with a half-dour-grimace-polite smile face. Not sure if that was her more sincere evaluation of the selections. I had fish. Good, not great. Preparation finesse 100%, Style 100%, Flavor 75%. The room is lovely. We were by the window. Generous size table. Plates / cutlery is all top notch. Servers are professional. Will I return with my bride-to-be to spend my own hard-earned cash? Not likely.
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Jardiniere Restaurant
Cuisine: Californian
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Hayes Valley |
3/11/2006
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Barbara took me here for my B-day. We ate on the top floor under the skylight. We got there early, I think we were the 2nd couple to be seated for dinner. Our server was earnest, friendly and helpful. Barb & I ate a 3 course meal. Barb started with the beets, I had the butter lettuce, both were good. She had the fresh fish special, I had coq au vin. We side ordered the green beans and egg noodles. We drank the Miner Viognier which went well with the food, not too fruity. We had just coffee for dessert.
90 minutes later the place was packed. We walked down the stairs to see how the other diners were faring. Everyone seemed happy with their meals, though I wouldn't want to sit at some of the tables (Like the 3rd floor along the rail - Tiny table in a traffic lane.)
Good meal. A little more $$$ than we usually spend. I have no burning desire to return. I've eaten at the Yountville property, too. Good enough food but calculated decor, too cute, "precious", touristy.
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Jeanty At Jacks
Cuisine: French Brasseries
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Downtown |
3/11/2006
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Pretty, well laid out room. Comfy luxury without formal stuffiness. We had dinner here before going to the symphony. Started with mesclun salads, fresh, good, nice dressing. Barbara ordered the chicken, I had pork. Both meals were richly flavored, and prepared excellently. Wine list is good. We chose a $35 bottle of Pinot Noir that was a good match to the food. Wine mark-up seems pretty restaurant typical (Can you say "profit center"?)
Dining room was full with a good looking mature age crowd. No young families with kids this night. Lighting is warm and romantic, noise level is lower than most places. Servers are very competent.
Good 2 hour meal for less than $100.
Recommended!
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Indigo
Cuisine: American (New)
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Civic Center |
3/11/2006
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Barbara & I ate lunch here yesterday. She had the half chicken on mesclun, & I had the pork loin sandwich. The food was good. Our young server who was a Toby MacGuire look-alike was gentle, kind, attentive, unhurried and competent. The house was > half full at 1:30pm. We sat closer to the front windows on left side of the room (Above the main dining "pit"). We did not experience the sonic punishment mentioned by several other reviewers. The noise level was lower than most lunch places. I do repeat the warning for fellow Reactive Airway Disease sufferers as mentioned by other reviewers. The sharp sting of mesquite wood smoke greets at the door. You do not see smoke hanging in the dining room air. I immediately had some "chest tickles" & more throughout the meal, the smoke is an irritant. Late that afternoon I had a full-dead-on asthma attack, the worse in many months. I'm sure that the wood stoves in LuLu smoke was the culprit. Got Asthma? Avoid Lulu!
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Restaurant LuLu
Cuisine: Mediterranean French
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SoMa |
3/9/2006
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Ate a mid-week lunch here with 2 others. Even with reservations we were seated in the crowded bar at a too small of a table. All 3 of us were in suit & tie business attire, so we didn't get the "bum shuffle", the place was just too busy. Place was mayhem. Had bar patrons brushing up against me during the meal.
Food was good. We had 2 drinks each.
Lunch bill of $280 plus tip.
$100 each for Lunch! I'm way out of my normal league here value-wise.
I appreciate seeing the toniest people in San Francisco looking fabulous in the booths. This is a premium spot, lovely room, and good cuisine, but the price of admission is too steep for me.
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BOULEVARD
Cuisine: American (New)
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Embarcadero |
3/8/2006
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I echo all the positive reviews for this place. I've eaten here 3 times. This is a great taco in the city. In the 1970's I taught English down in Mexico City for a year, and I ate my share of street vendor tacos. Got to taste some amazing flavors. This place makes tacos that hold up well in comparison.
A bonus is Dianda's bakery next door. Go there for a dessert pastry after your tacos.
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La Taqueria
Cuisine: Mexican
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Mission |
3/7/2006
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Another enthusiastic positive vote for this bakery! As I get older, I do not indulge in pastries as often. But when I do , I want the GOOD stuff. No Safeway bakery crap for me. If I'm down in the Mission and have some extra time on my hands, I'll make it a point to come here to purchase just a few decadent items. Everything whipped-creamed that I've ordered has been yummy. The Italian style cookies are good as well. Flavors are honest, presentation is good though not as fancy as some of the higher priced bakeries in the more expensive neighborhoods.
Have a taco next door (They are great as well), and then get dessert here.
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Dianda's Italian American Pastry Co.
Cuisine: Bakeries
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Mission |
3/7/2006
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Barbara & I have eaten here 3 times. She loves the food & ambience, I'm not as thrilled. We've had a decent lunch sitting in the front window, a mixed quality dinner by the kitchen and a totally mediocre dinner on the back patio. I'll give a passing grade to the hamburger and fries, and I usually do not like french fries. My last dinner of spaghetti and meatballs was really quite terrible. Large portion, but gloppy with meat sauce flavors that recalled meal memories of roadtrip diners outside Oklahoma. Yes, the wait staff are really amiable. They pay attention to empty water & beverage glasses. I root for Chow 'cause it's earnest, family friendly, cheap enough, sometimes adventurous with ingredient combos and flavors. But good intentions do not overshadow my experience that 2 meals out of 3 did not make me happy. Therefore I award a neutral rating which pains me a little. I hope that the kitchen focuses and improves but I probably will never return to find out.
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Chow
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
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Upper Market/Church Street |
3/7/2006
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Barbara & I ate lunch here after some Wednesday afternoon Union Square shopping. We arrived at 3:30 or so, place was deserted, except for the manager and the back crew. I'm leery about walking into any restaurant at that awkward hour when the kitchen is prepping for dinner, and they may not have the time or right attitude to cook a lunch. So we chatted up the manager in his native french (mine is pretty good) and ordered bistro style snacks with a couple of glasses of red wine and a bottle of perrier. We had: Onion soup, salads, cheese assortment with sliced pears, apples, some grapes, a little bread. Refreshing, Good clean food, hit the spot. So now I know they can toss a decent salad, & arrange some cold cuts on a plate well. I'll have to return to try some real cooking. I like the dining room decor, it's cheery downscale Bistro - Cafe.
Belden Place is SF's most "Parisienne" street, one block long solid restaurants. It's a fun destination for romantics and foodies.
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Cafe Bastille
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
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Downtown |
3/6/2006
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Barbara & I had a special "date nite" dinner here. It was excellent. Our standards are quite high for Italian. I'm 2nd generation Italo-American, and we just got back from 6 weeks in Italy. Our Italian food radar is very sensitive! This is a special place, especially for foodie romantics. You are going to spend some money here for unique items and better than average wines. The service was excellent. The room was full at 8:00 pm but it was quiet - Bravo!
Highly Recommended.
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Incanto
Cuisine: Italian
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Noe Valley |
3/6/2006
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Went here on Patricia Unterman's recommendation after deciding years ago that there are no good restaurants in Chinatown. My date & I ate lunch here. We sat downstairs in the basement. Didn't like the room. The A.C. was cranked full-on and we were cold. Server did nothing to change that after I asked.
Fresh seafood dishes were above average for this neighborhood. We drank bottled beer. Prices are higher than in a typical Chinatown slop house, but no higher than a suburban clean Chinese restaurant. Deserves a positive rating for the food quality, but I'm not a convert. And I'm still waiting to find a good Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. E-mail me if you have a secret place that rates.
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R & G Lounge
Cuisine: Chinese
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Chinatown |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten here 8 times. I love VN food. This place is good but not my favorite. I like the Banh Xeo crepe, though my last one was too oily. Pho soup is good on a cold day. Freshly wrapped Shrimp Spring rolls are good starter. The food quality has slipped since their newly open era. Prices have risen faster than the consumer inflation rate. The dining room does look a bit shabbier than years past. Gets my positive rating partially on fond memories of earlier meals. Had a great dinner back in 2000 (or so) with my family. We ate many dishes, every morsel was delicious, the kitchen was ON that night. The bill was ridiculously low. Our server was tuxedo clad and performed perfectly. Now? I'm leery to return after a couple of lackluster lunches with slow service. On last visit, my companion did not like her lunch, but she's not a fan of any Asian cuisine. I'm rooting that this place regains focus and improves. For now, Mai's, down the street is a better VN lunch choice.
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Le Soleil Authentic Vietnamese Cusine
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Inner Richmond |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten here 5 times. I've always been able to park within 2 streets. It's on the M Judah Trolley line.
I've come for the crab 3 times. They are peppery and covered with pounds of melted butter. This is NOT a heart healthy meal. I love Viet Namese cuisine, so my bias is positive for this place. I've had good fish dishes here. The popular garlic noodles are too buttery, and the texture is a bit limp - Not a great mouth feel. The dining room has always been packed every visit. Lots of happy crab feasters!
The prices are too high for the quality of the food. Last visit Barbara & I drank a cocktail at the bar, ate 2 crabs, ordered a mid price wine bottle, had side dishes, & dessert. The bill was over $200 with tip. You can eat much better Viet Namese cuisine at many places on lower Clement for a fraction the cost.
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Thanh Long
Cuisine: Vietnamese Seafood
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Outer Sunset |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at most Pasta Pomodoro (PP) locations. Do you know the PP chain is owned by Wendy's Hamburger Inc? I have a culinary point here, the food sort'a is CorpUSAKuisine (tm). Okay it's better than Olive Garden / Old Spaghetti Factory, but I group PP in company with these chains. It's not a Italian family locally owned-operated restaurant.
At PP $11.95 gets you a decent main course. The pasta will not pass the taste test from a Roman visitor. Portion sizes are on the smallish side. The wine by the glass is served in short tumblers, I think that the pour is only 5 oz. Skimpy by my standards.
So with these criticisms why do I give PP a positive rating? It is what it is. I eat at one because it's:
Right there in front of me when I'm hungry, I don't want to wait for a table at another place, It is better than most fast food. When you're in Novato or San Rafael, have a meal at PP, but why bother when you're in San Francisco where you have so many superior alternatives?
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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Castro |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at most Pasta Pomodoro (PP) locations. Do you know the PP chain is owned by Wendy's Hamburger Inc? I have a culinary point here, the food sort'a is CorpUSAKuisine (tm). Okay it's better than Olive Garden / Old Spaghetti Factory, but I group PP in company with these chains. It's not a Italian family locally owned-operated restaurant.
At PP $11.95 gets you a decent main course. The pasta will not pass the taste test from a Roman visitor. Portion sizes are on the smallish side. The wine by the glass is served in short tumblers, I think that the pour is only 5 oz. Skimpy by my standards.
So with these criticisms why do I give PP a positive rating? It is what it is. I eat at one because it's:
Right there in front of me when I'm hungry, I don't want to wait for a table at another place, It is better than most fast food. When you're in Novato or San Rafael, have a meal at PP, but why bother when you're in San Francisco where you have so many superior alternatives?
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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Inner Sunset |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at most Pasta Pomodoro (PP) locations. Do you know the PP chain is owned by Wendy's Hamburger Inc? I have a culinary point here, the food sort'a is CorpUSAKuisine (tm). Okay it's better than Olive Garden / Old Spaghetti Factory, but I group PP in company with these chains. It's not a Italian family locally owned-operated restaurant.
At PP $11.95 gets you a decent main course. The pasta will not pass the taste test from a Roman visitor. Portion sizes are on the smallish side. The wine by the glass is served in short tumblers, I think that the pour is only 5 oz. Skimpy by my standards.
So with these criticisms why do I give PP a positive rating? It is what it is. I eat at one because it's:
Right there in front of me when I'm hungry, I don't want to wait for a table at another place, It is better than most fast food. When you're in Novato or San Rafael, have a meal at PP, but why bother when you're in San Francisco where you have so many superior alternatives?
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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North Beach |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at most Pasta Pomodoro (PP) locations. Do you know the PP chain is owned by Wendy's Hamburger Inc? I have a culinary point here, the food sort'a is CorpUSAKuisine (tm). Okay it's better than Olive Garden / Old Spaghetti Factory, but I group PP in company with these chains. It's not a Italian family locally owned-operated restaurant.
At PP $11.95 gets you a decent main course. The pasta will not pass the taste test from a Roman visitor. Portion sizes are on the smallish side. The wine by the glass is served in short tumblers, I think that the pour is only 5 oz. Skimpy by my standards.
So with these criticisms why do I give PP a positive rating? It is what it is. I eat at one because it's:
Right there in front of me when I'm hungry, I don't want to wait for a table at another place, It is better than most fast food. When you're in Novato or San Rafael, have a meal at PP, but why bother when you're in San Francisco where you have so many superior alternatives?
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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Japantown |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at most Pasta Pomodoro (PP) locations. Do you know the PP chain is owned by Wendy's Hamburger Inc? I have a culinary point here, the food sort'a is CorpUSAKuisine (tm). Okay it's better than Olive Garden / Old Spaghetti Factory, but I group PP in company with these chains. It's not a Italian family locally owned-operated restaurant.
At PP $11.95 gets you a decent main course. The pasta will not pass the taste test from a Roman visitor. Portion sizes are on the smallish side. The wine by the glass is served in short tumblers, I think that the pour is only 5 oz. Skimpy by my standards.
So with these criticisms why do I give PP a positive rating? It is what it is. I eat at one because it's:
Right there in front of me when I'm hungry, I don't want to wait for a table at another place, It is better than most fast food. When you're in Novato or San Rafael, have a meal at PP, but why bother when you're in San Francisco where you have so many superior alternatives?
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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Noe Valley |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at most Pasta Pomodoro (PP) locations. Do you know the PP chain is owned by Wendy's Hamburger Inc? I have a culinary point here, the food sort'a is CorpUSAKuisine (tm). Okay it's better than Olive Garden / Old Spaghetti Factory, but I group PP in company with these chains. It's not a Italian family locally owned-operated restaurant.
At PP $11.95 gets you a decent main course. The pasta will not pass the taste test from a Roman visitor. Portion sizes are on the smallish side. The wine by the glass is served in short tumblers, I think that the pour is only 5 oz. Skimpy by my standards.
So with these criticisms why do I give PP a positive rating? It is what it is. I eat at one because it's:
Right there in front of me when I'm hungry, I don't want to wait for a table at another place, It is better than most fast food. When you're in Novato or San Rafael, have a meal at PP, but why bother when you're in San Francisco where you have so many superior alternatives?
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Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
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Laurel Heights |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten here 20 times. If I'm downtown and want Italian, I come here. I've eaten solo at the bar and have had family dinners with 10 people crowded into the biggest booths. Food quality has always ranged from good to fantastic.
A full on dinner with drinks, appetizers , main course, dessert, a bottle of medium priced usually costs $65 per person. It' not cheap, especially if you and your date are crammed into a small bistro table on the bar side. You feel a little more indulged if you get the back raised booth in the hotel lobby section. You'll need six in your party to qualify for that location.
Ask your server for for the freshest fish and you'll get a great meal. Seasonal appetizers are always good palate teasers.
The bar can be overcrowded mayhem at cocktail hour, and you have to push your way thru this crowd to reach the maitre d' podium. Push on through, it's worth the effort.
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Kuleto's
Cuisine: Italian
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Downtown |
3/6/2006
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Barbara & I had a fancy dinner here after seeing the show at the Modern Art museum. We were hungry for some good food. We called Umbria on the cell phone while walking, got a 7:30 reservation - For a Friday evening that was cool.
Were we warmly greeted at the door-podium. Place was dimly lit for romance. Almost all tables were taken. Room was full of happy faces and the chatty buzz gave the place a lively air.
We had salads, appetizers, main meat courses, desserts, coffee and a bottle of wine. Every item was great! Barb & I just returned from 6 weeks in Italy, We ate like champions there, in comparison Umbria holds up remarkably well.
Other diners were having the pizza. It smelled wonderful and they said that it was one of the best pizza they ever tasted. I'm going to order one the next time we visit.
I plan to make Umbria my "go-to" Italian place when in SOMA.
It's elegant with a medium price range. Highly recommended!
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Ristorante Umbria
Cuisine: Italian
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SoMa |
3/6/2006
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Barbara & lunched here before the shopping spree at Amoeba Records next door. Wednesday afternoon, place was crowded. The sound system was blaring vintage soul-rock-carib-voodoo music. Our servers were Haight-Ashbury denizens in full exotic regalia. I ordered a salad. It was Mesclun, had some croutons, a few grape tomatoes, a pleasant enough vinaigrette dress. It was larger than most other restaurants starter salad. I gave Barb at least 40% of the salad and still had plenty for me, it cost only $4. The Chicken Rice & black bean dish was equally generous in size for a reasonable $7. Great cuisine?, NO. Good enough for a big hungry guy out for lunch. I ate all I could and had a bunch of rice and a chicken leg left over for the take out box. Barb had the Ahi Tuna. It was just okay as well. No pizzazz, but edible and filling.
We drank a 1/2 carafe of the sangria. I caught a buzz on the alcohol.
Banana cream pie was good. Coffee was pure Denny's. I won't eat here again.
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Cha Cha Cha
Cuisine: Caribbean Tapas
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Haight-Ashbury/Cole Valley |
3/6/2006
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I've eaten at many Max's locations. The Van Ness outlet is one of the better kitchens for flavor. The Stanford shopping center location is probably the best for food quality.
I mostly agree with the preponderance of the neutral reviews for Max's posted here with one notable philosophical difference. Leave your expectations at the door and just accept the place for what it is rather than what you want it to be.
Skip the gloppy-fake Italian sounding menu items. Any dinner item that can be pre-made at the South San Francisco factory , frozen, then re-heated for your "enjoyment" is. So stick with the deli sandwiches. The potato salad and cole slaw are good. The half sour pickles are decent as well.
The giant slices of cake are a once-per-month sweet indulgence.
Eat 'til you are stuffed, pay your bill, and later decide if you ever need to return. If you decide no, there are about 20,000 other San Francisco restaurants you can try.
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Max's Opera Cafe
Cuisine: Deli Dessert
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Civic Center |
3/5/2006
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I've eaten here 50 times since 1973. Have always had from passable to very good meals. I always order the fish or seafood. Have never bothered with chicken or beef.
On a recent weeknight I brought 2 out-of town companions here for dinner, and proceeded to have the best meal I've ever had at Tadich!
The red snapper was off-the-boat fresh and pan seared perfectly. My friends hooted with joy over their dungeness crab and Ahi tuna. Even the creamed spinach was the best I've had here & I've ordered it 30 times.
We drank crisp dry white Napa wines that are a perfect marriage for this essential Northern California cooking.
The kitchen really was in winning stride this night.
Our young server was on his 3rd day of employment and arrival in San Francisco. His enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, we took his hyper-activity in good stride.
I love it when a good ol' standby restaurant hits a home run. Shows why Tadich has been in business since the birth of San Francisco.
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Tadich Grill
Cuisine: Seafood American (Traditional)
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Downtown |
3/5/2006
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I've eaten here dozen's of times since they opened in the mid 1970's. The food is always fresh, lightly seasoned and satiisfying.
Menu consists of the tried and true Viet Namese Pho (soup) , noodle dishes, rice dishes, spring rolls. All are good. I especially like their shrimp rolls. The sprouts and greens inside always have a zesty crunch. Great mouth feel!
Several course dinner for two with beers will cost less than $40. One of the best deals in the city.
18 or so tables that seat 4 each. Walk in place - No reservations. Quintessential neighborhood eatery.
Lower Clement is a great strolling street after you've eaten, lots of small shops to browse.
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Mai's Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant
Cuisine: Vietnamese
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Inner Richmond |
3/5/2006
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We had a good dinner here on a Wednesday night. Every table was taken at 7:30 PM. Reservations are a must for dinner.
The anguish of street parking on Russian hill is a given. We parked 6 streets away after cruising for 20 minutes.
I had the pork chop on pan seared kale, Barbara had the brick de-boned chicken hindquarter on basmati rice. Both prepared with care, tastefully seasoned.
Server was mature, knowledgeable, helpful with wine pairing suggestions. He gave an extra glass of Pinot with dinner and upgraded my dessert wine!
Bill was $85 for the 2 hour meal.
A solid recommendation for this intimate, bistro style neighborhood restaurant.
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1550 Hyde
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean Organic
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Russian Hill |
3/5/2006
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