|
Not even close to a New York Pizza, the only thing similar is the dirt on the floor and the greasy table tops.
Unless you are here during when school is off, the students hanging around take space up for hours.
The pizza is OK, about the same as Mary's except the crust is a tad better. Lombardi's it ain't. Pricing is on par with LaVera's downtown which runs circles over these guys.
Once was enough unless something changes.
|
Mombo's Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Santa Rosa |
1/3/2009
|
|
Run by the C&L group the same people responsible for the 5th floor and owns Aqua, this new cozy chic place located at the Hilton has some interesting junk art. The kind you use to see on the banks of the bay at Berkeley. Interesting menu, my favorite are place that have Charcuterie plates and this one won! Next we had a nice Caesar salad sporting white anchovies that had excellent balance with the dressing. Entrées were lamb chops and the Sea Bass in a brown butter and caper sauce. Surprising all the plates were excellent, in presentation and delivery. We split a Peach Melba that had succulent fruit from somewhere in season. These people must know some secret to motivating the staff. Price is moderate to high, service excellent and a nice surprise to find in a hotel. It will be interesting to see how a return visit will match. The surprise was that it was half full on a Thursday evening. Parking sure, try a garage.
|
Urban Tavern
Cuisine: Bistro
|
Tenderloin |
11/4/2008
|
|
|
Another agreement with Samarati! This place use to be the rib joint, now a wood burning oven sits as the focal point in this popular quaint non pretentious pizza palace. We had a tumbler of wine while we waited for our table on a busy Friday night, 15 minutes later we were ordering the Fried Veal Sweetbreads a little pricey but excellent, We then had a pie each, one was with Salumeri and the other the anchovy. Nice thin crust, not overloaded with stuff, you didn't feel stuffed as you sat enjoying the relaxing dinner. One negative was the sound level of out of town visitors providing well needed income for this small town's only pizzeria. This was on a busy beautiful Wine country Friday, now that I know this place, I will be one of the supporters of it during the week. We locals have very few decent places here that we kind of would like to keep secret, but in this case I have motivation for it to survive! Several new art galleries now festoon the old main street, just the start of cute
|
DiAvola Pizzeria & Salumeria
Cuisine: Pizza Italian
|
Healdsburg |
9/21/2008
|
|
|
I know there will be the disagreements that I get when review “old style family city” restaurants from the crowd that wants vertical elements standing up on the plate as high as their suppressed ego will allow, No foam here! Bravo, this is the place our family came once a year on that special occasion, it was either here or Joe Ferreas' Troc Restaurant on Geary and Arguello. Anyway the food here is excellent, basic SF Italian not the latest from Tuscany or Umbria BS. The seafood and the pasta are great, the ambiance is better and the best is the prices are still down affordable for the normal non IT working stiff! The salads are fresh, the pasta al dente with succulent sauces loaded with enjoyment and satisfaction on every spoonful. If you are really hungry try their 7 course meal. You can roll out of there if your not careful. Nothing overdone here, a nice place with good old fashioned family values. Wait staff,seasoned old professionals in proper attire. Period. End of
|
Caesar's Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
|
Fishermans Wharf |
8/19/2008
|
|
I wish I could have had at least a somewhat positive experience like Samarati, but not! Mediocre service with bland food didn't help the long wait at a non busy dinner rush. The only positive experience was being able to sit outside on a nice evening. We started with grilled eggplant, you know that firm hard dark purple orb with nice taste & texture most of the time, here it looked like it was grilled hours if not days before and thrown under the salamander prior to service. Mushy,bitter and lack of any hint of fresh herbs or spices started our downhill roller coaster ride. Waiting and waiting we finally got our order of ravioli which were suppose to be in a meat sauce and were allegedly made with some form of meat ? Ok, I guess the sauce is there to overpower any subtle flavors of the filling, right? The evening was summarized when we were presented our check, funny it didn't look like we were a table of 4 with two bottles of wine... Maybe that kinda tells it all.
|
Ristorante Fabrizio
Cuisine: Italian
|
Larkspur |
8/12/2008
|
|
|
You know the little man that sits in the chair and jumps for joy when the movie is great, and is missing from the chair when it's bad? He would have been dead on this one! (committed suicide) What should have been a nice meal turned into a should have walked out moment you know in the pit of your stomach you should do it, but for some reason you wait it out! Bad thing to do here! The limp plantain was saturated with almost rancid oil, like (overcooked lasagna noodles). Get the picture yet? The salsa bad, the rice with seafood, bad (unless you like black burnt rice kernels) their continual “twists” on basic South American cuisine lacks direction and a budget to purchase good quality produce. With the service response of “ Oh, the plantains I guess are an acquired taste” leaves me that I wished I had shared with her my extent of South American travels. But why bother, they just don't' give a chalupa about return customers. Add that to the horrific parking and it
|
Fresca
Cuisine: Peruvian
|
Noe Valley |
8/12/2008
|
|
|
This is one of two sushi places in little old Windsor. This one happens to be on the better one, especially in the Saki selection! Clean, with ample parking and friendly wait staff I enjoy both lunches and dinners here. Although its not a get out the door for $ 29 dollar place it is more affordable than some of the sushi wannabes in Santa Rosa. The nigiri is always fresh with nice ample slices of fish. The appetizers like the Goyza or the Fried Soft Shell Crab run about 8 bucks and are exceptionally flavorful with great sauce accompaniments. We usually will get our normal load of sushi and experiment with one of the $ 15 dollar sushi designer creations. Never been disappointed, either on the service end or the quality and freshness of the food. It's a place we go to at least twice a month, for lunch and for dinners. Dinner with a full bottle of Sake and tip $125.
|
UME Japanese Bistro
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
|
Windsor |
8/8/2008
|
|
|
If you only have 1 hour to eat a meal, forget it! Arriving at 10:30 with few other patrons, it took 10 minutes to get menus. The sole waitress was running around unfocused with multiple trips to each table while ready plates baked under hot lites. We thought we could at least get some coffees before she returned for our order 15 minutes later. Several plates kept arriving in cue at the pass while she ran around not having a clue of what efficient table waiting was. We kept looking at the plates at the pass, thinking that we would be the next, the next, the next...Well after 30 minutes we got our orders. IT was not worth the wait! Greasy tasteless matted down hash browns, dry omelettes, my friends breakfast burrito was wrapped in a dried out tortilla and the order of poached eggs where rock hard, placed in a small bowl to represent that something would actually flow out when pierced. They desperately need to look up what Multitasking is. Until then forget it! Never Again.
|
Red Rose Cafe
Cuisine: Barbecue
|
Santa Rosa |
7/15/2008
|
|
|
I feel sorry for the little town of Windsor, it has one remaining Chinese restaurant. This place does an acceptable but not memorable job, unless you call burn Moo sue pork, normal it has to suffice unless you are willing to spend and extra 10 bucks in gas to go to Santa Rosa. Won Ton soup was OK, filling but not lip smacking I'll be sure and order it again dish. The pork dish was disappointing in that something in the Wok, instilled an burn flavor, but the experience was not worth the complaint or the wait for an replacement dish. Prices or moderate 8 to 12 dollars for entrees, service was acceptable and the selection was the normal boring fill your face with Chinese food settle for anything hot dishes. After having a great dinner in the new Santa Rosa place the week before this was a letdown. Parking good because it's located in a shopping center. Recommendation , only if you absolutely positively have to have Chinese food.
|
Yinkeng Chinese Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Windsor |
7/2/2008
|
|
|
Having eaten in their Marin location this place was a big letdown. You would think a waiter knows what a Knob Creek is, and you would think the bar would own a bottle of it! Or are the Larkspur people just more sophisticated? Well anyway our lunch started out with that! Then we waited for 15 minutes for two martinis to arrive, with the oyster appetizers also caught in the traffic jam. With the place half empty ordering oysters shouldn't take 25 minutes. My Mussel dish was OK, but nothing special ( mussel a tad overcooked and dry and chewy) . IT would have been nice had the pomme frites arrived anywhere in time to enjoy them before I had consume 90 % of my meal. The place is located in a shopping center/office complex and was one of the bigger disappointments in my experiences simply because the Larkspur place is so stellar! The food just didn't have the snap and oh wow, or ummmm like it does in their other place. Not a place I will journey to in the near future.
|
Left Bank
Cuisine: French (Brasserie)
|
San Mateo |
6/30/2008
|
|
|
Finally a Chinese place with normal waiters, attentive and polite! The old A&W root beer drive in, is now a DimSum joint with a good future! Opened a month ago the place is filled with Native Asian diners busily eating and conversing.( A good sign) Our starter was the Won Ton soup, plain tasteless broth, with 8 small very tasty dumplings.$5.50 for one quart. Our dim sums varied from shrimp stuffed eggplant, steamed minced shrimp, pork ribs in a black bean sauce and ChiuChou Steamed Dumplings. Based on my previous tastes in the city, this place scores better on taste and texture, AND on price! Prices range for 3 pieces between 2.50 to 4.50 each. We were able to exit leaving a generous tip for $40 bucks. A non happening anywhere in the city! The subtle flavors were all there, as was the courteous service. The regular menu items are on the high side, ranging between 8 to 12 bucks for most items. The place is also clean, and my clothes didn't smell like a deep fat fryer.
|
Hang Ah Dim Sum
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Santa Rosa |
6/27/2008
|
|
|
They actually provide you a anchovies on the Caesar salad with out you having to get on your knees and beg for them! We started with the Fritto Misto and were pleasantly surprised with tender succulent pieces of calamari that had taste infused breading worth taking an extra chew! The salad was ample with fresh Parmesan shaves blanketing the slightly overdress greens. We split a Quatro Frommagi pizza and had plenty of room for their desserts. What no desserts? That was the only thing disappointing was that the great meal left us wanting to finish off the evening but we would have to opt out and grab a Gelato down the street. Plenty of parking and worth a return, even if they don't have the sweets! It does have a very complete and reasonable wine list both by the glass and bottle!
|
Rosso Pizzaria & Wine Bar
Cuisine: Pizza Italian
|
Santa Rosa |
6/15/2008
|
|
|
Well it's not like when Gary Danko use to toil in the kitchens here, this is a eat and run cafe barely even over rated if you call it a cafe! I would describe it more like a deli with a wine bar! You can buy some lunch meats and cheeses here along with some breads and put together your own sandwich or buy their $ 8 dollar sandwich of the day to wash down along with wine, wine and more wine. They do have a hand full of pizzas 12" for $ 12 to 15 bucks that are acceptable to go along with a very casual lunch or snack. Too bad because in the old days the dining room was one of the better secrets for the locals for Sunday brunch or the special occasion dinners. The pizzas were good, basic and are designed from the less is better school of pizza manufacturing. This is a place that you stop by to drag visitors to when you are going to have dinner in 4 or 5 hours.
|
Rosso & Bianco Winery & Italian Cafe
Cuisine: Italian
|
Santa Rosa |
6/15/2008
|
|
|
Finally managed by someone who is not going to BK the place (run by the Cyrus people) you can stuff your face with a $13 plate of calamari, (frozen fish bait $2 bucks) hey it's what you do with it, right? To a plate of beer battered pot stickers $9 bucks. A cheeseburger is going to set you back 12 bucks, but for that I got some decent fries and a small salad! The thing even arrived RARE like I asked for! Other burgers like the double cheese, run 16 bucks, and you will need a pry bar to get it in your mouth. The 12 inch pizza is a tad pricey $18 and was not what I would say heaping with much of anything! Would have been nice to have at least enough cheese to bind the other items on the top. On another try I had their fish and chips, lackluster, tasted like frozen premade cod pieces used in food service. Service here was prompt and courteous and void or any personality. Hey you don't come here for the social experience anyway. All in all this was a good experience with parking available
|
Healdburg Bar and Grill
Cuisine: Hamburgers Pub Food
|
Healdsburg |
6/14/2008
|
|
|
Well another tiny place opens up in touristy Healdsburg. Located next door to Bistro Ralph, the place use to be a Thai restaurant, now boasts authentic Italian comfort food. The wait is too long and the service is too bad! I was there one week after it's opening and should have waited a couple of months. In the height of tourist season they can afford to have slip shot non-attentive unprofessional wait staff. Tourists don't count, but the locals are nixing the place for awhile. Starting off with home made Ciabatta into olive oil, (ka-ching) $2. To home made gnocchi $18, followed by the stuffed calamari $21, all done OK, but not worth going for that special dinner experience. No stemware here, they use the Italian wine glass(stubby & thick glass).Kinda noisy so no intimate soft conversations are allowed. One of the positives was the markup on their wine was somewhat normal and affordable. OK, I'll try them after the tourists go home, maybe it will still be here. oh, I forgot way too $$$
|
SCOPA
Cuisine: Italian
|
Healdsburg |
6/10/2008
|
|
|
Great Dolmas, best that I have had in Berkeley! The whole lunch here was above par! Especially the prices. starting with fresh squeezed orange juice, then their appetizer platter followed by the lamb kabobs and coffee the tab was less that 50 bucks and including a nice tip! ( For 2 people) Excellent friendly service by upbeat waiters made the meal a pleasure unlike some places on this side so close to the portals of education.
Must be the location close to campus that fills the tables in this hip far eastern place. Parking iffy, but a definite must return next time. Hopefully the other places in the city are as good!
|
La Mediterranee
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
|
Berkeley |
6/1/2008
|
|
|
Unlike other places, Hydro doesn't do anything badly. It is the quintessential fly below the radar restaurant and bar that caters to tourists coming here wanting to be covered with garden dirt. The staff seem to be concerned more with your complete dining experience as opposed to if your chicken was done too dry or the special of the day is still available. This handout for mid aged spa set shows their expertise in new California cuisine, ways to make a leaf of lettuce stand at attention is paramount to the overpowering stench of truffle oil as you enter this establishment. The further you transverse from the city the harder it is to count on a stellar dining experience. One down to earth monument is that they serve great beers in this sea of wineries. The service can be taxing as well as the clientèle. The only thing is normal is the moderate prices for the portions provided. Enter at your own risk of being overwhelmed by visitors from another planet. Oh,it's located in Calistoga.
|
Hydro Bar & Grill
Cuisine: American (Traditional) American Bistro
|
Napa |
4/30/2008
|
|
|
Another mediocre pizza joint catering to Fourth street walk ins and shoppers. We were with friends and they wanted to check out LaVera. I couldn't remember the reviews here, but now can stamp my approval to Samarati's ho hum review of the place. It is nothing special, in fact it is so average that I wouldn't go out of my way to ever come here again. The large pie (combination) was a expensive $ 27 for which I would rather go to Pizza Hut and save half the funds. In addition the crust was tasteless as seen by the leftovers on all the plates. Good places we enjoy the whole slice to the last morsel. The service was the sad story here. Disinterested workers just counting the minutes before they can start cleaning up and go home. The attitude was that we were bothering them by bringing them business. No too good nowadays, so one of two things will happen here. The landlord will raise the rent and they will close up or a better place will attract all the repeat customers and they will get
|
La Vera Pizza
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
Santa Rosa |
4/28/2008
|
|
|
A little hard to find at first since the entrance is up in a sort of maze, but keep looking and you enter a vintage train car set up as a upscale diner. Not diner food though, limited menu but moderately priced. Our starter crab cakes were good, but a little pricey $16, in comparison for city places.The Gumbo was flavorful but could have had a tad more bites of shrimp for the plate, my wife's smoked chicken pizza was good but again it lacked sufficient protein for one of those satisfying meals. I think that for the price, they need just a scoach more food, or maybe bring a nice sourdough basket to ease the hunger. My main gripe is that the room was cold, like drafty making you want to end the dinner and go sit in your nice warm car. It has promise just a few details to work on. The service was the night saver! We enjoyed the staff and their attention to your meal. Although not busy during our visit, I would be concerned to the service level on a busy night.
|
Starlight Wine Bar and Restaurant
Cuisine: American
|
Santa Rosa |
3/5/2008
|
|
|
I have to agree 100% with Samarati, this place is your cookie cutter hamburger joint when you order all your supplies from a food service distributor without even trying to add your own touches like BEEF! This site was previously occupied with a burger joint that at least had a little charm, the burger here although put together by someone who may have some intelligence, is surpassed by the automatic machines at Carls! Sadly there isn't one too close on this side of town. A keep going until you reach something else kind of place. Sorry, just a matter of time......
|
Phyllis Giant Burgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Santa Rosa |
3/5/2008
|
|
|
Open where Lolo’s was for years Bistro 29 seems to have already a following. This tiny 40 seat nondescript place is hidden unless you were a Lolos fan. Our reservation was on time and we were seated rapidly. The classic bistro food starters include salads and the mandatory foie gras! I opted for the steamed mussels with a Pernod cream sauce. This started the night at a paramount level to be continued with the Cassoulet and duck confit and ending with mouth watering honey topped beignets served with huckleberries! The prices are moderate but a deal when you consider the same meal in the city would be 50 bucks more! I can’t wait to return for a lunch experience here. Service was good and quick although bordering on a little cold in the pleasantries. Parking is on the street and depending on the time may require the parking garage up the block. A nice change to the several failures after Lolos, we will return!
|
Bistro 29
Cuisine: French Bistro
|
Santa Rosa |
2/28/2008
|
|
|
In a location that has been failures for a half dozen other joints, the Bluegrass has opened a BBQ joint! Their menu lists St Louis hot links, Texas brisket, pulled pork and chicken. The mandatory cole slaw, beans and fries complete the basic menu. My choice was the Ribs. The meat was falling of the bone, but a tad drier than I would like. Gobs of BBQ sauce made up for the dryness. I was able to save room and try their key lime pie which was as good as if I was eating on Duval Street! My only gripe was the molasses service which may be attributed to being a new startup. I hope that they make a go of it in this kinda hard to succeed out of the way Jack London center. Prices are fair, and they currently don’t do lunch, which would be a good choice in that area. All in all I wish they were in Santa Rosa, they would probably have a better return on investment!
|
Bluegrass Bar and Grill
Cuisine: Barbecue
|
Santa Rosa |
2/28/2008
|
|
|
After 30 years the Superburger was sold to new owners who immediately closed it to remodel it. Well it reopened and the only changes seem to be cosmetic. The good old superburger is alive and well and still as juicy and tastes as before sans the worn out Formica on the counters! This is one of the few places that still uses the old red plastic baskets to serve the burger and fries. The high points are the home made pies and milkshakes made the old fashioned way on a old Hamilton Beach instead of a slop dispenser.
The King Burger is the ½ lb of good meat that you can order rare or anyway you like it! There are a couple of new additions to the menu, as well as some hot dog choices!
The service seems to have been slowed down due to either training or just inexperience of keeping 10 plates twirling at a time like on the old Ed Sullivan show. I will check it out in a month or two, but for now, its way better than MCD.
|
Original Superburger
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Santa Rosa |
2/28/2008
|
|
|
Yeah sort of like NY pizza but Californized. Sort of like Lombardi's in NYC where it's relaxed and funky, they have a constant lunch crowd here and a good assortment of toppings and salads. The dough is a little thicker than I would like, but the heat on the oven crisps it up perfect! Prices are average and their brewsky selection is adequate. It's small so don't expect not to have to wait during lunch sometimes. Service was ok, better than our local chain.
|
I Love Ny Pie
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Santa Rosa |
2/24/2008
|
|
|
Why would you put a nice piece of wheat toast underneath poached eggs and then have the waiter tell you that poached eggs are suppose to be hard cooked so no yolk runs out. I must have missed customer service school, or common sense class to expect that maybe some possible drop of yellow would escape onto my toast. I've ordered this hundreds of times and have never yet had the staff argue that my egg hockey puck IS supposed to be presented that way. Loud and busy, they must be doing something right or the owner is packing the joint with his “staffs”. If only they would put as much effort into the understanding of what the customer may want, after all how hard is it to remove the eggs off the stove in 3 minutes? The omelet my friend looked good, with mounds of goopy excess cheese and fat. Health no, tasty yes, Pricy for what you get, but it is the in place to be, judging from all the fellows here…….
|
Toast
Cuisine: American
|
Noe Valley |
2/18/2008
|
|
|
Sister property to Houstons in the city this down home place always provides a good hearty meal. You will always have to wait for a table, but standing around with a martini in your hand makes the time go by pretty quick. Locals as well as tourists cram the tables, as well as the food coving the tables. Their outdoor patio is great dining the summer or nice days, split and order of their great smoked pork ribs as a starter. The burgers are excellent and they will cook them rare ($13). Dinners have Prime Rib $29 or a large slab of the ribs for $27. Service is superb, and no one ever ask how everything is while you are chewing! The menu has something for everyone except a vegee. The only problem I have found is the wait and the packed parking lot! This is one of the better down to earth places in the valley where you will not go away grumbling or hungry. Yes, it’s a chain, but one that does a decent job!
|
Rutherford Grill
Cuisine: Comfort Food American (New)
|
Napa |
1/15/2008
|
|
|
I guess it's my fault for feeling comfortable in a place that has flocked wallpaper and red chairs, kind of reminds me a bordello. (What I have been told!) The outside seating is what drew us in; it was the fireplace on a beautiful December afternoon with the sun out and people running around doing their final Christmas shopping. The bar was excellent although we didn't plan on eating, couple of Martini's convinced us to try the place. Unfortunately that turned out to be a mistake, and I will have to agree with a couple of the reviews. Hotel food is what we got, soulless uninspiring, and mediocre slop together cheese plate, followed by a dry pork entrée, along with an equally dry roasted chicken. The chicken looked and tasted like it was yesterdays, with dry edges, lacking any moisture. Either it was an off night but based on another party eating there, they were not impressed either. Service was slow, and the prices high! A non-returnable location at this point. Typical hotel fare.
|
Ducca
Cuisine: Italian
|
Downtown |
1/14/2008
|
|
|
As gas creeps to $3.50 a gallon this is another reason not to drive out to Quail inn. This perfect match for the retirement residents in Oakmont who enjoy reheated mashed potatoes and gray green beans along with their well-done prime rib! When this was the Oakmont Inn run by restaurateur Dieter Meyer it was worth the trip and wait to get in! Now the bar is the only draw to the place after a round or two of golf. The staff provides comfortable service with the non-fancy fare the seniors appreciate. My salmon was done properly but was tainted with gray tasteless beans that had been cooked and held two or three days too long. My wife's NY steak was done ok, but their purveyors of meat must be on the cheap side, since seniors seldom complain while cutting the beef into minuscule chunks for digestion. Pricing is high for the value; I would compare this with Sizzler, but with wait staff. Parking great! All in all this is not a place for a gourmet getaway even if it has fantastic views.
|
Quail Inn At Oakmont
Cuisine: American
|
Santa Rosa |
1/14/2008
|
|
|
As you arrive, a valet greets you and ushers you inside, where you are immediately greeted and seated. You sit on the outside deck overlooking some of the world’s most beautiful vineyards saying to yourself how lucky you are to be part of the area. Visitors pay big bucks to see this and we have this in our back yard! We sit for a moment enjoying the view looking at their extensive wine list. For starters we ordered a delicious ahi tartare, moist with great texture with each bite! My entrée, a basil crusted rabbit, cooked medium, arrived moist and tender! My guest had the fresh halibut, done perfectly blending exceptionally well with a local Sauvignon blanc. The service is impeccable, and unobtrusive. The price is on the high side but considering the view, it’s a deal. This is one of my favorite places to dine at! Especially if it’s not your turn to buy! This is another Michelin winner so close to our area.
|
Auberge Du Soleil
Cuisine: French
|
Napa |
1/14/2008
|
|
|
If you’re looking for a great getaway for a nice quiet brunch or dinner overlooking beautifully manicure grounds then it’s worth the drive. Newly remodeled with new fresh local menu items jump out with freshness and presentation. Not only is the service excellent, their wine list is one of the few award-winning cellars in the Valley as well as being a 2 star Michelin property. Local Sonoma lamb and Marin beef bring together items that have quality not seen from large producers. I had some Half Moon Bay petrale sole with a garlic saffron sauce that was tender and different. The generous serving made me wish for more. Service is professional as is the bar. Great assortments of Gin and Vodkas will enhance the experience or at least dull some of stress you may have. Brunch seating outside on a nice day overlooking the greens is beautiful. A return when possible, you bet!
|
Meadowood Restaurant
Cuisine: Californian
|
Napa |
1/14/2008
|
|
|
Located where Michelle's was forever, Stark's Steakhouse opened for New Years!Same owners as Willi's Wine bar and Monti's dish out an adequate meal with borrowed staff and trainees from their other locations. The restaurant wants to cater to a "young, urban audience" (been to Santa Rosa lately?). The menu highlights dry-aged steaks and grass-fed beef in addition to items like calves liver & onions (done ok but not great), short ribs, Dover sole with Meyer lemon marmalade (overcooked and dry), And the best steak frites cooked in duck fat. (don't tell your doctor). I hope that they will be able to find more pro help since Santa Rosa is not know for it's massive work pool. The bar was the best thing of the night, premium booze was impressive in all classes. They still have some work to do so based on my dinner they can only get better! Parking is a joy with a lot across the street. Don't count on it being as cheap as Michelle's was. All in all. finally a decent steak house in town?
|
Stark's Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Santa Rosa |
1/13/2008
|
|
|
Not your 5 star gourmet place but worth a trip into yesterday. This place was built in 1859 and still is standing up. The old bar matches the age of some of the patrons sitting around and based on the prices on their menu board, they are still a few years behind. A good place for lunch you will have to wait for dinner unless you are early. Filled with locals hankering for a good old fashioned no nonsense no frills dinner. We had the Prime rib ($18) and the Fish and Chips ($10) and were satiated with typical 50’s style food. I don’t come here for the food, but the experience that will some disappear from our old side roads. Built originally as a stage coach stop, it is worth sacrificing gourmet food for just filling your stomach. Think of it as going to dinner at Grammas. Service good, food ok, experience and ambiance of the old west priceless! I give it a positive for history! Kinda brings me back to reality. Their burgers at excellent!
|
Washoe House
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Petaluma |
1/8/2008
|
|
|
I was hoping that this was a good as the Pane e Vino in Montecito which is part of a local chain in SoCal, but based on the quality of the food I don't think so. The portions were generous, but I would rather have quality than quality especially when it comes to fresh seafood. My sole was one day to old, having lost some moisture from overcooking and then having a lingering off taste of a tad old product. Yes, I would still have cooked it if I was at home, but I would not expect it at a restaurant especially for $ 24. The grilled lamb chops where also over done probably from sitting waiting for pickup. The service was not good, but it appeared that the staff were having a good time BS'ing at diners' expense. I just don't think that with all other fine places they should cut any corners. Parking ha!
|
Pane e Vino
Cuisine: Italian
|
Cow Hollow |
12/28/2007
|
|
|
As Fish and Chips go, a new challenger is Patterson’s Irish Pub in Windsor. If you are a beer hound, you can choose from 25 bottled and 20 draught selections. There claim to fame is their fish and chips! Generous portions of fish and your choice of waffle or home fries. I wasn’t too excited about their cheeseburgers, the thick bun kind of distracts from the balance of meat and stuff! They also have Shepherds' Pie on Tuesdays and Thursdays! He only other item I have tired has been their Irish Ruben sandwich which was almost perfect! The service is so so, having empty glasses waiting for minutes, seems unacceptable for a thirsty palate! Pricing is fair, and with their pub menu I think you will find something for all! Parking is sweet, either on the street in front or in back! Sunday brunch with champagne and eggs Benedict are a nice touch.
|
Patterson's Irish Pub
Cuisine: Pub Food
|
Windsor |
12/27/2007
|
|
|
Unlike the other Santa Rosa tradition Betty’s, Mel’s is a relatively new dive on the block, first opened in 1988 this has been a neighborhood secret for many years. Taken over by Wafa Joliette, she is there working the counter almost daily. The bill of fare is quite small, it’s either Alaskan Cod or some prawns, clam strips, jalapeño poppers, scallops or deep fried Cajun dogs. I sometimes get the sampler which always includes fish, shrimp and home made cole slaw and is enough for a modest lunch. ($7.99) The home made batter is a combination of commercial mix and some extra special super secret ingredient. This is not a place where you really can eat at since it is located in a run down strip mall in a mediocre part of town which is now becoming better! It is next to a convenience market, so you can grab the fish and chips, and go next door for a brew ski or diet coke and sit in the car dripping grease! Be sure and get there at 11:30 or otherwise be prepared to wait.
|
Mel's Fish and Chips
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Santa Rosa |
12/27/2007
|
|
|
In the location that was weird Sultan's Restaurant, this new place is like a fresh sea breeze on Taylor st. Although small, only seats about 60 people, it is nicely decorated with leather banquets and fishing gear, and other farm implements along with nice photographs. Our server was professional and we were rapidly seated and presented a menu. We started with venison spare ribs and grilled calamari both savory and different! Our main was a nice duck breast served on top of creamy polenta ($21), and I had some perfect fish and chips, for $ 16. Owners John and Elena Duggan are from the Original Joes' family. (Siblings) Their chef, Michael came from Ame. My favorite was the premium booze at the bar, and the wine list where you didn't have to hit an ATM prior to ordering. All in all this is a nice, semi quiet place with great locally produced products at a reasonable price with great (for now) service. Parking is in the local rip off garages.
|
Fish & Farm
Cuisine: Organic American (New) Seafood
|
Tenderloin |
12/27/2007
|
|
|
Visiting my friend we decided to jaunt down to his neighborhood eatery called Baraka, like Baraka Obama or something enticing you to Morocco with visions of sand hills with Lawrence of Arabia on camels, enough of the sand, the plates are reasonably priced for the quality of the food, the shrimp ceviche was great, as was the foie gras, but it took 4 servings to satisfy two people, as did quasi Caesar salad, so far we had doubled every order and still were hungry. Our sub total at this point was at 68 at this point. The waiter kept making faces as we kept asking to return the menu so that we could order additional food. At $100 bucks and still hungry we decided that we should stop looking like men released from prison and just pick up a pizza on the way home. The service was hit and miss, the place loud and obviously the place to be noticed, but the price for the serving portions was a disappointment! Now we know and probably will not return.
|
Baraka
Cuisine: French Mediterranean
|
Potrero Hill |
11/25/2007
|
|
|
This was one of my hangouts in the 60’s when you could come here at 11:30 and double park anywhere in the street and not get towed away, because all the rest of the patrons inside were doing the same thing, along with the Mission traffic enforcement tricycle cop. Not much has changed except for a couple of coats of grease and paint, and the cook in the tiny kitchen. It use to have corned beef, now it has a delicious complement of Mexican fare. This time I ordered the chile rellenos and my friend a couple of lengua tacos. While we waited we got a couple of generous highballs and within minutes our large plates arrived with steaming hot food. The first thing I noticed is that the refried beans were NOT from a #10 can! Mashed fresh and tasty. My rellenos where tender and seasoned with a little heat that diminished within seconds. The tacos were so good we ordered a couple more. Big change from the 60’s and a pleasant one not draining the wallet! Parking in your dreams.
|
Martha's Kitchen in the Jay'n Bee Club
Cuisine: Mexican
|
Mission |
11/19/2007
|
|
|
Another inept place practicing to blame the customer when it fails! We ordered the calamari appetizer and two burgers (rare). After about 20 minutes we wondered where our calamari was, it arrived one minute before the burgers. I asked if they expected our burgers to get cold while we ate our appetizer, and she said oh, "I’ll take them back and make new ones in about 10 minutes". After 20 minutes our original burgers arrived, with the buns all dried out, the rare had turned to well done, and the fries where as dry as potato chips. She also said " Be carefull the plates are very hot" So much for making new burgers! For that experience we paid 11+ bucks for each burger! My first experience was worse. This place had the potential to be a nice first class steak house, now it is a disaster. I’ve given up, since the management condones this type of customer abuse! A DO NOT GO, unless you are satisfied with sub standard experiences.
|
Sky Lounge
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Santa Rosa |
11/14/2007
|
|
|
No one can screw up Chinese food that bad, we found a parking space on the way back from the airport, figuring to grab a bowl of war won ton, and some mushu pork, and maybe some foo young,. I didn't have my laptop or my memory of the ratings from this site, so why not! Well I can give you lots.....rancid oil, low temperature frying, minuscule meat portions in the soup and everything sort of tasted the same but morphed into other dishes. If you were to blindfold a taster I'm afraid they would say that you were eating some kind of warmed up frozen resulto! Resulto was what we had in college where left overs from the previous week or two would wind up in some kind of a soup like or stew concoctions. This place has something askew, either a language barrier between the chef and the alien worker, or simply an alien worker who was convinced he could operate a restaurant. Price and service not even worth discussion based on the food. One of those places as the door hits your backside you s
|
Joe's Excellent Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
10/29/2007
|
|
|
You know the picture of the beer stein frothing over with foam, then settles back to reveal a full stein, not so here with their special margaritas, they use the stein and serve you about an inch and a half of booze, I asked the waiter and he said they were having problems with their “machine”. My first time at this chain will inevitably be my last. 9 bucks for a beef fajita plate with fries. A better fajita at 1/3 the price can be found at your local Jack Box! My wife had the ribs, ($15) usually when you overcook them, the meat is tender and falling off the bone, well Chili’s has a better way, you cook them out until they are dry , tough and hard, then plaster BBQ sauce on them! The service was acceptable from a student, but the quality leaves a little improvement in their QC department. After complaining we did get another round of margaritas with less foam, but my Cola never arrived. I thought the idea of chains was consistency, if that’s the case, Yucko never again!
|
Chili's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
|
San Rafael |
10/21/2007
|
|
|
This is the 3rd go around for this tiny 24 seat hobby restaurant serving typical French Bistro, often stellar when the chef’s mood swings positive, and downright awful on others, depending on the lack of medication. Our stake tartare starter was excellent, nice texture, while the frogs legs were tired and lacking much taste,. Not jumping out of the plate with flavor. This visit my pepper steak was super, done correctly and the sweetbreads sauce had fresh and fantastic fork appeal, unlike our prior visit when both the steak and sweetbreads were a tired flop! Service is haphazard depending on the day of the week, this time we made the mistake of sitting outside on a nice summer evening to be serenaded by cars parading with their trunks made into bass speakers thumping mild earthquakes for 15 minutes as they exited the town green. We could actually see sound waves in our wine glasses. Pricing is refreshingly moderate! All in all this can be a nice dinner a definite gamble. Low corkage!
|
Mirepoix
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
|
Windsor |
9/10/2007
|
|
|
Thank God for valet parking a deal at 8 dollars saving the expense of a valium. A nice change for this neighborhood upscale piece of Tuscany even if only for 2 hours, and 2 liters of wine. Everyone's rave of foccacia was off, overdone and dry, the pasta dishes made up for the temporary setback, for the neighborhood of socially angry people. Quasi family style for a non family neighborhood injects thought rapidly overcome by the necessity to order more wine. Dinner for 4, $280+. (Lots of wine) The staff is good-looking, friendly and well intentioned, if a little inept. They should teach them the correct way to pronounce the menu items! The price is high for apps running around 12, entrees 20 -30 a tad high for the quantity. Food was ok, nothing that other places don't do as well, I kind of felt that I was sitting in a giant Ireko display. Too many other nicer places to try and visit, only after all will return.
|
Farina Focaccia & Cucina Italiana
Cuisine: Italian Bistro Ligurian
|
Mission |
9/9/2007
|
|
|
Remember the yellow pencils we use to use in school in the old days? Remember the end with the rubber erasers? Well think about taking off about 40 ends and throwing them into a salad with an Italian dressing, along with Octopus, Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels! The difficult choice was discerning exactly which muscle of the seafood was actually cooked to the point of becoming THE erasers. The salad which I would expected to be a light seafood assortment bathed in a Italian style dressing turned out to be a mix of overcooked high priced waste ready for the bin. On the other hand the rack of lamb, came tender perfectly executed with a great lingering of rosemary and garlic! So why the difference? Maybe it was because the salad was made that morning by someone who had to answer the phone and simply let'm cook until all the shells were open from dryness and exhaustion, I don't know, but when advising the waiter, he simply said, oh! And turned away. So, no thanks, not for a while! Oh?
|
Ristorante Mezzo Mezzo
Cuisine: Italian Sicilian
|
San Rafael |
8/15/2007
|
|
|
As you walk in tired from parking space roulette, you notice that the bar has dozens of beer tap levers confusing your original want of a cool brew. This place is a cross of a neighborhood bar, with sports and wine all thrown together. An order of chicken wings will set you back 10 bucks, for about 6 of them suckers. They aren’t that good, nor was the fried calamari $11 for a large handful, seems to have been bathed in the fryer too long, brown too crispy with all flavor cooked out. The cowboy rib eye, is it a rib eye or cowboy? Was pricy at $42 bucks, as was the 38 dollar NY steak. I wouldn’t mind paying the price if the product was worth it, but it was disappointing for the value, not a prime cut, but choice Angus I would guess. The service was quick, but curt, which kind of felt that the person would have rather been at a Giants game or some where else. Full bar with decent drinks, but all in all not a great value for a neighborhood hangout. Time will tell.
|
Jones Roadhouse
Cuisine: Comfort Food
|
Marina |
8/10/2007
|
|
|
The only thing missing here was music playing the theme from the Godfather. I had eaten here about 10 years ago, and a friend of mine pushed me into the door here for lunch the other day. I figured I was brought here and someone was going to come out of the back and whack me. Years ago this was a great family style no frills, down home place that you could enjoy a meal and feel like you were at Mama Nina's house, now it is run by a new owner, who obviously does not have his heart in the family business like before. My lunch of Fettuccini with clams was ok, but not what I remember from before, where you had to push the plate away, and seconds later found yourself taking another fork full of delicious garlic clam sauced pasta, this was just bland. They lost the spark, but still serve passable not great Italian comfort food, veal, chicken and fish. So if you're looking for a badabing place, keep looking, unless Sherman can locate his way back machine. Parking, yeah! Sure, whadaya nuts
|
La Felce
Cuisine: Italian
|
North Beach |
8/3/2007
|
|
|
My wife’s flight was delayed 4 hours, ruining our dinner plans, now hungry I detoured into San Mateo and found Chef Wai. I though I was simply going to order a bowl of Won ton soup, but they didn’t have that on the menu, the menu looked more like a American restaurant than Chinese. Steamed fish, lobster, chicken and lamb, I had a hard time recognizing most of the upscale dishes. Although expensive, running 12 -24 dollars per entrée, it was good. I opted for Mongolian beef which arrive choke full of tender slices of beef, more than the usual, and an Oyster ginger dish in a clay pot. I never had that before and for 15 dollars it had about 8 nice sized plump steamed oysters. This place was filled with Chinese patrons all having great dinners,( nice change from my usual hole in the wall, greasy wok dive).. With a couple of beers, two entrees and a tip, I spent 48 bucks; at least I had two containers of stuff to offer my wife after I picked her up! Service good, parking in front!
|
Chef Wai
Cuisine: Chinese
|
San Mateo |
8/3/2007
|
|
|
Brand new restaurant from the owners of the Village Pub have brought to the city the same casual atmosphere as in Woodside. They also brought their fresh produce, which they grow on their private farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The salad of heirloom tomatoes was bursting with sweet flavors only experienced when you pick up tomatoes at a local farmers market! Other items are on the unusual side, like the watermelon and sardine salad. You wouldn’t think that would be good, but surprisingly the flavors meld well! The menu is inspired by flavors of Spain, Morocco and France, with many dishes having couscous and other grains. My honey-glazed duck was moist unlike others. The hit was the barigoule and artichoke entrée, moist with great texture. For dessert fresh organic strawberries with white chocolate - Douglas fir ice cream, probably the strangest, tasty quirky experience. This is food quite different than the norm; enter at your own risk! Pricey! Parking in your dreams.
|
Spruce
Cuisine: Calfornia
|
Laurel Heights |
7/30/2007
|
|
|
Walkins at 11:45 with no problem. Newly remodeled old city building with thousands of dollars spent changing the space sadden me that they spent all that money and yet didn't match the effort in food preparation. What should have been a stellar business lunch turned into a trio of errors starting with the number one egregious sin of presenting the wrong martinis to the wrong table. The second was the inattentive disregard for even a moment's hesitation to be able to have us advise them that the drinks were in error. They did figure that out only when the other table was able to garner their self important attention at which time they returned and did the switch of stale martinis and majitos. Argg, they didn't even offer to remix the drinks thinking that whoever was drinking them wouldn't notice anyway. The food, my burger to be exact 15 bucks good meat, stale bun. Petrale sole,$22 dollars dry overcooked from inattention, And they forgot our coffees. But not the check! Sorry no return!
|
Salt House
Cuisine: American
|
SoMa |
7/29/2007
|
|
|
As the door open you see a well lit clean place to eat! White tablecloths and premium silverware appoint the tables as you are seated and questioned for your drink selection. The place is appointed as well as any continental restaurant would be a full selection of premium vodkas and gins grace the backdrop of the bar. Looking at the menu this was not going to be our normal Chinese experience, gone were the starters I was accustomed to, replaced by Caviar, chili wrapped fish and calamari. We ordered the calamari and pot stickers. Both were ok portions and were ok, but not worth the 9 bucks. Entrees included Sichuan Beef and Kung Pao Prawns both $16 and both tasted the same, goopy sweet plum sauce with some five spice thrown in, last try was the scallops which came over caramelized (burnt) and coated with another starchy sauce. Service was ok, but getting the attention for drink reorders was annoying. This is their idea of what Middle America should eat for Chinese food. No return!
|
Shanghai 1930 Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Embarcadero |
7/24/2007
|
|
|
Calling in a take out we decided to order our usual boring selections that every Chinese place has, then decide if it meets the taste tests, and the left overs exhibit the winners or losers of the grease test next morning. The quantity was on the plus side with containers being chock full of product, both the musu pork and shrimp foo young were filled with sufficient meat and shrimp for a good rating. The foo young was thick and the sauce didn’t goop up either because of fat or too much gelatin and made a great morning snack. The Wor Won Ton, also was over the top (container) with veggies, large dumplings and shrimp, in fact the dumplings were a little too large, so you had to cut them to eat. The pancake was moist and sufficiently strong for my filling to rest firmly while being devoured. Pricing 6-8 per entrée was a great deal considering the quantity of overflowing food stuffed into the little boxes! This is one of the better places in town.
|
Chinatown Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Petaluma |
7/23/2007
|
|
|
Driving through Petaluma during lunch not wanting McCrap, I found Franzis. In the same center as OSH, they do a remarkable job with BBQ meats they do themselves. The BBQ Tri Tip was one of the sandwiches we ordered the other was the Rueben which was stacked about 2 inches high with perfect moist corned beef. Both were in the 6 dollar range and when you compare that to what other places that are charging for half the quantity, this is really a good find. Other items on the menu are Louisiana hot links, as well as BBQ chicken, paninis' and St Louis ribs. Unless you‘re really hungry figure on wrapping up the other half of the sandwich for an afternoon snack or even dinner. Clean, quick and reasonable as well as easy to get to, too! Parking in the lot!
|
Franzi's Swiss Italian Deli
Cuisine: Italian Deli
|
Petaluma |
7/22/2007
|
|
|
Newly opened this tiny little hole in the wall is maybe too extreme for the town of Windsor. After all this is the land of foie gras banners, and tree huggers. How will the town accept foie gras burgers then? For $22 bucks you can taste for yourself the burger as you bite into the hamburger patty with a generous piece of the meat sandwiched inside the hamburger, Although a tad pricy, it is quite a large portion.. The menu changes daily, with from pizza, burger and beet tartare to pea soup with poached lobster. We also had a ultra thin crusty pizza which was topped arugula, (Or rocket for all your Brits out there in food land) pancetta and fresh mozzarella $15. The service is not settled down yet and is still pretty rough. I hope that with this small venue they survive in this tumultuous politically correct town Located off the Windsor Green. They try hard, but is that enough nowadays?
|
Odyssey
Cuisine: Californian
|
Windsor |
7/22/2007
|
|
|
If you’re tired of California Wine country food, while in Napa then stop by the Crab Shack. This new place is the related to the one in Redwood City and the City. A breath of salty air was refreshing as we sat slurping up a bowl of delicious chowder, done perfectly unlike wallpaper paste other places seem to serve. Fresh seafood and Lobster is their specialty. My Lobster was presented along with good cole slaw and fries. The size of the lobster is about a 2 lb’er, (unlike the Palm restaurants,) was the only disappointing thing about the place. Service is good even during busy lunch time. The prices are steep, 22 bucks for the Captains plate, and 38 for the small lobster but the quality is good! As you sit there eating the lobster, your elbows slide on the lacquered picnic tables, this is pretty close to the real experience in Maine sans the sea gulls and multicolored tourists. They have a nice selection of local wines, affordably priced to enjoy with the other white meat!
|
The Lobster Shack
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Napa |
7/22/2007
|
|
|
Located where Lisa Heminway's restaurant was for years, this sister property of Willie's in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa foists oysters and small plates to eager eaters for a tidy little sum. Lunch is uninspiring since with easy fixins like a quartered head of lettuce with blue cheese dressing glopped over it, or overcooked pasta with overcooked short ribs for the sauce. This place works because people like to pig out on small plate of small portion or smaller inspired food preparation. Besides the service which is hap hazard depending on if you get the student waiter who is watching for his buddies to arrive or the waitress who hovers around the table with eligible dates. The food would be acceptable if you left satisfied with a one theme filling meal well prepared and executed, here I feel like I have eaten food prepared in a rush from a buffet line, but served. The dinners here are a little better because the plates then seem to have focus. Pricy and iffy is my take.
|
Monti's Rotisserie & Bar
Cuisine: American Medierranean
|
Santa Rosa |
7/13/2007
|
|
|
If your not specifically looking for it or talking, you will miss the turn to get to the Inn, This group of rapidly assembled buildings is the new hot getaway for the Plumpjack groups investments in the wine country, Gee thanks, just what we needed! This place looks like a cross section of modern barns and warehouses with a touch of rattan thrown in. Lunch started out with a wait for water and menus, and finally our server appeared to take our drink orders. Inexperience to Champagnes she returned twice and finally brought the menu back for us to point to our selection. We both had the Dungeness salads, ($16) which were some greens thrown on top of lightly marinated crab meat formed in a round, sans any taste. The burgers were done ok and taste pretty good, as well they should for $16 bucks apiece. Service non-professional, limited menu, with about 6 items, (salmon, burger, short ribs, risotto and pork) you would think a fancy place would do more than stuff you cook at home!
|
The Farm at Carneros Inn
Cuisine: Californian
|
Napa |
7/13/2007
|
|
|
This hole in the wall restaurant seats about 20 people and is housed in the weather beaten shack in the old town of Duncans Mills. Their menu is limited to about 4 fresh items on the menu. The use all fresh local ingredients starting with fresh sweet corn chowder, their salmon cakes are also great! They cater to the locals and visitors both. Entrees are local lamb, chicken and they will always have one international dish. I usually order the fresh seafood bought in at Bodega. The menu changes weekly based on the seasons. My recent trip I had great Salmon grilled with a ginger sauce served with a mango salsa. Their wine list also is local and pretty reasonably priced. It is usually packed on Fridays and Saturdays so call for a reservation. If the weather is nice you can sit outside for Sunday Brunch, or weekday lunches. They do have winter hours and are closed for a few weeks. All in all this is one of the better small local places in the west country.
|
Cape Fear
Cuisine: Californian Cajun
|
Santa Rosa |
7/10/2007
|
|
|
Looking at the menu and selection, my first impression was that they better be really good to command the price they are asking. In a city where there are hundreds of sushi dives, fish is fish some with a little more flare. Not here, after taking my first bite of my blue fin tuna, I knew I wouldn't mind paying the extra money! After all, if you get what you pay for, and the product is really good then you enjoy the experience and you develop an new standard of which to rate or judge other places. One after the other, Maguro, Hamachi, the perfect oily fish flavor of the Saba (my favorite) they were all good! I also had their prawn tempura, also excellent. In fact my mouth is salivating as I sit here writing this, I fear that too many repeated trips will damage my experience of this place. It is located kitty corner from where the old Doggie Diner was on Geary. Parking is difficult, but worth the effort. This is without doubt my best choice in the city! A return you bet!
|
Nagano Sushi
Cuisine: Sushi
|
Inner Richmond |
7/8/2007
|
|
|
Again, more friends from out of town, need to see the highlights of the city. Hey, they are paying for it, so let's go to the Starlight, then we can take them to Fisherman's wharf. Well, as the elevator doors opened we were greeted with a fantastic view of a three block roof top selection. Drinks were ordered and arrived quickly. The pricy libations obviously pay for the view, since the lack of patrons at 6 o'clock on a Thursday were far and few between. I guess the place doesn't start hopping until 9 PM. Way to late for my out of towners. Maybe next time. Nothing special except the glitze associated with a turn of the century bordello. ( So I am told). Maybe one day I will return after 9 PM.
|
Starlight Room Harry Denton's
Cuisine: American light fair
|
Downtown |
7/8/2007
|
|
|
I remember it way before the freeway, it was the only visible thing as you came up to Novato. Right above what use to be Berkeley Farms Restaurant, it was a smorgasbord place in the 50's and 60's. The menu has evolved a little, it was busy, a little on the noisy side, partly because the hearing aids of the patrons need a louder volume level to work. My Caesar salad was good, with anchovies on the side, the linguine and clams were good, although not fresh clams presented more labor to chew than expected. The pankow crusted halibut was good, but the tomato infused butter was bitter. My NY steak was done rare as requested but lacked much juice or flavor. This is a decent place for Novato, pricing is moderate and the menu is maybe a little grand in quantity. I would think they could reduce the amount of items and concentrate on the quality a little more. All in all, it was a decent meal, and a decent price, nothing fancy or special. A return, sure. A priority nope. Nice views.
|
Hilltop Café
Cuisine: Italian American
|
Novato |
7/8/2007
|
|
|
If you’re satiated with Dennys, you’ll love Mary’s. What Denny’s does for breakfast fare, Mary’s does for pizza and Italian dishes. It is amazing what you can get out of a number 10 can sauces, meatballs, grated cheese, premade dough, everything you need to throw together a pizza. I didn’t say it was good; it is an acceptable middle of the road, affordable for middle (barely afford a house) class family of 4. Items include pizza to several passable dishes. The calamari consistently bland, Caesar Salad, never sees any fresh at your table grated Parmesan, most of the pasta dishes are presented with limp overcooked pasta and bland boring sauces. The meatballs in their spaghetti dish and the filler in their sandwich is dry and full of mystery filler. The service is good based on the energy level of students and the dining room din of screaming running around children. Hey it’s a place you can bring the kids and not spend a fortune. Average yes, gourmet no. Better than Denny’s you decide.
|
Mary's Pizza Shack
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Windsor |
7/8/2007
|
|
|
The first impression is that you have walked into office suite,earthtone institutional furniture with neutral grass cloth walls, or bare brown walls. We were seated promptly and discovered that you have to order “their way” of either 4 or 5 courses. $115 bucks for dinner and a mandatory 18% tip, this better be good! I hade a roasted beet, (made my tongue look purple for an hour) to start, followed by a corn fungus on blini. Next I had some deconstructed upside-down inside out raviolis which were covered with a wild mushroom soup. My entrée was the rib eye, covered in a onion sage puree'. The service felt rushed, as if the table was sold 4 times in one night. The presentations were better than the taste but I have to give the chef credit for going “out of the box”. In my mind there were just too many flavors mixed in on every plate. Too much going on, makes the dinner a tad fatiguing. I opted for the weirdest desert on the menu which was the Coke and bourbon float
|
Coi
Cuisine: French Californian
|
Downtown |
7/7/2007
|
|
|
Driving home, tired, returning from Sacto, we decided to stop before fighting the remaining traffic home. This place seemed busy and somewhat inviting. Our waitress handed us menus, but in my lack of energy level, I simply told here to bring us a couple of salads and two different entrees. She looked at us confused for a second as if she didn't understand what was commanded of her, smiled and said sure! Returning in a minute or two with two nice Greek salads with feta and nice tasty olives. She mentioned that she often has people give her carte blanc and both her and the cook enjoy doing those orders. The salad was great so how and what would the entrée be? I was presented with an Alfredo with Scampi and my wife enjoyed her butternut squash raviolis. Our service was great, the food above par, and best of all we didn't have to figure out what to order. After all, you don't get to chose when you go to a friends for dinner do you? Try it sometime, it's fun!
|
Cafe Giostra
Cuisine: Italian
|
Petaluma |
7/5/2007
|
|
|
Embarrassed to say that even when my meal was comp'ed here, it was not worth my time and energy in chewing the hard bread and tasteless meat. Either their suppliers are selling them something that no one else has available to them since I can't otherwise come up with an explanation of why the meal was so flat! The turkey was dry, and actually could have been anything else since all I tasted was the mayo and avocado. There other offerings were a good cross section of what any normal upscale deli should be producing. The size of the sandwich for the listed price of $9 bucks was about 5 bucks too much based on size. You would think that a guy from NYC where deli's know how to feed people would bring some of that influence here, but noooooooo. Too many other places for me to go to that have better food, even if I have to pay for it! Maybe I should have tried their soup? Naaaa!
|
wichcraft
Cuisine: American Bistro Deli
|
Downtown |
6/29/2007
|
|
|
And old standard that serves consistent good food and has for years without a lot of fanfare is this place. The dining room is nice, quiet, elegant and a perfect place for a quiet lunch or dinner! The neat feature is that they have smaller meeting rooms for private parties. The menu has all my favorites like escargots, crab cakes and mussels. Their Caesar Salad has a perfect balance of garlic and anchovies! My favorites on the menu are the rack of lamb, veal piccata and the fresh fish have never been disappointing!. The menu doesn’t change very often so the kitchen kind of runs on autopilot and never disappoints. This is not a new fusion place so don’t expect tall vertical elements or foam on the plate!. Service is good, combined with the consistent food; make this a anchor location for me! Pricing is reasonable and the portions are always generous. Their wine list is an impressive assortment of local selections. Parking is not a problem, except on weekends
|
Josef's Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: Continental
|
Santa Rosa |
6/29/2007
|
|
|
Located in the lobby of the Tuscan Inn, this active friendly place has one of the best thin crust pizzas around. We are always greeted here immediately and usually can find a table. My usual to start is their Calamari Fritti, done perfectly with a great seasoning, nothing to salty or overpowering, then we will get the pizza or home made crab ravioli. During the winter I try and get the Tuscan Cioppino washing it down with some nice house red and low cal garlic bread. Pricing is moderate and the service is excellent! During the nice weather you can sit outside and enjoy the tourists stumbling around looking lost and tired. This is not the usual tourist trap restaurant since it is associated with the hotel and not pier 39 trekkers. You can park in the Safeway lot across the street, pretty cheap and sometimes for free. All in all it is a nice getaway not a pretentious snobby Marina type place. Nice place to meet someone to show them around town. Friendly bar staff making great drinks too
|
Cafe Pescatore
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Fishermans Wharf |
6/25/2007
|
|
|
Located where the old Topaz Room was, (anyone remember that?) This loud, busy place caters to the downtown business crowd. Meeting a friend for lunch, you have to discount half the conversation because it's just too damn noisy!We started with floury crab cake, which tasted pre made, and the appetizer portion of steamed mussels. They were ok, floating in a mild garlic wine sauce. I opted for their burger and fries, while my friend had the linguine & clams. The service is provided by students, some of who obviously want not to be there. The place to me is nothing special, certainly not the charm it's predecessor had! Bar service is available and their wine selection is commendable , especially Sonoma wines. Meeting someone or having a quiet lunch is impossible here, but what it does have going for it is that it is one of the few places that you can have lunch and not have to go to the ATM machine first. The pricing is a good value and the service when it arrives is OK. Parking in the lot
|
Flavor
Cuisine: American
|
Santa Rosa |
6/25/2007
|
|
|
Sadly Oliver's is the only premium supermarket in the environs of Santa Rosa. And the people of SR better be happy with it! It's no Dragers, Sunshine Foods, or Andronicos, but it is all we have. So what if the half the staff is inept, and unfamiliar with sanitation procedures (student part time help). The food is excellent for the too tired to cook, or the I'll buy it, add some little fresh cut veggies and call it mine dinners! The meat is lacking any real "prime" or premium choice cuts, since the market is for middle of the road pricing but it has a decent selection. The cheese department has grown and does have an experience cheve monger, talking down to you because of your lack of knowledge! If I need quality and don't have time to run down to the city, San Mateo, Corte Madera or St Helena then Oliver's is the place to have some of the fixins for that special dinner or picnic. The one in Cotati is also good!
|
Oliver's Market
Cuisine: Deli Barbecue supermarket
|
Santa Rosa |
6/25/2007
|
|
|
You can tell when the early bird specials are on when the parking lot is full around 5:30. Oakmonters frequent the place to have safe decent Italian food and to socialize in this neighborhood no frills dining room. Arriving sans reservation on a Wednesday we had a table within minutes. Ordering my usual Calamari to start along with the Caesar salad my acid test of restaurants, which Robertos passed with no issues! We then ordered the veal, both Picatta and Milanese for entrees. The taste was good as was the service, although they could have slowed down the service a smidgen, to allow us to enjoy the food. There also could have been some more garlic in my dish; after all I needed to ward off the evil spirits for the night. Our libations were plentiful and reasonably priced! We opted for cocktails in lieu of wine just for that reason that evening. For desert we shared a Tiramisu, good not spectacular! All in all, nice neighborhood joint, moderately priced.
|
Roberto's Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
|
Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
|
|
|
If you have never left Santa Rosa, and have had dinner here then you probably would love the food here, however, if you have ever gone down to Chinatown and had almost anything there you would know what inhabitants of Santa Rosa have to settle for! Not that it is bad food; it is just that if you never knew anything better you would say it was first-class! He has been here for years and because of that and the quality and presentation (American Style) he has been very successful. The expensive calamari $11 to the Peking duck $30, they will have almost anything your Chinese palate will desire. Our last dinner there (April) was just ho hum, nothing inspiring, but items done for the local patrons, nothing on the edge. The service is always decent, having indentured family members doing all the work. It's safe and expensive, parking is ok, but the Royal China on Marlow is a better value.
|
Gary Chu's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
|
|
|
You open the door and step into the Twilight Zone, you're greeted and seated and now join the crowd that has been coming here for 50 years. This institution has seen Santa Rosa grow from 50K to 150k residents. The same old menu selections are still there, the prawns hanging over the pool of c***tail sauce, the breading falling off the fried calamari, the minestrone soup bubbling away for days, still having the original DNA from years ago, veal, pasta and steaks are the norm here, just as Norm sitting at the piano bar on Friday and Saturday nights. Kind of a getaway for a first date or just seeing the lights of SR below you. This use to be in the outskirts of town is now in the middle. The service here is from experience staff, all here for years, the food although not what you would call gourmet is ok and consistent. The price is also reasonable; dinner for two with a few drinks will surprise you at less than a C note. Private parking lot, a must see institution.
|
The Villa Italian Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
|
|
|
Because this is a little out of the way, and the last couple of other places failed here I wish it good luck. You have to be a true burger aficionado to support this place. The burgers start at about 9 bucks and go up from there. Since it is somewhat hidden you need to know about it, so maybe, just maybe it will get popular before the payments start rolling in. The burgers are good, fresh, large portions and diverse. You like blue cheese? Or how about chili? 5 kinds of cheeses or peppers? You can get any or all here. Being here on a weekday just before the lunch rush I was a little disappointed in the lack of organization in the staff. The order was for a 3 people, and yet the order got screwed up. Maybe if the cook and the counter person quit their argument, it may have gone smoother but I doubt it. The finished product was good, fries were massive and so was the check for 3 people. With tip, 3 burgers and drinks $50 bucks. Not cheap but fresh, and there is parking in front!
|
Carmen's Burger Bar
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Santa Rosa |
6/24/2007
|
|
|
Continuing my quest of finding the ultimate burger we dropped into this neighborhood dive. The nice thing was that they had outside seating which can make a bad meal acceptable! Seated right away and given sticky menus, we had to ask for the table to be wiped of someone's prior grease. Not good for a first impression, dirty and dingy! But we still had a mission! We both ordered the big flipper, which comes with it all! Service was sloooow and it wasn't even noon yet, but at least our cool beers had come quickly. The burgers arrived and were both overcooked and not rare as requested. So now what do you do? Send it back and wait another 15 minutes and piss the cook off (never piss anyone handling your food) well, the fries were good, the salad lacked sufficient dressing, and the dill was not good kosher dill, just something that had drowned in vinegar a long time ago. This was a tie to Carl's $6 burger but with better fries and salad. Not my ultimate this time, I ‘ll keep looking
|
Flippers Gourmet Burgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers American (Traditional)
|
Hayes Valley |
6/23/2007
|
|
|
Nothing fancy, big deli cooler in the room, a couple of bulletin boards announcing the price and special of the day, you have to get there early to score one of the few tables if you really want to enjoy the view of the cars going by checking out the valley. One of the more honest bang for your buck deli's where the sandwich meat isn't folded over (like Uncle Irving's hair in order to make it look like there is some volume to it), has always been a filling meal, with even a part left over for a afternoon snack. The roasted garlic chicken they have is great, if you have some wet naps before returning to the steering wheel. A place where for 10 bucks you will walk away satiated. The service is over the counter, you pick out your stuff out of the reach in, and sit down, and minutes later your lunch arrives. A regular stop if I am in the area after 11, remember to slow down, to find it! Or better yet, pull over to the side at the Fire Department and walk a half a block.
|
Cafe Citti
Cuisine: Italian
|
Santa Rosa |
6/20/2007
|
|
|
One of the pillars of old Railroad Square, (since 79)this tiny old style continental restaurant has an old time following. The food here is old style comfort food. Samarati hit it on the head by talking about the age gap! This is a once a year type of place for me, I go just to see if it has changed any and every year I keep forgetting why I come there. They don't do anything fantastic, it's kind of the upscale Olive Garden that lost it's franchise. The help has been there for years (it's family) some of which should no longer be in the business. The only positive thing I can say is that it is very reasonable price wise. But remember what they say, you get what you pay for. All in all, it is a must visit, but not necessarily a must return. Oh the veal picatta is the best item on the menu. The other positive aspect is that it is cozy, and you can actually carry on a intimate conversation here, hear?
|
La Gare French Restaurant
Cuisine: French Swiss
|
Santa Rosa |
6/20/2007
|
|
|
As Little Healdsburg turns into a tourist mecca, with every inch on the plaza either a cutesy overprice boutique or a wine shop, this cooperative rent-a-space affordable storefront is occupied by a dozen merchants getting rid of olive oil ,wine, tea and sandwiches. Bovolo is where you end up if you want some confusion to your entrance. Not a deli, not a restaurant, not a bistro and not a tasting room. It does offer coffee deli style sit-down service, and it cranks out some passable pannis' for the tourists. This is not a venue that you will likely see any locals since there is nothing to cajole them into this space. It is alternate of fast food if you want something besides a burger. The food is no match for the real restaurant the owners have called Zazu in Santa Rosa. This fills a void for hungry walk-in tourists wanting to rest their feet. Service is acceptable but not professional, prices are high but tourists don't complain!
|
Bovolo
Cuisine: Italian
|
Healdsburg |
6/20/2007
|
|
|
What started out as a little 6 table restaurant in the lobby of the Aven theater years ago, grew into Ravenous. The old place is now called the Ravenette. Ravenous is a busy converted home, with a underrated air conditioning system and a overrated menu. The place is a cramped but friendly homestyle upscale place usually filled with locals during the week and tourists on the weekends. The menu has all the favorites including Caesar salad or fresh local baby lettuce. For a mail there is always salmon or try the lamb shanks with tender falling of the bone meat. The service is good most of time but be prepared to wait when they are busy, sometimes to the annoying side. Value for the dollar is still decent, most entrees are in the low 20's. There burger is one of the best in town, and a little pricy, but offset by the quantity of fries that top the plate. All in all it is a consistently decent place with adequate service and decent local wine list!
|
Ravenous
Cuisine: Californian
|
Healdsburg |
6/20/2007
|
|
|
Guarded of sharing this this jewel, which was called Bunny's Kountry Kitchen years ago, has turned in to a garden of Eden! Parking lot in front, a large bar, to the trellised outdoor dining patio is my perfect place for lunch or an evening special dinner! Nothing fancy, but everything excellent! Starting with the Caesar with goat cheese w/ nice firm anchovies, or maybe oysters or escargots? That's the hard choice. The next choice is easier, between the Liver & Onions or the Prawns in Saffron Pernod sauce served on top of wild rice. If it's lunch I always order the Angus Burger, which they do RARE! Now it's not just the food here, the bar, oh the bar! Great mixology prevails fueled by premium ingredients with reserved conversations. I can either sit with a lone Martini or revel with several waiting my turn to buy up! It's just the kind of place that has been a secret hideout for many of the winery owners and locals. I won't bother to go on weekends….tourists, those damn tourists……
|
Kenwood Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: California
|
Sonoma |
6/19/2007
|
|
|
Needing an immediate Sushi fix, we found a space within a block and were enticed by the outside sign What I thought was going to be a sockum, whamo experience turned out to be just ho hum, just another sushi place with locals, schmoozing and loudly greeting everyone as they came in. We didn't discover why this loud, packed place deserved the feeding frenzy we observed. Was there going to be ban on raw fish tomorrow? My fish was passable, not the freshest I have had but also not the worst. The portions were larger than necessary, and for some reason I was presented with two pieces of ahi which were too big for the rice. If I was just eating the fish alone I would be ecstatic but with the rice it just made it out of proportion. The raves of the miso soup were justified, and the rolls were pretty decent. The bill was not a surprise but what was is that two people can actually put away so much fish and rice! (Couple of large Sapporos, may have helped) Service friendly and prompt!
|
Shimo
Cuisine: sushi japanese
|
Outer Richmond |
6/19/2007
|
|
|
How can you ever be disappointed if your expectations are set somewhere between average and mediocre? They have been putting out the same food for 60 years and have mastered and perfected middle of the road food. What can you do with mashed potatoes and brown gravy? After all, only so much breading will adhere itself to a breaded veal cutlet. (Cooked medium, with a nice balance of spices, as to not offend anyone). This is a place hasn't changed since day one, exactly like their Veal Scaloppini. After all, where else in Marin still serves Sweetbreads? They always have a special priced under 10 bucks! Prices on everything else are moderate. 12-18 dollars except for steak and you can sit at the bar and enjoy the action of a fire drill at times. The drinks are stout, and the service is dependable and practiced. That in itself deserves a trip to dinner and a salute' Parking in front or around the block, a return, sure, from time to time but not too soon!
|
San Rafael Joe's
Cuisine: American Italian
|
San Rafael |
6/18/2007
|
|
|
The problem was that we stopped here on the way home from the airport just returning from NYC, so I was comparing the pizza to the pizza I got in NYC. Although a noble attempt for Marin, I was greatly disappointed for the quality even in the bay area, let alone Marin. The first issue was the salads; they appear to have been thrown together out of a prepackaged lettuce mix, including nice brown ends to the leaves. Ok, no big deal, the expensive calamari (remember that's fish bait) was overcooked and lacked much flavor. One guest had the gnocchi, which were mushy and had they not been swimming in sauce, just too mediocre. My pizza was ok, and I won't complain too much since the price was moderate and not expensive, I had the anchovy and mushroom, the anchovies were mushy and falling apart, not the better quality of firm, not overly salted ones that better piazza exhibit. All in all, I was not impressed, but I would give them another try in another couple of month.
|
Gaspare's Pizzeria
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
San Rafael |
6/6/2007
|
|
|
Ever notice the demeanor of staff who work at vegan restaurants? Especially the ones that have precious bodily enzymes and proteins & sense of humor draining out from multiple metal piercings in their ears, nose and lips? Seeing the review from jillduffy sparked my memory of the worst lunch experience I had with a vegannazi friend last month! It began with my “I am hungry” by ordering their “I am fabulous Lasagna” After all how bad can they muck up lasagna? My fabulous Lasagna turned out worse than Stouffers Lean Cuisine, at work. Tasteless, bland sauce topping crunchy hard ribbons of some kind of wheat product pasta, glued with rubbery chalky faux cheese. And for this I paid 15 bucks. My zombie pasty white vegan friend had the “ I am Cheerful” burger which he though was just OK, stale hard bun, with a slice of tomato, sprouts, lettuce pickle and catsup only missing a nice greasy beef patty to make it edible! The food, sorry. The grisly staff even sorrier. The owner obscenely rich.
|
Cafe Gratitude
Cuisine: Raw Vegetarian
|
San Rafael |
6/6/2007
|
|
|
This place has been here forever! I use to buy sheet music from a little store called Buckners down and across the street in the 50's. Tia Maria opened in the early 60's and is still there! They must be doing something right, although after our dinner, I would say they are doing it safe!. What's safe? It's when you cook what their clients will eat & pay for! (Mild). My Don Julio margaritas were made with fresh lime juice not a sweet sour mix! Fantastic! They way they should be made! From the prawns in garlic butter to the carne asada, they were all prepared well, but with safe mild spices and heat, nothing really stood out in the wow department. If you need more heat like I enjoy you can ask for some salsa with Chile de arbol! (now that's heat) Their salsas tasted like predone, with some additional ingredients locally added. The service was efficient, with friendly wait staff and the pricing was moderate allowing extra money left over for a margarita for the road!
|
Tia Margarita
Cuisine: Mexican
|
Outer Richmond |
4/30/2007
|
|
|
This was supposed to be a temporary restaurant for the local people but with the standing at the door lines, TK again is chuckling all the way to the bank! OK the food at least is a better value. The first thing you notice is the lack of tablecloths and overdone decorations. It's sort of dining in an Old Italian family style restaurant with wine poured into water glasses not stemware. Unlike an Old Italian restaurant the prices here are almost at stratospheric as the Laundry! $45 dollars for a prie fix based on what we got was a disappointment. I had the prawn and lentil dish with over spiced salty prawns. My wife's chicken was ok, Ok? You would expect super or great but not this time! The service has to have been scraped up from the unemployment line for DMV workers or something as obtuse. Bumbling, stumbling, inept were the positive descriptions of the staff! Dessert was a couple of cookies and French press coffee. Not impressed for a place in the Napa Valley.
|
Ad Hoc
Cuisine: American
|
Napa |
4/28/2007
|
|
|
Now I know why the ratings are so bad, because palates don't lie! I was remembering a great opening party there in the late 60's! My fond memories are now shattered! The view is the only possible reason to come here, the overpriced poorly prepared and poor quality food is a reason not to! Ok, if you want to impress someone from Iowa, then go otherwise forgetaboutit! Starting out, the so called fresh seafood plate $32,did have some fresh oysters and clams, but there is no excuse to serve stringy (not fresh) tasteless Dungeness crab, ruining the whole plate! My tasteless filet w/mushrooms for $42 bucks was horrid! My wife's Maine Lobster tail was also a bust, about 1 oz of tail meat with some veal $45 bucks. The soufflés where also dreadful, flowery, bland & rising a whole ¼ inch above the rim of the dish, for 11 bucks a piece. There were people around us that looked like they were enjoying themselves, I could have, if I had just gone somewhere else and kept my memories and money!
|
Carnelian Room
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Downtown |
4/27/2007
|
|
|
After walking out of a place that had a unhappy employee, we were even more hungry and the first place we came to that even looked halfway decent we went in. We were right, it was half way decent nothing special and nothing bad other than the neighborhood. This is no designer pizza palace! The thin crust was done correctly, ample sauce, nice selection of toppings including nice firm anchovies. Tasteless cheese, not offending anyone the medium pie ran us about 18 bucks with a couple of drinks and tip. So we were full for less than 30 bucks! Their selections include veggie, couple of combos and the mandatory pineapple. Frequented by mostly locals, it appeared to have a regular crowd, as it sounded like everyone know everyone's name. Kinda like the Cheers bar (except that Norm would have been laying outside in the gutte), but a pizza dive. This is one of hundreds likewise pizza places, nothing memorable, so I don't think I will ever be here when I need my pizza urge tickled.
|
Signor Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Tenderloin |
4/22/2007
|
|
|
Oh how bad could this place be, was my question to my friend who said that this place was ok, opening the door. The half empty place was lack of any happy eaters and as we were motioned to a table, then ignored for at least 10 minutes. As our unfriendly waiter came and threw the menus on the table we were amazed that the entrees were all over 22 bucks or more. Since we both decided that we really didn't want to spend that kind of money on a plate of vegetables (not that there is anything wrong with that) we decided on a plate of fries and a spring roll. We also figured a couple of drinks from the bar, but noooo the waiter came over, and as we gave him or order, he said “Is that it? Is that all your having? You're kidding?” Guess what, we both looked at each other, and both told him almost simultaneously, hey forget it, and walked out! This is the first time in years that I have stormed out of establishment because the wait staff attitude! I don't think vegans are happy
|
Millennium
Cuisine: Vegetarian
|
Downtown |
4/21/2007
|
|
|
Being invited to this new dive I had a little trouble finding the place and arrived about 10 minutes late. Wow, did I get in trouble with the maitre D', rude and unfriendly didn't get us off to a great start here!. Seated we had to wait for the waiter to “present” the wine list, as it's que'd with pairing of plates. Crap! Another condescending restaurant! Our “small plates” which are actually plates in various geometric forms arriving with minuscule, overly priced servings of food, arriving after about a 20 minute wait. We started with some hamachi topped with a citrus oil overpowering any delicate taste of the fish).(off taste) The next plate was Calamari cooked ok, but were served pretty greasy with some capers. The prawns were a big disappointment being overcooked, making them tough and masked with too much soy sauce! The lamb chops and mahi mahi plates were the only ones I would consider a decent value and tasty. Been here, done that, don't think I will ret
|
Pres A Vi
Cuisine: Eclectic Small Plates
|
Presidio |
4/21/2007
|
|
|
If you enjoy small plates then you'll love this place, just be sure and stop by the ATM before you come! The nice thing here is that it is one of the few places in town that has some outside seating. The food here is just ok. the calamari plate is good but for the price, you only really get about 3 calamari that are cut up for $9 bucks!. Lobster roll, $14 is a small dinner roll, just enough for two bites. The French fries are a rip off at 8 bucks (large handful) The best items on the menu are the selection of raw oysters. They usually have an assortment of at least 4 different kinds and they are reasonably priced. The other items on the menu include lamb, prawns, several vegetable rolls and a couple of BBQ items like ribs and chicken. The stellar part of the place is their bar! They concoct various martinis and drinks that you wouldn't make at home, but they are on the pricy side so learn to enjoy them. Parking is usually not a problem, except on weekends!
|
Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar
Cuisine: Seafood Raw
|
Healdsburg |
4/17/2007
|
|
|
Remember when their were tons of F&C places?, now this is the last one in Santa Rosa. Located in what used to be the outskirts is now surrounded by housing developments and shopping centers. Plenty of parking in front as long as you don't get there at noon. The Fish and chips are great! The fresh fish is done to perfection, my fish were crispy not overcooked nor greasy. The fries also although not the best I have every had, were good and hot! If you are not a F&C fan they do have other items like prawns and fish burgers. Their cole slaw is exceptionally good, not drenched in dressing. The price is moderate for lunch decent pieces of fish for 11 bucks but a 2 piece lunch starts at around 5 bucks. The seating is tight only about 20 or so hungrey eaters, consequently take out is popular for both lunch and dinner. The only problem is the location, being that of east Santa Rosa, it takes about 15 minutes to get to on a good day from the center of town.
|
Betty's English Fish 'N' Chips
Cuisine: Pub Food
|
Santa Rosa |
4/17/2007
|
|
|
This is the place that I've passed for a long time so why not check it out! First of all they are only open on the weekends, the other time they do private parties (Russians love to party) We started with the mandatory borsch, great balance of beets and broth, the pelmeni dishes were great but required several orders to fill our appetite. Herring and beet dishes great, potato salad had way too much dill for my taste. The blini with salmon caviar topped with sour cream were fantastic! Garlic sausages were perfectly done with loads of sweet garlic permeating the meat. The peroshki were disappointing dry and lacking of sufficient meat filling. If you come here you better plan of dragging along someone who is use to Russian food or speaks some Russian otherwise you may be disappointed in some of the dishes. The best thing was the garlic pickles which reminded me exactly of the kind my Grandmother made and kept in the fridge. Pricing a tag high, parking on site.
|
Russia House
Cuisine: Russian
|
Bayview/Hunters Point |
4/15/2007
|
|
|
As you walk into the restaurant it looks like some Russian families' dining room, set up with two long tables. You are out of luck for a duce. It is as close to a Russian family experience as you will be able to find. From tacky decorations to tack dishes and unprofessional presentations. "Let's open a restaurant Boris!,DA,OK) And poof a Ruski restoran is open. Unless you can speak Russian, or one of the Anglo staff is there forget it! The borsch was OK, the bread was stale, the eggplant dish was OK, the herring was fresh but too salty and too much dill, the lamb shaslik (shishkabob) was overcooked and dry, making the little bits of what could have been great lamb, dry tasteless and chewy. (old Russians cook everything well done) so, was it a great dinner, no, was it authentic Russian, yeah pretty much so, since the food has really never been considered gourmet. All in all you would be better off at Cinderella. Hard to find, moderatly expensive for the quality and quantity you get.
|
Traktir Restaurant
Cuisine: Russian Georgian
|
Outer Richmond |
4/15/2007
|
|
|
You really have to be looking for this place otherwise you will miss it! My friend that lives out there told me that I should pick up some take out and a 6 pack and come on over and enjoy his new flat screen that he just got! Well this place is a hole in the wall, not really designed for sit down but they do have a couple of old kitchen tables if you really want to sit there and stuff your face. I ordered a broccoli beef, mushu pork, general's chicken and war won ton soup. The bag was heavy and the four items totaled less than 22 bucks! Arriving and removing the food into serving dishes, I was pleasantly surprised of the quality of the food. It was all freshly made, not from simmering steam tables like other takeouts! This would explain why there was about 6 people that came and picked up orders while I was there for the 8 or so minutes. The food wasn't as good as a 1st class Grant st, place, but for the money, I would come back here anytime.
|
Win Fook Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
4/15/2007
|
|
|
It was either this or Denny's and never being in one before, I decided to offer our effort for the review! (Sounds noble) At 3 in the afternoon the place was basically empty, but it still took about 10 minutes for our server to come and plop down several menus, one of which had an assortment of 50+ pies! We both ordered the burgers and I opted for their salad bar. This was a surprise as the products on the bar were both plentiful in assortment and exceptionally good quality (no brown lettuce) Actually the salad bar was a much better experience than the burgers which were presented after about 15 minutes which had prepared frozen 1/2lb patties of flavorless meat product of some sort. The fries were OK for about 45 seconds until the lost their thermal appeal and instantly morphed into tasteless grease sticks. We both left half the burgers and most of the fries on the plate. I though that this would have been a better choice than Denny's or Carls Jr, and I was flat wrong.
|
Marie Callender's
Cuisine: American
|
Napa |
4/13/2007
|
|
|
Been passing this place for years and for some reason grabbed the off ramp and decided to try it! It 's can't be that bad, after all it 's been here for years. Well, so has the A&W down the street. This is an Italian style restaurant for people who actually think Italian food is suppose to taste this way. It may have been a great place at one time, but now, it appears that either we were there on a off week, or they just don't care what they sling out for food. Calamari, greasy oil almost rancid, AND expensive for $11 bucks. Caesar salad, limp, off green limp leaves, too acid of a dressing, 10 bucks. Stale basket of bread, obviously day old and tokenly warmed up. My Sweetbreads were flat, soft, mushy and disappointing. My wife's veal picatta was tough and also disappointing! This appears to be a property that is run by remote control by uncaring staff sort of running itself without much attention. The service and quality shows. Too bad, it could have been good, maybe 20 years ago.
|
La Toscana Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
|
San Rafael |
4/9/2007
|
|
|
What use to be in the food court now has reopened in a large space behind the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant? Nice spacious facility which allows you to sit down and enjoy their great fresh bread made sandwiches. The wafting aroma of fresh bread hooks you in for lunchtime. Their lunch assortment varies from sandwiches, salads and hollowed out bread soup bowls. The roast beef sandwich was a tad sparse on the meat considering the abundance of lonely bread. $8 bucks a little high, but with a drink still a good deal for lunch. Service is typical for a walkup and considering Starbucks is around the corner, Boudin's coffee is a deal! and tastes better! After lunch you can stroll thru the lonely shopping center unless your there on a weekend. All in all, a nice place to catch an unassuming lunch meal without a lot of fanfare!
|
Boudin Bakery and Cafe
Cuisine: Bakeries
|
Corte Madera |
4/7/2007
|
|
|
The name is from a outside market in France which is why this place uses the freshest locally available ingredients for its seasonal menus. The small dining room has beautiful artwork and the ambiance allows for conversations without having to raise the decibel level. Our orders of French Onion soup $9 came in about 10 minutes and it took just about the same time for them to cool off enough for use to enjoy! Excellent onion broth and perfect balance of salt,cheese and bread! Almost a meal in itself. My Braised Lamb shank was good, but a tad on the expensive side for the plate.$25. Shanks are the cheapest part of the animal but are priced equal to the excellent hangar steak which came tender and juicy. The service is friendly and I don't think you will find a better freshly prepared meal in Marin! The menu is short but has something for all. Parking is no problem and the wine list complies mostly French but generous amount of local wineries.
|
Marche aux Fleurs
Cuisine: French (New)
|
Ross |
3/26/2007
|
|
|
Fairly new, so it's still lacking the greasy walls and permeated scent the dinner experience was good. The small place was pretty full when we were treated to a neighborhood dinner. The plate portions are healthy and the prices are very reasonable! Many dishes are priced below 4 dollars and are a very good value. The Generals Chicken was one of the better ones in town! As was the wor won ton soup! We totaled about 7 or 8 plates and after 4 hungry appetite's there was little for take back. The place also does dim sum so you can get your complete fill of Chinese at one location. Service was surprisingly fast and no quality was lacking. This is the kind of place I would visit regularly if I lived in the neighborhood. Parking not on your life, grab the street car or walk. All in all, nice place for your Won ton fix!
|
Big Lantern
Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum
|
Mission |
3/26/2007
|
|
|
Trying to look like a New England seafood shack, the disappointment comes not from the use of fresh seafood, but at the lack of a quality cook. Our sample included the fired calamari $10 tender without too much flavor though. The Fried Oyster Roll $9 done with a regular hot dog bun didn't do justice to the good quality oysters! The crab cakes had great quality fresh crab, but didn't quite reach the mark as far as seasoning. (Try a little Old Bay!) My Fish and Chips $12.50 for 3 pieces of excellent delicious Cod were weakened by undercooked tasteless fries. This tiny place has the potential to do wonders, appears maybe understaffed or under experienced, not quite sure. All in all it was ok, but could be a lot better based on their commitment to a fresh product. Parking is impossible, service was on the slow side, return, sure, I'll give it another shot in 6 months.
|
Woodhouse Fish Company
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Upper Market/Church Street |
3/26/2007
|
|
|
It would have been rude to argue with my friend’s choice for lunch. “You’ll love it” Sure… As you first walk in the door, the volume level of the mass of bodies all fighting over the steam tables for the last fried prawn or a sushi maguro roll, is enough to kill even my appetite! Welcome to another brew and barf, eat in the trough eating frenzy buffet joint. This was at around 11:45 and there was a wait already! The food quantity is overwhelming, the food quality is underwhelming! The food that I did pick was all cheap selections made to look enticing, but once you actually bit into them, you never finished the bite! Ok, maybe I’ll try something else, nope, again, mass preparation, cheap quality mess hall style food for a very high price! It would have been a better lunch to pick up couple of plastic containers of sushi at Safeway. Gluttons will love this place; anyone with half a taste bud left in their mouth will not be impressed. What the crowds sees in this place is a mystery.
|
Todai Sushi & Seafood Buffett
Cuisine: Sushi
|
Pleasanton |
3/18/2007
|
|
|
I keep doing it to myself over and over so it would be safe to call me either addicted or a fool for trying to get a decent piece of Prime Rib anywhere than at home, House of Prime Rib or Laury's in LA. I keep asking the same question, do you have rare, only to be present with a slab of beef, doused with au jus, a dry piece of meat that all the juice has been drained out of, warmed up and presented as the fantastic meat it never is. Prime rib only fit for a sandwich, along with a pre made salad, acceptable only to someone who appreciates Denny's as a 5 star experience. The service here at least was friendly, the bar drinks were fun, so I tried and lost again, but on the way to the airport that looked like maybe it would be a safe choice, safe it was, delicious and satisfying it was not. Onward and upward, I'll keep searching. The real horseradish was the only reward for the night, it did blow my eyeballs out for a moment!
|
Outback Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Daly City |
3/17/2007
|
|
|
They always say you get what you pay for, so this moderately priced Mexican restaurants puts out medium quality with tasteless food. Mexican food does not have to be spicy in order to have flavor. Fresh ingredient should be able to do it on their own! This cramped noisy little neighborhood place servers up neither good or memorable food. They take the safe approach in not wanting to offend anyone. The cheese which was topping my refried (out of a can) beans was tasteless and cilantro with dark green/black leaves doesn't spell fresh to me. The fish in the tacos should have been pulled on day sooner also. The service was OK, but the food didn't make the whole experience worth the price of the check. Parking is generally nasty here, so choose one of the many other places on the street.
|
El Toreador Fonda Restaurant
Cuisine: Mexican
|
West Portal |
3/7/2007
|
|
|
This was not going to be a good experience when 15 minutes after being seated we still had not received any water,bread or even a passing hello. Finally we did catch the attention of a server but the wrong one. He did agree to at least take our order since our waiter was “kinda new” Yeah, I Kinda Knew Too! The trio de carpaccio was good but minuscule! $12, I mean paper thin slivers of product! Our plates arrived after another decade of waiting, but wait, they were not our entrees, they were for the table next to us, Strike 2, Finally my pork loin showed up as well as my wife's cod dish. Ok, Still hungry, we then had the Kobe Beef Skewers $9 which were good and a tiny bit of Foie Gras which was way to small. Good but not worth the wait or the prices for small plate experiences, with small or little value service! We ourselves had to keep the wine glasses full, and our server forgot our veggie side dish. After the ho hum experience we decided to go somewhere else for dessert & coffee.
|
Sutra
Cuisine: Californian Asian
|
SoMa |
3/3/2007
|
|
|
I love to see people eat at Bouchon and at the Laundry. It makes me glad that the patrons are not frequenting the restaurants in the valley that actually provide good food and a value and not fluff! Eating here once was enough based on being packed in like sardines, that alone is not a pleasant experience. Add the noise and stress level of trying to filter out the next table, make the experience not enjoyable. The food was good, but not anywhere close to a great value. Their 20 dollar plate of Gnocchi was not 10 bucks better than an Italian tratorria in the city! Nor were the sparse slivers of Lamb Leg at 26 dollars (4oz) any better than an average leg of lamb plate in the city for 15. Personally the sardine experience is not worth the premium prices they command because of T.K. So, keep making them laugh all the way to the bank on this one, you can have it, I rather spend my money a tad more wisely, but that's just me. For Tourists, YES!
|
Bouchon
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
|
Napa |
2/23/2007
|
|
|
Nice neighborhood Italian place with a FULL bar that is keen on service and selection. We were seated on time, and ordered our drinks, looking over the menu it was an easy choice! Drinks arrived and were done correctly using perfect ice! My calamari was decent but a little bland, but the sweetbread appitizers were super! Both 9 bucks, We both tried the Caesar salad $8, and discovered some brown soggy lettuce but at least not overdressed! My Linguine and clams were OK with one problem it seems that one of the linguines left some souvenirs on my tie upon later inspection. Our other entree the veal marsala was tender, sweet and had the perfect sauce that lingered in your mouth very well! The service on our night was prompt although we never were asked for refills on our drinks before opening the wine, with the pricing I felt that it was a good deal since nothing was over 20 buck, it appears that it is a great place for regulars to hang out at, too bad I don't live in Pacifica!
|
Barolo
Cuisine: Italian
|
Pacifica |
2/22/2007
|
|
|
The name says part of the experience! Located in a big barn building off the plaza, this place is know for it's martini bar, more that for it's stellar quality wine country food experience! Starting at the bar, the condescending barkeeps go out of their way to not be helpful! Just don't ask them for any advise about Martinis when they are busy talking to the lovely ladies at the bar! The food is haphazard, thrown together by kitchen help from directions put together and translated into Spanish. More or less, the plates come disconnected most of the time. Order the same thing 20 minutes later and the same calamari dish comes out altogether different. It's now for it small plates,and big prices. A order of pomme frits $17. Yes, for one potato! How tasty can fries be? Tuna Tartare was OK, but not worth the $17 either. The place is know for it catering and private parties, but not their welcoming dineing experience. I will leave it for the tourists! Sorry no return.
|
Barndiva
Cuisine: Californian
|
Healdsburg |
2/22/2007
|
|
|
When you first walk in to the dining room there is something special and soothing about it. Must be the feng shue. We were seated as per our reservation at 7:15. My Foie Gras appetizer was excellent and it came with a reasonably sized piece of liver on it! The crab salad has sufficient fresh crab to make it a meal in itself. My rack of lamb was done perfectly and was as tender as CK Lamb of Sonoma county! My friends Sea Bass perfectly executed presented in a towering vertical element! If you love vertical, you will definitely enjoy this place. I was impressed with the flavors but disappointed in that many menu items seemed old standards, like lamb and foie gras. Although delicious, it just seamed that the chef was not pushing the envelope but staying in safe territory here. The service was prompt and professional but a tad distant. Pricing was reasonable based on the moderate portion size. I was a little disappointed with the wine list, a tad shy of Sonoma county wines.
|
Ecco Restaurant
Cuisine: Californian Continental
|
Burlingame |
2/22/2007
|
|
|
I guess you can call this a chain since this is location number three for the owners. Carbon copy (remember carbon copies?) of their Occidental success, you start out with the small Italian salad with the mandatory kidney and garbanzo beans, beets and iceberg, including a basket of French bread , followed by minestrone soup. Lunch choices include large burgers, veal and pasta dishes and of course their meatloaf. The service is quick at first but their was a wait for the entree to arrive as it appear a little short on the staffing level. Pricing is moderate, and the menu items range from 7 to 15 for lunch. A fun place to go, if you can find a parking space in the lot outside. They are making arraignment with the doctors offices next door for additional parking requirements. All in all, a safe, reliable place for a decent no nonsense meal. A good place for regulars to hang out at! With a glass of good Sonoma County wine of course!
|
Union Hotel Pizza & Pasta Company
Cuisine: Italian American
|
Santa Rosa |
2/21/2007
|
|
|
Just another Bradley Ogden property doing what they do well, plain simple comfort foods with good quality and presentation. Our party was seated promptly and presented menus, with drinks arriving rapidly. Steak is the obvious choice here,grilled over applewood and other aromatic woods. The steak tartare was one of the best I have had, as was the cheeseburger! Crab puffs where a little dissapointing kinda greasy and little crab flavor. The location is at the new SF Center at Nordstroms.The neat thing was the kitchen layout allowing you to see most of the construction of your dishes. The service was good and not hovering, the quality is top and is a great change for the average food court of shopping centers. We were in and out within 45 minutes which made a stressless lunch possible if needed. Pricing was as usual for the quality, entrees 18-26 with special at 15. Great place if you happen to be down there already, but based on the parking etc, maybe not for a special trip.
|
Lark Creek Steak
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Downtown |
2/21/2007
|
|
|
One of the older places now that still had a nice piano bar with great appetizers. Bill of fare inlcudes steak to salmon, big caesar salads and good assortment of roasted game. The service is sluggish especially during the week lunchtime crowd from the nearby offices decided to join the feasting. Prices are moderate, food nothing special, but not too dissapointing either. Go there for the bar not the food! Parking no problem in their lot, that's probably why I go there.
|
Equus Restaurant
Cuisine: Californian
|
Santa Rosa |
2/9/2007
|
|
|
I wasn't that excited about Hawthorne Lane, so this had better be an improvement! The first nice thing that I noticed was the affordability of the menu. Appetizers were in the mid below 10 and the entrees were comfortable hovering around 20. Too bad the noise level was not conducive to a relaxed meal, even thought the food was good, but not great! My calamari were cooked great, but lacked any distinctive bite which I would expect. The onion soup should remain as onion soup the addition of a chicken embryo does little for the onions! Our NY steaks were good, cooked almost perfect and presented while still reasonable warm. The service for us was a little disappointing. Drink orders took excessively too long, while the entree arrived about 3 minutes after the appitizers. I will write that off to kitchen skills and give them a look maybe 90 days from now, after some labor changes and training have settle down. Parking ok, after 6, not before unless you use a lot. We will see!
|
Two San Francisco
Cuisine: Californian
|
SoMa |
2/3/2007
|
|
|
Nice to know that management actually cares about their clienteles dining experience! I had to check this place out! Located behind the Jack in the Box, this is pretty upscale for Novato! Starting with great martinis and devouring a plate of fried calamari, I knew our evening was going to be OK! Lettuce on the salads was crisp and green, sans brown spots so common now. I wanted to order the fish and chips, but hey this is a steak house! After a great salad our steaks arrived both done perfectly RARE! My New York was tender and the hangar steak was done perfectly also. So far so good, The service was excellent without being hovering! It was also nice to seem some well-behaved kids at several of the tables, well mannered and not running around (being cute) like some parents think. I commend these parents for teaching their kids the proper restaurant etiquettes. Based on dinner, I can't wait to return on a Friday night to test their Prime Rib! That to me will be the acid test!
|
Boca
Cuisine: Argentinian Steakhouse
|
Novato |
1/31/2007
|
|
|
If you want white tablecloths, formal dining old style food and service then you are in luck! Nice and quiet dining room allows you to carry on an intimate conversation. With reservations we were seating promptly and presented with menus. Drinks came swiftly and our appetizers followed. One of the few places still serving foie gras and Escargots! Both good, followed by perfectly done racks of lamb. The service was good although cold with an semi arrogant attitude. Hey I'm sorry your PhD makes you a waiter! Kind of reminds me of the Woody Allen film where Gene Wilder working at a deli screams "I'm a Doctor"! Food quality was good although very pricy for the venue. I would expect these prices on top of a skyscraper. The desserts were a little boring and some appeared commercial, but not sure. Wine list pretty decent, also pricy! I understand that this room fills up to overflowing with trendy opera goes prior to a performance. All in all it could be a return, parking difficult.
|
Ovation at the Opera
Cuisine: French
|
Civic Center |
1/30/2007
|
|
|
Not to be confused with a Tapas place where one can eat an affordable lunch or dinner, Willi's has perfected the nickel and dime gettum attitude. If you go to lunch there, and are hungry, it's real easy to drop $200 bucks on lunch including one bottle of medium priced wine. Three bites per plate are the usual, so if you normally enjoy a dozen oysters for 2, that will set you back about 36 bucks. Also the trick from the kitchen is to sloooooow the delivery of the place enough so that you keep your hunger going for an hour or so. We were not the only people complaining of the tariff here, you know you are going to have your pockets picked before you arrive, so you tend not to complain too loud. Service is good, although slow output from kitchen, excellent wine list, the foie gras shooters are fantastic and at 15 bucks a plate you can see what I mean! Food quality very good, atmosphere (old gas station) parking plenty in front, so you need at least one time to see for yourself!
|
Willi's Wine Bar
Cuisine: Eclectic Small Plates
|
Santa Rosa |
1/30/2007
|
|
|
When the original owner was alive, George, this was one hell of a great place. The same family from the city, that owned Victor's on Polk and later Giorgio's on Clement, decided on semi retirement when he bought this place. Years of great food, until his death, now, poorly trained kitchen staff more comfortable with beans and rice over sauce the pizzas, under spice the pasta dishes and just make a mess of what Italian food is! Only the pizzas have some redeaming value, only that of not being from a chain. No consistancy in any of the product, to over cooked and poorly prepared menu items like the veal saltimbocca, dried out, tasting like cardboard. Prices are high when you consider the quality of the food. It has a cute little bar, seats about 12 which makes decent inexpensive drinks. Even a couple of drinks before picking up takeout pizza or ordering in, doesn't make the food taste anything special. Service is taxing, BUT there's plenty of parking outside. I wonder why?
|
Giorgio's Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
Healdsburg |
1/30/2007
|
|
|
This place has been around Railroad Square for over 10 years and continues to put out consistently good food! They were rated as one of the top 10 Bistro in the US by USA Today, a couple of years back. The reconverted old warehouse has high ceilings but the noise level is normal to carry on an intimate conversation. Their salads are nice, and they even have a delicious Foie Gras on the menu! The fresh bread along with premium olive oils adds a great touch to this casual bistro. My favorite is their crab cakes or their Kobe beef cheeks in pasta! You can't leave here without their assortment of desserts like the old cream brule. Service is always prompt and friendly, pricing is moderate with generous portions. Parking is in their lot in the rear of the building or within easy walk. All in all this is a refreshing place unpretentious, friendly and won't break the bank!
|
Syrah Bistro
Cuisine: French Californian
|
Santa Rosa |
1/29/2007
|
|
|
One of the nicer white tablecloth service places in the area, but the service doesn't match the decor. Limited menu, lacking a variety of salads and appetizers (sometimes bread on the table) the food quality and taste is usually pretty decent. Unfortunately the haphazard service leaves knots in your stomach as you try to get the attention of the waiter to either bring bread or fill your wine glass. One decent appetizer is their pot sticker, but their 17 dollar crab cake is a disappointment for the price and size. The dinner menu is better than the lunch with more salad items. The New York is a tad expensive for the portion at $35 bucks. My feeling is that their service does not rate the high menu prices of the food considering the poor service. They do have a full bar, and they do have outside seating during nice weather. Hey it's a wine country destination, what do you expect!
|
Langley's On the Green
Cuisine: Californian
|
Windsor |
1/29/2007
|
|
|
One of the more unusual places in Healdsburg. It's been here for about 7 years already and serves up comfort food. The converted old bakery has high ceilings so be prepared to shout your order to the server. Menu items are limited to a select few items. My favorite are the lamb shanks! The pork roast is always a good start, but whatever you have, their Zin collection is one of the best in the country, therefore the name DUH.....
Parking is excellent as the prices are reasonable. Service runs hot and cold depending the school season. The best thing about Zin is their ability to do seasonal menus, where the products are the freshest and best of the season. It's not uncommon for me to see the chef at the local farmers market, at least twice a week! Nothing fancy, but consistently good.
|
Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar
Cuisine: Californian
|
Healdsburg |
1/29/2007
|
|
|
Supposedly the hot “in” place based on the difficulty in getting a reservation for lunch and dinner we called and got in the same day, so much for the hype. This remodeled warehouse is cramped with tables where spaces should be, making the roar of loud talking patrons the norm requiring to shout your order to the attentive waiter. Drinks were ordered as well as appetizers and for some reason the appetizers arrived well before our parched throats were quenched. The tuna tartar was good, but appeared to be pre done since the plate was cold. My calamari that I use as a indicator of things to come, was Ok, nothing special, done perfectly but lacking in any kick of spice that I expected. The short ribs were good, but lacking any wow factor I would expect for the price of the entrees. With the noise and the price I had to pay to endure the meal, I can't give this anything more than a neutral. It was OK, not great, not bad, but I wouldn't return until the noise level was addressed.
|
Town Hall
Cuisine: American (New)
|
SoMa |
1/26/2007
|
|
|
Guess what happens when you add salt to food? Ever wonder why the really fine places don't have salt & pepper shakers on the table? Wanting some reasonably good Catalan cooking I was thoroughly disappointed with most of the dishes here. They were all heavily salted to the point of not being able enjoy them. Especially the paella. There are several items I judge places with, one is paella. If they can't do a good paella everything else will be slipshod. It was lacking the freshest sea food, and had an aftertaste not associated with the fresh sea, other items like the Baccala which is salted cod was bland and dry. The only saving grace was the fried calamari. That was done OK, tender not overly salted and fresh! The service was rushed and I felt that they needed the table. Pricing is a little on the high side and would be OK if the experience was excellent, and it was not. Parking no way, it's a walk in while doing shopping. Loud, of course! Return, I don't think so.
|
B44 Catalan Bistro
Cuisine: Spanish
|
Downtown |
1/25/2007
|
|
|
Not wanting to total jade my buffet experience by the bad one in their SF location we would give this one an objective try. I should have known that was a lesson in futility! Our biggest turn offs seem to be the patrons! Sickly, unkempt, flaunting poor hygiene, coughing, hacking customers holding the plate with both hands therefore having nothing to shield their cough while allowing their kids to play & touch the food seems to be the norm. Is it only me? I don't think so; the food here was basically buffet gruel. Overcooked and over steamed, chicken, meat loaf, grey meats, unrecognizable gloppy bits of food swimming in undistinguishable sea of over salted reduced soup base. They make up with quantity and price. The overall mediocre food experience was summed up with a trip to the bathroom which unfortunately sealed my desire to ever come back here or possibly any other buffet place. If you want massive quantity of food, you are in luck. You can't make a meal just with chicken wings!
|
Moonstar Buffet
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
|
Daly City |
1/24/2007
|
|
|
This is one of these places that you know before your order that the meal will be uneventful. Why do you come here then, We were hungry and it was close! If car ran on grease this place would single handedly fuel every taxi on the streets of the city. They must buy it by the 55 gallon drums. Pot stickers, greasy! Mongolian Beef, miniscule pieces of meat and greasy! Fried Prawns, nice and soggy, greasy! Pao Chicken, lots of Chicken slices, but Greasy. Foo young, plenty of shrimp, sauce burnt flavor, but Greasy! At least one thing is that I will have a thorough cleaning in the next 6 hours, but that's not saying much. Boring greasy dishes, service is OK, with bored waiters, prices average 6 bucks a plate, in a sea of other places this one can goes ahead and sink! Except I think that grease floats!
|
Henry's Hunan Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Chinatown |
1/23/2007
|
|
|
Timing is everything when it comes to tender, succulent crispy calamari.Well,I guess the kitchen was too busy watching the chivas soccer game to pull the fryer basket in time.Tasty before now tough and overdone! When I told the server,he looked at me and walked away.This packed place is filled by patrons who accept mediocre overcooked over glopped food because it's the only place around.Pasta as well as fresh ingredients should speak for themselves.Here the dishes come with sauce, sauce and more sauce! Maybe the old Italians of Marin enjoy this style of Italian food, but it's not authentic.Looking at the back room staff,it sort of explains the paradigm. The only thing that stood out was the veal piccata, since there was nothing to glop on top of the tender veal except lemon sauce and a few capers! The petrale sole was one day too old for service, the nose tells all during the chewing process! All in all, this is a great local place for the locals, I will seek more honest Italian food!
|
Il Davide
Cuisine: Tuscan Italian
|
San Rafael |
1/23/2007
|
|
|
A surprising little gem in the neighborhood, that's been here for years! It's like opening a door and walking into the past except for the prices. Kinda high on some items (fried Calamari 11 bucks, but the Tiramisu is only 4.95. The place is typical of neighborhood Italian places, nothing special other than quiet friendly service, pretty decent value, decent food, consistently good atmosphere (white tablecloths). The best dishes are veal, and the pasta is decent but uninspiring. It's not an Italian Trattoria with a mélange of flavors and spices. For that you need to do downtown, this is the kind of places your parents brought you for dinner, month after month after month. They thought it was great! (They never traveled to Italy) It's safe, that's probably the best trait it has. All in all, it's OK. Parking is iffy, value OK; they have some Odd hours of operation, Check that out first!
|
DI Grande's Italian & Seafood
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Outer Sunset |
1/23/2007
|
|
|
If you're looking for a nice quiet place to enjoy a well prepared meal then keep on going. The food quality is there, but you won't be relaxed. Crowded and loud, this is the hip scene in the Marina. The selection of food items was good, as was the sangria pitcher of which we finished all too fast. The service here was ok, but not worth the prices they charge for dinner for two. Great ceviche with nice tender chunks of fish and the carne asada had real, complex flavors that of slow cooked infused sauces only available south of the border. But looking in the kitchen it appears that all the employees were south of the border! Too bad the Marina doesn't have a nice quiet sit down Mexican restaurant one can enjoy a dinner with conversation with out having to scream! All in all, it was good but not worth the parking effort or the shouting.
|
Mamacita
Cuisine: Mexican Nuevo Latino
|
Marina |
1/16/2007
|
|
|
This was the first IHop that I didn't get all sticky from handling the syrup dispensers. That's my main complaint about these places. That and the table always has some sticky syrup not cleaned. I will have to agree with Samarati that this indeed was one of cleanest places I have seen for a pancake joint. The service was prompt and cheerful, obviously the people here are either on drugs or they really enjoy their jobs! The coffee was good and the plates of food where placed on the table instead of the "thrown on the table" style at Dennys. Their pancakes were not heavy, and were still hot when served. Pricing is what it is, 25 bucks including the tip for two! I would come back here before going anywhere around. Too had they don't have one in my town!
|
International House of Pancakes
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Novato |
1/14/2007
|
|
|
Owned by the same people who own Cyrus in Healdsburg, this a good middle of the road place with moderate pricing. Starting out with a great bar selection, the have a raw oyster bar, great selection of fresh oysters, along with crab. Excellent fried calamari, great baby back ribs and tasty fish and chips. The French fries are the best part of the fish and chips! Been here several times and the only lacking thing is the service. It appeared that they may have been understaffed, for what should have been a 1.25 lunch drug out to 2hrs+. Dessert was served but the coffee didn't arrive until I had already finished my dessert. Refused the coffee, but still got charged for it! Good wine selection, and great bar drinks alone don't make a meal! This could have been a positive rating, but for leaving a 30 dollar tip, I felt short changed. Too many other places in the valley to return for awhile, let the tourists feed this one! Parking good, prices OK, service sucks! Sorry!
|
Market Restaurant
Cuisine: American
|
Napa |
1/14/2007
|
|
|
Well it's no different then going to Chinatown, so be prepared to either beg another patron for to be an interpreter or point well! The food here is OK, but no where near the quality of Cinderella, some items don't move as fast so consequently you need to either look at or gamble to the quality and freshness. Their smoked fish is good, as are their sausage selections. I would not recommend the Peroshki, or their potato dishes. The help is typical Russian personality, sad, depressed and curt! ( Even to a Russian) That is unless they start out the day with a little Vodka... This is one of the 4 or 5 deli's available, this one is far better than the one across the street towards 18th. Their selection of cold items like garlic pickles, marinated herrings are good, and their bread seems to be fresh on my trips. Still not as good as what use to be there, years ago, run by the Russian-Greek friends of the family!
|
New World Market
Cuisine: Russian Deli
|
Outer Richmond |
1/11/2007
|
|
|
Parking, finally giving up and parking in a lot a mile away and taking a cab! We were a tad late for our reservation but graciously seated in a cramped and loud dining room. Thankfully there was a basket of bread and water, since the waiter didn't return for our order for at least 20 minutes.
Their romaine salad included crisp fresh lettuce with a nice light dressing, Clam linguine was good, with a great balance of sauce, not goopy like most places, Calamari was excellent as was the veal scaloppini. The best thing was that with the house wine, and splitting a Tiramisu, the bill came to a tad over a C note. That for a change was a good value in my book, especially for the city! All in all, this would be a return place especially if there was a vacant parking spot by, during dinner time. Food excellent, Price great value, Service started out poor but improved as the night and the wine arrived!
|
Ristorante Milano
Cuisine: Italian
|
Russian Hill |
1/11/2007
|
|
|
I was bummed out when they sold out in their Larkspur location but became happy again when they opened up in Railroad Square in Santa Rosa. The only problem that I can see is that this place here is tiny! Unless you get here at 11:30 forget lunch until 1:30 because they will be full. Same for dinner, the menu is great I always start with their perfect calamari. That in itself is worth going there. Service is good and attentive, pricing is moderate, and you will not be disappointed. Parking is OK, it's on the street or usually within a block or so. Wine list is a tad on the short side of the best Sonoma County has to offer, but they do have some very inexpensive Italian ones that do well. All in all, I wish it was about 30% larger, so the noise level would be a tad quieter, otherwise, it's nice to have them here in Santa Rosa!
|
Lococo's Cucina Rustica
Cuisine: Northern Italian
|
Santa Rosa |
1/6/2007
|
|
|
If you want a great sandwich and the best retail wine selection in the North Bay with plenty of parking in front of their establishment then you will be a happy camper! Next door to the bus transfer area and across the street from Sears at the mall this Italian deli has everything you need to make any pasta dish. Great cheese assortment and dry pastas. As far a all round deli with other ethnic items, it's not. They do great party platters and salads.
|
Traverso's Gourmet Foods
Cuisine: Italian Deli
|
Santa Rosa |
1/6/2007
|
|
|
IF you like this operation of Bristol Farms then you need to check out the stores down south! This is about 15% the size of their other stores. The quality of the product is great, but here the selection is minimal. Their high overhead rent costs reflect the stratospheric base prices for the meat counter and other items. Why should premium beef be 5 bucks a lb more here than in ritzy Newport Beach? A substantial disappointment based on what they are down south. For my money Draegers in San Mateo is far superior. But that's not walking distance. The deli sandwiches and prepared items are better in their other locations. And the check out line is much much shorter. All in all, it's great for a mini mart but not for a full store. Take out is good, but you need a 2nd mortgage if you plan on using it more than twice a month.
|
Bristol Farms
Cuisine: Food Store Deli
|
Downtown |
1/6/2007
|
|
|
Stepping back in time, to the old Dominic's, just behind Resolution furniture (closing soon) is this old time haunt. Not too much has changed in the years that it's been here. This is the kind of place your parents brought you for special occasions. Now, most days of the week you can drop on in for fresh fish or the captain's platter of deliciously (bad for you) fried oysters, prawns, fish, and French fries (my heath conscious favorite). The offer a myriad of fresh fish from salmon to grouper, or even fresh lobsters! Their escargot appetizer is from the old school, lots a butter and garlic and is still probably the best deal in the North Bay. ($7)The pricing is reasonable for the amount of food you will get! It's not a Michelin place, but it's it got a consistent product. The service is good and friendly. They also have live music most of the time. In addition to dinner you can buy seafood at the counter and on nice days you can sit outside and enjoy the boats! Parking is in their lot
|
Seafood Peddler Restaurant
Cuisine: Seafood
|
San Rafael |
1/3/2007
|
|
|
WELL.......the best thing I can say is that it appears that they are trying hard, but, there is something that is missing the mark. The ambiance is good, maybe a little loud on the jazz muzak, which would be OK if there were more than 3 couples there, the foie gras appetizer was lost with no real contrasting flavors, we ordered both the Kobe beef and Brined Pork Chop, medium rare, only to be served medium plus for both dishes (dry). What should have been a tender beef experience was dry and sorry! What saved the dinner was the French press coffee, done correctly, and their interpretation of a banana cream pie. The service was good, professional and friendly but unfortunately it didn't carry the kitchens' attitude. This has some potential, adequate wine list, and the prices are moderate for the venue. Parking is so so, they do have a valet service $10. I can't give it a positive but won't do a negative either. I'll give it another chance in a bit!
|
Cafe Majestic
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Pacific Heights |
1/3/2007
|
|
|
Local store front in the main drag of Los Altos. Nice place to stop and have lunch while shopping, but don't try and compare to anything from Italy. They have interpreted some items that just don't seem to work well. Generous portion of dry crab meat placed on top of a small Portobello. ($12, Pasta with peppercorns, mussels, and a sectioned scallop $15. Only saving grace was the fried calamari which was cooked perfect and sans seasoning. All in all it's ok, but I don't think I would try dinner there. Parking ok, nice shopping area. Nice try, no cigar! Service was ok, since the place was almost empty at 1:00 PM.
|
Aldo Los Altos
Cuisine: Italian
|
Los Altos |
1/3/2007
|
|
|
Well, go ahead and find a voodoo doll with my characteristic's because I am not giving this place a positive rating. This place is first a pickup spot or a must be seen scene place first, restaurant second. After being seating and taking a quick scan around the room, it was obvious that this is the " in" place to be noticed. Sorry, we were the wrong people at the wrong place. The dining experience was unique. Our delicious oysters probably saved the experience as well as the dessert! The entrees are too expensive for too little food. Unless you nosh on everybody else's plate and keep ordering the portions were too tiny. Another problems was that the waiter was constantly in your face with descriptions of what you were eating. Hey, I ordered the stuff I know what I am eating! My local friend kept waving as new bodies fumbled in. What I thought was going to be a nice quite dinner was an event! It's great for what it is, it's just not worth the price for a dinning experience. sorry!
|
Mecca
Cuisine: American (New) Eclectic
|
Upper Market/Church Street |
1/2/2007
|
|
|
From the moment you walk into the place you already know it is going to be a great experience! Staffed by professionals, your table is awaiting your dining experience for the night! Starting with the salmon appetizers, and the foie gras, both done simply with class you build the foundation for a stellar meal. The duck confit was one of the best in the city and the rack of lamb prepared to a perfect medium rare with moisture to spare. This is pretty close to a European experience in the city. Be sure and get the pomme frits! The unpretentiousness is both refreshing and a moderately priced great experience. The staff is pro from the beginning to the final crumb sweep. My last experience years ago was not as memorable for some reason, but this erased any prior image completely.
Value is great, service is expert, and parking is good only thing negative is the street scene, made awful by our city public works department and the questionable area, otherwise BRAVO!
|
Fringale Restaurant
Cuisine: French Basque
|
SoMa |
12/31/2006
|
|
|
If you absolutely have to have a sushi fix and every other place in the city is closed, I would think about returning here! With so many stellar places in town, this is a sushi wasteland. Sloppily cut and trimmed fish, loaded with sinue and fat pieces, for one, and not the freshest possible product along with haphazard service commands me to go elsewhere, or forget sushi for the night! What is a local hangout for some very different clientele, it appears that they serve more beer, noodles and power drinks here for the "in crowd" The ambient noise along with the music makes it a shove it in your face and get the hell out of here place! But the main question again, why come here when there are real sushi masters out there? Parking a joke, pricy for the questionable quality they provide, so a absolute no value for the yen place here, hear? Go somewhere else, anywhere else, you will thank me!
|
Blowfish, Sushi To Die For
Cuisine: Californian Japanese Sushi
|
Mission |
12/31/2006
|
|
|
Moderatly busy this neighborhood hang out serves up mediocre food with sub par service. A tad loud, one has to shout the order to the waitstaff and pray that they heard it right the first time. Our drinks came out, lackluster, obviously thrown together without much effort. We requested a return for more Roses' lime, which by the time it returned (as punishment) had diluted into something resembling limeaid. The menu is Cajun inspired, but lacks the spice and kick that Cajun food is known for. They serve up a "safe" substitute not to offend someone who thinks black pepper is too spicy! The only saving dish was the okra which was passable and not to greasy. The bitter collard greens where horrible, what are usually flavorful greens with some body where overcooked mushy and bitter. The place is pricy for what you get, lousy to horrible attitude to the point where it appears people do not enjoy working there! Not happy campers. Parking also non existent!
|
Elite Cafe
Cuisine: Creole Cajun
|
Upper Fillmore |
12/31/2006
|
|
|
If you want to see a model of how not to entice repeat customers then this is surely a place to see that. From the time we entered we were either ignored or made to feel like we were a bother to the staff. The Maitre D' was busy on a cell phone call with a friend for about 2 minutes discussing some "dreamy guy", after being seated the waitress took 10 minutes to take our drink order. The drinks and the food came out about the same time, and from the taste and constancy appeared to be zapped in the microwave. Gloppy, greasy eggplant Parmesan, to dry overcooked, tough as shoe leather veal picatta made our dining experience a memorable one! Then, wanting to leave, we were further held hostage while our waitress had to be cajoled out of her break to render our dinner check. Any customer service people looking for tips on how to ignore, upset and assure a non return should come here for the experience. This chain has the possibility to do well, but not with the staff at this location. Too b
|
Strings Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
|
Daly City |
12/31/2006
|
|
|
What use to be a horrible neighborhood has now been transformed to a mecca of cutesy, pretty decent restaurants. This is one of them, kinda loud and fun, and if you are a bruskyholic, you have found Valhalla! This German run and owned place is a little bit of Munich moved to the city. The rowdy crowd only adds to the fun of the place, with mandatory beer guzzling out of beersteins which hold several liters of the wicked brew. The food here is good, nothing special, except that it is too much food unless you can eat portions designed for a soccer team! Way too much, to the point that we saw most of the plates being left with half of the food still one them. Maybe because red cabbage is cheap, or way to responsive after 6 hours of digestion? The sausages where good, as were the veal dishes, but again, the portions where huge! Parking is a nightmare but worth it. All in all, it's great for the beer, the fun and the quantity of food if you can eat it all.
|
Suppenkuche
Cuisine: German
|
Hayes Valley |
11/17/2006
|
|
|
Needing to find a neighborhood dive in the vicinity of my friends residence, he suggested this place. What a pleasant surprise this became since it looked like we were transformed back into the 80's or 70's. This friendly place is filled with locals who obviously dine there quite regularly. The seafood here is par with some of my favorite city places! The clam chowder, for one had great non rubbery clams and for a change didn't have flour as it's base! The service was friendly and efficient. We didn't have to wait for our courses to arrive, done perfectly was my halibut, not dried out, served with great fries and their wine list was also a nice affordable surprise! The line forms outside and on our way out, it appeared that there was a dozen or so, waiting with their complimentary wine outside. All in all this is a return, if parking is available or you live close. A nice gem, nothing special except a good meal!
|
Pacific Cafe
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Outer Richmond |
11/17/2006
|
|
|
You do not come here for anything but to eat the pizzas. If you are a fan of deep dish then you owe it to yourself to try it. Their thin crust pizza is what I preferred, and was blown away with the fresh ingredients. Our big mistake was that we came here thinking that we would be able to carry on a conversation while enjoying the food. NOT!!! The volume level along with the constant thumping of the juke box made the eating experience dredfull. We wanted out! So we grabbed what was left of the food and slid it into a box and enjoyed the rest of it on the hood of the car outside. (our car) Hey, it's a neighborhood party joint, with a constant 118+decibels. Come back, only for take out, too dark, too loud, and too painful! Otherwise it's perfect!
|
Little Star Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Western Addition |
11/17/2006
|
|
|
Probably the best restaurant experience in Sonoma County sans the champagne caviar cart which is wheeled to you, anticipating that you will order a couple of hundred dollars worth of product prior to your already pricy meal. If you remove the $ quotient from the dining experience I would have to say this is about as close you will come to a stellar meal, especially in Sonoma County! Prix-fixe in your choices the service is choreographed better than the June Taylor Dancers, plating and presentation demand a Bravo! The only thing that would have made the dinner better would be, a larger espresso cup, so you now know that it’s as close to good as good will get! Way over the top for the Sonoma county gourmand. All in all I would have to say I was transported to SF or even NYC for the evening! Professional all the way and nothing disappointing to boot! Bravo for Healdsburg and Thank you! simply the best dining experience so far! This was listed on Gourmet's top 10 restaurants.
|
Cyrus Restaurant
Cuisine: French (New) Asian
|
Healdsburg |
10/1/2006
|
|
|
Being a beautiful crisp fall day perfect for cruising around the old haunts and seeing what has and hasn't changed. This place has been around for a real long time and it shows as you get seated inside. One of the nice things about this place is that it is located on the wharf area where all the myriad of houseboats that use to be cheap digs are now million dollar barges. The menu has the usual, seafood, burgers and pasta. The claim to fame here is that the seafood is suppose to be fresh. The clam chowder was as thick as wallpaper glue, probably from too much flour being added day after day. My salmon could have been fresh but it was masked by too much sauce and was a tad overcooked making it dry. The fries were OK, Items are pricy, and a poor value for the quantity received. Parking is in their lot, they have live music which may explain the high prices. These guys are a candidate for going out of business! mark my word.
|
Saylor's Landing
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Sausalito |
9/30/2006
|
|
|
Well…….this place has survived 20+ years with the same limited menu of coffees, smoothies and sandwiches. It's a sandwich shop that does a passable job on sandwiches but a failing job on ice cream. If you have your heart set on a stellar ice cream dessert than, pass on by, and go somewhere else. The place appears confused in what it wants to be when it grows up. They are open for and thru dinner if you want to grab a shake or a piece of pie. It seems a little out of place in a sea of Asian places and the afternoon we walked in, it greeted us with an empty place with worn out decorations from a bad Twilight Zone episode. Service was stalled, and the shakes proved not worth the expectations. They service brand x Ice cream, which explained the boring shake. Prices are normal so you don't feel ripped off, sorry, just ho hum……Parking, in your dreams.
|
Toy Boat Dessert Cafe
Cuisine: Coffee Shop Dessert Ice Cream
|
Inner Richmond |
9/4/2006
|
|
|
Reading all the negative reviews, and remembering the last few times I was at a Mels, the one on south Van Ness, and the one on Geary in the Richmond, which in the 60's were pretty good, I decided to stop here and get a cheeseburger and some fries. This first thing different is the cleanlyness of the place. It's not, old straw paper wrappers along with bits of food and stuff are scatterd on the floors, OK , I'm here for the food, the burger arrived in about normal time, which after the first bite told me that it had spent the whole time on the griddle for it was dry, tasteless and missing any possible benefit to the bun! The old Mel's had burgers that even when cooked had some flavoring grease to drip out on the fries allowing the salt to stick to. The fries at Costco cooked at home, are far better than what was provided here. I now see that 40 years has taken a good burger and turned it in to a piece of (carbon) and that is being nice. You would think that they would want repeat business
|
Mel's Drive-In
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
SoMa |
9/3/2006
|
|
|
This was one of the only beacons of light when driving down 101 in Petaluma years ago, this and Sonoma Joes, which is now a card room. (60's) As Samarti says, this is HELL to some diners, the ones looking for a healthy experience. If not and you're looking for a slab of beef (porterhouse $28) dripping with butter, potatoes overflowing with sour cream and butter, plopped on the table by sluggish waitstaff, then this is your Valhalla! Sherman, back to the wayback machine, you will transported into the Twilight Zone, as not much has changed in 50 years including dust in the barnwood and decorations hanging on the walls. These kind of places were popular in the 60 and 70's and in the North Bay are still packn them in. You can still get a Highball and Old Fashioned here, and a limited selection of wine. All in all this is what it is, nothing special, a place for steaks, some mediocre seafood, but more a slice of history, when going out to dinner was special and not a daily occurrence.
|
Cattleman's
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Petaluma |
8/29/2006
|
|
|
Wait staff came for our drink order immediately. Drinks arrived quick, stale tasteless garlic bread took 15 minutes to arrive, place almost empty, another 30 minutes my Penne Puttanseca came cold and with the pasta hard from not being cooked enough. The other entrée the Capellini Pomedoro was ok, just ok. I then see the manager come in and start plating food and cooking on the line. So, it appears that the two line cooks can't handle warming up pasta, throwing sauces and plating a relatively small crowd. After several boring mouthfuls of my hard pasta I refused to eat more. Finally the manager making the floor rounds sees my almost full abandoned plate and asked us about our meal, to which I replied my disappointment of the food and the long wait. He acknowledged a problem and apologized and asked us to give them another try. He did the classy and right thing! He comp'ed the whole meal! Didn't have to, but he did. We'll give it another shot, maybe!
|
Pasta Pomodoro
Cuisine: Italian
|
Cow Hollow |
8/14/2006
|
|
|
Walking in you instantly go back 50 years in time to a black and white America, let alone city! Libations are on the pricy side, so what else is new. Our table ready we form fitted into nice leather chairs, in a tastefully appointed old style dining room. The large menu included everything you would expect. We ordered our usual calamari, Caesar salad and were not impressed, fired anchovies on the salad were not expected nor appreciated. So, you don't come here for the salad, so where is the Beef? Nice curt selection of man sized hunks were presented which we opted for one New York (16oz) and one Porterhouse (24oz). While our wine glasses sat empty for a bit, I did notice that the wait staff was somewhat overwhelmed, with spent dishes sitting unbussed at nearby tables. Finally our meat and server arrived refilling our glasses and asking how our steak was perfectly seeing that we hadn't had a chance to cut into them yet. Luckily they were both fine. Return maybe, parking forgetaboutit!
|
Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse
Cuisine: Italian American Steakhouse
|
North Beach |
8/12/2006
|
|
|
After being shafted on a pizza delivery, we had the cravings for pizza even more! Now we were on a mission! So we all piled in the car and now our challenge is to find a parking space in a sea of none! After circling the block for 15 minutes we jumped out and left the martyr going around the block to find a spot and join us. The first thing you notice are the rude, unfriendly and surly staff! Just like New York! ( I love it!) The combo pizza was fantastic, crust perfect, no overly carbon spots, the anchovies were fresh, not all mushy and the cheese actually had taste! Now if they only delivered this would be the perfect place. A tad on the pricey side, but considering the quality, no problem, the place is also packed and figure on sharing a table maybe, the service as I mentioned was curt, but hey, they are not there to make friends, just made a damn good pizza. We will return, if we ever figure out where to park
|
Pizzetta 211
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Outer Richmond |
8/3/2006
|
|
|
Don't count on them to actually get you your order or even let you know if it's not coming. We ordered a pizza and waited... and waited.... After over an hour, we called them to ask on the status. Turns out the delivery guy couldn't find us (they'd delivered to us before without a problem) and, according to the guy on the phone, the delivery guy brought the pizza back "all messed up." He didn't offer to send another one out or even that one - he just said "I don't know what to tell you" and suggested we order from someone else. We always tip really well, don't know why they treated us so badly. The last pizza that actually arrived was a tad on the greasy side and not a good value, and we could do better, BUT no pizza at all after an hour's wait - you could do MUCH better. Crossing this one off the face of the earth!
|
Nizario's Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Inner Richmond |
8/3/2006
|
|
|
You owe it to yourself to come here and see the worst possible food, the dirtiest bathroom and the most disgusting dining room filled with hoards of people pushing, shoving and in general making your dining experience awful! We were at a meeting across the street and dropped in here for lunch, it was too late to leave, to find another place! This IS the worst place I have ever been to! Out of 5 of us who had lunch, 4 got sick the next morning! HELLO? Anything in common here? The Chinese and Japanese food on the line must have been prepared by some bum cook off the street who washed his hands in the bathroom that didn't (1) have any soap, (2) didn't have any towels (for real). The cost is high, there is no local parking, so the business is walk in's and you can imagine who there target customer is! Greasy food, sticky tables, poorly washed dishes, stuff between the tines of the forks still there. (An appetizer, not) Too bad there is no rating worse than (-) this place would get it!
|
Moonstar
Cuisine: Sushi BBQ Seafood
|
Civic Center |
7/30/2006
|
|
|
Wow, this has to be one of the most expensive places for Thai food in the city! Thai food is usually reasonable since small quantities of expensive ingredients are used. Even thought he place was crowed and noisy, that doesn't mean the place is worth the ratings. The service seems friendly enough but not sufficient to overcome the bland chicken in curry paste or their special Marinated Quails which came overcooled, dry and inedible. Only one dish, the Boneless crispy duck was good! So here's the bottom line, 3 guys, each with an order or so, average plate of 13+ bucks with a couple of beers came to over a hundred bucks++ for Thai food! The value for the quality is simply not here. Sorry, the food was not stellar, portions where modest. Dishes were lacking spice, and when you add the parking hassle, I'll leave this one for the locals, who seem to be having a good time here, you enjoy, we didn't! A tad too trendy without value for me!
|
Thep Phanom Thai Cuisine
Cuisine: Thai
|
Lower Haight |
7/23/2006
|
|
|
This was certainly a different Chinese restaurant experience. This converted storefront was actually clean and the bathroom facilities although not spotless were not the usually gross Chinese bathroom horror. The stark decorations and bland uncluttered walls kind of reminded me of the food. Stark and uninspiring. The dishes we ordered were on par with frozen food entrees. The sad thing was the vegetables were tasty and fresh, but were masked up with over salted sauce. My potstickers were burned and crispy and most of which remained on the plate, no one bothered to ask if how dinner was. The Mongolian beef tasted like the Shanghai Chicken My observation was that. Everything tasted the same, the service was almost to the point of rude, but that's Chinese, isn't it? Loud to the point of giving up on conversation. Parking is impossible, and with all the other places in town this is off the list for now! Disappointing especially after the other reviews.
|
Eric's
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Noe Valley |
7/22/2006
|
|
|
You better not take anything personally here; otherwise you will want to walk out screaming in amazement of the communications skills of the people here. If you lived in NYC and have that don't give a xxxx attitude, you will be treated fine here. Forewarned, I had to digress to those semi smart-alec days when talking to them. We were greeted in a gruff indifference and were ushered to a table. Needing to control the situation I barked that I didn't want that table and walked over and sat at another one. Never had a problem for the rest of the evening! Had their famous gnocchi and my friend had the stew, the service is slow, so we were able to shout across the room for another bottle of wine which came immediately! Great gelato for desert! Pricing moderate, service good when you figure out the communications skills, a return, yeah! Gotta problem with that? Parking forgetaboutid! They also close early, so get the hell out of there by 9!
|
Da Flora
Cuisine: Italian
|
North Beach |
7/2/2006
|
|
|
After first tossing out a takeout pizza we had to save our Italian hankering for pizza and this was in walking distance from my friend's house. Although not total packed we were ushered to a rear table and presented with menus and offered beverages. Our first courses arrive promptly as did our wine, the friendly waiter recited the special and we accepted that our experience was going to be positive! My calamari, good! Caesar salad w/extra anchovies, great, but the best was the Vongole pizza which was the perfect balance of garlic and clams, washed down with Chianti! So, far, so good! The menu had a lot of choices and I am looking forward to my next visit to try their pastas. After a short rest we decided to split their Zabaglione which along with our cappuccinos wiped-out or sad experience of our NBPizza earlier on that evening. Pricing is cheap to moderate, the service is great and the food is even better. Parking is impossible so walk from a space or destination. A return Yep!
|
Bambino's Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
Haight-Ashbury/Cole Valley |
6/30/2006
|
|
|
It's pretty hard to screw up a pizza experience but here they made it very easy! I've had their food at other locations so I don't understand why here it tasted worse than store-bought cardboard warm-ups? If it's the same cheese then why this place have goopy tasteless pies that after about 3 bites, I myself even wonder if the calories are worth stuffing into my already devastated body. It was the most expensive take out pizza that I have ever had since we tossed over 80% of it in the garbage and decided to go out for food to a real Italian restaurant down the street. It may be because of the vegans that they use some special cheese, who knows, all that I knows is that this place is a non return for me! I hate to be so critical, but this has to be one of the worst pizza experience in the city for me! We saved the evening at Bambinos!
|
North Beach Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Haight-Ashbury/Cole Valley |
6/30/2006
|
|
|
If there is an honest good burger and a slice of life good old America, joint then this is Valhalla! The perfect day today, was in the low 80's and the outdoor dining area, enclosed with glass was so refreshing for it's it is what it is factor! We asked our “Alice” who could write a book about the place, to choose between two choices and wound up with two burgers, cheddar and fries! The ample burger is cut into two pieces with the flavorful meat done “rare” as requested, presented with the usual tomato, lettuce and onion was so much better than anything available at any drive thru world! The menu has something for all, from Crab Louis to grilled salmon,great selection of beers and a full bar, which is populated by the crusty locals that make this place the stellar “dive” experience for me. If there was anything missing from the perfect experience, I couldn't find it! (Maybe the lack of children running around screaming) Prices, moderate, parking in their lot. A return YES!
|
Pier 15
Cuisine: American
|
San Rafael |
6/24/2006
|
|
|
Seeing a parking space in front, we decided to check this place out. At 2 in the afternoon on Friday, there were only 3 people inside. Seeing the extensive menu, I ordered the shrimp rolls and the soft shelled crab. My friend ordered the crab and spicy Thai chicken soup. The service was rapid, but the portions were a little disappointing. Usually a soft shell crab is sufficient for me, but this plate was presented with more fried broccoli than the whole crab. I seriously doubt that a whole crab sacrificed his life for my plate. The crab also laced any flavor which I was hoping for. The Spicy chicken soup was good although also, had more zucchini than chicken in the serving. The value for the dishes was definitely suffering. The best part of the lunch was the ice cold frozen mugs that kept my beer chilled. With all the Thai places around this is not one I will keep on my list!
|
Thai Spice
Cuisine: Thai
|
Polk St./Van Ness |
6/16/2006
|
|
|
Located above Dragers, which if you don't know is like Disneyland for foodies. They always have foie gras, and 4 to 5 different kinds of smoked salmon. Well anyway, you can sometimes see the chef downstairs picking out the fresh produce and for the lunch and dinner preps. Viognier has always been a good place with a quirky menu. Kind of Italian twisted. Our last trip we chose their brunch. Its' not a buffet type place but has a choice of 3 or 4 entrees with a salad preceding. My choice always seems to be the eggs benedict, or sometime the eggs with the tuna tartare. Presentations are nice; ambiance is nice especially if you get a window seat during a nice day with the doors open to the outside. Price is moderate to high, great wine list, and the service has always been pro with no hiccups! Parking in their lot downstairs and there's usually plenty on the street. All in all it, good, and a place to return to, too!
|
Viognier
Cuisine: Californian
|
San Mateo |
6/15/2006
|
|
|
Oh how I miss Vince's on Geary, Victor's on Polk, pizzas made by Italians, for Italians with occasional Anglos thrown in. Now the people making the pizzas find more comfort in chorizo and tortillas than the pizza experience. The pizza here was ok, but not NYC or even Chicago. The cooks there have attitude, and for me, I need some moxie in the process! The sauce here looks and tastes like it came out of a number 10 can, with some doctoring up so they can call it home made, and the price! Pizzas were supposed to be inexpensive, but when you add a extra topping or two we are way past 30 bucks! We made a horrible mistake by ordered the Caesar salad. Hoping for a real Caesar we got tired romaine, with stale croutons, and a basil vinaigrette dressing? Why call it a Caesar if you're going to tweak it that much? Where were the anchovies, the egg? They should put disclaimers on their menu. Oh well what do you expect for a chain operation. I'm on a mission to find and old style pizzeria!
|
Escape From NY Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Castro |
6/15/2006
|
|
|
This cozy (really tight spaced) place reminds me of a French bistro, (arrogant attitude) especially when the waiter persistently bumps the back of your chair all night! They should remodel the place to give it a little more room, since I was not the only one getting annoyed this night. Thankfully the food was good, starting with the mussels, being able to sop up the sauce with the warm fresh bread that they make, the entrée which was butternut squash ravioli, was excellent! We shared the chocolate hazelnut torte,which saved the evening and numbed the kind of high price for value which was suffering a little. A little noisy, especially as the night progresses after more corks get removed. Parking is not easy, I would suggest maybe parking around Safeway and walking a block or so. All in all, it was good, but there's too many other places, and so little time…….
|
Woodward's Garden
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Mission |
6/14/2006
|
|
|
Well, what do you get when you cross a Chinese Restaurant with an Islamic Twist? You get 300 dishes with cumin in them! This was indeed an interesting experience seeing common Chinese food turned into Kazakhstani dishes. The hot pot in the center of the table, you get to cook everything so after the 2nd or 3rd dish, everything starts to taste the same. However they must be doing something right since we were the only Anglos amongst 30 yapping diners in this hole in the wall! It's cheap, real cheap; we had 5 dishes with desert, for about 30 bucks! We had the lamb (yep lamb in a Chinese restaurant) and rice noodles with some kind of round grains sort of like rice. Dessert was steamed buns with indescribable fruit inside. It was enough food to take home for snacks the next day. I personally didn't quite care for the generosity of the cumin. So, for my Anglo palate, I'll stick with the steamy windows and greasy wok of a plain old Chinese dive! Parking no problem!
|
Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
6/14/2006
|
|
|
Coming back from the airport late, not too many places open past 11 so a cruise down Irving led to this place that had the lights on and a couple of people still sitting having food! Same-o-same oh, menu so I ordered my usual of war won ton, and Mongolian beef with noodle and shrimp foo young. The indifferent waiter, took forever to bring us our opening tea, even after we ordered it, I would say at least 15 minutes. He was really busy BS'ing with one of the table to pay much attention to us! The food was average, nothing to draw us back to this dive of a place. Bathroom inspection proved a definite reason never to come to the same block! Parking no problem at that time of night, and the price was cheap to moderate, so what! We are not coming back, too many other better places, hopefully I'll find another one open late.
|
Jook N Fun
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
6/13/2006
|
|
|
Needing a fun event for 20 friends to do, I opted for a dinner dance cruise on the bay. Starting with a prawn appetizer, waiting for us at our table as we sat down the 3 hour excursion was nice because there was absolutely no rush between courses. You could meander outside as the boat came within 150 ft of Alcatraz and Angel Islands. For salad we had a boatload of baby spinach with a nice mild vinaigrette dressing. Entrée choices include roasted stuffed chicken breast, jerk style grilled salmon (my choice) or a big pork chop resting on a tall mound of mashed potatoes!. My salmon was surprising good. The high point of the evening (at dessert time) was steaming under Golden Gate, then doing a 180 and coming back to finish with the same treatment under the Oakland Bay Bridge. Dance music was provided with good get up and dance your a** off live band! Our group opted for the full monty, having the open bar, which no one unfortunately got their monies worth! A good time was had by all!
|
Hornblower Dinner Yacht Cruises
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Fishermans Wharf |
6/10/2006
|
|
|
Wow, the rum raisin is so delicate that you feel you are eating silk! I got used to this flavor in Mexico and here it is hard to find! But not at Mitchell's! My friend had the mocha coffee, and the flavor of the coffee ribbon which runs thru the ice cream was intense almost like sweet espresso! Too bad that they only have one, or maybe it good that they only have location therefore making it a special occasion to visit that part of the city! Nice small parking lot in the rear! Can't wait to try the Mexican Chocolate flavor next time!
|
Mitchells Ice Cream
Cuisine: Ice Cream Dessert
|
Mission |
6/10/2006
|
|
|
Meeting a Francophile friend for lunch here made her day! She said it was as close to a Paris experience that money could buy and from the total of the lunch bill for three I think we could have gone to Paris cheaper! The drinks are good, although the bartender only excels with martinis; my old fashioned was lacking several base ingredients. Escargots were good, but served a little on the cool side, my escarole salad was excellent as was the steak tartare with a raw egg yolk on top. Service was professional; we arrived early and observed the place fill for lunch. I did notice that they offered complementary glass of wine to people that were waiting to meet other patrons for lunch which I thought was a nice touch you don't see very often. The food was above average, but not a great value considering the total of the bill. I hate to imagine what dinner would run! Parking added 24 bucks to the already high priced lunch! All in all , I can say, been there, done that, au revoir.
|
Jeanty At Jacks
Cuisine: French Brasseries
|
Downtown |
6/10/2006
|
|
|
A nice find in quiet Los Gatos is Crimson. This tiny elegant place has room for about 40, so the noise level is low enough to be able to carry on a private conversation with out hearing your neighbor slurp his tomato soup. We started with the foie gras which was served with passion fruit and toasted macadamia nuts, simply superb! No Caesar was available so the spinach salad came with a great warm pomegranate dressing with pancetta in place of the usual bacon bits! For entrees we both had the fresh Hawaiian Ono, which was the correct choice for one of the most flavorful fish around! The service was ok, a little slow which was due to one staff member not showing up for work (really?) but the food made up for any inconvenience associated. On Sundays it allows you to bring your own bottle without any corkage fee. So, if you are cruising around the area wineries and purchase some wine, this would be a great place to come for dinner! During summer it also has outside seating!
|
Crimson
Cuisine: Hawaiian
|
Los Gatos |
6/8/2006
|
|
|
This place has been around for as long as I can remember and during my dating days I used to come here a lot! For some reason, my friends were going to school here. In the 60's I thought this place was cool, great steaks, roasted chicken and live music. After dinner you go up the mountain and find some parking areas. Now with the traffic whizzing by you have to know how to get there! The food hasn't changed much but it seems that everyone has better food than this place. The service was slow, and bad! Our server was just lame! Period. The only neat thing about this place is that it was a bordello in the 20's and the food has not improved since then! I'll just hang on to the good memories of this place since it's not worth coming here now with so many better places around! Too bad, since it could have a great following! Prices are moderately high for what you get, food is about equal to a Sizzler (sorry Sizzler).
|
Cats Restaurant
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Los Gatos |
6/8/2006
|
|
|
This is not a Chubby's or a Johnny Rocket's imitation, this is the real thing! Owned by a close Greek family the place is spotless and immediately brings you back to the 50's. It's a little hard to find since it is tucked away off of the blvd, but at least it has a parking lot! The menu includes all the normal diner fare and of course I had to test the Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger! Chips,Chips!
The plate came within minutes, probably quicker than getting your order if you were the 5th car in a box McAwful establishment. The burger and fries were perfect! The meat was juicy, not overcooked into cardboard, and the fries had resilience at every bite! The prices on the menu are moderate $8-15 bucks, so it's right! The shakes are real ice cream and milk, and you get a large serving with what's left in the blender! All in all this is what is missing in our choices anymore. Bravo! I know where I will be having breakfast or lunch when I am down south!
|
Diner of Los Gatos
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Los Gatos |
6/8/2006
|
|
|
Cozy place with a comforable dining room upscale ready for a great dining expereince except for one item FOAM. Personally I am not a fan of foam on top of appetizers, entrees and desserts. Kind of reminds me of something in the garden I'm trying to kill, the food here is good, and out of the norm. This chef must be a disciple of Ferran Adria because many of his dishes look like the items in Adria's book. The suckling pig was the high point of the dinner, done to a moist tenderness with a tender bite and not dry juicy pork. The service doesn't match the food or the price. We shared great melon sorbet with a touch of butter cookies that were simply the best! The whole experience was great considering this was in Los Gatos. This is a return establishment unfortunately I don't return to the south bay that often!
|
Manresa
Cuisine: American (New) French (New)
|
Los Gatos |
6/8/2006
|
|
|
This was one of the best Basque French Bistro experiences in the city! The dining room is somewhat noisy but your attention is removed from the distractions by the quality of the food. The squid appetizer where the whole flesh is presented, done to a proper texture not rubbery nor overcooked is one of the best! The whole prawns were done to perfection with a lasting sauce. One of my favorites was the sweetbreads done with a Madeira reduction! We split the Turron mousse which satisfied the last bit of decadence for the night! Looking at an adjacent table, the orange beignets will be my next trips purpose! The service here is acceptable to unfortunately we had garner the attention of the waiter one too many times to call this a perfection of service. Pricing is moderate, the wine list is sufficient to drop a couple of big ones, on some special vintages. All in all this is a return for a great dinner experience.
|
Piperade
Cuisine: Spanish
|
Downtown |
6/7/2006
|
|
|
Loud yes, service spotty, food excellent especially the crab won ton appetizer This is not your usual Thai restaurant with mom and pop in the back room, this appears to be a well planed out architecturally designed place commanding higher prices than you are normally use to. This would not be a regular place for me since one of my criteria is a place to relax and enjoy the meal and the atmosphere. A tad to busy and noisy for that, but the food is stellar! Parking, iffy,
|
Soi Four
Cuisine: Thai Small Plates
|
Oakland |
6/7/2006
|
|
|
This converted store front packs them in every night so they must be doing something right. This fusion of Thai and Mediterranean. This ultra cozy restaurant's service is good, although kind of aloof. Our table was sandwiched tight so hearing your neighbor is unavoidable The Caesar salad was good, although not enough garlic. My Chicken with crispy skin and moist meat topped on potato was great. The mild curry sauce was all used in coating the chicken prior to the chew cycle. Their Carrot Ginger soup had a great balance with just the right amount of ginger afterglow. Pricing is a tad high for the portions but not to bad. Parking a little difficult especially on Friday nights. All in all this is a gem of a neighborhood restaurant, too bad I don't live in the area!
|
Ninna Restaurant
Cuisine: Mediterranean
|
Oakland |
6/6/2006
|
|
|
This place has gone thru several remodels and the food changes very little except for seasonal changes. What was once the premier place to go is now part of many great places but it still keeps as one of the top place in Sonoma County. We started with oysters, then calamari and finished with their duck plate and lamb dish. All of the servings were adequate, not what you would call generous but enough for the experience. Prices are high, but based on the ambiance and the wow factor, understandable. What we didn't like was the lack of consistence in the service, we had to wait for our menu, and then wait for our main course, and then while we still had a bite or two left on the plate we were asked if we were finished. That made us feel a little rushed. Great wine list, full bar, can be noisy, and is expensive!
|
John Ash & Co
Cuisine: Californian
|
Santa Rosa |
5/30/2006
|
|
|
This is one place you have to go to ONCE, and see what a real rip off is! Tiny portions with large prices. Service is clunky and their attitide is condisending. If I am going to pay 50+ bucks per person I want to walk away with a great experience and not knots in my stomach. Arrogance like this has no business in the restaurant business! THe only positive thing here is that there is no corkage if you bring in your own bottle. Let the tourists support this one, I will go somewhere else! This has to be embarrassing to Charlie Palmer who moved from NYC to Healdsburg, only to have a new restaurant CYRUS down the block, voted one of the top 10 in the country.
|
Dry Creek Kitchen
Cuisine: Californian
|
Sonoma |
5/30/2006
|
|
|
Arriving at this once popular now nearly empty eatery at 8 o'clock on a Wednesday evening, should have been an indication. But upon asking if they had prime rib, large, rare, at that hour of the evening, I was guaranteed that they did! Ok, it's possible but I should have known better! Passing on any of the sides, I was impressed with the slab presented on the plate but my excitement diminished after the second bite! Dry, warm, lacking any moisture and rareness (is that a word?) ended my exhilaration for the evening. The Filet Mignon my wife had was done correctly with a nice pink warm band in the middle. So they do know what Rare is! It's just that they have to get rid of any beef before they have to make it a lunch sandwich special. Again another place that should have been a great Prime Rib experience was down the drain! I guess I am asking for too much, or my expectations of what a should be a great dining experience becomes a great well done disappointment!
|
Gulliver's
Cuisine: Prime RIb Seafood
|
Burlingame |
5/21/2006
|
|
|
Being in my Prime Rib Rut, I've needed a fix for the last couple of weeks, being close to this chain which is suppose to excel in steaks and meats so have been a no brainer! NOT! Prime Rib should only be ordered in places where you can see them cut the damn thing in front of you. I am tired of asking first of all if they have Rare, and then going over what their definition of Rare actually is. Well, my rare piece arrived lacking any residual juices or the slightest rare meat consistence. What was red was the pool of AuJus dripping on top. Once sliced into the meat, I was waiting for the delectable texture only to fine, dry lacking of any resiliency of the meat as one starts to chew it! Oh, yes, we cook them daily, (and let them sit, for the rest of the night, on warm, drying out) should be their honest answer! The rest of the dinner was moot, since we had our mindsets on Prime Rib, so, be warned, you wouldn't find it here! Too bad Lawry's doesn't have one in Northern California!
|
Izzy's Steaks and Seafood
Cuisine: Steakhouse Seafood
|
Corte Madera |
5/21/2006
|
|
|
Ame is the new creation of Hiro Sone who owns and operates Terra, this new venue iss at St Regis Hotel on Mission. His Japanese Fusion restaurant tip the scale at pricy! Many of the tiny items run around 15 bucks to start! The first thing you notice is that the room sound level is normal and conversations are possible even though you hear bar screams from getting off work crowd. The design is kind of minimalist but not the flavors! Even though on the pricy side the smoked trout was super, as was the Kobe style beef strip loin ($36) which was worth every yen! The other stellar item was the Hokkaido scallops with lobster also at $ 36. The service is professional, not sticky friendly (thank you) but the winner is the moderately priced wine list! Most of the wines are affordable for a change! To end the great evening the Panna Cotta was smooth and silky with plenty of passion fruit in it. All in all the place is a refreshing experience although pricy, with moderately easy parking.
|
Ame
Cuisine: American (New) Seafood
|
SoMa |
5/16/2006
|
|
|
Nothing special in the ambiance department, but their special is the affordable price. I usually have to cash my savings bonds to buy dinner at 5 to 7 bucks a piece, but not here. Dinner for two with a couple of drinks was less than 50 bucks! Usually it averages 75 to 80 bucks! So it's affordable and pretty good! Not discovered except by local residents to me it's worth an extra mile or two to get out of the Asian ghetto of Irving street where there hasn't been a parking space since the summer of 1994 if I remember correctly. The service here is not much, but it’s a great place to stuff your face with sushi! Hai !
|
Xiao's Sushi House
Cuisine: Sushi
|
Outer Sunset |
5/7/2006
|
|
|
They use to have a lot of these in the same time as Doggie Diners! Their dogs are good, tasty, a good value, but this location could use a steam cleaner all over! There's nothing better than a good hot dog! They have a great selection of condements and the dogs have a great pop when you bite in to them! They are pretty good, but not as good as Pink's in Hollywood but good. The original one in Berkeley is closed, it was right by the freeway on ramp. They say it will reopen sometime!
|
Caspers Hot Dogs
Cuisine: Hot Dogs
|
Richmond |
5/6/2006
|
|
|
This place is a cross between a cafeteria or a dining hall filled with family and friends. OR at least everyone seems to know everyone else and they do! The menu here is interesting with Basque twists on everything. Pricing is cheap on some items like the Escargots $6.50 which are half the price as other places and just as delicious and moderate to expensive on others, Rack of lamb, done perfectly for $ 25 bucks. You would never think of coming here unless you knew of the place or someone brought you here. My Basque buddy even paid for the dinner! Parking not a problem and the service was top notch, from people that have worked here for years! Menu has varies items from pasta to great fish and some really great Basque specials from time to time. All in all this was a nice change, to a simple non pretentious food in an equal venue. Would I return? yep! Don't expect a gourmet paradise, just good grub! And that's the name of that tune!
|
Basque Cultural Center
Cuisine: Spanish
|
South San Francisco |
5/5/2006
|
|
|
Let's first examine why you go out for dinner. Do you go to feed yourself, or to impress your friends that you can blow your big wad on who can spend the most amount of money on food? Well if you want to blow your money, then you're going to be in heaven here. Think about this, CK Lamb, a rack which is the best lamb in CALIF, Wolfgang Puck uses it in his restaurants and you can make it at home and have it better unless you want the butter in all the sauces to damage your arteries and enjoy the hype. Keller is laughing all the way to the bank! Yes it is a good restaurant, is it worth it? For a meal or a show? Like Samarati, below, I would rather spring for a dinner un hyped dinner at Danko's then blow my money trying to overdo the overdone! Look up Ferran Adria, his cookbook is about $300 dollars and that's a cutting edge restaurant EL Bulli, if you want over the top!!. For me there are places as good, less expensive because for a $$$$$$$ experience it's just not worth it. Sorry
|
French Laundry
Cuisine: French
|
Napa |
5/5/2006
|
|
|
Again another place that bothers to ask how you would like your medium well done burger done! Unbelievable! I thought there was a glimmer of home to get a juicy burger, rare so that you can taste the beef without it being dry and tasteless but no....... Cobb salad looked ok, insufficient dressing and lettuce could have been fresher. Hey what do you want from a chain restaurant anyway. Don't think I will return, but I still will be on a pilgrimage for the next rare burger!
|
Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
San Rafael |
5/4/2006
|
|
|
If you're looking for a great view of the waves crashing below you, this is the best place for that special dinner. This use to be the Moonraker for years, I remember it from the 60's and just tried it again. The view hasn't changed but the menu and pricing has. Being seated and ordering our drinks, enjoying the floodlit highlighted waves, made you feel like you were the only people in the place. Service is done by seasoned pros, which made the evening a great experience. Calamari appetizers done perfectly with a herb flour crust, to the garlic inspired with anchovy Caesar salad, followed up by the veal picatta and grilled swordfish, all done expertly with no drawbacks. Now this is not a 5 star gourmet place, but just a well presented fresh product restaurant that doesn't do vertical elements or foam etc. This is plain, simple, good food! If I am in the area I would definitely return for the experience! Pricing moderate, parking in their lot, Too bad I don't live nearby!
|
Ristorante Portofino
Cuisine: Italian American
|
Daly City |
4/28/2006
|
|
|
As you first come inside, you get a little feeling of coming into a cave. After being seated the tile floors and curved ceiling sort of gives you the atmosphere of a wine cask or wine cave, so maybe that's why this place has Wine in it's name! Sort of like a tapas place but not really, it has small plates but not in the usual tapas style. Lots of Italian and Asian twists so tapas is not the first choice of description. Pricy little plates like Ahi tartare or short ribs, halibut skewers, add up to big bucks when the cheapest plate is around 8 bucks. The high was around 14, good wine list, but a little hard for a conversation at times. Service was Ok, nothing memorable, nothing bad, all in all I would say that this is great for the area, but not great for the region. Parking on the street, not a big problem, but can be on busy evenings. Return, maybe! But only if a local.
|
Va de Vi
Cuisine: Eclectic
|
Walnut Creek |
4/28/2006
|
|
|
Great little place that has outside seating to enjoy either lunch or dinner. Inside looks like a old English tavern, with dark paneling and a nice bar downstairs. The service here is professional, with expert bar drink preparation before your meal. Try the Kobe Beef Burger, done as requested RARE, something that the burger lover can savor, bite by bite. The roasted rabbit is great, as is the mushroom soup! They are known for the multi dishes of various mushrooms. Pricing is a little high, but based on the dining experience not overwhelming. Parking is on the streets which has never been an issue even on Saturdays. Try the outside seating for lunch which is Fri-Sat-Sun, on a nice day, nothing better for a wine country weekend!
|
Martini House Restaurant
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Napa |
4/28/2006
|
|
|
This is probably one of the best places in the Peninsula for a nice quiet dinner. Every time we have been here, we have never been disappointed. Their menu items are the old standard, and one of the few places you can still get foie gras and a great wine list offering a ample selection of California wines to boot. Our orders where done perfectly, presented quickly, (we had a plane to catch and advised them of that) The professional wait staff make this a great dining experience equal to the best places in the city. Pricing here is moderate but a great value for the quantity and quality of the food presented. If you have room, try their banana split! It is very memorable. All in all this is one of my favorite places, always consistent and never a problem finding available parking.
|
231 Ellsworth
Cuisine: American (New)
|
San Mateo |
4/27/2006
|
|
|
Wandering down Powell we said , “let try this tourist trap”.. From the moment we walked in and were seated, we already knew we had made the wrong decision. The empty table, looked like it had been wiped clean with a grease incrusted rag leaving a trail of bread crumbs. When we pointed that out to our cheery waiter, he looked at us like we were speaking some foreign language. After wiping down the table, he threw a couple of menus and sashayed away for at least 10 minutes. Our calamari appetizer was ok, nothing great, but my clam linguine was inedible because of the amount of salt. It reminded me of the movie where someone had dropped a whole box of salt into the pot, I mentioned this and our waiter just shrugged his shoulders and left. We were given the bill, no credit, no apologies, nothing, disappointed; we paid, left a minimal tip and left knowing that they would not miss our business. I would think that they would know better, but I guess tourists don't return.
|
Kuleto's
Cuisine: Italian
|
Downtown |
4/27/2006
|
|
|
It always amazes me to see what unlimited amount of money spent on a restaurant and facilities will do when one has an open checkbook! Partially financed by the Mondavi's and a couple of other Napa Winecoons, the place will take the wind out of the most humble back of the house critics. They only serve on Thurs-Sundays so the place is packed starting Thursday nights. Problem one (I always find problems) is that the main dining room is sort of a cross between an office complex dining room and cafeteria. Somehow with the lighting etc, it just doesn't provide a warm calm dining experience when the next table is part of the” well lighted place for food!” The food here is stellar, only fresh local ingredients with menus created daily and orchestrated for harmonious presentation and execution. Prices are reasonable. Personally I think dear Julia, would be dismayed over the venue, she enjoyed small out of the way places and ones where you could hold intimate conversations at!
|
Julia's Kitchen
Cuisine: Californian French
|
Napa |
4/26/2006
|
|
|
If you are hungry for Mexican food and want a delicious taco, like a lengua, with tiny bits of onion, fresh cilantro, with a sauce that has been made from several days of reduction then thinned with a little beef stock, salted and peppered just right, the lengua cut into small cubes, moist, placed into a freshly steamed tortilla, then this is the wrong place for you to come to! Go find yourself a taco truck since anyone of them will give you a better meal than this place! Maybe it's because they have to clean the kitchen up every night, I don't know but the food here is not worth the effort to locate a parking space! The tacos were dry, (even with salsa) and the tortillas were old since they were falling apart after being steamed, so gracias por nada here, I'm off to look for the taco truck! Adios.
|
Sonoma Taco Shop
Cuisine: Mexican
|
San Rafael |
4/26/2006
|
|
|
YFinding a parking space was out of the questions so we invited a friend who lives in the area and parked in his driveway! The highpoint of the dinner was the service we received as we came in the door. This was something that I hadn't seen in quite a while! Seated, we were given our menus and wine list. My friend who commanded the night ordered a large plate of potsitckers which proved to be not enough! These things were unbelievable! My lamb chops were tender, moist and medium rare! Other dishes were devoured were the chicken with onions and the best Chile Relleno in a gringo restaurant in town! The atmosphere is strange, but a tad on the loud side although easy to talk. Too bad there were not more places to park in this neighborhood as there are many hidden gems like this one I would love to visit more!
|
Firefly
Cuisine: Eclectic
|
Noe Valley |
4/25/2006
|
|
|
My first impression was that this place was a mess and anyplace that serves “sangria” was suspect. Reading some of the reviews was another reason I was hesitant on coming here. Why bother, but being dragged here, and after two pitchers of sangria, the place didn't seem too bad! Not too good, but not bad. The plantain dish was unique, and one of the places where their interpretation was acceptable. The noise here was what made me (one out of 5 people) want to go. Being outvoted, I had the Cuban New York Steak, which was ok, but nothing special, the other taste I had was the so so chicken. Didn't seem anything special. The special of the night was when we got the tab. HOLY Sxxx! 5 of us seem to have consumed about 15 tapas plates before dinner! The sangria was expensive for what it was (cheap wine) the total with tip exceed $400 which would have bought a GOOD dinner, somewhere else, with better service. My problem with tapas style is the cost per person vs value! Sorry no return for me!
|
Cha Cha Cha
Cuisine: Caribbean Tapas
|
Haight-Ashbury/Cole Valley |
4/25/2006
|
|
|
A real old hangout now is trendy with a nice atmosphere especially for sitting by the window and watching the people and traffic meander by. The bill of fare here specializes in seafood, from soups to fresh “catch of the day special” The service here is attentive and personable, with recommendations and suggestions instructively offered. We had the clam chowder which came with good clams and a buttery light taste. (Not heavy flowery paste).The sole picatta, buttery sauce with capers was done perfectly as was the grilled salmon, still moist with tender flakes falling off the fillet one by one. This is the kind of place locals was visit a couple of times a month, just because of the relaxed treatment one receives upon opening the door! Parking, on the street, and sometimes difficult! All in all this is a return place, and a perfect rainy day hangout with a nice bowl of chowder and a great bottle of wine.
|
Cat N' FIddle
Cuisine: American Bistro
|
Sausalito |
4/24/2006
|
|
|
If you ever hung out at Zack’s in Sausalito, (60’s-70’s) then you know where this place is! Not that old, eh? Ok, how about Margaritaville? Well now it’s Paradise Bay. As the weather gets better I find myself looking for places where I can sit and enjoy the view, and if lucky the meal! Surprisingly the fish and chips that I had were good, fish crisp and fresh, fries also crisp. My friends “ground beef sandwich” (sound more expensive than a burger) was prepared as ordered, done correctly and served hot and half a pound of organic beef with garlic fries included not on the side. The service at the time we arrived (1130) was quick and friendly, and judging from the later arrivals slowed down to post office speed! (Too many people enjoying the view of the bay and city)The prices here are moderate, the view is spectacular and always has been! Parking no problem when arriving early otherwise, you may have to trot a block or two, their lot is small. We will be back during the nice weather!
|
Paradise Bay Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Sausalito |
4/24/2006
|
|
|
The terrific thing about this place is that it is probably the nicest, quietest and best suited for a romantic dinner for two in Marin! Next door to Howard Johnson's on the Richardson Bay Mud Flats, this money pit now creates memorable Umbrian style dinners, while peddling their olive oils into your subliminal cortex! As Samarati points out below, their mission is to provide the freshest products available for the season, handle it minimally and present it to you simple, savory and attractively presented! Their Tartare is a must to try! But the Caesar was a little disappointing not exhibiting the necessary Anchovy essence I require to achieve a proper Caesar. The gnocchi were probably the best I have had in Marin, bathed in a tart cheese sauce for a perfect balance. All in all, this is a nice change for what Marin has to offer, a definite return! Service was professional with out being overbearing and phony. Would have been nice to see more Sonoma wines on the list.
|
Frantoio
Cuisine: Italian Northern
|
Mill Valley |
4/23/2006
|
|
|
If you simply hate fast food places for various ideological reasons then you should come to Beeps! The have fed hundreds of thousands of City College students and hungry locals for as long as I can remember (that's a real long time) The basic menu, burgers, fries, frosty shakes (not whipped plastic protein mix) and the usual that is from a bygone area! Parking in their lot, prices are fair, and best of all, they are not a corporation! You can get the double burger with a load, I mean a load, of fries for $ 5.21! The people behind the glass won't misinterpret your order and they get it right! There used to be hundred of these kind of places long time ago, so enjoy this one, it's a relic! All in all , I always will stop here when in the area, It's just the right thing to do!
|
Beep's Burgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Excelsior |
4/22/2006
|
|
|
Been here forever, remembering stopping here to get burgers when going fishing and it’s still here. The burgers are the same although the prices are higher, and now they serve breakfast and dinner! Their customers use to be longshoremen when SF was a hub for shipping, (another experience gone away) the food here is cheap, plain, simple, done only one way, don’t bother asking for rare, or medium rare, or well done. You get it the way it’s cooked, overcooked! Lunch with a drink, and burger less than any other place around. Parking dicey, the view, especially on a nice sunny day, you can sit and enjoy your lunch, just don’t fall into the bay! One of the city landmarks or should be! Not a gourmet experience but an experience you should try before it goes away! Used to be nice before the Giants moved in and now there’s lines here on game days! Arggghhh.
|
Red's Java House
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Pacific Bell Park/South Beach |
4/22/2006
|
|
|
Here's my problem! I order the won ton soup. There are three price columns, small, medium and large. The waitress squawks “whatsizewontonsoupyouwant” Since I enjoy it and sometime have it as my total lunch entrée, I usually order large! Well in about 10 minutes I get a piping hot bowl of soup that I can't touch for about 10 minutes, looking good, but over to the next table, for 3 people they get served the won ton soup in a larger bowl, which is what I thought I was ordering. Now, I am not a glutton, but a 6 inch bowl, is not sufficient for me for lunch. Meanwhile, the others have what I thought I was getting in a 9 inch bowl. And I was charged the price for the large price column, So…. Even though the soup was ok, I wanted more, but I don't want to pay for 2 large bowls, and not get what I wanted, and I can't argue in Mandarin! Needless to say, the soup wasn't satisfying and neither was the lunch experience. Not worth the parking effort!
|
Emmy's Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Glen Park |
4/22/2006
|
|
|
Lost between two Asian places this neighborhood Italian place was just that a place hidden for locals only. Judging on the pricing, (escargots $5.50) done perfectly with lots of garlic for the bread to soak up, Caesar salad for two ($7.50) Veal Parmigiana ($14.00) and Spaghetti with Clams ($11.00) made this more affordable than going to Safeway and buying the same stuff ($40.00) It’s always at least 40 bucks for one bag at Safeway! This is the kind of place that you could eat at twice a week; take the leftovers for lunch and save money over shopping. The service was personable and quick, the food was filling and tasty (not fine dining) but an acceptable alternative to cooking at home (I need a break). Atmosphere, none, the best was the price of a cappuccino ($2.50) Tiramisu ($3.50) so this is definitely affordable even with the tip! All in all, this is a drop in regular kind of joint, on the way home and you don’t have to do the dishes!
|
Villa D'Este
Cuisine: Italian
|
West Portal |
4/22/2006
|
|
|
When in an Italian restaurant I always judge the place by the calamari, at Chinese I do the same with the wor won ton soup. Based on my float scale of various products in the soup this place fails to make the acceptable mark! The wor won ton, was lacking of the extra expensive items which make it Wor! No, BBQ or steamed pork slices, and two minuscule tiny prawns made this 7 dollar soup not worth the extra 4 buck from their regular soup! Other plate, Mongolian beef, had the scales tip with inexpensive broccoli rather than meat, the shrimp foo young, was ho hum, lacking the great brown sauce that usually coats the tender patty pancakes. The service was curt, as most places are, but also lacking this weekday evening were customers. We were 2 of 8 bodies that could have been around 26+. For my money we will go up the street towards 19th! Only good thing here was parking, no problem. No return here!
|
Hong's Szechuan Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
4/22/2006
|
|
|
Nice thing about this place is that two can have a nice dinner with 3 to 4 dishes for under $20 bucks! Their plain wonton soup is $2.95 and the wor won ton is $5.50. Pork Chow Mein $3.95 and the Kung Po Chicken runs $ 5.95! The place is Hong Kong style and has many selections with hot pots! The best thing here is that I didn't feel like I needed a high pressure wash to clean myself and clothes! The service is good, the food came out all at the same time, and the place was full at the time. Parking is difficult, so what else is new! All in all, this is an OK place, but with 1000's of other Asian places in town, I probably won't be able to make it back in my lifetime! Neutral because it was in the middle, nothing memorable!, that's all.
|
Menkee Wonton
Cuisine: Asian
|
Outer Sunset |
4/21/2006
|
|
|
Walking down Irving, in sea of Asian restaurants, all I wanted was some good old American food! Nope, not here, no, no,not here also, no, no, no, no, don’t want KFC, nope not here, no, no, Baskin Robbins don’t make sandwiches, no, no, WHAT? Johnny’s Hamburgers, EUREKA!!! Coming in I didn’t care about much other than to be able to order a HAMBURGER! Yes, I finally found it on Irving st, almost an impossible task! Words, like “To reach the impossible dream” kept going thru my head, anyway, the burgers here are good and greasy! I asked for rare, and got RARE, (what a concept) fries are good, drinks are good, I’ve died and gone to heaven! There is basically no service here, and it requires none, prices are fair, $6 bucks for a burger, buck extra for fries, and they don’t ration out ketchup and mustard in those stupid little cups! This is not the best burger in town, but in this Sahara desert of Anglo food, a welcome Oasis! Parking is bad, need to follow someone out of spot!
|
Johnny's Hamburgers
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Outer Sunset |
4/21/2006
|
|
|
The new place is nothing like what was the charming old place! This is a ca-ching, ca-ching, operation! Taken over a couple of years ago from the owners that ran it for years! Now the prices are high, most entrees are between 25 to 40 bucks so our dinner for 4 went way over my allowance for the day! The atmosphere here is done well, like an old club! The bar is still cozy, but the old charm is gone forever! (Lousy to get old, with fond memories). Service here was erratic, caused by a full house, but the quality and presentations made up for any hassles we had! Menu items are not the usual, funny to have Foie Gras and seared Ahi on the same menu! (I guess for the health conscious). At the end of the night, it was a nice meal, nothing stellar, but good, not worth a special drive from the city though! Parking in front!
|
The Village Pub
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Woodside |
4/21/2006
|
|
|
Talk about an identify crisis, this place thinks that it is the Barron Rothschild of brew pubs, Hello, It's a BREW PUB, Beer, Hops, that's it! These people need a sense of humor; they take this beer business way too serious! Ok, the garlic fries are cheaper and much better than at the game! (Got sunburned, best day of the year in the city so far) The burgers here are as you make them. Guess what; I specified Rare, Guess what I got? Why waste a good 1/3 lb of meat unless, hemmmmm, suppose to be Reiman ranch? Done the way I got it, it could have been road kill cow. No one came back to ask how the food was, (it was expensive, burger $12) Anyway, it's ok to drop in, before or after the game, for some beer, not the food, unless you are prepared for average bar food! Noisy to boot!
|
21st Amendment
Cuisine: American (traditional) Pub Food
|
Pacific Bell Park/South Beach |
4/21/2006
|
|
|
Hadn't been here in awhile, prices have gone up thru the roof, because it's the trendy place to be seen now. My parents taught me that if I couldn't say anything nice about someone or something, I shouldn't say anything at all. It's their attitude and service!
( . . .
. .
).
|
Balboa Cafe
Cuisine: American (Traditional) Hamburgers Brunch
|
Cow Hollow |
4/21/2006
|
|
|
While making a car payment at my credit union next door and having 20 precious minutes left on the meter, why not slip in and get a premium Don Julio Margarita? Well, there are a lot of reasons why not! First of all, I had to repeat the request to the bartender about three times, what in the world makes this place as loud as a Chivas Soccer Game? , In addition what usually is a great experience of a Don Julio margarita was ruined by some overly syrupy sweet and sour mix. The best margaritas are done with fresh lime juice, maybe a little Cointreau or triple sec and the booze. Well, had I known that my 80 dollar bottle tequila was going to be mixed with swill; I would have just ordered it straight. Between the lousy margarita, the noise and the indifferent service, scratch this place of the fact of Geary Street, even if there is parking! What a waste of booze.
|
Tommy's Mexican Restaurant
Cuisine: mexican
|
Outer Richmond |
4/18/2006
|
|
|
This used to be Joe LoCoCo’s for years until about 5 years ago; this Italian Trattoria is located in an office complex so it is well hidden. The starter to get is their calamari, excellent with great spices in the breading and not overcooked, nice and tender. For a entrée, try their veal scaloppini, tender veal, pounded and covered (not gloppy) with just enough sauce that the taste of the veal shines through. They have a full bar, and this is a great placed to go to after a busy day of shopping in the centers of Marin across the freeway. Pricing is moderate, and the service has always been professional and friendly. A return, yes, and there’s parking in front!
|
Giorgio's Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
|
Greenbrae |
4/17/2006
|
|
|
Making the reservation was easy; the person was friendly and professional! Upon arrival our party was greeted and shown our table, presented menus and had our order for drinks taken immediately. The menu selection was short, but between my cobb salad, and the raviolis, the soft shell crab sandwich, and the pulled pork sandwich, all items were superb and delivered with all possible dispatch! The place did fill up as the middle of the day progressed, and it appeared the all the patrons were also enjoying their meals and the sunny day which graced the city. Pricing is moderate, drinks were tall, The dicey item is the parking, we were lucky enough to find a space, and next time around the area and hungry we will return for another great experience! Thanks Soluna! Professional all the way!
|
Soluna Cafe and Lounge
Cuisine: Californian
|
Civic Center |
4/17/2006
|
|
|
Seems like the only draw here is the location and the pricing. After the wait in line, and sitting down to enjoy the food, it wasn't worth either the wait in line or the gas in going around the block to find parking! I suppose if you live down the street it is a OK place to hang out, but not if your visiting Berkeley for anything else. There are better places away from the downtown area that serve up a good diner breakfast and lunch. Although there was no extra charge for the left grease and dirt on the tables and floors! Sorry, a no return!
|
Bette's Oceanview Diner
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Berkeley |
4/8/2006
|
|
|
Located next door to Scoma's in Sausalito, this use to be the old Trident during the 60's and downstairs from Ondines. The fine dining has fine views along with fine prices. Expect to throw down a couple of hundred bucks for dinner for two, more if you have a expensive taste for the bubbly or wine! Menu starts with the common appetizers, calamari, crab cakes that have a perfect balance of meat to filler, one of the better starters! The fish pasta plate will be enough for a hearty appetite, filled with large scallops and prawns coated with a white sauce not goopy just right! The best thing is the view, so come for brunch and kill your entertainment for the afternoon. Parking is poor, so you will have to walk for a couple of blocks on the seawall. Prices high, service good although one of the waitstaff had a class issue, with an French attitude, All in all , a nice dining experience with a memorable view! A return visit YES!
|
Horizons
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Sausalito |
4/6/2006
|
|
|
nothing special but a good seafood menu with great views of the city and Angel Island, nothing better on a nice sunny day! This single story tiny place used to be called the Glad Hand, in the 60's and then was purchased by the Scoma family. Serves both lunch, with quick friendly service, even on busy weekends, the price is reasonable, and the fish and chips are my favorite! Lots of pastas and Italian style comfort foods, parking is dicey, so figure on a short walk, the lunches have burgers and sandwiches or a great Caesar salad. The bar makes great martinis and the Manhattans are suburb! The place is located next to Ondines, which used to be the famous Trident restaurant, of the Kingston Trio Fame! The place is tiny so, call for reservations, or be prepared to wait!
|
Scoma's
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Sausalito |
4/6/2006
|
|
|
This place has been around since we lived in the sunset in the 60's and hasn't changed much other than the price has increased along with the ethnic population of the sunset! Serving both lunch, (limited menu of burgers and sandwiches) to a full Italian American dinner menu. Plenty of veal, chicken, ravioli and spaghetti plates. We had the linguini with clams and a veal picatta, plain, good quality and just like someone's mother would make! This is not your gourmet palace so don't expect a 5 star dining experience. It's a substitute for take or fast food. The prices are very reasonable, so two can have dinner with appetizers and tip for less than 32 bucks!. Service was good and the place was about 3/4 full of working class on their way home. They do close at 9 so don't show up at 830. All in all this is a reliable place for an all day blue plate type of meal, comforting, since we didn't expect anything more and didn't get anything less than a good dinner for a good price. Parking OK
|
Parkside Restaurant
Cuisine: American (Traditional) Italian
|
Inner Sunset |
4/5/2006
|
|
|
We have been coming here for years and nothing much has changed except the price and higher rise buildings popping up! This is one of the better Sunday brunch places with fresh products and pretty good service from the bar! IF you are lucky you the city will reward you with a view at the same time! Come early otherwise be prepared to wait! Dinners here are also pretty decent but evenings usually are disappointing since the fog rolls in more! Parking is in their lot downstairs, so it's a no brainer. BE prepared to cash your paycheck since it is expensive! All in all, this is a great location to bring out of town guests and try the Brunch's bread pudding! It's made from pastries from days before, excellent! It quiet so it's a perfect intimate dinner spot!
|
Cityscape
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Downtown |
4/3/2006
|
|
|
When you don't want to be caught visiting fisherman's wharf, you sneak them to Ghirardelli Square. Opting out for lazy, since there's a parking lot underneath, we took our out of town guests to one of the better views in the city. Too bad the view was the only possible positive item on the menu! Our server although genial was having difficulty walking and chewing gum at the same time! Volleying to the table twice to verify what the orders were! After a modest wait our orders arrived one of which one was in error. (Imagine that!) The kitchen does an adequate job of prep, but at the high prices we were subjected to, adequate was not acceptable. Dried out fish which requires lots of sauce is not needed when the preparation is done correctly! Dried Halibut and Salmon with dried burnt edges and completely dry inside led me to believe that the cooks had handed down the responsibility to someone else. Drinks, OK, food,(A waste of good product) parking ok, prices high. No return for awhile.
|
McCormick & Kuleto's
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Fishermans Wharf |
4/3/2006
|
|
|
Just what we need is another Chinese Restaurant here, Last time I counted there were about 25 on Taraval st Alone. This one has a varied menu with both seafood and meat. The claim to fame here is the combination family dinners where you choose either Cantonese or Mandarin style. For 7 to 8 bucks a person, you get 7 or 8 dishes which will fill any appetite. The Mandarin Pork Spareribs were something else! No fat, but great smoky flavor with a deep smoke color! Most of the items run between 3 and 6 dollars, so dinner for 4 won't cost you a fortune, cookie! Even the Peking duck was 18 bucks. The meat wasn't stringy and had great moisture and was a delight to have after remembering how much and how bad it was at a place on Kearny st,(with lines). Parking is a problem, so you may have to circle the block a time or two, al in all this a place worth checking out.
|
Eight Immortals Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
4/1/2006
|
|
|
This converted storefront restaurant puts a different spin on your typical CF. Most of the dishes are steamed and all have some type of seafood in them from fish to squid to oysters or Clams or Crab. Yes, they do have meat, but the seafood is the best option here. The prices are cheap in comparison to downtown prices. Wonton Soup 3.95 Prawns with noodles $5.50, and my favorite is the Sizzling Oyster with ginger scallions for $7.95. This tiny place is easy to miss, so plan on parking ahead, and you will be surprised at the quality of the food, AND the service is attentive and no rude as usual! My friend ordered the mutton stewed in a clay pot and was surprised that the dish surpassed many higher rated places with this simple cheap $6.75 dish. It does get noisy and the do a great take out business. They also offer free delivery in a limited area.
|
Han Goeng Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese Seafood
|
Outer Sunset |
4/1/2006
|
|
|
You arrive into a small living room with a fireplace; you know the evening will be special. This lodge has been around forever. Mankas is now Prix Fix from about 7 years ago. Their specialties are fresh fish, fresh game and fresh meats. They don't know what they are preparing for dinner until the morning of that day. Our last visit included a mussel, clam bisque which was rich in flavor, creamy and had a hint of ginger, I had medallions of venison. and my guest enjoyed the filo wrapped sand dabs which were moist and light. Venison is on the menu a lot, just as duck and local chicken. Oysters from Tomalas are usually available. A cheese course usually follows and finally a dessert. This time we had an apple charlotte with a home made raspberries coulis. Price is between 50 -70 bucks, plus wine. It's a little of the beaten path, so I would suggest that you spend the night after drinks or wine here. (45min to San Rafael). Service has been attentive and the atmosphere great!
|
Manka's Inverness Lodge Restaurant
Cuisine: Californian American (Traditional)
|
Point Reyes |
3/31/2006
|
|
|
If you are looking for a comfortable place with stick to your bones hearty Italian food, this place has been here forever, since 54' even when there was nothing on the other side of the freeway except Koch luggage and a Zim's and a Pennys in the shopping center. Burgers with fries falling off the plate, or the special spinach with eggs and onions called Joes, are great for lunch! Our last lunch was disappointing; my liver was overdone to the shoe leather consistency. No one ever asked how the lunch was, so, I moved it around the plate, looked for an edible piece finding none, we left. The prices are moderately cheap when you consider not one entree is over 20 bucks. We had a great dinner before with garlic bread, Caesar salad, bottle of great Cab, and the tab with tip was only $115.00. My weakness is the Piano Bar, a couple of manhattans and a few old standards and you can't get me to go home! Parking is in front, this is one of the better Joes around!
|
Marin Joe's Restaurants
Cuisine: Italian Steakhouse
|
Corte Madera |
3/31/2006
|
|
|
If you are looking for a place that you can get a myriad of sandwiches, all done exactly the same at each location, the same scoop of the same dry potato salad, and the same prices and exactly the same ho hum attitude and service then you have come to the right place. ALthough expensive compared to a good safeway submarine, you get a plate and the ability to pay 3 bucks for a coke and come up with a tip to boot. The best attribute to this place is that there is a parking lot, and you can relax and people watch while waiting and waiting for your order to arrive. This is the Denny's for the sandwich lover, the other entrees, are all, out of the freezer, into the fryer or microwave, etc. Not a gourmet experience.
|
Max's
Cuisine: Deli Sandwiches
|
Corte Madera |
3/30/2006
|
|
|
Having a hamburgers hankering, not wanting to go to fast food, I made the mistake to stop by here. This place has been around here since King Norman's Kingdom of Toys Store ( how many remember that?) so if has survived 40+ years they must be doing something right, Wrong! This is nothing more than frozen patties, thrown on the griddle, squeezed one too many times to eliminate what ever possible moisture there may have been in the patty, then plop it down on day old bun, a sliver of cheese and here you go, $ 6.50! Based on the 12 violations from the Health Dept, web site, Which I wish I would have checked this is a Definite No Return! Prices are Ok to high, food was lousy, place was old, dingy and dirty. You have been warned!
|
Hamburger Haven
Cuisine: Hamburgers American (Traditional)
|
Inner Richmond |
3/28/2006
|
|
|
Nice thing about this place is the valet parking for 2 bucks! Both lunch and dinner are both good, with lunch being more tolerable in the noise level department. Sitting by the window you get a view of what was underwater a few months ago by the abandoned sandbags. The service here is haphazard, sometimes waiting for drinks when the bartender is busy bringing out lunch plates? I've been here many times and all the times they seem understaffed. The main theme is Mediterranean inspired dishes. Menu items are great, especially the mussels and their salads. Pricing is moderate but the stellar is the Moroccan Spiced Lamb Shank with blood orange sauce! Nothing much exceeds 25 bucks for dinner, so it's a pretty good value. The best thing is that you can pre order anything and pick it up in there TO GO counter. Consistent food, I just wish the service would be a little snappier! All in all a regular return place.
|
Insalata's
Cuisine: Mediterranean
|
San Anselmo |
3/28/2006
|
|
|
This is the place where you take your first date, or anytime you want to impress someone for an intimate, not 4 star, decent food experience. The main reason you come here is the view! Hidden amongst tall redwood trees, this rustic restaurant has been here for years. My first time in the mid 60's and a first date! You enter the bar area that usually has a roaring fire in the fireplace and order yourself a drink! Knotty pined walls and creaking screen doors add to the ambiance. The menu has changed little, from escargot appetizers, Caesar salads, to rack of lamb and filet mignon. Our server seems a little overtaxed this trip, but made up for it with a great friendly attitude. The prices have climbed as the tops of the trees outside, what use to be a 12 dollar steak now approached 30 bucks. My favorite is the steak Diane which is prepared tableside with flames shooting up, (great show). The veal dishes are also very good. End the evening by sharing cherries jubilee. A return, YES!
|
Bella Vista
Cuisine: French Italian
|
Woodside |
3/27/2006
|
|
|
One of the better ways to spend a leisurely afternoon, making a mandatory 3 hour lunch or dinner experience. Starting in Napa your moving dining room proceeds with interesting backyard views, speeding through Napa at a rapid 25 miles per hour all the way to St Helena where the train then backs up all the way back. The professional wait staff make this a grand experience, with pretty decent food when you consider the limitations of the kitchen and the expertise it takes to serve that large a group. There are usually 3 choices of entrees, fish, chicken and beef, price depends on the day and usually runs about 45 to 60 dollars including the trip. Wines are moderately prices so figure about 80 bucks a head for a great deal of entertainment. This is a great take your out of town guests experience! We usually go about once a year, and just recently they got a new chef, so we have noticed some changes already. A good show and a must do!
|
Napa Valley Wine Train
Cuisine: Californian
|
Napa |
3/27/2006
|
|
|
If you want to get stuffed at the trough, then you have found Valhalla. First of all you have to decipher the extensive menu, then there are too many choices so you finally order. This number one in sales volume (in the US) chain has it down pat. The service is good, wait staff is friendly, not overly hovering, and when the plate is presented you have enough food for two people. I have yet to ever finish an entrée, let alone have room for, guess what, cheesecake. Burgers, to salads, tacos to chicken, all with a heaping mound of fries and all of it healthy food. Maybe that why the owner is 300lbs+. This nice part about this one is that it's close to parking and Nordstrom's. Pricing is reasonable for the food you get, not a gourmet 5 stars establishment, but great for lunches or dinner after shopping. The bar serves up great drinks, and serves food if you don't want to wait for your table. All in all, nothing stellar, but dependable stuff your face food!
|
The Cheesecake Factory
Cuisine: Eclectic
|
Corte Madera |
3/27/2006
|
|
|
Again a chain, but at least this one does a good job at service! The view here is nice, located on Richardson's bay, next to the bridge. Our server did a stellar job of listing the specials along with the descriptions of the several of the changes on the menu. We as usual got the calamari and Caesar salad, which here comes with marinated white anchovies! Our drinks were done to perfection, and the wait for our entrees was timed with the necessity of refilling of the stemware. The veal saltimbocca as well as the wood oven duck breast both exceeded any expectations! The only down side is the loud noise created by poor acoustics, low ceilings and an over packed dining room. Looking at the next table, the pizzas are something for my next trip. Nothing over 20 bucks, so this doesn't require a refi on the house. Parking in their lot, so all in all this is a regular return when in the area!
|
Piatti
Cuisine: Italian
|
Mill Valley |
3/27/2006
|
|
|
Mustards, Cindy Pawlcyn's first restaurant which then became part of the chain like the Buckeye. The concept for Mustards was fresh local ingredients and still is their claim to fame. Starting with appetizers like calamari, or crab cakes , local greens salads, to wood oven roasted rabbit, veal chops, lamb and off course liver and onions! (carried thru at their other places) The menu pricing is moderate with no items crossing over 22 bucks, the down side now is that it is run like a assembly line, often the presentations look like they have been thrown together as the plate was in motion. The service is abysmal due to the run um in, run um out philosophy. What was a valley gem is now not much more than a assembly line, at least that's what you feel like when your are rushed to turn the tables. It settles down during the week, but forget the weekends. No parking problems, and of course the wine list is awesome. All in all, it's OK, but there are many more places to see in the valley!
|
Mustards Grill
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Napa |
3/26/2006
|
|
|
Owned by the chain that owns the Buckeye, this is a miniature version of it. The menu is pretty much the same, the ambiance here is what is nice, it is quieter, with a nice fireplace in the dining room, the bar is awesome with a great vodka and gin assortment that will allow you to try the best of what is on the market. Pricing is moderate plate will run up to 25 bucks, but the service was disappointing here. The waiter brought the wrong orders to the table, half of which were right and the other half of the party had to wait for 10 minutes was awkward. No apology other than are you sure that is what you ordered?
Maybe it will settle down but for now , we will give it one more shot at it! Parking is hit and miss, with a few spaces easy to get to. All in all this could be cozy hide out, if the staff got their "xxxx" together and played like a team. will returned in 4 to 5 months and check it again!
|
Bungalow 44
Cuisine: American
|
Mill Valley |
3/26/2006
|
|
|
The building has been here forever, and this small chain has hit the spot for comfort food! The loud eatery has the atmosphere of an old English pub and had the noise to prove it! The menu sometimes boring, but always decent, with more food that you can eat.(than you should) When they plop down a oval plate with lamb shanks you get the whole damn leg, which after the appetizer and salad is waaaay too much to eat. The fixins are home style ( big servings) and the best part is the bar drinks are stout sized. Parking is in front, but beware you will have to wait unless you have reservations, since this is one of the first places you car is trained to come to off the bridge! Prices are moderate with nothing over 20 bucks a plate, Caesar salad generous for 8 bucks and calamari also 8. NO complaints here, the service is a little aloof, but that's Marin! All in all this is a consistent place! Try the liver and onions for all you L&O fans! it is one of the best in the bay!
|
Buckeye Roadhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Mill Valley |
3/26/2006
|
|
|
Usually I am not too keen on chain restaurants, but these guys seem to have a winning combination. From the smell of fresh bread as you walk in, which you can't wait to start on, to the variety of Italian dishes, the mandatory calamari, the pizza and the pasta, this is a good consistent quality basic home style restaurant. I wouldn't consider it a gourmet 5 star jewel, but between the professional service and home made breads and pizzas, along with the moderate pricing, this is about as good as it gets without reservations. Parking is OK, which if you know what a hassle that can be, counts for the positive score. A return yes,!
|
Il Fornaio
Cuisine: Bakery Italian
|
Corte Madera |
3/25/2006
|
|
|
With a parking lot directly in back this makes my kind of place! Starting with the fried calimari, then spring salad, and finally the veal picatta, this old time place never disappoints me, and impresses friends that I drag down here. Starting with the bar, the drinks and the adequate wine list, the Italian favorites, of fresh fish and veal round out the menu. During summers the retractable roof may be open and with the long bar and TV sets, this attracts a sport crowd, which can make this place a little loud. The service here has been consistent and the pricing is moderate, especially for Marin. The consistent quality of the food and service make this a favorite for me! A return yes!
|
Piazza D'Angelo
Cuisine: Italian
|
Mill Valley |
3/25/2006
|
|
|
This chain owned by Bradley Ogden, is disappointing if you compare it to what Bradley is capable of producing. Nothing more than an upscale, E Salt Esq. fish and chips joint!. Most items are deep fried, which can easily hide the quality of the supposed fresh product. If you really have a hankering for seafood and you won't take any excuses then keep going. The only positive thing here is that there is a parking lot adjacent to the restaurant. Sorry but this is only acceptable in a seafood attack, when anything fired will suffice. I haven't tired the other properties but after this one a couple of time, I don't hold too much hope for the others.
|
Yankee Pier
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Larkspur |
3/25/2006
|
|
|
A little hidden behind large trees this converted home now does a great business so that Bradley opened a clone in Las Vegas. Cramped in to windowed dining rooms you feel like your in someone's solarium having brunch. Menu items are a little quirky, like fresh liver steaks 1 inch thick, ( I love liver, sorry) the service can be taxing, since it doesn't appear that longevity in the staff is evident. Pricing is high comparatively, but the food quality is consistent and they do have parking! The tiny bar, sits about 6 people , but with other chairs it becomes a lively meeting place. My last visit had Dennis Hopper, enjoying quite a few drinks in the bar! And for some reason he didn't recognize me! All in all this has been a good, no surprises cute place that you could bring guest to and they would be impressed! A definite return!
|
The Lark Creek Inn
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Larkspur |
3/25/2006
|
|
|
This is one of the best views of the city from Marin as you dine on escargots on white linen while having a great bottle of wine with a great date! This romantic place has been around forever and recently had a management change. Entree of venison cooked tender and the lamb was moist and expensive. Service here is OK, not as good as I remember, but the positive item again is the atmosphere, Parking is spotty, especially on the street, so expect to walk a block or two. Pricing is moderate to expensive and the wine selection is amazingly complete and award winning! This is a special kind of place saved for birthdays or anniversaries. You can actually hold an intimate conversation here! All in all this is a gem for Marin, and it hasn't been ruined by too foofy of a food transformation
|
The Caprice
Cuisine: Californian Continental
|
Tiburon |
3/25/2006
|
|
|
No one comes here for a gourmet meal! You come here because it's the Fisherman's Wharf of Berkeley. Visitors from afar, like Iowa, Ohio et al, love this place! It is what it is and quit being a gourmet place when they sold out years ago. You come here because there's parking, you come here because the bar make good drinks, and you can order fish that no one east of California ever has! The food is OK, like the captains plate, you have to be really lame to screw up deep frying scallops, prawns and oysters. The service is always good done by pros, (not college students) and it's always consistent. All in all, it's a middle of the road, restaurant, only a fish gourmet would be disappointed at.
Pricing is moderate to high, but a couple of Manhattans will take your tolerance level waaaaay down. A return when I don't want to hassle parking in the rest of Berkeley or the bums begging for a free handout! I give it a + rating because it does a good job for what it is!
|
Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto
Cuisine: Seafood
|
Berkeley |
3/25/2006
|
|
|
Not wanting to drive and hungry for a burger, my buddy suggested walking couple of blocks from his house to a burger joint. The day was nice and I might as well negate the fries… Well, I think I burned up more calories getting mad at the wait staff as my burger plate with fries sat ignored, on the ledge for at least 5 minutes whilst ms cutie pie was jabbering with another patron. The service here is not, there is no service! I almost got up to get our burgers but she finally saw that we were getting upset and brought them to us. No sorrys no nothing, like that was standard operating procedure. The wait wasn’t worth the effort or the two block walk. I guess they do great breakfasts here, but the lunch service and food is horrible. This is a sister establishment from one on Noriega street, which I won’t bother to try. Prices, who cares, do not stop, continue anywhere else but here. And you wonder why restaurants fail?
|
Bashful Bull Too
Cuisine: Hamburgers Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Outer Sunset |
3/19/2006
|
|
|
If you like Hong Kong style of Chinese food then you will love this place! What’s Hong Kong style, well, it has a lot of lamb, and they roast other meats some I wasn’t able to discern. This was an experience I will remember for awhile. My friend lives down the block and demanded that we try it. If cars ran on grease recovered from walls and kitchens, this place could run a fleet of vehicles! The service was ok, but this place is the kind that when you come home you voluntarily destroy your clothes. Prices are ok, 5 to 9 bucks for most dishes, and 12 for lamb cutlets wallowing in some form of gravy. The place is not the most hygienic establishment I have visited, but you know Chinese restaurants. All in all, this was a one time experience. Parking is no problem, I wonder why? Maybe we should have an additional rating system. (how many violations a place has had).
Maybe another classification, greasy?
|
Cutlet House
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Outer Sunset |
3/19/2006
|
|
|
If you have tasted tapas in Spain then you would know what I am talking about! In Spain, restaurants get supplies every day, here they buy Friday to last the whole weekend and then sometimes Monday, (never get the fish special on Mondays) The idea is great, the menu variety is great, the presentation great, but the quality of the product leaves a lot to be desired of. For one our scallops were mushy and tasteless, our prawn dish likewise was teetering on too many sunsets. The salads and salsas where good, although if the idea was to copy Spanish and Portuguese tapas, there's a basic interptretaion mixup. The atmosphere here is confusing also, extremely cramped to the point of elevatorphobia, unless that was the intention, to get every one real close together (soccer game?) My other peeve is that these tiny little plates add up, worse than sushi. 4 people=$224? For that we could have had a nice sit down in a quiet spacious dining room! It is what it is, just not my cup of sangria!
|
Bocadillos
Cuisine: Tapas
|
North Beach |
3/19/2006
|
|
|
Can someone please explain to me the value of having the guy who is making the sandwich, wearing plastic hygiene gloves, walk up to the telephone who everyone in the place handles, answer a phone call and then go back to making your sandwich? Well, after seeing that and standing in line for my sandwich ready to be made, I walked out the door. So, my review is that although the sandwiches may be tasty and a good value, the bad value is in the poor training of the employees here. Sorry, there are enough bugs out there that I don't need the germs of the rooter plumberman calling his office on the phone transferred to my sandwich……..
|
Super Subs Sandwich Shop
Cuisine: Cheese Steaks Deli
|
Hayes Valley |
3/17/2006
|
|
|
Located in what was a century old storefront, this place opened in the 70's and still continues to pack them in! This tiny place only seat's about 30 people or so, and is so small that the kitchen is part of the dining room. Originally some artist was involved in this place since the decorations and especially the bathrooms are uniquely decorated. The food is your typical French bistro, our escargots were so enjoyable, we used another basket of bread to sop up the sauce. Entrees of New York steak and a Filet Mignon were done as requested warm and pink with great tenderness at each bite. The staff does a good job at service although the crowed tables allow you to pick up gossip more than necessary. The value for the dollar is here, since our tab for two, with a great cab was less than $150 bucks. This landmark is on the road to the coast and reservations are suggested. Good food, with an experience like you are in someone's kitchen, priceless! A return, of course!.
|
De Schmire
Cuisine: french bistro
|
Petaluma |
3/16/2006
|
|
|
This place has been here for years (30+) and is still one of the better places in the north bay were you will not be disappointed. We were seated with reservations and immediately offered a menu and drink order. With a full bar, Martinis were in order! Our server returned, we ordered our usual, calamari, Caesar salad, to start. The calamari was a timed perfection with crispy seasoning and was rapidly consumed. The only salad problem was the lettuce could have been a tad crisper! Our entrée, my linguini with clams were absolutely great and the veal piccata (with a sufficient amount of very rare capers) was as delicious. The room is large so it can be loud especially if you’re there on Friday or Saturday. The friendly wait staff made what could have been a good dining experience, great! Pricing is moderate, the bar has an excellent gin and vodka selection, and so what else do you need? Parking can be a little dicey, but within a block or two is usual. A will return!
|
Graziano's Restaurant & Lunge
Cuisine: Italian American
|
Petaluma |
3/16/2006
|
|
|
They started out with one on Franklin ST in the city and one here in Sausalito, this one still make great pizzas using local fresh ingredients and not shipped in TVP and the like. This small place located in a smaller shopping strip, has good to excellent service even on nights when the orders fly in. Prices are reasonable and the selection is adequate without the gizmo or fad style toppings. It's been around since the 60's so the clientele must like, and so do I ! Parkings is OK, in the mall lot most of the time.
|
Dario's Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Sausalito |
3/16/2006
|
|
|
This place has been here forever and has lost it's Wow factor. The only great exciting thing here is the fabulous view of the bay which will take your mind of the mediocre food and service. Although packed for brunches and weekend dinners, this is not a gourmet paradise. You have your normal calimari (tasteless) oysters (some great others not) crabcakes (more bread than crab) and the worst was the bay shrimp cocktail which tasted two days from the pull date. The 2nd mistake was ordering Caesar salad to be made tableside. One of these days someone needs to certify waiters if they pretend to know what they are doing. Omitting garlic and WC sauce, made the salad uneventful even though we were brought requested anchovies on the side. The entree clams were in an off broth, couple days to old,The Mahi was OK, as was the Rex Sole, the best item of the night was the check. Thankfully they only charge what the food was worth, with few items over $20. All in all, it was OK. I hate just OK!
|
Spinnaker
Cuisine: Seafood Italian
|
Sausalito |
3/16/2006
|
|
|
What should be a positive dining experience gets marred with inept service. It's like a roller coaster, good, great, bad, horrible, good, so if you don't mind spinning the wheel, then the food is worth the disappointment now and then. The airy wide open place reminds me of bistros in the city, converted warehouses, plenty of room, wood floors etc. Menu items include calimari, done perfect to pizzas, thin crusted margarita done perfectly, rack of lamb and veal shanks were young and tender. The have a good wine list and the best thing is that their prices have not broken the sound barrier yet. Located in a small commercial area, it been around for about 5 years. Can be very nice and quiet to very loud and noisy. Prices range from 5-9 bucks for appitizers to 15-25 for entrees. Piazza run around 12. A good value for the dollar as long as you get one of the good servers. Parking is usually no a problem , worst case around the corner in front of a residential area.
|
Paradiso Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian American
|
San Leandro |
3/15/2006
|
|
|
The best thing about Sam's is the location and view. There is no place better to enjoy a leasurly lunch on a nice day then sitting outside on the deck, smelling the sea water, listening to the sea gulls, sipping on your favorite beverage and enjoying the outside. I use to drive from the city to have lunches here. The menu is your normal seafood, fish and chips, captains plate, burgers and oysters. The food is served fresh and quanities are generous along with the price. Service can be slow outside on busy days, but you can always sit at the bar and get served right away. Down side is that it's not a 5 star meal, but you come here for the view! The place has been here since 1920 and has great photos in the bar area. Parking is across the street in the municipal lot. I always make an afternoon out of it, and come here at least once a month when the weather permits. A definite return place, simple food.
|
Sam's Anchor Cafe
Cuisine: American Seafood
|
Tiburon |
3/15/2006
|
|
|
This is one of my favorite places to go for lunch in Marin. The service is attentive, professional and besides the quality of the food, I feel transfored to France for the duration of the meal. The oysters are always fresh, the Sweetbreads tender and the sauces, the sauces...out of this world. Even though it is a chain, I enjoy the experience especially since they have a full bar. Price is moderate, the large bar always seems to have a space for me and there is a large parking lot across the street. Most of the menu items are large quantites so, I always seem to be able to have my snack box for later in the day. All in all this is a great place, I trust that their other locations are as good.
|
Left Bank (Blue Rock Inn)
Cuisine: French (Brasserie)
|
Larkspur |
3/14/2006
|
|
|
What looked like a quiet inviting dining experience turned in to a crowded elbow jab your next table patron loud dinner disappointment. We waited for 20 minutes for a reserved table, no fault of the staff, but having to wait for 10 minutes for the menu and bread was. My feeling is that if I am going to fight for parking and pay some one to serve me dinner in an atmosphere that is going to tie my stomach in knots is not my ideal night on the town! My appetizer calamari were overcooked therefore tough, my guest's grilled salmon was served so dry that he couldn't finish it and my seafood linguini was a fond memory of what al dente means. We were never asked if everything was ok, so I guess they just don't care since the house seems to be full all the time. Looks like they cater to large party groups. Prices are moderate, service is sub par, parking is impossible and the cramped noisy surroundings make this a no return for me.
|
Bella Trattoria
Cuisine: Italian
|
Inner Richmond |
3/5/2006
|
|
|
What looks like another storefront restaurant in the Richmond was surprisingly good! This crowed noisy restaurant duplicates the crowded noisy restaurant of France sans the cigarette smoke and surly waiters. With a reservation we were immediately seated, presented the menu and our choice of waters. Common bistro fare, prices are extremely reasonable and the service was OK. Not great not bad. The biggest distraction to an almost perfect dinner was the chef or owner floating around from table to table, fishing for complements and attaboys. Hey, I’m here right? Why ask me how everything is when I am in the middle of removing a piece of mussel muscle from between my teeth? This was one of the few places that the onion soup was done right! The menu is somewhat limited but the wine list is not! All in all, this is a nice neighborhood place, affordable, crowed (arm to arm) with a final check that won’t bankrupt you. Parking is ridiculous so park on Geary and walk! au revoir
|
Chapeau!
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
|
Inner Richmond |
3/3/2006
|
|
|
Looking for a place a couple of notches above a pretzel stand or food court? Why not the Café Bistro at Nordstrom’s where we were seated by friendly staff asking our drink order? While sitting sipping some nice cold frosted flutes of Champagne overlooking the bustling shoppers dodging the shopping cart chariot street campers in battle overlooking Market, you can escape reality for an hour! We opted for spinach salads to start which arrived with fresh crisp greens and well balanced dressing not overdressed. Perfectly timed our fish entrees came with crispy veggies and a nice lemon butter sauce with modest portions matching the modest pricing. We left room to split a nice apple crisp! The best part of this place is although hectic outside in the store, it was quiet, soothing and restful here. Between the service, the view and basic bistro fare, this is a nice break in an otherwise hectic venue. Service good, prices good, and there’s valet parking downstairs! A return trip, yes!
|
Nordstroms Cafe Bistro
Cuisine: American Bistro
|
Downtown |
2/20/2006
|
|
|
Well you can’t afford to eat here like you did at home when Mom made the food! This quaint cutesy place is small storefront with tablecloths and starched service to boot! Although not full, service was slow and sparse. Menu items are also few, so in my book they must do a better job on each item. (not) My pelmeni appeared to be commercial and the quantity for the price was disappointing. You need about 25 to 30 of these dumplings to make a meal! The beef stroganoff sauce was good, although covering gristly cuts of cheap meat. The lamb shaslik as well as the the cabbage rolls seemed the be the best for the price and flavor. The plates came out slow that our guests had to wait for theirs while we tired to eat our rapidly cooling entrees. was somewhat awkward! Although friendly the service seemed tense and created a disappointing experience. Cinderella down the street is more casual, and better in food and pricing. Sorry, maybe again next year. Parking is impossible!
|
Katia's Russian Tea Room
Cuisine: Russian
|
Inner Richmond |
2/18/2006
|
|
|
This San Francisco Landmark has been unchanged for at least 50 years!
Tired of schlepping visitors to fisherman’s wharf, why not go to the south pacific? Situated in the basement of the Fairmont, the food is good, not great, but consistent and not disappointing! Appetizers are moderate to high, wonton soup is a good deal at 7 bucks, orders come out timed perfectly just in time to get a Mia Tia refill. Entrees expensive (24-28) and nothing you can’t get else ware much cheaper. The only reason you come here is to experience the thatched covers, palms and the inside rain showers although old are still cute. This used to the place to come for prom dinners (prices were a lot less 40 yrs ago) or birthday parties! Good congenial professional service, good food and show and guests love it! Too bad you only come back every 2 or 3 decades….. Parking is tough or expensive, park somewhere else and take a cable car! Even better if you can get the other party to pay!
|
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar
Cuisine: Pacific Rim
|
Nob Hill |
2/18/2006
|
|
|
Coming here with a Vietnamese buddy was a experience both of us would like to forget. He said that he heard good things about it. First of all, you need an armed guard by your car if you park anywhere in the area. From a block away we were hassled 10 times for change, once inside, we were seated the service became sporadic, after he ordered we waited for at least 30 minutes for our first dishes to arrive. His comments were that quantity was there but quality was not! After waiting for the waiter again, (to order something else) he made some comments to him and then went ballistic, only telling me that they said that they had enough business from Vietnam groupies, vets and bargain seeking families living on limited funds and didn’t care if we liked anything or not. My spin was that the plates although piled high with veggies, didn’t have the same quality in the meat and seafood that I have had elsewhere. The PPQ is better and more authentic. With that attitude,Sorry, no return!
|
Anh Hong Saigon
Cuisine: Vietnamese
|
Tenderloin |
2/17/2006
|
|
|
If you only experienced the (1960-1980's)Trader Vics when it was on Cosmo Pl, with the valet parking, the dark, cavernous dinning rooms decorated in monstrous bamboo and palm trees. Sort of a cross between the Tonga Room and Swiss Family Tree House in Disneyland, The Polynesian music, the drums, the uniformed staff, but NOOOOOOO, they had to move into a sterile can't even tell it's Polynesian except for a few nickynaks around! upscale sterile venue. The food and service was sub par. Now I am compareing it to the original restaurant. If you just fell off the truck, and came in , the experience is ok, but it's sad to see what it could have been and what it is and what it was! Now it is overpriced, overcooked and overrated! The new digs which use to be Star's restaurant, is confusing, as was the experience. For what you wind up paying for dinner for 4 , they should give you the glassware the drinks come in! Parking is acceptable, experience is not! Sorry no return here. Sad to say!
|
Trader Vic's
Cuisine: Polynesian
|
Civic Center |
2/5/2006
|
|
|
The best thing about this place is that there is a parking garage across the street! My Chinese friend took us here after a busy day of shoping and boy was I glad that she did the ordering. The carts loaded with the goodies fly by not stoping for any Anglo! But one word from our friend and the trays almost slide of the cart as it comes to an abrupt stop. What can you say about dimsum? It's good even though you havn't the slightest idea of what's inside. Ok, I know pork buns and steamed shrimp pods, but what is all that other stuff? After about 1/2 hour we couldn't see the other side of the table, and I was trying to figure out which CD I was going to cash to pay the check! ( I remember the bill at Yank SIng) The price was much more resonable, and that made the service and lunch much more enjoyable. It's loud and crowded, so be prepared for a bustling place. Not a place for a first date.
|
Gold Mountain
Cuisine: Chinese Banquet
|
Chinatown |
2/5/2006
|
|
|
Whats nice about this place is that I didn't see one tourist! Not that there's anything wrong with tourists other than I try and find places that they don't go to. This is a hidden gem in Chinatown. All locals here, and full most of the time. The service is good, no one pushing you to order something you don't want like other Chinatown places, little loud, ( are they talking about me?) lots of dishes cooked in clay pots, we had the BBQ beef on rice, and the black sea bass with vegetable's, both excellent. Price is moderate, servings are good sized and there's no MSG (or so they say). The parking is non existent so you should park on Washington st garage and walk, otherwise you will never find a spot. Service was fast and quick, atmosphere non existent, food good to great. A return when in the area.
|
Utopia Cafe
Cuisine: Hong Kong Clay Pot
|
Chinatown |
2/5/2006
|
|
|
Wandering around Union Square hungry, we saw these massive windows with a dining room inside. Underneath the Sir Francis, this busy high ceiling bistro comes with a sound level to match a mess hall!. As walk-ins we were seated almost immediately and presented menus quite extensive! Ah,.. Steak tartare, was one choice and Foie Gras was our second heart-healthy pick! Both were excellent! The Caesar salads had good fresh romaine and firm anchovies on the side. Since their specialty is pasta, our choice was linguine with clams and spinach gnocchi. After somewhat extended wait our entrees arrived. Both pastas where done al dente And hot! The bustling atmosphere along with the pro wait staff, make this a gem in the downtown area. Pricing is moderate, drinks are stout and the only disappointment was the spinach side dish. It was dry, bland and seemed old, it didn’t appear to be done fresh. The wine list is impressive and includes both local and international selections. Parking, sure!
|
Scala's Bistro
Cuisine: French Italian
|
Downtown |
1/23/2006
|
|
|
If you are in this area, you’re not going to find a 5 star establishment. This place is close to the Great Hiway, the old drag strip of my high school daze. The menu here is diner food, burgers, fried fish, breakfasts, with bacon, without bacon, with potatoes etc. The plates come hot and fast! The grease is no charge! So if you want an average burger, or a grilled cheese sandwich, then you have found Valhalla! Service is good, as long as you are not here at noon! Pricing a tag high for the quality but it’s the only show on this side of town, unless you want fast food. The parking is great! Never a problem. Nothing special so you can’t be disappointed! Good fries!
|
John's Ocean Beach Cafe
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Outer Sunset |
1/19/2006
|
|
|
Well…….I am surprised of how many people rave over this place! It must solely be for the quantity, plopped down in front of you, and not for any nuance of taste which differentiates itself from the myriad of other eateries on Clement. The cramped loud surroundings that forces you to smell the wet raincoat of the chain smoker next to you, the extremely loud dining room makes this place disappointing to say the least. The raves made it sound like it was dropped from heaven, but in fact all it is, is what it is, that of a feeding frenzy of crowded people! The over sweetened or over salted dishes are made for quantity and not for the discerning palate. The food is not real authentic Burmese; this is the Cheesecake Factory of Thai/Asian cuisine. They do a lot but nothing stellar! Service is very rushed (hurry-up, get out, next!), The Parking is a joke, and so was the experience. I would rather have gone to a cellar restaurant in Chinatown if I wanted to smell like a restaurant!
|
Burma Superstar
Cuisine: Burmese
|
Inner Richmond |
1/19/2006
|
|
|
Just what we need, another Italian seafood restaurant located in Fisherman’s Wharf! This redo of what was Francesco’s. Same owners, new name and remodel is going to make this successful this time! Bill of fare, same-o, same-o. Calamari, done perfectly, not overcooked. Crab cakes where chock full of big crab chunkmeat. The spinach salad is something to enjoy! It’s dressed with a cranberry walnut, tossed with chunks of apple. The kitchen sports a new mesquite wood burning grill which imparts a great flavor to the salmon I had. My friend’s grilled snapper was also delicious! The desserts are made in house, from scratch! The flourless chocolate cake was rich and decadent. 9 on the bad for you scale! Tiramisu was expected to be as good, and lived up to the test! Looks like this may be a return visit in 8 weeks or so. Parking isn’t too bad since it is on the outskirts of FW and there a couple of Garages around. Service was ok, staff is trying, and so was I.
|
Capurro's
Cuisine: Seafood Italian
|
Fishermans Wharf |
1/15/2006
|
|
|
Do you ever look at the menu and try and figure out how they can do a good job on hundreds of items? They can’t! Fisherman’s Wharf on a beautiful days is something to savor! Visiting friends saw it at night, and demanded to see it by day! This place was packed for lunch, 15 min wait, but the surly staff seemed too busy for good service! We waited for 20 minutes for our clam chowder to arrive and it was too floury. I ordered a crab louie, for 25 bucks I expect first, fresh crab and second, more than ¼ cup of it throw on top of the lettuce! Come on, I can buy a whole crab for 10 bucks at Safeway! My friends had an order of steamers, and one open face crab sandwich. Steamers ok, crab sandwich, not fresh crab meat, but otherwise ok.OK? Well, you don’t go out to dine for just OK experience, especially for $112 dollars for lunch for 3,…… so I will not be coming back! My friends may since now they know where it is! Parking, sure, they have valet parking! Just another Wharf experience!
|
Pompei's Grotto
Cuisine: Seafood Italian
|
Fishermans Wharf |
1/5/2006
|
|
|
Arg, another visitor shows up! We gotta go to Fishermans Wharf..Right! This old timer has been around since Emperor Norton days, almost. We were seated without wait, but had to wait 10 minutes for the menu, No drinks, No water, just bread ok so this isn’t stellar service. We ordered two types of calamari, one fried ,one sauted, both were good, Chicken picatta was overcooked or overwarmed, the garlic sauce was great on bread, though. My veal scallopini was ok, but served a tad cold. The place was about half full, of noisy patrons most of who appeared from out of town.(really?) Prices are on the high side, but not too bad considering the quantity of food. Desserts were cheap, $3 to 4 bucks and we shared something that looked like Tiramisu. The menu has too many items to do well they should cut about 50% of it and concentrate on quality a little more. Parking, sure, for 25 bucks an hour, just kidding it’s only $10. or validated parking on Mason and Jefferson st. in front of Aliotos!
|
Castagnola's Restaurant
Cuisine: Seafood Italian
|
Fishermans Wharf |
1/5/2006
|
|
|
Honest Italian food? This is the 1st place I’ve been able to find food reminding me of the back street Trattorias of Italy! After a modest wait our friendly hostess placed us in the middle of this den of jabbering local patrons. This old store front with soaring noise levels is bordering on painful! We received immediate attention with wine and menus! Starters included thin seasoned carpacchio and a wonderfully sautéed mussel dish. My breaded veal was thin, tender and tasty! For some reason, Americanized Italian food is usually smothered with sauces or glopped high with food 5 inches tall. In Italy they don’t drench their pasta in sauce. Less is better! The roasted baby artichokes were great and the halibut with vegetables had a bed of grains another winner! Sharing a tiramisu, was vital, best I have had, and priced very reasonable! Wine list is extensive with a few Cal wines in there. Noisy, so no intimate talk here! Parking, NOT! A definite return for real Italian! Molto bene!
|
Antica Trattoria
Cuisine: Italian
|
Polk St./Van Ness |
1/1/2006
|
|
|
If you want to capture a feeling of eating in your closest friends' dining table, with friends all talking, and all enjoying themselves, the company and the food, then you will enjoy this pub! The friendliness of the place puts you into a mood fitting for a drink! Or two! My order of fish and chips came piping hot, with associated mandatory malt vinegar, my lunch buddy's hamburger, would have been a great 2nd choice. (Next visit) Their skinny French fries were not greasy, nor was the fish, or hamburger! The menu is varied, from salads to steak, chicken to salmon! Pricing is moderate, but when you add the ambiance price is not the object here! Fellow patrons appeared to know each other, so locals must know what's good! The wait staff is friendly, relaxing and efficient. Parking is improbable so don't get mad, just order a brewski! A definite return when it's lunch in the area. I also notice that very few of those Marinaites frequent this place! Must be the unpretentious food here!
|
Liverpool Lil's
Cuisine: English Pub Food
|
Marina |
12/31/2005
|
|
|
Now I know how those ducks feel that get fed to make Foie Gras! This chain restaurant serves quantity and quality for you “meat and potatoes addicts”. Have the ambulance on standby if you finish all your food and all courses. The appetizers are huge; the Tuna Tartare could have served two people. The humongous Caesar salad had the crispiest lettuce this side of Salinas! Try the huge servings of creamed spinach and the asparagus with Hollandaise! The normal Porterhouse is about 20 oz, and they have a double on the menu? My Oscar Filet was tender and had abundant crab on top! The service is excellent, as are the pricing. The ambiance is somewhat noisy but tolerable for an intimate conversation during knife strokes. We split a sabayon with fresh fruit, and luckily the bill. $250 for 2, with wine! Not a place to go to every week unless you have that ambulance out front. All in all, it was a great dining experience I can only handle once a year! Parking, sure….. in your dreams!
|
Morton's Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Downtown |
12/29/2005
|
|
|
Fine dining this isn’t, but there something to say for longevity. Like, boy does this place make me feel ancient! This use to be a “meat rack” in the early 70’s still attracts crowds of office herds all thirsty for drinks & attention. This chain restaurant puts on a decent dinner,service is hap hazard but considering what it is, that what you get! Calamari –ok, Potato skins –not, too dry and too freezer burned!, Caesar salads – ok, greens could have been fresher!, Crab cakes were expensive, dry and sans any noticeable flavor of crab! Rack of lamb, was excellent about 4 minutes prior to having it served to me at the table. Timing is everything, well done lamb is nothing! They did remove the price off the bill. (Nice thing to do!) Extensive local wine list, pricing moderate to high, all in all this is kind of an upscale TGIF, but they are doing something right to be here for all this time. Parking, sure, try the garages for your best bet! Return visit, sure, in another couple of years!
|
MacArthur Park
Cuisine: Barbecue American (Traditional)
|
Downtown |
12/29/2005
|
|
|
Original Joes is like going to dinner at Grandma's. It’s never a gourmet meal, but it’s never a disappointment. I go there for the show. This is the perfect place to grab some pasta dishes, garlic bread, bottle of wine, and enjoy the show with a friend who also has some time to kill before a show on Geary. My favorite is Linguine with Clams, or the Calf's Liver with Bacon and Onion (no emails please)
Nothing has changed here, in years, the waiters are pro’s dressed in formalwear, Look for the hesitation in the writing of the order if you want to see what NOT to get. Best yet, ask the waiter for something HE would recommend. The portions are huge. The Joe’s special which is great for the midnight snack if you have had a little too much….Parking is tenuous, I would recommend parking at the Hilton and walking down or the lot next door. The area is, well, a little seedy, A regular place to visit!
|
Original Joe's
Cuisine: Italian American (Traditional)
|
Tenderloin |
12/29/2005
|
|
|
You can’t have both, a decent restaurant with a parking lot.. This tiny old storefront seats about 30 and would be packed nightly if there was parking around. Wait there isn’t any parking and the place is still packed. Our wait was about 5 minutes as they cleared a table, and we were promptly presented an impressive menu that is printed daily! The squash soup was exquisite, great, smooth and filling! My fried rabbit was perfect except for it being served on cold spinach. My friends pumpkin ravioli were also good except that the topping of pecorino cheese seemed a little overpowering the gentle flavor of the silky pasta. The friendly service was adequate although slow on the clearing of the plates. Impressive was their wine list, both local and international vintages, More impressive was the moderate pricing of the wine, AND the dinner entrees. This is the quintessential neighborhood bistro, where locals eat dinner every week. Will return, ONLY with taxi service!
|
1550 Hyde
Cuisine: Californian Mediterranean Organic
|
Russian Hill |
12/22/2005
|
|
|
You will either love it or hate it! This confusing place is sort of a cross between a dining hall and a bordello bar area. I am always leery of places that have too many and varied menu items. This place runs the gamut from bagels and cream cheese, matzo ball soup, heuvos rancheros, pita bread with lamb and yogurt. It looks like they have thrown the menu together based on what they think the community wants. There’s Jewish, Mexican, Italian, America and Indian! It tries to be somewhat high class but high price is the result. I usually love Cobb salad so why not try it? Well, I don’t think the original Brown Derby salad would have succeeded in Hollywood 50 years ago with Peanuts,lime,ginger,coconut and spinach in it!. They should be arrested for calling it a Cobb salad. It was ok, but not a COBB salad! So continues the confusion. The 13 dollar cheeseburger my friend had was dry from overcooking, and underwhelming especially for the price. Maybe, might try it again, maybe. Parking Not!
|
Sydney's Home
Cuisine: American (comfort food)
|
Presidio Heights |
12/21/2005
|
|
|
I would give up half my fortune to bring back the old Larabaruu bakers soft French roll that had just the right springiness, but Boudin is a close runner up! These guys seem to have consistency down pat! What they also have down is profitability because for what they charge for a sandwich they are a little shy on the protein department (animal). The service is non negotiable, and the selection is adequate. Nothing special since they have multiple locations so you can consider this a chain, except the bread. If your timing is right you can pick some up to take home for the weekend.
Parking, ha…… parking lots on Mission or walk….. A return , sure since I can't walk back far enough in time for Larabaruu bakers!
|
Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe
Cuisine: Bakeries
|
Downtown |
12/20/2005
|
|
|
This city landmark is known for the birth of Irish Coffees! Their breakfasts are traditional and you won’t walk away hungry. I’ve been coming here for years and its good old fashion non pretentious stuff! Burgers, salads, spaghetti and meatballs, Crab salads all that good stuff. But try the breakfast with their Ramos Fizzes! The service is good and quick, staffed by professionals in vests who get to know you and in the evenings have your drink ready at the bar as soon as they see you walk in! The prices are in line with neighborhood joints and you won’t be disappointed for the atmosphere. It is crowded at lunch and evenings so expect to stand and wait, have 2 or 3 coffees and everything will be just fine! Parking garage next door, or take the cable car!
|
Buena Vista Cafe
Cuisine: American (Traditional) Coffee Shop
|
Fishermans Wharf |
12/18/2005
|
|
|
Next time when my ears get plugged up I may return to Limon. The noise level for some reason made what should be a great dining experience into something that we wanted to rush and get the hell out of the place. It’s busy & loud! Sadly because the service, and the food was excellent! The calamari appetizers were tender and not overcooked, and presentations are what you would expect in very trendy 5 star places. My fried sea bass was moist, and flavorful, as was the Loma Saltado which is cut sirloin strips with onions and tomatoes, & rice sort of like fajitas but 100 times better! The plating presentations are great and the price of the dishes are as high as the vertical elements on the dishes! They have an extensive wine list, but sadly California wines are few and far between. Because of the noise we dropped dessert. Plan to drop about $50 bucks a head for dinner plus wine. Parking is a joke, so we took a taxi from a central location. A definite return on a less stressful night!
|
Limon
Cuisine: Peruvian
|
Mission |
12/18/2005
|
|
|
If you need to chill out and have a nice quiet dinner with someone special in a cute place where you can actually carry on a intimate conversation then this is it! This tiny store front restaurant seats about 30 and has a garden for nice weather outside. The service is attentive and professional. We were seated immediately and presented impressive menus and wine list! Our steamed mussels were fantastic! The saffron infused broth required bread to fully enjoy, and to drain the bowl! My pancetta covered scallops were moist and succulent presented on top of lentils. The Cornish Game Hen was done perfectly, moist topped with caper lemon butter! The wait time between entrees gave us perfect timing to converse with the help of a bottle of one of their great wines. The warmth of the staff make this a necessary comeback when in this area again! Parking is difficult, so keep trying! They are also open for lunches and brunch!
|
Magic Flute Garden Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
|
Presidio Heights |
12/18/2005
|
|
|
If you like the Cheesecake Factory you will love this place! What they lose in taste and quality they make up in volume. It almost like eating in a trough
environment! …..moooo….. It’s sad to see that the plates get removed from the table with half the food still there! What a waste! They should work on taste and quit the quantity. My fresh salmon which was supposed to be “roasted just right” came dry almost like eating well done tuna! The fettuccine Alfredo came with a “goopy horrible out of the can” sauce which totally masked any flavor of the pasta,…hey….maybe that what they want it to do? The Caesar salads were ok, just ok, and the homemade cheesecake necessitates an immediate inspection of whose home it came from. It was dry, no matter how much sauce they plopped on top. No more, thanks, but what do you expect for a chain? Service adequate, loud, not an intimate dinner for two ambiance!
|
Buca di Beppo
Cuisine: Italian
|
SoMa |
12/18/2005
|
|
|
No that's just their attitude, even if you are Russian! 100 years of standing in line for a cup of rice will do that to you, I guess! The breads there are genuine but priced a little high and appear not to be baked daily. The piroshki are unusually very large and yes, very, very greasy! Normally piroshki are the size of a large potato, the one I got looked like a deflated cantaloupe and had goopy greasy meat filling inside which is not desirable (Unless you are a bone marrow glutton). There are a couple of other deli's that have better products AND better & nicer looking wait staff. If in the Richmond the Cinderella is better choice as a restaurant and deli! After all, Russian food and supplies don't quite fit into a horn of plenty unless you like 20 different varieties of dried sausage! The prices on the other items were pretty much in line with their competition! Waling the snow to Siberia as in the movie DR. Zhivago is easier than finding parking around this area, so come early!
|
Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery Store
Cuisine: Bakeries
|
Outer Richmond |
12/15/2005
|
|
|
The place always seems busy and based on the competitions' treatment of clients I can see why! They have the full menu of tamaki and nigiri sushi along with tempura and sashimi. The quality is fine, but it is part of a multiple ownership and seems to be more of an assembly line, lacking some quality and detail at times. It’s a fine place for a fast neighborhood sushi stop especially if you only have an hour or so for dinner. It is family oriented with screaming kids and oblivious parents! Pricing for the quantity of food is very moderate. Service is friendly and prompt. Their fried oysters were fantastic and as was the soft shell crab. All in all the experience was good except for the hassle of parking and trekking several blocks dodging people riding their bikes on the sidewalk! Arrrg!
|
Kiki's Japanese Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese Asian Sushi
|
Inner Sunset |
10/3/2005
|
|
|
No, dinner doesn’t have to be a rushed experience but after waiting to be seated I could tell that this was not going to be a stellar dining experience! They must laugh at the customers in the back, seeing how slooowwww they can make sushi and how much they can irritate the customers. (we were not alone in bailing out) After 45 minutes and seeing only 6 piece of sushi, we figured that at that rate of speed our orders would be complete around 2:20 am! It was then that we decided to finish our agony and request the bill. I figured that I was burning up calories faster than we were able to be fed so it was a no win situation! The quality of the fish does not overpower the sour taste of the service and attitude at Ebisu. The fastest thing on premises was the arrival of the check which we gladly paid while making a photographic picture of where not to return! Luckily Kiki is a couple of doors down, that’s were we finished out dinner that night!, In about 30 minutes.
|
Ebisu
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
|
Inner Sunset |
10/3/2005
|
|
|
Why anyone would think these guys make good burgers is beyond me. Ok, I guess we can define what a burger is, like old Bill’s what is sex? To me a burger is something that drips massive amounts of grease, has some charring on the meat, and is at least ½ inch thick when done. AND you only become satisfied when the last bit of soggy bun has to be licked between your fingers! The in/out is not that. It is too sterile of a burger, the meat is thin, and usually overcooked (try the meat without all the stuff) it has NO taste, well maybe like cardboard, Ok, it’s better than MCD, so what? It’s a mass produced average tasting meat sandwich, which you get with fresh non crispy dry fries. The only positive comment is that the place looks like a hospital operating room, (clean). I want my burgers from a place that is teetering on being shut down by the health department for being too unhealthy for you! So, if your idea that IN/out is your ideal burger, go for it, I need more goop for my money!
|
In-n-out
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Fishermans Wharf |
9/22/2005
|
|
|
No quantity or quality of food or perfection of service can turn a disappointing experience into a positive one. Greed is probably the motivating factor to cram so many tables into such a small space. Try and think about having a nice dinner in a full elevator with strangers. There are just some things that I don’t want to know about the people that are having their dining experience on either side of me. The food was fresh and of good quality, servings were ample and the menu extensive for a typical Latin food aficionado! Pricing is moderate to alto, but unless I can get take out next time or have the place blow half the tables out of there, I cannot return. If they only removed 2 tables, it would make this a great place! Service was good, although loud, and way too personal. I can’t recommend it for the dining experience or the parking either. There are too many other places in the Mission to have to have dinner in a phone booth…….anyone remember phone booths?
|
Platanos Cocina Latina
Cuisine: Central American Fusion
|
Mission |
9/18/2005
|
|
|
If you want great Chinese food go to Chinatown. This place situated in marina gulch is filled with what else, marinaites! The ambiance is somewhat hard to describe, somewhere between phony and maxed out credit cards…… The food here is ok, and it defiantly caters to the local residents, that’s why I can’t get too excited about the lack of authentic flavor and taste! Pancakes for the mooshi pork were old and brittle, kind of hard to use that way! Noodle soup was way too salty, on purpose to mask any hint of possible flavor. The staff is aloof, the crowds noisy, the place is a chain operation so this explains the lack of management warmth. If you have to have Chinese on Union Street then look somewhere else, I don’t think it’s a great place unless you want to be with the “in” crowd, but I thought that was a Ramsey Lewis song from the 60’s! Prices are steep for what you get. Maybe if I had started in the bar with 4 to 5 drinks first, I would have tolerated the place better…maybe not!
|
Betelnut Pejiu Wu
Cuisine: Pan-Asian
|
Cow Hollow |
9/18/2005
|
|
|
Well what do you expect for a SOMA bar decorated with walking leather and glitz? This neighborhood dive which has a great bar selection of drinks for every member of the village people! While sipping on my Manhattan the show of patrons was worth the explanation to my guest who I cajoled for a free lunch! The place is decorated typical with photos and items of interest (?). Lunch included small mixed green with ginger dressing which came immediately followed with a burger on focaccia. The other sandwich also looked good although half the bread was left on the plate at the end. Pricing is ok, drinks a tad high, but considering there was a great show of locals the experience was worth it! I probably should return for dinner some Thursday or Friday night for a real culture injection! Parking ok, service not professional but adequate.
|
Buzz 9
Cuisine: California
|
SoMa |
9/17/2005
|
|
|
What’s is the purpose of calling ahead to order your sushi for take out, told that it will be ready in 45 minutes, and when you arrive on time to pick up your order only to be told that the order will take another 30 minutes. Forgetaboutit! Keep your sushi! If I wanted to wait for sushi we would have gone out for it!
|
Kitaro Restaurant
Cuisine: sushi japanese
|
Outer Richmond |
9/17/2005
|
|
|
Yeah I know they are all the best! My friend swore that if I didn’t think this was great he would pay for dinner! Hey wait a minute it was his turn anyway! The first thing that I hated about this place is that we were ignored at a table while people who were at the counter were being served. Finally we repeated our order and waited again without tea for about 15 minutes. He swore that it use to be good, and the portions were much better than the slivers of fish that barely covered the rice pods. The quality of the fish seemed to be ok from what little there was. Our assortments were very uninspiring! This place was a big yawn. We should have known when we first walked in and found the place half empty! Most places in the city are crammed to the rafters but not here. So it use to be good….right…ok Next time lets try something in the Richmond or anyplace but here. Wipe this one off the guide books!
|
Hamano Sushi
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
|
Noe Valley |
9/17/2005
|
|
|
Having business around the corner, my contact insisted on Schroeder’s.This place is almost as old as Tadich, and that’s where the similarity stops. The lunch menu had something for all,with great German dishes. Our starter, the crab cakes were small but had good crab meat taste and not dry. The ceasar salad had a good dressing with extra anchovies brought to the table for the asking! Both the Wiener schnitzel and the Hungarian Goulash were both done as expected with plenty of meat and great sauce. Service was a tad sluggish but considering it was beginning of the lunch rush, somewhat expected. We were pleasantly surprised with the attentiveness of the wait staff and the ability to actually have lunch completely served within one hour! We split a large piece of apple strudel which was a mistake. I really needed my own piece, it was that good.. Looking at the next table’s burger, I am going to make an attempt to return for either dinner or lunch again and order the burger!
|
Schroeder's
Cuisine: German
|
Downtown |
9/11/2005
|
|
|
It was about halfway through the meal that I figured out why this place was so mediocre. IT’s a chain, not a good chain, but a lousy chain with poorly trained staff with attitudes perfect for being a postal employee. Our order took what seemed forever, while others where being served. This is one place that makes burgers totally without any meat taste. I don’t know where they get their beef, but cardboard has more taste! They even asked how I wanted the burger done, why? Rare came out well done, and she never returned to find out if our food was ok. Chicken Caesar was full of brown lettuce and the dressing was too sparse. Their only claim to fame is overpriced garlic fries. Big Deal! But when you consider everything is either frozen or precooked, and the service has poor attitude this is not worth the time to come and get one halfway decent item they have, the brew…… Sorry Gordon, you can purge my name off the list for good!
|
Gordon Biersch
Cuisine: Pub Food
|
Pacific Bell Park/South Beach |
9/11/2005
|
|
|
Finding a parking space in front made out choice so much easier. The wait was about 10 minutes and the place looked inviting and busy. After being seated out server took our wine order and gave us our menus. The wine list although shy on Calif, wines is adequate to complementing anything on the menu. Our entrees arrived within what seemed like minutes and were surprisingly good. The pasta was aldente and had sufficient covering of sauce to complement and not hide! One of the issues with lots of places is that they drench everything with too much sauce; here it’s like in the old country, quality not quantity. Everything was great except for the guests on either side of us. They were constantly whining about this or that to the server. I don’t mean subtle, I’m talking about to the point of annoying. But hey, it’s in the Marina so what do you expect? Service was good, food good, other people too loud and galling. Price on the high side, so what else is new.
|
A16
Cuisine: Italian Wine Bar
|
Marina |
8/15/2005
|
|
|
This is a poor imitation of the delis of NYC. The only thing that is sort if the same is the overpriced sandwiches. They have a tall stack of meat on them making it a problem to eat or disassemble. My quality of the pastrami was not good. In NYC they have premium meats and breads. Not here, they try to be like the Carnegie Deli or Katz’s but don’t even come close. Their salads are overpriced for the quality of product. again, the only positive experience was the waitperson who was attentive to the point of being annoying. I always think that anyplace that has some many items on the menu can’t do any of them well. They would do better trimming down the selections and concentrating on the quality of the product. It’s not bad for a chain operation. Parking here was hit and miss.
|
Max's Opera Cafe
Cuisine: Deli Dessert
|
Civic Center |
8/13/2005
|
|
|
Unless you have an hour or two to wait, do not stop here, keeping going. After waiting for 25 minutes on a Saturday morning, for breakfast, and seeing the 5 or 6 other people nervously waiting, I tried to get the attention of the owner, and finally yelled that I’ll be back for my money since I couldn’t wait any longer.
Upon return later that afternoon, I was told by the owner that it was a new chef. I surmise that is Impossible since you can’t even be a line cook unless you can balance 4 to 5 items plus new calls at the same time. I did see them heating up spaghetti, plopping red sauce on it, and then placing it in the microwave. I tried the pizza and it was awful, about par with something you buy frozen then reheat at home. This is absolutely a deli with mediocre pizza that tries to accommodate a breakfast crowd and fails miserably.
|
Moscone Pizzadelli
Cuisine: Pizza
|
SoMa |
8/6/2005
|
|
|
If it wasn’t for the appearance of the other patrons I could have closed my eyes and thought I was in the south of France. Americans no longer dress up or even clean up for almost anything anymore. The room was filled with a sea of logo shirts in various stages of distress, but still the food kept my attention to the refreshing taste and quality not seen here in medium priced establishments. This can only be accomplished in a family run operation and I hope they survive the real world out here. The service was good although a tad slow, to American standards,unlike the French, we eat to survive not to enjoy! ( well most of us) Our lamb dishes were done perfectly as was the duck breast. A tad loud for normal conversation because of the room acoustics, but with enough wine, (limited selection) this became less important! There are enough businesses around the area, so parking is not a big problem, the pricing was a great value for what we received and we didn’t have to fly for 10 hours!
|
La Provence
Cuisine: French
|
Mission |
8/3/2005
|
|
|
I felt like I had died and gone to heaven! If there is one thing that I have obsessive behavior is that I always order won ton soup. So welcome to Won Ton Disneyland! The gentle pasta that surrounds the moist tasty pillow of meat stays and doesn't fall off! The other soups are also great! Pot stickers have the perfect combination of the pasta thickness to the meat ratio! Pricing is cheap comparing Geary or Irving Street restaurants that have less quality. Soup and onther dish totals less than 10 bucks! Parking is the gem here, absolutely not a problem almost any time of the day. The service is adequate, typical Chinese attitudes and the place is small so don't figure on a table for 20! I don't think more than 10 people can even fit in this place at one time! The menu also has the norm of Chinese food so if you don't crave won tons you can have their noodle dishes also. Some portions are small, but not overpriced. Mid block up from Riverside Seafood, easy to miss!. Great Value!
|
Just Won Ton
Cuisine: Chinese Noodle Shop
|
Outer Sunset |
8/2/2005
|
|
|
The quality is so good that you will want to keep ordering more and more. This Hong Kong style sea food restaurant provides an excellent location to get away from the normal restaurant rows and sit down in a crowded atmosphere for some fresh shark fin soup, or their assortment of sashimi. The outer sunset location guarantees no problem in parking, the service is typical shouting waiters and the service is curt and most of the time fast! The pricing is very moderate especially when you consider the fresh products! We were walk ins and only had to wait for about 15 minutes and were offered tea. In a glut of Asian restaurants this one stands out for its freshness. And it’s pretty easy non hassle experience, which is now often not found in the city!
|
Riverside Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine: Hong Kong Seafood
|
Outer Sunset |
7/31/2005
|
|
|
Great thing about the city is when you get burned at a place there are thousand more to discover. The reason we came here was that there was a parking space as we were looking for a place, and what better reason, eh? The place was small and loud, but it was only half full,or half empty. We were seated and ordered drinks which took too long to arrive. (1st down) after our order, the drinks did get there but one was wrong. (2nd) the crowning blow was that one of our entrees was delivered and upon finishing we noticed a well defined greasy boot print on the wooden platter that was used as the serving plate for the chicken. Upon asking the waiter if that standard, he looked at us like we had just insulted his mother, and left, no sorry or I’ll check, etc, Soooooo, sayonara Luna Park, food was ok, (before the shoe print) service was lousy, and attitude was one of the worst I have experience in many years! Forgetabdid! I’m outahere! Surprise their plate glass windows aren’t boarded up?
|
Luna Park
Cuisine: Hamburgers American (Traditional)
|
Mission |
7/31/2005
|
|
|
This always seems to happen, you find a great place, the food is great, the value is great, the chef is great, and then kaboom, they move into a place that the rent goes from a buck a foot to 8 or 10 bucks. Well where do you think the rent payment is coming from? We popped in here just because my buddy wanted to see the new place since they moved from the mission. What was once a nice meal with cozy surroundings and a good deal has turned into a bad value, with a tab for dinner for two for a hundred bucks! There is no Vietnamese food worth a hundred bucks, and I don’t need to schmooze here with the elite from lower Market St. Food OK although cold, service was ok when you got the attention of someone, the ambiance too loud! For me this is a no return, let the people that pack it in pay for the rent, I myself will look for another store front in the Mission! At least there I can find a parking space the same day!
|
Slanted Door, The
Cuisine: Vietnamese
|
Embarcadero |
7/27/2005
|
|
|
Damn it’s been years since we’ve been to Hawaii, and there are just too many other things and places to go to be bumping in to short people with cameras! Feeling unusually moody we caught the 615 PM flight to Roy’s on 2nd street. The taxi bill was over 20 bucks but for a fast relatively inexpensive trip to Hawaii, why not? Immediately the Hawaiian martini brought to the table in less then 3 min started to cheer me up! Beautifully prepared lobster potstickers and tiny pork ribs, I felt my mood changing. The decorations, music and service, I swore I had just exited the elevator in Honolulu and was greeted by Roy again! The Mahi Mahi with a Macadamia crust was one of the best fish entrees this millennium. The evening was quickly terminated with the presentation of a volcano of chocolate out of a cake called their soufflé. This is the first and only time that a chain earns my respect and return. Parking is non existent unless you use a garage, or splurge and come via the Taxi. Aloha!
|
Roy's
Cuisine: Hawaiian Seafood
|
SoMa |
7/21/2005
|
|
|
Just call me Mr Tourguide! Well right across the street here was Metz Superior Donuts, which had great glazed donuts that use to be 10 cent each. Two doors away from the old Haight Theater, so we stop here for a Pizza! NY Pizza, you got to be kidding! This isn’t even close to what I’ve had in NYC! This sauce they might even doctor up, out of#10 can, but doubt it! The crust was uneven, and bitter. The joint is dirty, but was close during the walking tour. The only good things here was the smelly bums in the walkway and sidewalk that hassled my friend from Kansas! Seems they don’t have that problem there! He wasn’t impressed with the pizza either, now that’s bad! Weird selection of pizzas! A potato pizza? Too much junk on the walls, they would have been better off to spend the money on training!
What’s happened to my old Haight street? Amazing what 50 years will do! Next time we will go to Club Pizza at Ashbury! Much better and cleaner!
|
Escape From NY Pizza
Cuisine: Pizza
|
Haight-Ashbury/Cole Valley |
7/13/2005
|
|
|
Just shoot me, please! Let me know how I can get out of entertaining visitors from out of town? “Look this place looks neat!” Sure, why not! Well if you have ever visited Swiss Family treehouse in Disneyland then you would love this place! It is specifically designed to take your attention away from how horrible the food is! If you’re looking for another source for miniature bungee cords by all means order their fried calamari! The Caesar Salad was brown and limp, but the canned dressing was one of the best I’ve had yet! NOT, my guests chicken fried steak, yeah, (comes to SF and orders a chicken fried steak) was as good as Dennys! Service attitude was non friendly, prices were high, so you bring the kids and the decorations will keep their attention and quiet until you leave, that’s the only positive thing I can say about this chain…….need to invent an opposite of stars for a rating system this would be a good start!
|
Rainforest Cafe
Cuisine: American
|
Fishermans Wharf |
7/13/2005
|
|
|
After 16 hours with a change of planes in Atlanta, I refused to touch airline food for at least the next millennium! So, what’s open around the Richmond on the way home? The place by the Muni yard, yeah! That’s the place! It’s only been here since the 49ers, and the dirty greasy filmed windows prove it! Well, it’s better than Mels,.. After just eating in Rome and Barcelona, no matter what I ordered wouldn’t matter, it was only something to fill my stomach. Guess what, I woke up the next day and did not have a stomach ache, or the next day either, so, maybe just maybe, the cheeseburger and fries I ordered were fresh for some reason, hey it’s diner food. It’s open 24 hours a day and it was packed at 12:30 am! Menu, diner food, Service, diner attitude, Prices cheap considering the load of fries on the plate, Gourmet items, yoza gotta be kiddin me? Better than Jack in the Box, YES, unless someone knows a better joint at 2 or 3 in the morning this is ok, …….
|
Lucky Penny Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese American (Traditional) Coffe Shop/Diner
|
Inner Richmond |
7/1/2005
|
|
|
Well my friend wanted to try this Nanking place. Ok, I’ll never wait in line longer than 15 minutes, after 30 we finally got in, and guess what? More Tourists and non Chinese than Chinese. Not a good sign, as we were seated the waiter screamed “What you want?”, can we have a few minutes first? 2 mins later, “OK What you want? I make order for you OK?”. Sure why not, after all he’s the Chinese guy right? The stuff that came out was right out of a Chinese Hometown Buffet! Goopy, slimy, gooey, beef, chicken and pork dishes all tasting the same! This is not the Chinese food that I consider good or a representation of what real CF is all about. This is prepared for what the tourist’s idea of CF is. There are so many better restaurants in town, this is a joke! AND $93 for dinner with 6 dishes w/2 beers is a rip off! Why is this small loud rude place so popular with Tourists is a mystery to me! So if you’re looking for mediocre non authentic CF this is your place! Not for me!
|
House of Nanking
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Chinatown |
6/11/2005
|
|
|
Ever have a friend who thinks he knows all the hidden gems of gourmet land? Well this is the best restaurant this side of Mexico! Oh, oH, as we parked right in front, (bad sign) this little hole in the wall, looked promising! Upon being seated we were handed two menus that had last week’s appetizers served on them. Living in Mexico 3 to 4 months a year, I figure gives me just a little insight into authentic Mexican food. This was definitely not even close, unless your idea of a combo plate with refried beans (out of a can) and the salsa (out of a can) and the chille relleno (out of a can) is your "died and gone to heaven" Mexican plate! Service was worst than you could expect for someone who is in the food service business (look up definition of service, Mom) Their cervesa selection was good, and the serve Margaritas, (out of a bottle) so with so many REAL Mexican places in the Mission, this is MUY MALO! You have been warned!
|
Mom is Cooking
Cuisine: Mexican
|
Excelsior |
6/4/2005
|
|
|
After seeing so much hoopla, I know I'm going to get needles into my voodoo doll..... For lunch, I had the overcooked flank streak, which although had some flavor, would have been edible had it been cooked a medium rare or rare and sliced in thin strips on the bias, the other dish was the dry chicken breast. The reason chicken is usually overcooked is because there is a fine timeline between done with juices and done dry ,it’s about 1 minute, since after you pull it,it will continue to cook, and in a busy kitchen,it's almost impossible to do it that precisely and people freak out at a little pink in poultry. The result is dry chicken. Unless you brine the meat, timing is everything, so for dry flank and dry chicken, I don’t need to pay that kind of price! And the menu was a little boring. I would suggest changing the items to something that is not as time sensitive. The service was OK; the place seemed busy but wasn’t full. But that’s just my opinion. Why no California wine?
|
Triptych
Cuisine: Fusion
|
SoMa |
6/1/2005
|
|
|
Do you ever wonder why they bother to ask you how you would like to have your hamburger done, when they always come out the same way? I guess it covers up the fine taste that the meat may have had, if it had even a bit of moisture left in the patty. I guess if you smothered the burger with enough mustard and catsup cardboard will even taste good! My friend's fish and chips were good and they had a large serving of fries included. The prices here are very reasonable as is the menu selection, also having chicken wings(sorry buffalo), and prawns and oysters also. The place is tiny so, don’t be surprised to see a line outside during lunch. Parking is impossible so, try either at 11 or 1 for a better chance of snagging a space. All in all, this is not the best or the worst of burgers in town, beats the chains any day!
|
Buffalo Burger
Cuisine: american hamburgers
|
Outer Richmond |
6/1/2005
|
|
|
If you like hot cramped places that are filled with loud often shouting patrons then you will absolutely love this place! Thinking that Saturday, early evening would be quiet here, we were disappointed to find a cramped dining room with an audio level requiring a cone of silence (email me if you need a explanation). Our appetizer orders arrived within minutes the ceviche both ahi and scallop and shrimp were well prepared with good balance and the right amount of marination Within minutes more plates arrived, my crab cakes turned out to be a little dry and bland, although the paella style rice and prawns was flavorful, the prawns had been tender and not overcooked as some kitchens hold the dish. Service was good, sometimes a little too good, to the point of being annoying. Good wine selection, moderately priced and sufficient menu choices for everyone. Parking is impossible as usual, would return with earplugs on a colder day. Not recommended for days over 80 degrees.
|
Fresca
Cuisine: Peruvian
|
Upper Fillmore |
5/29/2005
|
|
|
Immediately after your teeth penetrate the cooked prawn, and your taste buds start to decipher and decode the multitude of flavors is when that certain off taste of the shrimp hits you. That flavor of what should be a slightly sweet, unmistakable shrimp flavor is suddenly being replaced by the taste and sense that what you have just chewed into is a little too old, just starting to expose the ammonia taste. You are at a crossroads where you need to make that split second decision to keep chewing and swallow or eject the food substance out of your body…….That was the feeling that I got here. All I wanted was a bowl of Wor Won Ton, and what I got was a disappointing feeling that I was getting the bottom of the shrimp bucket for lunch today. Maybe after today's fish delivery the lunch quality will get better, but with the number of other Won Ton Soup factories in the city, I doubt I will return. So service or pricing is moot at this point!
|
Lee Hou Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum
|
Inner Richmond |
5/28/2005
|
|
|
This Bar Boe Que restaurant is located smack dab on outer 3rd street which is now going through a pleasant resurgence. Once the rail is complete, you’ll see more places open up here. As we were Looking for a lunch place this beckoned to us because of the aroma as we drove by this old storefront. The menu is what you would expect! The BBQ ribs are slathered with the best sauce I tasted in the city. You can also pig out on a big plate of wings or a chicken half. They smoke their ribs for hours and a big slab was perfect for two people. The jambalaya was moist and spicy! The prices are extremely reasonable , service is prompt and friendly, lots of locals picking up lunch carry outs, so come early. Parking is no problem, it’s worth a try. The corn was also delicious! Recommend lunch time only....
|
Jordan's House of Ribs
Cuisine: BBQ Southern
|
Bayview/Hunters Point |
5/27/2005
|
|
|
Having an appointment out on 3rd street the other day, I was taken to Dago Mary’s and was pleasantly surprised by this old style ( I love old dive places) restaurant that has been serving good hardy food to Hunters Point workers and residents for years. The menu items are all moderately priced, Fried calamari $6, done tender, linguine with clams $10 was also filling and plentiful. The burgers and sandwiches, $7-8 fries at the table were eagerly and rapidly consumed. Having never been here before, this was an interesting experience driving through what was once a busy navy shipyard. The views are nice and the weather here is usually nice here too! We left without dessert or wine and with our wallets still intact! If I am in the neighborhood around 1130 again, I will stop by just for the experience of it again! It’s not your 5 star, but better than any chain! Parking is a cinch!
|
Dago Mary's Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Bayview/Hunters Point |
5/27/2005
|
|
|
Home is well named since the food here tastes like it was made at someone’s home! Nothing special here, the meatloaf was good, moist and flavorful, with a generous portion on the plate, Rosemary chicken was a little overcooked, but had great flavor. This small place looks homey and seems to have a good following. Our service was quick and attentive with plates and drinks brought quickly after our order. The cheesecake was good and the menu has something for everyone! The place is a tad noisy for intimate conversation, but the dining room feeling brings a warm friendly feeling like you were at your grandmother’s old dining room back south somewhere. The prices are very reasonable to city standards, the servings are generous, and the only down side is the parking in the area, good luck. Should there be a parking spot near, grab it and show up for dinner! You hear!
|
Home
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Castro |
5/26/2005
|
|
|
One thing that burns me up and ruins the whole evening, is that when you are given the menu, and are ready to order, the waiter, goes to some other group that just arrived and starts chit chatting with them and ignores you. Ok, so they may be regulars or friends, we order our items and wait about 10 minutes for some cocktails to arrive. The appetizers were ok, but bland, so we figured that you can’t go wrong with rack of lamb, right? WRONG. What apparently happened is that in preparing the food and serving the people who were seated after us, they forgot our order and finally brought out the lamb, which was now overcooked, dry as sandpaper and void of any moisture. You may like this type of food, but sorry, this is expensive and was not prepared right. We asked the waiter if we could have the lamb brought medium rare, and were ridiculed for not knowing what Egyptian food is all about. They finally did replace the lamb 20 minutes later. Too bad, too expensive no return!
|
Al Masri Egyptian Restaurant
Cuisine: Egyptian Middle Eastern
|
Outer Richmond |
5/25/2005
|
|
|
On the way back from SFO, it was Noriega Street’s turn for a new discovery. While parking I was having a difficult time deciding which Chinese restaurant to go to, since on this block alone there were no less than 6 of them. How do they all stay around is the question. This time our choice was the Peking! This well lit place for Chinese food was clean, by CR standards, so why not try it. The won ton soup had the silkiest pasta surrounding a well flavored meat filling. Most places have the pasta falling off the meat with no flavor. The seafood picnic dish, had a ample assortment of shrimp, scallops and calamari. Pricing a tad high, but considering the quality, no problem. I can see why someone would return. The service was a little slow, since two items arrived about 10 minutes after our soup. All in all, in a Sunset sea of Chinese Restaurants, this should be a top 20. Parking is tough, except after 10. It is next door to the Lotus Restaurant, which closes early!
|
Peking Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
|
Inner Sunset |
5/22/2005
|
|
|
It’s so nice to find a place where you can actually enjoy the meal, and have a conversation with someone where you don’t have to shout! This place is a favorite to wander in while shopping around Union Square. It’s behind the Campton Place hotel. They have a daily listing of lunch specials $15, but I always get their Liver and Onions, (yes I know) with apple wood bacon which has never disappointed me! The French Onion soup is delicious, after it cools down a little! For desert their pears in Sabayon are both light and decadent at the same time. Dinners are great with a varied selection including a great Filet Mignon with cognac. Service is excellent with professional waiters who know what not to order if it is not absolutely 100%. The wine list is complete and the pricing is moderate. This place has been here for years and is packed for lunch so come early. Parking is non existent, so Union Square garage is best.
|
Anjou Restaurant
Cuisine: French (Bistro)
|
Downtown |
5/8/2005
|
|
|
Trying to find a nice quiet restaurant for an intimate dinner, my friend suggested this one. This little neighborhood gem with white tablecloths, murals on the wall, and service and friendliness was indeed a well kept secret! Osteria is Italian for what Bistros are in France. Quick, simple good fresh food at decent prices. This place hits 5 points in one swoop. The gnocchi were one of the best I have had in the city! They have several mouth watering pasta dishes on the menu and I can’t wait to return to try some more! The salads were perfectly dressed and fantastic. Adequate and reasonably price wine list. The ambiance is like sitting in someone’s cozy dining room, being a guest with your friends. Service was generous, warm, and attentive. Pricing is reasonable and they are serving until 9:30. Small, attentive and delicious is what will stick with me. Parking is awful, try grocery store lot around back.
|
Osteria
Cuisine: Italian
|
Presidio Heights |
5/8/2005
|
|
|
In the sea of Asian Restaurants located in the Sunset this was a gasp of fresh air! This small upscale place has a small but varied menu with a good enough selection to satisfy almost everyone! The service was good, as were our appetizers. The calamari were sweet, tender and hot, as were the crab cakes! After a brief wait, we tried the Paella ($19) which was a tad salty but the Crab ravioli ($14) saved the day with distinct chunks of crab, swimming in an olive oil/tomato sauce which was complementing and light! The other patrons looked satisfied and were able all to coexist all while carrying on a normal conversation volume level. The only disappointing item was their minuscule wine list dwarfed by their beer selection. All in all, the dinner was excellent, with prices in line with the quality and quantity of selections. And the parking is available on the street most of the time. This is a return, next time in the sunset! Small but Nice!
|
Lotus
Cuisine: Californian Seafood Steaks
|
Inner Sunset |
5/8/2005
|
|
|
While walking by Annie’s, going to Solstice, something about it looked appealing. But Solstice turned out to be too busy and noisy. We returned and thought we were at a Paris bistro. The owner was friendly and seated us immediately and presented us the menu of the day.Service was professional without hovering over our table, the food incredible. From the pear salad to the tender filet, I was pleasantly surprised, especially for this small neighborhood hideaway. This was as good as any place in the city! Wait this is in the city! What I found out was that the chef has paid his dues working at several top stoves in the city! Remembering the food next door I was surprised that this place was not packed to the rafters. Given the quality and price, this is a gem which will be discovered very soon. Maybe I should hit the delete right now! Great place for an intimate dinner and don’t forget to end it by sharing a crème brulee. Price moderate and you leave satisfied, very satisfied!
|
Annie's Bistro
Cuisine: Californian French
|
Pacific Heights |
5/7/2005
|
|
|
While wandering about the Richmond district, we paused as I was explaining that we were across the street from what was once the French Hospital, where memories of my tonsils being ripped out came back. While standing outside we were cajoled inside by a short Korean man full of energy and enthusiasm. We weren’t planning on eating here, but why not? My first impression was that this was a converted laundry or something by the number of hoods and ductwork inside. I later found out that the hoods were a necessity since you cook food at your table! The abundance of food was overwhelming, from kimchee to soup to table grilled pork and chicken dishes. What was memorable about this place was the hospitality of the staff and the owner! You feel like you have come to his home as the only guest! The quality and quantity is memorable as is the price (high) of the meal. This is a definite return, every couple of months or so kind of place. Parking is argh…so what else is new!
|
Brother's Korean Restaurant
Cuisine: Korean Barbecue bbq
|
Inner Richmond |
5/6/2005
|
|
|
There are several items I usually judge a restaurant by. One is a Caesar salad and the other is Paella. Well their Paella was nothing more than yellow rice with prawns and clams tossed in. Missing was the taste of slowly intertwining flavors of the sausage, chicken, mussels, prawns, rice, shells etc., and saffron, which takes hours to develop and meld. Most of the dishes are fast food Spanish style, all done without the most important ingredient. TIME. If all you want is fast food with a Catalan twist this is an ok place, but true Barcelona flavors are only a distant concept here. The menu has lots of stuff, including a large brew selection; service was quick, maybe a little too quick if you know what I mean. Pricy for what you get considering other places in town, with better tastes. Parking is rough unless you pay for a garage. It’s really a hang out type of place, rowdy groups seem to populate here after office hours, letting off steam….....
|
Thirsty Bear Brewing Co.
Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
|
SoMa |
5/5/2005
|
|
|
I’ve been to their Denver operation so why no try the one in the city. There was a distinct difference equal to the difference in elevation between the two cities. SF was definitely a low experience based on both my calamari appetizer which came tough and rubbery to the point that half was left on the plate, to a disappointing pricy (25.00) paella with shrimp and clams made by BF Goodrich ,which once had a hint of saffron. You would think a chain would have the recipes down pat, but noooooo! I guess that once you make it you keep it hot on the steam table until you make the next batch however bad it may be! The menu is expansive and maybe has too many choices all to get good? The atmosphere here is bustling, but the service was not! At least the margaritas where good and came quickly. All in all, this must have been an off nite for them, since my Denver dinner was great, this was just OK, and Parking was ok, after 6.
|
Palomino
Cuisine: Mediterranean Californian
|
Embarcadero |
5/5/2005
|
|
|
We were seated right away for lunch and only missed the first inning. Had the oysters which were great, and the fish and chips were excellent also. Bar service was a little tardy, but expected based on the pre game crowd. Since it was crowded, I'll allow the slow service, since the food was good! Pricing moderate, noisy, so? Surprisingly good based on the pre game crowd and stress level of the staff.
|
Acme Chop House
Cuisine: Steakhouses Organic
|
Pacific Bell Park/South Beach |
4/27/2005
|
|
|
I tried at the House of Prime Rib, but could not get in, so Harris's should have been a good 2nd choice. Not, the Steak Tartar was excellent, the Caesar salad, had gooey mayonnaisey style dressing on it, and my Rare prime rib, was medium with a little a jus on it. After I asked if they had anything rarer, I was advised that that was it! ( 8:00 pm) Well, a good place would have clued me in advance that my Rare meant Medium and allowed me the choice. The wait staff was efficient and attentive, the atmosphere nice and quiet, but the experience was less than satisfactory. Menu items are a little pricy, $ 37 bucks for a slab of Medium Prime Rib. I will know next time, and just wait until the House of Prime Rib is less crowded. Valet parking was nice, but dinner was OK, for the money it should have been Great! This use to be the Grisson Steak house, in the good old days. Anyone remember that?
|
Harris' Restaurant
Cuisine: Steakhouses
|
Polk St./Van Ness |
4/27/2005
|
|
|
This smaller than tiny hole in the wall pizzeria is a perfect example why it is not in a larger place. The quality doesn’t go in to the product therefore no growth in the business. Maybe it was the all you can eat Pizza sign for $7.99 or a hankering for pizza that attracted me to the place. I should have known that you get what you pay for! I was only able to almost finish 2 slices before coming to my senses. I didn’t need the calories or the fat, that bad! If I am going to go overboard, let me do it with a quality product. This was a disappointing lunch experience based on the fact that large franchise places turn out better pizzas. For a lot of stuff on the pie, it had very little taste or flavor! The place only seats maybe 10 people, and the day I was there, a lot of other people were leaving uncompleted pizzas on the tables. It maybe better with at a different time, but my experience caused me to go across the street and buy a couple of apples to finish my lunch.
|
Pizza Orgasmica
Cuisine: pizza
|
Marina |
4/22/2005
|
|
|
Having had the hungers for some fish and chips, I vaguely remembered a place from a whirlwind tour of bars one night. The only problem was that that night was too blurry for me to remember exactly where it was! Eureka! I have found it once and again! This cute local noisy neighborhood hang out has some of the better cod pieces fried in oil in the Richmond! The mentality here is to have your pick of ales, lagers and even cider along with beer, chips, fish, more beer, some darts, pool, more beer and loads of fun! They have an average menu selection besides the fish &chips, shepherds pie, bangers, sandwiches and burgers. The quality is tasty and fresh, but don’t expect a 5 star dinner here. The service is fast and friendly, and even I got into mood to get loud here. The place does get packed so either come early or be prepared to be squeezed and join in the fun. They also have a pool and dart room in the back for the sports minded!
|
Pig and Whistle
Cuisine: Pub Food
|
Inner Richmond |
4/22/2005
|
|
|
If you like food and a lot of it, then you will love this place. Another Chinese restaurant in the Richmond! No Kidding! But at least this one the prices are in reason with the cost of producing the food and not what the tlaffic will bear. They must be having a price war since everything is about 20% less then the competition, and the quality is great! Try their Cod over noodles or cod over rice, both good and both under 5 bucks! The preparation has some Thai twist to it, so the back room may be a mixed marriage. Service is OK, seems like family slaves only. Only down side is that you have to repeat the orders 2 or 3 times, and she will come back to verify. But then again I have the same problem with English ….. Parking is ok; try Geary and not the side streets as they are jammed with too many cars per household…..I wonder why? Only open until 9:30 so don’t plan a late dinner.
|
Ming River Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese Seafood
|
Inner Richmond |
4/21/2005
|
|
|
What I like about Korean food is that it doesn’t taste like Chinese! In the city, with so many Chinese, it’s nice for a change to see what other nationalities can do with noodles and Rice. This tiny hole in the wall has some of the best Korean Ribs (short ribs) that I have tasted! The sesame oil and seed coating marinate were in perfect balance! The Japchae, which is the glass noodle with carrots, mushrooms, beef and spinach, was also great. Try the Bokumbap which is the fried rice, it has one special ingredient (diced Spam). The service is good, the prices are very reasonable, it’s a great change from won ton soup and mushu pork! Parking is a little dicey but not too bad. It’s a nice neighborhood drop –in, for a once a month meal! And they are open late, past midnight! (why?)
|
Korean Village Restaurant
Cuisine: Korean
|
Inner Richmond |
4/20/2005
|
|
|
Well it looked like a good Mexican restaurant by the number of gringos stuffing their faces with burritos (not Mexican food) and other heaping plates of food! All I wanted was some carnitas or maybe melanase, but no, not here! Why not, we have most of the cooks up here anyway? Well this poor excuse for a Mexican Restaurant serves too much of the food you never ever see in Mexico, except in tourist places. The thing that I did like was the salsa bar,with several fresh hand made salsas. It had at least one 1st alarm salsa, made from the chile Arbol. The bill of fare here is tostadas, chips with mounds of indescribable stuff on top, tacos, burritos, burritos, and more burritos. Oh, please take me to somewhere on Mission St at least! The tortillas here were tasteless. (have you every tasted fresh hand made tortillas IN Mexico?) The prices were whatever, the service was helpful and friendly, but the total Mexican food experience was severely lacking, Sorry Amigo, no proximo tiempo!
|
Pancho's Salsa Bar and Grill
Cuisine: Mexican
|
Inner Richmond |
4/20/2005
|
|
|
“Oh you’re going to love this place!” My first question was, why an Argentinean steak house in North Beach? And what’s so Argentinean about a place that gets all their beef from Montana? I’m always hoping to get a steak done right, but that’s only at home! Why is it that I can cook a steak rare, and have it warm inside, unlike what I got here? Which was ice cold in the middle? After waiting for 5 minutes for the waiter to return, I politely asked if they could fix the steak rare and not have it ice cold in the middle. (Was it frozen, perhaps?) I should have just ordered the chicken at that moment, by experience the steak never returns done correctly! Usually coming back medium-well. The Halibut on the other hand was so dried out that no deluge of sauce would bring any moisture into it! It may have been an off night for the line cook but, there were other people in there that looked like they were satisfied with their food. So, sorry, no returns here! And, parking is a hassle!
|
El Raigon
Cuisine: Steakhouse Argentinian
|
North Beach |
4/19/2005
|
|
|
Here is another French restaurant with the attitude to boot! After waiting for our table, we were seated against a wall. This tiny place seats about 50 people. The problem this night was that I was backed up to a diner with the girth of Paul Prudhomme. Needless to say, my chair was wedged against my table and my gut for the duration of the meal. The waitress could see that I wasn’t too happy about it, but failed to respond to several requests to move our table or the offending one, even an inch or two. The meal was fine, and expensive (prix fixe) my sweetbreads were ok and my wife enjoyed her duck breast. There was a annoying delay between the courses, like the kitchen couldn’t keep up with the orders, or they were to busy throwing insults at each other. We shared a runny cream brulee, and almost choked on the final price including wine. Way too expensive for the mediocre experience. Redeeming factor was the valet parking.
|
La Folie
Cuisine: French (New)
|
Russian Hill |
4/17/2005
|
|
|
It was very mean of me to bring my friend from TULSA here. He wanted to taste some real Chinese food out west. SO, this really isn’t much of an Asian food place, since almost everything they have is American with a Asian twist. But he didn’t know that. He opted for the ribs, and was waiting for the 2nd serving! I had the prawns off the grill that were pretty bland for the price. Well, boy did I get him in trouble at this place. It seems that he has never been exposed to TS before and bet me dinner and booze that I was wrong! No way! Ok, It was the nice dinner since I got it free that night! You don’t come here for the food, it’s the show, beautiful made up performers, (wow) make the evening. Back in the 60’s it was the Phillips hotel (flop house) & dive bar downstairs. (what a change in 50 yrs) Wine list is a rip off, 50 bucks more for a Kistler Chard then other places, but theatrical make up is expensive nowadays. Food Ok, Show, Great! (if you like that kind of stuff).
|
AsiaSF
Cuisine: Californian Asian
|
SoMa |
4/15/2005
|
|
|
Careening off the 8th ST off ramp from Oakland, my buddy suggested we grab some lunch since it was getting about noon. As we came up 9th there just happened to be a space in front of a strange looking hole in the wall called Schnitzelhaus.
I bet my friend that we could grab some really great German food, which would make our faces swell up like Gen. Burkhalter on Hogan’s Heros. Talk about sausage heaven, they have little ones,big ones,greasy ones,skinny ones,AND on 9th street! Now that’s a coincidence. The prices are moderate +, but well worth it considering the kilos of food you forced to eat. The fun crowd inside looks like a crew of locals, all enjoying too many bruskies! My vienerschnitzel was tender and juicy and the knockwurst was juicy and plump. (sounds like a description of the waitress) Great beer selections in several bucket sizes. Be sure and save room for the strudel! If driving up 9th again during lunch, I would stop here again, it was kind of fun haus!
|
Schnitzelhaus
Cuisine: German Austrian
|
SoMa |
4/14/2005
|
|
|
This tiny space use to be Le Club a very classy place in the 60’s. When you arrived there, they gave you matchbooks with your name printed on them…That was then, today, the small dining room is packed with noise, too loud to carry on a normal conversation. The problem I have with this place is that steak houses are not located in cutesy little places that would house a French restaurant. Steak places have to have a big wagon wheel out front and chandeliers with wagon wheels, and whips on the wall, slabs of beef on a cart for you to select! The menu items have some steaks, some crab cakes, some salads, so it’s kind of a steak house, yes,no,yes no, the steaks were prepared ok but something was missing, the bar service was good, wine list extensive and expensive, and the wait staff didn’t have cowboy outfits on. Some of the sauces didn’t make too much sense masking the hopefully good flavor of the beef! Parking is a joke, so park somewhere else and take a cab or use their valet parking
|
C & L Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Nob Hill |
4/13/2005
|
|
|
I getting pretty tired of places that don’t deliver product while charging prices that are sufficient for proper freshness and quality. The first bad vibe was that the place was almost empty. We came here because this place was conveniently close for a vegan evening. My Lasagna was dry and chewy so much that the pasta looked like it was made several days before and was simply reheated over and over drying out the ends of the pasta to the inedible point. The lasagna was also disappointingly petite for the price of the portion. My friend’s Indonesian noodle salad had dark pieces (rotten) of cabbage and old mushrooms that were past their prime. The wait staff was inattentive and lacking of any hospitality or a gleam of friendliness (grumpy). With so many other quality places serving vegetarian dishes, this is a definite no more, sorry, sayonara, adios. The only positive experience here was the Anchor Steams!
|
Herbivore
Cuisine: Vegetarian
|
Western Addition |
4/8/2005
|
|
|
After maneuvering around the block several times a close space became available The line outside moved in, to a dozen people waiting and our reservation had passed 15 minutes ago. At least we were offered a glass of wine, while we waited for our table.My friend swore we would have the best Italian food this side of North Beach! Finally after about 30 minutes we sat down and were presented with an impressive wine list & menu. Our appetizers were ordered along with wine, and within 15 minutes both arrived together. The antipasto plate was adequate and provided a good sampling of what was to come. My risotto was done well, with just the right balance of mushrooms and parmesan. My friend’s braised pork was also done perfectly. With an ample quantity of food, we opted to share the panna cotta to end this well prepared meal! Service was excellent. Great neighborhood place, with waiting being normal. Great if you live in the area and can walk to it, since parking is a drag!
|
Incanto
Cuisine: Italian
|
Noe Valley |
4/8/2005
|
|
|
I had the feeling that I was line at Disneyland. And after getting inside, I think Disneyland is quieter and more efficient. Between the wait, the rude people letting their kids run around, sticky table surfaces and dirty floors littered with straw coverings, you really gotta love this atmosphere to have an enjoyable ice cream experience here. Since Farrell’s is gone, I think Swensen’s serves up a better tasting product and you don’t get a headache from the crowds and noise!. All Baskin Robbins needs to do, is add glassware, jack the price up 2 or 3 bucks, bring in screaming unruly kids and you’ve got another Ghirardelli ice cream place. There is nothing special about this place other than the noise. And that you can blow 20 bucks on a couple of chocolate bars in their gift shop, which you have to go thru to wait or get to the bathroom. Only positive is that there a parking garage next door.
|
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop
Cuisine: Ice Cream
|
Fishermans Wharf |
4/6/2005
|
|
|
Every once in a while, I get to con someone into paying for dinner at a new place. So we tried the 5th floor. I’m glad that I didn’t use my money since this was one of the biggest rips in town! I’ve never had a 40 buck rack of lamb that had 4 bones on it and was minuscule! $38 bucks for halibut better be flown in on a helicopter during the last 15 minutes! I don’t mind prices but they better produce something special! I usually don’t feel bad, but this time it was embarrassing! The food arrived at different times, so one plate was almost finished when the other arrived, there were no apologies or even an excuse! Their attitude just didn’t sit right with me! The wines are also thru the roof! The media reviews have been positive, so they must have had advance warning and a free meal, since I cannot recommend this place even if someone else is picking up the tab! There are so many better places in the City, unless you like places with attitude!
|
Fifth Floor Restaurant
Cuisine: French (New)
|
SoMa |
4/5/2005
|
|
|
It’s been a coupla years since we od’in New Orleans at Felix’s oyster bar, so, my buddy and I, decided to recapture one of those decadent nights when we downed about 4 to 5 dozen oysters each. This place is great! The oysters are fresh, plentiful and they keep on coming.( for a price!) This night we opted for 2 dozen each, and then had some jambalaya and garlic shrimp swimming in (low cal) butter and garlic. This was a fun place because there were other people in the place that where having flashbacks of the Big Easy also! This place is in a classification of its own, it’s sort of a upscale diner Orleans style, but not a formal stogy sit down dining room. This fun neighborhood place is a definite return, for the seafood oyster platter! There not that expensive when you consider the air fare to New Orleans! Service was attentive and friendly! Oh, they didn’t have any crawfish ( mudbugs) maybe next time!
|
PJ's Oyster Bed
Cuisine: Creole Seafood
|
Inner Sunset |
4/5/2005
|
|
|
As usual when I find a parking space close to an interesting looking joint, I’ll take advantage of it. This time it was the Rosamunde Grill that won my parking space roulette! I was pleasantly surprise by the price! We got two hot dogs, one kielbasa and one knockwurst, fresh, plump and juicy! The price was as good as the fresh ingredients that we smeared on top. Fresh onions and kraut with mustards guaranteed drips on to the floor that escaped the paper provided to recycle the goodies. Lunch for two was less than 14 bucks, including drinks and some chips. This is so nice, since there are too many places that would have charged 5 bucks for a dog on a stale bun! Too bad this place doesn’t have a parking lot with about 30 spaces in it. It would have a line out the door then for sure! A definite return, (if there is a parking spot close!).
|
Rosamunde Sausage Grill
Cuisine: Hot Dogs
|
Lower Haight |
4/5/2005
|
|
|
I was too tired to argue over where we were going to have dinner on the way home. OK, so Benihana is a chain restaurant, but, at least if they haven't worked out the routine then I give up! The dinner was a nice experience starting with the friendly front of the house manager to the Rocky clone with the flying cutlery! This is a well oiled machine, with everything out of the manual with no mistakes, no wild expectations and no disappointments. The food at least was serviced HOT! And quickly! This was a nice change from all the pretentious or frilly places that are everywhere! Although pricy, it was brainless, (just keep the Sake coming). The menu has something for everyone, and the sushis were good as appetizers. This is a non surprise; always rely on safe place to come. I shall return, in another 12 months or so! Parking is a hassle, so what else is new!
|
Benihana
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
|
Japantown |
4/3/2005
|
|
|
I am getting pretty tired of visiting friends wanting dining experiences, who pull out names of restaurants, locals wouldn’t be caught dead in! This time it was Forbes Island. This phony island made out of a barge, which got kicked out of Sausalito years ago, wound up, where else but by pier 39. This rip-off tourist trap, charged 35 bucks for a rack of lamb and 25 bucks for an overdone,driedout chicken covered with a garlic butter sauce.(still dry). The service was sluggish until it came time for the bill, the bar service was ok and expensive also. The cheapest thing was the boat ride to the restaurant which was 3 bucks. I guess that’s not too bad for a cheap thrill, and cheap expensive food? ($535.00 for 4 people). I don’t mind expensive places as long as they are great dining experiences which this definitely was, NOT! Please no more guests from out of town for awhile! Maybe I’ll just change my phone number.
|
Forbes Island
Cuisine: French Californian
|
Fishermans Wharf |
4/3/2005
|
|
|
I was dragged here by friends telling me how great this place was! I’ve been at other Crustaceans ( B Hills & Thanh Long SF) and was not impressed here also! The service sucked, there were people that ordered after us, got served first. I don’t know what’s so special about over cooked crab drenched in butter and garlic is, when you loose all delicate taste of the crab meat and all you can taste is butter and garlic? Their “special” noodles also are drenched in garlic, salt, sugar, and butter. If you love garlic and butter than you will dig this place, but again as usual no thanks, for mediocre service and a sky-scraping dinner check. This has to be a must be seen at or something restaurant since it’s not for the fine flavor of the crab, nor for the attentive professional service. In my book it’s an overrated Asian fusion joint that has figured out the formula for ripping off people with their “special noodles”. “sooo secret that only the family knows” Give me a break!
|
Crustacean Restaurant
Cuisine: Vietnamese
|
Polk St./Van Ness |
4/3/2005
|
|
|
This name came up as one of the best burger joints in town. I don’t know why, because the balance of meat to bread was too much! I hate it when the bread makes the burger tower on the plate, and hides the taste of the meat. ( HINT: some places dig out the bread more to fit the meat). If they used a lighter bun, it probably would improve the burger. Normal condiments, limp lettuce, fries were looked like they were frozen, but, the prices were reasonable! They have the normal lineup of sandwiches and diner food. I don’t know why this one was on any list other than being a local dive. There is absolutely nothing special about this place other than parking in front! Too many better places to go it in the city! Sorry, no repeat visits here!
|
Tower Burger
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Portola heights |
4/3/2005
|
|
|
Looked like a great place since it was packed and busy, and that’s a nice as your going to hear from me. This tapas place was cliquey with the local crowd! A friend invited us “out of the area” folks to join him for some snacks. After waiting for 20 minutes to be acknowledged, we finally went to the bar and ordered our own drinks. It seems that everyone is either hugging or kissing all the other patrons, and socializing more than taking care of business. The food finally came after about 45 minutes and was a disappointment. Overcooked mussels, over garliced bitter prawns, over cooked calamari, (processed steak meat, cut into strips). I can’t imagine being here on a Friday or Saturday night, It’s Too noisy here! This is just a trendy place to drop in and be seen at, not a place to enjoy a dinner and talk to friends. You can shout at them though. Thanks but not here again, we never did get our coffee, but the check arrived ok.
|
La Tasca
Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
|
Upper Market/Church Street |
4/3/2005
|
|
|
If you remember where the Lost Weekend was, with the organ music, in the 50’s and 60’s then you know where Ricks is. The neat thing about this joint is that they actually serve food till a little past midnight! The bad thing is , that you are subjected to karaoke music on Friday and Saturday nights, so be sure and get out of their by 10. The menu is simple, the choices are varied from prime rib to Liver, and the old stand by of Osso Bucco. Calamari is also on the menu as is a Caesar salad. The specials are tweaked towards a Hawaiian theme because the owner /chef is Hawaiian! You can find parking on Taraval with in the block. The bar provides good portions and the price for both the bar and dinner is very reasonable! Since this a neighborhood hangout, the people are friendly as is the atmosphere, it’s kind of a fun place to have either lunch or dinner! It can get a little noisy when the live music is playing!
|
Rick's Restaurant and Bar
Cuisine: Hawaiian Eclectic
|
Outer Sunset |
4/1/2005
|
|
|
If you love SF history, then you owe it to yourself to come and grab a shake and some grub here. This is one of the last holdouts in this Potrero – Mission area. This place has been around since the early 20’s and has recently changed management again.(no kidding) the remodel has kept the feeling and authenticity of the 50’s and the food has keep up with the times. My BL&T was done perfectly and was washed down with a real chocolate shake, not the hydrogenated plastic filler and stuff that comes from the machines in the drive up window fast food boxes. There is usually sufficient parking but may take a trip around the block. This used to be a great hangout, after 4 to 5 hour lunches at the J&B down the street, ( now that was a city place that had stories that would fill a book ) (you could double park at the J&B for hours). You really should experience the St Francis Fountain, to bring back the old city, at least for the duration of the milk shake! They also sell candy!
|
St. Francis Fountain
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Mission |
3/31/2005
|
|
|
If there’s one place you want to go, to have a quiet intimate dinner, with gorgeous views, a menu designed making dining a special occasion then JC is the place to come to. I can remember coming here in the 60’s for the special occasion or a special person dinner. The menu will take awhile to peruse, so , order an appetizer and a cocktail. If the weather is right, the views are spectacular, especially if you can come here at dusk. This once a year place was remodeled a couple of years ago, but still looks like it is out of the 50’s. The prices have gone up, just like their entry stairs, so be prepared for some extra elevation on the check. The ahi tartare was great, as was the crab ravioli. The rack of lamb was done perfectly, as was the sea bass! The formal wait staff’s service is attentive and quick. This place still puts out a special consistent memorable meal worth every penny. And the best is that they have valet parking!
|
Julius' Castle
Cuisine: European
|
North Beach |
3/26/2005
|
|
|
Sometimes we play a game called parking spot roulette. You find a spot and park, and then within one block you find a place to have dinner! That’s how valuable parking spots are! Well, hello, Enoshima Shushi was the winner this day, in a sea of at least a dozen restaurants on Chestnut street. The menu here is typical sushi house, with the usual Nigiri, Sashimi, Makimono,Teriyakis , tempuras and udon noodles. The prices are normal starting at 4 bucks a piece shooting up to 13 bucks for the Dynamite roll which had Spicy squid, burdock,shuso, avocado and white tuna on top. The service was good, and the place was busy! They have a large take out business with people grabbing a box on the way home! (just like in Japan). As usual we OD’s on Nigiri and passed on dessert, but walked around for awhile and finished off with a nice Peets' from down the street. So, the fish was fresh, the service good, it’s a place that I would return to, especially if there’s a parking space in front!
|
Enoshima
Cuisine: Sushi
|
Marina |
3/25/2005
|
|
|
This has to be one of my favorites places for breakfast! Why? Because you can sit outside in the sun in the morning and see the city awake! It’s next door to the Presidio Theater. You have to get there early otherwise be prepared to wait! The omelets are generous and the coffee strong! Service is rapid most of the time unless when they fill up. I usually get there right when they open at 7, since at that time it’s easy to park, the sun is out, people jogging by, people walking their dogs, and it’s just a great way to start the day in the city! If you are hungry order the full plate of blueberry pancakes, that’s a lots’a food! Prices are very reasonable for the quality and portion size. They service lunch, with sandwiches & burgers; I have never succeeded in finding parking while passing them during lunch though. Also, notable is that you can dine here with your pooch, while sitting outside! Soooo much better than a Grand Slam!
|
Bechelli's
Cuisine: Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Marina |
3/25/2005
|
|
|
If you ever need to load up on calories then the Pupuseria is the place to visit! Pupusas are the Salvadorian answer to tacos. A corn tortilla is sort of stuffed with various gooey fillings and then deep fried in lard! They puff up and form a pocket around the filling. The problem is,is that you just can't eat just one! The fillings vary from beans, shrimp,pork or vegetarian. (Wow, really healthy, vegetarian dish) .Most of the pupusas will always contain cheese which will be melted along with the filling. There are few pupuserias around so this one is worth the experience! The spices in their pork (chicharron) pupusa was a perfect combination with fried onion and shredded cabbage. The prices are cheap about a buck and a half per pupusa so, lunch for two you can walk away for less than 20 bucks including a couple of beers. Parking is almost impossible so , try the side streets, this is a great twist on Mexican food, with a totally different concept!
|
Pupuseria
Cuisine: South American Salvadorian
|
Excelsior |
3/25/2005
|
|
|
If you go hungry in North Beach it’s your own fault. Walking around we decided to stop into Café Prague. Well, everyone makes mistakes now and then! This place has to be one of the most un-organized and mis-managed place in town. The waiter came back to the table 3 times to confirm the order and then came back and told us that two of the items were no longer available. It appears that our waiter was a holdback of the attitude of workers under the communist motivation program! The menu was confusing since there were more Italian dishes than Czech food. The kitchen turned out one of the plates and we had to wait for the other 2 dishes for another 15 minutes or so. By the time they arrived I was finished and was rewarded with a cup of coffee I didn’t order? The food was OK, no make that mediocre! You can cross this one off the map unless you would like to see this circus performance, twist your stomach into knots! Thanks see you later! Much later!
|
Cafe Prague
Cuisine: Eastern European Czech Polish
|
North Beach |
3/25/2005
|
|
|
Having the munchies for Pizza, and driving up Kearny Street you have to jog to cross Columbus, but start looking for parking within walking distance. This place has been around for every. Mel Belli use to get his in office pizzas from here since his office was around the corner. You would always see old pizza boxes in his back room and the pizza reflected his taste for old San Francisco. The thin crust pizzas are excellent, but not something that you can live without. The menu is limited and so is the space inside. Prices are ordinary as well as the service! The best thing is the smell of the wood burning oven residue on the pizza. I usually OD on their garlic bread which with some nice Dxxx Red makes a memorable beatnik meal! It’s got a certain funk worth checking out! But if you’re looking for the killer pizza you’ll still keep searching.
|
Tommaso's
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
North Beach |
3/25/2005
|
|
|
Well this place has come a long way since they started on Fulton and 8th avenue! Last wet Friday we waited at the door for a few minutes and were ushered to a small table and handed menus before we were seated. The waiter then left and didn’t return for about 10 minutes. The menu mostly consited of sandwiches with a few other items like roasted chicken and ribs. We had a Cobb salad and some burgers which were acceptable but nothing out of this world. The service here was what was lacking and inconsistent, just like the food that we were presented with. Two of the same orders came out totally different? They surely (don’t call me Shirley) don’t have a shortage of willing bodies to work here, but maybe the supervision was lacking the day we visited. The prices are low for the quantity of food that arrives, late sometimes, but all in all this is surely not the worst place I have been to. But not a place I need to return to. The food and service needs major attention.
|
Delancey Street
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Embarcadero |
3/24/2005
|
|
|
If you are a meat lover you’ve got to come here! The best thing is you don’t have to go all the way to Rio De Janeiro,were in Brazil a Churrascaria is like a fast food restaurant! There are hundreds of these places and now there’s one here! You sit down and for a flat rate of $ 35 bucks; you will have meat brought to you by Gaucho dressed waiters as long as your green sign is showing on your table. Beef, Lamb, Pork, Shrimp and Chicken will all be paraded onto your table and carved off the skewers for as much or little as your appitite will stand. It was a little difficult to get real rare cuts, but the ones we had were still moist and tender! The seasoned meat here was done as well as any place that I have had in Brazil! The great touch was the mandatory drink of Brazil, the Caipirinha which one must order! The service was fast and repeating, the atmosphere is real Brazil and it was packed so you have to come early or be prepared to wait. Parking is a hassle. A must visit!
|
Espetus Churrascaria
Cuisine: Brazilian
|
Civic Center |
3/23/2005
|
|
|
Walking down the street this tiny hole in the wall looked inviting for some reason. Maybe it was the frocked waiters that displayed a sort of order. This intimate brasserie provides their twist on Italian with French overtones. Menu items change due to what looks good at the fish monger that day. We started with a dozen oysters each and graduated to a sea bass with a wine sauce with chopped fresh tomatoes and the New York steak. It arrived as requested with all possible dispatch. I was surprised that the service was as rapid since the place was pretty full and it didn't look like they had enough staff. The Pomme Frites were by themselves worth the stop here. We were talked into their Gelato and were happy we had. The pricing was moderate to high, but well worth the experience. Parking is hit and miss, so what else is new. A nice neighborhood spot, to come back to especially if there is a parking spot anywhere in the block! OR Valet parking for $9 bucks plus tip!
|
Florio Bar & Cafe
Cuisine: French (Bistro) Italian
|
Upper Fillmore |
3/23/2005
|
|
|
Well here’s another place where you can empty your wallet and pay 16 bucks for a roast beef sandwich and 10 bucks for a bowl of chicken noodle soup! Although pricey the place was jam packed with suits having lunch on a Thursday afternoon. The atmosphere is old city, lots of wood and glass and noise. The service was ok, but it took almost 15 minutes for first drink order to arrive. The burger was good prepared ok, plates are generous and menu has enough items to please both meat and potato addicts. Since it’s on the waterfront, parking can be hard, but there are a couple of lots within walking distance. Nothing special, but it looks like there are a lot of regulars planted inside. Be prepared to drop a C note for lunch for two including tip!
|
One Market
Cuisine: American (New)
|
Embarcadero |
3/23/2005
|
|
|
Why is it that every Tapas place has the acoustics of a soccer game? You shout your order to the slow wait staff. The garlic shrimp were good, although disappeared within 4 Seconds so we had to order 2 more of the plates. The mussels were also tasty as was the combo seafood plate. The only problem with these places is that by the time you get the new plates, and finish them, it's time to order a couple more. This way an hour dinner gets to drag out as much as the final dinner tab! Don't get the paella, it was awful! The rice was soggy and lacked the saffron it should have had! The bar is busy, and the drinks too forever to arrive. This is one of the few places that had a good selection of Cachacas which is required for Capirinhas! 16 plates later, Get ready to hock your car to pay the bill for 4 hungry eaters, These tapas places nickel and dime you to death, or should I say dime and quarter you. Forget parking, just have one of your buddies circle the block for couple hours…..
|
Ramblas
Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
|
Mission |
3/22/2005
|
|
|
The soggy Spanakopita and bland Dolmas were a prelude of this evening’s meal.. This night we were into Greek!It should be illegal for Greek restaurant to try to make Caesar salads.Since I usually rate the place on the quality of the salad. This salad was overpowered with rancid croutons and Romano cheese. I think this is the first time I had Romono cheese on a Caesar salad. (At least it wasn’t Feta) The Greek salad was much better! The mousaka arrived cold but tasted pretty good. The Calamari (Greek?) were tender but the sauce was runny and soupy. The linguini with prawns, scallops, clams proved to have a feta cheese sauce that made it a little too strong. We all shared a Baklava that was good, although a rather small portion. This night the service was friendly but sluggish, and the pricing is moderate for the quantity of food received. If one desires some local Greek food this is worth trying, but, this is not what real Greek food is like! Parking is impossible so, good luck!
|
Yianni's
Cuisine: Greek
|
Noe Valley |
3/22/2005
|
|
|
The sushi was ok, the place was packed and loud, I didn't care for the "aura" inside from the attitude of the other people that frequent the place.(long time customers with an attitude) This is what people must mean when they say " Marina People" now I completely understand what they mean. The only good thing about this place is their "FREE VALET PARKING"......."FREE VALET PARKING. If you're looking for a nice quiet place to injoy a peacefull tranquil meal with surroundings to enjoy your sushi experience then keep going!
|
Wasabi & Ginger
Cuisine: Sushi Japanese
|
Cow Hollow |
3/22/2005
|
|
|
Well here is the perfect example why someone who is not in the restaurant business has no business opening a restaurant. This cramped place is here for one reason, to sell Coppola crap! Not for the food! I judge places by their Caesar Salad. It's supposed to be their house specialty! NOT. The dressing tastes like it came out of a bottle and had absolutely no garlic flavor! Why would Coppola try and sell the “Authentic Muffoletta Sandwich” that the only thing that resembled a Muffoletta which originated in New Orleans was the bread! Especially since in New Orleans they are half the price and 200% better! It's got nothing to do with Italian food, people! The four cheese pizza had bitter burnt crust, with a confusing taste of one of the cheeses. The service was ok, but nothing worth a return. The only business I can see is tourists, leaving with shopping bags of t-shirts and wine glasses!
|
Cafe Zoetrope
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
North Beach |
3/22/2005
|
|
|
If you didn’t know by parking your car in front and walking up the stairs, I swear that this place was a twin to any TGI Fridays or Chevy’s! This was a huge disappointment especially since the money they spent on remodeling this landmark building. The bar service was slow with a nasty unfriendly barter tender who couldn’t smile if his life depended on it! When finally seated, we waited for the menu for 20 minutes while,others seated had their orders taken? The clam chowder soup tasted had so much flour it could pass for wallpaper paste. My friend’s salmon was overcooked and dry so much that tartar sauce couldn’t revive it. My Portobello sandwich had a real funny aftertaste w/ stale bread. The only reason to come here is for the view and to see the murals in the downstairs! And the parking is free outside! Sorry, no stars today! Or tomorrow. The Cliff House up the street is a much better stop, even though a little bit more pricy! Sorry Chevy’s you are better!
|
Beach Chalet Brewery
Cuisine: American (Traditional)
|
Outer Richmond |
3/22/2005
|
|
|
If you are looking for an elegant place where you can actually hold either an intimate conversation or your date's hand, then this is one of those places in the city. The menu is limited, we chose the chef's tasting menu. It started with some sashimi and foam, then we had a tiny sliver of lobster swimming in a curry broth, hiding any flavors of the lobster which I would have preferred, then more foam, and intermezzo and then more foam! Several of the dishes where boring and tired especially when more than one item appeared “en papillote” but was actually in a cellophane. Ok once was impressive, but twice, come on move on to something like vertical elements or some other new concept! The chef is stuck in the foam mode and has not moved into what makes it takes to fill his dining room with more than 4 tables on a Friday night! The service was excellent but just didn't make up for the disappointing uninspiring food. Pricey, and you will need a 2nd mortgage for 6 people.
|
Silks
Cuisine: Asian Californian Fusion
|
Downtown |
3/21/2005
|
|
|
For being run by famous chef,Traci Des Jardins, operator of successful restaurants, like Jardiniere and Acme Chophouse, this was a phenomenal disappointment. I had the taco de pescado which is the fish taco; it was filled with deep fried soggy mahi mahi in soggy cabbage and a mild avocado salsa. The taco had the taste and texture of when you reheat fried fish, the batter starts getting steamed from the reheating of the fish. The salsa was disappointing it sort of had the taste of avocado mixed with mayo. The carne asada meat was dry and chewy, lacking any hint of moisture which once occupied the meat. For such a good location, at the Embarcadero Center, this is a no return visit for awhile, unless the food improves, I would rather stop at any corner taqueria in the Mission any day! All in all, this was a big zero. Prices were cheap the only authentic Mexican items was the kitchen help in the back!
|
Mijita
Cuisine: Mexican Gourmet Taqueria
|
Embarcadero |
3/21/2005
|
|
|
Visitor from out of town just had to have crab, since Alioto's is a no no, so let try this, Wow, this place is worse than Alioto's at least they didn't serve stale bread! The salad dressing was off, and the brown ends on the lettuce didn't help. I guess since tourists are only going to come here once, why not? Every penny you save is a penny profit. The crab was not the freshest either, some was ok, other pieces were previously frozen. You can remove this one of any list in my reach. Prices are high, service was adaquate, bad attitude. Noisy!
|
Joe's Crab Shack
Cuisine: Seafood American (Traditional) Fajitas
|
Fishermans Wharf |
3/19/2005
|
|
|
When I was working the graveyard in the city, there was either Fosters ( anyone remember all the Fosters' or how about Clinton’s Cafeteria on Market street?), Miz Browns and the Grub Steak that was open in the wee hours. It was an interesting place to see people that were up in the middle of the night! The great thing about the Grub Steak is the menu. You can get a great burger or a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich drooling with cheese sauce! Another favorite of mine is their wine soaked pork chop! And if you have room the homemade flan or pumpkin pie is worth every bite! Although not cheap, the food is fresh and plentiful. The service attentive and very friendly. They are open 23 hours a day except on weekends where they open up at 10. Stop by for the breakfast a 6 , it will be packed! Parking at odd hours usually not a problem, It’s another one of the city landmarks!
|
Grub Stake
Cuisine: American Portugese
|
Polk St./Van Ness |
3/19/2005
|
|
|
This typical old neighborhood Italian restaurant has been around since I can remember. Its one block away from 19th avenue. The neighborhood has changed to an Asian Mecca of noodle and chop suey houses, this place still anchors the corner of 18th avenue. The menu is the usual, spaghetti & clams and the sweetbreads are done perfectly in a delicious tomato based sauce. The lasagna is dried out and crusty, since it probably sat too long in the warmer. For the meat eaters they have rack of lamb and NY steak. The bar mixes up generous cocktails and the wine list is adequate! Nice neighborhood quiet dive! The city was dotted with these style restaurants and this is one of the few remaining ones. Parking is somewhat dicey, since every household around now sprouts 10 vehicles, try Taraval street, your best option.
|
Gold Mirror Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
|
West Portal |
3/19/2005
|
|
|
You've passed this Landmark place many times; you have to make a special effort to veer off of Geary to get there. The place has been here forever, the walls and floor prove that! The burgers are good although not the best in town, they have a 1/2lb burger that is huge and drips enough grease for your whole car! Fries are good, and they have turkey burgers if you want better grease in your bloodstream. Lots of stuff like fish and chips, hot dogs etc. Prices are OK , the joint it small so you may have to eat in your car). One of the few old landmarks around town! You can actually get a rare burger here also! The old guy is a refreshing change from the usual in that I can actually understand what he says! Not like the muffled voices from speakerboxes. Or other places. His positive polite and friendly attitude makes you wish that more of his type were in the food service, for that fact any service business!
|
Tony's Cable Car Restaurant
Cuisine: Hamburgers
|
Inner Richmond |
3/19/2005
|
|
|
Chef Boyardee has found his competition.
Ok, if you want a gourmet Italian meal you don’t come here. If you want to be packed in with tourists then you do! The GS has been around as long as I can remember. It used to be OK, will little choices, now it’s OK with a LOT of other better places. You don’t come here for a good meal, you come to get stuffed on food. The typical Italian comfort food consists of salad, minestrone which is too salty, and tired pasta dishes drenched in some kind of a red sauce. If you can’t live with out your spaghetti or ravioli, and can’t open that Chef Boyardee, then come on in!
Menu is varied, from crab to veal specials, price is moderate to high for the quality, been there a couple of times, (mostly with visitors wanting a north beach all you can eat) no need to come back! Parking is difficult as always. Better option if you can get in is two doors away!
|
Gold Spike Restaurant & Bar
Cuisine: Italian
|
North Beach |
3/18/2005
|
|
|
Well if you want a tiny teeny taste of Roma, then stop on by this little place in the Noe neighborhood. You will first get a history lesson about how Rome got it's name, and then you can taste the great dishes this little place whips up! The Mussels where great along with the home made fettuccine can be one of the best in the city! I like to judge places by their Caesar salad, and this would be as good as what I can make at home, and better since I don't have to make it! The menu is typical trattoria , with lamb, veal and always a fish! Parking is going to be the only negative experience comeing here. But if your lucky you can find something with in a block or two. The prices are moderate and the portions are perfect. You walkaway, happy but not getting ready to fall asleep. All in all this is a comeback place, if you can find a parking spot! Bravo!
|
Lupa Trattoria
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Noe Valley |
3/18/2005
|
|
|
The last time I visited Ruth’s was in Palm Springs and the experience there was a nice quiet dinner. NOT SO HERE. After our order, and salad is when it started. Kids were running around the tables!. Did parents forget how to raise kids? How is it that people can afford to eat out but can’t afford to get a baby sitter? I wonder about the other people who are spending their hard earned money to have a night out; don’t they deserve a little peace? After all this is not Chucky Cheese. The wait staff did nothing to curtail the commotion, so in my opinion it made this dinner a waste of money and time. The food was plentiful and so was the disturbance. I can accept maybe Mothers day, but not a regular Sunday night dinner. If you like quantity of food , you will enjoy Ruth’s, try and pick an night other than Sunday. With the quantity of other places in the city, Hasta la Bye Bye Ruth!
It’s not good to leave a place with your stomach all in knots!
|
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Cuisine: Steakhouses
|
Polk St./Van Ness |
3/13/2005
|
|
|
Ok, so it’s a chain restaurant, so is Postrio if you want to think about it! This place has individual charm and the food is not bad! As usual, I saw a parking space and took it! Next I started looking for a place to have dinner, and guess what! Viola! Houstons. If it was anything like their Rutherford Grill, I knew I would not be disappointed and guess what , I wasn’t. The plate portions are too generous, the steaks are done properly ( wow) , fries were excellent and plentiful! Wait staff responsive and seemed happy! Plus they kept their noses out of your table unless needed! I hate waiters that ask questions while you are busy chewing your food. The place was busy and fun! The dessert was ample enough to split with out getting jealous. All in all, I will return! (If I can find parking).
|
Houston's Restaurant
Cuisine: American
|
Embarcadero |
3/13/2005
|
|
|
This is the quintessential neighborhood Italian restaurant. The kind of place that has been disappearing as more ethnic food eaters move in and displace old time SF’ers. You come here to have dinner with friends and not to be entertained with how many ways they can prepare a chicken breast! The chicken & veal Parmigana are good. Generous portions, pasta, salad with the sliced beet, tomato and garbanzo beans; you can swear it’s 1965 in this place. The specials always will include a fresh fish dish. The wait staff is prompt and attentive and not college students! The bar mixes the usual, but don’t ask for some trendy drink made with 11 ingredients, its martinis' gimlets and Manhattan’s here! The wine list is not massive but includes affordable drinkable wines! If you want a good dinner with friends that you will be able to hear, this is a nice place. Try it ! You’ll enjoy old neighborhood values! Don't expect a modern 5 star meal here , this is basic neighborhood italian!
|
Ristorante Marcello
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
|
Inner Sunset |
3/13/2005
|
|
|
There’s something missing here at this retro copy diner. Why, it’s tasty food.. Yeah,that’s it.Since I was so elated by finding a parking space, I parked! My next task was to find a placed to eat. Well, why not try old Johnny Rockets? Wow,it just like it was 40 years ago,but Fonzie isn’t here. Ordering the burger and fries combo and coke, was no problem, they even asked how I liked my burger cooked. The problem only happened when they brought a burger was incinerated to resemble something from a 4th alarm fire. When asked to have the burger redone, the waitress said, just a minute. And, in about a minute the manager came and spent 5 minutes telling me why they could not serve the burger cooked less than 180°. So, why bother asking the guest how they want their burger? I asked. He then proceeded to tell me that they were merely asking if I wanted mustard or tomatoes, etc. Well, so long, Johnny Rockets, you can Rocket your burger to Neverland ! Next time it's the Thai place!
|
Johnny Rockets
Cuisine: Hamburgers Coffee Shops/Diners
|
Upper Fillmore |
3/13/2005
|
|
|
If you wanted Russian food 40 years ago, you would go to the Cinderella Bakery on Balboa at 6th. They are still there today. If you want the best store bought peroshki they have them! Get the fried vs. the baked with meat. They also have an assortment of deli items from salmon roe (caviar), smoked fish and pork holodetz which is an aspic. (with horseradish). The restaurant serves home style dishes like stroganoff, pelmeni, cabbage rolls and veal dishes. They all are good and plentiful servings. Prepare yourself to be questioned while ordering as some of the waitstaff is still working on their sentence structures. The Place always puts on a good meal like your Russian grandmothers kitchen on holidays! The Bad thing here is that there is NO parking anywhere in site, since every home in the Richmond now has multifamilies with 20 cars each. I usually will park around Masonic and grab the bus. Prices are very reasonable for the quantity and quality of the food you will receive.
|
Cinderella Bakery & Cafe
Cuisine: Russian Bakeries
|
Inner Richmond |
3/1/2005
|
|
|
I though there were tons of Chinese restaurants in the Richmond, but no, there’s also a ton of Thai Places. BAI SOM gee, buy some, Thai dinner please!
Is in a tiny little store front which was converted years ago, into a tiny little Thai place. It seats about 25 people all slurping their Pad Thai noodles, a cross section of students eating on a budget and vegans eating more noodles. The dishes are ok, but the chicken wings are better! Service was really slow, looked like a family member and the cook were having an argument that night, sorry can’t translate Thai, but I think there is a better one down the street one block away. We are going to try that one next time. This is what the person sitting next to us said! With so many Thai restaurants, there is no need for me to come back here, it just wasn’t a real memorable lick your chopsticks meal. The beer was good! Lousy parking.
|
Bai Som
Cuisine: Thai
|
Outer Richmond |
2/28/2005
|
|
|
Where does one find Japanese or sushi when you are surrounded by a glut of Chinese restaurants and grocery stores? Why it’s the Mikado on Irving Street! If you want to see a sushi greasy spoon restaurant then come on in! I was desperate for a sushi fix on my way to SFO and there was a parking space in front (not a good sign) so, here I am! They have the usual nigiri and sashimi and maki like everyone else has. The service is quick and efficient, the prices are reasonable to low, but the atmosphere is lacking lets say, confidence. What ever you do, don’t go to the bathrooms before you decide to have dinner there! Hey, it’s in a Chinese neighborhood, so when in Rome, or should I say when in Beijing…
The food is ok; I have been there half a dozen times and am still able to write about it! Try it you’ll see what I mean!
|
Micado Restaurant
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
|
Inner Sunset |
2/28/2005
|
|
|
This is not your normal pizza place! This ultra tiny restaurant is a must visit IF you can get in, I’ve tried several times in the last year and have only succeeded twice. The price is reasonable and they always have a special pizza for the night. Their salads are fantastic; try the tomatoes & fresh mozzarella, with capers, basil, anchovies and olives! That’s something you wouldn’t think of putting together at home! Their lamb special with rosemary and garlic is a must try! My favorite pizza is their Garlic, anchovy & caper with tomato sauce. The prices are moderate and in fact very reasonable when you consider the quality of the product. The bad is 1st is that it’s difficult to get into unless you come before or after the rush time.2nd is that it is a little unnerving having people hovering around outside gawking in waiting for you to finish! Parking is difficult but there are plenty of paid garages. It’s on the same side of the street as the Gold Spike, but that’s another story…….
|
L'Osteria del Forno
Cuisine: Italian Pizza
|
North Beach |
2/27/2005
|
|
|
Why anyone would pay 10 bucks for a steak that is tough, gristly, is beyond me. But then again there are lot’s of people that think Denny’s is a gourmet’s gone to heaven land. Ok, think about it. They have to pay for the lights (count the light bulbs on their sign),insurance, salaries, licenses, overhead etc, so that leaves about 3 bucks from which to buy a steak with if their lucky. Comprendo? The better value is the half chicken for about 8 bucks and the hamburgers pretty good also. This place has been around for as long as I can remember. It was either here or a sandwich at Woolworth’s. The place is usually full because it has a particular SF style. Maybe it’s the grill located in the front window with the flames shooting up 5 feet from the greasy steaks being incinerated right in front of your very eyes! It’s also a good place to have a real breakfast instead of that mcmuffinstuff! All in all, it’s better than Denny’s and worth a visit on Powell St. Tourists seem to like it!
|
Tad's Steak House
Cuisine: American Steak House
|
Downtown |
2/27/2005
|
|
|
Next to the Tadich this has to be one of my favorite places. It is one of the few honest city places around! The atmosphere is like dining rooms where 100 years ago, bustling bodies, crowded together, drinking, eating, enjoying dining and life! You don’t see this at your local Olive Garden. The menu is varied, from steak to seafood, salads and oysters. My kind of place because the waiters are pros, with a San Francisco attitude. If you’re not a native you won’t know what I’m talking about!
Sometimes hard to get into, but worth the wait! There’s a lot of history to this place so spend a little time at the bar, have a old fashioned and enjoy what THECITY is all about! Prices are moderate and the portions are good. If you go away hungry from here check on that hollow leg!
Great place to meet with friends while shopping downtown!
|
John's Grill
Cuisine: Steakhouse
|
Downtown |
2/27/2005
|
|
|
Cash in your CD because you are going to need a credit line increase to have dinner for a group here. The food is excellent the atmosphere fast paced busy and noisy but fun. Don’t worry about the calories since the stairs from the lobby to the dining room to the bathrooms will work off any excess you may have. By expensive, I mean 30 bucks for a chicken breast and 40 bucks for a rib eye is a tad on the pricy side for my budget. It didn’t take any effort to drop over 600 bucks for a dinner for 4. (Glad they were guests from out of town that insisted to pay). As always the service at any of Puck’s places is like having Kreskin train your wait staff. You start thinking of what you need and it’s taken care of! Always memorable,consistant and satisfying! For an out of towner also impressive! ( Both the check and the restaurant). Have their peanut butter tort for dessert, it’s awesome.
|
Postrio
Cuisine: American (New) Pizza
|
Downtown |
2/27/2005
|
|
|
Dinner at Rubicon was an interesting experience. It feels like you are in a converted warehouse with exposed brick,pipes,etc. Personally I felt the atmosphere a little cold maybe because we were seated in the middle of the dining room pit. It probably designed that way to turn the tables faster. It’s not a place one can sit back and enjoy a leisurely dinner. It go go go and you feel tense and not relaxed at all. The sound level also makes it a little difficult to carry on a quiet relaxed conversation. Their wine list is what they are known for and the pricing is also in the stratosphere for the portion size of the food. Quality is good, but the hype I heard about it, let me down. It’s Ok, but with so many other places it will be awhile before I return and part with some moola. Menu choices are well balanced and the bar service was better than the food wait. The valet parking is a must in that area.
|
Rubicon
Cuisine: Californian French (New)
|
Downtown |
2/27/2005
|
|
|
While Christmas shopping in December, I needed to get a burger fix. I was on that side of town where Joe's is located so I wanted to see if it had chan |
kushnir's: Rss feed