Patricia "Hon of Hons" H.'s Profile

I guess it was my fault that I had a crappy breakfast.  I mean, when I come into a Mexican place and don't look at the menu before ordering my usual huevos rancheros I deserve to be served  two tiny fried eggs served on a taco sized tortilla with no discernible cheese, very bitter ancho chile sauce, a teaspoon of sour cream and a couple of slices of avocado with pintos on the side as well as home fries.  

I actually was expecting the usual plate size tortilla that had a couple of nicely poached eggs with tomato salsa, tons of cheese and maybe some jalapenos on top.  My fault entirely.  

Two stars for the amazing Mexican hot chocolate and the nice server.

$24 for two orders of huevos and one hot chocolate.  Pricey!

Cute boy is BACK!  I can't wait to go the market every Sunday.  

And the beets and squash are terrific too!

I hadn't been here in ages, and figured it was a good lunch spot to take my co-workers for a work related lunch. It's got all the prerequisites - couple of blocks away, great food, fabulous view, lots of atmosphere.

Unfortunately, as usual, the service totally sucked ass. Our waitress was faintly contemptuous the entire time (she was super friendly to the table of four guys behind us), it took about 20 minutes to place our order and it was slooooooowwww. Our appetizers came quickly enough, but after we were through with them we waited about 30 minutes for our entrees. That's too long to wait for lunch - or dinner. Took another 20 minutes to get the bill. The usual SD service environment.

The food - my clay pot was fabulous, my colleague's lemon grass pork was amazing, and the noodle salad another person had was practically life changing.

Too bad we won't be coming back to try those and other great dishes again.

Bite me, Slanted Door. I'd rather go to Tamarine in Palo Alto.

Let me start this off by stating that La Iguana is actually in American Canyon, NOT Vallejo.

Couple of Sundays ago we set out on a drive to see some fall colors and head up to Napa and the surrounding areas. After cruising the Silverado Trail for a while, we opted to turn onto what looked like an interesting road. And we drove....and we drove...and we drove...for more than an hour, without finding any outlet at all. It was dark and the road was crumbling. Every now and then we'd see a glimpse of the sun and scenery off in the distance.

Eventually we came to a fork in the road - a normal, paved road, and took a left.   Once again we drove...and we drove...and we fucking drove til I was pitching a fit. I was hungry, thirsty and really needed to pee.  We were about 3 hours into our drive by that point, counting time spent driving from Oakland.

We eventually found civilization, but as hungry and thirsty and needing to pee as I was, I vetoed all suggestions until we happened to see the sign for La Iguana in a little shopping center in American Canyon. The sign read Salvadorean and Mexican food and  I said let's go!  And we crossed two lanes of traffic and speeded in.

What a success story! A friendly greeting, sparkling clean bathrooms, ranchero music blasting, and an enticing looking menu. We ordered carnitas tacos and cheese pupusas, along with a couple of horchatas. While we waited we ate about a pound of the free, help yourself chips and salsas and enjoying watching the families out for a Sunday meal.  La Iguana is also a panaderia, so there were plenty of folks coming in for rolls, pastries, and other sweet treats.

The service was sweet, but slow, and we tore into our food as soon as it was delivered. I gulped down a fresh made tortilla piled HIGH with heavenly carnitas and topped with some onions and cilantro. Heaven on a fucking plate. And the puposa was served with a big helping of the obligatory cabbage salad, which I adore. My HOH husband doesn't like the salad, so ate the whole freaking thing.

For dessert we had a couple of gum balls from the machine, but if you wanted something else, get some of those baked goods from the bakery side of La Iguana.

Update 11-3-09:  Sue's annual sale will be held November 6-15. Great chance to pick up some deals!

Sue's shop is a wonderland full of unique objects that have been turned into beautiful, functional, one of a kind lamps and lighting fixtures. The workroom in the back of the shop is fascinating and the artisans who work there are free with their advice - and opinions.

Over the past few years we've purchased some pieces from her shop, and just love them.

Picture a hand made mica shade with ginkgo leaves embedded within, sitting on a ribbed brass stand, topping a hunk of gleaming black walnut.  A wall fixture in our hallway features a lampshade is hand made out of paper and ribbon.  Not your everyday shade, that's for sure.  

They do lots of custom work - bring in your object d'art and they'll turn it into a wonderful lamp for you, complete with a fabulous shade.  

Pricey?  Indeed, but worth it for a one of a kind object that'll be the star wherever you place it in your home.

I've shopped here a couple of times when I've missed the farmer's market. They have a small produce stand and some cases of meat, fish, dairy, etc. The prices are very high and I wasn't that crazy about the selection, which was quite limited

I think the idea of Full Plate is a good one for working families who don't have time to cook a full meal from scratch every night, but again, it costs you. The ingredients they provide are top notch, they've got lots of great, healthy recipes, and you have every single kitchen tool and implement you would ever need to make just about anything! I actually made some notes about items to purchase for my own kitchen based on their extensive inventory.

So, all in all, an OK place to shop and prepare food, but it'll cost you - big time.

I've been shopping at the Bowl since the early '90s, and actually started out at the first Bowl, which really was in a former bowling alley.   If you think any of the existing stores are a cluster fuck, you haven't seen anything. All the produce was displayed in cardboard boxes, aisles so small you could only use a hand basket, gnarled up old ladies eating out of the bulk bins, dirty hands and feet on the checkers...the whole Berkeley experience under one leaky roof.   The parking lot had about 25 spaces, so you parked blocks away and toted your tofu, seitan, bulk brown rice, mung bean sprouts and rose hip tea through the neighborhood.  And I think there were a total of five check stands.

Fast forward to the gleaming, fabulous BBW.   What an operation - kudos to the owners and workers for making it a great shopping experience.  The store is very thoughtfully laid out.  I love how the organic produce section is completely separate from the regular produce - just makes it much simpler.  Three checkers for the bulk section, AND a guy wandering in the bulk area to see if you need help?  Holy shit.  The meat/seafood section was it's usual madness, but take a number, wait yer turn and you'll be taken care of quickly.  Cheese for days, huge deli/chinese food/mexican food section - everything you could want/need.

We had a super fast checkout experience, which only made the experience sweeter.  

Thanks BBW.

love, hoh

I've walked by this place a thousand times and never stopped in 'cause I am true blue to Hadi's Cafe on Battery.  Today I didn't feel like walking down to Hadi's, so came in here for a med fix.

Place is very casual and small - nice brick walls, high ceilings.  I ordered a kefta wrap to go from the nice men behind the counter.  And I waited and waited for about 15 minutes until it was finally ready.   In all fairness, it looks like I arrived just after a couple of four-tops got there, and since everything is prepared fresh on the spot, it takes a little time.

Just as I had paid and was ready to leave, I noticed the owner removing and eating a piece of chicken from a plate he was just about to serve to a customer.   That really grossed me out, and I did not enjoy my kefta wrap AT ALL.  The kefta had a weird taste, was a combo of undercooked AND burnt.  Oh, and the wrap had a pickle in it.  WTH is that all about?

Hadi's, I'll see you tomorrow.

Dear readers, I have a special place in my heart for this Starbucks.  Once upon a time, it was a restaurant called 565 Clay.  The chef/owner was David Cohen, late of Greens and the Zen Center in Marin.  This is where I had my wedding reception in 1987.  22 years later, we're still going strong.

I like to come in and sip a latte while remembering my wedding day...ahhh....sweet memories!  

Oh, and the cookies aren't bad either!

I'm sad because I have to change my review of New Fortune.  After eating there a couple of times a month for the past few years, I've taken it off the lunch rotation.  For the last several times I've gotten dim sum at New Fortune, I have come down with a crushing MSG headache and terrible thirst after consuming my tasty treats.

I'm on to the next dim sum stop.  

Bye-bye, New Fortune!