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"The longer one waits, the fewer options & experiences one has."
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Review votes:
2140 Useful, 855 Funny, and 1320 Cool
Union City, CA
Yelping SinceFebruary 2006
Things I Lovefresh fruit, facial masks, flowering tea, wine pairings, Grand Slams, tasting menus, poker, baby wipes
Find Me Ina hypnotic, hyperfocused fixation.
My HometownBay Area
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm scouring restaurant websites for my next great meal.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsLove to barrage the wait staff w/probing ?'s & not shy w/my FLASH in dining rms.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadGarlic and Sapphires
My Favorite MovieMy Fair Lady
My Last Meal On EarthUrasawa
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...unflared, my nostrils are shaped like corn nuts.
Most Recent Discoveryon average, if people can be lazy & turn off their brains, they will.
Current CrushGoat Cheese
DateFremont, CA 94538
(510) 794-7666
The Deep Fried Twinkie & Pastrami Shop
Categories: Fast Food, Food Stands
Mountain View, CA 94040
(650) 966-1122
Satsuma Sushi
Categories: Japanese, Sushi Bars
REALLY good, I get DOUBLE orders.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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12/10/2007
There's a reason why there are lines out the door for this place:
-rolls are fabulous: loads of tobiko, lots of SPICY options, not too much rice, technically rolled well, I could bite into it cleanly and it didn't fall apart.
-sashimi, sliced fat and fresh.
Sampled:
-El Fuego roll-FANTASTIC. Sriracha & tobiko to the MAX.
-Spring roll. Wrapped in soy paper, with loads of fresh fish and lettuce.
-Lion King. Tempura shrimp, a tasty sauce, tobiko and salmon. NOT baked.
Water service lacking, get hot tea, the guy knows how to CIRCULATE!
$50 excluding tax for two, w/enough leftovers for BOTH of us.
Reservations are available & open on SUNDAYS.
It's our NEW neighborhood sushi joint.
Saratoga, CA 95070
(408) 867-4711
Plumed Horse
Categories: French, American (New)
Chef was nice enough to:
-Throw some creamy shrimp bisque my way when we were waiting.
-Switch out the Kobe w/a scaled down version of their antelope entree.
Stars of the evening:
-Shrimp Bisque
-Foie w/mustard
-Black pepper souffle
Again, service was excellent, I liked how they turned off the changing fiber optics & kept it simple w/one color scheme.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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12/10/2008
I always overlooked this restaurant, 'foodie' investors have since acquired and turned PH inside out.
The staff here are truly excited about the cuisine and the happenings at the PH. I could tell from our maitre'd to our knowledgeable server.
Interior: Elegant, surprisingly large and perfectly lit.
Service: Super attentive, napkins are folded, chairs pulled out, and my favorite thing, plates are presented at the SAME time. LOVE that.
FREEBIES galore: Amuse, pre-dessert, petit fours, a tour of the kitchen & TWO rounds of champagne!!!
Special: White Alba Truffles are in, to showcase that, the special of the evening was the mushroom & truffle risotto for $75, they were able to split the price 3 ways and add the extra course to our tasting.
Photos are posted for perusing purposes.
Ordered the Tasting Menu + Wine Pairing:
Amuse: Oyster & Caviar
C1: Caviar & Ahi Tuna, presentation was unique, but flavor was lacking.
C2: Maine Lobster Salad, generous portions, flavor not there, & I'm not big on cold salads in the winter.
C3: Seared Foie Gras: EXCELLENT. OMG. This was heart-stoppingly YUMMY!!! The toasted and salted almond bits & mustard fruits put it over the edge. Fantastic combination of flavors. I loved that the sommelier paired the FG w/Reisling instead of the standard heavier wines.
C4: Truffle & Mushroom Risotto, not too buttery, the mushrooms were meaty and the truffles had an amazing earthiness-shaved right at the table.
C5: Wild Columbia River Sturgeon, tender, flavorful, finished every crumb.
C6: Prime NY Strip, wonderful squares of meat a top several parsnip presentations. Lovely dish.
C7: Mt. Tam triple cream cheese, my dining companions liked this one, but soft cheese is just not for me. Loved the Serrano Ham chip. A side of brioche or a cracker would have been nice. Cheese just came w/no starch.
Pre-dessert: Passionfruit sorbet. SOOOO good.
C8: Banana Souffle: Loved the roasted pineapple tucked in after we were presented with the dessert. Yum.
Petit Fours: Brownie, Gelee & Snickerdoodle. Pick the cookie.
Delightful service, unique and well-prepared dishes. Must do for special occasions in the South Bay.
Usually trendy food has minute portions, we ordered two entrees & a brown rice, had PLENTY leftover:
-Chili lamb, perfectly spicy, the server did not ask what temp, may be a little much heat for some. Generous portioning of tender meat.
-Lemongrass Salmon, a little overcooked for my taste, the veggies were aldente.
Hindrances:
-One unisex bathroom.
-Menu should have denotation for SPICY
-Cramped seating
How special and fortunate for Alamedans to have an urban treasure such as this!!! All in all, very good food, but I think I would do TO GO or eat during off hours.
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 296-7465
The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
My dear Dining Room did not live up to our last experience. Chef is a bit shorthanded before the holiday rush gets underway, so he did away with the duos, not forever, but I'll call first to find out if the particular menu is in rotation. Sadly the comparison is so evident, I need to temporarily remove a star and take them off a few of my lists.
The highlights of the evening:
-Scored an L shaped booth, plus the same server we had almost a year ago and he remembered us!
-Poached quail egg & caviar, super smokey & wonderful just like before.
-Yummy cut of abalone with a wonderful dashi broth.
-Suckling pig, cooked to perfection, I can still taste the fat melting b/t my molars.
The food seemed less decadent, less exotic and in the end less fanciful.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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12/15/2008
All the anticipation culminated on Saturday, unloading in a grin and topped off with an eager squeal of delight.
The evening started off w/the only annoyance of the evening: the hostess and maitre'd left us standing in the foyer for over 2 minutes. I was appalled.
Soon any and all dismay was lifted w/the excellent service provided by the rest of the wait staff.
We waffled between the Salt & Pepper or the Chef's Tasting Menu. Ultimately we decided to live on the wild side and chose the mysterious 9-course Chef's tasting. Boy oh boy are we glad we did!!!
THREE compliments of Chef Siegel: Fried chicken dumpling, light sea urchin flan & a poached quail egg w/caviar. Listed in ascending order good to amazing.
The rest of the meal were contrasting duos. I LOVE that. So in essence I get to try 18 different items for one price!
The meal was all kinds of superb and truly worth every bit of the $125 price tag. The wine pairing was additional, but honestly their pours are generous and worth splitting if you're looking just to experience the melding of flavors.
Flexible kitchen: will substitute cheese cart in place of the dessert. We also politely asked for NO cold foie. No push back, just a smile and an obliging response. Again, spectacular, warm service.
Don't want to butcher any of the culinary creations, so I'll have to invite you to experience my 'fine' photography skills.
San Francisco, CA 94101
(415) 392-8000
Parc 55 Hotel
Category: Hotels
Neighborhoods: Civic Center/Tenderloin, Union Square
*SMOKING room. No change available, they were booked solid, so they sent up an ionizer over an hour later and then didn't even leave it, b/c we were still in the room, somehow it is unsafe for humans. NICOTINE is also negative on human health. There was no attempt to reschedule. No freebies given.
*The TV, oh the TV, non-functional, took the tech over an hour to get to the room, wanted to browse the paid selections, the SELECT button on the remote was out of order, waited 30 minutes to have a replacement sent up.
*Check out day, ridiculous at the valet, there were 20+ parties waiting on the understaffed valet. We waited about 20 minutes for the car to pull up.
FYI:
*Parking as usual was $44 + tax.
*The brunch buffet for $22/pp was located at the new Cityhouse. Very sleek.
*Location is simply fabulous for shopping.
*The registration and ground floors are open and modern.
*Blind 4-star item on Hotwire, $129/nt.
I still smell the stench of the room on my personal belongings. GRR.
San Francisco, CA
Blue Bottle Coffee Co.
Categories: Farmers Market, Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
If you're a vendor at the Ferry Bldg, BBCC will trade.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 288-8630
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Cafe
Categories: Specialty Food, Grocery
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
I wanted to try as many as possible, so I chose:
Tsar Nicoulai Sampler, Golden California Osetra, Reserve Estate Osetra, Select California Osetra, California Estate Osetra, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Classic (TNC)
If you want more creme fraiche and/or blinis, just ask.
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 984-1973
The Plant Cafe Organic
Categories: Juice Bars & Smoothies, Breakfast & Brunch, American (New)
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
Had brunch here and it was just eh.
I've had my fair share of tofu scrambles and TP's version is just not up to par, not enough flavor, so our server brought out their organic hot sauce, it was flaming hot, maybe to kill all the taste buds. Over scrambled too, the bits were SO tiny, kept falling between the grooves of my fork.
Pretty good cocktails, great view of course and the sides are nice: toast of choice, fruit and country potatoes.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 362-9350
Cowgirl Creamery Artisan Cheese
Category: Cheese Shops
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
Strangely enough the 15 minute wait zipped by, there was so much to drool at the CC.
Some items of notation:
1) Grab a number, wait to be called.
2) Minimum 4 oz per type of cheese.
3) Samples available so you don't waste your time or money on the wrong one.
4) Beehive = a wooden crate they keep your selections in at the cash register.
Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I walked out happy and giddy with my bag of goat cheeses: pond hopper & garrotxa. Somehow the cheeses seem more creamy, more fresh, more, MORE CHEEZY.
46 Lists
I tried to temper things with the pastrami sandwich, $5.99, perfectly fluffy bread, a touch of mustard and loads of salty meat.
The Sweet Sampler plate, $9.99 was RIDICULOUS, OMG, this is what got me reeling:
-2 bananas
-2 oreos
-1/2 PBJ, we got TWO, the lady gave us a complimentary 1/2
-1 twinkie
-2 choco chip cookies
-a cupcake
I'm not a HUGE fan of the PBJ, but I LOVED the fried Oreos and the bananas were good also. Didn't even touch the rest. My cousin had the Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog, $4.99, she loved it. My conclusion: order the salty stuff and go light on the sweets-the batter is thick and heinous. I could probably eat MORE if it was PANKO breading.
This food WILL put you into a complete food coma, proceed with caution. Oh it's a hole in a VALERO gas station, yes, I got lost.