Eric S.'s Profile

Good food at Tsukuneya tonight. I still think of this location as University Pizza Hut so it was quite a shock to step inside and be transported with the lovely dark-wood decor and subtle partitions that divided the tables off into semi-private eating areas. Tasty and well-prepared yakitori are the order of the day, with the tsukune (ground, mixed meat+spice sausage-filling style) as a specialty focus.  Not at all cheap, but you knew that, right? Go L&Ls if you want cheap. This is good.

Pretty workmanlike undistinguished ramen, with overcooked noodles, decent cha-shu and salty miso garlic broth. Good panfried gyoza which earned the 3rd star. Won't burn another Honolulu Ramen Tour ticket on a repeat visit but my tickets are precious. Oh, so very precious.

Good, honest steakhouse. Much less froufrou than many Park City joints, owing in part to the Prospector Square (not Main St) address and in part to its no-foolin-around decor and attitude.  Super friendly staff, deep meat-centric menu with a few surprises and twists like my companion's delicious elk steak with lingonberries as accent. After a trip to the salad bar for some token greenery -- I was pleased to see the makings of a classic warm spinach salad were all close at hand -- I opted for the straight-up prime rib / steak fries combo and it came with a nice light jus and mild horseradish. Traditional and nicely executed. The prices were slightly higher than non-resort locales but not outrageous by any means. We got in and out on a Friday evening in time for our movie, another plus.

(Submitted updates to the listing because the map location is a mile or so off in a very weird direction. Luckily common sense prevailed and we found the real address -- 2200 Sidewinder Dr -- without too much difficulty)

This is a review for the hot tub room:

The place was clean enough that I wasn't detectably grossed-out but it definitely fell waaaay short on the "whisk me away to a place called Tranquility" scale -- and I wouldn't rate them on this scale if I didn't feel like they were trying; if it's a place with a pool of hot water and a door that closes, that is perfectly OK (24 hr fitness comes to mind). But the hum of pool machinery overwhelmed the sitar raga/rock on the speakers, the signs pleading with us to be quiet and not "disturb the Serenity" (sic) were belied by the audible doors slamming and conversations from other parts of the building, and the exposed pipework and tacky residential tiling seemed more authentic than the wannabe-Zen shoji and garden.

I'm willing to concede I'm spoiled by Watercourse Way, IMO the gold standard on the aforementioned "whisk me away" scale, but I think that's a fair comparison -- both spots are in similar urban environments (so the noise/privacy issues are about the same), both have the new-agey trappings, and the price per hour is about the same.  

If I didn't have a hot tub in my house (I don't) and I didn't know anybody with one that I'd be comfortable asking to share (I also don't) but I really really wanted to sit in a tub, and I found myself in Santa Cruz (happens sometimes), I'd drop in on Well Within.  Otherwise it's off to Palo Alto for me and my tubbing companion(s).

I had the most mindblowing pho in SF a couple weeks ago. It was at Turtle Tower on Geary in the Richmond (though they have a second location in the Tendo at Larkin).  I had #6, North Viet style beef pho with wide home-made noodles that they pan-fry first then put in the broth. Lots more/different veggies than your usual pho, the broth was delicious, chunks of steak were tender and good quality, and the pan-fry flavors brought a deepness to the bowl that I had never had before. I posted to yelp talk to find a similar joint here in the south bay, and while it looks like Pho Ha Noi might be close, it's probably worth the trip to get the real thing again.  Crrrrave.

Patrick Gomez and his skilled, professional crew did a great job on our roof. They were able to handle even the somewhat unusual requirements we threw at them: three layers of old shingle to tear off and structural reinforcement to support the solar panels we were installing at the sale time as the re-roof.  Patrick worked with the solar guys to design and build stable and cost-effective structural reinforcement, and the carpentry is clean and up to code. In fact we passed even the notoriously thorny City of Campbell inspection the first time. Patrick also went way, way beyond the call of duty when a sudden storm blew in Labor Day weekend while the roof was off. After a frantic call he came over and, in the downpour at 10pm, finished tarpapering our patio roof to keep the water out. Now that is service worth 5 yelp stars.

Thanks for the tip on the Pimientos, yelpers. They came out last, after our olivas, mushroom+prawn dish, and sautéed calamari. I think the delay was from pragmatism, not showmanship -- they had clearly been baked on the serving plate as there was a delicious caramelized ring of toasted lobster sauce around the rim of the plate -- but the effect as our server delivered the dish with a practiced flourish was dramatic just the same. The peppers, their seafood stuffing, and the just-this-side-of-too-rich lobster sauce (did I already mention the sauce? We scraped every last trace of it off with the fresh, crusty bread) all came together wonderfully. Didn't get an unpleasant shock when the tab came either, which can be a distinct danger at tapas (qv Aliante). We left just enough room to toddle down the street to Penguins for froyo and Scrabble -- top marks!

Months after the 'coming soon' signs went up, after peering in the windows every couple of weeks to check on the progress, after railing against those FTR-hoes who put up three star reviews before tasting a drop of broth, Ramen Club finally opened on April 20th. After two visits in two weeks, I have to agree with the other yelpers who've dissed nearly every aspect of the operation. The dry-erase menus (which did not make an appearance on my second visit) didn't help them get the order right. The extras we ordered didn't bear any relation to what showed up in the bowls. The broths were only tepidly warm and not very flavorful. The addition of katsu in the soup did not do it any good. The 'kuro' had only a glop of toasted garlic pieces and not the layer of deliciousness I was hoping for. The noodles, while decent, were nothing to crow over.

Overall, even though I work only a few blocks away and, as a non-driver, the convenience is quite appealing, Ramen Club will be more of a 'ramen of last resort' than any place I'm going to seek out.

Maru Ichi's got nothing to fear.

Note this Review is for a different location - 617 Kapahulu Ave

I picked Tenka-ippin for my next stop on the Honolulu Ramen tour because it is colocated with a Kozo sushi, so my non-ramen-eating wife could eat too.  Apparently the Kapahulu corridor is a hotbed of ramen activity so there are other choices a short walk away, but the alluring poster-size shot of their signature Kotteri ramen facing the street and the inviting yellow walls would probably have drawn me in regardless. At any rate I'm very glad I tried it!

The place is small, clean and dominated by the counter down the middle of the restaurant. There are three 4-person tables on the left side but (like most ramen shops) this would not be a good place for a large party.  The company-issue posters are all in Japanese but on one wall there are pictures of the owner with various Sumotori and celebrities.

I started to order my usual Miso ramen but the waitress convinced me that the Kotteri was what I really wanted, so I acquiesced. There was almost nobody else in the shop so the bowl came out quickly and from the first slurp of the broth I knew I was in for a treat.  As others have noted the Kotteri soup is thick and creamy. Perhaps the yelper who noted an unpleasant powdery taste got a freak bowl-- all I know is that mine had a deep, delicious flavor to it that I couldn't stop slurping.

Once I got into the bowl, I found the noodles were perfectly done, the chashu slices large and tender, the bamboo shoots were crisp and there was a giant pile of fresh green onions on top. The waitress also supplied a soy sauce bottle labelled 'kotteri' on top, which she said was a Japanese mixture of shoyu and pork flavor.   What more could a noodle hound ask for?  

(Maybe a little larger bowl, and maybe some spinach or tamago, but griping about it would be manini grumbles...)

I love Mediterraneo and have been going there since shortly after they opened.  Tucked away on King Street, between dry cleaners and random appliance stores, the parking lot is easy to miss (it's immediately past the restaurant through an alley) as soon as you step inside, the hand-blown bottles arrayed around the small room and smell of garlic wafting from the back instantly transport you to an Italian state of mind.  

As others have noted, the appetizers are delicious, and the gnocci are indeed excellent, but for me the defining dish here is the Amatriciana - even the sound of it rolls out of the mouth promising delight with every syllable - Ah mah TREE Chi Ah Na!  I am working myself into a salivating frenzy just recalling the last bowl of it I devoured - it's a hearty tomato-based sauce with a deep smoky taste imparted by small, thick squares of high-grade bacon.  As with all Mediterraneo's pasta dishes, you can have your choice of noodles from thin (capellini) to thick (linguini), all fresh and perfectly cooked until just beyond al-dente.   I choose the linguini (to not get overpowered by the sauce), mix some fresh parmesan in and dig in.

The owner is often present and always waves goodbye to you with a "ciao bella". Just a great, one-of-a-kind place that I hope stays in business forever.