John "TAMpopo" T.'s Profile

I don't usually think about eating at barbeque places much because I can stoke the coals and work a barbeque pit like a pro myself. But once in a while, I find myself at a place like Niks spending a small fortune on a couple of three-way combo's just to indulge in the luxury of ordering everything on the menu and devouring ungodly amounts of meat to satisfy my carnivorous instincts without having to reek of mesquite and charcoal lighter fluid afterwards. Dinner consisted of tender, succulent pork ribs, chicken, hot links, beef brisket, tri-tip & pulled pork, all smoked to perfection and smothered in extra spicy southern barbeque sauce with a side of that stick-to-the-roof-of-your -mouth-good yellow potato salad and some greens, boiled to smithereens. Heaven must be like this...

WhooHoo! How can I review the WaMu location I'm stationed at without sounding biased? Well first of all, I'm what they call a Senior Banking Loan Consultant which means I don't actually work for the branch manager of this location per se but we are like business partners. I refer her and her staff all the customers who need new bank accounts, credit cards, investments, financial planning and all other non-mortgage related services and they in turn refer me anyone they think may even be remotely in need of or interested in any kind of real estate-based financing. It works out pretty well this way. I would give this location 5 stars just because I can see first-hand how back-breaking it is to do what they do on a daily basis as they try to accomodate the onslaught of  WaMu banking customers and/or prospective customers  that usually out-number the staff  about 20 to 1. The lines may be long at times but if you happen to be a regular customer and know the routine, you would know that there are actually different lines or seated waiting areas for different things so when in doubt, do ask the first person you see when you walk in (which on most days, happens to be yours-truly) and they'll get you in and out of there in a jiffy. This location is also one of the very few in the City with free parking. To me, free parking in the Sunset District alone is worth the while to bank at this branch. Try looking for street parking anywhere else near 19th & Noriega and you'll see what I mean.

For those who know what I'm talking about, this place is the closest thing to Carmine's west of the New Jersey Turnpike!  I have to say that I was very impressed with the food and the presentation. The place isn't even officially open yet and already it was just buzzing with activity as if it's been there forever.  They had a huge wine list to choose from but I opted for the default house red wine which was surprisingly good. It wasn't acidic and didn't taste like cork.  The generous portions, the freshness and no-nonsense way they prepared the food reminded me of meals I ate with friends and family in Little Italy many years ago when I lived in New York. I could go into more detail about the salad, the appetizer, the entree and the dessert but from the looks of the reviews above mine, they seem to have those bases covered. So ditto on that for me.

Pretentious place that serves overpriced mediocre tea leaves to unwitting snobs who obviously can't discern pu-erh from chai but they wanna act hip because tea is the "in" thing to do.  I have a nose for really good tea and no matter how good they claim that tea is, its certainly not $15-a-gram good. Why, for that price you can get a gram of good hot-house sensimilla and toke to your heart's content and afterwards, even a styrofoam cup of Liptons would taste better to you than the floor sweepings they try to pass off as tea.
So what does that have to do with the price of tea in China you say? Everything. Next time, go to Chinatown.

This place and their original one on Fruitvale rocks when it comes to selection, value and authentic Mexican fare. I've been going to the Fruitvale location since the 1980's and I've recently tried the new one in Alameda. They have nice-sized  portions, great daily specials and a fantastic deal for the all you can eat Sunday Brunch buffet at just ten bucks a head but I was put off by the pot of Menudo they served the day I was there. Apparently, whoever cooked it did not take the time to properly clean the honeycomb tripe (cow stomach) and the cow's foot, so it gave off more than a strong, unpleasant barnyard odor that would have grossed out a rat. Not even the extra oregano, raw chopped onion, red pepper flakes, lime and tapatio sauce I dumped into my bowl could disguise the unmistakable smell of cow manure! Don't they know what cow stomach and cow's feet come in contact with on a daily basis? I happen to be a cross-cultural fan of offal and "variety meats" and I've eaten real Mexican Menudo thousands of times since I was a kid as well as tripe and beef foot ligaments and tendons prepared thousands of different ways, so I know when its not right.  I truly hope it was an isolated incident because I intend to go back and order it again sometime. I've been said to be fulla BS sometimes but I'd really be full of BS literally and in every sense if I had actually finished my soup that day.

This is quite possibly the only WaMu branch in this area with no  long teller lines and lots of free parking for everyone. There are two huge parking lots and the people are super-nice. I know this because
I used to work there :)

This "high-fashion eyewear boutique" in Oakland's Chinatown  has more top brand name designer frames in stock than any other optical store I've ever been to- and I've been to many- from coast-to-coast and even overseas. On any given day, there is over a quarter of a milion dollars worth of eyewear to choose from, so you're sure to find exactly what you want no matter how eclectic your style and taste may be.  I don't normally wear eyeglasses unless I'm driving, so the one dorky-looking pair of glasses I keep in my glove compartment is all I need but I do keep different pairs of prescription Oakleys, Raybans and Armani's around for those times when I'm rolling around town incognito.

One sentence sums it up: This group bites donkey cock.

Wednesday & Sunday night Karaoke nights are Berkeley's best kept secret but not for long. It's already starting to look like Friday night there by 9:00 pm on both Wednesday and Sunday nights, thanks to the proliferating number of die-hard karaoke singers, groupies and fans from all over the Eastbay. Their sound system & extensive song selection really can't be beat. The place also has big screen tv's as well as fantastic club lighting effects and a spacious dance floor to get your groove on should you feel so inspired. The Karaoke singing and madness starts at 9:30 pm and ends at 1:30, so there's plenty of time to get your song in if you go early.

I've been a regular at Creasian for years and I just ran into Jack, the original founder of this place. It turns out he is quite a globetrotting gourmet himself and many years ago, he had a vision that he would fuse some traditionally Western favorites with Asian ingredients and prepare some Asian dishes with a European twist. The end result was quite delicious when he was the Chef there in 2004 but since personal challenges forced him to delegate all the cooking to employees in the latter part of 2005 & 2006, they ended up running the place to the ground. I even stopped going there for a while myself due to the shoddy food & service. But now the place is under new management. Jack's protege James, who trained directly under him for years, has just taken over the restaurant and he has the uncanny knack of being able to faithfully reproduce all of Jack's culinary creations with loving care. I went back there for dinner and also had an event catered by them and the difference is extraordinary.  All of a sudden, the customers are paying attention to the improved taste and quality of the food. If you haven't been there lately, I suggest you give this place another try. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll be inspired to write a review in Yelp just like I just did. And no, I'm not a close friend or a relative and I don't own stock in the place but I certainly wish I did.  James is going to do all right. All those great reviews from newspaper and magazine food critics on the door aren't there for no reason. In my opinion, this place now beats all the trendy fusion places on both sides of the bay just like it did when they first opened. I'd spend my money there anytime!