Namita B.'s Profile

Half. Pound. Burgers.
My brother got a regular burger and I got the Vermont, which included a giant slab of ham and some sharp cheddar. Fresh lettuce/tomatoes/pickles/onions were stacked on the side, which we appreciated. Once the burgers were assembled, we had a hard time figuring out how to eat them, because they were approximately the size of my face. Anyway, once we downed them, we were (obviously) stuffed and quite happy. Great burgers overall (4 stars because while apparently Zagat rates this one of the best burgers in the country, it's not the best I've ever had).

My parents split a Greek salad, which they said was good and filling and big enough to share. My cousin got the chicken Francaise, which was "pleasantly lemony" with sides of rice and steamed veggies.

Prices were reasonable; I forget the rest but the burgers ranged $11-14. Service was friendly. The place itself is small and cozy with a strongly pub-like feel; as a party of 6 we commandeered the largest seating area they had. The walls are covered with vintage-y photos and paintings of local scenes. Location is great; it's two blocks to the harbour.

If I ever find myself in Northport again, I'd go back!

Nothing bad and nothing great. I go because it's convenient, and cheaper than the (rather better) Hiro.

Rolls are kind of on the small side, but basic ones in the bento box are cheap and plentiful (6 pieces per item; I generally get two rolls and 12 pieces of even basic sushi is prett filling). A total of $8 gets you miso soup, salad, a giant side of rice, and two menu items - no complaints there. They can do your miso to go, which I've noticed most places don't.

Even during lunch rush, my takeout order was ready in 10-15 minutes, which I really appreciated. Service was very friendly and efficient.

All the Indian people in Cupertino come here on Sunday evenings after their Target trips (that is, unless they're taking pizza to go since the place is packed with all the other Indian families - seriously, I've never once been here that I didn't run into someone I knew). This isn't a bad thing - if you're of that crowd, it creates a nice community atmosphere; if you're not, then it's like any other pizza place. It's staffed by what appears to be mostly non-Indian Lynbrook kids (which is likely due to Indian parents' mortification at the thought of someone seeing their child working at a pizza place).

The cheese and crushed red pepper are on a side table; if you want them you have to go get them. The same applies to your toddlers in the 'arcade' area at the back (kidding. kind of).

Cicero's specializes in thin-crust pizzas. Once I was old enough to understand that what my dad had always insisted was pepperoni is actually ham (his fault, not Cicero's), I liked this place a lot  better. The pizzas are tasty, timely, and not terribly greasy; what more could you want?

My boyfriend is Foursquare mayor of this place, if that tells you anything about how often we come here when I'm in town. I think it's literally his favorite restaurant by any measure in the entire city. It's great casual-restaurant food, in close proximity to PSU, and the service is efficient and starts to recognize you after enough visits.

The food:
- I like their Thai iced tea, which is one standard I note across all Thai places. They can make it hot, too (which is necessary sometimes given Portland's weather)!
- I generally get Pad Thai or Pad See Ew; both are consistently delicious. He gets Pad Kee Mow and says the same.
- I've had their Panang curry a couple times too - I prefer tofu+veggie to chicken. YUM.

Most of the other reviews cover the spice scale, so I won't go into that.

This place is cheap, and their portions are not - nothing to argue with there =)

Not bad, but I have definitely had better (especially at this price).

Caveat: we didn't sit at the bar or order omakase, which appears to be the thing that makes this place great.

We had to ask specifically for the roll menu, which was the first item of confusion. The standard menu didn't offer a terribly wide selection of anything, and neither did the roll menu.

A moderate amount of decent food ran us $25 per person (There were 4 of us), which I consider to be on the high side for a non-fancy place, even for sushi. Perhaps this is unfair because I'm used to sushi in Berkeley where all food is considerably cheaper than in the south bay, but it does exist!

The next time I'm in the south bay and craving sushi, I will shop around other places before coming back here.

Best place ever!! See hysterical pictures.

Don't be fooled by the tiny-looking portions - they are rich and heavy, and the medium size is tough for 3 people to polish off! Great alternative to the ubiquitous froyo places that have appeared everywhere over the last two years. No skinny b*tches indeed ;) I love the design of the place - fresh, trendy, lively, funny, futuristic - and the irreverent attitude towards dieting, especially in an appearance-conscious place like NYC.

Bottom line - I would probably spend a lot of money and earn a lot of poundage if I lived on the same coast as this wonder. (Almost) makes me glad I don't!

Last night's dinner at Fringale was fantastic! I went with some friends of discriminating taste for Dine About Town. Here's the rundown:

The restaurant itself is cozy (read: very small) and classy, and the service was somehow both extremely polite AND extremely French (I kid; but I also have never heard anyone say 'bon apetit' without sounding cheesy before). Fringale is not exactly vegetarian-friendly. I would not recommend coming here with vegetarians because they would not be able to eat any of the entrees (I'm not detracting a star because it's the vegetarians' own fault if they come here!). However, my appetizer and dessert were scrumptious and completely friendly to various dietary restrictions. Tip: they do not accept any substitutions to menu items. The bill for 6 people, including tax, tip, various surcharges for SF health and big groups, came out to $47 per person. I went home pleasantly full and happy, with slightly less than the expected damage to my bank account. Not bad at all!

What I ordered:
- Uber-fancy ravioli appetizer (other choices were calamari and scallops; I tried both but was glad I hadn't ordered either one as I'm not a seafood person). Flavorful and delicious, and 3 big pieces were actually just the right amount of food!
- The BEST steak I've ever had (the other choices were duck and fish). This lovely filet mignon came with fries and green beans, which were very simple but very good. I didn't ask for ketchup because that would have been crass, so I commandeered the red wine marinade floating around the plate to do the job. The beans were precisely the way green beans are supposed to be cooked (crunchy and bright green).
- Stupendous creme brulee for dessert (other desserts were almond mousse cake or Chocolate Gourmand, which is fancy talk for brownie+ice cream - my choice was clearly the best). It was a good-sized, perfectly-caramelized portion.
- I also ordered a plain latte, which was very tasty and gourmet and all that, but not the best I've ever had. No harm done; Fringale isn't a cafe so I don't care.

All in all, a fantastic meal at a lovely restaurant. I would definitely go again!

My family gets all our birthday cakes here. All of the mousses are great, and I usually also pick up some other baked good (muffin, pastry, pound cake, etc.) for breakfast the next day. I also enjoy their brittle-like almond cookies, whatever they're called, which have unfortunately become more expensive over the years.

Mousses I love:
- Mango
- Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Orange
- Raspberry
- Tiramisu
- Probably every other one they have

They are sold in individual slices, 9"x5"-ish rectangles, or 10"(?) rounds.

They always have my orders ready exactly on time and are always prompt with service. When there's a line, I'll usually get boba from the place right next to it in the building... but that's besides the point. I like this place, I always have, and will be eating one of their cakes in just a minute so brb...

This place is awesome. It's the ideal place to take a date - along with the great food, there's a magically lit patio with fire pits on every table. There are plenty of outdoor heaters around, but it doesn't hurt to strategically seat your lady away from them so that she has to scoot closer to you for warmth ;)

The portions are smaller than you might expect (or maybe we were just really hungry) so don't plan on splitting entrees if you've got an appetite. While they do have very good vegetarian options, they are limited. Every single thing we ordered was delicious (some kebabs, I forget which; lentil soup, vegetarian appetizer sampler).

Service was very friendly and very patient - my half-drunk friend struck up a friendship with our waitress and subsequently subjected her to a number of tiresome and inane conversation topics. She also brought out an extremely decadent piece of chocolate cake when we told her it was another friend's birthday.

Logistically, Zaytoon was a little hard to find (another disclaimer: we were out-of-town first-time visitors). It's a few blocks off State Street in a residential-looking area, semi-upstairs. There is street parking, which was plentiful on the Saturday night we were there. The restaurant wasn't very crowded either, but then we arrived at 10pm and it was too cold to enjoy the fantastic patio.

It was too long ago to remember many more details, but I'd go again in a heartbeat!

Big, hearty burgers with fresh lettuce/tomatoes/other veggies. There is enough for a small person like myself to have a hard time getting an entire burger down in one meal. The fries are steak fries, which are still good although I prefer the tiny, deep-fried, crispy variety.

The establishment is strongly fragranced with garlic, so beware! Sure, it's tasty, but it's not the best perfume to wear to an after-lunch meeting. Also be warned that if you're interested in the pesto sauce, it's just crushed garlic costumed in green. I'm still burping it 4 hours later (although whether that's a problem with me or the food is up for discussion).

Service is fast, friendly, and helpful. They were extremely patient as I stood at the register changing my order 5 times, completely ignoring the suggestions I had asked them to make. They were also immediately responsive when I changed it again as they were making my burger. Tip: they have no problem substituting onions with avocados, which was a pretty good deal in my opinion.

This is a good spot for takeout lunch if you work in one of the nearby office buildings (because you won't find parking if you drive there). The missing star is because of the garlicky atmosphere and the price ($12 for a garden burger, fries, and drink? Damn). Far better than most of the food in the Bayhill complex.