Stephanie T.'s Profile

How can I describe how much I love thee, secret breakfast ice cream? I don't know if I can.

I've been going to this restaurant my whole life and recently I found out it is closing in three months. I therefore write this review as a public service to all those that have not been invited to a birthday party, baby party, wedding banquet, wedding anniversary, and/or other reason large groups of Chinese people get together.

Silver Dragon is easily the stateliest restaurant in Oakland Chinatown and among those of all I've been in anywhere. It boasts two floors of dining room with high ceilings and large windows. The grand chandeliers give the restaurant a feeling it old world charm that's hard to find in today's Ikea world.

It's also got one of the best American Chinese menus around. (cause we all know there are those times when you just want broccoli beef) In particular I recommend their lettuce wraps, mu shu pork and stir fried chicken.

So, hurry, check the place out, return visit, bid the owners farewell -- before they close their doors and become some other kind of business entirely.

One of San Francisco's most iconic buildings and also a fabulous place to spend an afternoon, drop by for a coffee or shop for a cool gift.

If you're local I'd recommend going in with a friend on the dual membership. You get unlimited entry for you and a guest (and so does your friend) plus admission to special events and a 10% discount on museum purchases.

Of course, have to point out the best part. This place makes a kickass affogato: Humphrey Sloacomb secret breakfast with just the right amount of Blue Bottle espresso.

Also useful to know - the museum is closed on Wednesdays.

Some observations, and how you know you're a yuppie at a snobby hipster coffee shop:

"Can I have a double skim latte no foam?"
"We only have whole and soy milk."
"What's your wifi password?"
"We don't have wifi."

There's a separate bar devoted to drip coffee.

Then again,, it is a coffee bar in the Mission and the coffee is pretty good. Maybe I should just be grateful they take credit cards!

Extremely solid Korean taco truck. I'd recommend you get the tacos, for sure - the burritos are decent but not what I'm writing about.

In particular I favor the kalbi, marinated perfectly and served up with kimchee coleslaw, but the marinated chicken is also quite good. Pork belly is solid but at this point I think I've been a little overexposed and I'm not sure the Korean tacos are really doing anything special with it. Vegetarians will tell you they like the tofu, but if you eat meat, get meat.

The fries are pretty ridiculous - basically everything in the tacos thrown on some fries, which they manage to keep serendipitously crunchy. I'd recommend getting these if you're there with a friend; eating them alone is probably going to take a month or two off your life.

Perfect for a late night snack or a quick lunch, if you can track this very friendly food truck down!

And of course I have to plug - if you like this place, don't forget to check out "Koi Fusion" in Portland.

I paid a second visit to Uchi during my last visit to Austin and it did not disappoint. Holy cow, this place is a darned good Japanese restaurant and I feel like it means something to be able to say that after enjoying sushi in Seattle, San Francisco and Tokyo.

I don't know how a sushi joint in the middle of Texas manages to lock down such fresh fish but it really is remarkable how high in quality -- and unique -- the sushi is here. Maybe there's an illicit fish ring with Mexico involved somehow.

I'd certainly recommend sitting at the sushi bar and letting the chef or waiter run your night for you. Both the cooked and cold dishes are nothing short of spectacular. During my last visit I enjoyed foie gras sushi (pictured), salmon+kale+asian pear, and a crunchy fish-rice dish that basically blew my mind.

Also: you might be full or think that Asian restaurant desserts sometimes leave something to be desired (often I do) it would be a great mistake to miss out on dessert at Uchi. Let's just say I've licked the plate clean both times.

Whether you live in Austin, visit Austin, happen to be flying through Austin for some reason, or are looking for somewhere to get a killer Japanese meal, figure out a way to get yourself to Uchi.

I think I could probably eat here almost every day. This is a good thing since I live above it. Despite its close proximity I've managed Pauline's only a few times but each of those times I've been extremely impressed.

Standard order is the 50-50 meat vegetarian special. It's different daily and yet unbelievable how tasty it is every time. Like the CSA of pizzerias, you don't have to know what you want to get what you want. (And much of the time I've actually never heard of the vegetable on my pizza so could not have selected it.)

Don't ignore the special salad or seasonable desserts, either - all our fresh, well prepared and nicely presented.

If you don't feel like waiting, phone your order in and Pauline's will give you a very accurate (and reasonable) pickup time to retrieve your food.

When people ask me where my favorite Mission burrito is, I cite this place.   (A friend told me once about a burrito competition they had and that El Farolito came out on top)

It meets any need you might imagine there being for Mexican food in this area:
-Excellent price/quantity value. I think it's possibly the cheapest per-pound restaurant food I've ever had.
-Variety of deliciously seasoned meats. Particularly like the carne asada, al pastor and shredded chicken
-Super burritos come with fresh avocado. Yum.
-Salsa bar! So delicious
-Very late hours for that post-bar snack
-Early hours for that pre-park lunch pickup

My biggest discovery during my most recent visit was the strawberry agua fresca. So fresh! (And so cheap! $1.50 for a huge glass, I had two.)

In any case, it turns out 1900 reviews and 4.5 stars don't lie. Next time you're in the neighborhood, be sure to check the place out.

I think this place is okay for dinner, but the real key at Toulouse is WEEKDAY BREAKFAST.

If you are able to squeeze some time between 8 and 11am in on a weekday morning to get to Toulouse, they offer almost the entirety of their very extensive breakfast menu for $7.50.

If it's your first time I absolutely recommend the creamy grits and shrimp creole. In my opinion it's far and away the best thing on the menu, and when you get it with breakfast it comes with eggs.

Other very good items, especially if you're going with a group and don't want to order like ten of the shrimp/grits dish, are the meatloaf (very sizey portion), pork cheek confit hash (tasty but much smaller in quantity), and the crab benedict (more expensive but perhaps worth a few extra dollars.)

The price has gradually gone up over time but at under $10, it's still a screaming deal, since entrees are normally $20+ here.

Otherwise not much to comment here except that it's a pretty cool space (tall windows and trendy decor). I wish they'd decided not to include the flat screen TVs but hey, I guess they've probably got to cater to the Pesos crowd somehow.

Mmmm, many ice cream places that do experimental flavors use that as a reason to have fewer flavors. Thank God Toscanini's hasn't taken that tact.

It's one of those places that seemed over-hyped, I went there, remembered it as over-hyped, and subsequently didn't go back again for awhile. Returning again last week, however, I think I can say that it is legitimately super good ice cream in a variety of flavors.

Some constant uniques: Earl Grey tea.

Some bomb sorbet flavors: bourbon peach, mango.

Some reliable classics: cookies-n-cream, chocolate.

Pretty spendy, though, almost $4 for a single. Those in Cambridge must really be willing to pay for your ice cream!