Ed "Edopeno" P.'s Profile

A Japanese Language/Culture Lesson (sort of):

Ano, chotto matte (wait a minute).  Nihon desuka?? (Am I in Japan??)  Those were the thoughts pinging in my head when I first arrived at Japantown's (Nihonmachi) newest hauteSpot - New People.  

In Japan, the newest/foreign - see: H&M, Forever 21, Gap, and others -department stores (depaato) that line the Tokyo streets all have a Hip (hippu), chic (shikku. no, not shiko -  thats pee in Japanese ;P)  and uberTrendy feel to them. New People has that same feeling. And New People gives us a real taste of Tokyo's J-Pop culture.  

Entering the building, you'll find yourself in a bit of a quandary: Where to go first. Here's a little guide:

If you're looking to catch the latest J-Pop related anime/movies (eiga) , head downstairs - the Basement. Just be sure to check out the website (http://newpeopleworld....) prior to you visit, to find out what movies they are showing.

Food: If you need it, its at the Cafe as soon as you enter - 1F. Pricewise, uhm... there are a lot of ther places to eat around J-Town.

If you head upstairs - Mezzanine, you'll hit the Shop. Here you'll find books, trinkets, toys, and accessories conveying J-Pop's influence. From everything cute (kawaii), bizarre (hennakoto), and awesome (sugoi) - you'll find alot of J-Pop goodness all in one location.

Making your way to fashion floor - 2F, you'll find yourself in a more "traditional" Mall environment.  And by "traditional," I mean a place where you'll find style/fashion, buy clothes (fuku), try on shoes (kutsu), and put on some accessories.  Street Fashion. Lolita-style clothing. Harajuku Cute style. Even fashionable ninja shoes (aka Tabi).

On the top floor, the SUPERFLOG Gallery - 3F.  For the true/aspiring/admiring artiste, the Gallery is an awesome (sugoi) exhibition area to enjoy Art from Artists influenced by J-Pop culture.

Although we can no longer order our Loco Moco's at Denny's, or knock down pins at the Bowling Alley -  the aesthetic feel of Japantown has changed into something New. Something fresh. Something for New People to visit. And for San Francisco - its all g-doubleOH-dee-good.

Something different:

"Never have I seen Heaven in all of its splendor! Swimming in an ocean filled with Spam juice, Spam as far as the eye can see! Splashing against my face. I want to eat you, oh can of Spam. Will you let me nibble upon every crevice of your being? If only for a little while..."

If you haven't guessed by now, I LOVE SPAM!  Perhaps it was my latchkey kid upbringing that lead to my Spam-tasticness. Or maybe it was the many months of living in Hawaii; where every musubi, 7-Eleven and pastry shop topped off its delicasies w/ the mysterious (yet delicious) meat. Wherever my love for this OHSOGOOD, World War II canned delight originated from - all I can say is that I'm one of those guys that love Spam!

So on our looooong road trip back home from MN to CA I told Hunny K, "Look Hun, we meh neber com' bak 'roun rite deez here parts agayn. I reck'n we stop by der dem Spam Museum." And just like that, we were on our way. For those of you wondering...Ya. I talk like that (!?) = )  Now continuing on to the "meat" of my story...

You'll know when you've arrived because the first thing to be seen is ONE.HUGE. Hormel factory. Yup. Obviously. They are the ones making and distributing Spam. But your not there just yet. As you continue on the road driving off to the right you'll eventually come across *gulp* the Spam Museum (*angels singing) - the mecca, the shrine, the oasis of all meats Canned!

PLUS(+)
- admission: free
- free samples of Spam
- Interactive "Spam Canning" facility
- The History of Spam
- Spam memorabilia, souveniers, and more free Spam

MINUS(-)
- not too many people would go out of their ways to make this trip

You all probably know by now that, despite the fact that its canned meat, I like Spam. A LOT.  To have an entire museum dedicated to the Past, Present and Future of Spam wasn't only a fun experience, I also got to eat A LOT of Spam! And then there is that whole, "this kinda feels like a National Lampoon movie..." vibe I get. When in [Spam Museum].

If someone were to tell you that Daly City was home to OHSOGOOD food, would you believe them?  To me, Daly City is filled w/ fog, cold, fog AND cold. Yup, not exactly a place you'd run to for good food. But the Grain Restaurant may change your mind...

Located at the top of the hill in Daly City next to Classic Bowl, is - the Grain Restaurant. You can't miss it. As soon as you pull into the parking lot, depending on when you arrive, a HUGE sign entitled: Grain - welcomes you. A quaint restaurant, w/ a modern edge entices the senses and welcomes you to eat.

So what's good? I'm glad you asked. May I suggest everything! Seriously, the modest menu allows you to do that. However, if that's out of the question, here are some of my faves (so far): the Coconut fish noodle soup, the Braised beef short ribs, The Spicy Pork, the Roasted Corn Salad, and the Crispy Pastry for dessert? Its all nom.nom.nom-tastic! Its a great place for couples and a bunch of your friends, too.

PLUS:

- Good food
- Reasonable Prices
- Friendly service
- Open late on weekends for all you late night aficionados (1AM)

MINUS:

- I live in Sunnyvale, and I wish there were one near me!

All in all, this place is OHSOGOOD! And with discussion of a changing menu (to go hand in hand w/ an ever-changing season, I'm sure), its reason enough to go back for seconds. Good food, great service and even friendlier people - we can all use some Grain in our lives.

Coffee shops. In the Bay Area, they come a dime a dozen. Some are good and some are *meh. So looking for a good cafe anywhere is kind of a hit-or-miss. Fortunately, on a quick stop in Hayward, a gem was found.  Nestled along Hesperian Blvd. next to Chabot College, lies a coffee shoppe. Adorned w/ compliated (looking) coffee making contraptions, delish looking pastries,photography, and laptop-toting patrons - Eon Coffee provides the type of atmosphere different  from what you'd expect in a cafe.  Your ol' cup o' joe may never taste the same again.

Bonus(!):

- Free Wi-Fi
- Great Atmosphere
- Super-friendly staff
- Clean Facility!

Tips:

- sit outside during Sunny Days. Its bee-yoot. Trust
- Need to study? This is a great place PLUS they've got Wi-fi!
- the Homemade pastries are good for you and are OHSOGOOD!

My only gripe? Would LOVE it More if:

- There were one near me!

All in all, this place has that local cafe feel with an atmosphere that will keep you coming back. Cups up for Eon Coffee and Yay for Yoshi!

While everyone writes and sings praise over how good the food is here, I am going to do the complete OPPOSITE!  No, not really. This place is great. The locals know it. Tourists may end up at Crustaceans (Thanh Longs' downtown SF location), instead of the original location - but one truth remains the same: the food is good.

Now we all know that the garlic noodles are Gewd. We all know that the Roasted Crab is GEWD! But what about the rest of the menu? I have this firm belief that if you deem a restaurant a good place to eat, and I mean OHSOGOOD to eat, its menu HAS to be delicious. Its what keeps us coming back, right? So into my foray into the deeper regions of the menu I found: Shaken Beef.

Now coming to Thanh Long, the goto items are naturally the crab and garlic noodles, but if you accompany your meal w/ the shaken beef...*drool. Its a prime cut of meat sautéd w/ a sauce that makes this dish DELISH. You will usually see the shaken beef dish in higher-end Vietnamese restaurants, and Thanh Long's Vietnamese influence mos def shines through with this dish. Although a bit pricey ($20 at the time of review), its a trete de force for the red meat enthusiast.

After reading all of the reviews for Little Szechuan, I guess its safe to say that we can all agree on one thing - the food here is OHSOGOOD!

But instead of re-stating the obvious, I ask the help of my elders to help me describe my experience in Proverbs:

The decor - "Be in readiness for favorable winds"

The service - "Politeness wins the confidence of princes"

The price - "Take a second look; it costs you nothing"

The food - "Of a good beginning cometh a good end"

I've been dining here for a while now, and only recently ventured out into "other" parts of the menu. Lucky thing I did because I have just found my new favorite dish:

Haianese Chicken Rice.

Its accompanied by a ginger-ish, green dipping sauce. *drool.

If you are looking for a new dish here, DisIsIt!  

*Note: I would love th hear people's thoughts on this dish. Is it just me? Or is it just GOOD???

Trying to find AUTHENTIC Asian food in MN is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Its HARD! So when my girlfriend and I find a decent place to eat, we usually hit it...HARD. On our quest to find that ideal Asian restaurant, we did what any other hungry fellow would do in search of Asian food in MN. We google'd it. And since the mood called for something Thai-related, we started our search.

Now, the criteria for the restaurant we were about to dine at had to be similar to our expectations of Thai food over at our native home of California. That is: taste, price and service. So, if the restaurant is satisfactory in those respects, all I can say is..."lets eat!" And we found such a place.

Pad Thai boasts an authentic Thai experience, not only in food, but also in its decor and atmosphere. Upon entering the restaurant, I really felt as if we had left MN for that little time of dining.

All I can say is this: the food is good. Authentic Thai food. Although, I do wish they offered my favorite Thai food dish - crispy chicken over rice. But other than that, the food is good. As far as service is concerned...they probably wanted us to enjoy our food instead of being bothered by their service. (I wonder...) But if you love a bargain, and if you enjoy good food priced from $6-$11 a dish (a great deal!!!) then this is the place for you.

Still riding on the high of our dinner just moments ago, I must say that Cafe BonXai was delish!  First of all, when I first pulled up to the restaurant (mind you that this was dinnertime)  I was impressed right away with what I saw. From the outside, a smooth cafe look. While inside, the ambiance - even smoother.

As we entered, we were greeted by the host that sat us down right away.  And our server and dinner service? In one word - great. Prompt service, checked up on us, and was all-around a friendly waiter to have. Weren't we lucky!

As for the food. ZOMG! For starters, we had the calamari - which flavor differed from any calamari we had prior to eating here. In short, it was tasty!  For our entrees: sharing the mango chicken and Basil Garlic Lemongrass. Dee-lish! Another note, for those that keep up with my reviews, I LUVLUVLUV me some Arnie Palmer.So, did Cafe BonXai pass the Arnie taste test? Of course! And, dare I say it, is probably one of the best Arnie's I've had...ANYWHERE! No joke!

My only suggestion to those that go out for Cafe BonXai, and want to relive the experience that I had: eat in the evening.  It sets the mood. For some good food.

If you are ever find yourself driving down University, take a second glance at Cafe BonXai. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised at what you find. Good food. Friendly staff. And OHSOGOOD food. Ciao.

Is it me, or does this restaurant look like a re-decorated gas station?  That was the first impression I had of Brasa Rotisserie when we pulled into the its exceptionally tiny parking lot . But as soon as you step inside..  

The D(el)ISH: What wasn't good!?! If you are going to order and its your first time dining at Brasa, for the meat-lover I recommend the Combination plate. Because if if you are going to do rotisserie, you gotta do rotisserie right!  The food specs: Pulled pork. Rotisserie Chicken. Cheese Grits. And of course, the Corn Bread! Ordered a side of Collard Greens w/ an Arnie Palmer - and I'm good!

The DIRT: For the price, I thought portions would be bigger!

Despite my only gripe, the restaurant serves really good food and appears to be a big hit. I mean, there was a line when we got in, and there was a line waiting when we left. If that isn't an indication of a restaurants' popularity and success, then please let me know!  I recommend this place for its unique atmosphere and friendly staff. And the food, if you like it soulful, is OHSOGOOD!