Jodi "Wench" C.'s Profile

If there is one place in the easy bay area that has reminded me of my home Portland, it is the Fat Lady.

There are a handful of tables out front with umbrellas to protect one from the ominous (but adorable) local pigeons just aching for some of the Fat Lady's pastries.

When I walked inside, it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the dim lighting. But that minute gave me the opportunity to bask in the glory of your grandma's dream house. Knick knacks everywhere! Hanging from the ceilings, popping out from the walls, overflowing from behind the bar, decked out on the tables and banisters. This place has an amazingly eclectic and welcoming ambiance.

And it. was. packed fulled of people.

If I'd been with a group, it would've taken awhile to get a seat. It was brunch time on a Sunday afternoon in Jack London square, as you would have it. And apparently, this is the hip place to be during that time.

The bartender and waitresses were friendly, if not a bit overwhelmed. During my 45 minute visit, I saw one waitress tip a glass in the middle of a table, one bartender break a row of glasses precariously piled in the mini fridge, and another waitress scald her hand on the hot water dispenser. Aside from inherent clumsiness, friendliness and efficiency were still in tact.

The menu isn't huge, but they know what they do well. I had the benedict florentine with a side of potatoes and fruit. Their breakfast potatoes were well seasoned, the benedict on the milder (but fresh) side. And as I was waiting, I was served a complimentary plate of  baked goods: mini muffins and scones to keep my mouth occupied during the wait.

I really would love to come back again when it's not quite as busy. Makes me wonder why The Fat Lady doesn't open up a sister restaurant...

In spite of our culturally diverse location, it took me a bit of searching to find a Mexican restaurant I'd be satisfied with. I don't eat meat so most carts and cafes that specialize in tacos just don't cut it for me. And I'm not a huge fan of the new wave fresh mex style of Mexican food.

I know it's sort of a paradox but what I look for in Mexican food is a happy combination of veg-friendly and authentic. Yes, I'm a pain in the ass. No, I don't remember how to say that in Spanish.

In spite of my previous mention of veggie tacos not cutting it for me, that's exactly what I went for at Dona Marias. The tacos del papas come with a potato patty of sorts, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and a nice squirt of sour cream, topped by an avocado slice. And the tortilla is fried and flour, as it should be in my weird mundito (that means "little world", gringos).

They have many platters to choose from, or your option to go ala carte or do a mix-and-match. I like options. They also have really good homemade tortilla chips like I've only had when making them in my frying pan. And their salsa was mild but perfecto.

The tacos were well put together and delicious. Good fresh rice. Nice sized dinner salad, and the price tag was right. As a side note, my buddy had the pulled chicken burrito. He finished maybe half of it, due to proportions, even though he is an ogre. Leftovers, hoorah!

There's not much to the ambiance here. You come for friendly, fast, well-priced service, not for a romantic atmosphere.

PS: how do you say "ogre" in Spanish...?

I'll admit: I chose this thai restaurant out of all of the tons in the San Jose area for its name alone.

Thaibodia. Sounds like a wonderland of elephants and spices. Or spicy elephants maybe?

Either way, it was all in all a really good dining experience.

Arriving on a weekend afternoon proved fruitful. The place was nearly empty which meant we got all the attention from the friendly server and bus boy. The server was quick to laugh and the bus boy anxious to talk about the soccer game they had on one of their three large TVs. I've gotta say: the big sports TVs amidst all of the clean fine Thai style decor was a bit quirky, but not a bad thing. And sipping on a 20 oz Kirin Ichiban ($6) while watching the recaps of the game after a long car dealership excursion proved a wonderful escape.

The tom kha tofu soup was pretty damn good. I usually like my tom kha on the creamier side. But after a few bites, the sweetness of the lemongrass won me over. The veggies were mushrooms, tofu, baby carrots, and a couple other well-cooked delights. And the small portion was big enough to feed two of us.

I ordered the spicy veggie rice. It was also sweet and very tasty, but if you like spicy, go for medium to hot. I couldn't taste any spice on the mild, though that's what the waitress recommended.

I'll be back to test out their pad thai and try to spice it up a bit.

Casa has been a part of my life since before I was born. No, really. That's not sarcasm. My mom used to get hella cravings for Casa when I was in her womb and kicking her in the part of the belly that let's Mom know, "Hey! I want some pinche Mexican food, woman!"

Even after she kicked me out of my warm Mom-cave, our family would routinely visit Casa de Soria. I remember having a serious thumb-sucking issue as a kid and my mom saying she dipped my thumb in Casa's salsa to get me to stop. Some might call that child abuse; I call it amusing and character-building. Especially since I continued to suck on my salsa-tinged thumb without remorse or hesitation.

Over the past twenty-five years (no seriously!)  that I've recalled going to this restaurant, not a whole lot has changed. Some of the employees have been there for as long as I can remember. The walls are still covered in celebrity pictures (though much more organized than they used to be). And they still have THE. Best. Damned. Beans. You. Will. Ever. Eat.

Ever. Ever ever. No joke.

Whenever I travel down to the Ventura area, one of the things I look forward to most is a stop at Casa. I tend to just get beans, rice, and chips and salsa. Sadly for any other Mexican restaurant I venture to, I am going to hold Casa's candle up to them, and they probably won't compare.

I also recommend the nachos and the veggie fajitas.

Si, Casa de Soria IS worth a 350 mile road trip!

Que bonita!

This southwest restaurant is cute, kept very clean, and on the smaller side. Staff are very friendly and you can see the kitchen, which I've found to be a general sign of above par cooking practices (think: the opposite of what you've seen in the disgustingly hilarious movie "Waiting"...).

The Quesadilla Hongos was, hands down, the best quesadilla I've ever had: wild mushrooms, monterey jack cheese, with a crusting of parmesan on the fried tortilla. It's served with caesar dressing, which is odd but delicious for quesadilla-dipping.

The tijuana caesar salad was HUGE. I mean, that was a salad meant for a family to share. It literally stood about 8 inches tall and was tumbling over the side of the plate, aching to dive into my belly. I also had one of their mimosas, which the waiter initially forgot to bring, but was filled with fresh fruit slices.

They have a nice variety of beverages, heat lamps on the patio for outdoor dining, and a decent salsa bar.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to Mexican food, and I really enjoyed what I found at this restaurant. Their menu isn't huge, but what they DO have, they do really well.

Have you ever had a dream with a quesadilla in it? Well, don't be surprised if you do after divulging in one of Rio's cheesy tortilla delights.

I have a confession to make, which I seem to do here often circa Yelp, the great Priest of Edible Gluttony.

My confession is: my sole purpose for going to the Unicorn restaurant is because... I cannot turn my childish gaze from anything relative to unicorns, rainbows, and other mythological entities. If an establishment truly wants to acquire my business, they should aim for such names as: The Yeti Express, Leprechaun Luncheon, and Pegasus Patisserie. I would have my hands pressed against their front windows quicker than you could say "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"

HOW I got to the Unicorn was of no great mystery. A quick google search, the mention of the name of the restaurant, and I stealthily dragged my comrades to the Pan Asian fusion restaurant lickity-split.

Needless to say I was not expecting such a formal environment. Very dim lighting, intimate black tables and settings, formal wait staff, with a theme that seems to have been inspired by the artist named Chihuly, who does all of that crazy glass work all over the country.

The restaurant is truly lovely, the waiters a bit more curt and formal than I'm accustomed to in my casual hippie lifestyle, and the prices are on the steep side. But for the eloquent ambiance and the beautiful displays of the food, it is to be expected.

For $9, I started with one of their gourmet cocktails, something in the fashion of a ginger cookie drink. It was well mixed but I'm not sure there was any booze in it.

For the meal, we ordered the vegan course, which is $24 per person. It was well worth it, as the food was truly delicious:

1. Unicorn Taro Rolls (a solid start, not too heavy).
2. Lotus root Salad with edamame and pine nuts (one of THE best salads I've had. I still crave more of it).
3. Tofu simmered in coconut wasabe cream (highly recommended).
4. Spicy mango bean curd (also very good with a Thai style)
5. DESSERT! Warm chocolate torte (incredibly rich and flavorful).

This is the sort of place that you take yourself to when you're feeling quite indulgent and have the money to freely spend. Our bill for four was somewhere around $150, and that was with one person only having a cocktail.

I'd recommend checking out their website, as they have some interesting limitations in regards to credit cards and seating. Definitely worth the trip if your pocketbook is overflowing.

You know that saying about how actions speak louder than words? If that were the case and I were to write a review of actions in regards to my experience at the Saturn Cafe, the only things you'd be able to hear would've been my friend and my groaning in edible ecstasy. And I don't know about you, but that would probably kill most people's appetites...

So instead of actions or words doing the speaking on this one, I'm going to let my photos of Saturn do most of the talking. But allow me a few words first before I get on to the fun food photos.

The wait staff are busy. BUSY! Do you get that? They've managed to glue their heads back on and are friendly in spite of running twenty tables each, but they are busy! So for their sake and yours, make sure your order is ready and any accoutrement you might need is ordered at the same time. Otherwise, you might be waiting a bit.

The food is, in my book (or my plate), mostly phenomenal. You can't go wrong with the super sampler. But you must -- you MUST -- try the chipotle sauce. It is literally one of the best sauces i have ever put into my facehole... The jalapeno burger had a lot of flavors to it and a well-textured veggie patty. And the veggie chicken salad was good (the only thing I would've changed is the tofu-based ranch dressing was on the dull side). They also have the option for milkshakes and microbrews!

What with the lovably kitschy ambiance, I felt like I should've walked in wearing either a poodle skirt, a letterman's football jacket, or a robot costume straight from The Day The Earth Stood Still. The decorators really managed to pack a punch with the 1950's theme.

As a side note, there's also a room attached to the restaurant that is used for special events such as art exhibits, burlesque shows, poetry and music nights. Lots of good stuff happening at this Berkeley hot spot.

Now that I've got this review written, I know where I'm going for lunch tomorrow!

FLEAS! What a bunch of creeps. No really, they give me the heeby jeebies. My aversion to them is comparable to those of Republican politicians and Hipsters. All three are kind of the epitome of creepy, no?

Well, Canine Comforts is anything BUT creepy. The owners have managed to cram a large amount of adorable and conscientious products into one small building. Though I wouldn't let the size of the store fool you -- I feel like I spent a good hour perusing through all of their fun products and shooting the shnoz with the wonderful woman who owns the place (and her deaf dog, Josie).

When I stumbled into the store, I was a frantic mess. I had just come back from a trip to find that my dog had a bad case of fleas. Grody! Ewewewewewewew! So I naturally hauled booty to the nearest canine store for some products. I found Canine Comforts on a desperate whim, unknowing of what I was walking into. But I can't tell you how thrilled I was to find that the store was chock-full of great products.

The owners are clearly very interested in educating themselves and their customers about product awareness, buying products that are friendly to the earth, animals, and made of top quality ingredients. I had moved from Portland to Oakland a couple months ago and have found little more than big franchise business with low-scale products. To find a place that carries my dog's (and MY) preferred brand of kibble (Acana) was a huge relief.

Fortunately for my critters as well, I also found a quality oatmeal bath (my retriever, like most retrievers, has sensitive skin); a safe flea treatment for the cat and the dog; a cute cat treat dispenser toy (the feline would've scratched up my pillow if I'd come home with a bagful of dog stuff and nothing for her...); sensitive skin spray; premium grade dog kibble; and a great dog toy with treats.

Not only does Canine Comforts carry quality food for cats and dogs and eco-friendly health products for canines, they also carry an array of interactive toys, camping bags, dog sleeping bags, dog bumbers (for fence issues), and a bunch of other fun products.

They also seem to be very much into community outreach in regards to adoption, fostering, and canine-related events.

Great folks, great dogs, great store!

The Muttley Crew earned their fifth star! Finally got Maynard in for a grooming. He came out of the building looking like a prince and totally happy (stress-free bathing = awesome). He had his nails trimmed, they checked him for fleas, and they cut off his dreads and trimmed his ear hair.

I was really worried about the experience freaking Maynard out. He didn't even want to leave when I came to pick him up! These folks really know dogs and dog care.

As soon as I walked in the creaky door, I left my heart at the cluttered counter that was dubiously covered with flyers for local events, mostly in the genre of activism.

The name of the cafe couldn't fit it more perfectly. The girl behind the counter may have seemed flippant and disinterested to some. i found her to be adorable.

It took a few minutes to make the drinks and they got the order wrong, but meh. The iced latte was still good. Nice and strong with a titch of palatable chalkiness, exactly how I dig my coffee.

The place is an overwhelming mecca for antique and misc.  paraphernalia that you just have to see yourself.

Burn your bra after hanging it from the ceiling fan, with a ceiling adorned by a painted sky and clouds. Sit in one of the antique chairs and pick up one on their many books, or use the free wifi. Or head out to the patio with your dog and befriend some awesome artists and super friendly folks, like I did. The patio is just as helter skelter as the inside of the establishment.

If you can't handle the sound of people planning their visit to the Occupy Oakland rallies, or you don't have tolerance for hippies or techies, don't waste your time.

I absolutely love this cafe. As a side note, they also have bagels, croissant sandwiches, bakhlava, and the such to fill up your tummy.

Viva la Revolucion!