Lindarita's Profile
Good, well-priced meat market in East Bay/Tri-Valley
Haven't been in a while, but I have long been a fan of Lawrence's Walnut Creek Meat Co., which is actually in Alamo. They have a large variety of high-quality meats at a reasonable price, and helpful customer service.
Markets selling Goya Products
Probably because calling Goya is a waste of time. Called them repeatedly about a year ago to find local wholesale distributors of their products, which I wanted to sell retail, and they never ever returned calls.
Found out by asking retailers who sold Goya products that the NorCal distributor is Tropical Foods in Hayward. Really nice people. You can probably call them to find out what markets they stock.
If you're looking primarily for Caribbean Goya products, I've found the widest/best variety at Casa Lucas on 24th St in the Mission.
Cuban food items?
Bijol powder would make a great little stocking stuffer, and it's available in most Mexican markets. The product originated in Cuba, is used mostly as an affordable substitute for saffron, and is an essential ingredient in authentic Cuban Arroz con Pollo. http://bijol.com
Thai in Contra Costa
I love, love, love Lemongrass Bistro. Wonderfully fresh food, bright flavors, nice atmosphere. I haven't had anything there with a lot of heat, but they are very accommodating so I'm sure they could spice it up for you.
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Lemongrass Bistro
501 Main St, Martinez, CA 94553
What Shoud I know about the Dining Room at the Ritz?
One of the things I love most about The Dining Room is how unpretentious the service is, despite the very formal atmosphere. They will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Do not hesitate to ask for help with the menu or wine list if there's something that you're unfamiliar with or that you need advice on. They are incredibly helpful and won't ever make you feel bad about asking. This is especially important if you are on a budget: it is totally OK to ask how much something costs, or to let them know how much you are willing so spend if/when you are getting wine recommendations.
I also recommend letting them know, if you haven't already, that this is going to be a special honeymoon celebration. They will make sure the meal is memorable for you.
Downtown Pleasanton, what's good.
My downtown Pleasanton favorties are Oasis Grille for Afghan food, and Agora Bistro for Greek & Turkish fare. Neither place excels in atmosphere & service, but the high quality, interesting food more than makes up for it.
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Oasis Grille
780 Main Street, Pleasanton, CA 94566
Agora Bistro
443 Main St, Pleasanton, CA 94566
Cherries in Brandy?
After searching in vain for Griottines and not finding any outside of France, and absolutely hating the unnaturally red and sickening sweet common Marischinos, I started making my own: soak about a dozen frozen pitted cherries in Luxardo Marischino Liqueur for 3 days. They're amazing! The cherries start to break down after a couple of weeks, so it's best to only make what you'll consume during that time. I've re-used the soaking liquid with excellent results. I use frozen sweet cherries from Trader Joes -- Montmorency's would be cool, too.
Great breads you've had in restaurants
I love the Portugese rolls at La Salette in Sonoma. They're warm, tender, dense and slightly sweet.
Best Spanish restaurant in SF
Alegrias in the Marina is my favorite for authentic, old-school Spanish tapas & paella. The ambiance is comfortable and low-key, too, which is appealing to those of us who prefer that over the loud & lively hipster scene.
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Alegrias Food From Spain
2018 Lombard, San Francisco, CA 94123
Best Mexican food in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, or Concord
For hole in the wall, try El Molino in Concord. Fresh tortillas, and IMHO, the best carnitas around. Just a few tables and zero ambiance, so it's best for take-out.
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Tortilleria El Molino
1500 Monument Blvd Ste F, Concord, CA 94520
San Marzano Canned Tomatoes
Nob Hill Foods carries them. At our store, they're on a gourmet shelf in the produce area, along with Italian dried pastas and sauces.
Walnut Creek Restaurants
Va de Vi may fit the bill. It has a lot of interesting Asian-influenced small plates which are good for sharing, along with some great wines. They have around 15 different wine flights, where you get 3 small glasses of different wines in the same style or varietal to sample. I've found the flights to be a good way to discover new wines or to learn more about what you do and don't like. The atmosphere is loud & lively -- definitely not stuffy.
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Va de Vi
1511 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Sichuan fortune house lunch special
Thanks for the post. I, too, worry about SFH's longevity. We were there at 7:30 last night (Saturday), and there were only 2 tables occupied in the place, including ours! It's such a shame that it isn't busier, because the food is amazing and the service is outstanding. We shared wonton soup -- we keep ordering it because it's best I've had anywhere, period, with an intensely flavored broth, fresh veggies & delicious pork dumplings -- and an order of Hunan Smoked Pork with green beans. The pork tasted like uncured poached and then stir-fried bacon with chiles, and the green beans were, like yours, cooked a perfect crisp-tender -- the dish was marvelous. I agree about the egg/spring rolls. We ordered them once, and found them flavorless. That's the only thing I've ever had there that I didn't like.
Our bill for a small order of the soup (which isn't small at all -- it provided 4 generous servings) and the pork and 2 orders of rice was $18. Given the quality and volume of food and the service, I wish for their sake that they would charge more. I also wish there was a way to convice more people to give this wonderful little place a try. Restaurants like this deserve to stay in business!
SF Chronicle Top 100 2008
The Dining Room at the Ritz is an out? Huh? If that's not one of the Bay Area's 100 best (I would put it in the 10 best), then this list makes no sense.
Near Martinez?
Not in Martinez, but a few miles away in Pleasant Hill is Sichuan Fortune House. Awesome, fresh Sichuan food (and they are very gracious about toning down the heat for wimps like me who can't handle ultra spicy food), friendly, helpful service, open late. It's our favorite Chinese place in the local area, and among the very best that I've tried in the bay area, period.
Romantic Dinner in Sonoma
The girl & the fig and The General's Daughter are among my very favorites in the town of Sonoma. Both have delicious, interesting food. For a romantic dinner, though, I'd definitely choose The General's Daughter. It's in a big, lovely old Victorian home on a quiet street, not far from the square. It's quiet and calm without being stuffy, and the service is outstanding. The girl & the fig has a much more casual and lively atmosphere, and laid-back service, which is nice when that's all you want, but I wouldn't consider it romantic at all.
Napa/Sonoma/Healdsberg/Guerneville restaurant suggestions
We just tried The General's Daughter in Sonoma for the first time, and loved it. High quality, flavorful southern-inspired food, interesting wines, excellent service, and a lovely atmosphere. It was exactly $100 each for 4 courses plus wine pairings plus cocktails. On the square we also really like The Girl and The Fig & La Salette -- much more casual and less expensive than TGD.
Martinez
I live in Martinez and have tried, in vain, to find a great restaurant in the town. We still have to head for Walnut Creek or areas south or east for a special meal. However, there are few local places that satisfy our craving for delicious, high quality, casual food. All are on Main Street, within a block of each other.
- La Tapatia has tasty, inexpensive Mexican food (especially the carnitas & chile verde), and an outstanding selection of tequilas
- Haute Stuff has excellent weekday lunches (salads, sandwiches, etc.).
- Le Gateau Elegant is a terrific little bakery with beautiful cakes, French pastries like Napoleons, etc.
Dining in Provence, near Gordes
La Bartavelle in Goult is great, and only a short drive from Gordes. We were staying in Goult a few weeks ago, and found that restaurant to be one our best all-around meals in the entire area -- excellent food at a reasonable price. The 3-course fixed price menu (including an amuse and mignardises) is 38 euros. The wine list is very reasonable. They only have about 8 tables inside, and a few more on the street in good weather. They start taking reservations exactly 1 week in advance, and fill up very quickly.
Not sure how much you want to spend on your splurge, but if you want a high-end, over-the-top food & service experience, the restaurant at Hostellerie le Phebus, (a Relais & Chateaux property in Joucas, which is right next to Gordes) would fit the bill. The restaurant (I think it's called Xavier Mathieu, named for its famed chef who is a Provence native) has 1 Michelin star and is outstanding. They have an a la carte menu plus several tasting menus. Prices vary based on which menu you use, but the medium-sized menu, 5-course tasting menu, with lots of extras, including amuses, mignardises, 5 types of breads to sample, etc., is 80 euros. The food offers modern twists on classic Provencale dishes & ingredients, which I found both really interesting and delicious. It's definitely more formal than other traditional restaurants in the area, so I'd recommend it more for a special occasion celebration versus a more casual dinner out.
Provence dining?
Our absolute favorite around there for outstanding, creative dining is Bernard Mathys, but he recently sold his home/restaurant and is taking a year off from cooking. I don't think he plans to find another place until next year sometime. It's too bad, because we've tried a lot of places in that area and nothing comes close to his cuisine.
The Bartavelle in Goult is consistently good -- another one of our favorites.
A more casual place that we like is Maison Gouin in Coustellet. It's a great little deli by day, and it turns into a surprisingly good restaurant at night. I think they also do brunch/lunch on Sundays during the Coustellet market. If you want a bottle of wine with your meal, they direct you downstairs into their wine celler, unaccompanied, to make your selection from the storage racks. The casual attitude, unpretentiousness & solid food make it a lot of fun.
We're heading to Goult tomorrow for a week of rest and good eating -- I'll report back if we find anything else new and delicious.
Enjoy!
