Jason Kwong's Profile
Best burgers in the Bay Area 2011
Granted I order the steak sandwich, but I used to get crazy looks in college when I would do that at Val's.
East End Pizza now open! (Alameda)
just a note, slices are only available from 11:30am - 2pm
Best burgers in the Bay Area 2011
Don Pisto's in North Beach. Yes, it's largely a Mexican restaurant, but an amazing burger. Buns come from the French-Italian Bakery two doors up. Bacon, onions and guacamole.
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Don Pisto's
510 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133
Angkor Grill review (Alameda)
ooh I'm afraid I misspoke in my reply. The place opening NEXT to Culina isn't related to Culina... at least I don't think they are. I was there last week for a sandwich and another salesperson was asking about the new spot, wanting to leave a catalog. An owner/manager of Culina/Pappo suggested he leave it somewhere on-site. But you might be more in the know ;)
More notes of Alameda later, I think Ankgor Grill deserves its own spotlight
Angkor Grill review (Alameda)
City has been pushing hard to fill in some dead space, but a couple restaurants are already closing less than 6 months after opening. There's been a lot of movement though, 3 restaurants I know who want to move from their current place to another... especially the former Yellowtail spot. I'm also interested in the new place opening up Culina, supposed to be up and running "any day now."
Just remember this, to convert a retail location to a fully functional kitchen with a hood is going to cost a lot of money, $400 - $500K in a decent-sized spot. To spend that money, in an area that competitive is a hard pill to swallow. And there few areas in the Bay Area, in my opinion, where it would be worth spending that kind of money.
Now, if the folks at Alameda City Hall would do something for the folks on Webster...
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Culina
1650 Park St, Alameda, CA
Thai Food in Palo Alto???
*Full disclosure, they are a client, so I can't really leave my opinion*
I have been there for lunch, and I've had the panang curry with beef. That's my standby in judging a place, like carnitas for mexican restaurants...
Thai Food in Palo Alto???
It's not quite fair to compare pricing between Osha and Siam Orchid primarily because the expenses are much higher at Osha. Osha is in SF, so minimum wage is already $2.50 more than Palo Alto. Don't forget the San Francisco Health Care Ordinance.
The husband and wife team at Siam Orchid use organic ingredients in almost everything they serve. They also have cooking and operational experience from several well-known Thai restaurants in the city.
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Siam Orchid
496 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Cash Discount at Apus Cafe in San Mateo
technically it's not illegal, just a violation of the terms and conditions between the vendor and the processor. No one is going to enforce it though
Larry Blake's closes.
The saddest part about the close is that local musicians lost another great venue.
Bullshead Burger or better
The buns also come from a bakery just around the corner, fresh every day (at least the owner told me that). I usually go late early in the week, so not so loud for me.
Bullshead Burger or better
I must concur with Val's, although it's over in Castro Valley, it's worth the trip. Bullshead is fantastic, but check out Don Pisto's in North Beach on Union. Yes, it's a Mexican joint but their burgers are fantastic.
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Bullshead Restaurant
840 Ulloa St, San Francisco, CA 94127
Don Pisto's
510 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133
my first taste of Oakland's Flavor Brigade -- amazing ice cream
Braedon (the owner) can actually make it like Rita's if you want. Of course it would require you ordering more than just a scoop. Just ask and he can do it.
World Cup 2010 Watching and Eating Venues?
Nino's in Berkeley will only be showing the Brazil matches on their new HD set.
Napper Tandy in the Mission has their huge Dutch flag, as well as a banner about World Cup matches.
SFGate has an article at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/worldcup2010/detail?entry_id=64767
My favorite tidbit: "As we love the French and Thierry Henry at the moment, we are doing a promotion for any team that scores against France in the World Cup. O'Neills will buy you a pint during that game. Hope all is well and Go USA!"
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Napper Tandy
3200 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Rice n Spice West Berkeley
Well, the timing could not be worse, I was told by one of the owners that business was really starting to pick up for dine-in. They were doing great for delivery and take-out.
Rice n Spice West Berkeley
Rice 'n' Spice is closing on May 30th. They are in the process of looking for a new location somewhere in Berkeley. If any tipsters want to give them the heads-up of any locations, please feel free to let them know.
In the meantime, you have until the 30th for Indian/Pakistani cuisine that is pretty inexpensive and free chai tea for dine-in folks.
Grand Opening - Ms Wally's Cafe (Emeryville/Oakland)
ok you got me at Zankou Chicken!
Best burger and fries in the East Bay?
Used to go here a ton when I was in college at Cal State Hayward. Always got a steak sandwich, steak fries (which was shared with a few friends) and a banana milkshake. And you have to have the shake there, or you get shorted...
Calamari
Calamari a la Joe's! Served with a side of Tartar sauce as well. Every time I'm at Joe's of Westlake, I will order Calamari a la Joe's.
Places to AVOID on restaurant.com
Let me just preface this as I work with restaurants on a daily basis, and I will try to make this as unbiased as possible.
I get to talk to a lot of restaurant owners for a living, and the complaints are always the same about Restaurant.com. I am actually surprised it took this long for the restaurant owner backlash.
Restaurant.com's sales pitch is usually "WE WILL GET YOU NEW CUSTOMERS." Any restaurant would love to hear that, especially in this economy. And Restaurant.com accomplishes that desire with these certificates.
Problem is, A LOT of people who purchase the certificates don't just purchase one to try a place out. Especially when there are 70-90% discounts days, as a consumer, you want to buy-in. I really don't blame anyone for doing it since Restaurant.com does not set up limitations, you're taking advantage of the system.
Restaurant owners are expecting customers to spend a lot more than the certificate. Their hope is that you're going to spend $50, not $25, and you'll be bringing a group of people. But with the economy these days, it's not happening. So, owners are now frustrated and throwing in their own restrictions when you get there. However, when they say that they will lose money, it can be the truth.
Restaurant owners are assuming that every certificate bearer is going to the perfect customer (as defined by the owner). A case of "you can't have your cake and eat it too."
And now you have frustrated patrons of Restaurant.com. If Restaurant.com doesn't figure out a way to fix this problem, they'll get burned by restaurant owners (since everybody knows everybody) and purchasers at the same time.
Sonic Drive-In now open in Hayward!
The shakes are great, but don't look over the chicken sandwiches either. It's a great favorite of mine, used to drive to Tracy once every few months to go get some Sonic.
Who to order takeout from?
well, I'd rather not say since I'd probably be breaking a rule. (I don't want to be accused of spamming)
I also assume it depends on the cuisine you're looking for. There's really no shortage of Thai and pizza.
Who to order takeout from?
couldn't disagree more since the company I work for has 100+ clients in San Francisco who offer delivery, as well as take-out/catering. But to be fair, it depends on the neighborhood and the type of cuisine. Our busiest clients with delivery are over in the Sunset and Richmond.
