melisky's Profile
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Just wanted to chime in on the post-Thanksgiving feast a week and (10 pounds natch) later...
YEAs:
turkey breast with stuffing (frozen, for 2 people) - I was really nervous about this coming out really badly, but it was pretty darn decent -- enough turkey and stuffing for two people for two meals -- all for $9.99 - no complaints here! turkey was flavorful and juicy and liked the stuffing --wished they had more - next time, I'll make the cornbread stuffing box
mashed potatoes (frozen) - made with real butter and added a little nonfat milk - this was yummy yum...
pumpkin cheesecake (frozen) - excellent! :)
cornbread (box) - nicely done...although a few corn kernels in the mix stayed hard and dry all the way to the end -- next time I may just add my own drained can of corn
cranberries (fresh) - made the recipe on back with orange juice - excellent!
Nays
green bean mushroom casserole (refrigerated section) NASTY- inedible -- I had tried the brussel sprouts combo in the store and that was pretty good, but b/f wasn't going to do that, so I took a chance...bad mistake
sausage stuffing (refrigerated section) - NASTY, I threw out the sample...gross...
turkey gravy - bland beyond belief -- needed some serious doctoring that I did not have time to do
graham crackers -- was craving these and they didn't look that great, but the cashier assured me that they would be great -- NOPE -- they sucked! We ended up buying some at CVS that were better -- stick to HoneyMaid...it's the only way
How do you solve a problem like boxed mac and cheese?
Broccoli is also the de facto in my kitchen or any veggies, really and some fresh basil leaves. If I have tomatoes and/or tomato sauce around, that goes in also. Top with parmesan.
Thali Lunch Special, $8.95, Kasa Indian Eatery @ Fillmore & Pixley (SF)
I second a recommendation of this place. I had a very nice lunch here about a week ago. I ordered a thali with chicken tikka masala and a veggie side that escapes me, but the flavors were lighter and fresher than the usual Indian buffet. It was a good value and a pleasant room that was fairly empty when I was there around 1:30pm. An added bonus, too, is that although it's a hearty meal, I didn't fight the elements for hours after the meal, as is so often with the average steam table fare, and as I did last night at Bombay Masala on Polk (not so good.)
Where On The Wharf??
I second Scoma's. I just ate there yesterday and had the prix fixe lunch for $24.95 and it was a really good deal for the money, imo. Started with the clam chowder (nice - fresh clams), had the scallops over mixed greens (fine) and the chef's dessert was a really rich chocolate tarte with raspberry sauce (heavy, but yum). Everyone else at the table ordered the salmon and was very happy with their meal.
rockridge cafe in oakland
I went there for lunch a couple of months ago and was really disappointed. It was kind of dirty and the food was terrible. I was a regular when I was a student 20 years ago and figured since it was still around, it would still be good. Wrong! I ordered a tofu scramble and it was inedible: plain tofu, barely fried with no seasoning whatsoever -- no spices, no onion, no garlic and topped with a sprinkle of mostly raw cheese. And this was labeled as a special. I left most of it on the plate. I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian, by the way. I happen to know that a tofu scramble can be very tasty indeed. Also, off-putting was the fact that there was nothing else on the plate -- no home fries, no salad, nothing. Just a huge plate of tasteless tofu. Nice.
My English muffin arrived seemingly okay, but when I turned over the second half, there was bits of someone else's breakfast glued on. Also, the jam on the table had seen better days and the whole thing put me off. And it was not super cheap, either!
The waitress seemed non-plussed by the fact that I didn't eat much. I just felt like a complaint would fall on deaf ears and I would end up arguing with someone about how to make tofu. No thanks.
Tiburon: Foodniks - John Snell's (The Meetinghouse) food to go
I've been coming to this space since the 80s when it was Let's Eat and that Chinese Chicken Salad was and is one of the best retro renditions around. It was very expensive and maybe the quality may have dropped a bit, but it was the old recipe and worth the trek. Now, I guess I'll get my salad at Comforts in San Anselmo, which is very good or at the much more reasonably priced Kitti's Place in Sausalito.
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Comforts Cafe
335 San Anselmo Ave, San Anselmo, CA 94960
Kitti's Place
3001 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
Trader Joe pumpkin butter
I had this experience last year. I really liked the pumpkin butter the first few years and then last year, I couldn't stand it -- too sweet and runny. Have not bought it this year.
What can you not live without from Costco?
I have not seen organic almond butter, only "natural" almond butter. I think Costco may have organic peanut butter, though. I'm not sure as I've been buying my organic peanut butter at Trader Joe's, which is excellent.
TJ's Greenwheat Freekeh - where to find elsewhere?
I picked up a new product called Greenwheat Freekeh, a young durum wheat at Trader Joe's the other day and just heated it up this morning for breakfast with some raisins and a little maple syrup - Yum! It's similar in flavor to buckwheat, but a larger whole grain.
Apparently, it's also known as "farik" in Arabic cuisine. In any case, I'm a new fan and will continue to buy this at TJ's, but I'm curious if anyone has seen it anywhere else, maybe by another name?
What can you not live without from Costco?
Thanks for the heads up. On that same note, I checked the sodium content on the Shrimp wonton soup and not surprisingly, it was through the roof! Just checked the Amy's frozen entrees --- also, not a low sodium product. Need to stick with the apples and almond butter... ;)
2009 - All things pumpkin
Thanks for doing this tasting. I also saw pumpkin pies, along with apple, sweet potato and pecan at Cheese Plus on Polk Street. I think they are made by Katiana, but couldn't find any info online. The pies are $15. I haven't tried any yet, but I'm tempted.
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Cheese Plus
2001 Polk St, San Francisco, CA
What can you not live without from Costco?
Right now, I'm kind of hooked on:
Amy's frozen Palak & Mattar Paneer entrees - 4 to a pack - in a pinch, a nice cheap meal
Shrimp Wonton Soup (frozen) - Chicken of the Sea brand (?!) - sounds gross, but actually pretty tasty -- hate the excess packaging, but I add a little pepper, garlic, green onion, corn -- not bad at all and 100 calories
Aidell's Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs - these are really yummy - just as is, in soups, pasta dishes
I also like all the sausages, but I try not to eat them all the time.
Sabra hummus - the roasted garlic...love it
Honeycrisp apples - wow!
Roasted, mixed nuts - these are crack.
Almond Butter - not bad and the price is right
Smoked trout -- excellent
Free Range Chicken Broth (yes!)
Nays:
Rotisserie Chicken - sorry, this was way too salty and fatty - tastes like it's been injected with more than one hormone
Dolmas - like that they're veggie, but they have an overly tomato flavor instead of mint
Amy's canned soups - just bland and taste more like salt than anything else
Where can I get good challah bread in San Francisco???
I second the recommendations of Irving's Premium. I think it's the best I've had in the Bay Area and reminds me of what I grew up with at Rodef Sholom - Marin JCC in San Rafael, which is where I have purchased it on Friday mornings the last few years.
I have had Grand Bakery's version many times since the late 80s. I think Irving's is better.
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Grand Bakery
3264 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610
First time to Philz. Definitely not in love.
You're not alone. I went to the Philz location in the Castro before a movie a couple of months ago after my friend insisted that we had to go there for the amazing coffee experience. I was curious, as another friend who lives near the one in the Mission also raved about it.
We ordered two different blends --- one with milk, one with cream so we each could try two new tastes. My friend was in heaven, but I was less convinced. Honestly, I couldn't taste the coffee in either drink since both of them were mostly milk. I was unable to really see the difference between the cream and milk coffees except that the cream was heavier, obviously. It wasn't until towards the end of the cups, which were fairly large, that I started to taste the coffee but by that time, I was pretty full from all the milk.
Next time, I'm getting it black or with a very light hand on the milk to try the coffee. The service was fine, friendly and welcoming, and the space was cute. I'm rooting for them, but I like dark roasts or medium roasts that you can actually taste, so we'll see. For the record, I'm on the fence about Blue Bottle, too -- sometimes great, sometimes not so much.
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Blue Bottle Cafe
66 Mint St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Yank Sing Mediocre at Best
Just ate there today for lunch and found it pretty darn good and yes, it is pricey, but I've seen worse (Harmony in Mill Valley, to mention one). I did not have the char-siew bao, but did peek at it in the steamer and it looked perfectly white and fluffy.
We had:
fresh fish (I didn't order - assume this was a special of the day - cod? a light, white fish), steamed and served with a very light sauce -- very nice
green beans sauteed in red bean/dried shrimp paste sauce - really good
har gow - larger than I remember and very tasty
shrimp and chive dumplings -- these were okay, a little bland
chicken dumplings - again, these were fine, wouldn't run over here for these
Everything looked good on the carts going by.
Overall, it was a very nice lunch and I would recommend this place for a weekday lunch inside the restaurant. The service was very good and we enjoyed the tea. Then again, my dining companion is a well-known regular there, so that may have skewed things a bit. I have eaten at the take-out window before and was not that excited about it.
Wrap Delight vs. Out the Door
Nice tip on Wrap Delight. I'll be checking that out soon!
At Out the Door, I've had summer rolls (bland, served with extra bland peanut butter sauce) and a noodle (bun) with grilled chicken (very bland, sparse vegetables, served with bland fish sauce/no peanuts, no chilies, nothing -- both disappointing, especially given the high price tag. While I am not an expert on Vietnamese food and can appreciate the Cali-fusion tone, I still expect some flavor and value!
Just moved to Greenbrae!!! need recs
Actually, that strip mall with Scotty's Market and the Three Twins is actually in Terra Linda, which is part of San Rafael, rather than right near Greenbrae. I recommend Scotty's for their meatballs and if you don't feel like cooking, they have a lot of take-away meals, including artichokes with mayo and lemon -- not something you see too often.
I had a really nice lunch at Jason's Restaurant in Greenbrae. It was a seafood salad and it was excellent.
Other Marin recs:
Indian - Lotus and Om - both on 4th Street, San Rafael and a few more - search for the buffet thread
Jewish - Um, not so much, but it's worth stopping by the Marin JCC Friday morning to pick up Irving's Challah -- it rules! And for the rest, the Marin JCC cafe is pretty good, as long as you accept you're in Northern California. That said, I did a whitefish tour of Marin (man, do I take risks!) last year and the best was NY by the Bay, but please do NOT buy the bagels there. Go anywhere else for those.
Burritos - Lucinda's - Cali-Style, fair warning - this was not in the Chow list. It's changed a bit over the years, but I've been going to it since the late 70s when nary a vegetable was to be found and it was just refried beans and cheese, so bear with me.
Happy eating!
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Scotty's Market
620 Manuel T Freitas Pkwy, San Rafael, CA 94903
OM South Indian Cuisine
1518 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Osher Marin JCC
200 N San Pedro Rd, San Rafael, CA
Lotus Cuisine of India
704 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Jason's Restaurant
300 Drakes Landing Rd, Greenbrae, CA
Lucinda's Mexican Food To Go
930 Redwood Hwy, Mill Valley, CA
New York By the Bay
1005 Northgate Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903
Roast / Rotisserie Chicken updates? (Berkeley area)
I second the Whole Foods recommendation...solid value, imho -- Rocky birds, too.
Costco is cheap ($5) but not really, when you consider how fatty it is. Never mind the salt...this is a seriously overfed bird...hormones? you betcha.
RoliRoti - farmer's market -- this is good, but even with the rosemary, lots of olive oil...still like WF more...
Best Indian Buffet
Just wanted to chime in about another lunch buffet in San Francisco at Sultan, which happens to be next door to the tendernob location of Naan 'N Curry (skip!). I had lunch there about two weeks ago and I thought overall, the food was very good in contrast to the average meals I've had next door and a good value for $10.95. They bring you a basket of fresh naan when you sit down. The buffet itself had an interesting variety of both North and South Indian as well as a curiously labeled Asian - Chinese? veggie salad, which was the only salad offered, so it made sense somehow.
The spice and heat level was surprisingly high, which was a nice change from the usual Westernized blandness and gave me a good excuse to eat a lot of the rice and bread.
But the highlight of the meal was on the dessert table. Besides the fresh fruit (pineapple and grapes), they offered an amazing saffron bread pudding with a touch of almonds. I'm not a bread pudding fan, but this was truly one of the best things I've tasted in a long time. I wished they offered free chai because I bet it would be really strong here, but you can't have everything, I guess.
Just wanted to give them a shout-out!
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Sultan
340 Ofarrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Does dim sum just suck in San Fran?
I agree with sugartoof's assessment. I, too, went over to Good Luck on the recommendation of this board a few months ago and was not happy.
I went to Yank Sing on Stevenson with family about a year ago or so and was really shocked at how disappointing the food was compared with my last visit there a few years prior.
The only good dim sum that I've had in recent memory have been at Ton Kiang and Hong Kong Lounge. Just walking aimlessly down Clement Street has not been very fruitful.
Point taken on the decrease in quality ingredients and I would add that's true across the board. I think the restaurants are really hurting and it shows up as poor ingredients on your plate.
I will have to get to Golden Gate Bakery for that pork bun.
Best Butcher/Meat Market in SFBay?
I tend to avoid Whole Foods for the same reason I usually don't buy meat at Trader Joe's. It always appears to have been sitting there a long time, especially the chicken, sausages and marinated pieces (shudder). The only thing that looks decent is the ground beef, which is usually very cheap and goes pretty quickly. Just my two cents.
Restaurants for Passover?
The usual suspects: Saul's in Berkeley, East Coast West Deli in San Francisco or if you want to pick up ready made items -- Whole Foods, Andronico's, Molly Stone's usually has stuff on hand.
Here's a link to an old article on sfgate: http://tinyurl.com/cpf98y
Also, a newer link to this year's community seders: http://buildingjewishbridges.org/
When to send something back to the kitchen?
I usually won't send it back unless it's completely spoiled or inedible. Usually, it's enough to simply leave the entire plate untouched and the server will often ask if everything's all right, leaving the door open to discussion. However, I have pointed out when something is obviously spoiled (muddy lettuce) and should not have been served, and have had the unpleasant experience of debating whether indeed, the lettuce is off or not (!!), as well as not receiving a new dish, compensation, an apology or anything. It's all depends on the place.
Today, I ordered a club sandwich that was advertised on the menu as having avocado. When the sandwich arrived.....no avocado. I didn't send it back and ate it as is...but it made me wonder -- should I have pointed it out? The sandwich was good without the avocado and I certainly don't need the extra calories, but it made me wonder if they had actually had run out of avocado or if they simply forgot it. How do you handle it when the order is wrong, but not bad?
Chinese food in Marin county?
Just wanted to add another rec for Peking Wok in the Longs mall in San Rafael. You get a lot of food for your money and the quality is pretty darn good, imho.
Authentic? Maybe not but it's delicious and there were plenty of people of all ethnic backgrounds enjoying the food, if that means anything to you. I like the spicy prawn dishes, the brown rice and the hot and sour soup. I also like always having to bring home leftovers for another meal because there's no way you can finish what they give you for the lunch special of $7-8.
Source for Barritt's Ginger Beer. South Bay/Los Gatos
You may wish to try Cock 'N Bull Ginger Beer, which can be found at the Big Apple Discount market on Polk between Sacramento & Clay -- I think it's $1.49 a bottle (online it's $2.25 a bottle). I have seen it at different liquor stores around town. It's a lot less spicy than Reed's (although I like the Extra Spicy, even if it a bit heavy on the sugar) and strong....perfect for mixed drinks. Big Apple also has a wide selection of ginger beers/ales to choose from.
Foods you love at Trader Joe's that got discontinued? [OLD]
Just to add a couple from the olden days (well, a few years ago anyway..) --
Cilantro Noodle Salad (yum! with peanuts and a coconut-cilantro dressing I wished they had bottled at least!! no such luck)
Just Shrimp -- fresh peeled shrimp --- they stopped this and added Just Salmon, Just Chicken and Just Teriyaki Chicken (not so much)
I hate private labels.
Just want to add the chorus for private labels. Sometimes they are just as good if not better than the so-called brands and are inevitably cheaper. Try and judge for yourself.
I especially appreciate WF 365 brands and TJ's private labels. Although I have some complaints about how both stores have changed over the years with its huge expansion (ie. emphasis on global produce instead of organic and local, what appears to be immense wasteful strategy of providing massive amounts of ready-made foods in plastic containers, etc.), one of the benefits of that has been the expansion of both stores' private labels, which help lighten the wallet. TJ's tends to have some ongoing quality assurance issues, but mostly the private labels are pretty good.
Chinese food in Marin county?
I've had some good (not great, but not bad, usually with large portions and the option of brown rice, which I like) prawns with veggie lunch specials at Peking Wok, Jennie Low's, Szechuan 7 and Tommy's Wok. These may not be authentic, but they're fine for a quick, filling lunch.
I went to Pings once and have not been back. The spicy tofu I had was red, gloppy and bland.
Also in Marin, there's Feng Nian in Sausalito, DJ's (used to be CJs?) in Larkspur, Chrysanthemum in San Rafael as well as China Palace and China Villa in Novato to name a few. I haven't been to these, but wanted to make the point that there are lots of Chinese food places in the county.
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Chrysanthemum
2214 4th St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Feng Nian
2650 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965
Jennie Low's Chinese Cuisine
120 Vintage Way, Novato, CA 94945
Tommy's Wok Chinese Cuisine
3001 Bridgeway Ste H, Sausalito, CA 94965
D J Chinese Cuisine
435 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur, CA 94939
China Palace
7089 Redwood Blvd, Novato, CA 94945
Peking Wok Restaurant
418 Las Gallinas Ave, San Rafael, CA 94903
China Villa
340 SIR Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo, CA 94960
Szechwan 7
411 3rd St, San Rafael, CA 94901
Looking for great/inexpensive food to try in SF/!
I used to like Axum Cafe a lot when I lived nearby, but haven't been recently. The best value is the veggie combo and I thought the food was the best of the other Ethiopian places around, but I'm no expert.
No more Hebrew National Hot Dogs at Costco?
There was a long thread about this just a week ago or so. I checked with my local Costco food court manager here in Northern California (where they've had Sinai 48 for several years) and he said they will be using Sinai until March. After that, they will be stocking Kirkland brand hot dogs, due to economic reasons.
