anli's Profile
Holiday dinner at Jai Yun
I have had two dinners at Jai Yun this past month, partly due to the deal at restaurant.com. Both meals were excellent and my dining companions were extremely pleased. On both nights, a Thursday and Friday (yesterday), there were only 2 other tables the entire night. Last night's highlights were the five spice braised duck, the soybean and tofu sheets, the mung bean sheets with Chinese smoked bacon and leeks, and the caramelized eggplant. We were a party of six, and I had requested the duck specifically. He gave us a whole duck and we polished it off in its entirety, despite it being almost the last dish. We also had a couple of bottles of chardonnay from the wine fridge. I had most recently been there for lunch in the summer and his lunch deal is an excellent value.
I spoke at length with the chef, whose English is not extensive. His business is suffering, partly due to this economy, but also due to his and his staff's inability to communicate with the average customer. Those of you who appreciate his talents - do take advantage of the restaurant.com coupons and frequent this place. It would be a shame to lose one of the finest Chinese restaurants in SF.
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Jai Yun
680 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Late Dinner between Sea Tac and U District
We are arriving late Monday (after 9pm), and are staying near the UW. What's good for late night eats in the general area? Am considering something like Palace Kitchen - no Asian, as we'll be doing a lot of that later in the week. Any decent local diners or such?
Lunch at Jai Yun
This is not a regular restaurant. It deserves to be a destination place. We were there yesterday for lunch, a party of 5. The server recommended the $18 per person menu, which is equivalent to the $55 dinner menu. We had 7 cold dishes and 7 hot dishes. We felt that it was a fair price for the amount, quality and variety of food we received. Caveats: our group consisted of one male and 4 females, one of whom is not able to eat seafood. We actually had some food left over, though not enough to merit taking away. The optimal number of diners per table is 4 or 5, as the chef adjusts his dish portioning by table size. His food is still consistently delicious and the knife work lovely. Our appetizers were: marinated cucumbers, marinated radishes, seaweed, enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage with young ginger, five spice beef and jellyfish. The hot dishes were: kaofu (wheat gluten, not tofu), abalone with egg whites, Shanghai style shrimp, ti pang(red cooked pork shank), kung pao chicken, fresh soybeans with pressed tofu sheets and salted greens, and spicy fried mushrooms (my favorite). I've had dinner at the former location, and the ambience at this location is ten times better, as the restaurant is spacious and nicely decorated. (And the unisex bathroom is very clean).
We were there at 1 pm and there were only 4 other tables occupied. This place is a gem, especially at lunch and deserves more patrons.
nice-ish dinner in oakland/berkeley tonight
I agree with your assessment. We went to Digs Bistro last night for the first time and were very impressed. Our party of 4 arrived at 6:20 on Friday night and the restaurant was empty. When we left at 8, the restaurant was only half full. We were seated near the fireplace and enjoyed the peacefulness of the room. We shared the charcuterie plate - loved the smoked duck breast and the house bacon the best. The plate comes with toasted bread, but we did not receive bread or rolls with the meal. I had a glass of prosecco (full pour in a flute) and husband had a glass of syrah (smallish pour). The inconsistency of the wine pour was the only complaint we had with the meal, as we observed another table received a more generous glass.
We each tried a different main course: half a roasted chicken with parmesan cheese grits, hangar steak with fried green tomatoes and chipotle corn pudding, lamb burger with roasted potatoes coated in red pepper spice, and semolina crusted halibut. While we each enjoyed our dishes, the consensus was that the chicken was the best plate, with succulent meat, luscious grits and a sauce that begged for some bread to sop it up with. The lamb burger was a close second, particularly with those pan roasted potatoes - the spicing was fabulous. The hangar steak was cooked medium rare, as requested, though my husband thought it was a little too chewy, but he loved the fried green tomatoes. My halibut was done nicely, with a bed of perfectly cooked spinach underneath, but I would definitely order that roast chicken the next time I go. We each polished off our plates (very unusual for my daughter to finish her entire meal, but she had the chicken and couldn't stop eating it). For dessert we had the black and tan sundae, the fruit tart (apricots and blackberry), and the chocolate torte. Once again, we left nothing on our plates. To make it even better, they participate in restaurant.com, so we used a $25 dining certificate. Upon leaving, the waiter invited us to leave an email address so that they can send us menu updates, as they change the menu every 3 weeks.
This was by far the best dining experience that we've had in several months, foodwise as well as service wise. The portioning in particular was just right. We were fully sated, yet not stuffed. And we are still talking about how good the meal was today. I hope they are getting enough business, because they deserve it.
china village - wow, really?
I have been to China Village once or twice a year over the past 10 years. The first few times were decent enough, though not inspired. Last month, we attended a large family dinner there which was quite disappointing. This was on a Friday night, where we had a private party of 3 tables, so the kitchen should have been well staffed. We had a number of relatives who were Buddhist, so there were some special vegetarian requests which the host ordered in advance, but the kitchen did not handle well. We had one table full of family elders (all are either excellent cooks or eaters) who thought the kitchen had gone downhill. The only dish that I thought had decent flavor was the spicy pork shank, and yet when the dish arrived at our table, it was still cold in the center and had to be returned to the kitchen for reheating.
Despite our experience, the restaurant was full of diners. It seems they are coasting on reputation and need to restore order in the kitchen.
Herbsaint didn't disappoint; Nola was ok
We came into town for a quick weekend visit. The highlight of the trip was lunch at Herbsaint. We brought along 2 non Chowish relatives, so I was a little apprehensive that they would not appreciate it, but shouldn't have worried. The duck & andouille sausage gumbo was delish, and my small plate of homemade spaghetti with guanciale, topped with a poached egg that was breaded and fried, was the most sinfully rich thing I have had in a very long time. The egg yolk was perfectly runny and the whites were firm, add to that the crunch of the crumbs, it was so well executed. Others at the table had the shrimp & grits, the fried catfish and the gnocchi. Everyone stopped talking and concentrated on their food. We shared a warm blueberry upside down cake a la mode - delicious.
Other meals included Cafe du Monde for breakfast (twice). Dinner at Nola was decent, though there was an interminable wait between salad and main course, must have been over 40 minutes. The food itself was quite good and plentiful. The best dish was the half duck, the meatiest duck I have ever seen. I tried the garlic crusted redfish which came out only moderately warm, I think some plates sat waiting. I was thankful the sauce that came with the fish was served on the side, it must have had a whole stick of butter in it. Husband got the spareribs, also a very big portion, but the sauce was overly sweet and one end of the slab was hard and dry. The fried chicken breast was moist and flavorful. Desserts did not appeal, so skipped it.
Help! Lunch in Orinda?
Here's another vote for Shelby's in Theatre Square. Good sandwiches and salads.
Great Szechuan in El Cerrito
The only changes that I noticed were new slipcovers for the chairs and new wallpaper in the dining area. Don't know if the kitchen was updated at all. Don't know if the ownership changed; will have to ask around. We were with a couple who had never been here before, so I wasn't able to grill the waiter about all the changes.
Forgot to mention that they give you a little starter dish of Szechuan cabbage (pao cai), which was generous on the chili oil. We also ordered a cold appetizer of mung bean jelly, cut into rectangular chunks in a ground chili paste that looked spicier than it really was. Our friends really like the texture of the jelly and the balance of spices.
Great Szechuan in El Cerrito
Just came back from dinner. Happy to report that it is the same chef, same waitstaff. They do still take the coupons, in fact, I forgot to give them my old one when we paid the bill, but they swapped out another coupon good til January. We tried the spicy braised pork shoulder, the fish soup with red chilis (this is the milder tasting one with mung bean noodles (fen si). Also tried a special that was recommended by the waiter - stir fried sliced mushroom and lotus buds with slivers of smoked pork belly. Very tasty. Also had the cumin lamb and stir fried pea leaves with garlic. I think I prefer the cumin lamb at Ark better because I like the dry style, versus GS' wet style. Everything was quite good, but the fish soup was my favorite. It is not currently listed on the menu, so I had to describe it to the waiter.
Vegas - Lunch NOT @Bouchon Bistro OR MAG?
Another vote for Mesa Grill. We were just there on Friday at lunch. The SW Chicken Hash with poached eggs were fabulous. Husband had the burger, which while good, did not compare to the burger at Bradley Ogden's (but that is only open at dinner). Portions are sizeable, can split a salad and an entree and be quite happy.
Chevalier in Lafayette
Went there for dinner a couple of weeks ago. The outside dining area is very nice. The food is fair to good - usual classics such as french onion soup, steak frites, etc. Prices are on the high side. It is an ok option if you choose to stay local, but either Le Bistro in Walnut Creek or Liaison Bistro in Berkeley are a better value with better execution.
What's Good at Ad Hoc Besides the Fried Chicken
We did go to dinner last night. First course was split pea soup, with fresh English peas, topped with creme fraiche and mint. In addition, they added chunks of pork from a suckling pig that was roasted the day before. While we love split pea soup, it was marred by being oversalted (exactly to your point above). The main was a marinated skirt steak with fresh baby beets and black and white Carolina rice that had zucchini strips added. The steak was perfectly cooked, but actually lacked flavor, as if it had not been marinated long enough or could use more of a sauce. The cheese plate was a 10 month aged Wisconsin cow's milk with marcona almonds and peach puree. The puree was great, and the flavors of all 3 went nicely together. Lastly, dessert was individual brownies with fresh whipped cream. All in all a satisfying meal, but not necessarily stellar.
Dinner at Rivoli on Solano Ave., Albany
Though we did not have reservations on Thursday, husband and I were fortunate to snag a 2 top in the bar/entrance area around 6:30. We had not been here in 5 years, primarily because we are rarely in this part of town. We've always enjoyed our meals here, and tonight was no exception. We ordered the mushroom fritters and the brandade gnocchi with a lobster cream sauce. The gnocchi was the lightest I'd ever had and the lobster sauce was fabulous. We kept dipping the excellent bread into that sauce. For my main course, I ordered the chicken roulade stuffed with cornbread, with a large serving of bright spinach and creamy grits. The grits, like the gnocchi, were unbelievably light and flavorful. Husband ordered the Mediterranean plate with lamb, couscous and a bisteeya filled with duck meat (excellent). For dessert we shared the hot fudge sundae. Service was attentive. The main dining room was full of folks celebrating graduations. We walked out wondering why it took us 5 years to come back here.
Inquired about the new restaurant and was told that June 10 is the new scheduled opening date. It will be a Florentine bistro. Can't wait.
What's Good at Ad Hoc Besides the Fried Chicken
Was able to get a reservation for dinner tomorrow on opentable, but when I called to see if chicken would be on the menu, was told not tomorrow, but on Wednesday! What else is worth the drive up to Yountville?
The Chef from China Village has been found.
They are open on Sunday. We had dinner there last night and it was quite busy.
The Chef from China Village has been found.
I know the owner of this restaurant and asked him if his first chef was Chef Liu. He said it is not, that as far as he knew, Chef Liu opened his own place in Concord, but he didn't know the name.
Babalou Mediterranean, Walnut Creek
This small, newish cafe is located next to McCovey's Restaurant on Bonanza St, formerly a Quiznos. It has a colorful sign, which attracted us to it, plus the fact that we had no reservations to anywhere on a Saturday night. There was just one table of six in there at 6:45. You order at the counter and they bring the meal to your table. There is lamb on the spit (shawarma) and chicken shawarma too. Combo platters of shawarma, kebabs, or falafel come with rice and 2 choices of sides, such as baba ghanoush, hummus, Greek salad, tabouleh, dolmas, and several other choices. You can get tastes of these before you order. All the sides are displayed in the glass case. They also have desserts, but we couldn't get to them.
The meats are tasty and portions are plentiful, but the sides were the best thing about this place. We tried the hummus, which came with warm pita, baba ghanoush and dolmas, all of which were excellent, but the baba ghanoush in particular impressed me. It had a smoky, sweet flavor that set it apart from others I have tasted (not that my experience is all that broad, so cannot say if that is authentic). The dolmas also were some of the best I have ever had, fresh and moist with just enough lemon piquancy. After trying a bite, my daughter asked for the entire thing, and she never cared for dolmas before.
The fellow/manager behind the counter is very friendly and accommodating. We couldn't finish our meals and packed the leftovers up for lunch the next day. The walls are painted with colorful figures, some middle eastern, some not in a whimsical fashion, which made it amusing while we waited for our food. Service was swift, as we were ahead of the dinner rush. The nice thing to see was more customers came in while we were there.
Apparently, this is a sister store to The Mediterranean out in Concord.
Babalou Mediterranean
1645 Bonanza St.
Walnut Creek
Moraga Farmers Market: tamales, kielbasa, and bao... in Moraga?
The piroshki are pretty good, chicken, beef or potato&onion. Usually priced at 2 for $5, at the end of the day they sell 6 for $10. Also at the market, though not every week, is a stand that sells empanadas - those are really good. The local ranch, Holding Ranch, also operates a stand there. The market is located in the parking lot next to McCallou's in the Moraga Shopping Center, across from OSH. I like it better than the Orinda market.
Another No-Knead Bread Recipe
I find that am making this dough once a week, using half the dough from the first day to make a boule for sandwiches, then refrigerating until the weekend and making pizza for lunch. It has a great texture as pizza or flatbread.
Dinner at Lily's House, Lafayette
Next time, bring a larger group and ask for the $108 menu. It has 4 cold plates a soup and 8 dishes, like stir fried shrimp, fish slices in wine sauce, lion's head meatballs, water boiled lamb, spare ribs, chicken and tofu. It looks a bit meat heavy, actually but is a great deal.
Dinner at Lily's House, Lafayette
Their xlb are frozen, not house made. I asked Lily for the home made ones, but she said he doesn't have enough time to make them. He still is a one man shop.
Dinner at Lily's House, Lafayette
Just a quick note to mention that my extended family (9 of us) had dinner at Lily's House this past Saturday. I pre ordered the Braised Pork shoulder and some cold dishes, then ordered the rest when we got there. Everything was excellent. Because of the holiday weekend, the dining room was less than half full at 7:30. They typically have a tough time during the holidays, though the takeout business continues to be brisk.
They have added set menus to their Chinese menu, which Lily said was in response to requests from customers. The menus are mostly the Shanghainese dishes, ranging in price from $56 (soup, 2 cold plates and 4 dishes plus the tangyuan for dessert) for 4, to $166 for 10 (soup, 6 cold plates, 11 dishes and dessert). Not sure if the menus are translated into English or not, but ask the waitress or Lily about them.
Another No-Knead Bread Recipe
The NY Times had another recipe for no-knead bread on Wednesday, which I just made yesterday. Based on the first attempt, I'd say I like the end product even better than the Lahey recipe, primarily because the crumb is less wet and the crust is not quite as hard. It doesn't take as long, 2 to 4 hours for the initial rise, but does use a lot more yeast. I made a small loaf and saved 2/3 of the dough in the fridge for later use.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/dining/21brea.html?ref=dining
Anyone been to Kopitiam?
I've been twice for lunch and would recommend it. As reported in an earlier post, the specialty is Hainanese Chicken with Rice. It comes with a chili sauce and a garlic sauce. Besides that we have enjoyed the following:
- Roti Prata (2 pancakes per order) comes with a curry gravy (not spicy). The Roti is partly crispy on the outside, a little soft on the inside. The first time we had it, it was perfectly cooked. Today it tasted just a bit undercooked.
- Mee Goreng, a stir fried egg noodle dish was excellent.
-Char Kway Teow, which is like dry fried chow fun. We thought the flavors were not as special as the Mee Goreng.
- Por Por's Fried Rice, translated as Grandma's fried rice. This was quite flavorful, especially with bits of lop chang (chinese sausage).
- Jade Forest - This consists of yu tsai (yu choy) that has been blanched and served in a special soy and vegetarian oyster flavored sauce, topped with toasted minced garlic. I particularly liked this dish as it was not heavy.
Many of the dishes can be made vegetarian only. The chef is part owner with the host, both of whom are Singaporean Chinese. They just started a Dinner to Go promotion, but you have to pick the meal up by 6:30pm. Here are the choices: Chicken Rice ($9.95), BBQ Pork Rice ($8.95), Sayur Lodeh (a classic vegetarian curry) ($8.95), Mee Goreng, Char Kway Teow, Curry Chicken Mee (egg noodles in coconut curry gravy), Kari Kay (Nanyang Curry Chicken, a bit spicy, served with bread or rice) the last dishes all priced at $9.95.
The flavors are pretty authentic, though part of the fun and flavor of eating Singaporean comes from the noisy hawker stall surroundings. Nonetheless, it brings back good memories and these folks are very friendly and eager to please. The menu is not extensive, so everything comes out pretty quickly. There are some interesting breakfast items too, and of course Kopi (their house blended coffee).
They are also willing to personalize menus for private functions at dinner or offsite catering.
Metro Lafayette
At a recent lunch, 3 of us tried the following: white Tuscan bean soup, Maryland crab cake, fish tartare, Metro burger and steak frites. The menu is exactly the same at lunch and dinner, which according to our server, has led to some criticism from diners. It was a pricey lunch at $75 before tip. While the crab cake was fine, the cucumber salad that accompanied it was one dimensional in flavor. The same for the Tuscan bean soup - oversalted and some of the beans were still hard. The fish tartare was quite good, the freshness shone through. The burger was served on a focaccia roll, which held its shape well and the fries were excellent. The steak was a generous piece, but looked larger than it really was, as it had not been trimmed enough and was a bit gristly. There was no discernible sauce on the steak, thought the menu mentioned porcini butter. This place has only been open a month, but I hope they incorporate some daily specials into the menu, as I would become bored with the menu after a couple of visits. The server told us the desserts are good, so that's what I'd try next time.
Service was efficient and friendly. The dining room was only half full, but it seemed quite noisy. The entry into the restaurant is kind of odd, and there isn't a name on the restaurant, except for on the door, which is only accessible from the parking lot.
Input on Chinese Food 101 Itinerary
Is there still a Coriya Hot Pot place in the Richmond mall - that was a do it yourself place.
Did a new Dim Sum place open in Concord on Willow Pass?
Imperial Seafood Restaurant, in the same mall as PetSmart and across from a Hawaiian BBQ place, opened about 5 months ago. I agree with an earlier poster that much of their dim sum offerings are tastier than Tin's in Walnut Creek. My husband and I went there for the first time late Sunday afternoon, around 1:30. There were no lines, yet fresh steamers were coming out of the kitchen pretty continuously. We ordered har gow, shu mai, shrimp rice rolls, sticky rice chicken (nuomai gai), pan fried noodles with chicken and beef chow fun with vegetables (wet style). Also tried the sweet fried sesame ball with lotus paste. I saw that they have roast duck to go for $12, so also got that (for dinner). Of the dim sum, only the har gow disappointed, as there was little flavor to the shrimp. Everything else was good to very good. The sesame balls in particular were excellent. The roast duck, however, was disappointing. It had an odd smell to it, and the skin, while not too fatty, was only lightly brown, not the deeply brown color that I prefer.
Overall, however, this place is a real boon to those living in the Walnut Creek/Concord area who have been limited to only a couple of decent dim sum restaurants. I would get there as soon as you can before the lines start to form - it's not often that you can just walk into a dim sum place and get seated right away on a Sunday! The wait staff is plentiful, they walk around constantly, refilling teapots and removing empty dishes. There are several banquet menus also, and they were encouraging us to bring friends to sample their dinners. I was told this is an offshoot of a restaurant based in Pleasanton with the same name, but I couldn't locate it when I did a search.
SF- Indonesia Restaurant - More reports since the 10/06 change?
We were just there for lunch yesterday, with a friend who is Indonesian Chinese from Bandung. He ordered for us:
Roti Pratha - fried pancake with curry sauce, very good
Siomay Bandung - stir fried fishcakes, cabbage, pressed tofu in a chili sauce, good
Beef Rendang - Indonesian beef brisket/stew meat, very good
Nasi Goreng - fried rice, very good
Mie Tek Tek - house special noodles, excellent, though a little greasy
Ayam Kalasan- Javanese BBQ chicken - very good
For dessert, we tried a shaved ice -Es Shanghai, with tiny tapioca balls, canned tropical fruits in coconut milk, good.
Overall, everything was fresh and flavorful. Note: everything was ordered not spicy because certain people (and kids) in our party couldn't handle spice. Our host had recommended this place over the Borobudor up the street. The new owners speak Chinese too.
go to Declancy's -- Oakland
Husband and I went here for dinner Friday night around 7pm. There is a Help Wanted sign out front and I hope they find more experienced help, as the service was very slow. The pacing of dishes was off - my catfish gumbo came a half hour after husband's fried chicken. The servers and kitchen were apologetic - it seemed that no one had ordered this particular dish before. I wish I had a picture of it - a whole fillet of blacked catfish atop cajun rice with easily a pound of sliced Louisiana sausage in a dark roux with tiny shrimps, beans and topped with batter fried onions ($16). It was worth the wait.
The half a fried chicken dinner consisted of 4 smallish pieces with any 2 sides. My husband thought the chicken was pretty much the best fried chicken he's ever had in a restaurant. The breading was light, there were no oil spots on the plate and all the meat was moist, including the breast. We chose red beans and rice and macaroni & cheese. The beans & rice come with a delicious spicy sausage. Excellent. We also ordered the family chicken dinner to go, with mac&cheese, potato salad and mashed potatoes. The potato salad is a bit on the mushy side, with a touch of spice that is addicting. I have a feeling that all the sides are really good.
The restaurant has been open since mid December, a "soft open" according to the server. It definitely looks like a family run operation, as we saw several kids and others coming in and out of the kitchen. I hope they can make a go of it. Everything right now looks like it is cooked to order, so be prepared for a wait.
Other items on the menu that look interesting: for lunch they serve po'boys - catfish, red snapper, shrimp and oyster. For dinner on Fri, Sat and Sunday they feature a Smokehouse Prime Rib dinner. I will go back to try the smothered pork chops.
Open Tue - Thurs, 8am - 2pm & 5pm-10pm. Fri-Sat 8am-2pm & 5pm-11pm. Sun 8am-6pm. Closed Mon.
2000 Park Blvd. Oakland, 510-832-8705.
Two meals at Ranch 99 mall, LV
The day after our New Year's banquet, a smaller group of 16 met for Chinese brunch at the Szechuan restaurant on the 2nd floor of the Ranch 99 mall. We had the following:
Xiaolongbao (not so good)
Scallion pancakes (good, with a strong white pepper flavor which I liked)
Dan dan noodles (not too spicy, but ok)
Egg pancake (a flour pancake wrapped around a scrambled egg pancake, good with chili sauce)
Sweet soybean milk
Salty soybean milk
Szechuan picked cabbage (good, not too spicy)
Shao Bing and Yu Tiao (fried cruller and baked flatbread, the standard Taiwanese breakfast)
Vegetarian steamed dumplings
Potstickers
Spicy beef noodles
There were some other items at the other table but I couldn't keep track of it all. The food here is decent, though not on par with LA's best. Service was a little slow too, but overall it was an excellent value. The total bill came to under $150, though admittedly we overcarbed.
The following day, my husband, daughter and I had a late lunch at the Shanghai restaurant next door to the Szechuan place. We ordered their xiaolongbao, which was really quite good. The skins were not too thick, nor did they break and there was the right amount of soup. They were small enough to pop a whole one into your mouth and smile. There are 8 to a steamer, a bargain at $5.95, but if you order them at lunchtime the price is $3.95. My daughter craved yangzhou fried rice, which was fine, while I got the sparerib noodle soup. These are little riblets that are separately fried and sauced, then put on top of the noodle soup. I really like that the noodles are boiled just right, al dente and are of medium thickness, not thick like the ones used in Shanghainese stirfried noodles. Lastly we ordered the panfried buns, which come 6 to a plate. These were worth the wait. My only quibble was I seemed to remember a little more filling the last time I tried them. There were a number of folks coming in at 3 in the afternoon and lots of tasty looking dishes passing by us.
