Shane Greenwood's Profile
Is this thing still on?
I used to use Chowhound a lot. But then I found it to be quite repetitive in terms of the questions being asked and the advice being offered. And the board I followed was often dominated by a few chronic posters, which gets boring fast. Then social media came on the scene, Yelp became really easy to use on the iPhone, and every restaurant, food truck, chef, and farmers market seemed to start tweeting & FB'ing directly with the people. Without even realizing it, I stopped using Chowhound for the last year. I guess I didn't miss it because I just now remembered that this thing even exists. Odd for a site I used to visit several times a day.
How has your use of the site changed? Are you using the other channels more now? What does CH do for you that others don't?
For me now it's:
Yelp iPhone app for quickly finding good eats in any area.
Twitter feeds for staying up on my favorite places.
Facebook for interacting with other eaters.
Yelp's website if I feel compelled to post my thoughts to a large audience (fwiw).
And I guess Chowhound for asking direct questions, like this post.
San Jose area food trucks?
Try Edgewood Eats on Monday nights in Palo Alto. Several food trucks park in a lot at Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center in the evening. I know you're looking for lunch, but if you love food trucks, this might be something you'd enjoy. People bring folding chairs and an impromptu picnic scene takes place in the parking lot.
More info:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/edgewood-eats-palo-alto
Dinner near Sonoma Mission Inn ?
I ate at Sante a few weeks ago too and thought it was terrific. They deserve the star.
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Sante Restaurant
100 Boyes Blvd, Sonoma, CA
D, D & D in SF?
Have been to most of those places and agree with you on Bubba's. Gorilla BBQ was worth the visit. Sol Food, Naglee Park Garage, Hank's Creekside, Shellville Grill, and Falafel Drive In are all worth trying if you're in the neighborhood. Nothing on the show is worth making a special trip though.
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Creekside Cafe
1581 Sycamore Ave, Hercules, CA 94547
Naglee Park Garage
505 E San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95112
Where to watch the Super Bowl on the Peninsula?
Old Pro in Palo Alto will be a good spot too.
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Old Pro
541 Ramona St, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Where to watch the Super Bowl on the Peninsula?
Sneakers in San Carlos has the best TV to patron ratio. Lots of big screen TVs on the walls and smaller TVs mounted in the booths. Not a bad seat in the house. This being Chowhound though I will say that the food is very average, sysco quality stuff and an okay beer selection.
The Office in San Carlos has better food and fewer TVs.
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Sneakers
1163 San Carlos Ave, San Carlos, CA 94070
The Office
1748 El Camino Real, San Carlos, CA 94070
Hanukkah menus?
Went to Firefly. Have been there several times before and found the food to be good but not up to their usual standards. Inconsistency was the theme. The latkes were perfectly prepared and served with granny smith applesauce and dollop of sour cream. That applesauce made the dish. I had the lamb loin served over Farro Tabbouleh, Eggplant, Cauliflower and Garlic Jus. Lamb was perfect. The rest was a nice backdrop in flavor but the temperature was a little cool. It was like hot lamb placed on top of a tabbouleh salad. Not sure if that was the intention, but I didn't love the contrast in temps. My wife had the brisket and we both thought it had an off flavor. Couldn't put our finger on what we were tasting, but it was bitter and not something we would order again. For dessert we ordered the Valrhona Devil’s Food Cake with Cocoa Nib Ice Cream and Caramelized White Chocolate Sabayon. It was a good, straight forward dessert. We enjoyed it and ate the whole thing, but probably won't remember it 2 weeks from now.
Overall, okay dinner but for this price point I won't be rushing back anytime soon due to the inconsistencies.
Hanukkah menus?
Looks like Firefly's menu has it covered after all
http://www.fireflyrestaurant.com/menu.html
Hanukkah menus?
Yeah, I thought of Saul's. Was hoping for something a little nicer. There was a place in Mountain View (the kitchen table) that would have been a better option but word is they lost their chef and the food has slipped dramatically.
Hanukkah menus?
Does anyone know of good, local restaurants in the area that have Hanukkah dinners this year? SF, east bay, north bay, peninsula are all okay. I know Firefly has done them in the past, but they have nothing listed this year. Something along those lines would be great.
Pt. Reyes in mid-October
Marin Sun Farms is serving food at their store in Pt. Reyes Station now. I haven't eaten there but have heard some good things and their meat is top notch. They turned the front of the store into a sit down cafe.
http://www.marinsunfarms.com/about/point-reyes-station-butchershop.html
Pt. Reyes in mid-October
For a local winery around Pt. Reyes, check out the Pt. Reyes Vineyards. They have a little tasting room up on the hill just outside of town.
http://www.ptreyesvineyardinn.com/Winery.htm
Food report: Underground Farmer's Market (11 September 2010)
I don't mean to be a pest by correcting you, but it's actually called Underground Market. It's not a "farmer's" market. I mention that because I know people who went expecting something different that what it is. It's prepared foods, more of a gourmet food court. Good stuff there though.
Here's the link to get the invitation. It's worth going, but the crowds are no joke. http://foragesf.com/market/
small winery recs in healdsburg? alexander valley? been to dry creek
Quivira makes a good Mourvèdre.
best place to live for food near SF
The food scene in Berkeley and parts of Oakland is as good as it gets. Excellent restaurants, stores that feature local goods, Berkely Bowl, the gourmet ghetto, and so on. There are other areas that have good stuff too, but nothing compares to the diversity and abundance of that part of the East Bay.
best burger in Palo Alto?
Some people like the burger at Tootsie's too. It's a little bit of an interpretation because it's a blend of pork, beef and veal. But it was good and the housemade chips are tasty. Not my personal favorite, but I can appreciate the appeal.
best burger in Palo Alto?
I used to go there but the food slipped. Haven't been in a couple of years, has it changed?
best burger in Palo Alto?
Better to sit in the back, outdoor area of Marvin Gardens. The inside has an odd smell that reminds me of mold and chemicals. Burgers are okay, not anything too memorable, but decent for a watering hole.
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Marvin Gardens
1160 Old County Rd, Belmont, CA
Love Mama's - Where Else for Great Breakfasts
Dottie's True Blue Cafe is solid. You can walk it from Union Square.
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Dottie's True Blue Cafe
522 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94102
wood tavern pastrami
Had this yesterday and agree that it is delicious but a complete salt bomb. I was a little disappointed to learn they don't make their own pastrami too. They buy Niman Ranch pastrami and "doctor it up" according to the restaurant.
I prefer the pastrami at The Refuge by a wide margin. Theirs is house cured, has a more balanced flavor, and is available in several different preparations.
Sorry East Bay, the Peninsula has you beat on pastrami.
http://refugesc.com/
other than Slanted Door
Not exactly sure what you mean by "the center". Downtown maybe? Anyway, check out The House too. It's in North Beach.
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The House
1230 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
Good eats with a 14 year old
Agreed. Outerlands is in a completely different league than Beach Chalet.
Good eats with a 14 year old
If you like Italian and Cal cuisine, and want to test the comfort zone, try Incanto. The chef features cal-ital food with a lot of offal cuts. Extremely tasty, well regarded restaurant. Satisfies your request for someplace that isn't too loud. They have plenty of non-offal dishes too.
Good eats with a 14 year old
Can you give us a little more info? What kinds of cuisines do you like or loathe? Price range? Where are you coming from (that helps us know what you might get here that you don't get at home)? Any other particular culinary interests?
Macao Friends Restaurant, San Francisco
Found that reference online. Thanks for all your corrections. Just trying to provide some guidance for searching restaurants. Both of those names are commonly used. No need to continue this.
You can say you're right if that helps.
Macao Friends Restaurant, San Francisco
Did a little googling...turns out both are correct and widely used. Macau is the name residents use. Macao is the name used by mainland Chinese. So both versions are out there in common and official usage. Macăo is another variation that comes up.
Searching for any of the above turns up the same restaurants, so you're good either way.
Narrowing list of restaurants
Bix is fun, has a good bar, and the food isn't bad. It is 12 blocks from Union Square though. It's on the north edge of the Financial District closer to north beach.
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Bix
56 Gold St., San Francisco, CA 94133
Macao Friends Restaurant, San Francisco
Macao is correct. If you want to search for other restaurants that feature this cuisine, that is the word to use.
