maoliu's Profile
Early Saturday Breakfast + Food to eat in car
o goodness... I never go beyond the raisin scone and curry pastie at John Campbells. will definitely give Belfast Bap a try. I can foresee that my car would still be loaded with bakery goodies and munchies when I reach san diego. Actually, with all the suggestions, I probably need to do a *dry run* this weekend.
Cynsa, thanks for the rest stops suggestion. I had not thought of that at all.
Okonomiyaki for SF hound
Where to get Okonomiyaki in LA for SF chowhound? Most threads are dated. Someone mentioned Doya Doya but without much elaboration or further discussion. Is there any worthy Okonomiyaki in the area? What is the most popular place?
It appears that the yelpers like Gaja in Lomita. What is good there? I will spend most of my time near Santa Monica, downtown, SGV and Pasadena. Any comparable options closer by?
Early Saturday Breakfast + Food to eat in car
Please help me kick off a 10 hours road trip from SF to San Diego the right way and powered by tasty food. :)
The plan is to leave SF by 8:30AM on Saturday morning so that we will arrive SD at a somewhat decent time. Preferably we can stop once to grab breakfast and some sandwich, wraps etc (or any chow worthy handy food) as lunch while we cruise down the I-5.
Angelina's Catering is my backup plan as it is right in my neigborhood. Would like to try something different.
Tartine Bakery also comes to mind which opens at 8am but concerns of the long line.
Thanks.
Suggestions from a former Sacramentan
Sounds like you are into pizza. I would suggest Masullo, One Speed, Hot Italian over Pete's.
This foodie just moved from NYC area to Sacramento and needs help!
Greek Village used to be my goto restaurant but I have not been going there for at least 6 years. Things went downhill suddenly not just the food, but also absence of services and sitting in heavily stained / punctured chairs. I gave up after repeated disappointment from eating heat up frozen food.
You may give Shahrzad Fine Persian Cuisine a try. their lamb dishes are delic
My brother highly recommends Taylor's Kitchen. but, it is a small place so go early to grab a table and don't forget to check out the Freeport Bakery on the next block.
This foodie just moved from NYC area to Sacramento and needs help!
Opa! Opa! on J and 57th is not to be missed. The Summer of Athens and Orzo Pasta salad are my favorite. They also have a small shop next door for cookies, chocolate and sweets.
http://eatatopa.com/themenu.php
"Restaurants" Database To Be Eliminated
I don't get it. It is pathetic to kill the database. It sounds like we are going back to 8 years ago, when the rest of the world is moving on. I see it as a slow kill to the chowhound. Yes, there is google, there is yelp to get the address information. However, there is also Facebook who tries to replace your desktop and homepage. As a business, why would you refer your users to the competitors when everyone else is trying to dominate? I am just hoping that the next thing I heard won't be Chowhound is purchased by Yelp.
Now I really feel like such a fool to defend the incompleteness and the forum structure with some Yelpers over the holidays. While CH may not have every single restaurant in the area, it has all the worthy ones and the talk of the town. Isn't that enough? With today's information overloaded world, a cliff note summary on worthy places is exactly what I need.
Wonton Noodle Soup in HK
華麗園 is now open through January 25. It is located directly across from Yiu Fung. a small plain 年糕 costs HK$90. They also have taro cake and radish cake. Their booth in the CWB Sogo basement sells 年糕 only. Free tasting at both locations.
Managed to hand carry two back with me to cure my post vacation blues. It almost brought me tears as it was as good as I remembered.
Indonesia – Fried Chicken Dinner at Ayam Goreng MBok Berek, Jogjakarta, Central Java
My tips for going to Ayam Goreng Ny. Suharti is on your way to/from the airport. I took a cab from Phoenix hotel in downtown to the restaurant. Since it is on the main road, it was very easy to get another cab to the airport.
From my other dine out experiences in Yogja, the cab driver would stay and wait for you in the parking lot or around the block without extra charge on the wait time. they are just too happy to get a customer without driving around.
Jang Soo in San Francisco
My dinner at Jang Soo on its 3rd day of opening was a disappointing one. In general, food was too salty. The $16 grilled whole yellow corbina (2) was very crispy outside but dry and extremely and unevenly salty. The miso stew was generous with yummy ingredients but short of liquid, thereby, overly salty. Not sure if it was recipe or poor service, raw egg was not offered and I did not bother to ask for a raw egg as there was not enough soup. Rice was not provided until we could flag down the waitress.
Bibimbap was again very generous on toppings with much crispy rice. Wished they gave more rice. The fresh kal bi (i.e. not marinated) was okay but a bit small on portion. Again rice was not offered; lettuce and miso paste was not provided until requested. Seafood pa jun was loaded with seafood to a point that the mushy pancake could not hold it up. Right when we put down the chopsticks and called it the night, a small plate of jap chea was offered. It was a bit sweet and tasty. definitely the highlight of the evening.
The banchan was on the mild side comparing to all the entrees.
Given the owner comes from a restaurant business family, I just expect the food be better. Let's hope after a few more week, the operation would run smoother
Must eats in Koh Samui, Thailand
I am very surprised that Samui is not a destination on the board. Is Zazen still worth a visit?
OneSpeed Pizza. Bikes. Love. (East Sacramento)
I had a pizza topped w/ watermelon slices last year. The watermelon was placed onto the pizza after baking. Even though the pizza was charred, the salted crust countered by the sweetness from watermelon was a pleasant surprise that I would love to go again if not for the wait or right company.
Masullo is my current favorite in Sac. The Jacqueline pizza with thin sliced potato is the best I ever have. The Lotte came with oyster mushrooms, goat cheese, mozzarella and tomato sauce was a delightful and refreshing combination.
While my heart goes to OneSpeed and Masullo, I am in the Hot Italian camp for Zucchero dessert calzone. Hazelnuts spread over pizza crust and rolled and topped with powder sugar and mixed berries. You can add Naia gelato for $2, I believe. It is really rich and equivalent to a regular pizza. Zucchero along with their smoke salmon pizza successfully hypnotized my parents. Hot Italian becomes the default choice for family dinner, instead of the sushi or buffets, the typical choice of asian seniors. My parents like the generous toppings and crispy crust, which I found bland.
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Masullo
2711 Riverside Blvd, Sacramento, CA
Hot Italian Restaurant
, Sacramento, CA 95814
Hong Kong- 雞蛋仔/eggette/Hong Kong egg waffle/ gai daan zai pan?
I have not been to HK for a long time. But, this is what I keep on my bookmarks for my next trip. My friend tried those in HK East and found shau kei wan one the best.
http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/eat/hong-kong-egg-waffles-885080
Good food near convention center, Sacramento?
if you have 1.5 hours to spare.... La Bonne Soupe at 920 8th Street is a must go. it is a tiny french soup and sandwich place. it is slow as the chef is also the cashier.... but well worth the wait
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La Bonne Soupe Cafe
920 8th St, Sacramento, CA 95814
100 things you should eat before you die- sacramento
Kinako Mochi at Osaka Ya Bakery
Chowdown at Kappou Gomi
Thanks for starting the post....
While this was my 2nd time to the restaurant, I was so excited to meet with fellow chowhounds and tried out 18 new dishes.
The agedashi mochi ... it was a bit soggy by the time it came to the other end of the table. so I could not comment on the batter. the mochi is chewy but not in a inseparable mess. It was yummy still when I had the last old sitting in cold broth. (Apparently I ate Paul's portion as well. Sorry!)
My favorite dish was the Horaku Egg. the texture was a bit thicker than the regular chawanmushi. The seafood and mushroom were placed on top of the custard instead of inside. Thus, the flavor from each ingredients really stood out. The mushroom was "crispy" with a light rice wine aroma.
My second favorite was the Beef Butter grill. Comparing to other dishes, the plating was very simple. There was not a pink flower or small sticks of mini crucnhy fish roe. The beef itself was not that special. You will find the beauty when eating with pickled vegetables.
Mentaiko Kyuri is my 3rd choice. just like Paul described above.
The saba was also very delicious, but did not make it to my favorite because one can find good sushi elsewhere easily.
I was actually disappointed by the Kani Yuba Tempura as I think it looked better than the actual taste. Maybe I spent too much time admiring the presentation and got my priority wrong and ate the eggplant tempura first. :P
Wish there is picture to remind me the dishes because I drawn blank on the Shira Ae. Is that the salad placed in the orange?
I will try post more tomorrow about the services and tips~
Sunny Shanghai
sorry for the confusion. i was not part of the chowdown. I went a couple weekends ago for lunch and had the boring cold noodles.
Sunny Shanghai
I like the kai fui and the A choy. But, stay away from the shanghai cold noodles.
The Wu Lai Duck looks really good. How much is it?
Chowdown report on Joey & Eddie's (North Beach), SF
i almost wanna say I agreed with all the comment above especially the underspiced red sauce and have nothing to add. hOw come no one mention the Chicken Parmesan we had? it was tender and the cheese certainly added some flavor to the dish.
The white sauce for the shirmp linguine was flat out disappointing. I found the plain spaghetti taste better. The meatball was good. The ribs was not quite what I expected. I thought it would be very tender as the waiter emphasized slow cook so many times. Anyhow, before the dinner, I thought I would be back for the saturday special, osso buco. With the bland sauce and not so slow cook meat, it is crossed off from my list.
for the entire meal, the warm bread was my favorite. probably because i was too hungry. :P
Hard Knox Cafe (2nd location-Outer Richmond), SF - coming soon!
The outer richmond location has been opened for 2 weeks. It has two stories. Thus, the difficult park is finding parking, not a table. The ox tail was very tender in general, except for half of a piece was apparently dried out. the fried chicken tight i stole from my buddy was very juicy. The thin batter was flavorful and crispy. It was a very pleasant surprise. The only disappointment was the soggy green string bean.
recommendations for chinese noodle soup?
yes, they still have it. Still yummy and with good services.
Candybar (desserts & wine), SF - anyone try it yet?
There are about 5-6 items on each menu. A good variety, but don't think it can be assembly as a meal by any mean. If you go, be prepared to stand. The place is not big. Only 4 tables in the back and some benches along the wall and window. Plenty of room to stand and mingle with others. Also, they close at midnight. Last round of food order is 11 pm. Wish I knew before going as I arrived and got a table barely before the last call.
Though we did not get any special treatment, I have to first disclose we know one of the owner. All their signature items (pate, bake alaska, and one other dessert) were sold out. We ordered the scallop sashimi, $11, which was very fresh and sweet. the scallops were sliced into thin pieces and covering the whole plate.
I believe all desserts are $7. The dessert tasting menu, $14. We ordered two tasting menu. The first course is the tiny shot glass foam drink with some tiny jello?! Then two desserts of your picked. Everyone enjoyed the chocolate parfait and chocolate sorbet. The cheese plate was three pieces of swiss milk cheese with mission figs and honeycombs. It is my personal favorite. It was so good even though I did not have the right wine. The regular cheese plate came with 3 kinds of cheese (goat, sheep and cow milk). According to the waitress, the cheese selection will change regularly. The 4th dessert is the warm vanilla cake. The smell of the cake sadly surpassed the taste. It is the least favorite among everything we ordered. The last course of the tasting menu is a small cup of warm sweet milk?! (my friends insisted it is sweet cream) with a small savory cookies. Being a lazy and far from savvy chowhound, I hope pictures said it all. :P
In all, we enjoy the desserts much and found it intriguing. Every bite, we found it so familiar and yet unable to come up with a proper description other than "it tastes like some snacks granny bought" or "the taste you find at night market in asia." I do plan to go back again before the two chefs left. I read on some online forum that they will be there for six months only.
Easter Dinner in Port Douglas
2 Fish was good, but their specials ran out very early. If going, make sure you get an early reservation.
I personally found Salsa better value. But, it might be because I did not get to try the trio coral trout dish at 2 Fish.
Unique Australian Foods
Yeah.... you will find walls of Tim Tams at the airport. perfect way to spend your remaining AUD.
For chocolate, I would also add the berry chocos at Haight's.
In the supermarket, Arnott's Apricot fruit slice biscuit is first pick. Arnott's pretty much occupy the entire snack isle. My second choice is the various chicken flavor chips. it is an acquired taste, though.
Unique Australian Foods
I just did my Melbourne, Uluru, Cairns and Sydney trips in Oct. To me, the australian foods is seafood. so fresh and "cheap"
You gotta check out the sushi roll from convenient stores. It is uniquely aussie. I bought a box (2 roll) and headed to see the penguins at the phillips island. wish there is sth like in the states. dirt cheap and super convenient.
Many restaurants count potatoes as greens. I remember ordering a over rice dish and it came with french fries. The rockets salad seems to be quite popular down there. it is virtually THE salad.
If you have time in Melbourne, take the streetcar to St Kilda. There is a funky street sorta like the Haights street in SF. but, there is at least four really old style bakeries and some gelato places. I was walking up and down the street at least three times to decide where to take my tea break.
Are you going to the Great Ocean Road? There is an aussie bakery with yummy bargain meat pasties and sweets. I was too excited with the food and forgot to take pictures or the store... it was very ordinary looking with some old fashion blue decorations. The counter was on the back side with drinks fridge on the right. There were four tables for customers. It was across from the parking lot of the town. I had breakfast and pack lunch. Hope it is enough info in case you are going. Highly recommend to stay at the Sandpiper Motel at Apollo Bay. It is brand new and better than a hotel.
Uluru, I joined the AT King sunset tour with bbq dinner. the only thing i did not enjoy was the kangaroo meat.
Carins is extremely touristy. It feels very much like waikiki. For better food variety, Port Douglas is the place to go. For non-seafood theme, I enjoyed the pizza at Mango Tango. The variety and ingredient combination is very different from the typical pizza. I was being told that it is not unique. Aussie are very generous with toppings and their cooking is extremely fusion (in a good way).
Are you going to Daintree? To try local tropical fruits, there is fruit tasting (you have to pay) and Daintree ice cream company (only 4 ice cream flavors daily + mango ice).
Don't forget to check out the food market at the Sydney fishmarket. both raw and cooked seafood. you can load up with mud crab, sashimi, oysters.... the ginger scallion crab was just heavenly.
Value dining near Fort Mason?
The early bird special at Isa is replaced by a $22.95 2 course prix fixe Monday thru Thurs. Food is good as always but no longer a bargain. On average, it is about $2 cheaper than ordering individually. Do check your bill. I am not sure if it is the server problem or system problem, I often found they charge me by individual order than the prix fixe. They always correct my bill. But, it really annoys me that I stopped going until they have the former Kabuto cheif working there recently.
DAT 2008 Lunch at One Market, SF report w/ pics
Went for the DAT on saturday night. the server informed us that 18% gratuity was automatically added for all DAT table.
La Trappe (Belgian Cafe/Bistro) finally opening Tuesday
It was a pleasant surprise that there was ample parking in the area at 10pm on a Saturday night. Big plus. As we walked towards the restaurant, my out of town friend started to question about our new adventures as it was rather quiet and not a hint of European ambiance at the street level. As we walked down the spiral staircases, there was no more doubt. We found ourselves in a eurpoean cellar filled with lively and friendly people. It is a cozy place with plenty of seatings. in addition to the benches in the main room, there are sofa and armchairs with dimmer lightings at the back side of the room. The services was exceptional and nice crowd. One of the young servers helped us find a table quickly. Our neighbors helped us secured a beer menu from the bar. with over a 100 selections, it is more a dictionary. When the server came to take our order, she came with a glass of water for everyone. I do not think I ever been to any bar that would serve you water without asking!!! VERY much impressed. Another bonus point.
Sadly I had no luck in trying the Wittekerke. They ran out of a number of beers because of the busy weekend. I only hope people wont be deterred by that because the server was very knowledgeable and patient in helping us find the right beers.
Even though I am not a beer drinker, I definitely would go back again for a beer with burger and fries. Also saw many poeple having the chocolate torte.
Last round at 11:30pm but plenty of people staying past midnight.
