Status of Fiesta Tepa-Sahuayo in Watsonville?

Although we used to go to Tepa-Sahuayo quite often, we hadn't been in quite a while (and, frankly, the last couple of visits were a bit disappointing), so when we found ourselves a block away and hungry last week, we decided to stop in for dinner and see if things were back on track. Unfortunately, we found it dark with plastic sheeting over the windows. The sign is still there, but no notes or anything about what was up. Peeking in, we could see that the entire interior had been gutted.

Anybody have any idea if this is a remodel, or if it's gone for good?

ahclem in California

Aptos St. BBQ

My wife and I had lunch at Aptos St. Barbeque Saturday and we can enthusiastically second Matt's recommendation.

As Matt mentions, the place is bright and clean, with a very friendly and welcoming staff. You order at a counter and then sit down and wait for your food to be brought to you.

Each of the meats is available in a sandwich or a "meal" which (although the menu doesn't make it clear) includes your choice of two sides and a slice of garlic bread. I had the two meat combo with chicken and pork ribs and my wife had the brisket, which was listed on the blackboard as a special, but is apparently available often. We each chose potato salad and beans as our sides and shared a large bottle of Mom Hefeweizen from Rogue Ales Brewery (they have a pretty extensive selection of microbrew beers).

Cutting to the chase, everything was great. I was, of course, hoping for an improvement over the Cole's that had previously been at that location (setting a pretty low bar), but this was really outstanding BBQ. All three of the meats walked the delicate line of exhibiting a wonderful smoke flavor while at the same time being moist and tender. A very nice sweet and tangy sauce is served on the side. The sides were very good (although the garlic bread could have been a bit more garlicky for my taste). My wife had bread pudding (reportedly from the owner's mom's recipe) for dessert. Served in an individual foil pan, it was topped with a crunchy nut and brown sugar crust and was delicious.

Toward the end of our meal, we were told that they were choosing wines for their wine selection (it was still only beer at the time) and were offered tastes of some of the wines they were considering. "Tastes" consisted of healthy pours (for each of us) of a pinot (surprisingly good with the BBQ), a zin, and a cab.

All in all, some of the best BBQ we've ever had and an entirely delightful experience.

Given that they're not in a very good location for discovery by tourists, or even random walk-by traffic, I really hope the local community discovers and supports them.

Aptos St. Barbeque
8059 Aptos St.
Aptos, CA 95003
(831) 662-1721

ahclem in California

Ambrosia India Bistro Open in Aptos

So far, I've only been there twice for the lunch buffet. The standout was the Butter Chicken, which was the only dish that was on the buffet both days. I imagine they tend to avoid the spicier dishes for the buffet. I'm looking forward to going back for dinner.

ahclem in California

Watsonville?

That was probably The Green Valley Grill:

http://www.thegreenvalleygrill.com/

ahclem in California

Ambrosia India Bistro Open in Aptos

Whoa! Have been a bit out of the chow scene lately, but had heard a while ago that there was the possibility that a new Indian place would be opening in what had been the Bleu Spoon off State Park Drive in Aptos. Given that we're weak on Indian around here (to say the least), I had hoped it might be something that was an improvement on Royal Taj.

This morning one of our daughters mentioned that it was in fact open and we headed over for lunch to check it out. As we drove up and I saw the "Ambrosia" sign, I almost dared not hope that it was associated with the superb Ambrosia in Monterey. Long story short, it is!

Finally, good Indian in Santa Cruz (well, Aptos, anyway).

Ambrosia India Bistro
207 Searidge Rd
Aptos, CA 95003
(831) 685-0610

ahclem in California

Onion Rings in Santa Cruz?

I certainly can't claim to have tried them all, but I've been here for decades and Carpo's still remain my favorites.

ahclem in California

Weekday dim sum in Chinatown/Financial

Just wanted to say thanks for the recs in this thread. Last Wednesday, my wife and I found ourselves in Chinatown hungering for dim sum and our intended destination closed. With no other idea where the good stuff might be found, it occurred to me to pull out the iPhone, come to this board and search for "weekday chinatown dim sum." We found this thread and, noticing that we were standing at the corner of Grant and Jackson, two minutes later we were sitting down to an absolutely delightful lunch at Great Eastern. In fact, it was so good, we returned the next day to try other items.

So, again, thanks!

ahclem in San Francisco Bay Area

Carblover et al: SCruz south to Carmel

I don't think I've ever seen it mentioned here, but a few years ago I was taken by business associates to a place in Felton called The Cowboy Diner (6155 Hwy 9, Felton, CA 95018 Phone: 831-335-2330. No web site that I can find).

It looks exactly like you'd imagine a place called the Cowboy Diner would look, but the menu was a lot more imaginative than I would have expected. Unfortunately I can't remember much of it, but I do remember having a really good meal and seeing a bunch of other dishes I would have liked to try. Way above anything else I've found in Felton.

I can also give a thumbs up to Jia Tella's. My favorites there are the Amok with catfish and the Lemon Grass Stir-Fry. No idea how authentic, but really tasty.

And for breakfast in Scotts Valley, I'd add a recommendation for Mollies Country Cafe (219 Mount Hermon Rd Ste F, Scotts Valley, Phone: (831) 438-8313). Nothing fancy, straight-ahead local hangout breakfast stuff.

And Rumblefish remains as good as ever.

ahclem in California

Updated Santa Cruz restaurant reviews/opinions, please!

Actually, Cafe Carlos is still Cafe Carlos. Scotts Valley Diner is what used to be Denny's.

ahclem in California

Salinas Chowdown Report: Venimos, Vimos, Comimos Tacos

My wife and I (along with our literal chowhound) were fortunate to make up the rest of the Guajillo team with Ruth. In addition to being delightful company, Ruth not only came completely equipped for taco tasting, but, despite having already driven from the East Bay, volunteered to be the team driver so that we could take advantage her car's pull-out rear tabletop - invaluable for taco division and allocation. It is truly a chow cruiser. (Thanks Ruth!)

As Ruth has already posted a comprehensive team report, I'll only add that I agree with heidipie that the tripas at Mr. Taco were a revelation. Probably the best tripas taco I've tasted (although we didn't return to Tacos Acambaro, so don't know how those compared). And being able to try the two different interpretations of tostada de ceviche de cameron one after another provided an opportunity to internalize exactly what an ideal version would be.

Overall this was a fabulous experience. Going in, my wife and I wondered how we'd be able to maintain an appetite over so many hours of eating, but self-restraint pretty much carried the day. In fact, it was with a certain amount of trepidation that we ordered what we thought was one pupusa to share at the Fairway Market. Once we tasted them, as Ruth reported, we somehow (with only a little help from our chowhound) managed to polish off all three. And still be capable of sharing a tasty ear of Mr. Valdez's Mexican-style corn and some sips of his wonderful champurrado. (Next time a hot dog.)

A huge thanks to Melanie for pulling this together. This was a truly inspiring introduction to both Salinas street food and what is obviously a thriving community culture. Melanie's recent news that the vendors are making progress in their negotiations with the city takes on so much more personal meaning once one has had direct experience of how much pride the best of the vendors take in providing their community such delicious food at such reasonable prices.

Thanks Melanie!

A few photos, including pupusas (and chowhound):

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=x7qnw8n.5el9knnr&Uy=ymyji3&Ux=0

ahclem in California

Taqueria Los Pericos - Santa Cruz

I was downtown doing errands a few days ago and, looking to grab a quick lunch, noticed that the spot on Water at River that has in recent years been Mike's Soul Food (twice), some awful turkey place, and, most recently, Cafe Puerto Escondido, had changed hands yet again and was now Taqueria Los Pericos. Despite one of their window signs indicating they were closed, they were in fact open so I decided to stop in for a couple of tacos.

Their menu includes the usual items: tacos, burritos, tortas, a few combo plates, a few versions of camerones, and vegi versions of the standards. I ordered two tacos, a pastor and a carnitas ($1.95 each). After ordering, you can pick up a paper basket of chips and choose from the usual selection of salsas, radishes, lime and pickled jalapenos.

Although it's probably premature to judge from just one visit, the tacos were really good. The pastor wasn't quite up to the lofty level of Taqueria Santa Cruz, but would otherwise have ranked among the better versions in the area. The carnitas was great. Really flavorful with plenty of delightful crunchy bits. Probably the best I've had since the days of La Zamorana.

I hope these were indicative of their overall quality (and that they can survive the curse of that location). If you're in that area and in the mood for taqueria fare, they're definitely worth checking out.

Taqueria Los Pericos
139 Water St. Santa Cruz
Open 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. daily

ahclem in California

New Cambodian restaurant coming to Scotts Valley

Noticed some construction going on in a building in the little complex that houses the Scotts Valley Market and Taqueria Los Gallos and walked over to see what it was. There was a liquor license notice on the window for "Jia Tellas Cambodian Cuisine." The building was not previously a restaurant, so everything is being built in from scratch. Only framing at the moment, so no idea when it might be ready to open. I don't think we've ever had a Cambodian place around here (and the two previous attempts at Vietnamese I'm aware of have been pretty awful), but I will nevertheless remain cautiously optimistic.

Anyone else know anything about it?

ahclem in California

Updated Santa Cruz restaurant reviews/opinions, please!

For Japanese, I'll second Miyuki (went for the first time in years a few weeks ago and had a great meal) and add Rumblefish in Scotts Valley at the other end of the geographical spectrum. And for falafels, Falafel of Scotts Valley has been consistently good on multiple visits (great baba ganouj!).

Had lunch at Center Street Grill (in the old India Joze location) for the first time yesterday and while it's still too early to call, it looks really promising. Nice environment and eclectic menu (including an appealing breakfast menu).

ahclem in California

Clayuda at Los Molcajetes (Oaxacan) in Watsonville

Thanks for the update, Carb Lover. After going one for two with them, I was really hoping it was our second visit that was the anomaly. I guess not.

I'm actually amazed they're still there all these months later. Their rent must be *really* cheap.

ahclem in California

Good coffee roaster accessible for Aptos couple?

For whatever reason, I've never found a coffee at Surf City I really liked. Probably just a matter of personal taste, as a number of friends like them a lot.

I'll definitely second Aptos Coffee Roasting. Their Sweet Italian is our family's unanimous favorite.

ahclem in California

Best breakfast in Santa Cruz?

My favorite is actually the archetypical basic breakfast of fresh orange juice, perfectly fried over-easy eggs, their fabulously flavorful bacon, great home-fries and either the wheat toast or, even better, the jalapeno cornbread. Simple but sublime.

ahclem in California

Best breakfast in Santa Cruz?

Zachary's is still here and as good as ever (my pick for best in the area). The Linda formerly of Linda's Seabreeze out on Seabright has for quite a few years run the Silver Spur on Soquel. Info here:

http://www.scsilverspur.com/breakfast.php

It's also really good (but note that they're closed on Sundays).

ahclem in California

Torta Cubana at La Zamorana in Watsonville

Oh no!

About a month ago I stopped by La Zamorana in the middle of a Saturday afternoon and found the front door open, but the lights off, all of the chairs up on the tables, and one person inside sweeping water abound the floor. I kind of hoped it was only a plumbing problem rather than something more permanent, but apparently not.

Darn!

ahclem in California

Taqueria Santa Cruz...

I had a burrito here a few years ago, but don't remember much about it one way or the other. (Plus, I'm rarely in this area at meal times.) But based on Carb Lover's incredibly seductive al pastor pic, I decided that I had to try it again, so, with a daughter in tow, showed up for lunch Sunday. Ordered three tacos: al pastor (of course), carnitas and asada:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e225/mr-ahclem/santa_cruz_02.jpg

The al pastor is everything Carb Lover says and more. Absolutely the best. Yum! The carnitas was OK (odd to see it chopped up in little cubes), and the asada was so-so. Will definitely be back for more pastor and to try birria and chorizo.

And about that salsa, I just had to take a pic:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e225/mr-ahclem/santa_cruz_01.jpg

That sort of candy/watermelonish color of the habanero one is incredibly misleading. From the color, you'd think it might be sweetish. But noooooo! Fire-breathing. Yikes! While a little of it goes a long way, a (very) careful application does provide a nice kick.

Thanks to Carb Lover for the great report. I'd probably never have been back without it (and that photo).

ahclem in California

Falafel of Scotts Valley report

I don't know about the Santa Cruz one, but I do know they also own Falafel of Capitola on 41st Ave. Back in the late 90s I had an office in the same building and used to eat lunch there once or twice a week. Good food and nice people. I've been to the new Scotts Valley place once so far, and if anything, it seems to be a solid step above what I remember of the 41st location. (I believe they also own the Scotts Valley Grill House.)

ahclem in California

Raw/Chilled Seafood in Santa Cruz

About a year and a half ago, a friend who lives in El Granada was in a group that played weekly at Cetrella (in the cafe area). We went up to see him one evening and it was definitely a pleasant experience. I wasn't paying that much attention to the food, but remember having some great draft beer and a spectacular pizza. I can't remember exactly what kind it was, but seem to recall that truffle oil was involved.

ahclem in California

Birria and Siete Mares at Real Colima #1 in Pajaro

Earlier this week I was talking about last weekend's visit to Las Islitas at work and a coworker who lives in Watsonville recommended Real Colima in Pajaro as being about as representative of a typical Mexican restaurant in Mexico as one would find in the area. He also mentioned that they offered birria on weekends, so this afternoon I grabbed a couple of our daughters and headed over to Pajaro to check it out.

Located on Porter a few blocks over the border between Watsonville and Pajaro, Real Colima offers a fairly extensive menu of Mexican standards, including a pretty wide selection of mariscos: cocteles, soups, plates etc. (there were three or four different preparations of bacon-wrapped shrimp alone).

We were immediately brought a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa that reminded me a lot of Tepa's table salsa (that's a good thing). I had decided in advance that I wanted birria. It's available on Saturday and Sunday only and can be ordered in a small or large portion without rice or beans or a large portion with rice and beans ($9.00). I picked the latter. Much to my surprise (and that of the waitress), my 10 year old daughter decided that she wanted Siete Mares.

While waiting for our food, we watched a lot of good-looking plates go by on their way to other tables. The cocteles looked great and sopes and tostadas also looked good.

My daughter's Siete Mares arrived first. While it's not obvious from the photo, it was a really big bowl. Her exploration turned up a couple of big hunks of catfish (see photo), lots of shrimp, small shellfish (clams?), octopus and vegetables. I tasted her broth and it was delicious. Intensely flavorful with some definite heat. All of the seafood seemed cooked just about right. Since my daughter decided that she really wasn't up for the octopus, my other daughter and I alternated eating each piece as she discovered it. It was delightfully tender, without any of the rubberiness that so often besets octopus.

My birria was likewise tender and intensely flavorful. It was served with reasonably good beans and rice and a pile of chopped onion and cilantro. All of us had selected flour tortillas and we each got two enormous tortillas. Not quite at the level of Tepa's flour tortillas, but pretty darned good. (Their corn tortillas are apparently home made.)

Overall, Real Colima ranks high for good, solid, homey food. The quality of the ingredients is good and the prices are definitely right. While it offers little in the way of decor, service is attentive and the overall vibe is friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth a return trip or two to try other things on the menu.

A couple of photos here:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=x7qnw8n.9vt8cnuz&Uy=-v9udm2&Ux=1

Real Colima #1
74 Porter Drive
Pajaro, CA

(There is apparently another Real Colima on East Lake in Watsonville.)

ahclem in California

Las Islitas Mariscos - Watsonville

You know, for some reason the idea of a chavela preparada sounds really appealing. Anyone know if any places in Watsonville offer it?

ahclem in California

Las Islitas Mariscos - Watsonville

In a recent post, Nathan recommended Las Islitas Mariscos in Watsonville for their shrimp empanadas. I looked up his original report here:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/86785

and decided to put it on the list of places to try if I was in the area. Which turned out to be today.

Showing up at 3:00 PM, I was surprised to find it almost full and hopping. As Nathan mentions, it's a good-sized place (maybe 30 booths and tables) and it was quite loud. There was a musical group playing when I arrived (not the typical mariachi band, but string bass, guitar, snare drum, accordion and saxophone) and when they finished they were replaced by (loud) recorded music. Definitely not the place for a quiet conversation.

My waitress spoke no english, but the printed menus have english descriptions, so ordering was pretty straight-forward. There was no doubt that I was trying the empanadas and although I was alone, decided to try a "plate" as well, choosing the Camarones a la Cucaracha ($9.50) described as a house specialty and "HOT!"

As soon as I'd ordered, I was brought a basket with some fried whole tortillas (basically, as far as I could tell, tostada shells), a cup of tasty (and pretty darned spicy) fresh green chile salsa, some lime halves and a bunch of saltine crackers.

The empanadas showed up first and they were exactly as Nathan described them. Not super crispy, but intensely flavorful with nice hunks of shrimp inside. They came with another cup of the green salsa which complemented them well.

The Camarones a la Cucaracha showed up shortly thereafter (although the place was crowded, service was quick and attentive). The medium sized shrimp were cooked just a tad more than I would have preferred, but certainly not as much as one often finds at Tepa Sahuayo. The red sauce was extremely tasty, but mildly spicy at best - certainly not "HOT!" It was accompanied by a small salad of lettuce, cucumber, onion and tomato (although if there was any dressing on it, I didn't notice it), some disappointingly lackluster refried beans, rice with bits of vegetables (also none too exciting), and some corn tortillas. Overall, the shrimp were delicious and the tortillas great for sopping up any excess sauce, but the rest of the sides were pretty much a waste.

I'd ordered knowing it would probably be more food that I could finish and, sure enough, fullness hit with some shrimp and one of the empanadas remaining. This resulted in the only language problem of the visit, in that I had some difficulty communicating to my waitress that I wanted to take the leftover shrimp home.

While eating my meal, I watched a lot of other interesting dishes being delivered to nearby tables. So, between the empanadas (which I think would be a must-order on any visit) and a desire to try some of those other dishes, I'll definitely be back.

A few photos here:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=x7qnw8n.6ermc87v&Uy=-yn2ko0&Ux=1

Las Islitas Mariscos
1230 Main St
Watsonville, CA 95076

ahclem in California

Central Texas BBQ

Randy the Ranger? Unless ownership has changed lately, that would be Don Elkins (and it's Central Texan, not Texas).

I know this place is pretty polarizing, but I'm on the "like it" side. Particularly the brisket and the sausage.

ahclem in California

Clayuda at Los Molcajetes (Oaxacan) in Watsonville

You know, I saw the mention of the Metro review in your La Perla del Pacifico thread but couldn't find it online. Thanks for the link. I see that they say that chapulines are crickets, but pretty much every other source I found says grasshopper. Beyond that, I have no idea.

Since I came for the clayuda, I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the menu this time, but I did notice a chicken mole. Can't remember if there were a variety of moles or other mole dishes.

The oaxacan tamale is definitely a winner (or at least it was on my first visit). However, the Metro reviewer calling it the largest tamale she'd seen is a bit misleading. While it's definitely longer and wider than the typical tamale, it's also really thin. By the time you unwrap the banana leaves, I doubt that you end up with any more actual cubic centimeters of tamale that you'd get in an average size conventional tamale.

I'll look forward to a report of your eventual visit. I really do hope our experience was the exception rather than the rule.

BTW, not exactly OT, in checking out chapulines, I stumbled across this FDA alert about chapulines contaminated with an extremely high concentration of lead (discovered when some children in Seaside were found to have lead poisoning from eating them):

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/grasshoppers11_03.html

The alert dates back three years and I couldn't find any more recent info, so I don't know if this is still a potential problem.

ahclem in California

Clayuda at Los Molcajetes (Oaxacan) in Watsonville

Some months ago, inspired by Nathan's report on Los Molcajetes Oaxacan restaurant in Watsonville:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/89308

I stopped by for lunch and ordered the same items as Nathan and had pretty much the same positive reaction. I'd been meaning for some time to return with my wife and try some other items, so when I noticed a thread over on the SF board about tlayudas and remembered that Los Molcajetes had them on their menu (although with the alternate spelling of "clayudas") I decided it was time for another visit.

Thus it was that last Saturday evening my wife and I made our way to Watsonville for dinner. We arrived at Los Molcajetes at about 7:30PM to find it completely empty of customers (and insanely brightly lit - something I obviously didn't note on my previous daytime visit). We were greeted warmly by the gentleman who I assume to be the owner. Two children, presumably related to him, sat at a table coloring and watching the television.

Although I had come for a clayuda, on my first visit I had particularly liked the molote and, having talked it up to my wife, insisted on ordering one to share as an appetizer. I then ordered the clayuda mixta, and my wife, who was craving a chili relleno, ordered a combo of a relleno and two chicken enchiladas verde. (They don't have a liquor license, so we had to forgo the beers we had been planning on.)

While waiting, we were brought the two salsas I'd had on my first visit, a fairly spicy roasted red salsa and their unique (in my experience) cactus salsa. Unfortunately, the chips that accompanied them were excessively oily and cold. We used a couple to taste the salsas, but left the rest of them untouched.

Don't you hate it when you promote a dish to someone as being great and then the reality doesn't bear out your description? So it was with our molote. While the one I'd had on my first visit was as Nathan described, fried to a light crispness, not at all greasy, and filled with creamy mashed potato, this one seemed like it just wasn't well-fried. While not exactly soggy, it had none of that light crispness and the potato in the center was barely luke-warm (and definitely not creamy).

I was explaining to my wife that it had really been better last time when my clayuda arrived:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e225/mr-ahclem/clayudas.jpg

Admittedly, our first impression was simply the size of the thing (it may not be obvious in the photo, but it was well over a foot in diameter). This was my first experience with a clayuda, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I had done a bit of research so at least had an idea of what to expect. The base is a corn tortilla that has been baked to crispness on a comal or grill. It is traditionally spread with aciento and black beans and then topped with cabbage, cheese and various meats. I couldn't tell if there was aciento on this one, and the only evidence of beans was some splotches of black here and there on the tortilla (visible in the photo) - definitely nothing that registered a flavor. Instead of cabbage (which I definitely think would have been preferable) was some just-on-the-verge-of-being-tired lettuce. On top of this was a generous pile of cheese and the mixed meats: tasajo (beef), cecina enchilada (pork coated with chili powder), and the Oaxacan chorizo I knew form my last visit's gordita zacatecana.

Of the meats, the tasajo was completely without any discernible flavor or character. The pork, thanks to the chili coating, was a bit better, while the stand-out was definitely the chorizo. The cheese was mild but with just a bit of pleasant tang. The thick tortilla itself was extremely (and I mean *extremely*) crisp, but with very little corn (or any other) flavor. I'm not sure how one is traditionally supposed to eat one of these, but after poking at it for a bit, I finally settled on cutting a piece of one of the meats, then breaking off a hunk of the tortilla with lettuce and cheese, putting my piece of meat on top and picking it up to eat like a piece of very crunchy pizza. Frankly, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but overall, the whole thing was definitely less the the sum of its parts (which given the weakness of some of the parts, was not good).

While I was involved with this, my wife's meal arrived:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e225/mr-ahclem/combo.jpg

While I was too busy with my chayuda to taste hers, she reported that the relleno had some nice chili flavor but was otherwise unremarkable (and pretty oily). The enchiladas were disappointing, filled simply with rather dry chicken and covered sparsely with green sauce and some cheese. (She also had some hunks of the chayuda with the various meats and was equally unimpressed.)

Throughout the meal, the owner was consistently attentive and very friendly. However, by the time we left at around 8:30PM, there had still been no other customers. Given that the place had been almost deserted on both my and Nathan's previous visits, one wonders when, if ever, are their busy times.

On balance, after the promise of my first visit, I was pretty disappointed (on our way home my wife gave it a grade of C-). With Tepa Sahuayo only a block away and other Watsonville discoveries yet to try, barring reports that this visit was only an anomaly, I'm afraid Los Molcajetes probably won't be getting a return visit anytime soon.

Los Molcajetes
51 E Riverside Dr
Watsonville, 95076

ahclem in California

San Jose Viet Lunch Group Repeats Nha Toi

As one of the two new hounds to the lunch group (my wife being the other), we could hardly have picked a better occasion to join. What a fantastic meal!

Having read the report of the previous Nha Toi visit, I was really delighted to find that the Mam Ruoc Hue Xao Xa Ot Thit Heo and Com Chay were making a return appearance. To echo pretty much everyone else, this is just one of the best things I've tasted in a long time. The intensely pungent pork combined with the burnt rice is absolutely addictive. I kept returning to little tastes of it throughout the meal and it always surprised and delighted. I can't imagine coming back (which we certainly will) and being able to resist ordering this every time.

Among other favorites were the raw beef salad with fermented soybean & ginger sauce. (In fact, this dish made such a good impression that we immediately requested a second order.) As has been mentioned, the sauces here were just amazing and this was the first of many.

Goi Ca Song provided another with its fermented rice sauce. The combination of the raw fish, rice sauce, variety of herbs, and crispy cracker provided wonderful contrasts in both flavor and texture. The steamed whole fish with grated tuna sauce, herbs, noodles & rice paper for wraps was not only delicious (with yet another unique sauce) but was fun to assemble as well.

Another delight was the water spinach sauteed with fermented bean curd and garlic. This is the second group meal in a row (the first being the dim sum lunch last month at Hong Kong Saigon Seafood Harbor in Sunnyvale) where an ong choi dish that looked like simple greens turned out to be something really special.

I also feel obligated to put in a good word for the black sticky rice and coconut milk we were comped for dessert. It made for a nice finish to a great meal.

As has been mentioned, the proprietress (who I'm assuming is co-owner Susie Bui, who, according to a review in the Metro, is also the mother of Tony Bui, the director of the hauntingly beautiful film, "Three Seasons") was a wonderful host throughout the meal, providing information about the various dishes, giving advice on how the more elaborate ones should be eaten, and, in many cases, bringing extra dishes of those magic sauces.

Thanks to Carb Lover for organizing this (as well as the great photo record - they sure don't look dark to me) and to Alice for ordering such a wonderful variety of dishes (definitely no complaints on the balance from us). It was great to meet so many hounds I only knew from reading posts. Can't wait for the next one.

ahclem in San Francisco Bay Area

What is the Best Brand of Green Tea?

Another reason genmaicha makes a good everyday work green tea is that it is designed to be brewed with boiling or near boiling water. Sencha should typically be brewed at 170F-180F and gyokuro even lower, which can be inconvenient at work.

Even better is matcha genmaicha, which is genmaicha that had been dusted with a layer of matcha, the powdered green tea used in the japanese tea ceremony. Ito En makes a reasonably priced version, although there are plenty of others.

ahclem in General Chowhounding Topics