yamada3's Profile
Need Pho in San Jose - Bascom/Camden
If you drive North on Bascom to Steven Creek/San Carlos, Pho Lynn around that corner is very good.
San Jose Favorite Restaurants
Low-end:
Nha Toi (Vietnamese, near SJSU)
Pho Lynn (Vietnamese beef noodles, off of San Carlos, near Bascom)
Middle-end:
Kaita (Japanese, Japantown): I think Kaita is just as good as Tanto and Gochi, but with 1/2 the attitude and prices.
Korean Palace (Korean table-top BBQ): I still prefer Sam Won BBQ in Oakland, though, and am actively in search of a charcoal-table-top place.
Higher-end:
Sumiya (Japanese skewers, corner of Moorpark and Lawrence)
High-end:
Still in search of an Oliveto-equivalent... or an Zuni-equivalent...
Good, Inexpensive Eats In Dublin/Pleasanton?
Tabla in the Trader Joe's plaza in Pleasanton is good Indian.
Bangkok101 in Dublin is good Thai.
Gen Ramen, Fremont is closed
I spoke to them a while ago about their notice in Japanese which said that they would be closing. They said that they will be moving to Sunnyvale or Mountain View, although they hadn't found a spot yet. In Gen's place, another Japanese ramen shop will be opening there in Feb. It will be a franchise from Japan - I think it's Ajisen, but I don't recall which one it was with certainty.
Cal Sushi different??
I haven't had sushi in New York, but CA sushi tends to have over-sized fish. The ratio is all off for me as a Japanese person who grew up in Japan.
Also, those places that serve sushi rice with no vinegar in it should all re-label their menu to "onigiri". Sushi with no vinegar is just not sushi... I don't like the rice to be sweet, but it should have a faint vingear taste.
Kushi-age (Japanese deep-fried skewers)
I've been getting my fill of yakitori lately at Sumiya and Sumika, but being satiated on the grilled front got me craving the deep-fried skewers (kushi-age) we love in Japan. I am not a big fan of the kushi-age at Saizo, since I think they are too heavy and the oil seems to soak into the crust too much... Rokko's also doesn't cut it for me for very similar reasons...
I was pleasantly surprised at how good the kushi-age at Sushi Yoshi in Newark. It seems rather strange that the deep-fried items at a sushi restaurant is so good, but they have the perfect combination of crunch, body, and light crispiness to their breading. The juices from each bite blends beautifully with the faint sweetness of the oil. The combination of these skewers and Kirin Ichiban melted my work stress away.
Die-hard kushi-katsu lovers, beware, though. This is chicken kushikatsu, not pork or beef - the two main schools of kushikatsu in Japan.
When I asked Yoshi-san about the kushi-katsu, he told me that he really, really likes deep-fried stuff, so he tries to do it the way he likes it. He followed the kushi-katsu with Ebi-furai (deep-fried jumbo shrimp), which was also better than many ebi-furai in my home-town of Nagoya, which is famous for ebi-furai. With just the right amount of breading and timed to cook to crispness while maintaining the moist shrimp inside, I was very happy with this item, too (even though it wasn't skewered...).
I wonder if more of us tell him his kushi-age is good, he'll expand his kushi-age menu. We really don't have a kushi-age shop in the area, and that would definitely be a welcome addition...
Where can I find fugu in san francisco?
Fugu is a seasonal fish because its taste is at its best in the Winter months. In fact, we don't eat fugu anytime else in Japan. Farmed fugu may be available earlier, but the general rule is that wild fugu is best from December to February. Many farmed fugu have been chemically treated while raised, and not only is it not as good but also feared as being dangerous for human consumption by some.
I have been told that it is illegal to prepare fugu in CA, and that's why the only available fugu around here is the pre-cut stuff. There is also fugu that is not poisonous that is called Kawa-Fugu in Japanese; these come from the Boston area, but they don't compare to real fugu in terms of taste...
South Bay Equivalent of East Bay Favorites
Sorry for the long absence, everyone! I've had a number of big changes in my life and to make a long story short, I am moving to the South Bay!
Although I am looking forward to the proximity to all the wonderful Asian food, I will miss my East Bay staple of non-Asian foods very much, namely Luka's Taproom, Pearl for oysters, Oliveto (both upstairs and downstairs).
Can you help me think of South Bay equivalents for these three spots...?
Is Lure in San Mateo an Pearl-like spot? Is there anything like Luka's? Or really good Italian (and I don't mean Italian-American)?
Anywhere within a 30 min radius of San Jose/Santa Clara would be great.
Thanks!
Birthday dinner with kids on the BART line in SF
Do you have any good suggestions where we can get a festive dinner along the BART line with two kids (6 & 9 yrs old) in tow? I will have a riot to deal with if they have to walk more than 5 seconds, although I can probably whip them to move for 3 min.
Since I am going to be in SF already for an afternoon drink at the Ferry Building, I prefer somewhere around Embarcadero or Union Sq area, but I'm flexible.
I am looking for good food that will keep the 6 yr old entertained, something in the line of:
1. Espetus Churrascaria (is it really worth $40 per person????)
2. Juni Teppanyaki (kind of far, but maybe we can send the kids & one adult off on a cab if there is one around)
3. Matterhorn Fondue (also not BART-able)
All three choices are not ideal because EC sounds a lot for an AYCE place and Juni and Matterhorn are not BART-able.
I considered taking the MUNI bus to Japantown for Juban or Shabu-sen, but I think the kids will be complaining a whole lot on the way home...
I really appreciate any suggestions! I considered Chinese banquets, but we have those all the time in the South Bay, so I was hoping for something a bit different... I saw on Opentable that Cortez still had reservations open - would that be a good choice?
Thanks so much!
Another yakitori joint in the South Bay
There is another yakitori shop in the Bay that just opened. My JP friend went and said it was very good. Higher price point than Sumiya and a more upscale feel, is what he reported.
Anyone been?
「炭家」:「SUMIKA」:236 Central Plaza Los Altos, CA 94022 http://sumikagrill.com/
Interestingly, Sumika can also be read as Sumiya...
i am new to chowhound
Crab season starts around mid/late Nov, so you'll have to hold your horses until then. Once the season comes around, Ranch99, Lion Market, many of the Chinatown vendors (both SF and Oakland) will have them. Just make sure the one you go to has a lot of business by checking out how many people come for crab - the better the turn-around, the fresher the crab!
i am new to chowhound
Wow, I haven't heard someone say 'wicked' and mean 'very' in so long, I love it!
I like Zuni for their cold seafood platter, but it's not really New Englandy in anyway. When crab season rolls around, get one at any of the Asian grocery stores and beer-steam it yourself and melt some butter to go with it. It's much easier than I ever thought was possible.
Good luck with the move! I'm planning on heading back to New England sometime soon!
Help! in Dublin, dinner tonight, non chain?
This is probably too late too and it might not be what you are looking for, but the Thai restaurant Bangkok101 (Amador Valley Blvd and Village Parkway) is very good. It's not a dive, but it's not really dressy either.
For something nicer, we go to Va de Vi in Walnut Creek. There are a couple nice places in Danville too - like Amber, although I haven't been there in a yr or so.
Late Night Dining Ideas (Bay Area)
Sumiya, a Japanese yakitori grill place, on Saratoga and Lawrence in San Jose is open til 11 PM every night except for Sundays.
Rabbit meat from a butcher?
Is there anywhere in the East Bay that sells fresh rabbit meat for homecooking?
Thanks!
Best sushi in the Bay Area - price no object
I've been there. It's one of the "giant pieces of big fat toro"-type places.
Best sushi in the Bay Area - price no object
It depends on what kind of sushi you like - dynamic, huge pieces of toro or subtle, sweet pieces of hirame. I am not a big fan of the former, so I can't help you there, but with Anzu in flux, I'd put my vote on Ino for the latter style. I have yet to try Kaygestu though - although they are not really a sushi-house, I hear their fish is supreme.
Overrated disappointments
Robert,
If you can, you should try to get down to Nha Toi in San Jose. They are open very late and they blow Bodega Bistro out of the water any day. :D
Sumiya Going Downhill . . .
Hmmm, I was just there yesterday and I think the quality has actually improved over time.
What time did you go? I noticed that the food gets better as it gets later - maybe the charcoal gets hotter or something.
Sounds like you don't really like the Japanese style grills, since many of the places in Japan also grill one side more than the other. That way, the juices remain without them all dripping to the bottom. Maybe earlier in the evening, the grill may not be hot enough to pull it off or something.
FYI, the chicken skin is also grilled. If you sit at the shorter counter, you can see them grilling it.
The Mi (chicken thighs) get better and better. It's got a nice charcoal-grilled coating while being very moist in the inside.
The Tsukune has gobou (burdock) in it, which lends it a nice toasty, nutty sweetness. This is the one I keep going back for, since it's much better than any other tsukune in the Bay Area, including what I can make at home.
I noticed that they cut down on the salt quite a bit now. It wasn't shockingly salty like I felt before. But then again, maybe it was because I was drinking sake last night. Same with the sauce - not as salty as before.
I like the sansho powder that they have (or you can ask for) on my salt yakitori. The spicy scent of the sansho is the perfect precursor to the flavors of the chicken.
I think it's still good, if not better, so maybe you just caught them too early in the evening...?
Norikonoko Curry Report
$10 for Curry??? That sounds very expensive. But then again, Norikonoko has always been regarded as an expensive place to get good home-style food amongst us Japanese transplants.
I make curry at home and it has chunks of carrots, potatoes, and onion, as well as some kind of meat in it and whatever else floats my boat. That's more of the typical 'home-style' curry. On the other hand, a lot of Japanese-curry shops in Japan have curry with very little visible veggies. Most frequenly, though, these have a giant piece of ton-kastu on it to make it Katsu-curry. Your version with 3 bits of meat for $10 sounds rather thin, even or JPN standards.
Yuzu in San Mateo has a curry special that my friends like quite a bit. I wonder what that's like...
Overrated disappointments
Hawthorne Lane was a big disappointment for me. The classically "Western" dishes (like the steak) was very good, but all of the Asian-fusion dishes missed one thing or another. The uni pasta was particularly disappointing, since this can be so good when made differently.
I can't remember all the details, but I would never go back there.
Hime's menu
The stringy stuff - was it smal pieces? Then, it's probably hijiki.
Glad to hear something about this place. Thanks for checking out, guys!
Hime's menu
I was at Sumiya last night when I ran into the guy from Shabuway. He was with a bunch of other Japanese guys and he introduced two of them as the chefs at Hime. He called Hime one of his projects and said that the two guys were from Japan with kaiseki training. These guys looked pretty young (late 20s?).
With that tidbit of knowledge, I might be more willing to head into the city to check them out.
Anyone been yet?
ABC or Mayflower for Peking Duck in Milpitas?
I used to like ABC a lot several years ago, but I have not been back for a while. In the Milipitas/Fremont neighborhood, is ABC still the best place to go for Peking Duck? Or is Mayflower better now? Or is there another place that is better?
Any thoughts?
Gyu-tataki in SF?
Although not in SF, Tomi Sushi in Mountain View (or is it Sushi Tomi?) has a pretty decent version when they offer it.
Top 10 Tastes of California
Ops, did I 'reply' to the wrong post?
This is in reference to Nha Toi in San Jose...
I eat there pretty regularly these days, I have liked most everything I tried.
This is one of the only places where I can enjoy the canh chua. It's not too sweet, and the fish actually comes to life in the soup. The taro soup/stew was excellent too.
I had several of their big grilled fish plates (with wraps and herbs) - although I don't remember which one it was, the accompanying sauce was a grated tuna seasoning, which the lady said was a specialty of the house. It was divine. It was like a pocket of condensed umami with just the right combination of saltiness to highlight all of the subtle umami overtones.
I also really like their salted-fish fried rice - nothing like any fried rice I've ever had.
Everything here is more potent in flavor than many of the other restaurants I've had Viet food. For example, if you ask for hot peppers here, they bring the small peppers we grow at home for our serious chilli consumption. They are so hot, most Japanese friends of mine cannot eat them.
My only disappointment so far has been one of the green papaya salads. They have two versions - one is vastly superior to the other.
Sumiya Yakitori in San Jose
Yes, reservations are highly recommended. The place is pretty small and all three times I've been there, I saw customers turned away at one point. The problem with these places is that people sit and eat/drink for hours on end.
I highly recommend the tsukune with tare (sauce) here. It is super addictive. I also like the ocha-zuke - which is somewhat non-traditional, made with chicken stock and a grilled rice ball (yaki-onigiri). I also like the gizzards, although I wish the pieces were bigger.
They tend to cater towards the drunks, so things can be salty if you are not drinking. The all-you-can-eat cabbage will help with the salt.
I find their food to be better around 9 PM rather than when they just opened, since the grill seems hotter then. The fragrance of the grilled exterior is much more highlighted in the times I went later or as the evening progressed.
I wasn't too impressed with their shio-ramen, since I thought it was too salty, but it might be because I wasn't drinking enough...
Top 10 Tastes of California
My two cents for Asian food...
If you are serious about Viet food, try Nha Toi in San Jose. It is very, very good and bursting with flavor, herbs you don't see in every Viet restaurant, and sauces that are so potently delicious, you crave it later.
I don't know much about the izakaya scene in NYC, but Gochi in Cupertino is as good as any in Japan. You can sit, eat, and drink for hours like the Japanese after-work parties.
