kauz's Profile
B-Dama, Piedmont Ave. Oakland
I agree - the chicken karaage was excellent. Large pieces of chicken and skin, fried up beautifully. And the tomato salad was really good. Lightly dressed, highlighting the tasty tomato.
B-Dama, Piedmont Ave. Oakland
I went this weekend and seem to recall seeing shochu listed on the drinks menu. Perhaps my quick glance was mistaken?
Where to get (tasty) roasted suckling pig?
Yes, that sounds about right. We had one about that weight and price for Christmas dinner. I've only ever seen mature pigs at Chinese delis - I'll have to be on the lookout.
Best tea shop in East Bay?
I had been planning to make a trip over to Imperial Tea Court on Shattuck for the first time, but I just read a post that happened to mention Far Leaves on College. Now I'm torn - where should I go? I like Chinese and Japanese teas in general, though I'm really hoping to find a good lychee tea right now. Is there any difference in between these two stores? Price, yes, I noticed. Is that a function of local rent costs?
Are there perhaps other tea stores I should be looking into? Where do you, fellow chowhounds, go for your tea needs?
Thanks for your input!
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Far Leaves Tea
2979 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705
Imperial Tea
1511 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709
Mochi battle: Osaka-ya vs. Benkyodo vs. Shuei-do vs...
I haven't tried Osaka-ya's mochi. I'll have to be on the lookout.
Between the other two, I prefer Shuei-do's. It seems to have a slightly firmer texture and is not as sweet as Benkyodo's mochi. Which is not to say that I would turn my nose up at Benkyodo - I was just there this Saturday!
In search of sushi in Livermore area
Wasn't sure if I should start a new thread or not, but....
Ended up going to Kawa Sushi on a week night.
The service was brisk and polite, but a little confused and confusing. I'm not sure we had an assigned server or not. Confused: Someone took our drink order. We waited, not impatiently. Someone else came by to take our drink order. She seemed very taken aback that we had already placed our order. Confusing: It seemed like each time a different person would come by with drink refills, food, etc. But everyone seemed very nice. Though we did have to flag someone down the first time we wanted refills. After that, they just coming by and checking on us. The place seemed quite bustling for a week night. Lots of couples and small groups of teens. Not much take-out business.
The food. We had nigiri sushi. I can't remember everything we had but let's see: tuna, salmon, mackeral, yellowtail, amaebi, ebi, eel, hotate, uni, toro, ika, octopus. There were a few others, but they escape me at the moment. It wasn't bad. It definitely wasn't great. The fish were generously sized, the rice tasted fine, most were well formed, but there was no wasabi dab under the fish. Everything tasted fresh, but it just seemed to lack something.
Would I go back? If someone wanted to specifically go there, I wouldn't say no, but I think I would like to try some of the others in the area. Maybe I'll have to give Kanpai Sushi a try. Or Manpuku.
In search of sushi in Livermore area
Hello all,
I'm hoping to find a good sushi restaurant for dinner. I've tried searching this site, but can't find much. Out of all the sushi places in the area, which ones have you tried and would go back to?
Thanks so much!
Best cookies in the Bay Area?
Well, I'm rather fond of the oatmeal cookies at Draeger's. They're not too sweet and, if I recall correctly, have citrus zest in them which I found to be subtle, but tasty. I'm not sure if they would suit you as favors though - they're fairly typical drop cookies after all.
Yuzu San Mateo omakase special
I had hesitated to chime in, but I've had the omakase there a few months back as well. I can't remember the menu either, but it was declared by our table as being quite good (we spit a sushi omakase and the raw/cooked omakase). I would certainly order it again.
in search of ginko nuts
HI!
Thanks to all the replies (and the offer, gundam91). I did find some "fresh" ones at 99Ranch after all - if wambold and EdwardAdams saw them, I figured I needed to look closer. I found them shelled and vacuum packed in the produce area. And, yes, they were product of China. Not quite what I had in mind (where are the mesh bags of rattling goodness?), but I may have to make do. They seem rather...squishy, though.
I've never had them in jai before. That actually sounds good. I was just going to dump them into a big pot of jook. Add some pork bones, peanuts, and dried tofu sheets and voila! One of the comfort foods I can imagine.
Cheers!
in search of ginko nuts
Hello all,
Does anyone know where I might be able to find fresh ginko nuts in the Peninsula? I've tried 99Ranch in Foster City, but only found them canned. I suppose I could find some in Oakland or SF Chinatown, but I'm hoping for something closer to home.
Thanks!
Best Frozen Yogurt in Bay Area? (a.k.a. "Froyo")
Yogurtouille - If I recall, they have eight flavors daily. There are a large number of toppings such as fruits, candies, and cereals. It's extremely crowded however, and the flow of people just doesn't...flow. It's a tight space with too many crossing paths, but there are plenty of benches along the sidewalks (placed by the city, not Yogurtouille). I prefer the tart flavors, but I do think they have an odd powdery taste/texture to them. The lychee is good.
Clear Optometry - Yes, they sell eye glasses here. In fact, the yogurt was meant as a nice treat for patients and customers, but they decided they had a market for it. Walk on in - don't be put off by the shelves of frames. They're not going to start making sales pitches.
The bubbly girls behind the counter are very nice. They only have two flavors daily, but there are plenty of toppings to add. Unlike Yogurtouille, this isn't self-serve and you pay per order, not by weight. However, they dispense a base into a cup, scoop in some toppings, and then finish up with a tall spiral of yogurt and more toppings painstakingly packed on. These are also tart flavors, but not as tart as Yogurtouille and I don't find it has the same powdery issue. And. They have at least six different flavors of mochi squares as toppings.
Me? I would go back to Clear over Yogurtouille. The people are nicer (they smile at you), there's actual seating without fear that someone's elbow will get jostled and toss yogurt over you, and well, it tastes better. Oh, and it's less expensive. All good reasons to go back for a cool treat.
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Yogurtouille
407 South B St, San Mateo, ca
Clear Optometry
138 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA
My Favorite Trader Joe's Items [old]
I may have to try that mojito pork recipe - sounds easy and tasty.
Frozen naan (NOT the bakery area naan)
Shelf stable palak paneer (cannot remember the brand)
Any guesses as to what my long-day-at-work-and-no-mood-to-cook meal is?
Frozen edamame
Frozen fish filets (salmon is my favorite)
Dry pasta (the whole wheat rotini are pretty good)
TJ's used to carry a can of white clam sauce that went perfectly with a pound of spaghetti. They discontinued it, but their latest flyer lists a jarred white clam sauce. I'll have to give it a try.
In search of "peach buns" (shou tao)?
Hi all,
I'm looking for these "longevity" buns, preferably in the Tri-Valley or Concord areas, but I'll head out to Oakland if that's the place to go. From what I can tell, I may need to special order these from a bakery. That would be be okay, but which bakery? Kee Wah Bakery at Ulferts?
I hope you can help. Thanks!
Best place for dim sum in Oakland?
I was thinking about going to Gourmet Delight (which was excellent on one occasion, but not so much on a second visit), but I couldn't find much about it on this board. What do people here think? After browsing around the board, I may change my plans to East Ocean in Alameda instead, but I did want some opinions/suggestions.
Thanks!
In search of "peach buns" (shou tao).
That's exactly what I meant. They're for an older relative's birthday. So, special order, huh? That may be the way to go. Thanks for your help.
In search of "peach buns" (shou tao).
Does anyone know where I might find these? Preferably in either Chinatown or Alhambra areas. Thanks!
