SLRossi's Profile
Breads of India- why is this place so empty? [Oakland]
Ajanta for sure if you order the rotating dishes. Every one I've had has been excellent and it's all I order there anymore.
PoppaCakes – Custom built ice cream sandwiches in Rohnert Park
I was in the area Saturday and on a hot afternoon could not resist the call of a custom ice cream sandwich. The place is kind of out of the way and easy to overlook, honestly the kind place/location that I think it will be hard for them to survive.
The two people working were super friendly. They don't bake all the items everyday since each baker had their specialities, or so I was told. My sandwich had their coconut cookies and espresso ice cream. It was one of the best sweet treats I've had in a long time and I ate the whole thing. As Melanie noted the cookies are soft and chewy, perfect for the application. They were really delicious too. My girlfiend has a thing for sweet potato pie and tried one. She said it was really excellent and one of the best she's had. She went back in and purchased a few more to take home. It's worth noting that they seem to not have a lot of product on hand so you might want to call before making a trip if there is something you simply must have. I'll swing by again if I'm in the nighborhood and have room.
Fire at China Village (Albany)
According to a message on their answering machine the closure has turned into a 3-4 remodel. Booooo!
Hamro Aangan - Indo-Nepalese - Albany
I must be search handicapped or something... thanks.
Hamro Aangan - Indo-Nepalese - Albany
A friend suggested trying this place based on Yelp reviews and I came to the ever trusty Chowhound board to see what the hounds thought and was suprised to find to no mention. So... reporting back since I rather enjoyed our lunch.
We had the Paneer Tikka Masala, Chicken Momo, Aloo Tikki Chaat, and Garlic Naan.
Everything was fresh, well seasoned (the "hot" level was reasonably hot, but next time I'll go for extra spicy), and nothing was greasy. The Tikka Masala was as good of a rendition as I've had with perhaps little more complexity than most. I'd never had Momo before but found the filling to be very savory and juicy (the owner recommended them).
I'll definitely go back to try more dishes.
Anyone use the Marin Sun Farms meat CSA?
I wanted to get feedback on how things are packaged ,etc. So I order say 10# of steak cuts, 10# of poultry, and 10# of stew meat. How do they package it up? 1# packs? A certain number of steaks? I need to make sure I get a reasonable amount of each item for recipes, etc.
I gather you feel the quality and value are good as well?
Anyone use the Marin Sun Farms meat CSA?
Thinking about giving it a shot, but would love to get some feedback. One of the things that irritates me about our produce CSA is the quanity of some items (usually too little of a single item to serve to our family of three.).
Looking for a good first date brunch spot in Danville (or nearby)
Sideboard? Maybe too casual with the counter service, but the very relaxed atmoshpere seems conducive to a first date. If the weather is nice sit outside.
Wedding Caterer Under $80-100/pp
Third for Ann Walker. She did my wedding and two friends.
54 Mint
I just realized this spinoff is in my nearby strip mall when I walked by it yesterday. It looks like they're a couple of weeks away. I'm hopeful it will be good since it's walking distance from my house.
CSA Thoughts
Terra Firma does the drops too. They supply a (now electronic!) newlsetter that provides the kind of info you were getting in person.
CSA Thoughts
We've been using Terra Firma Farms for over a year now. We like it, but don't love it. The quality suffers from time to time, but such is life with a true CSA as opposed to a wholesaler. I like having the connection to the farm, getting all organic and lots of heirloom products. The value is pretty good, but the diversity and sometimes the amount of things is lacking (What am I supposed to do with two heads of baby bok choy?). In the end I think I would not use a CSA if it weren't for the fact that I think it's the right thing to do.
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Terra Firma Farm
Winters, CA, USA, Winters, CA
Khana Peena (Solano) Lunch Buffet. Bleh
Correct, no buffet at Ajanta. I've been hitting them for lunch lately and it usually costs ~$15 with soda and tip.
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Ajanta Restaurant
1888 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707
Khana Peena (Solano) Lunch Buffet. Bleh
Agreed. I gave up on the buffet a year or more ago. They always had a lamb dish offerered.
Lemongrass Bistro in Martinez
I had lunch here while trapped in Martinez for jury duty and it was good enough I opted to go back the second day. The food is fresh and well handled. I had Lemongrass Prawns and Drunken Noodles with pork. I ordered both dishes "hot, but not Thai hot." The lemongrass dish wasn't very spicy, but the noodle dish had a solid burn. I'll look for this place again next time I'm in Martinez.
Mazatlan's Best Restaurants??
It was in May. Crazy Tony was working the room in all his glory.
what dinner cost at fleur de lys
We did a tasting menu with wine pairings and I think we were at about 200 pp including tip.
Mazatlan's Best Restaurants??
I thought I'd report back on info that I gleened from this thread even though it's old.
Puerto Viejo - Ok place. Nothing special except that sitting on the sidewalk you can have a lovely view. Margarita was too sweet even after asking for it not to be. Camaron ala Diabla was tasty as was the tortilla soup while neither were anything special. Crab salad was loaded with mayo, came not cool enough and kinda scared us. Cheap enough though.
Pedro y Lola - We went on our last trip to MZT and were not impressed, but went back to try the two recommended dishes. The Pedro Infante and Chammora (sp?) were awesome. Probably the best food from the trip less the simple ceviche type things we ate. The long cooked pork dishes both had the complex layering of flavors that I love in Mexican sauces. The simple mushrooms with garlic were great too.
Te Amo Lucy - Loved this simple place. Crazy Tony is awesome and the food and beer are cheap. The Chicarone (sp?) was to die for with some of their unque hot red salsa.
Topolo - I had high expectations and was summarily dissappointed. One of the better margaritas I had. I would have like the place better with no/low expectations. The court yard was lovely. My Pesce en papiote was fine as was the crab salad.
Tried to hit Miso Sushi, but they closed and moved to Nuevo Mazatlan. Went to Sushi Yoko instead. It was mediocre at best and would not bother. I'm used to much better.
Olas Atlas Steak House - I don't know why I thought this might be a "Mexican Steakhouse" (does such a thing exist?) but clearly they are catering to gringos who want to eat like they do at home. The beef was fine, but it was grilled which not what I typically expect. Salads had an unbelieveable amount of dressing. Sides were ok. Interesting wine list. If you're tired of the local fare and want a lovely patio to dine on and have a nice glass of wine this place is fine. It's cheap for a steakhouse. We were out the door with a nice bottle of wine for $100 USD.
Bahia - Admittedly we weren't in the right mood for this place and didn't get to try enough of the menu. We only had a coctail de camaron and the pesce zarandeado (sp?). It was fine. I wanted to love this place and did appreciate it being tourist free, less us of course.
While hardly "chowish" I have to also put in a kind word for the breakfast restaurant at Pueblo Bonito where we stayed. Everything was great and I loved eating my way through the traditional Mexican breakfasts and their salsas were all great.
So we went to farmers market to buy some fish.....................
I buy from them at the Walnut Creek farmer's market and have found it to be better than anything I can find in a store. They have little signs in front of each ice bin stating the fish and price. Best scallops I've ever had outside of a high end restaurant.
Restaurants offering wine suggestions
Ditto this. She's also always picked excellent wines at price points below what I'd pick on my own. Gotta love that.
Most authentic sichuan/szechuan restaurant?
The spicy boiled fish at China Village in Albany is my personal crack. It's usally pretty spicy, occassionally very spicy.
Good Mexican?
Where in the Bay Area?
What can be had in DC?
Any other preferences (sit down, bar, etc.)?
Flora or Mua? Or something else?
Robert's sum up of Flora is spot on. We went a few weeks back before a show at the Fox and I have to say that the convenience and drinks made it worth it.
"Chow-worthy" near Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill?
Good cheap Pho at :
Pho Hoa An Restaurant
1617 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA
(925) 288-0736
And I'll plug Sichuan Fortune House again for Sichuan specialties like Spicy Boiled Beef/Fish and their General Zangfei's (sp?) beef rocked my world.
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Pho Hoa An
1617 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
Help LA CH: Fleur de Lys- Any recommendations?
I ate at FDL last Saturday night. The room was beautiful, the sommelier excellent, but the food was not remarkable. Nothing was bad, but at that price point I'm looking for multiple "wow dishes." Honestly, the most memorable coursse of our five course dinner was the cheese course.
Note the menu online is not current.
Based on this one experience, I'd suggest going elsewhere.
Sichuan fortune house lunch special
Butting in:
General Zhang Fei's Beef (sp?) blew me away last time and I'm always a fan of the Spicy Boiled Beef or Fish.
china village - wow, really?
I'll add Sichuan Fortune House to your list (Pleasant Hill). Tried it? I've been maybe a half dozen times and it's always been good, but my last visit was awesome.
china village - wow, really?
I'm a big fan of CV, but I've noticed consistency issues from the kitchen from visit to visit (weekly), but nothing as bad as you've described. At its worst it's good, at its best it's sublime.
