Ronald Wong's Profile
Foodie from Chicago needs to know what SFO Neighborhood to live in.
Check out the Duboce Triangle area. It has Duboce Park for your dog, near the freeway and train stops, and plenty of restaurants along Market, Church, etc. Plus, Safeway and a future Whole Foods
Downtown Menlo Park pre-concert
My wife and I went to Jeffrey's on the El Camino before a Music @Music prelude concert last week. It was surprisingly good. Good burgers, excellent fries. There are more than burgers on the menu(e.g. fish and chips) and it's quick.
Best source for Orange Beef?
Empero Taste.
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Empero Taste
4052 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121
Best source for Orange Beef?
Took relatives there on Monday. Had the beef chow fun with "exo sauce" which was excellent. Does anyone know what exo sauce is? Can't seem to find a recipe anywhere. Thanks
Favorite vegan or near-vegan restaurants in Bay Area?
There's Garden Fresh in Mountain View, if you are in the area
Late afternoon chow near Stanford Hosp
If you ever revisit the hospital, my wife, who works there, says the cafeteria food is good and inexpensive. She loves the french fries. On Thursday there is turkey which they pile "high."
Has Ayers's Calafia opened up yet?
Four of us had dinner there on Sunday, and we will not return.
Starting with the service, it was absolutely, chaotic. When the server came by and asked how our entrees were, I hadn't received mine yet. She had to ask me what I had ordered. Three of us ordered coffees, I received mine and about 5 minutes later we had to remind the waitress that there two others were needed. When my wife's coffee arrived, it was noticeably darker than mine. The waitress apologized and explained that they brew the coffees "one at a time." Duh!!! To top it off, every time she came by, she would ask "wasn't that great?" We would cringe.
The food was unremarkable and the portions were small. We're Chinese and we thought that the Chinese Chicken Salad was the worse we've ever had. It did not taste like it was integrated, if I could explain it properly. I guess one could say it was thrown together. Hard to beat Chef Chu's. The desserts were not very good either. My tart was small and cold, like it just came out of the frig. The chocolate gelatin(?) was gooey.
The reason we went was there was a favorable TV news feature about it and the fact that the chef was from Google and how high tech it is. Well, I can see why the food is free at Google because I certainly wouldn't pay for it and hand held remote ordering is not new. I think McArthur Park tried it about 20 years ago.
Miserable Lunch at L'Echaude in Quebec City
My wife and I were visiting Montreal and Quebec City a couple of weeks ago and couldn't believe the rude service we had at L'Echaude.
Two adjacent tables who were seated after us, were waited on and served their food before us.
We waited about 40 minutes and had to ask for bread which other diners got. Other diners also received a slice of bread with their amuse of crab and we did not.
The egg with my wife's eggs benedict was almost hard boiled. We showed the waitress the egg and she said that the kitchen was having some problems with flooding.
When the waitress brought the check, she said that the tip was not included. We did not take the hint.
We are Asians from the San Francisco Bay Area so we were starting to think we were discriminated against. I hope that wasn't the case.
On the other hand, we had a wonderful time at Montreal restaurants, Au Pied de Cochon, Toque, Le Pois Penchee and L'Autre Saison. In Quebec City, we ate at Freres de La Cote
three times. We were impressed by the friendly service and excellent food at La Cote the first night. I ordered the lamb shanks and the waiter brought an extra shank midway through my meal because the cook thought that the initial serving was too small. With that kind of service, we were compelled to return.
Best corned beef hash?
I haven't found any better than Safeway brand canned corn beef hash. Many restaurant offerings are too stringy for me.
"Hole in the wall" Chinese on Peninsula?
I've been having lunch at the Hong Kong, on Ralston a half block west of the El Camino, in Belmont for a number of years. It is a true hole in the wall with excellent won ton soup. chow fun, and Hong Kong style chow mein, etc. Two of us can eat for less than $10, a real bargain.
Where to buy roasting chickens in San Jose area?
You might check out Whole Foods or Draegers.
san carlos chinese
You might try the Hong Kong on Ralston Ave about a half block from the El Camino. It's a hole in the wall, but I love the Char Sui Won Ton, Hong Kong style chow mein, and Beef Stew Chow Mein. Three of us had that last nite, and the check was only $18 including tax. Hard to beat the prices.
Alinea, Trotter's, Topolobampo and ???
Trotters was a huged disappointment. Hit or miss service and Hit or miss execution of dishes.
Charlie Trotter a Disappointment
Four of us visited Chicago this week. My wife and I attended the King Tut exhibit at the Field, and the other couple joined us "just to eat." We had dinner at the Greek Islands, Charlie Trotter, and Alinea and dim sum at the Phoenix in Chinatown. We returned home to San Francisco last nite and I wanted to warn other Chowhounds from making the mistake of going to Trotters as soon as I could.
We all had the 9 course "grand" tasting menu and two of us had the wine pairings. To quickly summarize, the food was hit and miss and the service was below par. The skate course was excellent, well flavored and surprisingly tender. The John Dory was the opposite, overcooked and tough. The worst course was the loin filet. My wife's filets were well prepared, pink in color. The other three filets were overcooked and gray in color. In hindsight, we should have had them returned to the kitchen.
The service seem inattentive and in some cases unprofessional. For example, our second flight of wines just appeared without explanation. I had to ask "what are we drinking." At the end of the meal, a server refreshed my coffee but not my wife's. To add insult to injury, the service charge of 18% is included with the bill. I can see why it is already added in. The hostess said she would give us a copy of the menu, which never showed up.
We had heard about Trotters for quite a long time- I used to be a member of the James Beard Foundation. It must be living off its past glory. For paying close to $2,000 for the for of us, we expected more. Our dining companion, Carl, who has eaten in the best restaurants all over the world, remarked that Trotters could not possibly survive in San Francisco.
We spent about the same amount at Alinea and it surpassed expectations. Great attention to every detail, from the moment we stepped in the front door to helping hail our cab. The Greek Islands and the Phoenix were both enjoyable. The dim sum at the Phoenix were plump and delicious and equal to or better than what we have in the Bay Area.
I've never posted on Chowhound before, but I didn't want others to make the same mistake we did.
