FattyDumplin's Profile
Best sushi/sashimi these days
Yes, that was what struck me the most about my experience there. It's a beautiful setting and you walk in fully expecting total snobbery. And then you're just blown away by how friendly everyone is. The sushi chef I ate with was smiling the entire evening - absolutely love the positive attitude. Oh yeah, the food's not bad either ;)
Guess what my DH put on his McDonald's hash browns this morning
Haha. I may be a fatty dumpling but give me a deep flyer and I will need to change my name to toofattyumplin
15 East... Awesome...
Yes. Chowanmushi is a great homemade food. But I could never experiment w foie!
This really far surpassed my greatest expectations. And it's just a fun place to eat. This will be my standing reservation whenever I'm back in town.
15 East... Awesome...
Finally made it here after so many years. Having been in the Bay Area for 9 months, only now do I realize how lacking sushi is in SF. 15 East absolutely blew me away. And the sushi bar chefs are so pleasant and happy, which further improved the experience. Sorry my descriptions don't do this place justice but I listed one of my faves below.
Chowanmushi... How can you go wrong w foie and chowanmushi? You can't.
Foie gras, duck on bioche w blueberry sauce... Incredibly rich. The combined favors meshed so well. Although 4 of these was a bit much, I had to eat them all
Soba w uni and ikura... First time I've actually enjoyed cold soba. Love the combo of sweet uni and salty roe.
Uni... SB, Hokkaido and Kyushu. First two are my faves. The last was very muted although apparently the mot expensive.
Anago... Best I've ever had. Tender and soft wo being mushy. Just enough sauce to complement and not overwhelm.
Kinmedai.... Seared and sprinkled w sea salt. Yum.
Tako... Everything that I've read on the boards. If anything, it is almost too tender. I'd maybe prefer a bit more chew, but that would be nitpicking.
Akami... Aged and bushed w soy. Wow. I had no idea non toro tuna could be so good.
Sashimi plate... Nice assortment. Everything was high quality but nothing unique.
Hot soba w duck... The last thing I had. I was so stuffed but the broth was much deeper in flavor than any I've ever had so I had to finish it. Had I a choice, I would've asked for the duck slices rarer
Tomago... Others have mentioned how this is different than most. Much more spongecakey in texture and very sweet. I wasnt a huge fan.
Many other things I can't recall but this was my best dining experience ever. Towards the end of the night, both masato and the owner showed up and it was cool to share a few drinks and hear a bit about their experiences in the industry...
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
yeah, exactly. I'm a wimp when it comes to weather, so until very recently, it hasn't been sit outside weather for me. But now that the 70s / 80s seem here to stay, am going to have to try it out!
Schmendricks- Real bagels? Who in NY bakes on a cookie sheet?
I think I'd try it out of curiosity because I love bagels.
Trying to put my econ dork hat on and think through the supply / demand dynamic...
Right now, supply is constrained, so there is enough demand to fill at $3 a bagel. As they ramp up supply, at some point, they're not going to have enough demand to fill at $3 and they'll be running an inefficient business, i.e. they can make x bagels, but end up only selling x - y bagels at $3, instead of selling x bagels at $2 (or some other number) that would result in more profits.
We'll see how big they want to scale the business, but at some point, it won't be that the ramped up production allows them to drop price, but the ramped up production forces them to drop price because not enough people are willing to pay $3.
Then again, i've been surprised and maybe there is a huge population of people willing to pay that amount...
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
yep, my bad. it's decent. actually some of the food was pretty good, just not traditional vietnamese if that's what you want.
Steak Out is on my list to try. seems good, but always seems a bit depressing, maybebecause wather just getting nice.
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
i somewhat agree. Cascal (tapas), Fu Lum Mam (Dim Sum / Cantonese), Tomi (Sushi), Shabuway (Shabu Shabu), Amici's (thin crust pizza), Sakoon (Indian) are decent. But there is a lot of bad food on Castro... Ginseng (Korean) and Hangen (Chinese, can't remember region) are terrible. Xanh (fancy thai) is ok, but not really an "authentic" thai place. Queen's House is a poor excuse for taiwanese food. I sort of feel like you can skip some of the mediocre to bad places and go directly to the better stuff that's within a short driving distance. But you are right in that the selection is somewhat overwhelming... for example, I still havent' found a great Korean bbq place yet because there doesn't seem to be great consensus and you just end up trying a lot of different places...
Catfish?
I used to love it. Great fighting fish that was underrated because it's ugly and not as sexy as bass or trout. I still remember my mom putting me in the bathtub with one of the fish we caught.
Never went frog-gigging but it looks awesome!
Schmendricks- Real bagels? Who in NY bakes on a cookie sheet?
i got you. i love me a good bagel, but man, have some heartburn at $3...
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
second cooks. also as a quick lunch spot as well!
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
Hey there. I am a transplant from NYC to Mountain View about 10 months ago, so hopefully I can give you some ideas...
1) Markets! -- Definitely MV farmers market on Sunday AM. It's great. No prepared foods, but tons of great veggies, fruits, bread, cheese and canned / dried goods. Not much in the way of prepared foods. Along same vein, the Ferry Terminal market is great also because there are more prepared food places. Worth the trip. Finally, Ranch 99 for staples and cheap seafood (fresh dungeness for $4.99) and Asian fruits.
What about:
1a) Butchers? Can't help there
1b) Bakers? Love Acme bread products. They are at the MV farmers market. Also, Satura Cakes in Los Altos. Not as sweet as your typical stuff. Had the best red velvet I've ever had this weekend. For a more fusion-y Asian / American bakery, Paris Baguette is good. I usually go to the one in Palo Alto.
1c) Fishmongers? Can't help here, as I usually hit Ranch / WF for that.
1d) Farmers Markets? MV and Ferry Terminal
1e) Produce? Ranch 99 and MV farmers market
2) Weekend brunch spots -- Ugh, you're going to be disappointed here, unless you head up to SF. Ricks is ok for a casual weekend breakfast. Fu Lam Mam in MV has quick and decent dim sum. We've been hitting Los Charros for menudo on weekends also. But I haven't found anything along the likes of what we have in NYC within close distance of MV...
3) Coffee - lots of small places. In MV, I like Red Rock. Always a good selection drip coffees and a nice single origin bar. That's my goto. Many like Philz, but I think it's ok. I miss things like Zibetto in NYC; haven't found anything like it. In SF, I really enjoy Blue Bottle - I'm sure part of it is the hype, but I swear its the best coffee around.
4) Wine Shops -- Second the artisan wine shops in MV. Its close by and has decent selection. THe store is a bit of a mess, but the owners are always quick and eager to help.
6) New York food -- Pizza? Napoletana Pizza in MV is very strong. Not much else here. Pizza here, imho, largely sucks. Amici is surprisingly solid for a chain and is our standard goto. Bagels? Around MV, it's pathetic. In Palo Alto on University, there is a place that has really good bagels. I actually think they are boiled.
7) Fast food/Take out --haven't found great burger joints, altough in-n-out is solid. Frankly for fast food, there are so many ethnic - chinese, indian, mexican eateries, that I tend to hit those for weekday lunches.
8) Indian -- Amber, Passage to India and the place on Castro (Sakoon?) are all good. But probably not as good as stuff further south.
9) Vietnamese -- Stuff in MV is mediocre, but passaslbe. I like Pho 54 in SJ. Feels like you're eating pho in vietnam, given the decor and clientele. I enjoy this place immensely.
10) And finally, your favorite restos of the area - if you venture further north to MP / RWC / PA, near where i work, i love Orens (Israeli food), Sanchos (fish tacos), Tacos Los Gemelos (best $1 tacos), Mihoacan Market (roast chicken). Elsewhere, Everyday Beijing in San Mateo, Koi Palace (dimsum) in daly city, Yank Sing (dimsum) in SF, Grand Harbor (taiwanese) in Fremont, Ton Soon Garden (great Korean Chinese) in Santa Clara.
In case you are wondering how you'll adjust to the move, we love it. I was scared to leave NYC but now I go back and I wonder how I ever lived there. The weather rocks here, the quality of life is better, people work to live and not live to work, and the food, while lacking in some areas, has things we can't get in NYC, so it's a tradeoff.
Enjoy and welcome to the Bay Area. Oh yeah, lay off the horn too :) People stare at me still, when on occasion when I honk because its largely unheard of here. As is jaywalking...
Schmendricks- Real bagels? Who in NY bakes on a cookie sheet?
Rounding up? A bagel should cost less than $2. So rounding up puts them at $2. Will be curious to see if that is sustainable. Even in NYC, bagels go for well under $2. I guess here, the desperation for a good bagel drives the demand.
Catfish?
I'll be a dissenter here. Compared to American farmed catfish, swai is much better. Tastes about the same but the flesh is much firmer. The only reason I don't buy it is because I'm unsure about the hygiene standards of the Vietnamese farming.
Of the non-US farmed fish, I think swai is multiples better than Tilapia, which to me is truly tasteless and mushy.
That being said, I'll take wild catfish over both by a long stretch. I still remember growing up in the midwest and catching catfish for dinner. Yum...
Cafe Yulong in Mountain View is closing
Weird, but a number of people have referred to the thick skins, but one of the reasons I really liked Yulong was that the skins were very delicate. Not as thick as most, yet they had the right chew and texture to give you the sense of being substantial, without actually being heavy. I compare that to the fish dumplings I get from the MV farmers market. They aren't bad, but the skins are definitely thicker and not quite as well made. Anyways, just one man's view.
Thai / Korean in or near Mountain View?
I have Tommy Thai marked to try. I'll give it a shot. We actually ended up at Yulong last night. They were winding down what they were serving so a lot of my regular items were not available, including the shrimp dumplings and tea smoked duck, both of which i enjoy. I'm not as big a fan of their fish dumplings - while the wrapper is excellent, the fish is more of a paste, than actually chunks of fish. However, we did try some dishes we normally wouldn't order, including some "Americanized" dishes like orange peel chicken. What a revelation it was! Nice chunks of tender breast (coming from someone who usually prefers thigh meat) coated in a light coating with an appropriately gooey, sweet and spicy sauce. The frying was perfect also, as it wasn't too oily but remained crispy throughout. I never knew how could this could be and regret this will be my only shot.
On a separate note, it was sort of sad being there last night. There was definitely an air of sadness amongst the staff, who are such good people and have always treated us well. Also, it was weird (and I could have misunderstood), but when I asked where the chef was, they said he was retiring and they didn't even know where he was anymore... Odd. And very sad. I will miss this place greatly.
Thai / Korean in or near Mountain View?
Coming from NYC, I used to eat Thai and Korean bbq regularly. But now, I rarely get either. I live near Castro and have been to the Thai place and Korean BBQ place (Ginseng?) on Castro. Both were tremendously mediocre. Is there anywhere nearby that is worthy of trying for dinner tonight? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Staying at Beverly Wilshire tomorrow night
Went to cut. I didn't think the steaks were on a par w the best in NYC but the quality of the meat was very good. The sides, desserts and breads were much better though. We had the mushrooms and peas w ramps. Thoroughly enjoyed them. My chocolate souffle was sublime. And the pretzel rolls and gougeres were the best I've ever had. My steak (dry aged ribeye) was ok. I asked for rare plus nd it probably came medium rare plus. The result was also more char Han I typically like. To the waiter's credit, he offered to retire, which I declined and he comped us dessert instead which was nice. I had a nice time but probably won't go back. While I really enjoyed the non steak items, the steak itself was a letdown and I can't overlook that flaw at a steakhouse.
I probably shod have gone to rm, but my ooworker wanted steak.
Edit... The waiter offered to refire the steak, not retire...
Staying at Beverly Wilshire tomorrow night
just read some reviews of red medicine and that sounds fantastic. unfortunately my co-worker has already ruled out japanese and i think rm falls into that category but i am definitely adding that to my list of must trys in LA. the pics and descriptions in porthos review sound unbelieveable. i think i'm going to end up at cut. which sounds like a great steakhouse, but ultimately a steakhouse is a steakhouse to me and i wish i could try some of hte other selections on this thread so far. that's why i usually dine solo but got cajoled into a co-worker dinner :(
Staying at Beverly Wilshire tomorrow night
ooh, these sound interesting... i did bazaar last time i was here and really enjoyed it. will have to look into animal and red medicine.
Guess what my DH put on his McDonald's hash browns this morning
haha. too much of a good thing... id truly be a fatty dumpin if i had boxes of hashbrowns sitting around. i'd have to go buy a deep fryer also!
Staying at Beverly Wilshire tomorrow night
this is great. thanks all! for Cut, how do rank their steaks with the best steakhouses? Are you paying for ambience or are the steaks really that good?
Staying at Beverly Wilshire tomorrow night
by fine dining, i guess i'd better describe it as i don't want a "stuffy" atmosphere. Will all of those be like that?
where would you go to k-town for a great bbq experience?
Staying at Beverly Wilshire tomorrow night
any restaurant recs assuming i'm on an expense account and open to any cuisine, although not looking for fine dining (i.e. white tablecloth) type stuff? i'd actually really like korean bbq if that is easily accessible? thanks in advance! i looked through old posts but don't know the LA area well enough to know howfar things are from where i am staying
Guess what my DH put on his McDonald's hash browns this morning
they are awesome. fresh out of the fryer all crisped up with little edges... perhaps my favorite iteration of breakfast potato. certainly better than what most diners / cafes / brunch spots put out.
Cafe Yulong in Mountain View is closing
we live down the street. they have great dough based products (noodles and dumplings). they have that "q" springiness that i love. but i always wondered how they stayed in business because they were never more than 30 - 40% full, even during peak weekend hours. it's too bad and i'll miss it. i did see a sign up for a new owner, but not sure what will happen.
My mouth is on fire! Memorable spicy food moments. [moved from Not About Food]
I have to check that out... let me tell you, i worked at one of those late 90's dotcom startups so there were a lot of stupid moments. I think 3 or 4 of my co-workers either failed to make it in or were horribly late the next day. I was the "smart" one for only eating 1...
My mouth is on fire! Memorable spicy food moments. [moved from Not About Food]
Great topic! The Buffalo Wing Factory in Sterling, VA, circa 1999. They have one of those crazy eating challenges with their "Flatliner" wings, which I after-the-fact discovered contain powdered capsaicin in the sauce. I finished one wing and spent the next 30 minutes flushing my mouth with water, milk, beer, SOAP, and pretty much any other liquid I could find. My friend who finished 5 wings didn't make it to work the next day as the wings hurt him badly on the way out... I have a pretty good tolerance for spice but this was ridiculous.
626 Asian night market a ZOO!
I'm impressed you got there. My in-laws had been stuck in traffic for over an hour, last time I checked!
