vincentlo's Profile
Pudong (French-Chinese), SF Upper Market
Are the prices reasonable enough despite the "mundane" selections?
Where to Find Best Soy Sauce Chicken in East Bay
Cafe 88 is one of the few Chinese deli places that offer soy sauce yellow feather chicken. $14 total, to go.
San Francisco restaurants
I only went to the Spear St branch once--a bit cramped for me. I almost always head to the Rincon Center one.
San Francisco restaurants
If you think about this, just focusing on the quality of the dim sum, not on price, decor, service, availability of tables, cleanliness of the bathrooms, or access to a full bar, Yank Sing is indeed the best dim sum restaurant with SF proper. And this is just sad. :-( That's also partly why it can charge that much.
What should i order at mission chinese food? [San Francisco]
Although if you told someone Mission Chinese Food is like the Chinese version of Slanted Door, they would be really shocked when they got there. It's obviously not meant to be an upscale or classy restaurant with stunning views and cocktails. ;-)
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Mission Chinese Food
2234 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Best neighborhood for restaurants?
Then you should look into living around the California Avenue neighborhood in Palo Alto; it's where I live now. Lots of different stores and restaurants within walking distance on California Avenue. I can walk/bike to Mollie Stone's (smaller version of Whole Foods) for groceries. Some of the best Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the area, and decent French, Italian, Mexican, etc. eateries, even one with a Michelin star. Farmers market every Sunday. The only downside is the high rent.
It takes 10 minutes to drive to the Palo Alto downtown, where many more options await.
I often run/jog around my neighborhood, into and out of the Stanford campus, where many runners do the same thing. Once in a while I drive 10 minutes to the BayLands close to the Palo Alto Airport to run, and the scenery there is truly breathtaking.
lox, for god's sake!
How does Trader Joe's smoked Alaskan sockeye compare to Costco's version?
St. Louis Style BBQ Ribs at Old Port Lobster Shack, Redwood City
Melanie, would you recommend their naked version (which I've never tried) over the regular one lightly dressed in mayonnaise?
Christmas in the Castro?
How about Barracuda? I passed by it on a late Saturday morning, and it was practically empty, while Lime was super-packed including folks ordering Ike's sandwiches.
Morimoto Napa: Any new thoughts?
I wonder how Morimoto compares with say Wakuriya or Kaygetsu...is it more of an upscale fusion restaurant?
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Wakuriya
115 De Anza Blvd, San Mateo, CA
Morimoto
610 Main Street, Napa, CA
Chotto – New Izakaya in San Francisco’s Marina
I'm glad the sanma at Chotto was good. I love oily fish like mackerel, sardine, and sanma, but when served grilled say in Japanese restaurants, they are never fresh. Good sushi houses like Sushi Tomi once in a while will inform their customers that they will be grilling fresh mackerel/sardine/sanma, and that's never to be missed!
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Sushi Tomi
635 W Dana St, Mountain View, CA 94041
Chotto
3317 Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94123
looking for a Peninsula Hong Kong seafood place for Saturday night
I'm sure you meant R&B in Palo Alto? They were closed on 12/24 and 12/25, and that was why I had to "settle" for Peking Duck. I was telling my best buddy how I was looking forward to the giant clams, lobster lo mein (believe it or not--I've never tried that at R&B), and the inexpensive live steamed striped bass at $12/lb. at R&B, only to get so disappointed in finding out they weren't open around Christmas.
Christmas in the Castro?
Haven't had dinner at Lime for a long time. Is it still that ridiculously loud, as in you shout and still no one at your table can hear you?
Christmas in the Castro?
Isn't Eiji better than Sushi Time?
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Sushi Time
2275 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114
looking for a Peninsula Hong Kong seafood place for Saturday night
Ha sharp observation, Melanie. The recent banquet was indeed a phenomenal deal. I just let the owner Mr. Szeto (spelling?) pick the courses, but requested to include Peking Duck and walnut prawns for $20 per head, tip/tax included, for 4 tables of 10 each. I was really embarassed because at the end I could only fill 3 tables, and Mr. Szeto said he had to throw away some of the prepared dishes. Before they moved, they would never be able to include Peking Duck for that price quote, but somehow the owner found out I had organized the banquet at Su Hong Palo Alto over the summer instead of at their restaurant, and he became very accommodating.
That banquet included 9 or 10 dishes I think: some simple soup, Peking Duck, walnut prawns, a deep-fried fish course with many chili peppers (surprisingly one of the most popular dishes of the night), some stir-fried beef dish, barbecued pork buns (kinda strange in a Chinese dinner banquet), and two or three vegan/tofu dishes for the non-meat-eaters. I may have forgotten a dish or two. The overall quality was certainly much higher than the banquet I organized at Su Hong earlier in the summer.
So the banquet was $20 after tip/tax a head, and the dinner on Christmas Day was like $45. I guess that was the economy of scale at work!
looking for a Peninsula Hong Kong seafood place for Saturday night
The point is over *half* of the tables were non-Chinese. Have you ever been to an "authentic" Cantonese restaurant in Millbrae or Milpitas where this is the case?!
I also wonder if these folks that patronized Peking Duck on Christmas Day were Jade Palace or the old Peking Duck loyalists. At least it looks like Peking Duck will be doing fine in its current location for years to come, which is good news.
looking for a Peninsula Hong Kong seafood place for Saturday night
Since R&B was closed last night, I went to have dinner with another friend at Peking Duck. Everything was great but a tad expensive. The place was packed, with over half of the customers non-Chinese--a bit surprising.
I asked the owner to surprise us with great dishes, after turning down his suggestion of ordering half a duck. We got two cold appetizers, the first was marinated wheat gluten with peanuts and fungus, and the second was deboned duck web with celery. Both tasted great, but I was a bit shocked at the end that each cost $8, especially for the wheat gluten.
The owner suggested the pea shoot soup with crab meat, something I've tried many times in their old location, always with satisfaction.
We then got sauteed string beans that had a little kick, and a deep-fried beef short rib dish with "gold sand" (fried garlic). There was a long wait at this point between the courses, but oh well the restaurant was packed...
I wasn't full at this point, and so I ordered their signature egg white dish Dragon & Phoenix.. Interestingly there was no longer any ham in this dish, and there were fewer shrimps--only five, I counted. Kinda stingy for a $15 dish.
The free dessert was your typical red bean soup. I usually applaud restaurants for their restraint of sugar in desserts, but this one really cried out for just a bit more sweetness.
The good news was they didn't charge us corkage for the sake we brought. The bad news was they charged $1.50 for each (albeit high-quality) bowl of rice. The bill came to $68 plus tip and tax. There were no leftovers. I thought that was just too expensive, especially for a Chinese meal with little seafood. Quality of the dishes throughout was high though.
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Peking Duck
151 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306
looking for a Peninsula Hong Kong seafood place for Saturday night
Peking Duck, which moved into Jade Palace's location next to the California Avenue Caltrain station, will be open during Christmas and New Year. I just hosted a 30-person banquet there last month, and it only cost $20 a head (including tax and gratuity). And Peking Duck was included! The food was spectacular. I wonder how good their dim sum is.
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Jade Palace
151 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306
The Pot Sticker on Waverly Place Goes Sichuanese (With Perhaps a Little Skullduggery)
I wonder if the label is truthful. One time I bought some salted duck eggs at Marina Food (or was it Ranch 99?), and the label said "Cholesterol 0 mg 0%." Hmm...
You know how State Senator Leland Yee pushed to allow Chinese grocery stores to sell fresh rice noodles without refrigeration. At Marina Food in Foster City, they stock a huge variety of noodles (lai fun, pho, etc.) but all under refrigeration. Out of curiosity, I tried a bunch of them, and they were all cr*p!
Talking about noodles, after trying dozens of brands of packaged ramen at various Chinese and Japanese stores over the years, I think I've found the best (or at least one of the best) ramen noodle at Nijiya. It's Sun Noodle made in CA sold in a clear package. Just great noodles! Too bad the soup package is just so-so.
$38.95 Peking Duck in Three Parts at Beijing Restaurant (Irving Street Branch, San Francisco)
I've never had a long wait at Yank Sing. Even if you show up at noon or so on a weekend, you are most likely to be seated within minutes. I guess that's the price you pay.
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Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105
Private party in South Bay
I had a fantastic recent experience with Mantra in Palo Alto, hosting a private buffet dinner party for about 30 young people. The GM was extraordinarily flexible in accommodating our needs. I think they can easily accommodate your $15/person budget, assuming guests buy their own drinks at the bar.
I Once Had Good Vegan Pizza -- This Was Disgusting
I know you asked about a pizza place in the East Bay...Pizza Chicago in Palo Alto, Santa Clara, and San Jose can substitute soy cheese for their Grande mozzarella. One time I ordered a specialty pizza with soy cheese there, and my buddies (who aren't lactose-intolerant like myself) couldn't tell the difference! It was that good.
The Pot Sticker on Waverly Place Goes Sichuanese (With Perhaps a Little Skullduggery)
Kinda looks like lai fun to me. I assume it's 100% rice with no other kind of starch mixed in? I was at a pho place once, and I asked the Vietnamese server if pho noodles were 100% rice, and she wasn't sure.
NYC to SF - Must trys?
This kinda reminds me of Iron Chef Morimoto. Is his cuisine authentic enough to be called Japanese? Remember Le Poisson Japonais in downtown Palo Alto almost a decade ago? When I mentioned the word fusion to the manager, he immediately "corrected" me by saying their cuisine was Japanese. I guess *modern* Japanese.
As for the disappointing pho ga at Slanted Door, I wonder if maybe that's because they don't add MSG at all? I've noticed that for many Asian restaurants that have "upgraded" and decided to forgo MSG completely, their broths and soups turn bland instantly.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Morimoto
610 Main Street, Napa, CA
Looking for small-time caterers/personal chefs
Have you heard of Deeelish! Meals Made Easy in Menlo Park? For years I've wanted to try them, but always balk at the $200+ order for about 16 solo restaurant-quality meals to be finished at home. Maybe they are closed now, since their Web site doesn't seem to work?
High-quality Chinese restaurants like Fu Lam Mum in downtown Mountain View stay open till midnight. Would it work for you to eat there or get takeout after work?
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Fu Lam Mum
155 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041
Best neighborhood for restaurants?
I've thought about this thread the past couple of days. If I were visiting from a part of this country where Asian food was lame and I craved a wide variety of decent Asian cuisines (*decent*, not something that would rival the corresponding cuisine in its native country for say a Michelin star), I would be in heaven living for a few weeks just blocks in walking distance from downtown Mountain View. And many of the Asian restaurants in downtown Mountain View are perfect for solo diners, especially those who don't want to spend $$$. Yes the SOMA and Mission neighborhoods offer higher-quality (especially in service) restaurants at higher but still affordable prices, but they tend to be European and so comparison isn't exactly fair.
Dine About Town - Jan 2011
Didn't Nombe participate this past year? The cool thing was they offered like double the number of courses (3), so that you could try a bunch of little things. Very cool indeed.
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Nombe
2491 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Where is the best pho around? SF/Oakland or South Bay?
I tried Pho 84 in Oakland the other day, and the pho was embarrassingly bad.
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Pho 84
354 17th St, Oakland, CA 94612
Jai Yun only open for lunch?
Our dinner was arguably the most ridiculously overpriced dinner I've ever had in my life, even with a $100 Restaurant.com certificate, and some of you know that I had endured a number of overpriced dinners at Sawa Sushi before I finally called it quits. I wouldn't mind going back for a $18 or $25 lunch at Jai Yun though.
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Jai Yun
680 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Sawa Sushi
1042 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Ippuku - Izakaya in Berkeley
Well Nombe uses a gas instead of charcoal grill, and so that's why
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Nombe
2491 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
