Casual dinner Hayward

Can anyone recommend a place for a quick casual dinner in Hayward? Looking for the following:

1. Sit down or not doesn't matter.
2. Preferably close to I-880.
3. No indian or mexican food (friend doesn't like them).

Did a search for Hayward but most of the threads are a few years old. Is it pretty slim pickings when it comes to Chow worthy restaurants in the area? Would prefer to not venture too far from the area as we will be meeting up Friday evening and want to avoid traffic.

Thanks!

mliew in San Francisco Bay Area

TW Village Bistro, Now Open in San Mateo

Went to TW Village Bistro a couple weeks ago after reading about it on here. Sadly I was pretty disappointed by the food and I'd say the quality is quite a bit lower than Liang's Kitchen. We had the beef pancake wrap and the oxtail noodles. The wrap was a little on the bland side and the pancake was soggy, not crispy on the outside but soft on the inside as it is at LK. The oxtail was cooked nicely, the meat was soft and the fat rendered, however the sauce was lacking in flavor and depth and there wasn't enough of it to go around for all of the noodles.

mliew in San Francisco Bay Area

Los Pueblos - Clairemont Mesa (Chilangos)

Thanks for the heads up. I really missed Chilangos. Glad to see they are back. Will definitely try to hit this place up soon.

mliew in San Diego

Best Mexican in Hillcrest or Anywhere

I've had the carne asada at Tacos El Gordo in National City and didn't think it was anything special. The Adobada however is outstanding.

mliew in San Diego

Char-broil infrared grill not searing

Yeah, the design is such that the food is not actually exposed to any open flame. I was a little skeptical that this would produce the same results as direct grilled food but the majority of reviewers claimed that it did. Guess I should have taken those reviews with a grain of salt.

mliew in Cookware

Char-broil infrared grill not searing

About a month ago I purchased a Char-broil RED Infrared 2-burner grill from Home Depot after spending a few hours researching on the internet. The main reason I chose it was because of the advertised ability to sear steaks at 700 degree plus "steakhouse temperatures".

So far I've used the grill three times, once doing a rib eye steak, another time pork chops and another time salmon. The results were mediocre at best. After letting the grill preheat for a good twenty minutes or so, the thermometer never got past 550 degrees. I know that the lid thermometers are known for inaccuracy so perhaps the temperate at the grates really is 700 degrees -- I'm not sure.

Despite all the heat, the food never really gets a nice "char" as it does on a direct heat grill. The food does get some nice grill marks but that's about it. The rest of the food looks as though it's been baked in an oven. I do remember reading a few reviews where people mentioned this, but the number of 5-star reviews far outweighed those negative reviews.

My previous grill was a cheap Char-broil "Patio Caddie" that actually made some decent steaks once I modified it to allow the grill face to get closer to the flames. It would get some char from the the flames "kissing" the meat that I'm really missing with my new RED.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what, if anything, can be done to create a better crust/sear? Or to get some of the charring flavor? I'm about to give up on this grill and return it but that in itself would be a hassle so if there's any way to make it work for me that would be preferable.

mliew in Cookware

Convoy New Restaurants

Yeah thats the one. Funny you were actually able to locate a picture of it.

mliew in San Diego

Convoy New Restaurants

Yeah I've never noticed any picture of Castro either. Shouzen: Are you referring to the picture of the man wearing an orange jacket in the corner where the bar seating wraps around? If that's the picture you are talking about I'm pretty sure it's not Castro, but I could be wrong.

I agree the remodeled men's room is much nicer. It used to be really dark in there with just a single bare light bulb.

mliew in San Diego

Convoy New Restaurants

Couple updates:

- Izakaya Sakura is finally open for business again although according to their signage this is a "soft" reopening so their hours are not posted. Not sure why they are doing this. I noticed that they did update some of their menus and seemed to add a couple new items but everything is the same for the most part.

- New Shabu Shabu place has opened two doors down from Sakura (Shabu World or City or something like that). Personally I'm not a huge fan of japanese Shabu Shabu but if they also serve authentic cook yourself style Sukiyaki I would definitely be willing to give it a try.

mliew in San Diego

Izakaya Sakura "Chicken Sauteed with Garlic"

Dennis, I tried your recipe last night and it was very successful. I used 6 chicken thighs, deboned with skin on. For the marinade I added about 4 cloves of garlic (could use even more I think) and the same amounts of liquids as mentioned above. I marinated the chicken for about 30 mins or so but I think 1-2 hours would be even better (perhaps Sakura marinates theirs overnight?).

After frying I drained the excess chicken fat but left about 1 tbsp in the pan. I then deglazed with a little sake. After that I took the pan off the heat so that the soy sauce wouldn't boil and finished with about 2 tsp of soy sauce. The result was delicious and very close to what Sakura produces.

Thanks again for the recipe! This should satisfy my Sakura cravings until they reopen (hopefully soon).

mliew in Home Cooking

The Habit in SLO

Thanks for the review. I've been to the Habit in Santa Barbara and left feeling underwhelmed also. I did notice last time I was in downtown SLO that there are a number of new burger places. Eureka burger looks promising but I haven't read any reviews on it yet.

mliew in California

Izakaya Sakura "Chicken Sauteed with Garlic"

Thanks Dennis! Really appreciate the recipe and the links. Will give it a try and see how it turns out. I have experimented a little myself already but instead of marinating I was frying the chicken first the adding a little bit of soy sauce, sake, brown sugar, and grated garlic to finish it. The flavor was good but still not quite on the level of Sakura.

mliew in Home Cooking

Cheaper alternative to Weber grills?

Unfortunately charcoal is not an option for me since I live in an apartment and they don't allow charcoal grills. Even if it was I don't want to have to worry about cleaning out the coals and dealing with the mess each time. I do agree that charcoal grilled food tastes much better though. I will check out some of the BBQ sites you mentioned but most likely I won't be doing any BBQing, just grilling.

mliew in Cookware

Cheaper alternative to Weber grills?

Thanks for the input. Can I ask which grill you ended up buying instead?

mliew in Cookware

Cheaper alternative to Weber grills?

I've been shopping around for a mid-ranged grill and have done a few hours of research looking at all the various brands and options available.

I'm looking for something that can do dual-zone cooking well (meaning probably 3 burners minimum) and a grill that has infrared or high temperature searing capabilities for steaks.

If price was not an option I'd probably go with the Weber Genesis E-330/S-330, but the $799 price tag is definitely on the steep side. I'm willing to pay for it if there aren't any other good alternatives but I thought I'd post and see if there is anything else that is close to the quality and performance of the Weber Genesis for cheaper.

I've researched the Char-Broil Quantum 4 burner model (http://www.charbroil.com/ProductInfo/4-611-2074/Quantum-Infrared-4Burner-With-Outdoor-Stovetop.aspx) but reviews seem pretty mixed trending towards the negative side due to poor build quality.

Any suggestions for other brands that are worth considering? Thanks.

mliew in Cookware

Where to get a good butter chicken sauce

The "little india" area of San Diego is off Black Mountain Rd. near the intersection of I-15 and Miramar Rd. There are a few Indian markets there that should have what you are looking for.

mliew in San Diego

First birthday dinner with boyfriend- Ruth Chris alternative?

Hehe, I completely know what you mean. After eating at Fogo De Chao I can't bring myself to go back to Rei Do Gado ever again :).

mliew in San Diego

Best Carrot Cake (for Take Away)?

I have to say I really like the cake at Vons also and I agree with your assessment of the cake moistness and frosting. The chocolate cake with fudge frosting is good as well. Definitely can't beat the bang for the buck at $2/slice. Sad that a lot of fancy bakeries that charge 5x as much for a slice of cake can't make a better one.

mliew in San Diego

Looking for quality, inexpensive cutlery in San Diego?

Bed Bath and Beyond actually carries some higher end brands like Global and Wustof. With a 20% off coupon the price is better than anything you'll find online.

mliew in San Diego

Triple D Visits. Hits and Misses.

Been to a couple of the places that Guy Fieri has been to in San Diego:

Blue Water Grill - Excellent fish quality, I like their sandwiches although I find them a little underseasoned for my taste. Chippino is good as well. Fish tacos are popular but I didn't care for them too much.

Studio Diner - Word on the street is that the chef that used to run the place when it was featured on DDD is no longer working there. In any case the food was pretty mediocre. Seems to be the typical quantity over quality type of place.

mliew in Food Media & News

Ba Ren, Clairemont - Must Have Dishes?

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Perhaps Ba Ren is just not to your tastes then. Greasy and sauce laden is pretty much what most Chinese food is all about, especially Szechuan food which always contains a good amount of chili oil. I've looked at some of Fuchia Dunlop's recipes before and frankly they seem a little westernized to me. But to each their own.

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Ba Ren
Diane Ave, San Diego, CA 92117

mliew in San Diego

Ba Ren, Clairemont - Must Have Dishes?

Basically none of the dishes I've ever tried at Spicy City has really wowed me. Ba Ren seems to do every dish better. The cold appetizers such as the husband and wife sliced lung are more flavorful and nuanced at Ba Ren, as well as the dishes like fish boiled in chili oil (this was really bland at Spicy City, basically was spicy and that's it). Same thing for Spicy House.

I do like the chef's special green beans but not enough to make it worth going there.

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Spicy City
4690 Convoy St, San Diego, CA

Ba Ren
Diane Ave, San Diego, CA 92117

mliew in San Diego

Ba Ren, Clairemont - Must Have Dishes?

I've never understood why Spicy City is so popular. Very mediocre and definitely not worth the wait.

As far as dishes at Ba Ren, I would recommend: Double cooked fish with chili sauce, any of the dried fried dishes (I like beef), sichaun cold noodles, cold appetizers. Stay away from the Mapo Tofu or anything on the "american favorites" menu.

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Spicy City
4690 Convoy St, San Diego, CA

Ba Ren
Diane Ave, San Diego, CA 92117

mliew in San Diego

San Diego New Places Opening Thread, Part Deux

I'm surprised that you could order a rare burger at In and Out, especially considering their patties are probably 1/8" thick. They must cook them for maybe 10 seconds on each side to get them rare.

mliew in San Diego

Any Good Taiwanese Chinese in San Diego?

Savory Garden, Tea Garden and Lai Chen also serve taiwanese style food but the former two aren't anything to write home about and I haven't heard anything good about Lai Chen. In short, unless you aren't from LA and have an intense craving for taiwanese food I'd probably find something else.

mliew in San Diego

Al Pastor/Mexican Food in NW San Diego

Are you referring to Rudy's Taco Shop at 524 Stevens Ave?

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Rudy's Taco Shop
524 Stevens Ave, Solana Beach, CA 92075

mliew in San Diego

Al Pastor/Mexican Food in NW San Diego

Thanks for the recommendations everyone!

I have heard of La Playita before but reviews I've read seem to be pretty mixed. Most people seem to recommend the ceviche. I was hoping to find a Mariscos place that focuses more on cooked items such as pescardo zarandeado. JRSD: Do you have any dishes that you recommend there?

mliew in San Diego

Al Pastor/Mexican Food in NW San Diego

Been looking for some new mexican food to try near my neighborhood, specifically a place with great Al Pastor, Carnitas or Mariscos. Does anyone have any recommendations for places south of 56, north of 8 and west of 15? Seems that this area is pretty sparse when it comes to great mexican food. I know most of the places that everyone recommends are near downtown or south of there. While I don't mind driving down there for great mexican on the weekend once in a while it's farther than I'd want to drive for a weeknight meal.

As far as I know in the area I mentioned the places I frequent are:

- Lolita's Taco Shop for great carne asada fries
- Porkyland for average carnitas and al pastor
- MXN for good california burritos although quality seems to vary a lot by location and the fries are always soggy.

So far I haven't found any Mariscos type places or non-taco shop Mexican (ala Chilangos) in the area.

mliew in San Diego

Tapas in San Diego

Spanish food seems to one of the cuisines that is not usually mentioned at all whenever I hear people talk about the best cuisines in X city in the US. Where exactly are the good Spanish restaurants outside of Spain?

mliew in San Diego