bbulkow's Profile
mama burger, milan central FS
I stumbled onto this place and was quite pleased
Via Vittor Pisani, 14, 20124 Milan, Italy
The area near the station isn't as happening as the downtown area, but there are a string of open-air eateries that serve the hotels near the station late into the night.
One, on the other side of the street, was the most hopping, but I chanced Mama Burger, partially for its racist logo.
The evening was made by the pleasant host, who was a manager instead of just one of the standard waitstaff. There were two options: "togo food" and "tablecloth food". I chose the tablecloth option, and he talked me into pasta with tuna in a light oil.
The pasta was good. It's made a la minute, and had a delightful spring.
The drinks were well made as well. The manager guy delights in taking some vague ideas "make is fruity but with a little bite" and whipping up something new.
It's not fine dining, but it was a pleasant oasis after a long flight, and has started the trip out right.
Plum or Wood Tavern?
Robert left out that Plum is inexpensive, compared to any other restaurant serving similar food. For $14 or so, you can get a massively complicated 10 ingredient dish made with tweezers. That dish might also be a burger. The plum menu is compact, and sitting at the bar is a treat. Some people don't like the fussiness of the food - but if you like complexity, there's no other way to get such a great meal.
"is there any other recommended restaurant" .... there's a whole bunch of places.
Go to wood tavern. It'll be great.
The Swedish princess has departed-here are her views.
If there was a chowhound for roads, Skaggs Springs Road would rank very highly. A great california classic - I hope you were liberal with the throttle. I've only done it the other way, and love that section that climbs to the ridge then some really long straights on top of the world. That was on my trusty liter sportsbike, not a ragtop camero, but the feeling should be about the same.
Did you try any of the oyster houses you drove past, like marshall store?
Too bad about leatherneck and mayes. They're not well loved here. A little surprising about Tadich. Given your list, i would send you next to Absinthe, punches well above its weight and is more local than international class - just simply excellent food execution without being _too_ fussy. And very SF; top rank bar. Probably also Zuni, although it's a little hit and miss these days.
I think I haven't been to Aquerello for about 12 years, but I don't expect it's changed --- an amazingly good place, even hosted a birthday there.
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
Great story.
Go to nizza next time, and get a bavette and a pizza and some cockails.
Winmart Russian deli in Sunnyvale closed; any nearby suggestions?
What about Samovar?
1077 Independence Ave
Mountain View, CA 94043
I work right nearby and am still checking things out - but y*lp says "deli" as well as catering.
Peninsula commuting todo list (obscenely long...)
Tabla Flavors is now closed - replaced by Paradise, which was a grave disappointment on a trip about 9 months ago.
I wouldn't bother with both back a yard and coconuts. I think they share lineage.
Los Gemelos in RWC! Jin Sho in PA.
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
Classic drip there is only OK, I agree.
Best Food at (Non Fancy) Bars in San Francisco
I like The Attic and El Farralito. They don't have an arrangement, but they don't mind me bringing in food.
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
Hey, thanks for the writeup! You're getting into the swing of it.
Re: philz - Philz is almost dead to be since I bought a pound of "turkish beans" and the taste has nothing to do with turkish coffee. It's a blend of darker and lighter without any discernible reason. I have a friend who is a huge Philz pusher, but I simply want reliability in my beans. I'm somewhat between roasters now - with the "good guys" pushing $20/lb (3/4 lb at $16 - fourbarrel, ecco, bluebottle, barefoot ....) and my poor old brain continuing to think that $11 is a good price at $14 is expensive (this was true only two years ago), I'm using Peet's to fill in until my brain catches up with the current price in coffee.
P2I bakery - have you compared with Amber's bakery? Very close geographically, haven't tried Amber myself.
Fiesta del Mar - you can say it sucks. It's OK. I find it really has few redeeming qualities, when places like La Bamba are so close.
Hobee's - I agree about the nostalgia factor. It's not a greek diner, but the tofu scramble does it for me.
Given your comments and the locations involved, I'll strongly suggest Su Hong Palo Alto. Get some dumplings and the Lion's Heads, at very least. I also don't understand why you haven't sampled Red Rock for coffee, although I 100% agree on the Dana Street vibe. And - if you like Madras Cafe, you have a lot of good indian eating in front of you. The number of places where I'm the only white guy on a given visit is high - places like Chaat Paradise and, a further drive, Real Ice Cream. You'll love that.
suisha house, RWC
There has been no mention of suisha house on CH, other than in the bottom tier of Sushi Monster's list. It's right on Broadway.
I was pleasantly surprised in a visit there (restaurant roulette). I had previously written it off as a "roll house".
Boy, do they have rolls. One page of traditional, one page of chef specials. But the chefs actually seem somewhat talented (not like Naomi, but above the hacker quality). The rolls are decently made and priced right. We were out of there for $25/pp with tax, no alcohol. Fish quality was standard, nothing special, no big whiteboard entries. Too much mayo on the rolls. I didn't even bother with nigiri.
Fried objects were good - almost too crispy. Portion sizes were very reasonable - ie, not too big on the fried things, not too small on the fish.
The rest of the menu has some good stuff, tataki, gyoza. The atmosphere is fun and casual, with mostly 20-somethings. It fits well with a quick meal before the movies, service was fairly snappy although the waitress disappeared at some point. I will probably go again --- for the offbeat reason that GF won't go to the better sushi bars because the food is too good and we go home stuffed. This food isn't that good, but the whole package works.
Best Indian Restaurant-Lunch-East Bay
I've always wondered the fine points between Doogh and Salty Lassi, if any. Wikipedia says Lassi usually has spices, but not always. Doogh often has carbonation, Lassi doesn't. But I've had Lassi without spice and doogh without carbonation, so I wonder if there is another discriminating characteristic.
Best Indian Restaurant-Lunch-East Bay
Probably a salty lassi (aka a standard lassi). These are often not on the menu, but any place will make them. A good salti lassi has a little bit of strange spice (like cumin) and the salt doesn't overwhelm. I like 'em but don't have a regular supply. Kind of related to Doogh
Best Indian Restaurant-Lunch-East Bay
Priya is underrated. Price performance is very high.
Best Indian Restaurant-Lunch-East Bay
Ajanta is a peculiar place, to my taste. I find the spices there muted, and the concept of a choice of three dishes you've never heard of offputting. The "classics" are on the menu more as a placeholder or in case of a party member really not liking the specials - like ordering the fish at house of prime rib.
I've only been there a half dozen times in more than a decade despite having friends nearby and living very nearby for about 3 years. I almost always wanted quicker, bolder, cheaper - which is not that hard to find.
Some folks are big fans, and I've had some nice dinners there.
Anyone tried the new restaurant at 14th and Webster? [Disco Volante, Oakland]
Flying Saucer was a seminal restaurant in the Mission for quite a while.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/35349
My first thought would be italian too, but if it's cal without the ital, that makes sense too.
Best restaurant view of Golden Gate Bridge fireworks
I suppose you're right about the bridge.
I wonder where the fireworks will be? I stand by my recommendation to get takeout and hit one of the beaches.
Ideas for kid-friendly Monday lunch options in South Bay?
Oh dear, if they really like adventerous eating, please don't take them to Santana Row. Falfael Drive Inn's fairly fun, but the bread and veg is substandard.
Try Anjappar Chettinad in the McCarthy Ranch center. Right near the freeway, easy on and off, populated by 20-something tech workers and Formica tables. It's Indian like you've never seen before - nothing "weird" per se, just spices like they just don't have in berkeley or oakland (and I was born in Oakland).
Besides, you can eyeball and come back later the rest of the shopping center - there's enough eats there to keep you busy for a year, and subsequent explorations.
Best restaurant view of Golden Gate Bridge fireworks
Ana Mandara
Greens
The Franciscan
McCormick & Kuleto's
St Francis Yacht Club (not public)
It's kind of amazing how few restaurants with a view of the bridge there are. You've best off trying to get some kind of togo together and join the throngs at Crissy Field or similar.
Visitor -- Coffee? Chinatown? Good Bar for a Single Lady?
Coffee: there is a Philz on Van Ness now. Although it's not up to the rarefied Blue Bottle Mint Plaza standards, it's a decent cup if you like drip.
For bars, there are a huge number on Polk St as well. Depending on where you are staying, places like R Bar ....
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
"depressing"? Just don't sit inside.
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
Hi ---
I eat a LOT between Mountain View and RWC. Here are some tips not mentioned:
1) Markets - it's fun sometimes to go to the mexican, chinese, japanese, indian, and korean markets. A good place to start is the Ranch 99 chain.
2) Brunch - Crepevine, Coupa Cafe in PA are OK, but more importantly Oren's Hummus. I don't eat a lot of brunch.
3) Coffee - I'm an espresso guy not a drip guy, if you like espresso hit the single origin bar at Red Rock. Buy FourBarrel there. Blue Bottle is available at Fraiche in PA. Make a trip to Barefoot (the original one) in Sunnyvale - that's 100% worth it. I'm always on the lookout for Verve beans (great Santa Cruz roaster), Cafe Zoe in MP uses them. There's the new place in RWC that escapes me. Coffee life is a little dire outside these few spots - most of the indian, chinese, japanese people I know locally don't drink a lot of coffee. There's some fun tea spots, like Ocha, which has an espresso like contraption for tea and a full selection of bubbles and snow.
4) Wine Shops -- you found K&L already.
5) California - Manresa, Flea Street, Scratch. Scratch does a very nice lunch burger.
6) NY Food - Refuge for pastrami (worth a trip), Izzy's for bagels. The bagels will be disappointing but tolerable.
7) Trucks & take out - Check out Edgewood Eats, which I think is on monday. Some are hot, some are not. You've seen in'n'out - try it - puts Shake Shack to shame. Take out, I get a lot of chinese, travels well. I have a soft spot for Chef Liu in MV. Su Hong Palo Alto, Da Sichuan in PA, Hunan Garden in PA. Thai I like Amerin, but it's not great, it's only very good. Sit down burgers I like Peninsula creamery in PA, The Counter is _way_ too slow (but some people are huge fans), Clarke's in MV (semi-fast), Jeffery's in MP. SteakOut in MV is exceptional, especially if you like german beer in the sun.
8) Indian - There isn't really a "best" because of the types of indian. South indian is the strongest, there's Mayuri and Madura for dosas. Sneha has good variety and the right kind of chicken 65 (terrible ambiance), Aachi Aappakadi and Anjappar for Chettinad, Sakoon for a sort of fusion-y twist, Amber for northern, probably Shalimar for Pakistani, Darbar for Vindaloo. Going over to Anjappar in McCarthy Ranch is a treat in itself.
10) Sorry, too broad a topic. There's just way too many places. I love somewhere I can live for 20 years, eat out almost every night, and still try two new places a week. For better or worse, most are average neighborhood places. Right now, Ramen is pretty hot (Orenichi and Ryowa), Sumika for yakitori, kapo nami nami for interesting japanese. GF and I are current embarking on Restaurant Roulette RWC, where we will eat (randomly) the 50 places in RWC that we haven't eaten yet. Paradise Kebab House was a nice little gem this week - great little mom and pop, made with love. Hit Victoria's for tacos a few days earlier, it looks like the California Burrito (originated in San Diego, using french fries) might finally be taking hold. Breadth is really your friend in the south bay - there's less trend-ism than the SF scene, but also not as high quality of food.
Cafe Brioche for french, Nola for a party, Rose International for alley kebabs, Falafel's Drive Inn for the "special" (falafel and banana shakes), Med Wraps on California Street for schwarma, Evvia for mesquite roasted branzino.
Great Casual Omakase??
Can you actually talk to the chefs there? I always end up at a table and the chefs are super busy.
Point Reyes Lighthouse and The Marshall Shore
Bring a hardcopy of maps (or a GPS will all your maps preloaded) is great advice for this area.
The pacific coast mid-marin north is amazingly empty of cell reception - the Andes has much better connectivity. I was in Stewart Point trying to figure out where the road off 1 goes, and the store there doesn't carry paper maps anymore, and the owner was a little surly about how GPS has cut into his map sales - didn't want to talk to me.
Woodchuck BBQ, New in Redwood City
Sounds like Smoking Pig with better sauces (and closer to my house). Not a bad thing.
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
There's an article? I have a friend who works there.
I think you should send him to Taco Bell. My local TB is a 4.5 star:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-bell-redwood-city-2
so hand him a $5 and say you want your change back....
You'll have fun at FCD. They have a decent oyster menu there, which is very local SF.
Best Burger in Bay Area?
Friday, Bauer mentions a place Gilberth's on 3rd between 20th and 22nd that includes lamb and chorizo. Picture looks very good.
Any experience?
Local Chinook Salmon in San Francisco (for the 2012 season)?
The fresh-local Half Moon Bay salmon I had from Cook's Seafood in MP this weekend was on the "best ever" list. The taste was so much more delicate than anything I've had in a long time. Salmon season!
tall order from my Japanese client: "typical" san francisco seafood restaurant, not terribly inconvenient from SFO, maybe Pacifica?
I'm glad it worked out. Japanese clients are demanding. I hadn't really thought about the Friday bar scene aspect, but I would imagine a Japanese gentleman understanding.
looking for the perfect representation of California cuisine for one night in SF
Not a bad choice, except the food is meh.
Mother's Day Brunch near Pier 39?
Tell your husband that Y*lp is a _very poor indicator_ . That site charges money to restaurants in order to bury bad reviews. On that side of town, consider Original Joe's - decent reviews.
