jhulla's Profile
Where do you get your Samosa fix?
Ordered a bunch of samosas from Passage to India in Mountain View. They are on the small side -- but tasty. The filling is authentic. The crust was pretty nice. Not bad at all.
Where do you get your Samosa fix?
Where do you get your favorite samosas?
Some requirements:
- Fried crust must be hot and flaky -- but not dripping with grease. In the best case, the samosa was fried fresh and served promptly. (Many places reheat or refry.)
- Filling must be chunks of potato, peas, spices and coriander -- not a slurry or gooey paste. The filling cannot contain carrots, turmeric, or all the other deviations from an authentic North Indian samosa.
- A rich and flavourful imli (tamarind) sauce must be present.
My personal favorite is Vik's Chaat house in Berkeley.
Any good samosa places in the South Bay?
Palo Alto Takeout - Need Your Best Ideas
Thanks for the many recommendations. Some notable updates.
Hyderabad House: Great Indian takeout. The chicken 65 (fried bits of chicken and chilis in sauce is nearly perfect in its greasy/spicy goodness). Other dishes are very acceptable. This place is now firmly in the regular rotation.
Bangkok Cuisine (on Lytton): Great Thai takeout. We've ordered the Mango Chicken a few times now. It is a chicken/vegetable/mango dish that is served in a carved out mango. Really tasty. Also on regular rotation now.
Counter: Great. As a recent transplant from LA and a regular at the original Counter in Santa Monica, it is nice to get a taste of LA here in PA.
The disappointments:
Jeffrey's in Menlo Park: New and clean. Food is greasy and and unremarkable.
Paxti's: Did not work for me. My pizza was soggy. And this was at the restaurant. I can't imagine I could do any better heating a pie at home.
Tandoori (on California Ave.): This was another disappointment. Our meal was bland. Not going back.
Pamplemousse in RWC: French Macaroons -- Awesome, Awesome, Awesome
Just got a dozen macaroons from Pamplemousse in RWC. These are unbelievably awesome. The chili chocolate is unusual - sweet crispy gooey chocolately goodness with a hot-chili finish. At $2/each -- they're not cheap -- but they are very, very tasty.
Pamplemousse
2401 Broadway St.
Redwood City, CA 94063
tel: (650) 599-971
Please suggest spicy Berkeley restaurants
Dear Hounds: We're starting our foray into the food mecca of Berkeley. Having recently moved here, aside from Vik's Chaat Corner, I know little else.
Mostly I like boldly flavored, spicy foods. Perhaps some Asian-Fusion, Caribbean, Vietnamese, or Persian places. Any come to mind that you'd suggest?
(I'm open to suggestions for other Indian places too -- but Vik's is so consistently head and shoulders above any Indian place that I've visited that I can't imagine better.)
Thanks.
Help - ISO Mission Style Burritos in Redwood City or nearby
Hounds:
Where can I get mission style burritos in Redwood City?
Specifically, I'm looking for something that comes close to Taqueria Cancun (grilled tortillas, fresh avocado, black-bean). I see many taquerias on Middlefield in RWC -- one of these ought to offer mission style?
Thanks for your your help.
Need Dishes -- Like Heath, But Colors are Boring
Looking to replace all day-to-day dishes at home with more colorful and interesting pieces.
I love the quality and design of Heath Ceramics: http://www.heathceramics.com
But am disappointed with the colors of dinner dishes at Heath -- they have GORGEOUS and colorful bowls -- unfortunately the same colors are not used on the plates.
Anyone have recommendations for other options?
Thanks!
Palo Alto Takeout - Need Your Best Ideas
Ate at Mango cafe for dinner with a couple of friends. Got the jerk chicken sandwich. Not bad. My plantains weren't all that great -- I prefer them to be fried longer and mostly caramalized.
I prefer Back-A-Yard Caribbean in Menlo Park.
Palo Alto Takeout - Need Your Best Ideas
Got takeout from Ken Zeman tonight -- great recommendation. We got the veg plate -- and it did indeed feed two! The lentil soup was delicious. We also got the lamb shawerama -- and it was quite good.
Thanks for the many recs -- we'll try them all over the next few weeks and report back.
Palo Alto Takeout - Need Your Best Ideas
Wife and I just moved to downtown Palo Alto and are looking for your best ideas for takeout and casual meals. Please share.
In the past three days, we've tried:
1. Back A Yard Caribbean, Menlo Park: Delicious and friendly. I had some jerk chicken and fried plantains. The chicken was spicy without being overpowering. The plantains were yummy. Definitely will be added to the rotation.
2. Darbar: Ordered some basics: a lamb dish, some channa masala and some samosas. The samosas were pretty good. The lamb and channa were average. Not bad. And I'd consider going back since they were convenient.
3. Pasta?: This was terrible. The pasta was overcooked. The sauces were bland. It was overpriced. Not going back.
Clearly, we need hound advice for:
- Takeout Chinese?
- Takeout Indian?
- Takeout Thai?
- Other promising takeout places?
Thanks!
Heresy: Where to find Tex-Mex on Westside?
Some family will be visiting for the Holidays. We will certainly take them to all of our Chow favorites.
But these folks are East Coasters and they like their Tex-Mex -- more margaritas than Mexican. There is *no* way I'm taking them to El Cholo, the only Tex/Cal-Mex place that I can think of on the West-Side. My first and last experience there reminded me of bad high school food.
Any recommendations for acceptable Tex/Cal-Mex food on the Westside. I have Kay&Dave's on Pico on my list.
Thanks.
SD Recs Please: Out-of-towners in La Jolla Area
Thank you. Isabel's Cantina was a great recommendation. We got seated easily with our stroller. A couple of bloody marys later, everyone was very pleased. I got the coconut french toast -- it was delicious.
SD Recs Please: Out-of-towners in La Jolla Area
Roppongi was a great recommendation!
We got a patio table and ordered entirely off the tapas and sushi menu. The Chinese pot stickers went over extremely well. As did the unexpectedly pleasant blueberry martini.
joe's pizza (from nyc) in santa monica
Person on the phone says they will open Friday, Nov. 10th!
SD Recs Please: Out-of-towners in La Jolla Area
Four out-of-towners and one baby will be in La Jolla on friday night and saturday.
Where should we go for Chow?
1) Looking for fun / interesting / not-too-pricey / great food options for dinner friday night.
2) Brunch on saturday.
3) Are there farmer's markets nearby?
Willing to drive about 10/15 miles out of La Jolla.
Thanks!
Help: Returning SF guy iso divey Misson Food
I need recommendations for divey places to eat at in the Mission.
When I lived in the Mission about 6 years ago my regular rotation was: Pakwan, Burger Joint, Taqueria Cancun, Jay's Cheesesteak and the bagel place on 16th between Guerrero and Valencia.
I'm returning to SF and will be in the Mission this weekend. Are there new divey places that I should go to? I've heard of a Frite place? Where are good burritos these days? Is Pakwan any good still?
Thanks!
Lunch in Santa Monica
You must go to the Counter on Ocean Park and 29th (I think).
Abbott's Pizza on Pico -- across from Santa Monica College is always good for a slice.
Whole Foods -- excellent hot lunch options
Read here on chowhound -- this topic has been covered many times before.
When? Pinkberry -- 3rd St. Prom. and Montana? (moved from LA)
Anyone know the opening dates of the two new Pinkberry locations in Santa Monica -- one on the promenade (near the southern end, replacing the terrible revolving sushi joint) and the 2nd on Montana Avenue, near 17th?
Funny, how I really didn't think much about Pinkberry -- but ever since it has gotten hot, I need a fix every few days.
Cheebo -- Pretty Good Pizza and Chocolate Souffle
Wanted to share my experience of an unexpectedly nice meal last night at Cheebo.
Perhaps we were in a good mood because of the exceptional company that we were fortunate to share last night, but everything brought to our table was wonderful.
1. Pizza: The pizza is wood-fired. The crust was chewy and almost deep dish like. I was expecting a higher-end CPK clone. This was far better and delicious. I'd go back for it.
2. Pork: My wife had slow-roasted pork over braised cabbage. The cabbage was so-so. The pork exceeded her expectations. She also like organic tea selection.
3. Chocolate Souffle: This is where we were really impressed. The souffle took about 15 minutes after we ordered. It was served hot with a large glob of fresh whipped cream. This is totally worth going for and is probably the best chocolate souffle I've had in the past 12 months or so.
The place was packed. Service was courteous and prompt.
For us, it was worth the drive from Santa Monica to Hollywood.
Help: Where to find 7D Dried Mangoes near Santa Monica?
I didn't notice the Ranch 99 location on the site. Thanks!
Help: Where to find 7D Dried Mangoes near Santa Monica?
I'll may end up resorting to that.
But I was hoping for some instant gratification.
Help: Where to find 7D Dried Mangoes near Santa Monica?
I love mango candies, mango shakes, mango ice cream, mango chutneys, etc.
Recently, while in Hawaii, I stumbled across the 7D brand of dried mangoes from the Phillipines. These were absolutely fantastic. They were unsulphured and as far as I remember, did not contain any added sugar. This is a link to the Hawaiian distributor:
http://www.acequalityfarm.com/products.html
I've dried all the dried mangoes at Trader Joes. Most are unremarkable -- either too chewy, too sulphured or lacking in flavor. The ones at the local Mexican markets seem to me to be of inferior quality.
The 7D product was exceptional. Flavorful. Nice and chewy. I'd like to buy 7D nearby to me in Santa Monica.
Has anyone seen them at a local Hawaiian, Filipino or Asian Market?
Thanks.
Maui Chow: Sugarcane & Pineapple Pancakes
Thanks for the correction. Gazebo it is!
Looking at my notes, I'd written down Yee's as being located near the intersection of Kihei and Nohokai st. Look for a really run down, dusty shack with what appears to be a limited selection of fruit.
best sandwhich bread in LA
Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica. Intersection of Lincoln & Broadway.
Their sandwich bread is made fresh throughout the day. I'll sometimes walk over for a warm loaf and eat half of it with Nutella. Yum.
Maui Chow: Sugarcane & Pineapple Pancakes
Spent a week on Maui at one of the large resorts in Kaanapali. Some notables.
E&O (Lahaina): Disaster. Found a recommendation somewhere on the chow-boards. Our meal was just bland. And expensive. This is a chain.
Pacific O (Lahaina): Wife and I shared shrimp wontons, oyster tempura and grilled mahi-mahi on pasta. With a couple of drinks, our meal was $100. Ok. Nothing special. The view and seating was fantastic.
Hali'imaile General Store (on the road to Haleakela): This place was exceptional and worth the drive out. The restaurant runs an organic farm to supply greens and vegetables. The freshness of every ingredient came through.
Gazeo (Napili): Hidden away in the back of a condo-complex, we were excited to eat here after reading multiple chowhounds rave about it. This place did not disappoint. We both got the pancake combo: pineapple, banana and macadamia nut topped with whipped cream and served with coconut syrup. This was heart-stopping good. The line started at 7:15AM for the 7:30am open. Delicious.
Yee's Market (Kihei): And now for the best. Yee's is small straw-thatched shack on the side of Kihei Rd. Mr. Yee and family sell freshly picked fruit. It is dusty. It looks like it hasn't changed for at least a 50 years. Mr. Yee seemed to be surprised to be selling to a tourist. For $10 bucks, we bought guavas, mangos, strawberry bananas, a papaya and best of all, a few sections of sugarcane. I thought I'd have to rip the stiff outer-covering with my teeth to get to the sugary goodness -- but before I could even ask -- the friendly person (Ms. Yee?) pulled out a giant knife and proceeded to perform sugarcane surgery. Within a couple of minutes, the sugarcane sections had been stripped, divided in half, sliced into bite-sized chunks and deposited into a ziploc bag. This bag was handed over to me with a smile.
I walked away with a big-shit eating grin on my face. The guavas were delicious. The mangoes were sweet. The strawberry bananas tasted more like banana than strawberry. The papaya was a great breakfast treat.
But the sugarcane. Oh the sugarcane. For those of you that do not know how: you pop a chunk of sugarcane in your mouth and start chewing. The first hit of the sweet juice is as good as the last. After you've exhausted the chunk -- you spit out the thick fibers and do it again. I savored every bit. Absolutely awesome.
Challenge- where to eat with a group for under $20 a person
Gaby's (Venice & Motor). Excellent Mediterranean food. Great service. Open late. Cheap as requested. We've done 20+ people birthday parties there for $20/person. More food than we can eat.
Butternut Squash Soup
FYI: It won't help with your grandmother's lunch tomorrow, but, butternut squash soup is tremendously easy to make at home. Just about any recipe off the Internet will give a worthy soup. IMHO, true genius requires carefully adding other ingredients -- I've added apples and small amounts of turmeric.
Oh yeah -- the butternut squash soup at Wolfgang Puck Cafe is fine. Nothing brilliant. I often get it with a side of salad for a fast, light meal before a movie on 3rd st.
Rave: House of Thai Taste. Venice.
Wanted to write about another great meal at House of Thai Taste in Venice (Venice & Beethoven.) We call this place fish thai -- for the great salt water aquarium in the back. This is a small restaurant with a neighborhood following.
The food is delicious. The staff is friendly. It is cheap. Awesome.
My wife and I shared a light dinner. We got menu option #b for $12.95:
- Chicken satay (two pieces)
- Bowl of Tom Kum Gai (chicken coconut soup)
- Plate of Pad Thai
- Bowl of Yellow Chicken Curry & Steamed Rice.
Throw in a couple of softdrinks and you can be out the door for under $23 with tax and tip.
It isn't quite as cheap as a $2 meal with a Singha on Khao San Road in Bangkok, but it always brings back great memories.
Highly recommended.
strawberry shortcake in Ojai!
Here it is almost 4 years later -- and the strawberry shortcake is still damn good. Our party headed to this place looking for good pizza and strawberry shortcake tonight.
The pizza was pretty great.
But the stellar event of the evening was the strawberry shortcake. The cake was warm and delicious, the strawberries were fresh and it was loaded with whipped cream. Oh my god. Absolutely fantastic.
