prettypithy's Profile
Jazzy Birthday for 2
I want the atmosphere of Jardiniere with the prices and quality of Aziza. Am I dreaming? French, Italian, Californian or some combination of the above would be fine. Above all, I want tinkling ivories and money left to pay my rent. Any suggestions?
East Bay Chinese Wedding Banquet
Oh, great, good to hear that they are amenable to substitutions.
East Bay Chinese Wedding Banquet
Will do. Although I am slightly disconcerted by the fact that every single yelp review is for dim sum.
East Bay Chinese Wedding Banquet
I am loving the price points at East Ocean Seafood. We're going to have to try it out.
East Bay Chinese Wedding Banquet
That looks perfect--we'll have to check it out! Thanks for the rec!
East Bay Chinese Wedding Banquet
I want to host 27 people for a Chinese (Cantonese, I guess) banquet for my rehearsal dinner, the night before my wedding. Our guests will be staying at a hotel in Emeryville so either there, Berkeley or Oakland would be perfect. We are hoping to have the event come in for under $1500. We would also like to have some of the big ticket banquet items such as Peking Duck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Must Try - DC (Foggy Bottom)
Thanks for all the responses, guys. Another question--we'll be at the Holocaust Museum one morning--any ideas near there for lunch? Thanks.
West Coast Visitor--best meal in D.C?
Thanks for the recs guys. What good ethnic cuisine is available?
West Coast Visitor--best meal in D.C?
My sister and I are visiting D.C in a few weeks and are looking forward to sampling some delicious cuisine. We had planned on making reservations at Michel Richard but why take Gourmet's word for it when I can ask my fellow Chowhounds? What would you recommend for the best meal in town? Any and all recs appreciated!
Chez Spencer Report
Last night, we went to Chez Spencer for my birthday. While the food was incredible, the overall experience was lackluster.
We arrived on time and were led to our table promptly. We were seated at a two top between two other couples at tables no more than an arm's length away. I had made the reservations more than a month ago and the restaurant was only half full. I should have complained but I didn't want to start my birthday dinner off on a sour note. It was one of several small service issues that eroded the quality of an otherwise brilliant meal.
We ordered the garlic bisque with pernod, the seared scallops with salsa verte and the foie gras torchon with vanilla blackberry sauce. The soup arrived first and was delicious but subtle. I was expecting a robust garlic flavor but it was really calming and not too over the top. The texture was creamy and delicious. A nice start to the meal. We ordered cocktails and waited for the other apps to arrive.
Twenty minutes went by.
We laughed and talked and enjoyed ourselves but the lag was noticeable and we were hungry. Meanwhile, all around us, others were being served. During this lag, our server was nowhere to be found. I was about to flag him down when our next two plates arrived. Once again, under ordinary circumstances, I might have engaged the server and demanded to know what was taking so long. The torchon was already prepared, of course, and it doesn't take 20 minutes to sear scallops. At this point the restaurant was not very full, either.
In any case, we dug into our scallops and foie. Brilliant, perfect, memorable. The scallops were served with hearts of palm and mache, the flavors were early along with the salsa verte. Perfect sear. Generous as well, 3 large scallops. The foie was perhaps even more impressive. Luxurious, creamy, with a hint of truffle and cracked black pepper. The fruit sauce was sweet but not cloying and the app was rich and satisfying. Certainly, the best foie torchon I've had this year.
While we waited for our entrees, an unfamiliar apperitif on the menu caught my eye and I asked our server what it was. "I'm really not sure but I can find out for you if you want", was the reply. When I agreed, he disappeared for 5 minutes, returned with a rather inarticulate and unappetizing description. When I decided to order it anyway, he seemed surprised. The drink was La Muse Vert, an anise flavored french liqueur, sort of absinthe inspired (without the green dreams). I enjoyed it but it seemed like a bit of a hassle just to order it.
Our entrees arrived in a comparatively timely fashion: Drunken Black Cod with Gewurztraminer creme, black caviar and celery root puree and the flat iron steak with Morel cream and Truffle butter. Once again, we were very impressed. The black cod was a miracle of subtle flavors wrapped in subtle flavors. It was layered, complex and perfectly prepared. By contrast, the steak was incredibly rich, over the top--and delicious. The morel cream and truffle butter were somewhat offset by a bit of mizuna lettuce. The dish was decadent but not heavy. I felt perfectly full after eating it. And incredibly satisfied, I skipped dessert on my birthday and felt in no way deprived.
Chez Spencer offered cuisine that was beyond reproach, but they need to make a few changes to become a truly great restaurant, in my opinion. One thing that drew me to the restaurant was the extensive list of cocktails, all of which I found disappointing. The Josephine Baker Martini boasted essence of rose but I could barely taste it. Its quite possible that our server was new but that was no excuse for the long lag between soup and appetizers. The table next to us arrived half an hour later and left at the same time as us. We like to linger but not against our will!
Another recommendation I would propose for Chez Spencer would be to work on the decor. Although I liked the outdoor patio, I found the dining room charmless. The art was distractingly bad and the "lodge" ambiance did not suit the food.
Chez Spencer has great food and fair prices. By shoring up the issues with service and decor, they could easily be one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area.
A tale of two creameries (Ici, Bi-Rite)
Mitchell's really is an institution. You can't imagine what it was like to be a kid in SF, back in those frosty days before global warming was evident, when it was 56 degrees every damn day. On one of 10 days in the whole year warm enough to warrant it, we'd all pack into my grandfather's truck and head over to Mitchell's. This is when 31 flavors was gourmet--there were no Haagen Daazs stores, no Ben N Jerry's. I could identify the taste of Mitchell's Mango ice cream before I could identify what a Mango looked like at the super market. 20 years later, Ici and Bi-Rite are clearly leap years ahead in terms flavors and style, but neither will ever attain the mythic heights of Mitchell's.
ISO Best Red Velvet in the Bay Area
Thanks, I'll be sure to check it out. Any others?
Dumplings
Not counting Koi Palace in Daly City (Best dumplings in the Bay Area), I find yummy soup dumplings/Shanghai dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling Shop on Balboa or Old Shanghai on Geary. Plain old har gow and shiu mai and other yummy items can be found cheap and tasty at Good Luck Dim Sum on Clement or overpriced and tasty at Ton Kiang on Geary. But I would hands down recommend Koi Palace over all of these places for dumplings of all stripes. My last experience in that outer courtyard at Yank Sing was awful in terms of service. Plus its costly and frankly tastes no better than cheap bakery dim sum, in my opinion. Avoid.
ISO Best Red Velvet in the Bay Area
Ooooh, options! I definitely want cream cheese frosting. I'm afraid I'm no expert on beets vs. food coloring, however.
ISO Best Red Velvet in the Bay Area
As a California native, I had never heard of "red velvet" until I saw photos from Jessica Simpson's wedding to Nick Lachey. Jessica, a native Texan, may not know a lot of things but she knows a tasty cake when she sees one. I tasted my first bite of red velvet last year in L.A and most recently (and deliciously) at Bay Bread. But now my appetite is primed and I find myself dreaming of the moist crimson gateau. Where can I find it? Vivid descriptions of frosting are encouraged.
Le Cheval in Walnut Creek?
So happy! The Vietnamese void is filled! Fiance just picked up pho and imperial rolls avoiding the mammoth opening day traffic. All is as it should be: tender beef, complex broth, cilantro and peppers, oh my! Take-out is not the true measure but no opening day jitters as far as my palate could tell. We will no doubt be making weekly stops.
Just Koi (Dublin) -- Form Over Function
Thanks for the prices! Yummy and cheap, I can't wait!
Help - Pasta in East Bay
That menu looks really, nice, simple and well-priced. Thanks for the tip!
5 can't miss picks
Aziza. Always. Still never had a bad or even mediocre meal there after almost 3 years of patronage.
Help - Pasta in East Bay
I could have used this post yesterday. I was in a pasta mood and we went to Tomatina in Walnut Creek. Don't...ehhh, just don't. I'd love to find something Northbeach-y out here. I'm a native SF person and I sometimes sneer at North Beach restaurants (Enrico's, yech) but would love an under $15 fruitti de mare with a nice glass of white wine in the East Bay. Where oh where can I find it?
Big Flavors and Price Tags at PRIMA
Actually, the tasting menu looked delicious. Lobster ravioli and lamb in aged balsamico, items that weren't available a la carte. But we didn't have the time. At $54 a pop, with salad and dessert as well, it would have been a steal. The noise level didn't bother me. It was noisy, but for me it was white noise; a pleasant hum. Haven't been to the wine shop but the wine we had was excellent; maybe its time to pay a visit.
Big Flavors and Price Tags at PRIMA
So, tonight was our date night and we strolled down to Main St. in Walnut Creek to see what all the fuss was about at PRIMA Ristorante. Entering the restaurant, I was impressed by the marriage of size and ambiance. A huge restaurant with two (three?) large dining rooms, easily able to seat more than a hundred at once. Yet each table seemed personal, sequestered, intimate. I later noticed that the lighting tracts on the vaulted ceiling were tweaked by the staff with the use of a long pole after each seating. A six seater got more light than a two seater. The beams were aimed softly at the diners. I've never actually seen this ritual in another restaurant; I was impressed.
On to the food:
Starter: Grilled Quail in Balsamico.
Primi: Risotto with Sausage, Zucchini and Mint.
Secondi: Rack of Lamb with Slow Cooked Green Beans and Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta Gratin.
The quail had an excellent flavor: rosemary, salt and pepper, very well seasoned. I love quail and to my taste it was almost overdone. You don't want it to be rare but with quail, you can get away with some pink; it needs to be juicy. This wasn't totally dried out but lacked moisture. Overall a B+. $13.
The risotto was PERFECTLY COOKED, a big deal to me, who wants a plate of mush? This was al dente, you could feel and taste each individual grain, but not too hard. There appeared to be a tiny bit of tomato cooked in--the arborio was slightly orange and sweet. I thought "sausage. zucchini and mint" to be an odd assortment but they melded together on the plate. Mint turned up alongside the quail as well and wherever they got it, it was very, very good. They seem to know how to work the freshest and best into their menu, even in unlikely combinations. My only quibble with the Risotto was the price: $19 seemed a bit steep for a little more than a cup.
The lamb was utterly delicious and yet it was the most controversial item on the table. My fiance, a chef, states that "rack" is generally defined as 6 to 8 chops. The lamb was Niman Ranch, which is apparently, usually a six chop rack. In this case, we received four chops: not entirely stingy, just not what we would have called a rack. And for $38, the tiny dollop of savory polenta and small pile of flavorful beans seemed a bit meager. The lamb, god, the lamb...Maybe, I just feel cheated because I could have eaten three of those portions of my own without sharing a bit with my fiance. The lamb was rare, herb crusted with a crisp skin and the slightest bit of yummy fat around it...drooling as I think about it. The highlight of the meal in terms of flavor, just a bit disappointing in terms of the portion.
We both had a glass of white, chosen from a section of the menu labelled "Jack's Picks", I think. It was the Terre Vulcano "Lava" 2006 (?). It was described as tasting of white peach and orange blossoms and it did not disappoint. Crisp, sweet; went well with the starter and primi.
Dessert was the plum tartlet with cinnamon crema and basil syrup. Tasty, good crust, not particularly memorable.
The meal came to $120 after tax and tip. Not too bad. The ambiance and service justified the price.We'll definitely be back if we're looking for a nice, simple, upscale meal without leaving Walnut Creek.
Just Koi (Dublin) -- Form Over Function
Thanks for the updates. What are the price points like? It sounds a lot more casual than the original Koi, hopefully that means cheaper. I'm praying that the second visit was more a symptom of the recent opening than a reflection of the chef.
Is Ici worth the wait?
45 minutes would be highly unusual. We got our free ice cream in about 20 minutes. We selected honey saffron ice cream and chicory ice cream for our free scoops and then dug into our own pockets to grab one of the exorbitantly priced yet totally worth it earl grey and chocolates cookie ice cream sandwiches.
Zuni Cafe for Brunch
SF native, been to Zuni many times, always at the behest of friends, never once been wowed. I don't know if its just hard for the experience to live up to the decades of hype, or if I'm just not easily impressed. I think I'd go there often enough if I lived in the area but I don't and frankly there are loads of places I prefer near by.
Free Ice Cream at ICI
I didn't see any posts about this and I don't want anyone to miss out. Today, Sept. 4th, is Ici's one year anniversary and they are giving one free scoop in a cup or a cone to each person who comes on down. This is until they close at 9:30pm. I am heading on down after work. I'm sure it'll be a madhouse...a creamy, delicious, madhouse. Has anyone stopped by yet?
Dry Creek Kitchen Update
Yum. I definitely want to try both this and Cyrus but am never in the area...
Kee Wah - new branch in Dublin
How does Kee Wah relate to Just Koi? Has anyone atcually eaten at Just Koi yet?
Is Ici worth the wait?
Who is going for the free ice cream today to celebrate their 1 year anniversary? Talk about lengthy lines! My fiance and I are headed over from Walnut Creek--free is free and Ici is Ici.
Is Ici worth the wait?
Was it Discovery Kingdom? Those prices were outrageous! I'll take Ici anytime!
