Restaurant Review - Hog Island Oyster Company (San Francisco)

Hog Island Oyster Company
Ferry Building, San Francisco

A dozen Hog Island Kumamoto Oysters $30 - Who doesn't enjoy fresh oysters! We underestimated how many oysters we needed to fulfill our desires. Definitely will have to order a whole lot more next time!

1/2 dozen Oyster Bar Mix $17 - Hog Island Sweetwater, Hog Island Kumamoto, Blue Point, Kusshi, Perma Quid, and Chelsea Gems. You can definitely taste the difference between the oysters. We just didn't know which was what :(

Grilled Cheese Sandwich $12 - Mezzo Secco, cave-aged Gruyere and Fromage Blanc served with house made pickled vegetables. This was a very good gourmet cheese sandwich.
Don't say anything about the price until you've tried this. It's very good and tasty.

Braised Monk Cheek Sliders $14 - Shredded and served in Acme slider buns with tapenade. Very subtle taste but not bad!

Bottom Line: $80 for two. A small and cozy oyster bar. Will definitly come back for more fresh and tasty oysters and to try out the other items on the menu.

Ben Sherman Jacket

Augustin/Viet/Recluse's early birthday gift. A Ben Sherman Dark Carbon 4 pocket short jacket. Boy, I really outdid myself.

Restaurant Review - Stinking Rose (San Francisco)

The Stinking Rose
325 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133





Louisiana Shrimp (small) $12.95 - Shrimp in garlic tomato broth. I just really enjoyed the tomato broth. It was like eating a very hearty sour tomato soup. Kind of wish they have a cheaper version of just the tomato broth by itself.



Garlic Roasted Prime Rib $29.95 - 100& USDA certified prime, Midwestern beef served with garlic yukon gold mashed potatoes and creamed swiss chard. Ordered medium rare but got medium instead (the actual meat didn't look as rare as it does in the picture). Tastes the way prime rib should, but what a presentation!



Neon Ravioli $14.95 - Ravioli filled wtih potat & cheese garlic basil alfredo sauce. Not sure if the ravioli was undercooked or overcooked; the sides of the ravioli was a little hard. Nothing too exciting. Must have ordered it because it had "neon" in the name. I guess based on this experience I must say that I do not enjoy potato filled ravioli.






Bottom Line: $72 for two. All the dishes contain garlic but no real signature dishes that we haven't tried at other restaurants. Recommend you to try other places in North Beach.

Restaurant Review - Eagle Cafe (Pier 39)

Eagle Cafe
Pier 39
2nd floor









Fresh Raw Oysters on the 1/2 Shell, 6 oysters - $12. They have a list of different oysters on the menu from the bar but they only had Fanny Bay and Cheseapeke Bay the day we were there. I forget which was what but one was a little creamier than the other. Other than that, it's raw oysters! How can you not enjoy this?





1/2 lb of Peel & Eat garlic shrimp - $18. Do not be deceived by it's looks ... it's actually very tasy. They also give you sourdough bread to make sure none of the garlic sauce goes to waste!




Ginger, Garlic, Scallions, and Oyster Sauce Crab -$38. Tastes very Asian. I was wishing they served rice with it. We enjoyed it very much! Is it a custom to offer the waiter a leg? Because there was this one guy who came by our table about 4 times to ask us how the crab was ... we already told him it was good, it's not like the flavor changes over time?





Oyster Shooters.
On the Left: The basic oyster shooter with horseradish & cocktail sauce - $4.
On the Right: Oyster Shooter with Absolut Peppar Vodka, Red Chili Sauce & Lemon - $8.
They sure give a lot of Vodka because Viet still managed to turn red despite having eaten a meal before taking this shooter.



Bottom line: $95.89 for two. They had other items on the menu (burgers, salads, sandwiches), but seeing how we were at the Pier, we figured we ought to pig out on Seafood. We definitely left this place satisfied. It was enough food to fill us but not too much to stuff us! Besides, we wanted a little room for some dessert at Dreyer's.

Restaurant Review - Brussel's Bistro (Laguna Beach)

Brussel's Bistro
222 Forest Ave
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Petite Casserole De Moules A La Mariniere $13 - Small pot of mussles marinieres. Very Tasty. Pretty good stuff. Just wanted to point out that the bread they make is actaully really good.


Carbonnades De Boeuf A La Stella Artois Et Ses Legumes $21 - Beef Stew in Stella Artois Beer with vegetables. You can definitly taste the beer. I just wish the vegetables were cooked in the stew vs steamed/boiled and then tossed on top.



Vol Au Vent Et Sa Portion De Frites $20 - Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms in Puff Pastry served with Belgian Fries. Tasted just right, not too creamy!


Belgian Fries - yummy!


Steak De Boeuf Grille, Buerre Maitre D'Hotel, Cornet De Frites $29 - Prime N.Y. steak with herbs and Garlic Butter, served with Fries. How can you go wrong with Steak?



Tartare De Boeuf Et Son Cornet De Frites $20 - Fresh ground raw beef mixed with condiments, served with Belgian Fries. Spiced just right, reminds me of the good olden days.


Bottom Line: A fun place to try new things but a bit on a pricey side. Definitly with the Beef Tartare a try if you're down!

Restaurant Review - Original Pancake House (Anaheim)

Original Pancake House
1418 E. Lincoln
Anaheim, CA 92805







Chocolate Chip Pancakes Dusted with Powdered Sugar $6.15 - Tastes just like the description



Cherry Kijafa Crepes $7.40 - Crepes filled with Cherries Simmered in Kijafa. Tasted really good. Just wish they didn't put too much of the Cherry Kijafa in the crepes because it got too sweet after a few bites.


Cottage Cheese Pancakes Dusted with Powdered Sugar $5.75 - Couldn't taste the Cottage Cheese. Tasted more like plain 'ol pancakes.


Bottom Line: Would like to go back and try their other pancake varieties.

Restaurant Review - Le Saigon Bistro (Castro Valley)

Le Saigon Bistro
2652 Castro Valley Blvd
Castro Valley, CA 94546


Bo Luc Lac - Beef cubes stir fried over high heat. A bit on a sweet side for me. Doesn't taste like it's supposed to.


Bo Tai Chanh - beef carpaccio. Tasted like this was premade in a jar. All we could taste was lemon.


Ca Kho To - Braised Cat fish. The sauce was very good however the fish didn't have flavor, leads us to belief that the fish wasn't really braised but boiled and then briefly cooked in the sauce.


Bottom Line: The interior is very nice however seeing the owner's family and kids sitting at the bar raising ruckus ruined the atmosphere for us. It was hard to tell who worked there because some folks were dressed nicely while others were dressed in jeans and flip-flops. I would have given this place another chance if the food was decent but seeing how the food was lacking and a bit over-priced, I will have to skip this restaurant unless somebody can recommend a good dish here.

Restaurant Review - Mitsua Food Court (San Jose)

Mitsuwa Food Court
675 Saratoga Ave
San Jose, CA 95129

Located inside Mitsuwa Market Place




Mini Pork Katsu and Miso Combination - It was actually very filling and tasted great!


Bottom Line: This was a special of the day for $5.99. Will definitely try other daily specials next time I'm in the area.

Restaurant Review - Wakamatsu (Hayward)

Wakamatsu
Japanese Restaurant
22724 Foothill Blvd
Hayward, CA 94541





Assorted Nigiri and Rolls - Ordered a bunch of nigiri and rolls - good stuff.




Agedashi Tofu - yum!



Udon - don't recommend




Sashimi dinner - good stuff!




If you're going in a group, remember what you ordered because this is what your receipt will look like!



Bottom Line: Will definitely go back. Good price and good sushi, just don't get the udon.

Restaurant Review - Zeytini (Alameda)

Zeytini
523 S Shore Ctr W
Alameda, CA 94501







Meze Platter (for two) - 13.95
An appetizer plate with hummus, baba ganoush, dolma, olives, and pita bread.
- Enjoyed this the most of all our dishes. Very refreshing to eat on a sunny day. A little too much drizzled oil on the pita bread though.




Fettucini Con Gamberi - 10.95
Shrimp with diced tomatoes, green onions, garlic, basil with white wine pink sauce
- This dish has a lot of potential. The sauce was creamy and good yet lacking something at the same time. Needs some more spices to bring out some flavors, otherwise not a great dish, not a bad dish.





Moussake - 11.95
Traditional casserol of sliced eggplant, potato and ground lamb with bechamel sauce.
- Wanted to try something different and wasn't too impressed. A very odd tasting dish that we wouldn't recommend. The sauce was very sour and there wasn't much flavor in the dish.




Creme Brulee - 6.95
Traditional French vanilla bean creme brulee
- Has a thicker sugar coat than we are used to. Otherwise not bad.




Chocolate Truffle Mousse Cake - 6.95
Served with homemade raspberry sauc
- I liked the raspberry sauce but would pass on this dessert.


Bottom Line: It was nice sitting outside on a nice sunny day but will not be coming back.

Restaurant Review - Amy's Grill & Cafe (Hayward)

Amy's Grill & Cafe
31103 Mission Blvd
Hayward, CA 54544








Caramel Banana Nut Belgian Waffle - 5.95
Golden brown thick waffles with roasted walnuts, sweet banana, drizzled with caramel, topped with whipped cream
- if you have a sweet tooth, you are sure to enjoy this one delight.



Monster Burrito - 6.55
Sausage, potatoes, egg & cheese
- Very tasty burrito. You get the choice of bacon, ham or sausage for this one. Definitely will fill you up.



Bottom line: $13 dollars for two. Be prepared to wait for you meal because this place is a one man show. Definitely will go here again.

Random - All Purpose Sauce

6/24/08



The next time you're not sure what to add to your bok choy stir fry, steak, or papaya salad, have no fear! The great people of the Phillipines have come up with the all-in-one solution to your culinary needs....

Restaurant Review - Baywolf (Oakland)

06/18/08

Baywolf Restaurant
3853 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
510-655-6004

We went to a GlaxoSmithKline sponsored presentation about the drug Lovaza, so this dinner was free!

--Salad of Annebelle's arugular with peaches and buttermilk blue cheese croutons. The dressing was great, but the cheese was actually too strong for us! Who knew?!?!

--Liberty Ranch duck two ways: seared breast and duck sausage with double corn cakes and Bing cherries. The 2nd best duck I've had in the Bay! Cooked just right and the flavor was excellent. Those corn cakes were awesome too.















--Pan-seared ling cod with duck fat fries, haricots vert and sauce gribiche. I think I got this because of all the cool words I never heard of before. Basically, it was baked cod, potato wedges in the bed of chopped olives and capers. The cod was standard, but the "sauce gribiche"...ahem, olives & capers, were excellent, but when aren't those two things excellent?















--Chocolate souffle cake with creme anglaise. Now, Roy's still holds the belt for chocolate souffles, but man, I was in heaven. This was really rich & chocolatey! Yum!














Bottom line: Very good food. We'll be going back to try their other stuff. This was a fixed menu for the day, so it will probably be different next time. Price: don't know! Was free for us. But it's a fancy place, so will probably be expensive.