Poor neglected blog. I'll humor you. Despite the fact that I'm probably the only one who ever checks in on you. So much for becoming the next great food reviewers.
I just got back from my annual trip up to Washington state to visit friends and family. This always results in new foods to love, therefore new sites to review, no?
Powder Keg Bar and Grill
12743 Old Hwy 99 SE
Tenino, WA 98589
Totally old school tavern here, y'all. My aunt and uncle (who don't drink) bring me here for Chicken and Jo's, which is apparently tavern speak for Fried Chicken and Potato Wedges. Freaking delicious. My uncle and I split a whole chicken, so we each have a breast, wing, drumstick, and thigh. I think this is my favorite fried chicken ever (Sorry Mom). The potatoes are always pipping hot, so if you don't have asbestos mouth like me, better give 'em a chance to cool off before biting in. They serve these guys with good old onion dip (you know, Lipton Onion Soup Mix and Sour Cream). Not a combination that I would have thought of, but one I appreciate for sure! I've never had anything else here, but my aunt really enjoyed her patty melt. They also have good old iceberg salads if you're in to that. I am if they come in tiny bowls (more so if they come with garbanzo and kidney beans - not the case here). Definitely one of my favorite destinations with Auntie and Uncie.
Anthony's at Point Defiance
5912 N Waterfront Dr
Tacoma, WA 98407
My first time coming there ever. My old friend and ex-coworker brought me here for lunch. Right on the waterfront, near the ferry so you can watch that if you like. We each had a cup of the white clam chowder - probably some of the best I've had. Very creamy and I remember thinking, "DAMN! That's some cream!" Very smooth and good consistency. Bread does not come with lunch (not sure if it comes with dinner), but it's not that pricey. Clam chowder HAS to have sourdough. I ordered the Salmon and Chips lunch. Salmon and Chips needs to happen more often. Some of the best fish and chips I've had. The fries are perfect too - thin and crispy. Had the burnt cream for dessert and it was delish. Friend had the fruit cobbler, which was piping hot and had a slab of ice cream (totally not a scoop), which was tasty as well. Will totally go back. Also, being at Point Defiance has it's benefits - you can take the 5 mile drive after your meal if you'd like your food to settle before heading off to somewhere else. Points for scenery.
Sidenote: Anthony's in SeaTac is NOT like Anthony's at Point Defiance. I got a cup of clam chowder while waiting for my flight and it was not much better than a can of Progresso. Probably not actually made there - probably reheated stuff made elsewhere. Edible, but not what I had in Tacoma.
Red Mill Burgers
312 N 67th St
Seattle, WA 98103
I think this is my new Seattle burger place. Does not take the place of Big Tom's in Olympia, but notice that I said *Seattle burger place*. Really tasty and they had a variety of veggie options for my veggie friend. Nice to know that I could take a veggie here and they wouldn't get stuck with fries and a Gardenburger. I think my favorite thing was that they made root beer milkshakes. I thought Armando was the only one who made those! Their fries were thin, crispy, and well seasoned. Onion rings were peppery and good. I'm in love with their pile of bacon on the grill. Had the Blue Cheese and Bacon Burger. FREAKING AWESOME!
Wingdome
7818 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
Totally reminds me of Wing Stop, but much more frat friendly, which is apparently what my other Seattle friend thinks of when she thinks of Wingdome. I guess I'll just have to go for lunch and avoid the frat boys if they get too rowdy. That is, unless they are CUTE frat boys. :) I had some sort of Wingdome combo that consisted of 10 wings anyway you want them and a salad. Friend had the ribs and wings combo with 10 wings, riblets, fries, beans (that tasted more like chili) and something else that I'm forgetting. Shared an order of fried mozzarella (don't remember what they call it). Everything was good and we were please with our meals. Riblets leave something to be desired. Not as BBQ-ish as we were expecting. I had level 2 spiciness. Next time I'll go for 3. Friend had garlic wings, that promised "Garlic, garlic, and more garlic". I was expecting to see Watsonville on her plate, and it was totally the opposite. The flavor was nice, but it was more of a garlicy teriyaki sauce and they seriously could have added more garlic. Still tasty though. The server was a little scattered, but very nice. We ended up with an extra salad somehow and I still ate it. Tasty salad I might add.
Jade Garden
424 7th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
Oh, Jade Garden. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... Some of the best dim sum I've had. Probably the best place to get it in Seattle. Fairly inexpensive. Only things to watch out for are parking and time of day you're going. We were there at 10:00 AM on a Saturday and we were seated pretty quickly, which is apparently pretty lucky for a Saturday. Parking is street only, which means meters, so watch your timing if the place is hoppin'. Don't be afraid to sit in what seems like the back - that's the first round of the carts coming through and the servers are actually pretty attentive. If you ask for something, they'll bring it quickly. All the food I've had here has been very tasty and fresh. Don't forget to drink plenty of Oolong tea to help the greasy food along though - you might end up like my friend who had an upset tummy if you don't. Don't pass up the custard buns - TO DIE FOR.
Marinepolis Sushi Land USA
8910 161st Ave. NE
Redmond, WA 98052
Loves me some conveyor belt sushi. Sushi snobs who cannot bow down to the cheap glory that is conveyor belt sushi had better stay away. This is no where near all the qualities that I hold so dear to Sushiya back home. It is what it is - cheap, quick, and easy sushi for a few bucks. You could do a snack here for $5 or a meal for $10. $20 was a painful challenge that I was once put up to. Pain being my overly full belly. All the rolls usually come in 3 bites so you're not committed to anything for long. Never had the miso or udon - have to try that sometime. Their asparagus roll are one of my favorites, as well as the crab salad, shrimp katsu (yes, I said shrimp katsu!), and salmon handroll. Totally affordable and totally one of my favorites. Don't go here to have conversation with your pals though - sitting at the conveyor belt doesn't lend itself well to that. I like this location much better that the first one my friends took me to as well. Don't see what you want coming around on the belt? Ask the sushi chef to fix it for you.
That's about it for now. There'll be more to review on my next trip up north.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Sushi Boat
Sushi Boat
3220 Dyer Street
Union City, CA 94587
To be fair, Nancy and I went here back in December and I just found my notes. We haven’t been back since, so that should say something. I believe we both agreed that we would go again, but not really go out of our way to go there, especially since it’s Union City and for that kind of effort, we might as well go to Sushiya in Oakland.
It’s a decent sushi place that is, like most other sushi places, open for lunch a set amount of hours and then open for dinner a set amount of hours. If you’re going at an odd time of day, you probably won’t end up with sushi. I believe they’re open for dinner at 5 or something to that effect. You can either sit at the bar and pick your sushi off the floating boats (much like the conveyer belt sushi places in the Seattle area that I enjoy so much) or you can sit down at a table and order exactly what you want. If you’re a visual eater, I suggest sitting at the bar since there aren’t any pictures in their menu. I like pictures.
We ordered the gyoza to start off with. It was good, but smaller than we’re used to, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They were extra crispy and served at a good temperature, which is very important to us.
I ordered a wakame salad, which was also good. It had a citrusy taste to it, probably because of a lemon garnish. There wasn’t anything special to it either, but that’s good when it comes to seaweed salads. It really served its purpose.
The miso soup was good because it wasn’t too salty. Finally a place with not so salty miso! You would think that miso would be a pretty basic item, therefore totally predictable, right? I’ve had it at other places and not been able to finish it because of the salt factor. I’ve also had it at other places where they add more unusual things to it, like noodles or potatoes. It’s all fine, but sometimes I just want to good not salty miso soup. By the way, at Sushi Boat, it’s just tofu and seaweed in the soup.
The tea was weak. Drinkable, but weak. Oh, and hot. Very hot.
Nancy had the nigiri combo. The fish was cut thin and the rice pads were small. There wasn’t really anything special or stand out about them. Everything was apparently edible because I don’t remember any comments about sub-par nigiri. I think it was just really average and nigiri needs to be spectacular.
We ordered several rolls, some to share, but mostly indulging my gluttony. Now the problem is that I don’t remember what was in the rolls at this point, but I can sum up my notes. The Simba roll was good and had nice textures. The spicy crab for this roll was served on the side, which was good so you could take as much as you want. The Osaka roll wasn’t anything special, just tuna and spicy sauce. Actually it was forgettable (I have that in my notes!). The Philly roll wasn’t anything special either, although it was only 3 pieces. The 49ers roll was…bright. Very bright. That’s because of the lemon. I actually remember this one. It’s a California roll with lemon and ebi. It was good and fresh, but there was too much tobiko. Waaaayyy too much.
Come to think of it, everything that came with tobiko had too much of it. Someone was a little heavy handed with it. You might want to ask for less of it if you’re not that crazy about it (like me).
Next time we go, we’re going to try the sushi bar, which I suspect would be the better route to go.
3220 Dyer Street
Union City, CA 94587
To be fair, Nancy and I went here back in December and I just found my notes. We haven’t been back since, so that should say something. I believe we both agreed that we would go again, but not really go out of our way to go there, especially since it’s Union City and for that kind of effort, we might as well go to Sushiya in Oakland.
It’s a decent sushi place that is, like most other sushi places, open for lunch a set amount of hours and then open for dinner a set amount of hours. If you’re going at an odd time of day, you probably won’t end up with sushi. I believe they’re open for dinner at 5 or something to that effect. You can either sit at the bar and pick your sushi off the floating boats (much like the conveyer belt sushi places in the Seattle area that I enjoy so much) or you can sit down at a table and order exactly what you want. If you’re a visual eater, I suggest sitting at the bar since there aren’t any pictures in their menu. I like pictures.
We ordered the gyoza to start off with. It was good, but smaller than we’re used to, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They were extra crispy and served at a good temperature, which is very important to us.
I ordered a wakame salad, which was also good. It had a citrusy taste to it, probably because of a lemon garnish. There wasn’t anything special to it either, but that’s good when it comes to seaweed salads. It really served its purpose.
The miso soup was good because it wasn’t too salty. Finally a place with not so salty miso! You would think that miso would be a pretty basic item, therefore totally predictable, right? I’ve had it at other places and not been able to finish it because of the salt factor. I’ve also had it at other places where they add more unusual things to it, like noodles or potatoes. It’s all fine, but sometimes I just want to good not salty miso soup. By the way, at Sushi Boat, it’s just tofu and seaweed in the soup.
The tea was weak. Drinkable, but weak. Oh, and hot. Very hot.
Nancy had the nigiri combo. The fish was cut thin and the rice pads were small. There wasn’t really anything special or stand out about them. Everything was apparently edible because I don’t remember any comments about sub-par nigiri. I think it was just really average and nigiri needs to be spectacular.
We ordered several rolls, some to share, but mostly indulging my gluttony. Now the problem is that I don’t remember what was in the rolls at this point, but I can sum up my notes. The Simba roll was good and had nice textures. The spicy crab for this roll was served on the side, which was good so you could take as much as you want. The Osaka roll wasn’t anything special, just tuna and spicy sauce. Actually it was forgettable (I have that in my notes!). The Philly roll wasn’t anything special either, although it was only 3 pieces. The 49ers roll was…bright. Very bright. That’s because of the lemon. I actually remember this one. It’s a California roll with lemon and ebi. It was good and fresh, but there was too much tobiko. Waaaayyy too much.
Come to think of it, everything that came with tobiko had too much of it. Someone was a little heavy handed with it. You might want to ask for less of it if you’re not that crazy about it (like me).
Next time we go, we’re going to try the sushi bar, which I suspect would be the better route to go.
Monday, March 3, 2008
San Francisco Quickie Food Tour
This is one of those reviews I wrote a while back, but never posted. I've just finished up (I can't believe I remember something about every place that we went to!) and now I'm finally posting something! YAY!
==========
I had a couple friends in town the week before Thanksgiving and of course that meant food-motivated trips to San Francisco. Here’s the run down for a delicious day through North Beach and the Wharf:
North Beach
Stella Pastry and Café
446 Columbus Street
San Francisco
www.stellapastry.com
Sacripintina to die for + Cannoli to kill for + A hottie to lust over = Oy!
We had to hit up Stella’s on our second day because they were out of cannolis the first time. The second trip was worth the drive alone. Absolutely the best cannoli I have ever had! I’m pretty sure that there’s a more pronounced cinnamon flavor in the crispy bit and that’s what makes it more me. Plus the creamy filling is so smooth...ugh…must get some STAT! Smoothest I’ve had (I hate gritty filling, therefore I remember gritty filling). Selena ordered the Sacripintina (try saying that 3 times fast) because she heard that this was THE place to get it. I agree, despite having only had it here this one time. Didn’t get anything else, but I’m sure to go back again. Oh, and the Italian guy who “no speaka good English”… HOTT! Only problem is that the place is sooooooo small so there weren’t any tables to oogle the Italian guy from. Had to get everything to go.
Caffe Greco
423 Columbus Street
San Francisco
www.caffegreco.com
Super friendly people run this place. This is where Selena I went on the first trip when Stella’s was out of cannoli. We ended up sharing one, as well as 3 flavors of gelato. I had an almond Italian soda (one of my favorite treats) and Selena had a cappuccino. The whole experience of this place was awesome. It’s much bigger than Stella’s, so if you’re a bigger group or you actually want a seat, this place is good. The cannoli are great – not as good as Stella’s, but they give them a run for their money. I really really liked their gelato; much more than the actual gelato shop down the street.
Gelateria Naia
520 Columbus Ave
San Francisco
www.gelaterianaia.com
This is the gelato place down the street. It was good and it’s the same company that has a shop on Shattuck in Berkeley that I always wanted to go to in between classes. They also have one in the new Oakland Whole Foods. Their gelato is displayed with some sort of corresponding flavor item in it. Very cute! I like their gelato too, but there was just something about it that wasn’t as good as Caffe Greco. Maybe it was because I was really in the mood for one of the flavors from there and it wasn’t at this place. Maybe it was because the façade of the building was undergoing some work and there was scaffolding everywhere. I dunno. I’ll have to give it another go. It was very nice to grab some gelato and eat it at the park while watching dogs play.
Fisherman’s Wharf and Area
Boudin Bakery
Fisherman’s Wharf
San Francisco
www.boudinbakery.com
Okay, so we didn’t stop to eat here, but I do recommend their clam chowder in a bread bowl over anyone elses! We picked up some bread here – I got the garlic sourdough loaf. SO ADDICTIVE!! The epitome of “once you start you can’t stop”. I need to go back and pick up some more. Or order online and it will show up at my door. How awesome is that?!
Capurro’s
498 Jefferson St
(between Hyde St & Leavenworth St)
www.capurros.com
We went here for dinner one night and honestly I can’t remember much about it. I know we ordered a lot of food so that we could share. I think I remember being disappointed about something – maybe it was the prawn pizza? I don’t know. The live jazz band was really good. There’s a bar, but we didn’t drink anything. They were prompt with refilling my water glass. It’s just the food isn’t terribly memorable. Maybe I had fish and chips? I dunno. I think mine was good. Selena had some sort of salad and Christie got the funky pizza that she didn’t end up liking. They were shooting something that night and half the time I was blinded by the spotlights. Not the best place to grab something on the wharf, but definitely not the worst. I’d go again if others were going and they weren’t filming anything.
Buena Vista Cafe
2765 Hyde Street
(between Beach and North Point)
www.thebuenavista.com
So another place we didn’t eat at, but this is THE place to get an Irish coffee. Seriously. If I could handle it and afford it, I would have 3 – one right after the other. They’re kind of pricey, but if you like Irish coffee, you have to try it at least once. The food looked really good too and maybe I would have liked this place more than Capurro’s. I saw a lot of breakfasty stuff going on that night, but it also looks like they have other typical bar/diner food. Have to save up some moolah and go back.
That's it for now! I really do have more reviews lined up, but I'm not going to blow my wad all at once. Check back soon for Sushi Boat and Hayward Area lunch places.
==========
I had a couple friends in town the week before Thanksgiving and of course that meant food-motivated trips to San Francisco. Here’s the run down for a delicious day through North Beach and the Wharf:
North Beach
Stella Pastry and Café
446 Columbus Street
San Francisco
www.stellapastry.com
Sacripintina to die for + Cannoli to kill for + A hottie to lust over = Oy!
We had to hit up Stella’s on our second day because they were out of cannolis the first time. The second trip was worth the drive alone. Absolutely the best cannoli I have ever had! I’m pretty sure that there’s a more pronounced cinnamon flavor in the crispy bit and that’s what makes it more me. Plus the creamy filling is so smooth...ugh…must get some STAT! Smoothest I’ve had (I hate gritty filling, therefore I remember gritty filling). Selena ordered the Sacripintina (try saying that 3 times fast) because she heard that this was THE place to get it. I agree, despite having only had it here this one time. Didn’t get anything else, but I’m sure to go back again. Oh, and the Italian guy who “no speaka good English”… HOTT! Only problem is that the place is sooooooo small so there weren’t any tables to oogle the Italian guy from. Had to get everything to go.
Caffe Greco
423 Columbus Street
San Francisco
www.caffegreco.com
Super friendly people run this place. This is where Selena I went on the first trip when Stella’s was out of cannoli. We ended up sharing one, as well as 3 flavors of gelato. I had an almond Italian soda (one of my favorite treats) and Selena had a cappuccino. The whole experience of this place was awesome. It’s much bigger than Stella’s, so if you’re a bigger group or you actually want a seat, this place is good. The cannoli are great – not as good as Stella’s, but they give them a run for their money. I really really liked their gelato; much more than the actual gelato shop down the street.
Gelateria Naia
520 Columbus Ave
San Francisco
www.gelaterianaia.com
This is the gelato place down the street. It was good and it’s the same company that has a shop on Shattuck in Berkeley that I always wanted to go to in between classes. They also have one in the new Oakland Whole Foods. Their gelato is displayed with some sort of corresponding flavor item in it. Very cute! I like their gelato too, but there was just something about it that wasn’t as good as Caffe Greco. Maybe it was because I was really in the mood for one of the flavors from there and it wasn’t at this place. Maybe it was because the façade of the building was undergoing some work and there was scaffolding everywhere. I dunno. I’ll have to give it another go. It was very nice to grab some gelato and eat it at the park while watching dogs play.
Fisherman’s Wharf and Area
Boudin Bakery
Fisherman’s Wharf
San Francisco
www.boudinbakery.com
Okay, so we didn’t stop to eat here, but I do recommend their clam chowder in a bread bowl over anyone elses! We picked up some bread here – I got the garlic sourdough loaf. SO ADDICTIVE!! The epitome of “once you start you can’t stop”. I need to go back and pick up some more. Or order online and it will show up at my door. How awesome is that?!
Capurro’s
498 Jefferson St
(between Hyde St & Leavenworth St)
www.capurros.com
We went here for dinner one night and honestly I can’t remember much about it. I know we ordered a lot of food so that we could share. I think I remember being disappointed about something – maybe it was the prawn pizza? I don’t know. The live jazz band was really good. There’s a bar, but we didn’t drink anything. They were prompt with refilling my water glass. It’s just the food isn’t terribly memorable. Maybe I had fish and chips? I dunno. I think mine was good. Selena had some sort of salad and Christie got the funky pizza that she didn’t end up liking. They were shooting something that night and half the time I was blinded by the spotlights. Not the best place to grab something on the wharf, but definitely not the worst. I’d go again if others were going and they weren’t filming anything.
Buena Vista Cafe
2765 Hyde Street
(between Beach and North Point)
www.thebuenavista.com
So another place we didn’t eat at, but this is THE place to get an Irish coffee. Seriously. If I could handle it and afford it, I would have 3 – one right after the other. They’re kind of pricey, but if you like Irish coffee, you have to try it at least once. The food looked really good too and maybe I would have liked this place more than Capurro’s. I saw a lot of breakfasty stuff going on that night, but it also looks like they have other typical bar/diner food. Have to save up some moolah and go back.
That's it for now! I really do have more reviews lined up, but I'm not going to blow my wad all at once. Check back soon for Sushi Boat and Hayward Area lunch places.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Poor Neglected Blog
This is pretty sad, isn't it?
2 or 3 months without a post, let alone a review.
I have reviews written at home, I swear! I just need to post 'em. Sit tight, they'll come rapid fire right quick.
2 or 3 months without a post, let alone a review.
I have reviews written at home, I swear! I just need to post 'em. Sit tight, they'll come rapid fire right quick.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Winter = Carbs?
Oh, and is it just me or is everyone else also filling up on carbs now that it's cold and wintery? (Thank you, California, for waiting until December to show any semblance of the season.)
I've been trying to have a small breakfast each morning over the past few months and, while most times I still feel a little hungry afterwards, it's often a bowl or two of cereal or oatmeal and maybe a piece of toast. All carbs! And why do I still feel hungry after two bowls of cereal?! Maybe I should be eating more, but I kinda prefer a smaller breakfast so I don't feel too sleepy by the time I actually get to work (a little less than an hour's commute).
Anyway, sorry for the personal rant. Was just thinking about that while having part II of breakfast: toasted sesame bagel with sun-dried tomato cream cheese spread from A2 Cafe here in SF.
I've been trying to have a small breakfast each morning over the past few months and, while most times I still feel a little hungry afterwards, it's often a bowl or two of cereal or oatmeal and maybe a piece of toast. All carbs! And why do I still feel hungry after two bowls of cereal?! Maybe I should be eating more, but I kinda prefer a smaller breakfast so I don't feel too sleepy by the time I actually get to work (a little less than an hour's commute).
Anyway, sorry for the personal rant. Was just thinking about that while having part II of breakfast: toasted sesame bagel with sun-dried tomato cream cheese spread from A2 Cafe here in SF.
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