Taste In Mediterranean Food | 1199 Broadway Ste 1, Burlingame, CA 94010 | 650.348.3097
I had some friends visiting from out of town and it was time to join the San Diego reunion. Seeing as though people were scattered throughout the Bay, we decided to meet in the middle, Burlingame, for our little party. The visiting couple chose Mediterranean food, which I love, and turns out the rest of us did too!
I ordered the lamb kabob plate which came with lots of pita bread, rice, hummus and pita chips, and several other tasty bits. At about $18, this is not a cheap eat. However, the flavors were spectacular! I loved the spice of the lamb combined with the other flavors that just begged to be wrapped in pita. I added some of their special garlic sauce to it, which really completed the meal.
Despite having to order at the counter, service was really excellent and we were never out of water or pita. They even let us stay after hours to catch up with our friends without a fuss. The people are super nice and the food was great. I’m even craving right now! I will definitely be back to visit soon.
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 9/10
May 17, 2012
Pho Nam Restaurant | 844 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 | 408.737.1086
It was a pretty rough day at the office so my boss and I decided to grab some hearty chow. After some debate, we settled on some Vietnamese food but couldn’t find the damn restaurant on El Camino for some reason. Turns out the map was wrong and we found it on the opposite side of the street. There was a long line when we arrived, but this place turns tables like I’ve never seen before.
I ordered the special #1 pho which managed to arrive in about 3 minutes flat! The soup was tasty and there was quite a bit of meat, and certainly a bargain for about $6.50. I’m glad we found this joint because it reminded me of Pho Ca Dao in San Diego, and possibly even faster on the service!
When you’re seeking a hefty bowl of noodles, skip that Pho Garden crap and come to a place like Pho Nam for the legit stuff. Definitely another worthy lunch joint in Sunnyvale.
Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10
May 17, 2012
G Cube | 1626 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116 | 415.682.4578
Mother’s Day is a great time to show a mom that you love them by taking them out to eat some great grub. In truth we should show them love every day, but maybe skip the dinner every day thing. When that dinner is shabu shabu, it can add up quick! The family had originally planned to go to Hot Pot Garden but it had a crazy 1.5 hour wait so G Cube became the backup plan. Luckily they had some tables free and together, we tackled the all you can eat hotpot challenge.
With tons of beef, pork, lamb, and veggies to dump into the soup, we all opted for the free sake option (special for the day) with our meal and a good time was had by all. I was a little disappointed that there was no seafood options and the veggie selection was limited to say the least. The soup was a little bland as well and had little flavor. I couldn’t tell between the two soups we had unfortunately. I must have had 7 or 8 shots of sake with no ill effects either. Could it have been watered down or have I simply become a tank? Who knows, but service was good and we devoured plate after plate of the meaty stuff. At almost $30/person, it was not a cheap meal, but at least it was all inclusive. I loved the green tea iced cream from Polly Ann’s and would love to take that stuff home! Another benefit is being able to take home the leftover soup which would make a great next day meal.
Like the mediocre soup, I was lukewarm on the food at G Cube. I hear that the food at The Pots and Hot Pot Garden is much better and cheaper so I’ll probably give those a try with the fellas before coming back here. Unlimited sake is great, but I came here to eat. I demand great food!
Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 7/10
May 14, 2012
The Omelette House | 66 El Camino Real, San Carlos, CA 94070 | 650.593.4773
Brunch is always a good time to reconnect with old friends and make new ones so those of us in the Peninsula scheduled a meetup at a popular breakfast joint in the area. Since it was Mother’s Day, they were packed to the brim with hungry families seeking to spend time with their loved ones. Fortunately, the wait wasn’t too bad and we were seated after only about 10-15 minutes.
Despite having the word “omelette” right in the name, I wasn’t in the mood for some reason. Instead, I ordered the chicken-fried steak and eggs special for my brunch entree and my girlfriend opted for the crab Benedict. Both dishes offered huge portions and the ingredients tasted fresh, albeit certainly not good for you. The steak was piping hot and full of salty fried goodness, and my extra crispy hash browns were a welcome addition.
Service was a little spotty and it took some time for our orders to finally arrive. Oddly, the tabasco sauce was incredibly watered down for some reason and actually looked kinda bad. The place was packed and there was a wait, although that probably had to do more with it being Mother’s Day. Not the cheapest breakfast place around, but good value that’s worth returning for. I’ll be back!
Food: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 7/10
May 14, 2012
TGI Fridays | 3101 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403 | 650.570.4684
Whether it’s a long day at work, school, or nothing at all, happy hour is always welcome to the weary. My buddy wanted to meet up for a late snack and drink a=despite having to be at work early the next day so we decided to stay local and relive our student days with some TGI Fridays shenanigans.
Since it was happy hour we were forced to sit side-by-side at the bar instead of at a table where we could enjoy a chat. When we got there, we didn’t even want a trink anymore, and instead opted for some appetizers instead. We tried to the JD chicken strips and artichoke dip. They were just ok, and left much to be craved considering how small the portions were. I swear they cut portion sizes in half for the appetizers for happy hour, preventing any real savings to the customer. All in all, a ho-hum experience.
They’ve got a big patio outside that welcomes your dog and is great on a pretty day. The noise from the passing train every few minutes can interrupt the experience however, making it better to just hang out inside. Service was acceptable though not mind-blowing, and prices were reasonable. The happy hour bar rule is kinda whack if you ask me and limits the opportunities of servers in my opinion. When there’s nobody in the joint, they should be doing a better job of promoting happy hour instead of discouraging larger groups from enjoying it.
Food: 6/10
Service: 6/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 6/10
May 14, 2012
Starbucks Coffee | 460 N Mathilda Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 | 408.245.2987
Now and again I need to get out o the office and take a short break at the nearest Starbucks, so a colleague and I swung by for some refreshments.
Since it was such a hot day, I opted for the passion iced tea which is perfect for this kind of weather. With two pumps of raspberry, it is just the right amount of sweetness to reinvigorate me on a stressful day.
If you happened to bring your dog to work, they’re more than welcome at the outdoor tables. It’s pretty pack with people in meetings and on their laptops so it’s probably not a great place to work from during the day. However, it’s the nearest location to the office so I suspect I will e back quite a lot.
Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10
May 11, 2012
Fresh Choice | 1952 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403 | 650.341.8498
After a rough day at the office, I wanted nothing more than to be able to sit down and enjoy a decent meal. There were many local options in mind, but sometimes you just want a little bit of everything. Fresh Choice is typically a good option for these situations.
Their salads actually had some meat options today which is a nice surprise, and they had this delicious coconut milk soup that reminded me of Thai tom kha. Even their mac and cheese was tastier since you could add as much cheese sauce as you wanted. Sounds kinda gross, but it was some comforting stuff.
Service here is more or less nonexistent as it is at most Fresh Choices. For some reason, they are always understaffed. This location wasn’t crazy busy so it was more or less manageable and clean. I still prefer Souplantation in general, but this Fresh Choice reinstilled my faith in decent Fresh Choice grub.
Food: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 6/10
May 10, 2012
San Francisco Soup Company | 101 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
After a Yelp Elite event, my girlfriend and I wanted to get only a light dinner to supplement the tamales from the evening. We walked over to the Metreon to see what they were serving up there.
It was getting late and many of the options were near closing so we decided to just grab some soup and a sandwich from the SF Soup Company. I tried to order the turkey pesto but they were out, so I was stuck grabbing a pre-made chicken sandwich. She tried to get one of three soups, but they were all out so we got stuck with their chili. I wasn’t into either of them. My sandwich was cold and stale while the chili had been cooking all day and was really dry.
Prices are so-so at best though the Yerba Buena Gardens are a pretty place to lunch on a nice day. Your dog is even welcome out there! Unfortunately, I wasn’t even remotely impressed by the food here, and despite arriving at the end of the night, doesn’t make me want to return.
Food: 4/10
Service: 6/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10
May 10, 2012
Mission Chinese Food | 2234 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110 | 415.863.2800
For many of us, Mission Chinese Food is one of those places you have to try at least once. It’s got a long history of being a neighborhood staple that’s popular amongst locals. However, it seems to be another example of a place overrun by long lines of hipsters.
After a long wait for a table, we finally managed to get seated in the super cramped, dimly lit, dining room. We shared a few dishes including the salted cod fried rice, beef noodle soup, thrice cooked bacon, stir fried mung beans, Hainanese chicken rice, and their sea urchin custard. The fried rice and chicken rice were really uninspiring and a bit boring. The bacon and mung beans were so spicy that they were nearly inedible. Every bite was like eating fire! The bacon itself was nicely done, although I’m not sure why it had to be cooked three times. I bit into the single piece of bitter melon in the bacon too, which was pretty much raw and killed my palette after that. The sea urchin custard was an interesting concoction but ultimately wasn’t special enough or delicious enough to make the meal overly memorable. The high point of the meal was the beef soup, which was served with crepe noodles instead of egg or wide rice noodles. Definitely a pleasant surprise.
All in all, I was seriously disappointed by the famous Mission Chinese Food. Prices aren’t insane and I will grant that food quality was much better than at most Chinese restaurants, but otherwise it didn’t live up to the hipster hype. I got a pretty good sampling of their menu items and wouldn’t bother waiting in line for this again. When in the Mission, stick with the Mexican food!
Food: 5/10
Service: 5/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 5/10
May 9, 2012
Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen | 450A Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122 | 415.665.1415
My buddy recommended Lime Tree to me after a study session but unfortunately they were closed. However, he mentioned that they were great and my interest was immediately piqued. Luckily, during a weekend stroll through the area, they happened to be open and it was a perfect opportunity to finally sample their stuff.
We shared the roti pratha, curry noodles, and basil tofu. I loved it all. The roti was my favorite though and I want to jar the curry sauce that it’s served with! Honestly, it was that good! The curry noodles were also spectacular and it makes me wonder if they use the same curry sauce in that as well.
Prices are super affordable, especially if you’re a UCSF student. Service is really friendly and a warm experience. It’s a little bit hidden from the street so it can be hard to find, but once you do you’ll be coming back over and over!
Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Price: $
Atmosphere: 7/10
May 8, 2012
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