Other Cuisine
Greece 2024 Restaurant Reviews
Posted on August 4, 2024Here are Restaurant Reviews and Notes from our Summer 2024 trip to Greece – Athen and Naxos.
Other Cuisine
Here are Restaurant Reviews and Notes from our Summer 2024 trip to Greece – Athen and Naxos.
SAINT-JEAN is a plant based bakery and deli in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. They have a deli across the street. The baked items are stellar, unlike any we’ve had before. Their deli is across the street. Another nearby vegan baker spot that is closeby is Margo’s – Not as exceptional, but they serve nicer sandwiches. No gluten free options here. Prices are great, items would be at least 2-3x in San Francisco.
Reviews from our 2023 trip to Spain and Portugal. Our goals were to eat at authentic non-touristy places while fulfilling our wishes to try certain items. One of us is Vegan, so will see many options for vegans and vegetarians.
Restaurant reviews and guide from our recent trip to Portugal in 2023. We visited Lisbon and Porto and loved it.
Kauai Restaurant Reviews from our visit to the Garden isle in May 2022
Lots of local food trucks and Hawaiian favorites. We did not dine in once! None of these requires reservations.
Checkout reviews of the other Hawaiian Islands
Why did we dine here? – Estiatorio Ornos is Michael Minas Flagship restaurant’s latest reboot, this time to Greek cuisine. The decor is more warm and modern, with contrasting whites and oranges, and a lot less fine dining edge. There was definitely a buzz in the year, after two months of opening, the audience was well dressed and ready for some revenge dining.
How does this new eatery stack up to long time long time stall worth Kokkari?
Limon is a Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission district serving Nuveo Latin Fusion. It has grown to 6 locations now. Our last visit was in summer 2023.
Martin Castillo opened Limon with Emmanuel Piqueras from three Michelin star Arzak restaurant in Spain.
Kokkari (Small fishing village on the islands of Samos in the Aegean Sea) is a long standing Greek restaurant in San Francisco’s Financial District – Jackson Square area. Our last visit was over 6 years ago, so it was time for some refreshing of our memories.
Why did we dine here? – La Bodeguita Del Medio is a popular Cuban restaurant in Palo Alto. We have been meaning to dine here for dinner for quite a while. One of us recently visited Cuba, so we had a valid excuse to kindle some memories. The place is pretty busy, so you need to reserve in advance.
Why did we dine here? – Taverna is a recently opened Greek restaurant in Palo Alto by some alumni of nearby Evvia restaurant. They brought in a Chef from Village Pub to execute their dream. We had good experiences at Evvia so we decided to give this less formal place a try.
Why did we dine here? – Evvia is the sister restaurant of popular Kokkari in San Francisco. Our last visit here was over 10 years ago, so it was time for a refresher. Reservations are not easy to come by at this small restaurant, just off University Avenue.
Why did we dine here? – One of those hidden local gems. Andes Cafe is a small Peruvian restaurant on a non descript stretch of El Camino Real in San Mateo. A friend tipped us off that their food was legit, so we had to give it a try. One of us recently returned from Peru, so it was a good time to compare this restaurant to the real deal.
Why did we dine here? – mourad is a One Michelin star restaurant from Mourad Lahlou and Aziza. Their description is:
“Mourad is a modern interpretation of a cuisine deeply rooted in the past. Our food pays homage to those roots, showcasing the rich and vibrant flavors of Morocco in new ways that harmonize with the fresh, local, artisanal ingredients, and the spirit of innovation of Northern California.”
Why did we dine here? – Parada is a Peruvian restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek, just a block from the BART station.
Carlos Altamirano, best known for La Costanera in Half Moon Bay, is the chef. His track record made selecting this place, a no brainer. They also run Piqueos, Mochica, and Sanguchon.
Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant and Bar is an Caribbean Island focused restaurant that has been open since 2008. They focus on Jamaican classics like Jerk Chicken. Some cool Steel drum live music was playing on our 2009 visit, by 2016, the place was so loud on a Friday night, you could not hear much. Its chef also runs the cult classic Back-A-yard restaurant in Menlo Park.
Espetus Churrascaria is a Brazilian steakhouse serving Rodizio style food. They focus on meats straight from the fire brought to your table, continuously through the meal! You can stop the meat parade by flipping the table card to red. They have a salad and hot plate bar with lots of different options including asparagus, bean salad, eggplant, rice, beans, cod, and much more. Do not eat too much of this stuff otherwise you wonder have room for all the meat. Vegetarians should stay away.
Espetus Churrascaria has locations in San Francisco and San Mateo. We tried the brand new San Mateo location for dinner. It is all you can eat, with lunch going for $25.95 with 7 meat options, $37.95 on weekends. Dinner is $54.95 with 14 meat options. Kids are 50% off. Our last visit was in the Summer of 2014.
Why did we dine here? – We were staying at the Fairmont on Maui, so it was natural to eat at restaurant Ko. We had originally sought to eat elsewhere, but jet lag make
it far easier to stay put. A beautiful room, tropical sea breeze flowing, a view open to the pool with live modern Jazz playing.
Executive Chef Tylun Pang was Voted 2013 Maui Restaurant of the Year.
Insider Tip – Happy Hour 3-5pm with drink and pupu specials is cheaper!
Why did we dine here? – The Plantation House is a fine dining restaurant next to a golf course on Maui in the posh Kapalua area, not far from the Ritz Carlton. Chef Jojo uses local food whenever possible and tries to serve modern interpretations of classic island inspired cuisine. He used to cook at Banyan Tree and Morimoto Waikiki.
Why did we dine here? – Coqueta (Spanish for flirt or infatuation) is a new restaurant from Michael Chiarello of Bottega, Napastyle fame.
This time he focuses on Spain’s signature ‘small plates’ from Madrid, Catalonia, the Basque Country and beyond. We loved Bottega so giving this
place a try was a no brainer. They are located a couple piers down from the Ferry Building. Take a walk after dinner and burn off the calories.
Why did we dine here? – Yemeni’s Restaurant happened to be located in an area of San Francisco that we were in. A quick Yelp search uncovered this restaurant. There was a TV playing Middle Eastern music videos blaring in the background, along with a mostly Middle Eastern crowd. Being adventurous, we decided to give it a go.
Shalizaar is a Persian Cuisine restaurant in Belmont. It moved here from a smaller location in San Mateo, which is now home to another decent restaurant: Tannourine. They specialize in Persian Kabobs and become immensely popular, leading to an expansion of the restaurant. Shalizaar has a large wood fired oven at one end of the dining room constantly making flat bread. Our last visit was in June 2016.
Why did we dine here? – Lolinda is a new Argentinean steakhouse that combines latin american flavors with Californian sensibilities. This Mission district restaurant is by the Beretta & Starbelly team. They focus on a lots of meat dishes in the small tapas format for sharing.
We recently finished up our culinary tour of Germany in the Summer of 2012. It was interesting to see how authentic German food and restaurants in Munich compare to the ones we have in the San Francisco Bay Area. Below are several Munich restaurants we dined at. See our Tantris Review for a two Michelin Star Munich Restaurant.
Wirtshaus In Der Au
Why did we dine here? – Tantris was designed to be exotic and different. This restaurant has two Michelin stars (the only one in Munich) and stands out from the crowd with its crazy decor. We wanted to eat here as a fine dining contrast to all the meaty and loud restaurants we ate at. Check out our other Munich restaurant reviews.
Why did we dine here? – Bar Tartine has been on our hit list ever since Mr. Bauer extolled the virtues of this restaurant a couple weeks back. We are big fans of the sister location, Tartine Bakery. There haven’t been many new Hungarian, Eastern European restaurants lately, so this was a refreshing change of pace from another California cuisine restaurant. Chef Nicolaus Balla took over in January 2011 and has moved Bar Tartine forward. The restaurant is loud and interior decor rough, but the food is exciting.
Aziza is a one Michelin star restaurant in San Francisco’s sleepy Richmond district run by executive chef Mourad Lahlou. They focus on organic, local, and sustainable ingredients. His modern reinventions of traditional Moroccan dishes has garnered him much acclaim. Pastry chef Melissa Chou is also legendary.
Why did we dine here? – Boxing room was recently written up in 7×7 magazine plus a friend recommended it, so we decided to give it a try. The chef is Justin Simoneaux (Moss Room) and the owners run Absinthe down the block.
Why did we dine here? – La Costanera received One Michelin Star for 2012, raising the restaurant’s profile and putting it on our hit list. They focus on Peruvian cuisine and are located above the beach in Montara in a nice multi level building that housed The Chart House.
Wow, one of the top molecular gastronomy restaurants in the USA… é by José Andrés is a mysterious restaurant in the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas that doesn’t even have a phone number. They take reservations by email ([email protected]) 30 days in advance for one of the 8 spots of counter seating. Seating are at 5:30PM and 8:30PM, meals typically last 2 hours. After you make a successful reservation they will send you a Golden Ticket in the mail.
Why did we dine here? – Leopold’s is a hot new Austrian – German restaurant located on Russian Hill that has been getting a lot of positive press. Bauer liked it and Yelp fans are all over it. As the place opens at 530pm and the waiting starts around 6 PM. No reservations. A loud party every night! As they put it – “Casual, urban-rustic neighborhood gathering spot and bierhaus”. Are you ready for the 5 Liter beer?
The Ferry Building Marketplace is one of our most favorite destinations in San Francisco. Filled with restaurants, food stands, and gift shops, this place is on any foodies must visit list. Here are some of our favorite shops to visit and dine at.
Kabul Afghan Cuisine serves Afghani cuisine on the San Francisco Peninsula with locations in Burlingame and San Carlos. We dined for lunch at the newer Burlingame location. They do have some options for vegetarians. Our last visit was in February 2011.
The Wolseley serves classic British Cuisine in the Mayfair neighborhood of London, across the street from the famous Ritz Hotel. It opened in 2003. They have everything from Steak Frites to Fish to Roasts & Grills and serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Lunch and dinner menus are identical. 12.5% discretionary service charge.
Borough Market is London’s oldest food market. It has been in its current location for 250 years. It is a wholesale fruit and vegetable market most of the time and a retail market 3 days of the week.
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Back A Yard Caribbean American Grill is a legendary Caribbean American grill restaurant in eastern Menlo Park, right near Highway 101. It is a hole in the wall located next to a lower class area of Menlo Park. The chef Robert Simpson also runs much more upscale Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant & Bar in Downtown Palo Alto. He learned his trade in Jamaica.