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Restaurant Cuisine

I Made Joni Restaurant Review, Ubud, Bali

Posted on November 13, 2013

Why did we dine here? – I Made Joni in Ubud, Bali is a touristy place, famous for their deep fried crispy duck. It is located near the center of the island in lush and beautiful Ubud, roughly 5 minutes from downtown Ubud. Our tour guide suggested we visit this restaurant for lunch. Apparently many tour guides come here. We had just came from a ‘mini’ lunch at famous Ibu Oka for roast pig, so we stopped in to try the duck. The pig at Ibu Oka was ok but far too small portion wise. The Trip Advisor ratings are very poor for this restaurant with a majority of terrible reviews. 2.5 out of 5 rating.

St. Regis Boneka Sunday Brunch Buffet, Bali

Posted on November 11, 2013

Boneka is a restaurant in the posh St. Regis Hotel on Bali. We were in paradise and told by a friend that we had to try it. High end Sunday Brunch Buffet? We are there! This hotel is awesome, there would be no way we could afford to stay here.

Yuzu Sushi and Grill Review, San Mateo

Posted on November 10, 2013

Yuzu Sushi and Grill is located in a sleepy shopping district in San Mateo across from the former location of Alhana foods. It is a sister restaurant to Burlingame’s well respected and Michelin Bib Gourmand Sakae Sushi. We decided to try it to see if it was a lower cost but similar quality version of Sakae Sushi. Sakae Sushi has lots of exotic seafood air freighted in from Japan. Our last visit was in April 2014.

Sushi Ran Restaurant Review, Sausalito

Posted on November 7, 2013

Sushi Ran is a popular Japanese restaurant in Sausalito run by chef Taka Toshi. They describe their food as “vibrant fusion of traditional Japanese and Pacific cuisine”. Since 1986 they have been serving up top notch Japanese food in Marin. They have the standard Japanese fare you would expect, including Omakase (Trust the chef) plus lots of dinner specials and cooked items. They have an extensive wine and sake collection. You can eat in the main dining room or in the sake and wine bar next door that has an outdoor patio. Our last visit was in the summer of 2014.

Samwon Garden Restaurant Review, Seoul, Korea

Posted on October 11, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Samwon Garden is a long standing Korean BBQ restaurant in Seoul. It opened in 1976 and serves traditional Korean dishes with an emphasis on BBQ. We had to try a restaurant like this to see what authentic Korean BBQ is. We asked a leading Seoul food blogger which of the famous high end joints we should dine at and he recommended Samwon Garden.

Song Jook Heon Restaurant Review, Seoul, Korea

Posted on October 9, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Song Jook Heon is a classic hanjeongsik, or traditional Korean restaurant.
This restaurant is located across the street from the secret garden of Changdeok Palace.
This meal is pre-designed by the chef and can include up to 30 dishes. The food served here originated in royal palaces of ancient Korea. With the popularity of Korean soap operas, more people are being introduced to this type of meal. We noticed another room had a bunch of businessmen and some female accompaniment.

Seoul Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul, Korea

Posted on October 7, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Seoul Noryangjin Fish Market is Seoul’s largest indoor seafood market. Being devout foodies, we seek out fish and other food markets wherever we go. We read that this is a fairly large wet market, not as big as Tokyo’s, but still worth visiting. This location is open 24 hours a day, year round, although you can come around 3am to see the daily auction. Perfect if you are really jetlagged. This place reminded us of our seafood adventures in Sai Kung, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Restaurant Review, Palo Alto

Posted on September 29, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Hong Kong Restaurant opened in 2012 in Palo Alto, where several restaurants including a Thai one had come and gone.
Over the last couple of months, it has established itself as the go to Chinese restaurant in this area. We have eaten there for dinner as well as for a for a fixed menu meal. Our last visit was in February 2014.

Gorilla BBQ Restaurant Review, Pacifica

Posted on September 23, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Gorilla BBQ is a restaurant located inside a railroad car on the side of Highway One in Pacifica. We’ve read about this place (it was featured in the Wall Street Journal) and finally got a chance to try it, after driving through the beautiful new Tom Lantos Tunnel.

Pho Ao Sen Restaurant Review, Oakland

Posted on September 16, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Pho Ao Sen is renowned to be one of the best Vietnamese Noodle houses in the San Francisco Bay Area. We finally got a chance to visit them as we were passing through the East Bay. Last visit was in summer 2014.

Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe Restaurant Review, Emeryville

Posted on September 4, 2013

Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe is a diner in Emeryville, near the Home Depot shopping center, serving American food till 1am. Big breakfasts, salads, burgers, and sandwiches. Breakfast is served all day. It is owned by Billie Joe from rock band Green Day.

La Toque Restaurant Review, Napa

Posted on August 26, 2013

Why did we dine here? – La Toque (it means Chef’s Hat in French) is a French restaurant in Napa’s Westin Verasa Hotel. It has One Michelin Star, so we have always been wanting to come here. We finally got a chance in the middle of 2013. There are just so many good restaurants in the Napa Valley. The chef is Ken Frank, who focuses on local, seasonal ingredients. The restaurant got its start in Los Angeles and moved up here several years ago.

Turtle Tower Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on August 24, 2013

Turtle Tower moved to a new nicer location on 220 California street.

Why did we dine here? – Turtle Tower is a popular Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco with several locations. Hà Nội Style Vietnamese Cuisine is their focus. We dined at the original, located in the heart of the gritty Tenderloin District of San Francisco. It moved down the block and reopened in June 2013 and added banh mi sandwiches. Our last visit was in February 2014.

Vung Tau Restaurant Review, San Jose

Posted on August 19, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Vung Tau is a Vietnamese restaurant in San Jose (near San Jose State) owned by the same family as Tamarine Restaurant in Palo Alto. Having heard good things about this place, we decided to give it a try the next time we were in the vicinity. On our last visit was in early 2014 for dinner. We had previously dined here for lunch. Vung Tau also has a location in Milpitas.

Roosevelt Old West Dinner Cookout Restaurant Review, Yellowstone National Park

Posted on August 12, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Roosevelt Cookout is a fun activity in Yellowstone National Park. You can ride a horse or take a horse drawn carriage to a old west, all you an eat dinner cookout. The cooks work in an outdoor location and serve up real cowboy food. You also get real cowboy coffee that has been cooked over an open campfire. Entertainment includes live music complete with fun jokes.

Kani Kosen Restaurant Review, Pacifica

Posted on August 5, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Kani Kosen was recommended by a friend. This is a old school, little known sleeper restaurant located in a strip mall off the main drag. No one would find this place unless they knew about it. They specialize in fresh fish and sushi.

Apex Restaurant Review, Deer Valley, Utah

Posted on July 31, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Apex is the restaurant located in the Montage Deer Valley Resort. We were on vacation here and wanted some Foie Gras and found that this restaurant served it. This is a very high end hotel that looks beautiful. We came into this restaurant not knowing much about it, but seeing that the Yelp reviews were generally favorable.

Coqueta Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on July 29, 2013

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.

Paul Martin’s American Grill Restaurant Review, San Mateo

Posted on July 22, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Paul Martin’s American Grill is a new restaurant chain from the P in PF Chang’s. This new dining establishment open in San Mateo’s Hillsdale Mall in July 2013. They have a location in Roseville as well as 3 in southern California. Normally hearing the above would cause us to run, but we were nearby, so we gave it a go.

Dumpling Empire Restaurant Review, South San Francisco

Posted on July 8, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Dumpling Empire is a new Chinese dumpling shop in South San Francisco, right off Grand Ave. It reminds us of Town of Dumpling in San Mateo. Simple, small (10 tables), family run, reasonable prices, plain decor.

Yemeni’s Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on July 1, 2013

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 Restaurant Review, Belmont

Posted on May 30, 2013

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.

Fifth Floor Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on May 27, 2013

Fifth floor is a restaurant in the SF Downtown Hotel Palomar, and has been around for ages and seen many a top chef come and move on. (George Morrone, Melissa Perrello, etc) We haven’t been back in many years, so it was time to refresh our memory. Our last visit was in April 2013.

Sundance the Steakhouse Restaurant Review, Palo Alto

Posted on May 13, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Sundance is the steakhouse on the San Francisco Peninsula. This place has been here for ever and is liked by many. It’s interesting that the reviews on Yelp are all over the board. We hadn’t been here in probably 10 years, so it was time to give it a try.

Fey Restaurant Restaurant Review, Menlo Park

Posted on April 22, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Fey Restaurant recently opened in Menlo Park. It has gotten positive buzz, so we decided to give it a try. The owner has owned many different Sichuan Chinese restaurants including Little Sichuan in San Mateo and Classic Sichuan in Millbrae. She has built up a fan base and hopefully has found a restaurant that has some staying power.
The restaurant features somewhat neo-classical lighting and decor, probably from China. They have a small parking lot in the back, so you might have to park on El Camino Real.

Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

Posted on April 17, 2013

Best xiao long bao in San Francisco?

Shanghai Dumpling King is a Shanghainese Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s outer Richmond district. It was recently featured on Check Please. They have a weekday lunch rice plate special menu. Our latest visit was in 2013, after 4 years. We were in search of the best Shanghai steamed dumplings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Outerlands Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 15, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Outerlands has established the outer sunset into a foodie destination. No reservations, so there is a line out the door before the place opens. Lana Porcello and David Muller have created an oasis in this cold drab, often foggy part of town where the Muni Metro clanks through every couple minutes. We came for lunch and waited 20 minutes. On another occasion we had dinner.

Lolinda Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 10, 2013

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.

Capo’s Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 8, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Capo’s is owned by Tony of Tony’s Pizza fame. We had to give his new place a try, being big pizza and Italian fans. This place transports you back to the old days with red leather booths, exposed brick, and old school antiques.
Cash Only.

Pizzetta 211 Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 5, 2013

Pizzetta 211 is a small but cozy 4 table, 4 seat counter restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond district. We first dined there in 2008 and finally returned in April 2013.

Osha Thai Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on April 4, 2013

Osha Thai is a popular Thai restaurant in San Francisco that has grown to seven locations and was started in 1996 by sisters Wassana Korkhieola and Lalita Souksamlane. Osha means delicious in Thai. We visited the third Street location near Moscone Center. They focus on fresh, seasonal, local ingredients while serving both traditional Thai cuisine and modern interpretations. Our last visit was in April 2013 where we saw quality had fallen off. Be sure to try Kin Khao.

Elliott’s Oyster House Restaurant Review, Seattle

Posted on April 1, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Elliott’s Oyster House is located on the waterfront, smack dab in the middle of different attractions we were visiting. They have their Oyster New Year event every year, leading to crowds of oyster fans from all over. You can also visit Taylor Shellfish Farms in Seattle to purchase a wide variety of local oysters.

Pike Place Market Review, Seattle

Posted on March 25, 2013

Pike Place Market is America’s oldest food market. This 9 acre market has been in its current location since 1907. Home of the legendary flying fish at Pikes Place Fish, this market is a wholesale fruit and vegetable market most of the time and a retail market with 200 small vendors. Right outside of the market are several streets full of food related shops, restaurants, bakeries, and more. This is where a lot of the interesting finds are located. We were suprised by the variety of seafood as well as produce in some of the markets. Clearly there were many items that we don’t have in the San Francisco area.

Canlis Restaurant Review, Seattle

Posted on March 6, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Canlis was established in 1950 and still draws a crowd for its fine food, service, and location. This restaurant even requires a suit or a sport coat. We decided we should try this Seattle institution and see what all the hubbubb was about. Jason Franey from Eleven Madison Park in New York City became chef in 2008 and elevated the food to a new level.

Din Tai Fung Restaurant Review, Bellevue, WA

Posted on March 4, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Din Tai Fung is a popular Xiao Long Bao (small bamboo steamer bun in Chinese) – Shanghai Steamed dumpling restaurant with locations in Bellevue, Los Angeles, Taipei, Japan, China, Singapore, and several other countries. We have dined at the location in Din Tai Fung’s Shanghai’s touristy Xintiandi and Din Tai Fung Hong Kong. The Los Angeles location is in Arcadia with Yelp reviews unfortunately indicating it is a step down from the ones abroad, although some say it is better than the original in Taiwan.

New England Lobster Market and Eatery Restaurant Review, Burlingame

Posted on February 18, 2013

Why did we dine here? – New England Lobster Market and Eatery has been selling Maine lobsters, Dungeness crab and shellfish since 1986. They recently opened an
eatery in Burlingame’s hotel row area, just south of San Francisco Airport (SFO). Being a fan of crustaceans, we had to try this restaurant.

Insider Tip – Great place to purchase shellfish to go

Foodnut.com’s Beginners Introduction to an Authentic Chinese Dinner

Posted on February 11, 2013

Introduction

Welcome to Foodnut.com’s Beginners Introduction to an Authentic Chinese dinner. This article follows our Beginner Introduction to Chinese dim sum. In this guide you will find a comprehensive introduction to Chinese Food that will help guide you in your new exploration into Chinese food. Authentic Chinese food is foreign to many people, so we thought it would be useful to write up a short tutorial on what to expect, and what to order.

We would like to help people expand beyond the usual potstickers, broccoli beef, sweet-and-sour pork, General Tso’s chicken, etc. No sharks fin dishes here. Many Chinese restaurants can be a loud and intimidating place with lots of different foods, faces, and languages being spoken. We are seeking to bridge the gap and get more folks into world of Chinese dining. No more looking around at other tables and pointing their dishes.

Summer Jo’s Restaurant Review, Grants Pass

Posted on February 4, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Summer Jo’s is a unique restaurant in Grants Pass, Oregon, right in the heart of the fertile Rogue Valley. We were on a road trip and were passing through the city on our way to the Northern California coast. They run an organic farm and also have a restaurant that utilizes their vegetables, flowers, and culinary herbs.

Inshou Restaurant Review, San Mateo

Posted on January 25, 2013

By Henry Kwan

Why did we dine here? – Inshou recently opened in the Marina Plaza shopping center, just off Highway 101’s Hillsdale exit. We were shopping at Marina supermarket and decided to give this new place a try.
San Mateo is home to a large Japanese and Asian population making it ground zero for some excellent Japanese restaurants including Hotaru, Yakitori Kokko, and Sushi Sam. Our last visit was in November 2013

Memphis Minnie’s Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 17, 2013

Memphis Minnie’s is one of the best barbecue places in San Francisco. It is located in the colorful lower Haight district. They specialize in slowly smoking meats from 4 to 18 hours over white oak logs. Memphis Minnie’s prides themselves in cooking items from scratch. They have BBQ plates, sandwiches, burgers, and even catfish. Our last visit was in April 2013.

Alexander’s Steakhouse Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Posted on January 16, 2013

Alexander’s Steakhouse is a modern high end steak restaurant that opened Early September 2010 in the South of market (SOMA) area of San Francisco. Their other location in Cupertino, just off highway 280, has been serving top notch steaks since 2005. On our last visit during the pandemic, we ate outside at the Cupertino location. They feature 28-day aged Certified USDA prime Angus steaks while the Palo Alto location uses USDA Choice Grade meat. (Top 1% of beef)

Mokutanya, Burlingame

Posted on January 14, 2013

Why did we dine here? – Mokutanya is a modern Japanese restaurant located in a non-descript strip mall in sleepy Burlingame. A friend suggested this restaurant, so we were excited to give it a try. The food and atmosphere exceeded our expectations. Kokko and Izakaya Mai is one of the better skewer restaurants in this area and Mokutanya exceeds it in terms of quality and fun.

Everett and Jones BBQ Restaurant Review

Posted on January 1, 2013

Everett and Jones is a Barbecue restaurant with locations in Berkeley, Hayward, Sacramento, and Oakland’s Jack London Square. We ate at their Berkeley location, which is much more informal than their flagship Oakland one, which has live music. Our last visit was to the Berkeley location in 2013.

Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ Restaurant Review

Posted on January 1, 2013

Big Bubbas Bad BBQ is a food concession that appears at some of the country’s largest State Fairs, Nascar Races, and Livestock Shows since 1996. You will find them in California, Colorado, and New Mexico. We have eaten their food several times over the years and found it to be pretty good. Our last visit in 2013 was during the Maker’s Faire in San Mateo.

The Sea by Alexanders Steakhouse Restaurant Review, Palo Alto

Posted on December 31, 2012

The Sea by Alexanders Steakhouse is a new seafood oriented restaurant in Palo Alto by the folks behind Alexanders. They focus on the freshest, wild, and sustainably harvested products. This restaurant is a nice addition to the South Bay scene. There really aren’t many places of this caliber down here.

2012 Rome Restaurant Reviews

Posted on December 26, 2012

We recently finished up our culinary tour of Rome in the Summer of 2012. It was interesting to see how authentic Italian food and restaurants in Rome compare to the ones we have in the San Francisco Bay Area. Below are several Roman restaurants we dined at.

Birch Street Restaurant Review, Palo Alto

Posted on December 19, 2012

Birch Street is a French-Californian bistro in the California Avenue shopping district of Palo Alto. The focus on local, organic, and sustainable ingredients from the local farmers market. They use to be known as Bistro Elan and were located around the corner. The new restaurant is fairly small and much more casual. We liked the old restaurant, so it was a no brainer to give this one a try.

Black Bear Diner Restaurant Review, Shasta

Posted on December 12, 2012

Why did we dine here? – Black Bear Diner is a chain with many locations in Central California. We kept passing locations and decided to see what this place was all about.

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