Restaurant Location
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 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)
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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
Why did we dine here? – Larks is a popular restaurant in Ashland. We were here to see a theater performance at the legendary Shakespeare festival. This restaurant is located in the historic Ashland Springs Hotel, only 3 blocks from the theater. Larks opened in 2006 and has won several dining awards.
Why did we dine here? – San Bruno Korean BBQ is an all you can eat $23.95 Korean buffet located almost across the street from Asian Pearl Peninsula.
We’ve passed by this location many times and read the Yelp reviews, so we finally decided it was time to give it a try.
Why did we dine here? – Cat Heads BBQ was a pop-up that has morphed into a permanent restaurant in the former Big Nate’s BBQ location. We are being BBQ fans, always on the lookout for new openings.
We recently finished up our culinary tour of Sorrento in the Summer of 2012. This is a very touristy area, one of those classic challenges for foodies. Avoiding a tourist trap is very difficult. Below are several restaurants in and around Sorrento that we dined at.
RE Foods
Why did we dine here? – South Legend is a long standing Sichuan Chinese restaurant in Milpitas that has been listed in the Michelin Guide. We were in the area and decided to give this restaurant another try.
Left Bank is a Brasserie style French restaurant. They have 3 locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and got started in 1994. They serve seafood from the CleanFish Alliance of sustainable seafood products. Our last visit in September 2012, was to the Santana Row location in San Jose.
New 2013 Foodie bible Michelin San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Restaurants 2013 was just released. Less than $12 at Amazon.
Farmhouse is a One Michelin Star restaurant and Inn located in the heart of the Russian River Valley, Forestville. We have never ventured into this region and came here for dinner after a long day of playing in the River at Guerneville. This restaurant and inn are located on beautiful grounds full of plants and other vegetation.
Why did we dine here? – Quadri is a popular restaurant that overlooks St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy. We chose this relatively new restaurant because of its convenient location and the fact that it had one Michelin star. This restaurant has stunning decor which blends Italian style with modern sensibility. With a view of St. Marks square, you can watch all the action while dining on some of the best food in Venice. Our focus was on seafood, as Venice is known for fresh food from the sea. Considering the amount of water around here… This restaurant was a major splurge! It was our only meal in Venice.
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? – Brown Sugar Kitchen is run by Tanya Holland, who draws upon her African-American heritage and her formal culinary training from France. This restaurant is located in an industrial part of Oakland, not far from Emeryville. We happened to be in the area and had this legendary place on our hit list. Our meal was for lunch on a weekday, so the wait was short. This place is packed during the weekends for breakfast.
The Restaurant at Meadowood is the other 3 Michelin Star restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Everybody knows about French Laundry. This restaurant has long been at the top of our Must Visit list. We finally found a good excuse, a special occasion nonetheless, so we blocked off an evening to drive up to this lovely location.
Why did we dine here? – Crown Princess is a top rated Chinese restaurant in Downtown Toronto. We were here for a couple of days and wanted to try several Chinese restaurants to see how they compared to the ones back in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Why did we dine here? – Grand Chinese Cuisine is a Chinese restaurant located almost next to Toronto’s International Airport. This convenient location made it a no brainer for a quick dinner before our flight.
Wakuriya is a Michelin Starred Restaurant in a San Mateo strip mall. They’ve been around for several years and have established themselves as one of the finest Japanese restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. The owner and chef Katsuhiro Yamasaki used to work at Kaygetsu (a now closed Japanese Fine dining restaurant). His wife also helps to run this tiny restaurant. You need to book roughly one month in advance as this restaurant only has 4 tables and a small counter.
Twenty Five Lusk – 25 Lusk is a long-awaited and hot restaurant from an All-Star team that opened in the middle of October, 2010. Tucked away in an alley, this place will draw much walk-in traffic! They serve “sophisticated, contemporary, approachable fine dining specializing in neoclassical-influenced cuisine”, which probably means locally inspired California cuisine. Our last visit was in 2012.
Opened in 2004, A16 has since been present on many top Italian restaurant lists. It is a very popular restaurant in the Marina district, with prime time reservations needing to be booked a week or two in advance. This restaurant is serious about wine and pairing. Our last visit was in the summer of 2012.
Ad Hoc at Home – This book is full of Thomas Keller’s insights from Ad hoc.
Be sure to check out the French Laundry Cookbook
Why did we dine here? – All Spice is one of the highest rated restaurants on Yelp (4.5 stars) within the San Francisco Peninsula. We’ve heard good things about this restaurant. A recent review on Check Please reminded us. Their unlucky but cozy mini Victorian location just off El Camino Real has housed The Dining Room, Dolly Marie, among others. This restaurant focuses on seasonal food along with the traditions of Indian cuisine.
Why did we dine here? – Redd Wood is the sister restaurant to Michelin-starred Redd in foodie heaven, Yountville. We love Redd, so we were just waiting for our next visit to this area for an opportunity to dine here. Redd is one of those top notch places that falls below the radar of many folks. This restaurant is located in the northern part of Yountville, not far from the French Laundry.
Why did we dine here? – Press is a Steak House in St. Helena that has received positive press from Michael Bauer. We were nearby and decided to give this beautiful restaurant a visit for dinner. A surprising mainstream change from the California cuisine that we normally have, at a place like Terra..! This restaurant is situated next door to foodie heaven, Dean and DeLuca.
Make sure visit them before coming here for dinner.
Why did we dine here? – Orenchi is a very popular Japanese Noodle House that has been on our hit list for a while. They are a sister restuarant to Sumika in Los Gatos. The broth that they use is cooked for a minimum of 18 hours. It is made with organic chicken, Canadian black pork, and filtered water. There is a line much of the time. We had to wait approximately 45 minutes for a Saturday night dinner. They close up when they run out of broth, which happened about 8:30pm on this particular evening.
Why did we dine here? – Soowon Galbi is a popular Korean restaurant in LA and one of the highest rated on Yelp at 4.5 stars. It is located right in the heart of Korea town, in a nondescript strip mall. LA is renown for some of the best Korean food in the US, so we had to give this restaurant a visit. We had previously dined at Genwa Korean in Los Angeles and wanted to see how this place compared.
Why did we dine here? – Providence is a seafood restaurant run by chef, Michael Cimarusti. It has been top rated and focuses on seafood in its purest and simplest form. Located in Patina’s formerly digs, this restaurant was our fine dining destination on our recent trip to LA.
The modern decor features an ocean theme with barnacles and fins hugging the walls. 2 Michelin Stars in 2009.
Gioia is a top rated Pizza place in North Berkeley. It has been there since 2004. As they put it: “Gioia Pizzeria takes the best of pizza traditions from the old world and the new. Classic flavors and ingredients such as artisanally made sausage, fresh mozzarella cheese and arugula come together in inspired traditional ways, seasoned with the influence of Bay Area kitchens such as Zuni Café, Chez Panisse and Oliveto” Gioia is a small hole in the wall with minimal counter seating. The place specializes in thin crust pizza and is known for local, organic ingredients. It was rated as a top pizza place by Michael Bauer. Our last visit was in late 2011 and we noticed prices had gone up. Their San Francisco location opened in 2012, we dined here in May 2012. It is located right next door to burger heaven, Polkers.
Why did we dine here? – Genwa Korean BBQ is a popular Korean restaurant in LA’s Mid-Wilshire District and one of the highest rated on Yelp at 4.5 stars. It is located in a new housing complex, not far from Koreatown. LA renown for some of the best Korean food in the US, so we had to give this restaurant a visit. They were remodeling next door when we dined in 2012.
Why did we dine here? – We were on vacation in Pismo Beach and found some positive buzz for Ventana Grill. It is located right by the water with killer views of the Ocean, especially during sunset.
Why did we dine here? – Koi Garden also known as Koi Palace at Dublin is the East Bay outpost for Koi Palace, arguably the best Chinese restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. We were in the area and had to give this Chinese restaurant a try. This restaurant is located in an Asian-focused strip mall. They also run Just Koi downstairs, a casual Chinese noodle restaurant.
Why did we dine here? – Newport Tan Cang is a Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant located in San Gabriel. This restaurant is highly rated on Yelp and is listed on the top Chinese restaurant of the USA list. We were recently in southern California and wanted to try some of the better restaurants and had this place on our short list.
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 former 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. We first dined here in 2012 and have been to his now closed restaurant Mourad.
