3 stars
We had dined at Chez Panisse Cafe almost 3 years ago.. Our last visit to the Main restaurant was decades ago. Tons of restaurants have come and gone since they opened over 30 years ago. It was time to see how Chez Panisse has stood the test of time.
Nanling Restaurant in the French Concession is a restaurant in Shanghai, China serving Huaiyang cuisine, famous for its carving techniques using specialty knives. Nanling also serves Yangzhou specialties, including lots of fresh seafood dishes and the signature dish, roast duck. Interesting Asian art hugs the walls. Our excellent US$50 meal could feed six people or more. After dinner, hit one of the many bars down the block.
Subway: Hengshan Road Station
Manzanita Lake Tahoe is the new restaurant by Traci Des Jardins in the posh Ritz Carlton Highlands at Northstar Lake Tahoe. It opened in Decemeber 2009. Rooms here start at $350 a night. She is best known for Jardinière and Mijita Cocina Mexicana in San Francisco. Manzanita serves French inspired California cuisine with a focus on organic, sustainable, seasonal ingredients. Free valet parking for dinner guests. Our last visit was in early 2012 where we found prices had increased significantly.
We recently finished up our latest culinary tour of China in the Summer of 2011. Cantonese Chinese cuisine originated from this area, making it a must visit for those serious about Chinese food.
Here are some quick mini reviews of places we ate at. We feel this will be useful as more people visit this up-and-coming area. We found few reviews on Trip Advisor and Dianping.
Madera Restaurant is located in the Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel, just across the way from venture capital central. This is a high-end hotel that opened up just a couple years ago. Chef Peter Rudolph used to work at Campton place in San Francisco. He uses a wood-burning grill and explores artfully-crafted, market-driven cuisine of bold flavors. Sustainably harvested and produced seafood and meats. Madera means wood in Spanish.
Excellent food in Noe Valley. La Ciccia is an intimate restaurant located in San Francisco’s Noe Valley that focuses on food from Sardinia, especially seafood. The husband and wife team operate this popular and homey restaurant.
The restaurant was featured on Check please in 2008.
We recently visited Hong Kong and dined on excellent Cantonese Chinese food and more. Hong Kong is a modern city like New York, that is progressive, packed with energy, and filled with top-notch restaurants.
Buffets: Conrad Nicolini’s Sunday Brunch Buffet, Harbourside Buffet,, JW Marriott Hong Kong, Tiffen Buffet Grand Hyatt Hong Kong.
We recently visited Hong Kong and dined on excellent Cantonese Chinese food and more. Hong Kong is a modern city like New York, that is progressive, packed with energy, and filled with top-notch restaurants.
The quest for the ultimate Sunday Brunch buffet continues. Foie gras check, Iberico ham, 2 kinds, unlimited champagne and wine, check, dinner, forget about it.
benu is the long awaited new restaurant in SF from French Laundry Alum and James Beard Award-winning chef Corey Lee. His old boss Thomas Keller is a partner in this new venture and has a wine locker by the front door. benu is housed where Hawthorne Lane used to be. We dined early on, during their 3rd week of operation. benu is a small product driven restaurant focused on contemporary American cuisine. benu is an Egyptian word and that stands for the phoenix, a symbol of something constantly renewing. benu received Two Michelin stars for 2012. The 17 course fixed price menu now costs $180. A la carte is offered Tuesday through Thursday.
Fu1039 is a classic Shanghai restaurant that is mentioned in many tour books, making us cautious. It is located in the Hongqiao area of Shanghai not far from the subway. The restaurant is located down an alley from the 1039 address marker.
Auberge du Soleil (Inn of the Sun) is a posh resort in the Napa Valley with a Michelin starred restaurant that opened in 1981. Executive Chef Robert Curry, formerly of Domain Chandon and Greystone, serves up Wine country cuisine.
The Slanted Door is a famous modern Vietnamese restaurant located in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Legendary chef Charles Phan’s empire includes several Out the Door restaurants and Hard Water. He failed at Heaven’s Dog and Wo Hing General Store. They use a lot of local, organic, sustainable ingredients and focus on essentially California cuisine with the Vietnamese influence.
Frances is run by Melissa Perello, formerly of Charles Nob Hill and Fifth Floor, was winner of several accolades including San Francisco Chronicle’s rising star chef in 2002. Her California Cuisine Castro district restaurant, named after her grandmother, is one presently of the hardest reservations in town. We didn’t have a reservation and went early for bar counter seating before the restaurant opened. (some seats here are pretty tiny) Frances never answered the phone when we called, but they did return our message. They use local, sustainable and organic products when possible.
Kirin Mandarin is a well-respected Chinese restaurant in downtown Vancouver, which is named after a mythical dragon like monster. They have five locations in the greater Vancouver area. This particular location focuses on Northern Chinese cuisine and opened in 1987. Sherman recommended we visit this restaurant. We came for dinner in a previous review.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant is a non descript Chinese restaurant in Richmond, BC, a suburb of Vancouver. It took a 20 minute Canada line subway ride to get here from downtown Vancouver. This place was highly recommended by food God Sherman. This restaurant has two locations in Southern California.
Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar is as they put it “City’s definitive destination for seafood”. Our goal was to eat local food that defined Vancouver. Executive Chef Frank Pabst is known for his innovative and brilliantly executed West Coast plates, insisting on using seafood from wild and sustainable harvest. At the raw bar, cut master Yoshi Tabo has his own dedicated following for his expert sushi and sashimi. We had eaten at their sister restaurant, Araxi, in Whistler a couple days before our dinner here. Blue Water Cafe is located in the trendy Yale town district, which literally has restaurant after restaurant on each block.
Kirin Mandarin is a well-respected Chinese restaurant in downtown Vancouver, which is named after a mythical dragon like monster. They have five locations in the greater Vancouver area. This particular location focuses on Northern Chinese cuisine and opened in 1987. Sherman recommended we visit this restaurant. Dim Sum Lunch is covered separately.
Araxi Restaurant + Bar is a popular restaurant in Whistler’s village. They focus on British Columbia cuisine with lots of seafood. Executive Chef James Walt celebrates carefully sourced local ingredients including the freshest seafood. This restaurant is renowned to be the top spot in Whistler. Araxi has 3 well regarded restaurants in Vancouver.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is a ‘less’ formal restaurant from “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon. He has more Michelin stars than any other chef in the world. This restaurant is located on the Las Vegas Strip in the MGM Grand, right next door to the more formal Joël Robuchon at the Mansion restaurant. This restaurant received One Michelin star. Elegant French food is created right in front of you and served on the counter or on one of the surrounding tables. Our meal at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon was right before a show, so we tried their new low cost pre show menu.
Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant is a seafood restaurant located in Hong Kong’s northern Sai Kung area, about an hour subway and bus ride from tourist central Tsim Tsa Tsui. Take the MTR to Choi Hung (Kwun Tong line), exit through at Exit C2, walk a couple feet forward, and take bus 92 or 96R at the bus stop (arrives every 5 minutes), and get off at the end of the line after a 25 minute bus ride. This restaurant opened in 1988. Chuen Kee Seafood has another location a block farther down the promenade.
Pain de Sucre (Sugarloaf in English) is a Foodie must visit patisserie in Paris’s dynamic 3rd Arrondissement known as The Marais. This shop is located a couple blocks from the Museum Pompidou. We visited many food shops in Paris and this one still stands out. The owners used to work for 3 Michelin star chef Pierre Gagnaire, but left to open this store in 2004.
La Fourchette is a Provencal cuisine bistro located in Avignon about a block from the main street with the Palace du Papes. They specialize in Vaucluse caillettes, Les pieds et paquets, or a great Avignon daube. Their three course prix fix dinner costs a reasonable 30.50€.
La Réserve de Nice is situated on huge rock overlooking the harbor entrance to Nice, France. It has beautiful panoramic views of the water. It earned one Michelin star in 2009. Their menu changes daily with best values in their prix fix menus. We order one of each prix fix menu plus a Bouillabaisse. They have an upstairs dining room that was closed.
Hakkasan is a Trendy, Modern Chinese restaurant by famed London restauranteur Alan Yau. (Cha Cha Moon, Yauatcha) He also co-founded Wagamama. It was opened in 2001 and was sold in 2008 to the Abu Dhabi investment arm. Hakkasan also has locations in Istanbul and Miami Beach. This location is about two blocks from the British Museum, making it a great choice for Lunch. Mr Yau’s goal was to create a Chinese Nobu with almost paradoxical Modern Authenticity. Sounds almost like Asian Fusion. 13% service charge. Hakkasan received one Michelin star in 2009.
Chinese name: 后海16号美食会所
No. 16 Courtyard Restaurant is a quaint little restaurant hidden in the touristy Hutong area most people tour on bike coaches. It is near Shisha Houhai lake, north of the Yundian bridge. The specialize in Imperial Chinese Cuisine, the best of all China. Tiny restaurant with only a couple tables, so reservations are a must. Be warned that tables usually have a minimum food charge. Our large table had a huge 3000RMB minimum. We happened to strolling at lunchtime without a reservation and lucked out in finding a table available. They host many private banquets.
Jardin de Jade or Jade Garden Restaurant (Chinese Name: 苏浙汇 – Su Zhe Hui) serves Shanghai cuisine and has locations in Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, and Beijing. They are part of King Mang Jade Garden Group’s high-end restaurant brand and launched in 1999. In the Summer of 2009, we visited the Beijing location for lunch, which was located in the Raycom Info Tech Park that is home to many technology companies. In the Summer of 2010, we had dinner at a Shanghai location near People’s Square, which was located above a Porsche dealership.
Chinese name: 全聚德烤鸭店
Quan Jude Roast Duck is the oldest Peking Duck restaurant, having been started in 1864 and has many branches. Quanjude together implies perfection, union, and benevolence. The location we ate at, is one of the newest and is located in North-Sanhuan Haidian District of Beijing. We have been told that other locations are not as good. They have over 60 company-owned and franchised restaurants in China, Hong Kong, and Australia. The chain is closely affiliated with the government.
Restaurant Made in China is a Chinese restaurant located in the five star Grand Hyatt hotel in Beijing, China. They focus on Northern Chinese cuisine including Peking Duck and Beggar’s Chicken. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were worried that this restaurant was a typical tourist trap with mediocre food at high prices but decided to visit for dinner because we were staying in the hotel. No free tea here. You have to pay for it as you do in other places. 15% service charge. We tried to stay with the menu marked specialties.
Nobu is legendary Japanese restaurant with 20+ locations around the world. This location is situation in the LOUD Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. They focus on Japanese food infused with bold South American and Western flavors. Their overwhelming menu has everything from standard sushi and sashimi, to inventive hot and cold dishes and omakase. They have lots of specials that are not on the menu. Most Nobu’s around the world have similar menu items.
Picasso is a 2 Michelin star restaurant in Bellagio at Las Vegas that show cases many of Picasso’s masterpieces. Chef Serrano’s menu is inspired by the regional cuisine of France and Spain where Picasso spent much of his life. You have the choice of 2 different daily changing prix fixe menus with several options.
Kirala is a popular Japanese restaurant in Berkeley. They have 2 locations. The one in North Berkeley is a to go shop. They do no take reservations, so the place fills up rapidly. We came for lunch. They have a separate lunch menu as well as a sushi menu.
Passionfish offers a “unique California dining experience with serious food and wine in a fun and casual atmosphere. The ever-changing menu features the freshest, sustainable seafood, slow-cooked meats, organic greens and delectable desserts, all complemented by an award winning wine list priced well below what you’ve come to expect.” They have been around for over ten years.
With the world class Monterey Bay Aquarium nearby and all its educational campaigns, this restaurant adheres to the sustainable seafood movement to serve ‘correct’ food. Passionfish is owned and operated by Chef Ted Walter and his wife Cindy Walter, who are vocal advocates for sustainabilty.
Isa is a french small plate (Tapas) restaurant in San Francisco’s Marina District named after the owner’s daughter. They’ve been serving this type of California influenced tapas since 2000. We like this cuisine as it lets you sample lots of different items. Plates are timed by the kitchen and meant to be shared with the table, family style. This is one of the better restaurants in this part of town.
