Restaurant Review
Why did we dine here? – Sushi Maruyama is the latest Japanese spot to give this corner a go. They are not related to the last place. The last 2 came and went over the years. This Japanese restaurant joins a ton of others on virtually every block of downtown San Mateo. The town is now home to some top spots including Wakuriya, Sushi Sam, and Sushi Yoshizumi.
Why did we dine here? – Eating Cheaply at NYC’s #1 Restaurant. We did the same at Eleven Madison Park. Le Bernardin is a famous 3 Michelin star restaurant in New York City. Ranked #17 in 2017 on the Top 50 in the world list. It has been on the top of our must visit list for a while. Star chef Eric Ripert has been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s show several times. He seems to really know how to cook.
Be sure to secure your iPhone or Android Smartphone whenever you travel. Precautions will help prevent disaster.
Why did we dine here? – Great Seafood in Boston. Row 34 is a popular New American Seafood restaurant in South Boston’s busy waterfront area. This restaurant is owned by the folks who run Island Creek Oyster Bar. Part of the restaurant group that also owns Island Creek Oyster Bar. They even farm their own oysters. Need to reserve in advance or come early for walk tables. The food is very good and not cheap, making a busy top spot in Boston for afterwork get togethers.
Classic French done right. Bouchon is a French bistro that is part of the Thomas Keller French Laundry empire. They have locations in Yountville and Las Vegas, we have been to both and finally had a chance to return to the Napa Valley location after 8 years.
Mission Hipster heaven. Modern Fusion Chinese.
Mission Chinese Food is a restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District that used to be a popup in the Lung Shan restaurant. Mission Chinese Food has basically taken over the place with its success!
Why did we dine here? – Quaint French Bistro with very good food. Chez Mama is a French Bistro with 2 locations in San Francisco, Potrero Hill and Hayes Valley. We have dined at both restaurants. The downside of this restaurant is the wait. They do not take reservations, so put your name down and chill.
Why did we dine here? – Ben Tre (A city in Vietnam) has three locations on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Why did we dine here? – China Live is a $20 million Chinese food extravaganza from Chef George Chen and crew. (Shanghai 1930, Betelnut, etc) Very ambitious, this complex seeks to help put Chinatown back on the map along with Mister Jiu. Billed as an Eataly of Chinese Food, we were chomping at the bit to try it, but waited 3 weeks for things to settle down. The food was still marginal at that point. We returned about 2 months after it opened and found things a lot better. They focus on high quality ingredients: organic, local, etc…
We review the San Francisco Master Foodie’s Michael Bauers Top 100 2017 list.
Aina’s Spam Musubi
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.
Best Ramen in San Francisco. Why did we dine here? – Mensho Tokyo SF is first USA outpost of Mensho, an acclaimed Tokyo ramen chain. They have 7 locations in Tokyo and are usually on the short list for top ramen in Tokyo. We waited for the 2-hour lines to die down, before dining here.
Hot Stuff! Why did we dine here? – Chili House is a Chinese restaurant in the SF Richmond district. It is special because in November 2015, Tong Gang Wang became the chef at Chili House. He has cooked for several Presidents in China. This is a sister restaurant to Z&Y Sichuan restaurant in SF’s Chinatown. With the new chef, there is more Beijing food on the menu, like hand-pulled noodles, Beijing pot stickers and lamb hot pot. This restaurant reminds us of China Village in Albany.
Soup Dumplings! Why did we dine here? – Chef Zhao Kitchen is a Shanghai Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto, near 101 and Embarcadero. This is a sister restaurant to Cupertino’s Shanghai Garden.
Confusing things, Chef Zhao Bistros in Mountain View and San Mateo are unrelated both cuisine-wise and with owners. This restaurant has been getting some good local buzz, so it was time to check it out.
Why did we dine here? – Sushi Ota is a well known Sushi hot spot in San Diego. We were vacationing in San Diego and decided to give it a try. We were trying to find something representative of this town and came up with this?! They are rated 4.5 stars on Yelp. Also they are famous for their Uni but had ran out.
Best Authentic Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. R & G Lounge is a popular Hong Kong style Cantonese Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Since 1985 they have been serving top notch Chinese food in Chinatown.
Bread heaven! Why did we dine here? – Tartine Manufactory is Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt’s new bakery, ice cream shop, and restaurant. We love their bread, so we could not wait to try their sandwiches and desserts. This 5,000-square-foot restaurant is home to their bakery, so you can see them working their magic. They crank out a lot of bread than the old Tartine Bakery 18th street location, making it easier to score this fantastic bread. Bread from 10:30 until it is sold out.
Better Italian than SF? Why did we dine here? – Angelini Osteria has long been dubbed the best Italian restaurant in LA. We finally made time to dine at this small, cozy restaurant near the end of 2016. Yes, we did see a celebrity dining there. Our timing allowed us to catch them when Truffles were all over the menu! (Big$$)
Il Fornaio (The Baker in Italian) is an Italian restaurant serving “creatively prepared, premium-quality Italian cuisine based on authentic regional Italian recipes.” They have 21 locations, many in California. They have been around since 1972, initially starting as a baking school. Now they are owned by a Private Equity group, no doubt trying to squeeze out profits.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant is one of best Cantonese Chinese restaurants in Southern California, according to several different sources. Foodnut agrees, it continues to be our go to place when we are in Southern California for Dim Sum.
Marnee Thai has been serving up Thai food since 1986 in San Francisco. They have 2 locations in San Francisco’s Sunset District. We were in the neighborhood and having not eaten here in a long time, decided to give them a try. Our last visit was in October 2017.
Where do well heeled Silicon Valley people eat?
Why did we dine here? – Plumed Horse is a long standing (1952) restaurant located in Saratoga, not far from the Montalvo winery. This location used to be a stable, hence the name. Peter Armellino (Jardiniere, Aqua SF, Village Pub) is the chef.
Why did we dine here? – Sushi Gen is one of those place we love to write about. Great Food at a reasonable price. Do not take our word for it, look at the ton of 4.5 star ratings on Yelp. There are a ton of high end Japanese places in LA, but few affordable spots serving good food.
Why did we dine here? – Mister Jiu’s (Bar Agricole) is Brandon Jew’s long awaited Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He took years to remodel the old Four Seas restaurant and assemble a cast of pros (Pastry Chef Melissa Chou – Aziza) with solid pedigrees. It was at the top of our hit list, but we somehow managed to give them two weeks to get into their groove. Not a large restaurant, but a clean modern look with a large stenciled drawing on the wall. (It too 4 1/2 years to do) Initial reports from Yelp feel into the disappointing 3 star range.
Why did we dine here? – Bird Dog is a popular new restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. This brings some sophisticated SF style innovative dining to the Peninsula. The interior is impressive, especially for a restaurant down here. Robbie Wilson was the chef of Matsuhisa in Aspen, Colo., and most recently headed up the kitchen at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County)
Insider Tip – On the fence? Especially about the prices. Eat at the bar.
New 2017 Foodie bible Michelin San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Restaurants 2016 was released on 10/25/2016. This sells for $14 at Amazon.
We sought to find the Best Croissants in San Francisco. Time to line up bright and early. Ah somebody has to do this right? Here are the top candidates for your consideration..
Why did we dine here? – Famous Vietnamese restaurant Brodard, in Southern California. Home to the largest Vietnamese population in the US, you would expect to find some great restaurants. Many Yelp reviews mention dining here whenever they are down here. We had to give this place a try on our latest SoCal trip. The place was packed and very loud.
Why did we dine here? – Noodle Heaven! Best Pho? Momofuku Noodle is part of David Changs Momofuku empire. We choose this restaurant due to its accessible menu and moderate cost. We were not interested in his higher end places.
Why did we dine here? – Don Antonio by Starita is a popular pizza restaurant in New York City’s Midtown area. It brings together 2 pizza superstars: Roberto Caporuscio of Kesté Pizza & Vino in New York City, and his maestro, Antonio Starita of Pizzeria Starita a Materdei in Naples. Starita in Naples remains our top Pizza experience, so we had to try this place out.
Why did we dine here? – The Best Milk shakes of course! Black Tap has rocked the social media world with huge shakes covered with all sorts of crazy candies, cookies. It was definitely on our must hit NYC list. This restaurant is notorious for waits up to 3 hours, something we did not look forward to.
Why did we dine here? – Shockingly Good! Xian Famous Foods was made famous when Anthony Bourdain featured it on this TV show, No Reservations. The restaurant was recommended to us, so we had to add it to our NYC hit list. They have several locations in New York and Flushing, so we decided to eat at the Chinatown location as we were touring the city. In 2019 we ate at the West Village location.
Why did we dine here? – Babbo is celebrity chef Mario Batali’s and Joe Bastianich’s flagship restaurant serving regional Italian classics. How could we pass up trying his Italian food? We had never been to one of his restaurants and figured he better know how to cook his native food. Alas he was not in the house. This place is very busy, with them asking Opentable reservations to call and get a token. They received 1 Michelin star in 2016.
Why did we dine here? – Chungdam is Korean restaurant located in the Santa Clara Koreatown area. It has been on our bucket list for a while. A combination of a modern beautiful spot with great Korean food attracted us to this place. We have dined at several restaurants in this area, including: Jang Su Jang, Tobang, Gooyi Gooyi, and Ilbunjee #1.
Why did we dine here? – Akiko’s Restaurant is a small Japanese restaurant that has been on our list for a while. They are known for serving fresh fish but now have a lots of competition from newcomers. (Kusakabe, Yoshizumi, Juni, An, etc) The restaurant is stealth, without a sign in the front. It is located below the irish bar sign. They had a chef change from Ricky Yap to Geoffrey Lee in 2014.
Why did we dine here? – Merrimans is a popular restaurant on Maui, perfectly situated on the coast by the beautiful Kapalua Beach. It is well reviewed and we were playing at the beach next door, so it was high time to try this place. This restaurant also has locations on the Big Island, and Kauai. The same owner runs the more casual Monkeypod Kitchen.
The Andaz Hotel in Wailea, Maui is the closest thing to paradise. Beautiful beachfront property, where the resort fee gets you free GoPro rental, Yoga Classes, SUP Classes, snorkel rentals, and a lot more..
See our full list of Maui Restaurant Reviews
Beijing Restaurant San Francisco is a Beijing style Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Excelsior district that opened in early 2009. Located a couple blocks off Highway 280 near City College, this place has gotten lots of hype on Chowhound. It is a family owned place that focuses on authentic Beijing dishes. Basketball player Yao Ming had been here 2 days earlier to one of our visits. We dined here last in 2016 when we learned they have added a location in the South Bay.
Palo Alto Creamery has been serving up classic burger joint food since 1988 when Robert Fischer took over the business. They used to have 2 locations in Palo Alto, with the downtown location open since 1923 in previously known as the Peninsula Creamery. Stanford Shopping Center location closed in 2013.
Steak on the Peninsula. Town Restaurant is a steakhouse serving American comfort food in downtown San Carlos. It opened in 2006 and has gotten positive press, so we figured we would see how it stacks up. Over the years, this restaurant has been consistently busy. Town is definitely a hit with the locals, many of which can just walk over for a meal. Our last visit was in December 2015. It is so busy, we had to make a reservation over a week in advance.
Taqueria La Cumbre Mexican Restaurant has a location in San Francisco and San Mateo. We tried the one in San Mateo, located near Caltrain. They have everything from burritos to tacos to caldos to plates. The San Francisco location has lines often times. Our last visit was in 2017. The great thing about his place is the parking lot!
Why did we dine here? – Best Sushi in the San Francisco? Sushi Yoshizumi, San Mateo, California is a new One Michelin Star receipient for 2016. They serve the expert crafted omakase menu of Chef Akira Yoshizumi. Ingredients are sourced both domestically and internationally (Tokyo) for his Edomae sushi style cuisine.
There always seems to be a line here! Tartine Bakery, San Francisco serves up legendary freshly baked bread every Tuesday through Sunday at 430 PM. After the Tartine Manufactory opened in 2016, bread is available all day. They are also know for their great pastries and sandwiches.
Why did we dine here? – Excellent, Authentic Thai in San Francisco. Kin Khao means “to eat” or “let’s eat” in Thai. They received one Michelin star in 2016. We have thought about dining here for a while. It is run by the famous food blogger of Chez Pim – Pim Techamuanvivit, girlfriend of Manresa’s chef David Kinch. Kin Khao is located in the first floor of the Parc 55 hotel, so it gets a ton of tourists, lucky them! Be sure to enter on the Mason and Ellis door.
Foodnut visits The Buffet at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas for Dinner.
While not up to the level of the Caesar’s Bacchanal Buffet or Cosmopolitan’s Wicked Spoon, The Buffet at Aria is a solid buffet with a good selection.
Our top buffet in Vegas is the Bally’s Sterling Sunday Brunch
Why did we dine here? – Champa Garden is a Thai restaurant not far from City College in San Francisco’s Ingleside district. The original location opened in Oakland in 2006 and is well loved. Our friends like this casual restaurant, so it was time to give it a try. Last to go visit was in early 2017.
