Road Trip Eats

Cuisines:

Breakfast:

Note that many of these restaurants are open for lunch and/or dinner too - this section covers only breakfast items.
Peg's Glorified Ham & Eggs, (775)329-2600
420 S. Sierra
Reno, NV
Sun-Sat 6:30am-2pm		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 9 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/20/03
Great breakfast joint near downtown Reno. Bustling, but with little or no wait. Prices are maybe a little higher than average (near $10 for some entrees), but they're well worth it. Sarah had an excellent crab cakes benedict, and I had the huevos rancheros, which were served in a skillet with hash browns, beans, shredded cabbage, corn and black bean salsa, and tortillas. They were very tasty and the portions were positively gargantuan. We liked this place so much we came back the next morning for another meal. This time, Sarah was pleased by her french toast with strawberries, and I had a yummy salmon steak. On both occasions, service was fast and friendly. Definitely go here for a great breakfast in Reno! The food was much fresher and less greasy than most similar places.
Cantina Panaderia, (858)272-8400
966 Felspar St.
(at Cass St.)
San Diego, CA
(Pacific Beach)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/05/06
Very good, and somewhat unusual breakfast fare in a cool space near Pacific Beach. Behind the open front and under a large carved dragon, Cantina Panderia's dining room is large and open, with a strong Indonesian flair (a large buddah statue and beautiful carved bar dominate the room).

S & I liked this place so much we had breakfast here twice while staying in Pacific Beach, and returned on a subsequent San Diego trip as well. On all of our visits the place wasn't overly busy, and we were seated promptly. The menu has some interesting options, and is a notch or two healthier than the standard american breakfast fare. There are options for folks watching their carbs/fat, and several vegetarian dishes to boot.

Both times we were here, Sarah had the coconut french toast, which she declared the best french toast she's ever had (and that's saying something - she really likes french toast!). Having taken a bite or two, I can say I do agree, although I'm not nearly the french toast fan that she is. The toast, topped with toasted coconut, arrived artfully arranged between two drizzles of raspberry and blackberry sauce, and strewn with delicious strawberries and sliced bananas. They definitely score points for taking some time to think about plating, something not often found at breakfast!

On our first visit I had the dragon potatoes, a scramble of rosemary potatoes, black beans, salsa fresca, sour cream, bacon and eggs, served with a tortilla to scoop it all up with. As with the french toast, it was artfully presented, with the colors of each component shown off to produce a colorful, attractive plate.

I ordered the roast beef hash on our second & third visits, a pile of shredded roast beef with horseradish cream, rosemary potatoes, and a delicious rosemary bread. Despite both this and the potato scramble having a number of heavy ingredients, both actually tasted fairly light and healthy, with pronounced fresh vegetable flavors coming through, and none of the leaddenness one might reasonably expect from such dishes.

Service has always been friendly, casual and unhurried. We were a little surprised they weren't more busy on a Saturday morning, but perhaps we were on the early side, as folks did start trickling in as we were finishing up.

Cantina Panaderia is a restaurant I wish we had an equivalent of here in San Francisco - their menu of healthy, multi-culti breakfasts would surely be a big hit here. I only wish we'd had time to visit for lunch or dinner, as their other menus looked equally appealing. Definitely recommended for breakfast in Pacific Beach!

Big Kitchen Cafe, (626)796-7350
3003 Grape St.
(@ 30th St.)
San Diego, CA
(South Park district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/27/06
Yummy breakfast fare in a great environment. This SD institution has been around for quite some time (Sarah fondly remembered it from the year she spent at SDSU over 10 years ago), and, I've been told, has horrendously long lines on the weekend.

On our Monday visit, however, we were seated right away at a large U-shaped bar. The walls are covered with various signed celeb. photograhps, awards and memorabilia. Many of the breakfast specials are named after regulars (including Whoopie Goldberg, who allegedly waitressed here as a youth).

Sarah & I each ordered the Whoopie special ($8.75, 2 eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast and a large OJ). The eggs and bacon were about average, but the potatoes were good and crispy, and my zucchini muffin (in lieu of toast) was fabulous. The OJ was very pulpy and obviously fresh-squeezed.

The coffee (kona!) was good, and the service, when it was around, was friendly. This is the sort of place, however, where it's perfectly OK (and probably expected) to get up and refill your own coffee. Very much my kind of breakfast place, I would love to return next time I'm in San Diego.

Cafe Atlantic, (626)796-7350
53 E. Union St.
(bet. Raymond & Fair Oaks)
Pasadena, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/06/04
Tasty Cuban-style breakfasts (and lunch and dinner, but I haven't had those) in a pleasant white-tablecloth cafe environment. I had a pulled pork affair (~$9), mixed with snap peas and other vegetables and topped with a hard-fried egg. Sarah's breakfast (also around $9) of beans and toast, covered with sauce, eggs and cheese was also great. My only real gripe was that no hot sauce was offered - a breakfast of primarily shredded pork can use a little saucing up! The salty bread served when we sat down was particularly good, and the coffee du jour, a vanilla nut, was excellent. I would cheerfully return next time I'm in/around Pasadena.
Madame Matisse, (323)662-4862
3536 W. Sunset Blvd.
(@ Golden Gate Ave)
Los Angeles, CA
(Silverlake district)		 Last visit: $
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/07/04
Tasty breakfasts in a small funky corner building with a few outdoor seats. My omelette of florentine omelette (~$8) was cooked just about pefrectly, as were the potatoes, nice and evenly browned like they so rarely are. Service was efficient if not hugely friendly, and the coffee was better than I'd been lead to expect. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.
Nancy's Airport Cafe
353 County Road G
Willows, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/05/04
Very good traditional american breakfast fare in an appropriately decorated joint located at the Willows Airport. My chicken fried steak (a weakness of mine, especially when I'm in rural diners) was very good, although the coffee kind of sucked. Very popular with the locals for a bite before going hunting, farming, etc. and not without reason. No reason to go anywhere else for breakfast in Willows unless you're in a hurry. Decor and service are decidedly working-class, but I don't mean that in a bad way.
The Mission, (858)488-9060
3795 Mission Blvd.
(@ Rockaway)
San Diego, CA
(Pacific Beach)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/28/06
Good breakfast fare, very much like the nearby Cantina Panaderia (not a coincidence, as the same chef started both). Located in an unassuming space on busy PB's Mission Boulevard, it was fairly busy on the Tuesday in February when we visited.

The menu is nearly a mirror of Panaderia's, with healty'ish plates and some ethnic touches (mostly tofu, brown rice, and such). Sarah had the potato scramble with eggs, beans and tortillas, and much like the one I had at Panaderia, it was crispy, full of rosemary, and flavorful. I had the tomales with eggs, black beans, sour cream, tomatoes, chives and tomatillo sauce - it was great, with the sweetness of the tamales providing a good foil for the sour/spicy sauces, and serving equally well to sop up the runny egg yolks.

Like Panaderia, the food was all fresh and light-tasting, and artfully plated. Service, although fine, wasn't quite as good as at Panaderia, and the interior wasn't nearly as charming. We had no complaints about the food whatsoever, and wouldn't hesitate to return if we wanted breakfast in the southern end of Pacific Beach.

The Coffee Table, (323)644-8111
2930 Rowena Ave.
(bet. Avenel & Herkimer)
Los Angeles, CA
(Silverlake district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/08/04
Solid breakfast food in a cool space. The large shady outdoor patio is a fine place to eat on a temperate morning. On my two visits I had standard sausage and eggs ($7.25) and a breakfast burrito ($6.95). The sausage and eggs were alright, but fairly unremarkable. The accompanying potatoes were nice and crispy and well-seasoned. The burrito suffered a little from uniformity (the filling consists of eggs and a little bit of cheese and that's it), but both dishes were well cooked. Nice local art hangs on the brightly colored walls, and service was fine. Good neighborhood place for a quick bite. I preferred Madame Matisse's food, but it was a more leisurely breakfast.
Ashland Bakery Cafe, (541)482-2117
38 E. Main St.
(@ Oak St.)
Ashland, OR		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/31/05
Decent breakfast fare in downtown Ashland. The restaurant is situated in an unassuming space, with a coffee and takeout counter near the entrance. Our hostess was a bit on the surly side; when she either didn't hear or forgot my coffee and I reminded her, she just said "oh" and wandered off.

Once it arrived, the coffee was pretty good, however, and the smallish breakfast menu (see their website) has the usual fare. I settled on a ham and cheddar scramble ($8.95) with tomatoes (potatoes or rice(!) are also options for sides) while Sarah ordered the french toast ($6.95).

My scramble was very tasty, although the tomatoes on the side were a bit mealy (serves me right for ordering it in the middle of winter). Sarah liked the flavor of her french toast (a HUGE serving of it), but it clearly hadn't been soaking in its egg bath for long enough - the center of each slice was egg-free. Our server was friendly, and coffee refills arrived at proper intervals. Prices were generally reasonable, although Ashland does charge a city sales tax unlike the other places I've been in Oregon, which are completely sales tax-free.

I would probably try one of the other places serving breakfast the next time I'm in Ashland just for variety's sake, but the Ashland Bakery Cafe was tasty enough that I wouldn't be sorry to return.

Sweetpeas, (530)823-1818
13498 Luther Rd.
Auburn, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/19/04
Tasty breakfast food with a large variety of large omelettes (3- or 6(!!!)-egg) and other breakfast items. I've eaten here many a time on my way to Tahoe (it's right off of I-80) and have always left satisfied (and usually over-full). Of the dishes I've had, I prefer the scrambles/omelettes.
Brian's, (619)296-8268
1451 Washington St.
(bet. Cleveland & Richmond)
San Diego, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/26/06
This popular diner serves standard brown-hot-and-plenty-of-it fare and attracts large crowds, at least on our Sunday visit. Located in an average-sized space, decor is typical for the genre, and there's an outside seating area to boot.

After a short wait, Sarah, Dave, his daughter Zoe and I were seated and brought our own carafes of water and coffee, a nice touch in a bustling restaurant. Looking over the menu, I decided to fuel up (we were en-route to the zoo) and ordered the Big Bear special, 2 sausage links, 2 pieces of bacon, a slice of ham, 3 eggs, 2 biscuits with gravy and potatoes - wheeew!

The coffee was okay, and after a brief wait, our food arrived. My dish was ridiculously large, but the quality was just average overall. The biscuits and gravy were my favorite part, with a peppery rich gravy atop fluffy pillows of bread, mmmm.

Service was cheery and came by often enough. All told, not a remarkable place, but it suited our needs at the time (ie. fast cheap food). I'd want to try other b'fast joints in SD before returning here, however.

Heidi's, (530)544-8113
3485 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA		 Price; $
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/24/05
OK breakfast food in SLT. At least in our meanderings, it was one of only a couple choices that aren't large chains (Heidi's is, in fact, a chain, but a small & local one) and we wound up eating here twice on a weekend trip to Tahoe.

Lines are likely on a weekend morning, but it is a large restaurant, and turnover is pretty fast. We waited about 10 minutes for a table both days. On our first visit, Sarah sat at a bench running along the wall, several inches lower than it ought to have been, making her feel like a munchkin. Our normal table on the next meal was more to our liking. Decor is Swiss kitch, with yodelling figures, alp horns and Matterhorn featured prominently.

On both visits we were promptly served coffee, which was kept full at all times by frequent visits from passing servers. The coffee itself, however, was not good, and at $2.25, seemed much too. I had bacon, eggs and potatoes on Saturday, and a skillet scramble on Sunday. The bacon was properly cooked, neither chewy nor overly charred, the eggs were, well, eggs, and the potatoes had an alright flavor, but were too dry on both mornings. My skillet, with bacon and veggies, wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't very pleasing either - it tasted too strongly of raw bell peppers. Sarah's crepes on Saturday and bacon, eggs and potatoes were proclaimed adequate by her (and she noticed the dry potatoes too).

Service was hurried, easily available when wanted, and, although not unfriendly, not very loving either. The food was probably no better than at the IHOP down the road, but the kitchy decor is undoubtedly more fun. I would prefer to try other local breakfast joints before returning to Heidi's, but I'm not sure there are too many choices....

Black Bear Diner, (530)934-3797
246 N. Humboldt Ave.
Willows, CA		 Price; $
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/05/04
Alright, but somewhat generic, breakfast food in Willows. A bit sterile, and a stark contrast to the nearby and tasty Nancy's (The Black Bear was nearly empty at 8am on a Sunday, while Nancy's was quite crowded at the same time the previous day). The Black Bear has taken their bear motif entirely too far and even has a tacky bear-themed gift shop by the register (uggh, shoot me now). Given the alternatives, I wouldn't return.
PJ's Cafe & Pizzeria, (209)962-7501
18986 Highway 120
Groveland, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/10/05
A convenient early bite en-route to Yosemite, but not remarkable otherwise. I had sausage, eggs and hash browns. Decent eggs, good hash browns, bland sausage. Sarah was equally lukewarm about her order. The coffee was sub-good, but I've certainly had worse.

Service was fine, cheery and typically small-town, and the decor suits the place. At 9am on a Sunday it was mostly full of half locals, half outdoorsy looking folks heading towards Yosemite like ourselves.

It's not as though there are a large number of choices along Hwy 120, and it's closer to the Big Oak Flat entrance than pretty much anything else, so if you're hungry for breakfast in Groveland, you may as well go here.

Bear Ridge, (209)795-0601
1051 Highway 4, PO Box 61
Arnold, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/28/03
Decent standard breakfast fare, omelettes, breakfast burritos, and suchlike. The atmosphere is nice and lodge'y. Service is definitely on mountain-time, so don't be in too much of a hurry. It's one of few choices for breakfast in this area. Also pretty good for dinner.
Coffee &, (530)587-3123
10106 Donner Pass Rd.
Truckee, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/20/04
Decent diner breakfast fare in a quaint retro diner in lovely downtown Truckee. My $7.00 bacon and eggs with hash browns, biscuits and gravy were alright, but nothing to write home about. The bacon was overly salty and the hash browns were a touch chewy. Service wasn't speedy, but 1) this is Truckee and 2) it was Father's Day. Not a bad choice for breakfast, but I would check out the other breakfast places in old town Truckee before I returned.

Californian/American/Greasy:

Rogue Public House
1339 NW Flanders St.
Portland, OR
(and other locations - see their website)		 Price: $-$$$
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/30/05
I was very happy we got to go here before leaving Portland, as I've long been a fan of many of Rogue's beers, and going pub-hopping is a very Portland thing to do. Little did I realize that they have a restaurant in San Francisco as well - d'oh!

The fairly large interior is typical funky brewpub, and the 4 of us were swiftly seated. Our waitress, the alt sort of type of frequently works at such places, was efficient and got the job done, but seemed like she'd rather be somewhere else.

Rogue has a huge selection of their beers on tap (25 regular beers on tap, plus a half dozen holiday brews!), and rather than try to decide on one, I ordered a taster tray ($5.25 for tastes of any 4 brews.). A very nice feature of their beer menu is that they have little icons next to each one to indicate what type of food(s) it goes best with, a nice touch.

Food-wise, neither Sarah nor I could resist the American Kobe Beef Burger topped with Rogue Blue Cheese ($12.75, but hey, it's the only time I've ever even seen anything advertised as a Kobe burger!). I don't recall what my mom had, but Brian ordered a Ruben sandwich.

The four beers I tasted (served on a hollowed-out wooden beer bottle) were: Chipotle Ale (tastes just like it sounds - sort of good, but very weird having a smoked chili taste in an ale!), Old Crustacean Barleywine (wild and wooly, even by barleywine standards - this brew is STRONG. My mom declared it the most vile beer she'd ever tasted, but she's not into heavy beers at all), the Morimoto Imperial Pilsner (tasty, with huge maltiness and round mouth feel), and lastly a double red ale from the holiday specials board.

Our burgers were very good - strong beefy flavor, juicy and delightful. The accompanying fries were also way above average - cooked just right, and with a perfect amount of seasoning on them. Mom & Brian seemed to enjoy their meals too. I'm not sure the Kobe beef burger was worth the money, but it was definitely good! Their menu had many other entrees that appealed to us, so we'll have to drag ourselves to SF's North Beach one of these days to check more of them out! This ranks as one of the better brewpubs I've been to for certain.

Robin's, (805)927-5007
4095 Burton Dr.
(@ West St.)
Cambria, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/11/07
Tasty eclectic cuisine from all over the world in a funky typically-Cambria space. We had lunch here and were glad we did. If you can't find something you like here, you have food issues!

A sample of the variety on the menu: salmon bisque, indian spiced lamb rolls, moroccan shrimp, vietnamese veggie lumpia (I can't get my head around what that could possibly be!), burgers, fish tacos, vietnamese lettuce wraps, curry tofu, shrimp fettucine, and roasted chicken.

I ordered the salmon bisque with 1/2 curry chicken sandwich ($9.50) and a Xingu (Brazillian black beer; In keeping with their eclecticism, the beer list wanders all over the world too). The salmon bisque was excellent, deeply salmon flavored without being at all fishy, and studded with large chunks of salmon meat. The curry chicken salad was good, but not great, and it had trouble staying within the confines of its bread. The other 5 in our group all enjoyed their meals, and service was friendly and cheery.

I would definintely return to Robin's next time I'm hungry in Cambria - their dinners looked interesting, and their rustic, yet slightly upscale decor is comfortable. They've a large enclosed patio area in back (with heat lamps) as well.

Hodad's, (619)224-4623
5010 Newport Ave.
(@ Bacon St.)
San Diego, CA
(Ocean Beach)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/27/06
The definitive surf burger shack. Located just a block from Ocean Beach itself, Hodad's is everything a funky little burger joint by the beach should be. Outside was parked a chopped VW bus, and there's a surf'y mural on the exterior wall. Inside, the walls are completely covered with vanity license plates, many with a surf theme, and surfboards.

Burgers are the order of the day here, with numerous variations available. Sarah & I each ordered a cheeseburger w/fries, which arrived after the expected interval. In the meantime we amused ourselves by trying to decode the license plates on the wall - something pretty much everyone else around us was doing too.

Our food, when it arrived, was very tasty - the burger had a solid charred beef flavor and was cooked as ordered, and the fries were nice and crispy, of the wedge-style variety. The vegetable condiments were fresh-tasting, and we had no complaints at all. Prices were in the $7'ish range if I recall correctly.

I can't imagine getting a burger anywhere else in OB, as Hodad's is so perfect for its locale. I'd certainly return if I find myself in Ocean Beach again.

Mountain View BBQ
Hwy. 395
Walker, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/02/03
Good barbeque sandwiches. The pulled pork is especially delicious - tender and with just the right amount of sauce. The brisket is also very nicely-done, although the one I had was doused with a bit too much horseradish sauce - next time I'll get the BBQ brisket instead. The Texas Toothpics (deep-fried jalapeño and onion slices with dip) are also excellent.
Pick & Shovel Cafe, (209)728-3779
419B Main Street
Murphys, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/06/04
Tasty burgers - my blue cheese and bacon burger was nicely cooked and well-flavored, but not excessively so. Even better burgers than nearby Firewood, which is saying something! Nice small outdoor patio to watch people walk around downtown Murphys while you eat.
Whoa Nellie Deli (AKA Tioga Gas Mart), (760)647-1088
22 Vista Point Rd.
(just off of State Highway 120 near US Highway 395)
Lee Vining, CA
(in the Mobil Tioga Gas Mart, believe it or not!)

Note: open only from the end of April through the 1st weekend in November, from 7am-9pm!

 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 09/10/05
A trippy place in a beautful location. Step inside the Mobil Gas Mart at the bottom of Tioga Pass Rd. east of Yosemite, and amid the usual touristy claptrap is a tasty restaurant with great views out over Mono Lake. The food is very cal-cuisine, especially compared to everything else in the area.

Unfortunately being on a tourist route, the prices are pretty high, but at least the quality's good! The menu is full of puns and has accents not often found on the Hwy 395 corridor (ginger sauce, mango chutneys, and such). I had a cheeseburger and fries ($12, ouch), which was very good, save for the not-hot-enough fries. Lack of heat notwithstanding, the fries were good - lots of flavor and a good crispiness. The burger was solid and also well-cooked.

Serivce doesn't exist - you order at the end of the open kitchen and pick your order up when they shout your number. The staff are boisterous, often shouting and joking amongst themselves. A surprisingly good selection of wine is available, as well as beer and mango margaritas. Definitely the most fun you're likely to have in a restaurant anywhere near Lee Vining!

Cabo Wabo Cantina, (775) 588-2411
Highway 50 at Stateline
Stateline, NV
(in Harvey's casino)		 Price: $$-$$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/23/05
Much to my surprise, the food here was actually rather good! Sarah & I ended up here after wandering around South Lake Tahoe for an hour looking in vain for something between a quick burger/pizza/burrito and an expensive steakhouse.

It's located in the bottom of the large Harvey's casino right on the stateline between California and Nevada, and is definitely full of the partying crowd. I ordered margaritas at the bar, which was deafeningly loud and very crowded. The barmaids were wearing what were I believe to be the shortest short shorts I've ever seen, skimpier even than Hooter's!

Our table was ready at the same time as our drinks, and we were guided to the thankfully much-quieter dining room and seated in a comfortable booth. Decor here is pleasant and not too over-the-top, and we were soon given a vertical platter of chips with three salsas, one spicy chipotle, one non-spicy red, the last green. The chipotle one was my favorite, but is probably too hot for some (like Sarah!).

Sarah ordered beef fajitas ($15.99) while I was enticed by the fried seafood (at $18.99, one of the most expensive items on the menu). Our dishes arrived after an appropriate amount of time, and we ordered another round of drinks, Sarah a Sunset Margarita ($8), me a Hypno-rita (also $8). Sarah's fajitas were very good, tender strips of steak, served with the usual accoutrements on a nice rectangular platter. My fried seafood was all tasty and nicely cooked, neither too heavy nor too light. The accompanying sauce was an unusual lemony cream affair rather than a more typical tartar, but it complemented the fried sea critters well.

Both our margaritas, and especially the cocktails we ordered at the table were good, but very boozey. Unsurprisingly, nearly everything has Cabo Wabo Tequila in it, and most drinks are variations of margaritas. Just two such drinks each left us very glad our hotel was just one block from Harveys - driving would have been completely out of the question!

Service was better than one might expect at such a place, and was generally available when we wanted it, and unobtrusive when we did not. I would cheerily return here next time I'm in the area for a fun night out on the town (provided I wasn't driving!).

Firewood, (209)728-3248
420 Main St.
Murphys, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/08/03
Pricey, but very tasty burgers in downtown Murphys. My favorite is the bacon, mushroom and swiss burger. Grilled to near-perfection and served with tasty fries, its impossible to eat without making a huge mess, but so it goes! Their "personal" pizzas (a bit more than one can/should comfortably finish) are very good as well - fired in a wood oven and available with many gourmet toppings.
McMenamins Kennedy School, (503)288-2192
5736 NE 33rd Ave.
Portland, OR		 Price: $-$$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/27/05
Decent pub food with a wonderful concept. If you're not familiar with them, the McMenamins purchase distressed properties and convert them into restaurants (sometimes with hotels, conference rooms, ets). The Kennedy School was an elementary school, and is now a hotel, restaurant, and bars. I just love the idea of repurposing old buildings, while preserving much of their character. Due to its former vocation, the Kennedy School is smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood, with no retail neighbors at all. They've converted some of the classrooms into hotel rooms (complete with blackboards), and some into conference rooms. The former cafeteria now houses a brewpub, and there are two bars on the site - the Honors Bar (non-smoking, classical music) and the Detention Bar (smoking, rock and roll - gotta love that!), but unfortunately neither was open when we visited for lunch.

The restaurant menu is typical PNW brewpub, heavy on the fish and burgers, with a longer-than-average list of choices. Prices are very reasonable (by SF-area standards anyhow), with only a handful of fish and steak entrees breaking $10. Sarah & I both ordered the Captain Neon Burger ($6.85, burger w/blue cheese dressing and bacon). It was a tasty burger with good fresh fries - nothing outstanding, but certainly good for the price. From their short list of house-brewed beers I had the Hammerhead, an okay copper ale whose flavors didn't quite blend as I'd have liked.

Service was Oregon-casual, but friendly once we got seated, which took inexplicably long, given the place was very far from full. Decor is very kitchy and eclectic, with some original schoolhouse fixtures and exposed piping, broken tile art and so on, creating a funky cool ambience.

Putah Creek Cafe, (530)795-2683
1 Main St.
Winters, CA
Mon-Wed: 6am-2:30pm
Thu-Sat: 6am-9pm
Sun: 6am-3pm		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/03/04
Located at the end of quaint downtown Winters, the Putah Creek Cafe is a tasty and popular diner-style joint. My philly cheesesteak was tender and well-flavored, and everyone else seemed happy with their choices as well. Service was fine, although the decor was on the bland side. I wouldn't hesitate to go here again next time I'm hungry in Winters (and no, there are not a huge number of other choices!).
Triomphe, (541)485-6242
1591 Willamette St.
(@ 16th Ave.)
Eugene, OR		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/30/05
Pretty good cafe food in a sort of weird warehouse setting. We had lunch here on the advice of the folks at the Eugene Visitor's Center. Located a little ways past the main downtown drag on Willamette St., the cafe is separated into three sections - a bistro counter, a bakery counter , and a coffee counter. The cafe shares its building with a white-tablecloth restaurant, and has only some hung fabric separating the spaces - this combined with high, exposed ceilings gives the place an uncomfortable warehouse vibe.

Sarah ordered a wood-fired vegetable pizzetta and I had a sandwich of jamon, proscuitto, olive tapenade, and manchego cheese, served with fries. Both of our dishes were tasty, although mine suffered from too much salt (hard to avoid given the ingredients, I think!). The fries were just this side of over-cooked, but were flavorful and crispy. Sarah enjoyed her mini pizza, and my latte was nice and fluffy.

On our way out we got a few cookies from the bakery counter for the road. All were good, but the coconut macaroon and peanut butter cookie were our favorites. Ambience aside, this is a good little cafe, although next time I'm in Eugene, the fish and chips joint next door was recommended by several people familiar with the area.

Mt. Whitney Restaurant, (760)876- 5751
227 S. Main St.
Lone Pine, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 10/20/03
Not especially healthy food, but it really hit the spot before and after hiking Mt. Whitney! Menu is the usual roadside diner fare. The service was ... um ... laid-back when we went there for dinner on a Friday night, and breakfast on a Saturday. The food is tasty, though - definitely worth stopping by if you're not in a hurry. They have a lot of pictures of movie stars who were in movies shot in and around Lone Pine. Best ostrich burgers I've had (not that they have any competition in that category!). Mt. Whitney burger is very tasty, with options of beef, venison, ostrich, or buffalo meat. Mt. Whitney omelette is also yummy (and large, as one might expect).
Incahoots, (209)245-5544
948 Main St.
Plymouth, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 09/19/04
Decent food and gigantic portions. I had the "Dally UP" ($13.95) which consisted of three large slabs of tri-tip, 2 delicious spicy sausages, potato salad, french fries, beans, and bread. Their menu is rather varied, with sandwiches, a few mexican dishes, pizza, and pit BBQ dishes. Prices are fairly reasonable, especially for the amount of food you get. Plus lets face it - if you're hungry in Plymouth, CA, you ain't got a whole lot of other choices! :) On a subsequent visit, the spicy sausage was again very tasty, but the non-spicy one was a bit bland, and the tri-tip seemed like it had been cooked too hot (a little too tough on the outside, a little too juicy on the inside).
Multnomah Falls Restaurant & Lounge, (503)695-2376

Bridal Veil, OR		 Price: $-$$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/28/05
Located next to beautiful Multnomah Falls and in a quaint woodsy lodge, this restaurant lures you in with its coziness, but is really just slightly above-average touristy fare (although Brian swears by their ribs, so they may be excellent).

The interior is typical of a mountain lodge, with huge old photographs of the area, and Multmonah Falls in particular, on the walls, and a roaring fire in a large stone fireplace. The menu is Pacific Northwest american, with something of an emphasis on salmon.

I ordered a trail burger ($9.50), Sarah a french onion soup ($7.95), my Mom a smoked salmon croissant ($9.50) and Brian a ruben sandwich ($9.95). The burger was pretty good, with tasty fries, but wasn't otherwise remarkable. Sarah wasn't pleased by her soup, which had a gooey top, and "garlic bread," in quotes because there was no perceptable garlic save perhaps for some garlic salt. Mom enjoyed her croissant, and Brian proclaimed his ruben to be good, but a little dry.

Service was good, and a little more formal than one might expect. Given the beauty of the surroundings and the nice interior (and the lack of other choices in the near vicinity!), I would happily return next time I have the good fortune to be in the Columbia River Gorge.

Aniceta's Good Food, (775)423-3111 (casino #)
70 S. Maine St.
Fallon, NV
(in the Nugget casino)		 Price: $
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/18/03
Standard American fare with a Philippine touch. The breaded chicken tenders were breaded and fried to a near-perfect crispiness. We had lumpia (Phillipine egg rolls) with meat, which were tasty, and pandasol (sweet bread), which was also very good, as appetizers. Very reasonably priced. Ambience is, shall we say, sad dusty casino.
the Almond Tree, (209)847-4250
875 E. F St.
Oakdale, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 5.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 09/11/04
Senior-friendly american food in a sterile environment on Hwy 108/120 in Oakdale. I had a bacon cheeseburger, which was okay. The bacon was nicely crisped and the meat had some flavor, but the cheese was icky, reminiscent of velveeta. My side of onion rings was well-executed, although the ranch I ordered for dipping them in was sub-par. Sarah had a fried chicken salad, a huge bowl of leafy greens topped with a mealy tomato and slices of crispy fried chicken. It was alright too.

Service was as expected, nothing special. Given that Oakdale is chock-full of american restaurants, I'll try all the rest before returning here. The menu does provide some useful(?) trivia: California's central valley produces over half of the world's almonds!

the Desert Rose, (866)235-9330
44055 N. Sierra Hwy.
Lancaster, CA
(in the Best Western Antelope Valley Inn)		 Price: $
Rating: 4 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 09/26/03
Barely adequate, but unexciting food and rather glacial service. My spaghetti came with just a few tablespoons of sauce for a huge pile of pasta, and Paul Newman's bottled sauces taste better. The salad bar was alright, and it was plenty of food to stuff myself with before a big bike ride. Other than the convenience of being in the hotel I was staying at, there's no reason to go back.
49er's Cafe
Furnace Creek, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 3.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 10/18/03
Uggh, nearly $50 for an appetizer, two entrees and two beers, none particularly good. Needless to say Sarah & I were not too impressed. However, given that unless you're feeling very flush, its the only choice in/near Furnace Creek, we wound up eating there twice (spending nearly $100 in total). My Friday lasagna was way too salty and the marinara tasted like a cheap canned one, while Sarah's fajitas inspired a neighboring diner to actually switch their order to something else, so bad they looked! My burger on Saturday wasn't bad, but Sarah wasn't thrilled with her salad. Much, much too expensive, and not-great service.
Tivoli Gardens, (775)786-5700
345 N. Virginia St.
Reno, NV
(in the Eldorado casino)		 Price: $
Rating: 3 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/17/03
Well.... at least its open late. Upon a late arrival in Reno, Sarah and I searched for a downtown eatery that was open to no avail and settled on this place on the advice of the doorman at the Brew Brothers brewery. My very large hamburger was almost completely deviod of flavor despite obvious char markings and an abundance of grease, and Sarah's fish tacos were pretty awful, accompanied by some extremely tired-looking spanish rice from days gone by. Service was very, very slow, but that may have been because we were dining at 9:30pm on a Thursday. Definitely not recommended.
Nicely's
Hwy. 395
Lee Vining, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 1 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/01/03
Yecch. Vegetables that made high-school cafeteria fare sound appealing, flavorless fried chicken, "fresh roasted turkey" that tasted like it came out of a mediocre deli and was then salted to death, and inattentive and brusque service (they took Sarah's gin & tonic away before she was even half finished). Eat anywhere else in Lee Vining (not that there are that many other choices, but anything is bound to be better). This was probably the worst meal I've had at any restaurant since I started writing these reviews!

Chinese:

Hunan Villa, (530)934-4344
456 N. Humboldt Ave.
Willows, CA
(in the parking lot of Motel 6)
Tue-Sat: 11am-9:30pm
Sun: 11:30am-9:30pm		 Price: $
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/04/04
Surprisingly good Chinese food given its location in nowhere-ville Willows. Most entrees are between $6 and $7 except for the seafood items, which are closer to $10. Other than the $20 Peking Duck (with the usual 24-hour advance notice required), nothing is over $10. We started with some crab puffs ($4.50) and hot and sour soup ($4.95). The soup wasn't superb, but was warm and comforting, while the crab puffs were very tasty indeed. For entrees the four of us split orange sesame chicken ($7.25), mu shu pork ($6.25), beef with asparagus ($7.95) and snow peas with water chestnut ($6.95, the only item I felt was overpriced given that there was no meat). All were pretty good, and the menu had many more choices. A no-brainer for local eats, especially if you're staying at the Motel 6 whose parking lot it occupies!

Cuban/South American:

LaLa's, (323)934-6838
7229 Melrose Ave.
(bet. Alta Vista & Formosa)
Los Angeles, CA
(Hollywood)
and
(818)623-4477
11935 Ventura Blvd.
(bet. Radford & Carpenter)
Studio City, CA		 Price; $-$$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/06/04
Tasty Argentine empandas, grills and suchlike. For lunch, Sarah & I split an empanada combo appetizer ($9.95) of beef, ham & cheese and spinach (all good) and I had a Lomito sandwich ($7.95 - decent, but not very different from many other grilled thin steak sandwiches). The accompanying fries were nice and crispy. The Hollywood location has a nice outdoor patio making for good people watching. The sangria ($2.95(sm), $4.95(lg)) tasted alright, but had tons of pulp in it, making for a chewy drink (this isn't a good thing in my book). Pretty good-looking wine list and competent service.

Indian:

Tantra, (323)663-8268
3705 W. Sunset Blvd.
(@ Edgecliffe)
Los Angeles, CA
(Silverlake district)		 Price: $-$$$$
Rating: 8.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/08/04
Very good upscale Indian fare in a beautifully-done place. The extremely moody (and dark) decor nicely matched the chichi cocktails ($7-8/ea, but original and tasty (and strong!)) and moody waitress (who was a good server, actually). For starters the four of us split an order of mango samosas ($7.00 for 3 + $2.50 for an extra so we could each have one) and spinach rolls ($9). Both were tasty, especially the spinach rolls. My lamb chop entree ($18) was well-flavored, although the "indian scalloped potatoes" served with them didn't strike me as especially indian. Sarah's goan chicken ($15) was excellent and very spicy - I would get that if I'm there again. A fun evening out. The prices put in the "special occasion" category, but it's certainly worth a visit. Sarah's brother's advice to beware the cocktails or before you know it you'll be drunk and $20 poorer is definitely apt!
Jaipur, 06 58.03.992
Via San Francesco a Ripa, 56
Rome, Italy
(Trastevere district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/14/05
This would perhaps not have been my first choice for our first dinner out in Rome, but it turned out to be a lovely evening with very good food, every bit the equal of the Indian food I have in San Francisco. There's a small'ish indoor dining room and perhaps 15 tables on the sidewalk (typical of Rome, where the weather is very pleasant, at least in late spring when we were there).

The 5 of us stuffed ourselves with lamb w/spinach, lamb vindaloo, eggplant, two assorted appetizer plates, naan, and papadum and the total came to only €90,00 including plenty of beer for those of us who drink. None of the entrees we ordered was over €10,00, with most being in the €7-9 range. Everything was good except for an overly-mild spinach lamb.

Service was decidedly Italian (I quickly learned that it is pointless to be in a hurry whenever you sit down to eat in Rome), but friendly and helpful. Although our meal was inexpensive, the pricing was a bit strange - it was only €1,50 for a bottle of mineral water (often $7 at nicer SF joints), but €3/each for rice, which seems pricey. A surprising find in a city whose restaurants serve mostly Italian fare.

Bombay, (619)298-3155
3975 5th Ave.
(between University & Washington)
San Diego, CA
(Hillcrest district)		 Price: $$-$$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/04/06
Tasty Indian fare in a lovely setting and good service marked our one visit here. One whole wall is a cascading water feature (you may not want the tables next to it, as I'm sure one would get misted-upon), and there's a smallish outside patio area along with perhaps 2 dozen tables inside.

The menu, a weighty affair of copper and leather, has mostly typical North Indian fare. We decided on the vegetarian appetizer plate ($9.95), chicken tikka masala ($14.95), and a channa masala ($11.95). The veggie app plate was okay, but had too much pakora vegetables and not enough of anything else. The two large samosas in the middle were crispy and flavorful, but I'd have liked to have more variety on the plate. The pakora vegetables were pretty good, however, and many species were represented (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, onion, zucchini, mushroom, etc).

The channa masala, chickpeas in a red broth, was very tasty, with a hint of spicy peppers. It's a natural atop the aromatic basmati rice that was included. The chicken tikka masala was also quite flavorful, although the chicken was a little overdone, as is nearly always the case.

To drink Sarah had a bindi drop ($8.95), a tasty cocktail of chambord, vodka and lime juice, and I had a large bottle of Himalayan Blue ($7.50), an Indian beer I hadn't seen before. It was good, and a little drier than the more often-seen Indian beers (Singha, Flying Horse, and so on).

Service was cheerful and attentive throughout. My only gripe is that it was a little on the expensive side, but the nice atmosphere and fancy menu bindings don't come free. Our bill for 2 drinks, an appetizer and two entrees was $57.44 before tip.

India's Clay Oven, (831)373-2529
150 Del Monte Ave.
(between Alvarado & Tyler)
Monterey, CA
(downtown)		 Price: $$-$$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/10/07
Much better Indian buffet food than we'd expected given its location in downtown Monterey, although we all felt it was a little pricey.

On our Saturday afternoon visit we were welcomed by a friendly Indian woman who seated us and pointed us to the buffet. Other than the somewhat soggy pakora and unremarkable naan, everything was fresh and brightly flavored. The skewered chicken, offered in two flavors, tandoori and a milder curry, was very flavorful and juicy, ditto the meatballs. The lamb vindaloo, although not as spicy as I would have preferred, was well-cooked and had a flavorful thin broth.

Other than the above, the buffet had the usual North Indian dishes; korma, naan, saag panner, chutneys, and so on. The chai, served with our food rather than afterwards, was very good, but an additional $2.50 each. India's Clay Oven is no bargain, however - at $12.95 per person for the buffet, it's pretty darned expensive compared to most buffets, but it is in the heart of Monterey, which probably goes a long way towards explaining the prices.

Decor is a bit divey, and there is an interesting mural painted on one of the tall windows. It's a little hard to find, as you take an elevator up from the street to get to it, but we thought the food was better than we'd expected, and it's a welcome find in downtown Monterey, where we've had trouble finding good eats in the past.

Italian/Pizza:

Zingaro, (541)488-5511
23 N. Main St.
(3rd floor)
Ashland, OR		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 9 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/30/05
Sarah & I more or less randomly chose this Italian/Spanish place while wandering around in downtown Ashland, and were very glad we did! Located on the third floor of an oldish building, the window seats (reserved for those with reservations) have great views of the quaint downtown Ashland area. The cozy terra-cotta dining room had a crackling fire and perhaps 12 tables.

We started with a couple of cocktails from their extensive menu; Sarah ordered a hard Ginger Lemonade ($6) and I had a Hong-Kong Manhattan ($7). Both drinks were excellent, and would have cost several dollars more at a SF restaurant. We were pondering what to order when our waitress announced the specials - lobster and scallop rissotto ($20) and a flank steak with gorgonzola horseradish sauce ($18). That pretty much ended all discussion, and Sarah ordered the rissotto and me the steak.

Curiosly for a nice restaurant in a state known for some good wines, there was not a single Oregon (or US, for that matter) wine on the list, which is only sold by the bottle. They do have nightly by-the-glass specials, however, and I had a lovely Spanish tempranillo (so lovely that Sarah ordered a glass herself).

Our entrees arrived speedily enough, and both were excellent. The rissotto was creamy and full of seafood'y goodness. The lobster and scallops were both perfectly cooked, without a trace of the rubberiness that both meats can have when overcooked. My steak, which I ordered medium rather than my usual medium rare so Sarah could enjoy it too, was wonderful, with a firm char on the outside, and tender juiciness on the inside. The horseradish-gorgonzola sauce that accompanied it was well-balanced, without the overpowering nose-feel of horseradish, but enough to give the dish a bit of a kick. The side mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe were both nicely done, especially the rabe, which remained al dente.

For dessert we shared a tiramisu ($8), which was good, but not wonderful. It was a bit heavy on the cream and a bit light on the ladyfingers. The dry sherry I ordered with it was much too dry to be a good match for the very-sweet tiramisu - a nice port (not available) would have been perfect.

Service was friendly and efficient, neither too casual nor too aloof. The bill came to $78 before tip - not bad at all given that the food was only $40, and $38 for 2 cocktails, 2 glasses of wine, and a dessert sherry isn't too shabby either! I would have expected a similar meal to be well over $100 in San Francisco, so we were happy campers when we left. After our meal we had a couple drinks at the adjacent Hong Kong Bar, a similarly cozy joint with a nice bartender and the same great drinks as the restaurant. We will cheerfully return on our next time through Ashland!

Il Ciak, 06 58.94.774
Vicolo del Cinque, 21
Rome, Italy
(Trastevere district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 8.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/15/05
Il Ciak was our first 'authentic' meal whilst in Rome, and Sarah and I enjoyed it quite a bit despite some language problems (unlike a great many places in Rome, little/no English is spoken here). Fortunately they did have an english-language menu that they brought out after watching us look incomprehendingly at the italian one they brought (no doubt our futile referencing of an Italian menu translation book was a dead giveaway!).

This being our first dinner out in Italy we weren't sure of the ordering conventions and under-ordered just an antipasti (€3,30) and two secondi piatti (€13,50/ea, another primi piatti or ensalata would have been welcome). They had a huge selection of unusual (to me) game items (gamecock, pheasant, deer, boar, etc.), but all were notated as frozen (a convention I wish we had in the US!), so I opted for a combo grill of, well, I'm not sure what.

Sarah had a whole chicken, and I had at least some chicken, but also a smaller bird (squab?), boar liver sausage (an absolutely fabulous item!), and something's rib (beef?). I should have followed my instinct and also ordered the duck sauced pasta for a primi, but c'est la vie.

Service was typical casual Italian (no hurry at all), and the decor was comfortable and familiar, with wood paneling, checked tablecloths, and curing meats hanging here and there.

Our bill was only €51,90 for two, including service and a bottle of the house wine (€14,00) - very reasonable! I would cheerfully return here if I have the good fortune to dine in Trastevere again. Although we had a reservation for 8:30 on a Tuesday evening, it was not necessary, as the place was nearly empty until around when we left at 10:30pm.

Side note: Vicolo del Cinque is a great little street to wander. One shoe store in particular is astonishingly arty, even by Italian standards!

L'isola della Pizza, 06 39.73.34.83
Via degli Seipioni, 41/49
Rome, Italy
(Prati/Vatican district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/16/05
Excellent antipasti and tasty grilled meats in a popular joint in Rome's Prati district near the Vatican Museum. Plentiful outdoor seating for those warm Rome evenings, and on our visit, very harried service from just two overworked servers. Only a small portion of the menu we were given was available, mainly pizza and a few grilled meats (alas, not the carpaccio I wanted).

There was some initial confusion about the ordering process, fortunately Diane's Italian got us through it. I never quite understood what the issue was, but I think it was something to do with deciding if we wanted an antipasti self-serve bar, or a specific order for the table. We wound up with a table-full of excellent starters, many of them different from the "italian" fare I'm used to in California, particularly some yummy pickled vegetables. The croquettes (breaded, deep-fried rice balls) had a lovely texture, but could have had a stronger flavor, however.

For our secondi piatti, I ordered lamb kebabs, which arrived well before Sarah & Diane's entrees. Although a bit more cooked than I prefer my lamb, the dish was well-seasoned and the accompanying veggies were quite nicely done. Sarah & Diane's dishes were tasty too, once they arrived and I snuck a bite from them.

Our poor server was running back and forth at a frantic pace, getting alternately chewed out by the head waiter, then by impatient customers. Nonetheless he did a heroic job serving his much-too-large area, and we quite enjoyed the people watching in the ample outdoor dining area.

This was a pleasant surprise find in Prati, but I'd happily return if ever I was in the area. I don't know for sure, but it seemed like a local's place, with numerous people of the cloth and policemen present (along with the ever-present gypsies playing (good, in this case) music and asking for coinage).

Prices were reasonable - our large meal for 4, including two bottles of wine (one an unremarkable bottle from Castelli Romani, the other a tasty Chianti), was just a bit over €100.

Old Town Pizza, (530)888-7600
150 Sacramento St.
Auburn, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/20/04
Good pizza in a nice funky family-style atmosphere. Service was a touch inattentive, but the pizza was good and the house salad was much more full-featured than most. This was the only thing we could find that was open at 6pm on a Sunday night in old-town Auburn.

Japanese:

Sushi Saito, (323)663-8890
4339 W. Sunset Blvd.
(@ Fountain)
Los Angeles, CA
(Silverlake district)		 Price: $$-$$$
Rating: 8.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/06/04
Excellent traditional sushi restaurant. I was pleased by this, but Sarah was less so, since she hasn't acquired the taste for raw fish, and they really don't serve much else at all. I'd heard it was a good idea to sit at the bar and ask Saito what is good, so that's what I did. The resulting mackarel was delicious, and the hamachi one of, if not the, best I've had. Sarah & I both liked the soft shell crab special roll and she even ventured a bite of the tasty hirame (halibut). Saito is a master sushi chef, with every movement simple yet elegant.

Mediterranean/Greek/Middle Eastern:

Village Kabob, (619)222-3255
4902 Newport Ave.
(@ Cable)
San Diego, CA
(Ocean Beach)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/24/06
Tasty traditional Greek food in a cute corner space. Sarah, my mom, Brian and I had lunch here while browsing the antique stores in OB and were glad we dropped by. Sarah remembered the place from the year she spent at SDSU and was glad to see it's still around.

The interior is light blue, with some greek ornamenation (urns and the like) here and there, but feels unassuming and welcoming. Our hostess, a friendly greek woman, seated us with a smile and answered our questions about the menu (see their website).

Sarah & my mom each ordered a gyros sandwich ($4.95), while Brian and I decided to split The Symposium ($20.95 for two). Our dish took a bit of time to prepare, since it has a little bit of everything, and the gyro sandwiches arrived a good 10 minutes before our platter.

The gyros were very tasty, well-seasonsed and well-prepared, with a good meaty flavor to them (as one would hope!). When our Symposium platter arrived, we found it laden with all manner of greek specialties: dolmas, spanakopita, mousaka, gyro meat, chicken kabob, and hummus, served with the obligatory bowl of pita toasts. All was good, especially the meats and the dolmas, the latter of which weren't too vinegary, as I often find them to be.

Service was all smiles and friendliness. Although it was a lovely Friday afternoon, we were the only people in the place. All told, a nice find in OB.

Oasis, (805)543-1155
675 Higuera St.
(bet. Broad & Nipomo)
San Luis Obispo, CA		 Price: $-$$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/09/04
Good Middle-eastern and Moroccan food. Decor is very nice and fabric'y. My lunch plate of spicy chicken ($6.95) arrived well-flavored, but not all that spicy. Sarah's gyro ($6.95) was alright too, but I was glad I got what I did, as the gyro was a little on the bland side. Service was a touch leisurely. I'm sure it's pretty hopping on a weekend evening!

Mexican:

El Toro Bravo, (530) 587-3557
10186 Donner Pass Rd.
Truckee, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/19/04
Pretty good Mexican food and most importantly after a long day playing in the Sierras, margueritas! I had the El Macho (or something like that) - an excellent tamale, an okay chicken enchilada and a good beef taco served with bubbly baked cheese-covered rice and beans. I wouldn't normally mention it, but the music they were playing was a horrible B-grade Mexican boy-band. It was so bad it actually really detracted from the dining experience! The waitress was powerless to change it (but agreed it was terrible). Nice outdoor patio for warm-weather dining. If they changed their CD selection I would gladly return :)
Old Juan's Cantina, (805)489-5680
Hwy 1 & Pier Ave.
Oceano, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 6/13/03
More ambience than quality, but its okay food. Extremely strong margaritas - Sarah & I were glad we walked from the condo we were staying in! Icky chopotle-honey-mustard-tartar sauce, but okay seafood. I had the Saute Del Mar, which was decent, but way greasy and Sarah had the Jalapeño Cheese Stuffed Shrimp, which were strange in a wrong sort of way. I enjoyed this place more when I came here during the CA AIDS Ride, but that's probably because I hadn't had restaurant food in a while!

Russian:

Galata House (Galata Evi), +90(0212)245 18 61
Galatakulesi Sok. No:61
Istanbul, Turkey
(Galata/Beyoğlu district)		 Price: $$-$$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/21/06
One of our most interesting meals in İstanbul , if not the tastiest! Located in the old British consular jailhouse and run by a charming man (also a heritage architect) and his wife (a Georgian cook), this tall and narrow building houses a fairly elegant set of small dining rooms and a menu of Georgian and Russian food, which I was almost entirely unfamiliar with. The walnut leaf-infused vodka was a hit with our table - nutty and pleasantly bitter, with a dark brown color. Our cheese plate (YTL8.50) was good, but like almost all of the cheeses we had in ıstanbul, was extremely salty. Diane’s appetizer of eggplant with walnut sauce (YTL8) was excellent, and my dish of Ostri (YTL16), a Georgian take on goulash, was flavorful and hearty. The S’Tatarashi, a ravioli-like entree was less successful, a bit on the chewy side for our liking. The Kuş Sutu (YTL6), a meringue and chocolate sauce chocolate cake was rich and decadent, however, the Blancmange w/mastika (YTL6) was awful, but that’s probably more due to this being our first encounter with mastika rather than it being a poor example of the dish. If you haven’t had the stuff, mastika is an extremely bitter, poisonous-tasting tree resin. The owner talked to us for a while, and was a gracious, charming, and worldly gentleman. Definitely worth checking out, just for the unusual experience of eating in a jail!

Seafood:

Rapscallion, (775)323-1211
1555 S. Wells Ave.
Reno, NV		 Price: $$-$$$$
Rating: 10 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/19/03
Really, really good seafood in a nice atmosphere. Not cheap, but not unreasonable either. We started with a seafood combo appetizer, which had coconut prawns with a spicy orange marmalade sauce, a large crab cake with a Cajun remoulade, and Diablos on Horseback (bacon-wrapped scallops topped with a pepper hollandaise sauce, served on crutons with spinach leaves - pure heaven). For entrees, I had the pepper-encrusted swordfish with rosemary, tomatoes and mushrooms in a cognac mushroom sauce with wild rice. Sarah had chilean sea bass over garlic mashed potatoes with bacon-wrapped asparagus. Both were absolutely delicious, cooked to near perfection. As we didn't have reservations (which are definitely a good idea), we were seated outside (it was either that or an hour+ wait for an indoors table). The outdoor patio was very pleasant in the July Reno evening, and a quality cover band played music at a not-too-loud volume as we ate. All in all a great outing!
London Fish 'N Chips, (530)753-7210
129 East B St.
Davis, CA		 Price: $
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 05/21/05
Much to my surprise, this college-student hangout in land-locked Davis, run by a Japanese couple, has very tasty British fish 'n chips! There's no decor to speak of and funky beat-up furniture, but I'll be darned if their fish isn't one of the best I've had.

Good fish, with a nice and even batter, deep fried to perfection. As an added bonus, the fries were very good as well (most places seem to get, at most, one of those two things right). It was around $7 for a generous 3-piece order.

Ambience is nonexistent - you order at a counter and they call your number when its ready. Service is simliarly a non-issue, as it's just the couple behind the counter. A happy find that I'd recommend if you're in the mood for fish 'n chips in Davis.

Great American Fish Company, (805)772-4407
1185 Embarcadero Blvd.
Morro Bay, CA		 Price: $-$$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 06/15/03
Tasty seafood in a laid-back family atmosphere with a great view of Morro Rock and the water. I always make a point to go here when I'm in the area, at least for a shrimp cocktail and a beer. It can be pretty crowded during peak hours (by central coast standards), but its otherwise not too busy. It might not be the best seafood in the area (honestly I have no idea, having not been anywhere else in Morro Bay), but I have fond memories of eating here as a young 'un.
Oceano Beach Seafood & Deli, (805)489-2252
396 Pier Ave.
Oceano, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 03/14/03
Glacially slow service. I mean really, painfully slow. It took at least 45min for us to get 3 orders of fish and chips. This wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't in any hurry, but we were running late for my sister's graduation, so it was annoying. At least the fish was very tasty - crispy and well-breaded. The chips were a little on the saggy side, probably due to sitting around forever while the fish was cooked one fillet at a time!
McGrath's Fish House, (503)653-8070
11050 SE Oak St.
Milwaukie (Portland), OR		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 5.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/27/05
Sarah & I dined here with my mom & Brian while visiting them in Portland over the '05 holidays. In many ways, it reminds me of Market Broiler in my old city of Fremont, CA. Like Market Broiler, McGrath's is a small chain (Milwaukie/Portland, Beaverton, Vancouver (WA)), must seat well over 100 people, and has a somewhat generic aquatic-themed decorating style. Although we were there too early in the evening for it to matter, you can call up to 2 hours ahead to put your name on the seating list, which is almost as good as taking reservations, and better than many places provide.

After a good deal of debate I settled on a halibut steak and we all shared an appetizer of crab cakes. Our server was friendly and very casual, moreso than I'm used to (this is likely a Portland vs. SF thing).

The crab cakes were tasty and vanished quickly, and our entrees arrived soon thereafter. Unfortunately my halibut was rough, dry and chewy, nearly enough so for me to send it back. A shame to maim a lovely fish such as this, especially at a fish house in the PNW! The wine I ordered with dinner, a Willamette Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir, was very good, however, and complemented the food nicely.

Perhaps we were still out-of-sorts from the very long drive up from SF the previous day, but I didn't find too much to recommend this place. It's obviously very popular, however, and has a number of glowing reviews on citysearch.com, so perhaps I was there on an off day (or was off myself). Prices are quite reasonable for seafood, so perhaps that's a lot of the appeal.

Spanish/Basque:

JT Basque Bar & Dining Room, (775)782-2074
1426 Main St.
Minden, NV		 Price: $$$
Rating: 9 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/05/03
Tons and tons of food for the money, and its all really good, although vegetarians may starve to death. The only decision we had to make was the meat for the main dish (choice of steak, chicken, or sweet bread that night - other nights may vary). For $18.50 each, we got a bottle of wine (included with the meal), bread, salad, a tasty bulgur lentil soup, delicious basque beans, a lovely beef stew, the entree (I had an excellent steak with roasted garlic), and ice cream! Everything was very tasty and hearty - just what the doctor ordered after a long day on the road. They have a cool bar in the front to hang out at while you wait (its quite a popular place). Highly recommended!
Costa Brava, (858)273-1218
1653 Garnet Ave.
(bet. Ingraham & Jewell)
San Diego, CA
(Pacific Beach)		 Price: $$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/27/06
This low-key, somewhat upscale restaurant was a nice break from all of the pub grub and mexican fare in Pacific Beach. We dined here on our last night in San Diego, and were overall pleased with the results.

The restaurant is an open space next to a nice dark wooden bar, with high ceilings and soft saffron'y colors. Although we were the only diners when we arrived, we were seated at the only table that had water spraying onto it from a nearby leaky window. We reseated ourselves at a drier table and perused the menu.

We were happy to see the food was authentic spanish, rather than the often tasty, but rarely authentic, tapas fare we get in San Francisco. One side of the menu was entrees, the other tapas, divided into two columns, one for cold, one for hot. Our waiter started off well, giving us time to make our selections, then promptly taking our order.

The special cheese plate ($15.50) sounded excellent as described, so we decided on that, Gambas Ajillo ($8.95), Croquetas Pollo ($6.95), and the Patatas Bravas ($5.75). The crusty bread that arrived before our dishes was very good, and served warm like it should be.

Sure enough, the cheese plate was fabulous, with 5 different and interesting spanish cheese (goat, blue, cream, manchego, and one other whose name escapes me), served with tasty olives. The shrimp were excellent - moist, juicy and full of shrimpy goodness. The chicken croquettes were crunchy on the outside and full of flavorful chicken and such on the inside, and the potatoes were very good as well, although the heavy cheese sauce they were topped with is a sure heart-attack-bringer!

Our service slackened at this point, however, and proved difficult to find and communicate with for the remainder of our meal. Wine-wise, they had a modest, but interesting selection of spanish vino. Sarah had two glasses of the house white ($4/ea) and I had a glass of Arienzo rioja ($6) on the waiter's suggestion. It proved rich but not too heavy - a good match for our plates.

For dessert we split the capricho helado ($5.95), a good, but unrefined dish of strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and burnt sugar topping. Not bad, but nothing I couldn't make at home in 5 minutes either. It took longer than it should have for our last plates to be cleared and the check brought, especially as even at that time there were just two other parties having a meal. All told it was a very good authentic meal in a nice relaxing environment, marred by rather lackluster service.

Louis' Basque Corner, (775)323-7203
301 E. Fourth St.
Reno, NV
Tue-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm (lunch)
Sun-Sat 5pm-9:30pm (dinner)		 Price: $$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 07/18/03
Super-busy atomosphere, full of what looked to be mostly locals. It took us a while to flag someone down to seat us, but once we were seated, we had a nice meal. Typical of Basque places, we were seated next to strangers and had a glut of earthy food. We started with bread, salad, and wine, then moved on to some slightly flavor-challenged manhattan clam chowder and tasty mussels over rice. The main dish choices were lamb, steak, salmon, and sweet breads (which are not bread, but rather the thalamus gland of cows). I had the lamb and Sarah had the steak. My lamb arrived very nicely cooked - rare enough to be juicy, but not so much so as to be disturbing. Sarah's steak arrived a somewhat over-done medium-well, but it was tasty enough. We had a couple of yummy picon punches at the bar after our meal (don't do this if you're going to be behind the wheel - they're rather strong!). An enjoyable outing to be sure. Louis' was voted best Basque in Nevada, but I thought JT's was a better.

Thai:

Saffron, (619)574-7737
3737 India St.
(bet. Andrews and Winder)
San Diego, CA
(Mission Hills district)		 Price: $
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 08/06/06
Very good cheap noodles in a hole in the wall right next to I-5. There's also a take-out-only counter next door, which has an outside patio to eat at. You order at the counter and your food is (quickly) brought out. Seating is either indoors or on a covered veranda in front.

The menu is mostly various Thai and SE Asian noodle dishes with an emphasis on Rad Na. There are about 10 vegetarian options, and they do have a beer/wine license.

On our first visit with Dave and his daughter Zoe I ordered the Pad Esann (spicy noodles w/chicken, $7), which arrived very spicy indeed - near my upper threshold of spiciness, and I like my food pretty hot! Flavor was good and a little sweet. Sarah loved her Pad See Ewe w/chicken ($7.70) and likewise Dave his, but with beef (also $7.70), and Zoe quickly devoured her children's order of chicken sate and rice ($4).

Dave suggested we try the baked egg rolls ($2.19/ea) as well as the chicken salad rolls ($4.28 for 3, or $1.51 each). These were less to my liking than the noodle dishes, with the salad rolls having a tough and chewy wrapper and somewhat dry chicken rather than moist shrimp as I prefer. The egg rolls, baked rather than fried, were pretty tasty. The sweet pepper and peanut dipping sauces with the chicken rolls were both pretty good.

We like this place enough to return for one last meal before heading to the airport. This time, Sarah again had Pad See Ewe, and I had the Eslam (spicy wide noodles w/chicken, $7). The Eslam was mercifully less spicy than the Esann, and we both enjoyed picking bits from each other's plate. I found the Pad See Ewe to be tasty, with a nice smoky flavor.

Given its proximity to most of San Diego's car rental companies, we've decided to make it something of a tradition to have a meal at Saffron before going to the airport, and our August '06 visit was as good as Februrary's. Sarah again had the Pad See Ewe, declaring it the ultimate noodle dish, and I had the Rad Na Beef, which I like a lot more than other Rad Na I've had - the gravy was light and very flavorful, but allowed the other ingredients to shine through.

Although the food is basic Thai fare, prices are quite reasonable for the quality and quantity (nothing's over $8.50, and most dishes hover around $7). We were surprised to learn that the Chihuly-lookalike glass art pieces on the high shelves are, in fact, by Chihuly - the owner must know him or something, as that's awfully expensive/nice art for what is essentially a take-out counter!

Turkish:

Sofyalı No. 9, +90(0212)245 03 62
Asmalımescit Cad. Sofyalı Sok. No:9,
Istanbul, Turkey
(Tünel/Beyoğlu district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 9 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/23/06
Excellent, fun and affordable! a meyhanerie (?sp), Sofyalı specializes in small plates (mezes) and raki (booze). Everything we had was great, and the place had a warm camraderie about it. Get anything - it’s great! We were shocked that our bill for the 4 of us, with a number of double rakis, was only YTL85, an excellent deal! This was one of our favorite restaurants of our visit to Istanbul.
Asitane, +90(0212)635 79 97
Kariye Camii Sokak. no 18
Istanbul, Turkey
(Edirnekapi district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 8.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/22/06
Our only other two-peat in Istanbul, besides Turquoise, and definitely the fanciest place we ate in Istanbul. Located in the Kariye Otel, next to the fabulous Kariye Camii (not to be missed!), Asitane specializes in traditional Ottoman cuisine, and makes something of a deal about how difficult it is to find recipes or records of what the Ottomans ate. Whatever the case, Asitane’s food is fantastic, but not at all cheap. For mezes, the Bazar Böreği (YTL10), a pastry stuffed with pumpkin, cheese and scallions was out-of-this-world good, as was the Arefe Köftesi (YTL12), a cracked wheat roll stuffed with minced lamb, almonds, pistachios, currants and spices. The Hibesh (TYL8) wasn’t remarkable, however - a bit bland, especially in comparison. My favorite entree of our dinner visit was the Mutancene - Tenecere Yemeği (YTL20), diced lamb with dried apricots, raisins, honey and almonds in a casserole. It was sweet, but deeply-flavored and wonderfully rich. Everyone else’s dishes were excellent too, and the service was good, if a bit stiff, but beverages were brought and refilled frequently. There was a YTL2 service charge per person, and this was the only place we dined that had one. Although pretty expensive, especially by Istanbul standards (our meal for 4 including (a lot of) drinks was YTL211), it was the tastiest meal we had, and should definitely be visited especially if you’re going to Kariye Camii!
Rumeli Cafe, +90(0212)512 00 08
Divanyolu Cad. Ticarethane Sk. No:8
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/27/06
Sarah and my last meal in town proved to be our favorite dinner in the Sultanahmet area. The interior is rustic and romantic, with faux (I assume) stonework and white tablecloths. We were the only diners there at 7pm on a Thursday, and there was an overabundance of servers, mostly standing around talking amongst themselves for lack of any work to do. Our starter of Mücver (YTL10), an eggplant, carrot and bulgur(?) patty somewhat reminiscent of falafel, was excellent, served with a simple salad on the side, and a delicious thick yogurt. Sarah’s Manti (YTL12), meat-filled ravioli in yogurt sauce, was great. We only saw this dish at one or two other places, which is too bad, as it’s very good! My Rahibe Kesesi (YTL20) was a tasty pastry packet, stuffed with peppers, lamb, raisins and the like - very tender and flavorful. One of the many included sides was a bit odd, though - mushrooms with sliced cured meat in a marinara sauce. The other sides were generally good, however. Steamed vegetables were a nice touch in this meat-heavy cuisine, but they were a tad mushy. The pilav was good, and the fried potato wedges, which had a tandoori-like barbecue seasoning, were very good. Our dessert of Kızarmış Dondurma (YTL11) was delicious, a fancy breaded and baked ice cream atop an orange slice, which was atop a brownie with sugared strawberries and jam around it. Service didn’t seem quite used to semi-fine dining, but was friendly enough and got the job done. Our bill was only TYL77.50 - not bad at all, as we had a few raki!
Havuzlu, +90(0212)527 33 46
Gani Çelebi Sokak No:3
Istanbul, Turkey
(Kapalıçarsı district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/25/06
Simple and hectic, befitting a place in the heart of the Grand Bazaar! You can point-and-order, or try out the menu. We opted for the menu, having at least some experience with Turkish menus. Their İskender kebab (YTL10) came recommended, so I had that, while Sarah had the Döner Kebab (YTL9). The ıskender was the best I had in Istanbul - tender and juicy, with flavorful meat, a nice light sauce, and yummy fried potatoes atop a bed of crutons with yogurt on the side. S’s döner was good, but if you go, get the Iskender - it’s just the ticket to rejuvenate yourself before an afternoon in the bazaar!
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta, +90(0212)520 05 66
Divanyolu Caddesi No:12
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/26/06
Excellent basic Köfte and a very small menu (vegetarians take note - you’ll starve here!). My lamb took a while to arrive, and was a little fatty in places, but everyone else’s Izgara Köfte (YTL6) was great. The Piyaz (YTL3), a salad with beans, was good and very cheap. S & I split a Kemalpas,a Tatlısı, dough balls in syrup. Good but not nearly as good as Havuzlu’s. Service was as one would expect for this type of place. Note that we saw tourist buses unloading here, so they’re obviously crushed at those times. When we were there, however, we were the only non-Turks present. Prices are quite reasonable.
Turquoise, +90(0212)517 37 50
Cankurtaran Mahallesi Akbıyık Caddesi No: 40
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/22/06
Our lunch here was good enough to inspire us to return for dinner (and it is pretty close to where we were staying, which helped!). The İmam Baylıdı (YTL8.50), a stuffed eggplant appetizer, was excellent, and Sarah’s ıskender kebab (YTL15) was tasty too. The Rooster (TYL17.50) entree wasn’t successful, however, rather generic. Nice ambience with many Turkish lamps on the ceiling, just like our hotel had. Service on both visits was warm and very friendly - our waiter recognized us from our lunch visit a few days prior and gave us all a free round of raki - a sure way to my heart!
Kirevi,
Divanyolu Cad. near Yerebetan Cad.
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/22/06
This wasn’t our favorite dinner in Sultanahmet, despite the friendly service and nice decor. Once we found it (it had been recommended on a Turkey travel forum) we were offered a YTL25/ea fixed meal, so had that. Despite a laundry list of good-sounding ingredients, the food was overall rather bland, and the promising service vanished as the evening wore on. We were also not thrilled by the foil-wrapped desserts that had obviously been brought over from another store (in fact we saw the women from said store deliver them!). Our final bill was a bit confusing - we’d expected YTL100 for the four of us, but instead found 3 dessert charges, but no drink charges. It was YTL120 all told, before tip. Although it wasn’t bad, I wouldn’t return here - Rumeli was a much better value in the area, and about the same price.
House of Medusa, +90(0212)511 41 16
Yerebatan Cad. No:19
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/22/06
Just a few doors down from our hotel, this was a basic, but decent cafe-style place. One nice touch was the blankets at every table to cozy up on the chillier evenings. The Köfte was good, no-frills, but good. Our favorite were the zucchini fritters served with yogurt dill sauce - mmmm! Pastrami & cheese rolls were too salty, but otherwise alright. Service was okay, but our lunch was a little expensive at YTL40 for 1 entree, 2 mezes, a beer and a tea.
Sofa Cafe, +90(212)458 36 30
Mimar Mehmet Ağa Cadessi No:32
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/19/06
We ate here on our first night in Istanbul. The menu is typical Turkish, and the food was not great, but not awful either. Then again, one's first meal after a day-long flight isn't too likely to impress no matter what, I suppose! My first (but not last!) encounter with Raki (a Turkish anise-flavored liquor) was here. Service was casual and friendly, and the atmosphere was moody.
Refik, +90(0212)243 28 34
Asmal&305;mescit Cad. Sofyalı Sok. No:10
Istanbul, Turkey
(Tünel/Beyoğlu district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 6 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/23/06
Our last meal in I.stanbul with Sarah’s parents was, alas, not our favorite. Another meze & raki joint like Sofyal? No.9 above, but Refik failed to charm us. Service wasn’t great, and my order of lamb s,is, arrived nearly half an hour after Jim, Diane and Sarah’s köfte and chicken s,is, came, with no explanation. The food was fine, and our cold meze of roasted red pepper was very good. Although smoking is allowed pretty much everywhere in I.stanbul, we found it overpowering at Refik and our eyes were watering as we left. Especially with the cheaper and better Sofyalı No.9 just next door, I wouldn’t come back to Refik.
Cafe Meşale, +90(0212)518 95 62
Arasta Çarşısı No:45
Istanbul, Turkey
(Sultanahmet district)		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/20/06
Trapped in a tourist trap! The "live whirling dervish" and english-language signage should have warned us off, but we were hungry, it was a pleasant night, and they had a nice outside eating area (only an outside eating area, in fact!). The food was average, both in price and quality, and the service was much worse than the extremely helpful and friendly service we experienced everywhere else we ate. It would be an alright place to have a lunch after visiting Ayasofya or Sultanahmet Camii, but I can’t recommend it for dinner.

Vietnamese:

Saigon Restaurant, (619)284-4215
4455 El Cajon Blvd.
(at Highland Ave.)
San Diego, CA		 Price: $-$$
Rating: 7 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 02/23/06
Saigon Restaurant is a bustling, open place, with numerous tables for large parties in the middle, and smaller tables along the walls. At our friend Dave's recommendation, the three of us ate here on a Thursday evening and it was pretty crowded, but not quite full.

The decor is mostly nonexistent other than a nice mural along the walls above the windows, broken up by two very large TVs (apparently they had a brief try at karaoke, which mercifully failed to take hold). We were seated promptly enough, but it took some time to get menus, and to have our order taken.

The menu is well-rounded and very long (over 400 items, although many are variations on the same dish (eg. bun w/chicken, bun w/pork, bun w/shrimp and so on)). I was pleased to see that nearly all of my favorite VN dishes were available.

We started with cha gio (imperial rolls w/lettuce and veggies to make a roll with), which were tasty but the rolls were too long and weren't cut in half and, more importantly, there were no rice noodles on the condiment plate, just the lettuce to wrap with, mint leaves, cucumber and carrots, and fish sauce. I much prefer having some noodles (and that pungent vietnamese herb whose name always escapes me) with my cha gio.

I ordered banh hoi w/BBQ pork and shrimp. The banh hoi (a pressed sheet of fine rice noodles) was much thinner than I've had elsewhere, and made a good vehicle for the meat, vegetables and fish sauce. The BBQ pork was in cubes, rather than flat as I expected. Although the meat was somewhat bland, the bbq sauce on the surface was flavorful and good.

Sarah's hieu teu bo was tasty and pretty spicy - she was sweating all through dinner. Dave plunged into his combination seafood soup with such gusto that it was gone before I could try a bite - he proclaimed it very good. We way overordered, and were stuffed by the time our plate of ribs arrived, so I didn't try those either.

I tried something new for me in the beverage department - pennyroyal leaf drink. It was bright green and tasted somewhat earthy, but in a good way. Dave and Sarah had jackfruit shakes, which were very good, and not too sweet.

Our total bill for 3 drinks, 4 entrees and an appetizer was only $49 before tip - a good value for the amount of food (way more than we could eat - we had lots of leftovers), I thought. Service was hurried and not particularly friendly, but it got the job done. This would be a good place to introduce someone to Vietnamese food since it has so many dishes on the menu, including many vegetarian ones.