| Restaurants are rated on a scale from one to five stars. A one star restaurant is considered poor, two stars is average, three stars is above average, four stars is quite good, and five stars denote a truly exceptional restaurant. I believe that on an absolute scale, restaurants follow something that would resemble a normal ("bell curve") distribution. This scale is modified to reflect the fact that I attempt to seek out better than average restaurants. Hence, it is expected that restaurants will follow a normal distribution along this scale that's biased towards the higher end of goodness. A plus is added to signify that the restaurant is nearly in the next range.
The dollar signs attempt to give the reader an idea of the price range of the restaurant. Assuming an appropriately sized group goes to the restaurant, one dollar sign indicates that each person should expect to spend less than $10 for a complete meal (typical of the restaurant), two dollar signs indicate a price range of $10-20, three correspond to $20-40, and four goes on from there. The reviews are intentionally short. Although much more could be written about each restaurant, this page is intended to give the reader a brief impression of a restaurant in order to quickly pick where to go to eat. I welcome questions, comments and suggestions. The should be sent to ssorkin@cs.berkeley.edu. For more about me, my homepage is http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~ssorkin/. I also have a food blog at http://cocina.chilaquiles.org/ediblog/ |
| Genera |
| Afghani Breakfast/Lunch Californian Chinese Ethiopian Indian Italian Japanese Mexican Middle Eastern Pizza Thai Unsorted Los Angeles Vancouver |
| Afghani |
| Kabul -- (San Carlos, Sunnyvale) Out of this world good Afghani food. The appetizers are wonderful, the lamb is perfectly prepared, and the pumpkin is delicious. Everything is delicately spiced to perfection. Firnee is a lovely dessert. (****/$$) |
| Afghani House -- (Sunnyvale) I believe that this place is owned by the same people as Kabul. A bit pricier, maybe marginally better food. Highly recommended. (****/$$) |
| De Afghanan -- (Fremont) A quaint little hole in the wall in Fremont. The choices are either kabobs or bulanee (potato or leek turnover) with yogurt; both are good. Always filled with locals. (***/$) |
| Breakfast/Lunch |
| Homemade Cafe -- (Berkeley) Bustling breakfast place on Berkeley's west side. The matzo brei is savory rather than sweet, but I won't hold that against them. The omelettes are perfect. (***/$) |
| Bette's Oceanview Diner -- (Berkeley) Popular breakfast spot on 4th in Berkeley. The food is great but the wait can be long and the prices are high. Homemade cafe might be a better bet. (***/$) |
| Joanie's Cafe -- (Palo Alto) Tasty breakfast on California Avenue in Palo Alto. The sandwiches and soup are also pretty tasty for lunch. (***/$) |
| Cafe Brioche -- (Palo Alto) Slightly pricier breakfast and lunch next door to Joanies. Maybe a bit fancier, but not by much. (***/$$) |
| Venus -- (Berkeley) Unusual breakfast/lunch place in Berkeley. Some interesting creations, some old favorites. Could be better executed. (**/$$) |
| Buck's -- (Woodside) Standard breakfast food in the Woodside foothills. A reputed hangout for the Sand Hill Road VC crowd. Not a bad place for a business breakfast. (**/$) |
| Cafe Borrone -- (Menlo Park) Really tasty cafe right next to Kepler's Bookstore. The eggs scrambled with thyme roasted potatoes and a bit of a baguette is quite wonderful. (***/$) |
| Late for the Train -- (Menlo Park) Well, it used to be near the train station, now it's on Middlefield at Willow. Average breakfast. They also have lunch and dinner, but I haven't tried them. It bills itself as a "whole foods" restaurant. Very Moosewood. (**/$) |
| Hobee's Restaurant -- (Palo Alto) An average breakfast/lunch restaurant of the same genre as The Good Earth. For some reason it's really busy. The food is unremarkable. Avoid the Mexican-style dishes. Known for their blueberry coffeecake. (**/$) |
| Gregoire -- (Berkeley) Terrific take-out lunch in gourmet ghetto. The food is prepared perfectly. Both the bruschetta with ricotta and olives and the lamb sandwich are delicious. The potato orders are huge. (****/$) |
| The Butler and the Chef -- (San Francisco) A great French cafe in South Park. The sandwiches and salads are amazing but the soup could have been better flavored. (***/$$) |
| Cafe Fanny -- (Berkeley) It should not come as a surprise to any fan of the other Alice Waters restaurants how wonderful Fanny is. The simple and elegant breakfast foods are truly amazing. My favorite is the Angelo's poached eggs (with oregano and vinegar). The cafe au lait is superb as well. It's next door to Acme, so you can do your bread shopping on the same trip. (****/$) |
| Mama's Royal Cafe -- (Oakland) A great home style breakfast place on Broadway in North Oakland. The wait can be pretty long on weekends, so it's best to go on weekday mornings. The egg dishes are delicious, as are the potatoes. (***/$$) |
| Crepevine -- (Oakland) Quick breakfast in Rockridge. The potatoes are great: soft with little crunchy bits. The egg scrambles are nice as well. I haven't tried the crepes yet. (**+/$$) |
| Californian |
| Chez Panisse -- (Berkeley) Quite possibly the best restaurant, period. Eating upstairs at the cafe is often more convenient. The food, service, and atmosphere are exceptional. This restaurant is the standard for cooking that celebrates the best possible ingredients. Reservations required far in advance for dinner. I hear that New Yorkers can't get used to to simplicity of the food. (*****/$$$$) |
| Flea St. Cafe -- (Menlo Park) Jessie Cool's mostly organic restaurant. The food is variable. It can be really good sometimes. The produce from Stone Free Farms is great though. They can make the meat dishes with tofu instead, but they tend to turn out badly. Great atmosphere though. (***/$$$$) |
| Greens Restaurant -- (San Francisco) This well-known vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco has a remarkable view but mediocre food. Quite traditional vegetarian dishes that involve whole wheat flour, butter and cheese fail to impress. Perhaps I just ordered incorrectly, but most of the dishes seem to suffer that insidious nut/cheese creep of 70s vegetarian cuisine. (**/$$$$) | Plumed Horse -- (Saratoga) Decent French inspired cuisine. The food is quite good and the atmosphere is conducive to a nice quiet dinner. They had some very nice smoked salmon, but the desserts were underwhelming. The wine list is quite extensive. (***+/$$$$) |
| Bay Wolf -- (Oakland) Excellent Californian-Mediterranean food. Superb soups, homemade pastas and meats. The bread could be better, as could the desserts. Nice atmosphere. (****/$$$$) |
| Chinese |
| Taiwan Restaurant -- (Berkeley) Very tasty chinese food for a good price. It has parking in back, too. Check out its weekend brunch. The mustard greens with bean curd sheets are pretty tasty. (***/$) |
| Yummy Chinese Restaurant -- (El Cerrito) Nice spring onion pancakes and dry sauteed string beans. Wouldn't guess by driving by. (***/$) |
| Old Mandarin Islamic -- (San Francisco) Superb chinese restaurant in the outer sunset. Delicious Islamic Chinese food. The hot pot and cumin lamb are amazing. Try the potatoes too. (****/$$) |
| Peking Eastern House -- (Fremont) Another great Islamic Chinese restaurant, this time in Fremont. The yellow bird (sheet tofu filled with vegetables) is great. (***/$$) |
| Jin Ling -- (Berkeley) Terrible chinese food. Stay away. (*/$) |
| Restaurant Peony -- (Oakland) Fancy family chinese restaurant. All their tables seat at least six. Service a bit hard to come by. Food is pretty good though. (***/$$) |
| Sam Lok -- (San Francisco) Best Sichuan food in SF. The tofu with double mushroom is spectacular. Don't go unless you like spicy food. (****/$$) | Hunan Garden -- (Palo Alto) Quite tasty chinese food along El Camino in Palo Alto. They do nice things with sesame seeds. It's bit on the greasy side though. (***/$$) |
| Jing Jing -- (Palo Alto) The lunches are standard greasy, steamtray Chinese food. The dinner, where entrees are actually freshly made, is much better. They will make things quite spicy on request. (**/$) |
| Gum Kuo -- (Oakland) Just downstairs from Peony, an excellent Chinese noodle house. Their chicken congee is great, though not quite as good as that of Vancouver's Congee Noodle House (perhaps it's its lack of ginger). The tripe noodle soup is delicious as well. (***/$) |
| Ethiopian |
| Massawa -- (San Francisco) Good Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in the Haight. The food is okay but the service is pretty slow. Get the jalapeno pop tarts (sambusas) if you like spice. (**/$$) |
| Red Sea -- (San Jose) Good Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose. A bit better than Massawa (***/$$) |
| Fin Fine -- (Berkeley) Quite good Ethiopian restaurant on a less busy stretch of Telegraph near campus. Delicious freshly made food. The finfine beef and the chickpea puree are both wonderful. The collard greens weren't as good as the others. Two Ethiopian beers to choose from. (***+/$$) |
| Indian |
| Ajanta -- (Berkeley) Overrated, overpriced indian food. (**/$$$) |
| Breads of India -- (Berkeley) Overrated, moderately priced indian food. (**/$$) |
| Zaika -- (Berkeley) From the owners of Breads of India. More upscale (read, expensive). (**/$$$) |
| Vik's Chaat Corner -- (Berkeley) Wonderful, inexpensive Indian "snack" food. Busy on weekends and at lunch. Closes at 6pm. (***+/$) |
| Shalimar -- (San Francisco) Delicious Indian/Pakistani food in the Tenderloin. One of the best Indian places in SF. Go for the food, not the atmosphere. (****/$$) |
| Pakwan -- (San Francisco) Excellent Indian/Pakistani food in the Mission. Slightly better atmosphere and meat dishes than Shalimar, but the vegetarian dishes aren't quite as good. (****/$$) |
| Cafe Raj -- (Albany) Decent Indian/Pakistani restaurant on Solano. Not as good as Shalimar or Pakwan. I've heard that the quality is variable. (**/$$) |
| Kabana -- (Berkeley) Really good Indian/Pakistani restaurant on University in Berkeley. Probably around the level of Pakwan. You leave smelling like burnt meat. (***/$$) |
| Khana Peena -- (Berkeley) Not so good Indian food across the street from Ajanta. (*/$) |
| Amber India -- (Mountain View) Quite tasty Indian food along El Camino. Much better than Swagat, though pricier. I usually ask for more spice, since they often make things too mild. The okra and chicken makhani are superb. (***/$$) |
| Dasaprakash -- (Santa Clara) Superb vegetarian South Indian food in the South Bay. The masala dosas are quite good. The menu is somewhat limited, but everything seems quite good. Look for the combinations on the back page. (****/$$) |
| Italian |
| Oliveto -- (Oakland) Solid, formal Italian cuisine. Tries to be Chez Panisse, probably because of the chef's pedigree. Service could stand an attitude adjustment. (***/$$$$) |
| Vino e Cucina -- (San Francisco) Usually top quality, casual Italian food in SoMa. The arancini is delicious and the pizzas and pastas are always cooked perfectly. (***+/$$$) |
| Phoenix Pastificio -- (Berkeley) Superb freshly made pastas. Only lunch is served, and it's great. (****/$$) |
| Spalti -- (Palo Alto) Mediocre Italian food on California Avenue in Palo Alto. Not remarkable, but not bad either. The pastas are sometimes a bit overcooked. (**/$$$) |
| Original Joe's -- (San Jose) Heavy Italian-American and prime rib in San Jose. There's often a long wait and the food is only adequate. The service isn't that great either. (**/$$$) |
| Frankie Johnnie & Luigi Too -- (Mountain View) Maybe the most foul Italian food that I've ever eaten. The pasta was overcooked. The sauce tasted worse than from a jar. Everything was way too salty. Unspeakably bad. (*/$$) |
| Tra Vigne -- (St. Helena) Really, really good Italian food in the wine country. The pastas are superb. All the flavors are perfect. Great seasonally-correct cuisine. (****/$$$$) |
| Buca di Beppo -- (Palo Alto) Busy, gaudy Italian-American restaurant part of the modestly sized chain. The portions are enormous, but the quality is mediocre. (**/$$) |
| Il Fornaio -- (Palo Alto) The perpetually popular restuarant started for its bread in Los Angeles has lost much of its luster as it has branched out. The bread is still decent (no longer superb). The entrees are standard Italian fare. Not a terrible choice for a fancy Italian dinner. (***/$$$) |
| Lococo's Restaurant & Pizzaria -- (Berkeley) I was torn between filing this under Italian or Pizza since their pizza is quite delicious, but they have enough non-pizza items to escape that niche. The food is Sicilian in style and quite good. The starting bread is a bit greasy for my taste; the cannoli also doesn't impress. On the other hand, they often have lovely (fresh wild) mushroom based pizza or pasta specials. Be prepared to wait as it always is packed. (***/$$) |
| Trattoria La Siciliana -- (Berkeley) One of the best restaurants in the Elmwood neigborhood of Berkeley. Extremely good Italian food. The gnocchi are nearly perfect and the penne with fried zucchini is delicious. Groups of four or more are served family style. The service is a bit spotty, but in general this is a great place to go for Italian food in the east bay. (****/$$$) |
| Delfina -- (San Francisco) Easily the best Italian food in the Bay Area. Perhaps one of the best restaurants, too. The ravioli with spinach and egg is sublime and the roast chicken is outstanding. The wine selection is perfect for the food. They also have bring in white truffles from Alba when in season. (*****/$$$$) |
| Japanese |
| Cha-Ya -- (Berkeley) Vegan (?!?) Japanese food. Superb. Everything is always perfect there. Small, usually crowded. (****+/$$) |
| O Chame -- (Berkeley) Half of the entrees are (unimpressive) ramen. They should watch Tampopo. A couple of good appetizers. (**/$$) |
| Kirala -- (Berkeley) Excellent sushi and robata. Difficult to get a table on weekends. (****/$$$) |
| Fuki Sushi -- (Palo Alto) Overpriced sushi and other Japanese food in Palo Alto. The quality just doesn't seem to justify the price. The food is adequate. (**/$$$) |
| Zao Noodle Bar -- (Palo Alto) Quite possibly the worst noodles that I've ever had. The other things are pretty bad too. Even the service is lousy. Why could this place possibly be so busy? (*/$$) |
| Sushi Sho -- (Berkeley) Amazing sushi along Solano in Berkeley. The best I've found on the East Bay. The hamachi and tamago were outstanding. Although not the absolute best, the toro was excellent for the price. This is a pure, authentic sushi place, there are no California rolls or entrees. The atmosphere is peaceful and calming. (****/$$) |
| Katana-ya -- (El Cerrito) Decent, full menu Japanese restaurant slightly north of Berkeley. They have reliable appetizers like koroke (potato croquettes) and gomae (spinach in a sesame sauce). The sushi is above average and the sukiyaki is very tasty. (***/$) |
| Kitahama -- (Cupertino) Delicious Japanese place, a bit far off though. Everything that I've tried there has been good. They have tatami rooms too. (****/$$$) |
| Higashi West -- (Palo Alto) Trendy, loud, very Palo Alto. The sushi is quite decent but the entrees leave much to be desired. (**/$$$) |
| Mexican |
| Picante -- (Berkeley) Best Mexican food I've tried in Berkeley. The homemade corn tortillas are splendid as are the tacos. However, the desserts are underwhelming and the tostadas aren't quite right. (***/$) |
| El Tapatio -- (Oakland) Great, authentic Mexican food in the Fruitvale district of Oakland. The chips aren't homemade, but the chiles rellenos, tacos, enchiladas, and chilaquiles are delicious. Highly recommended. (****/$) |
| Amelia's -- (Redwood City) Not as much Mexican as Salvadoran, this restaurant is known for its delicious varieties of pupusas (virtually the same as gorditas). The chicken with onions is a bit much food (a whole half chicken) but is quite flavorful. Their Mexican dishes are pretty good as well. Make sure to save room for a pupusa or two (perhaps that's a full meal). (***/$) |
| Dona Tomas -- (Oakland) Quite tasty, refined Mexican food on the Oakland/Berkeley border. Everything is fresh and the ingredients are of very high quality. The portions are also of a reasonable size. The service, on the other hand, is terribly slow. It's also fairly loud with an open kitchen, high ceilings, and hard walls and floors. One more gripe: the chairs are unbelievably uncomfortable. It seems that they don't want their customers to stay very long (which, unfortunately, conficts with their slow service policy). (***/$$$) |
| Los Jarritos -- (San Francisco) Mediocre Mexican food in the Mission. I'm not sure why people like this place so much, but it's certainly not that authentic. The enchilada was crispy rather than soft and the tortillas were hard on the edges. The 50s style interior decoration was cute though. (**/$$) |
| Balompie Cafe -- (San Francisco) Another Salvadoran restaurant that specializes in amazing pupusas. These are smaller than at Amelia's and have less filling, but are at least as good tasting. They also have a nice selection of traditional Salvadorean dishes including a chopped beef salad with mint and radish. The tortillas are freshly made and wonderful. (***+/$$) |
| Middle Eastern |
| Holy Land -- (Berkeley) Tasty kosher food. It's not entirely Israeli since they serve matzo ball soup. Their falafel is quite nice. The mint lemonade is to die for. (***/$$) |
| Mediterranean Wraps -- (Palo Alto) Superb falafel on California Avenue in Palo Alto. The Mujadarra is delicious too. A great lunch stop. There are a couple of tables there, but takeout is their main business. (***/$) |
| Kan Zeman -- (Palo Alto) A sit down mediterranean place from the owner of Med Wraps. The fatoush salad is really tasty, but a bit greasy. In general, very tasty. (***/$$) |
| Kan Zaman -- (San Francisco) Busy, trendy mediterranean place in the Haight. The line is long and the food is only adequate, but the atmosphere has its own appeal (somewhat dark; pillows for floor dining for large groups) (**/$$) |
| La Mediterranee -- (Berkeley, San Francisco) Triplet of Mediterranean restaurants (Berkeley, Castro, Pacific Heights). Decent, varied cuisine of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Better for lunch than dinner. (**/$$) |
| Zatar -- (Berkeley) Quality produce and high-end meat are in search of a bit more polish from the kitchen at this new Berkeley restaurant. The beet and yogurt cheese salad as well as the yogurt cheese and zatar balls are delicious. The roasted leg of lamb was missing something, though. Nice atmosphere; good tea. Cash only. (***/$$$) |
| Pizza |
| Cheese Board Pizza Collective -- (Berkeley) The most delicious, inventive pizzas I've had. They only make one type of (meat-free) pizza each day. The corn, goat cheese, onion, olive oil, and cilantro is to die for. There's always a line, but it moves very fast. (****/$) |
| Zachary's -- (Berkeley, Oakland) Excellent Chicago-style stuffed pizza. The spinach and mushroom is particularly tasty. Gives Giordano's good competition. Very hard to get a table on Friday or Saturday nights. (***/$) |
| Arinell -- (Berkeley, San Francisco) Great New York style thin crust pizza. The thick crust isn't nearly as good. (***/$) |
| Applewood Inn -- (Menlo Park) Nice chewy crust pizza with a variety of toppings. The salads aren't as good as the pizza, though. A few decent German beers to choose from too. (***/$$) |
| Jupiter -- (Berkeley) Thin crust, wood fired pizza. It goes well with the great beers and live music. The Jupiter label beers are 20oz for the price of a pint and I've heard that the pizzas can be customized. It's a bit cold in the back patio, so bring a coat. (***/$$) |
| Tapas |
| Lorca -- (San Francisco) Small tapas joint in the Mission. Full meals can be had in the dining room in the back. Nice art on the walls and a cozy atmosphere. The food is good as well. (***/$$$) |
| Cesar -- (Berkeley) Great tapas next door to Panisse. All the dishes that I've tried have been wonderful. A bit loud, but the lively atmosphere can be quite fun. The wine list is splendid. (****/$$) |
| A Cote -- (Oakland) Amazing selection of cheeses, wines and bar drinks. Perfectly cooked meats and fish. Splendid vegetables. Easily rivals Cesar as the best tapas in the bay. Cozy atmosphere; the back patio is cute. Oh, and the desserts are to die for. (****/$$$) |
| Thai |
| Cha-Am -- (Berkeley) Adequate Thai food in Gourmet Ghetto. Very vegetarian friendly. (**/$$) |
| Sweet Basil -- (Berkeley) Small, good Thai restaurant on Solano. (***/$$) |
| Thep Phanom -- (San Francisco) It's hard to decide if this is better than Suriya. They're both quite tasty. A good choice for Thai food in the city. They had some tasty fried mushrooms. (***/$$) |
| Yukol Place -- (San Francisco) Average thai in the city. Mainly conventional, Americanized Thai dishes. Nothing remarkable. (**/$$) |
| Suriya Thai -- (San Francisco) Quite delicious Thai food in the Mission. The daily specials were outstanding. The Tom Kha Kai soup was seasoned beautifully, but the chicken pieces could have been more tender. However the service was slow and inattentive. (***/$$) |
| Plearn -- (Berkeley) So far the best Thai food that I've had in Berkeley. The curries are superb. The food doesn't come spicy by default but is quite flavorful regardless. (***/$$) |
| Thai Time -- (San Carlos) A better selection than the nearby Woodside Thai Spot, but the food isn't quite as good. One of the better Thai places on the peninsula to take guests. (***/$$) |
| Siam Royal -- (Palo Alto) Boring, plain Thai food. Not nearly enough spice (not necessarily heat, but rather flavor). It's not bad though, just average. (**/$$) |
| Jitlada -- (San Francisco) Decent Thai place near Japantown. The food wasn't exceptional, but was fairly solid. Some of the dishes lacked enough spice. There was a very nice fried appetizer (papaya) though. (**/$$) |
| Unsorted |
| Ti Couz -- (San Francisco) Good creperie in the Mission. The savory crepes are hit-or-miss though. It's hard to pass up their dessert. (***/$$$) |
| Saul's Deli -- (Berkeley) Previously a very good deli in Berkeley. Now, the food has detriorated (new kitchen staff?) and the service is unbearable, even for the East Bay. Too bad. At least they still sell Niman Ranch corned beef. For pastrami, mail order from Langers in LA for the real deal. (**/$$) |
| Max's Opera Cafe -- (Palo Alto, San Francisco) Not a real deli, but it bears some surface resemblance. The portions are huge and usually tasty. The matzo ball soup is quite flavorful. It is often best to just order appetizers. (***/$$) |
| Kokkari -- (San Francisco) Terrific Greek food in the Financial Distric. Very few vegetarian options. (***+/$$$) |
| L'Amie Donia -- (Palo Alto) Great bistro-style french food in downtown Palo Alto. A bit noisy and small, but that adds to the experience. The onion soup is lovely. (****/$$$$) |
| Kim's Cafe -- (Mountain View) Quite good Vietnamese restaurant on Castro in Mountain View. The food is always good, but the service is pretty surly. It has character... and a separate, all vegetarian menu. (***/$) |
| Mango Cafe -- (Palo Alto) Tasty Caribbean food. Interesting smoothies. The rice is sometimes a bit dry though. (***/$$) |
| Gordon Biersch -- (Palo Alto) Standard, greasy brewhouse cuisine. Somewhat cliche. The pizzas are unremarkable and the onion rings are subpar. (**/$$) |
| Shiok -- (Menlo Park) Tasty Singaporean restaurant in Menlo Park. The melamine dishes are pretty amusing, but the food is superb. Something of a cross between Indian and Chinese food. (***/$$) |
| Straits Cafe -- (Palo Alto) Mediocre Singaporean restaurant. The food wasn't very good and the dessert was horrible. The service wasn't so good either. It also relatively expensive. Shiok in Menlo Park is a much better bet. (*/$$$) |
| Izzy's Steaks and Chops -- (San Francisco) A very tasty steakhouse in the Marina. The NY sirloin is very tasty, but the filet mignon au poivre is amazing. The Izzy's potatoes and creamed spinach accompany the meal very nicely. (****/$$$) |
| Joe's Cable Car Restaurant -- (San Francisco) Freshly ground meat and excellent cooks make for terrific burgers at this tiny Outer Mission establishment. The burgers aren't cheap, but they're certainly worth it. I dare say that they're airy enough to be considered fluffy. There are three sizes to choose from, as well as a variety of toppings. The shakes are pretty good too. (****/$$) |
| Atlanta |
| Bacchanalia -- (Atlanta) Superb, five course prix-fixe meals served in a remodeled warehouse in an industrial part of town. Organic, fresh, locally-grown ingredients shine though simple yet perfect preparation. A decent wine list as well. There are plenty of choices in each course to satisfy any carnivore. (*****/$$) |
| Watershed -- (Decatur) This Indigo Girl (Emily) owned spot serves splendid traditional Southern and American food. They're Tuesday fried chicken dinners are as good as it gets. Old favorites such as hamburgers, chicken salad sanwiches and onion rings set a standard for lunch as well. (***+/$$) |
| Swallow at the Hollow -- (Roswell) A great introduction to the regional Barbecues of the south. At every table you can choose among the North Carolina mustard sauce, the sweet ketchup sauce from Kansas City and the more sour and spicy vinegar sauce of South Carolina. Massive portions of delicious meat along with two sides. The fried green tomatoes and homemade pickes are great. All their bread is baked in-house. (***/$$) |
| Los Angeles and Environs |
| La Super-Rica -- (Santa Barbara) Possibly the best Mexican food in California. Simply amazing. Homemade tortillas, wonderful ingredients. You order at a counter and either eat in the back or just takeout. Portions are small, so you can try a lot. (****/$$) |
| Guelaguetza -- (Los Angeles) The mole is amazing at this Oaxacan restaurant. You can also buy the mole paste to take home. They didn't have any squash blossoms when I visited, but the chicken and red mole tamal was superb. The nopal salad was one of the best I've had. The fried bananas with sour cream is a bit heavy of a dessert for me though. (****/$$) |
| Il Cappricio on Vermont -- (Los Angeles) East Hollywood is an unexpected location for such a good Italian restaurant. The gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce was tasty but a bit gummy. The capellini with tomato and chicken was perfect however, as was the salmon with a potato crust. Mainly a restaurant for the locals; they know to BYOB (they don't have a liquor license). (***/$) |
| Guelaguetza -- (Los Angeles) A different Guelaguetza in Palms. Just as tasty as the other ones. The chicken and red mole tamal is wonderful, as is the empanada with squash blossoms. (****/$$) |
| Blue Pyramid -- (Glendale) Very tasty Mediterranean spot. The lentil soup is quite delicious, and the thin crust pizzas are very nice. It's a dark, quiet, friendly restaurant. (***/$$) |
| Pane e Vino -- (Los Angeles) Adequate Italian place on Beverly. Not a bad place to eat lunch in the sun in the back patio. The food is average and the service is good. (**/$$$) |
| Edendale Grill -- (Los Angeles) Mixed bag of traditional American dinner fare in a beautifully restored fire station. The flatiron steak is delicious and the salads are decent. Service and dessert were both underwhelming. (***/$$$) |
| Edendale Grill -- (Los Angeles) Mixed bag of traditional American dinner fare in a beautifully restored fire station. The flatiron steak is delicious and the salads are decent. Service and dessert were both underwhelming. (***/$$$) |
| Langer's -- (Los Angeles) Outstanding Jewish Deli in the (slightly undesirable) MacArthur Park neighborhood. Their signature sandwich, the pastrami, swiss and coleslaw sandwich is a big winner. The corned beef, swiss and sauerkraut is also great. The rye bread has a crunchy crust and is soft inside -- perfection. (****/$$) |
| Vancouver |
| Koon Bo Seafood Restaurant -- Outstanding Cantonese food slightly south of downtown. It is essential to make reservations for one of the two evening seatings. Also, the pigeon is delicious, and that must be special ordered. The chicken salad with pickled vegetables is sublime (it's the first thing on the specials menu). All the tables are large, so bring many friends and try all the great food. (****/$) |
| Hon's Wun-Tun House -- Fast and cheap Cantonese eats. Their signature potstickers are very good, as is their soy sauce chicken. The congee is decent, though not as good as at the Congee Noodle House. The Robson location has a separate vegetarian kitchen. (***/$) |
| Congee Noodle House -- Congee, a rice porridge, makes for an amazing breakfast at this splendid restaurant. I've been assured that this is as good as it gets in Vancouver, and I believe it. The taste is just so wonderful. Be sure to order the Chinese doughnuts to add to the porridge. The Hong Kong milk tea is also a nice way to wake up. (****/$) |
| Pho Hoang -- Delicious Pho. Good broth, better meat. (***/$) |
| Closed |
| Mazzini Trattoria -- (Berkeley) Excellent, simple Italian food in a nice atmosphere. Great place for an evening meal without reservations. (***/$$$) |
| Chava's -- (San Francisco) Delicious traditional Mexican food in the Mission. The salsa, rice, and corn tortillas are all superb. Note that it closes at 8pm. Note: I read that it burnt down. (****/$) |