Hana - Japanese, Rohnert Park

101 Golf Course Dr, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 586-0270
Parking: in shopping center
Closed Mondays
http://www.hanajapanese.com/

Last Visited: August 23, 2003

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

*Note: Prices have gone up to $6 for two pieces of sushi in 2011.

When you walk into Hana, you are greeted by the sushi chefs, and although the place seems bigger from outside, you’ll find it’s a bit cozy. The sushi bar is on your left and all the available sushi and specials are listed on individual wood placards on the wall.

- Unagi sushi – Good flavor. Nice color. We were just very happy with it. $5 for two pieces

- Inari – Deep-fried tofu pouches served with soup stock. If you like Chinese fried tofu pouches that have been soaked in stock, you’ll like these, but they’re a little pricey considering you’re eating tofu. $4

- Sake Kawa makimono (sushi roll)– Salmon skin is toasted/grilled and served in a sushi roll with daikon sprouts and pickled root. Just a little bit of crunch with the warm salmon skin. Very good. $6

- Spicy tuna roll – Tuna with a spicy mayonnaise. All the makimono are good, so you really can’t go wrong. $6

- Tempura Soba – Buckwheat noodles in a hot broth served with vegetables and on the side, two prawn tempura. The prawn tempura were a bit soggy – not a problem if you put it in the soup right away, but I like to eat the tempura while it’s crunchy, so the tempura itself was disappointing. The soba noodles were good and the broth is really piping hot, so that was good. It’s a bit on the pricey side for noodle soups though. $10

The overall experience was good. I would definitely go back again. They’re probably the best sushi place in Sonoma County or at the least, second best. The best thing about Hana was the tea - a nice, delicate flavor. I wish they would have left a pot of tea with us, but it’s about service. Every time our cups went empty, there was the wait staff pouring, but they weren’t obtrusive about it. It was a great dining experience.

Pizzeria Picco - Larkspur

316 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur CA
(415) 945-8900
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Thurs 5pm-9:30pm, Fri 5pm - 10:30pm, Sat 12pm - 10:30pm, Sun 12pm - 9:30pm

http://www.pizzeriapicco.com/

Last Visited: January 8, 2011

It was a drizzly day and we were making a day trip to Larkspur since the Gammals have frequently talked about how they have enjoyed dining there. While a number of their recommendations were for heavier meals, that would be more appropriate for dinner, considering we wanted something light, we decided to go to a place they hadn’t mentioned at all – Pizzeria Picco.

Picco is a restaurant next door that is not open for lunch. However, Picco Pizzeria was bustling with their heat lamps on while people were sheltered from the mist and wind by curtains amidst their outdoor dining shelter. The inside bar seats between eight and ten people. Fortunately, we managed to get a spot inside just before the place filled up completely and a line began to form.

Picco boasts a variety of thin crust Neapolitan style pizzas baked in their wood burning oven. You can watch the guys make your pizza (if you happen to be sitting at the right angle) and rotate the pizza to get it cooked just perfectly. Many of the pizzas come out with a little of burned edges or burned bubbles since the control over the burning is more challenging with the wood oven. Organic salads like apple and fennel salad, salad on pizzas, and house cured salumi are included on their menu. On a warmer day, I would have definitely tried the Straus soft serve that they offer. And if you’re craving Picco, you can also purchase frozen pizzas to go.

Today, we had a salad and a pizza. The menu is posted above the bar area with bright colored chalk and great descriptions. A regular menu is also given to each patron too.

- Picco Caesar - Romaine hearts with farm egg, anchovy, lemon, and parmesan. The Caesar salad was very fresh and we loved the flavor of the dressing. Very classic.  The croutons were super light and crunchy - lots of olive oil in them.   little on the pricy side, but no complaints about the quality. $9.95

- Son of Yeti - Hen of the woods mushrooms, leeks, fontina, mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino, garlic, and thyme. I feel like I’m constantly in search of a good mushroom pizza. Long ago, I had access to an excellent mushroom pizza from Mucca in Glen Ellen, but after they burned down, I have been on a quest. The hen of the woods mushrooms are so flavorful and the blend of cheeses is just perfect with no cheese overwhelming the pizza. Very good. The only downside was the slight burning of the edges and bubbles as mentioned earlier. $15.95

Another thing that caught my eye was the pizza of the day - a fried egg on a pizza with pancetta and nettles. If it weren’t for my mushroom pizza quest, I probably would have tried this one. The person at the bar next to me got it and told me it was like eating breakfast. Classic pizzas are available too like margherita and marinara.

Picco focuses on local produce and fresh food. They pull their own mozzarella made with curds from Formaggi Di Forrente.

Service was okay – the gals are friendly, but food can take a long time to be served – we waited quite a while since they made it after we had ordered.

If I was in the area again, I wouldn’t hesitate to try some of their other pizzas and salads, but note that the prices tend to be on the higher end.

Sacramento Mobile Food Event - April 30, 2011

Modeled after Off the Grid in San Francisco, the Sacto Mofo, short for Sacramento Mobile Food Truck event, is taking place this Saturday, April 30, 2011 from Noon until 6pm at Fremont Park, located at Q Street and 16th Street, in Sacramento.

Big names in the Food truck industry that will be present include:
Curry Up Now, Spencer on the Go, Chairman Bao, and Roli Roti.  So much goodness, so little time.

Hiro - Japanese, Petaluma

107 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 763-2300
Parking: street parking
http://www.hirosrestaurant.com/

Last Visited: November 16, 2003

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

As you walk into Hiro’s, you notice the sushi bar on your left and the many sushi chefs and assistants. It’s a place that has a trendy flare – clean lines with the wood, light earth tones, and black chairs. There is uniform artwork hung off the right side of the wall near the ceiling – rather inexplicable why a person would create so many of the same unusual piece. It looks like an egg stuck in some bird claw with random color splashings - rather without purpose. The artwork behind the sushi bar and above the bathroom hallway entrance is dark brown with cream or white lines in it. It doesn’t seem to be in any organized pattern, but look up when you look at the piece above the sushi bar. I don’t know what was up with the shape of the piece above the hallway mentioned earlier. I think it points to the bathroom based on the taper, but who knows what it is. The faux brick wall on the wall to the left creates an interesting texture in the room. The background music is jazzy, contemporary, and trendy. The fluorescent lighting has a problem. It flickers, and throughout your meal, we found ourselves rather annoyed by the flickering.

There were too many menus - specials, an extensive sake menu, sushi and dinner menu, cocktail menu - colored paper everywhere – chaos.

Most of the dishes we had were very good. The presentation is exciting – as dishes come by your table, you will find them inviting your attention. The dishware itself is pretty interesting if you’re into that sort of thing.

- Calamari Tempura – Slightly overbattered, but lightly flavored, a large serving of calamari rings (a good sized appetizer for four people) is presented with a slightly spicy dipping sauce over a bed of lettuce. There were some tentacles served with this dish, but I found the batter to be on the heavier side, but still a good appetizer. $8.50

- Miso Soup – Pretty standard, hot miso soup. $2

- Ebi $3.5, Hamaichi $4, Sake $4, Inari $4, Tai $4.50, Unagi 4.50 – All of this is pretty standard – nothing out of the norm, but nothing bad either. Everything was neatly presented.

- Spider roll - I've seen better presentation of this roll elsewhere with more crab showing. The flavor of the spider roll wasn’t spectacular either. $12

- Salmon Skin roll - two cones – I expected it to be crunchier than it was. Nicely presented with good flavor. $8

- Spicy Tuna Roll - okay, but not wow. $7.50

- Japanese Tea – The tea is roasted and has good flavor. $1 per person

There were several faux pas committed this evening. Our waitress was showing her midriff which wouldn’t have been a problem, but she had difficulty opening the bottle of sake and well, it just didn’t look professional although a male patron at the next table seemed to enjoy the show. She also was a bit snobby seeing how we were not dressed in trendy attire, although she showed approval after taking our order. Once dinner started, the dishes were not changed after the calamari was served. This seemed necessary as the dipping sauce and oil from the calamari would invade the flavor of sushi put on the dish. Although dishes were cleared quickly, as the last piece of sushi was put onto one of our plates, a server took away the serving plate. This is a sushi no-no as wasabi and ginger may still be needed with that last piece of sushi. Tea cups are filled regularly, but our impression of service became further tainted at the end of the meal. We had to ask for additional tea and the pot was running low, so we didn’t get much of it. Tea is an essential on a cool evening after sushi to warm the stomach.

Overall, service was fair, leaving something to be desired. Prices are on the higher side. The most unique thing about the restaurant is the bathroom sink. As you walk into the restroom, there is a wood table with a small basin resting on it. The sink just gives that old fashioned basin style of washing and it has a unique look to it. The faucet is actually coming from the wall, so the effect is further enhanced.

Tsuen Wan Fung Shing Restaurant - Chinese, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

4/F Nan Fung Centre, 264-298, Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

Ph: 2498 4333

Last Visited: 2008

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

My uncle brought us to Tsuen Wan Fung Shing Restaurant. There are a few Fung Shing restaurants, but I don’t know if they’re affiliated or if this deal is available at all of them. We’ve been to this one a couple of times before. The main reason that I wanted to feature this restaurant is it’s amazing lunch special. While I don’t know if they have it anymore, at the time of my visit, they had a three course $100HKD meal that included the following:

- Fried rice with seafood and seaweed – This wasn’t my favorite fried rice ever, but it was at least average, and if you’re having fish, you’ll probably end up ordering rice anyway, so this was fine. Egg, seaweed, small shrimp, barbecued pork, chopped vegetables, and a couple of other things were fried with the rice. Personally, I like my fried rice with a little more flavor – this was a bit bland for my tastes.

- Steamed fresh fish – This small to medium-sized fish was steamed just perfect. Who can complain when it’s this fresh and available at this price? Steamed in a bean sauce, the texture of this fish soaks up the sauce very well and it’s very good.

- Roasted duck – This plate of duck was succulent and good. Great flavor from the five spice, you will be satisfied. Some pieces are a little fattier than others, but you’ll find that to be true with most duck dishes.

How can they afford to practically give these fabulous dishes away? If you add any side dishes, they’re at regular price. Our vegetable dish cost us $70USD, so they basically made up for it right there, but it’s still a deal. The vegetable dish was fresh and delicious, but not nearly the same bargain as the lunch special. Note that none of the dishes are particularly large, but with the vegetable dish, the quantities served four people adequately.

If you’re in the area, check out Tsuen Wan Fung Shing. While you can also order dim sum and plenty of other dishes are offered, this was a bargain that we couldn’t pass up.

Also, they’re very good about not rushing you so you can enjoy your meal at your leisure and spend some time enjoying chatting after.

Gohan - Japanese, Petaluma

1367 North McDowell, Petaluma CA 94954

(707) 789-9296
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2:30pm, Dinner Mon-Sat 5:30-9:30pm, Sun 5:30-9pm
http://www.gohanrestaurant.com/

Last Visited: August 25, 2007

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$

Gohan is located in the new shopping center containing Kohl’s and Shoe Pavilion. Steve told me about some of the great food he had tried here, and knowing Steve and his love for food, that meant it was going to be pretty decent. Hot towels folded in triangles were brought to our table once we were seated.

The setup of the entry is interesting. The front façade is made of glass windows and you walk immediately to your right through a narrow walkway that they have created by adding a wall immediately behind the glass. This gives the restaurant a more intimate feeling while maximizing space, but somehow might lead to some discomfort for the owner of the restaurant as you can’t see who is entering the establishment (not the best scenario in terms of safety). At the end of this walkway is a hostess station that is seldom attended. Since it was a sunny day, the shadows of the people walking indicated when a customer had arrived.

The restaurant has clean lines and a modern look about it. Two large bright 3D wall decorations are made of orange and white paint and located on the right wall of the restaurant. Under this wall is a cushioned bench seat that goes along the length of the wall that acts as one side of the seating for the tables. Hanging above the bench seating area are white lantern covers. The rear left contains the sushi bar that offers seating in an L shape. The remaining dining area includes various tables and chairs in light maple with charcoal gray cushioned seats. There is a lot of contrast in colors with the white, orange, charcoal gray – found in the chairs, dividing wall, and rear hall. There is also a strip of green along the bench seating. Soft rock plays on the sound system.

After being seated, we were asked about drinks. Our water came in tall glasses with a thin cucumber slice and the hot tea came in a medium sized cup. It was great that the tea temperature was very hot – always a plus in my book. However, it took quite some time for a member of the waitstaff to come by our table to take our order. About 15 minutes passed, and a person finally came. With the music on and the restaurant starting to fill up, she had a hard time hearing my order, so she repeated the list, however, she did not repeat everything on the list, so I had to verify that the missing items were captured. A small note on service – that if you are going to repeat the items ordered, you should repeat everything, not just a portion of the list.

It seemed to take seconds for the hot miso soup to arrive along with our sunomono.

- Miso Soup – The soup was very hot and came in a ceramic bowl. The contents included a single slice of dried shitake mushroom, small tofu cubes, and sliced green onions. Good. $2

- Sunomono – The sunomono salad came with the cod (see below). They also gave us one complimentary sunomono salad. These came in small dishes shaped like flowers. About 7 half slices of seeded cucumber were dressed with black and white toasted sesame seeds and a light vinaigrette. Small pieces of wet seaweed were also distributed over the salad. I hope these orders were considered small because a regular priced order with these portions would have been much too small.

- Sake – Of all the nigiri sushi, I found the salmon to have the freshest taste and to be the most flavorful. $4

- Hamaichi – Just after the salmon, the hamaichi had a nice texture and flavor too. $5

- Maguro – Thick slices with a clean taste, but just okay – it lacked in flavor. $5

- Unagi - Tender and fresh. $5

- Black Cod Misozuke – As mentioned above, the fish was accompanied by miso soup and sunomono salad as starters. Two pieces of boneless black cod is cooked to perfection. It’s beautiful dark brown from the miso and the tenderness of the fish were wonderful. Each flake was buttery and sweet. A bowl of rice also accompanies the fish. As for presentation, a few tender radish sprouts are gently placed on top of the fish. Very good. $19
Overall, service is pretty good with the busboy being very attentive in refilling water and tea, but the wait staff could be a little faster in returning after the menus have been handed out and in saying goodbye as we were exiting. Although most people were greeted by the sushi chefs as they exited, they missed our exit. The check came fairly promptly though. Gohan is a nice addition to Petaluma’s Japanese repertoire. The black cod misozuke is excellent and the menu offers a variety of what is called new style sushi. The atmosphere is minimalist, but pleasant. Check out Gohan some time.

Kingsburg Hotpot Seafood Restaurant - Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

2/F Carnarvon Plaza, 20-20C Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ph: 2301 3638
Nearest MTR Station: Tsim Sha Tsui

Last Visited: November 2010

Food: 3 stars

Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

Kingsburg Hotpot Seafood Restaurant is located on the second floor of Carnarvon Plaza. Look for the Pizza Hut sign and you’ll see it, otherwise, you might miss the restaurant. It’s my uncle’s favorite hangout – not necessarily because of the food, but it’s only a five minute walk from his flat and they let you sit there for as long as you like. Hong Kong culture is very fast paced. Many eateries allow you enough time to order and eat, but don’t dilly dally because you’ll be given a bill and people will start to hover around you until you get the hint that it’s time to go. If needed, they’ll ask you to vacate your space. At restaurants like Kingsburg, people actually have the time to get out the newspaper and read.

To attract customers during off hours, Kingsburg has some amazing deals. A dim sum sampler basket containing two pieces of four types of dim sum (sponge cake and several types of dumplings) was today’s special and all of it came in under $3USD – an amazing bargain! One person eating this whole basket would probably be full, but there is a limit of one basket to a table. Dim sum is served for both regular breakfast and lunch menus. In the evening, the restaurant becomes a hot pot restaurant – all of the tablecloths are removed, and the built in stove in the table is fired on for service. The majority of restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui have very good food. If you don’t have good food, you won’t get any business and you can’t afford the high rents in this district. I gave food a three star rating here because it’s not the highest quality dim sum, but it’s pretty decent. Dinner has good quality offerings for hot pot.

The atmosphere here is often chaotic. Between the do-it-yourself service (my uncle has gone into the tea refill station area to refill his own tea, as have other patrons) and the frequent shouting between the waitstaff members, sometimes you feel like you’re not really in a restaurant. They can do a very nice job though, so I have left a range up to three stars for both atmosphere and service.

Hot pot, if you haven’t had it before, is basically a do-it-yourself fondue. All of the food is prepared and cleaned, and then you cook it in the broth that you order for the table. It’s great for communal cooking and eating, but challenging if you are having a business meal. While I’ve eaten hot pot here, I don’t have any readily available photos. What I can tell you is that there is a lot of seafood to choose from, and if you prefer not to think about it, they have hot pot sets available so you can just pick a set by the photos.

The small container with rice and meat on top shown in the photo here is available for a bargain too. During off dim sum hours (for example, 9:30am to 11am on weekdays), this dish is available for $10HKD (less than $2USD). Even though it’s small, it’s filling and yummy. Good for a tasting or part of a brunch portion.

While Kingsburg has its opportunities for improvement, they’re still innovative – this is common of Hong Kong dim sum restaurants. While some restaurants specialize in the same items and consistently produce them, others keep coming up with new dishes to attract new customers. You can see this through their dim sum menu (there are about five different colored sheets of paper featuring a variety of items to choose from. All of this is in Chinese, but if you can’t read Chinese characters, that’s not a problems – a number of the sheets have photos of the dishes and there is an English menu available too.

- Fried Wontons – While these aren’t really wontons, that’s the best English description that I can come up with. They’re delicately wrapped to create these pretty shapes and filled with a little bit of meat

(sometimes shrimp, sometimes pork). Super crunchy, you’ll enjoy this if you love fried wontons or egg rolls.

- Shanghai Wontons – These boiled dumplings are one of their newest additions. In the last two years that I’ve visited, a spicy soy sauce is poured on top of boiled pork dumplings that mimic the what you might find in a Shanghainese restaurant.

- Fried Turnip Rolls – These rolls are delicate and filling. The turnip is grated medium fine and the filling of chopped turnip is wrapped by these grated turnip pieces to create a roll. The result is a light and flaky exterior and a moist interior. Very pretty to eat, but not something that is easy to find in the United States.

- Sponge Cake – This cake is beautifully presented with its two-colored batter that has been decorated so nicely. The sponge cake is also light and fluffy.

Kingsburg offers traditional dim sum as well as some new items. Kingsburg is good if you have a lot of time because the speed in which food is served varies and you may have trouble with service in the morning and afternoon. Dinner service is efficient and pricing is pretty good considering the quality.

 

Gayle's Superburger - American, Santa Rosa

1501 4th St, Santa Rosa CA 95404
(707) 546-4016
Parking: Ample street parking
Hours: Tues to Fri: 11am to 8pm, Saturday 11am to 5pm, Closed Sundays and Mondays

Last Visited: December 6, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

From the outside, Gayle’s looks like a small little shop with its white paint and blue trim. The movable sign that says Superburger has a flower bed on top that adds a touch of color. Arthur recommended Superburger as a must try for great burgers and excellent pie. I would agree with the great burgers – more on that later.

Outside is a window to walk up and order for take out. There are a total of twenty seats inside on three sides of a rectangular counter. The swivel chairs are cushioned and comfortable. The seats give a full view of what everyone else is having, what’s taking place behind the counter, and the large bright blue menu hanging at the front of the restaurant.

The counter has the usual chrome napkin holders, ketchup and mustard, and every few stools is a movable container holding mayonnaise, relish, pickles, and onions. When it’s your turn to receive an order, the waitress will move the container to your seat. It’s a simple operation with the cook behind the counter grilling and frying lots of goodies.

The operation is small with at least three people working – one waiting the counter, one cook, and one person prepping food in the back. Seating is self serve upon entering. Sports memorabilia hangs on the far wall – a menu signed by Joe Montana, a champion hockey stick, and more. The regular patrons are called by name when they enter the place.

The menu offers regular size burgers, cheese burgers, king size burgers, onion rings, fries, BLTs, hot dogs, chili, and more. There are also a variety of shakes and malts.

- Cheese King with Fries – 1/3 of a pound of meat is shaped into a patty and grilled. A slice of American cheese tops the burger which is placed on a large bun with tomatoes and lettuce. You add on the additional toppings if you so desire. The fries are skinny, but crunchy. They come out so hot that they burn your fingers. All are placed in a paper lined basket. During my second visit, the fries were not that hot – it took some work to get the salt to stick to them In 2006, the price had gone up to $7.25.

- Homemade Pie – Of all the things I tried, this was probably the most disappointing. It might have been the hype that came when the restaurant was first recommended. I tried a slice of peach pie. Presentation was average with the filling oozing out of the pie. I think what was more shocking was the price versus the quantity and quality. The price is about the same as the cost of a whole pie at the supermarket. Although it’s not the same comparison, the pie was average at best with the filling being okay, but the crust was a bit too soft, and just not to my tastes. I prefer my own homemade pie. $4.15

- Shake – I tried a vanilla shake. Even though they use reduced fat milk, the shake was tall, rich, and creamy. They make it in a stainless cup and let it froth to just the right consistency. Very good. The shake is also offered in classic chocolate, and for a slightly higher price, banana and strawberry. $3.80

Overall, the 2004 experience was good. The people (both staff and patrons) are entertaining to watch. The service is good and fits with the atmosphere. However, in 2006, I found the service to be fair and dropped the 3 to 4 star rating down to 2 to 3. Although the gal asked us if we needed anything fairly frequently, her demeanor could have been improved. Our drinks were plopped on the counter rather than placed and her method seemed to lack that friendliness that I felt before. Gayle’s Superburger indeed offers a great burger and is definitely worth a try.

Sonoma Meritage Restaurant and Oyster Bar - French/Italian, Sonoma

165 West Napa St. Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 938-9430
Parking: street parking
Hours: Brunch Sat and Sun 10:30am - 3pm, Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm, Dinner Daily 5pm - 9pm
http://www.sonomameritage.com/

Last Visited: September 2010

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$

Chef Carlo Cavallo serves up Southern French and Northern Italian food at this martini and oyster bar.  Formerly on Broadway, they have been at this location on West Napa Street for quite a number of years now.

My first experience with Meritage was at a catering event in 2004.  I was super impressed that they managed to make such wonderful food away from their regular kitchen.  Specifically, the prime rib was heavenly - cooked to perfection.

During the 2004 catered event

- Mini Crab cakes – Bite sized crab cakes are topped with a drop of Dijon mustard sauce. The crab cake was a little too mini, about the size of a nickel in diameter and the height of a nickel standing on end, making it just miss the mark on having enough flavor in the little package, but it still tasted good. Double to triple the size would have been perfect.

- Salad – A very fresh and crisp mixed green salad is topped with crumbled feta cheese and aged balsamic vinegar. The greens didn’t have any sign of rust and were tossed in a light vinaigrette. Aged balsamic vinegar was lightly drizzled on top of the greens. Very fresh and very good.

- Prime Rib with Risotto – Tender prime rib is placed on a bed of mushroom risotto. Vegetables are served on the side. Tonight there were carrots cut into strips and green beans. Dried black mushrooms are rehydrated and sliced, then cooked with the risotto. The texture was creamy, and though this may be typical, the grains of rice were just a little hard in the center. I personally like my risotto a little more soft in the center. The prime rib was served medium and finished with a drizzle of cream containing a hint of horseradish. This was all done on a barbecue - and it was one of the best prime rib dinners that I've ever had.

both.

When I found out that the prime rib was being cooked on a grill outside, it was apparent that chef Carlo-Alessandro Cavallo knows his stuff. It’s pretty hard to cook a nice prime rib outside in the dead of winter and make the food taste and look great, especially when you’re in a facility outside of your restaurant. He did an excellent job serving beautiful prime rib to about 100 people without a hitch.

I was also most impressed by his wait staff. They were courteous, and even more so, they knew what not to do. During banquets, you often find the wait staff puttering around and causing distractions, but despite their heavy loads, these waiters and waitresses stood to the side of the room during announcements and speeches. It’s their pleasant demeanor that certainly made the evening just that much better. The overall dining experience made me want to check out the restaurant.

Flash Forward to 2011

A few friends had come to the area to do some wine tasting and go to Sonoma Plaza.  After a day of relaxed wine tasting, all were hungry for a bite to eat, so off we went to Sonoma Meritage.  There were six of us this evening and we got there before 6pm, so the happy hour menu was available to us. 

We were given ice water upon being seated along with fresh foccacia bread served with an olive tapenade.  The tapenade has complexity with nuts aind just a really nice rich flavor.  We could have just eaten the bread all night - good stuff. 

Since we arrived early, the happy hour menu was available which means that oysters are discounted. 

- BBQ Oysters with Garlic Lemon butter or Homemade BBQ sauce - I selected the garlic lemon butter sauce and was very pleased.  These delicious bites are hot and soak up thae garlic and lemon flavoring so well.  Six to a plate.  Very enjoyable.  It was so good, that during my next visit, I ordered it again.  $10

- Bouillabaisse - Seafood Stew with tiger prawns, manila clams, mussels, and mixed fresh fish in a spicy tomato broth.  For my main dish, I selected this flavorful stew.  The quantity of ingredients is abundant and the tomato broth makes it easy to eat all of the seafood without feeling like it's overly rich.  The quantity of each type of seafood was also well-balanced.  Although the bread was a nice decoration, I preferred the foccaccia bread more.  Good.  $20

This was a good visit, and the rating for food would have been three to four stars, but I decided to come back again a couple of weeks later to try to make a meal out of their happy hour menu.  Sadly, this was a most disappointing visit.  The chef wasn't coming in until 5:30pm, and since we were there early, somebody whom was less well versed in how to time the arrival of dishes was cooking.  Coupled with the fact that there was a party of eight or ten enjoying happy hour, this turned out to be a mediocre visit, and I haven't been been back since.  The problem started when we ordered raw oysters.

- Oysters on the Half Shell Sampler Platter - The happy hour price is about half that shown on the menu, so it would have been a great deal.  However, of the four types of oysters that you get to try, they told us they only had three of the four left.  No big deal, right?.  However, somewhere between our order and the arrival of the order, another one of the varieties was no longer available, and they plated only two varieties.  I appreciated how our server asked us whether it was okay that there were three varieties before we accepted the order, but when she brought two, I wondered why she didn't check back with us again.  Sadness - I wanted to try all four kinds.  Ten oysters to an order. $18

- Prince Edward Island Mussels - Steamed in garlic butter sauce with grilled foccaccia ,  About a dozen mussels are served in a tasty broth on top of that grilled bread triangle.  While the bread is good for soaking up the broth, I would again rather use the foccaccia bread.  This seems like such a filler item.  Give me a smaller bowl and forget theis triangle - I'll be a happier camper.  Good otherwise.$12

- Mushroom Pizza - Diaster struck here.  How hard is it to get a hot item to the table when there are only three tables with patrons in the restaurant?  Apparently, harder than you think.  There was some confusion that what we had ordered was part of the other table's order, and voila, cold pizza.  I don't know how that confusion translates into food getting cold, but it did.  The mushrooms themselves had good flavor, but you can tell from the photo that despite the fact that the photo was taken immediately after the pizza arrived at the table, it had cooled down - the cheese has started to change form.  Ugh.  Maybe it was my fault for ordering pizza at an oyster bar, but still. Never again will I order a pizza here if I can help it.

- Crispy Calamari and Zucchini served with Chive Aioli - Meritage redeemed themselves with this dish because it was piping hot.  The calamari is breaded so lightly and the zucchini is fresh.  Terrific.  I would definitely order this again.  $10

- Truffle Oil Fries - And here we go again - cold food.  Who wants to eat cold fries?  The truffle oil was fragrant, but it was sad that this dish was cold. 

With this experience, I had to lower the food rating down to three stars.  If it weren't for the first two experiences, it woud have been down to a two to three star range.

Chef Cavallo, when you are out of the restaurant, please make sure that your kitchen is in order and serving with the quality that you would serve with.  It's going to be a while before I go back again because of this last visit and the cold food.

Fortunately, service is pretty good and the staff checks back with the right frequency.  They're not pretentious if you don't order wine or try to make a meal out of the happy hour - their good attitude is getting hard to find these days in Sonoma restaurants.   I would suggest eating here for regular meal service for a better dining experience. 

Fourth and Sea - Fish & Chips, Petaluma

101 4th Street (at C Street), Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 762-6424
Parking: in parking lot and ample street parking

Last Visited: June 11, 2005

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$

Fourth and Sea, formerly a Foster’s Freeze, has kept the soft serve and added fish and chips making it a fine combination to be enjoyed by all. My aunt and uncle recommended this place and gave it high accolades.

The blue checkered curtains can be seen from outside. Enter Fourth and Sea and you’ll find the orange booths are still reminiscent of its former life as a Foster’s Freeze. There are six booths seating four and four booths that seat two. Nautical decorations fill the dining area - from oars to buoys to numerous lighthouse figurines. The locals have contributed to the atmosphere by bringing in their own ocean finds. The place has a family style feel with all of its knick knacks on display. A bell is attached to the door and sounds as people enter and exit. Jazz from a local radio station plays in the background. One can order from the window outside or the one within. Large bright yellow menus are posted along the wall near the window.

The menu includes cod, chicken tenders, prawns, and oysters available a la carte or as a meal served with fries and cole slaw. Sandwich choices include chili dogs, burgers, Philly cheese steak, and chicken sandwiches. A children’s menu is also available. For the adventurous, there is a SeaBiscuit – a deep fried twinkie served with whipped cream and berry sauce.

Tonight’s fare was something from the classic menu. A lemon wedge, tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce are available with all fried seafood items.

- Two Piece Cod Meal – The fish is caught in Iceland and frozen within two hours of the catch. This makes for flaky cod and excellent clean flavor. The oil is fresh and hot giving a crisp outer coating that is fried until golden brown and not greasy. The fish is large with generous sides. The coleslaw was crisp, not soggy. The chips are lightly seasoned potato wedges. Again, you can tell that the oil is fresh because the chips are hot in temperature and also not soggy. Very good. $8.75

- Fish Sandwich – A deep fried piece of cod is placed in a soft roll with lettuce and tartar sauce. If you like soft rolls, you’ll be pleased. Again, the cod is done perfectly. Very good. $4.95

On my second visit, which was for lunch, I tried a few different items.

- Deep Fried Calamari – Calamari rings and tentacles are lightly battered and deep fried. The calamari pieces are then tossed in a mixture containing garlic and parsley. It’s like garlic fries, but it’s calamari. I was a little surprised at the extra flavoring, but found it refreshing and good. Be forewarned that the flavor of garlic will stay with you. $6.95

- One Cod, Two Oyster combo Meal - The fish was deep fried just as nicely as the first time. See above. The oysters are large and also available as a side for $1.75 each. These oysters were lightly battered and deep fried. The batter could be thinner, but I still found the oysters above average in size and quality. They’re so hot that you should use care in eating them. Very good. The fries and cole slaw were just as good as my initial visit. $8.50
- Clam Chowder – The New England style clam chowder is homemade and served with oyster crackers. It’s creamy and rich with lots of clams, diced celery, and diced potatoes. It has excellent consistency and I didn’t find a single lump of flour. Very good. Cup $3.75, Pint $5.95, Quart $8.95

- Shakes – The strawberry shakes are rich and creamy. The ice cream is so thick that it helps to let it sit and melt a little so you can use a straw to drink it. It had a very strawberry flavor, not too sweet, but just right. Excellent prices too. Small 12oz $1.75, Medium 16oz 2.25, Large 20oz $2.75

- Onion rings – The onion rings are thick and served with ranch dressing. The ring itself is fresh and the batter for this visit was on the thick side. See more about the batter below. Available in half order for $3 or regular size for $5.

When I visited in 2005, I noticed the prices had gone up. Also, this last visit wasn’t quite as impressive as previous. Although the batter was still crisp, it was a bit too thick. This doesn’t mean I won’t return, but I will be more cautious about what I order and how much of it. In some cases, the batter was so thick that it just was soft. The ingredients are still very fresh, but not quite to the level that I had expected. If this happens again, I’ll have to remove them from the Best of trAde list, but for now, they’ll remain a little while longer. Also, if it happens again, I’ll have to downgrade their rating.

The staff at Fourth and Sea are friendly and not only does this place have fresh fish, but hearty portions. The quality of food is excellent, and the prices reasonable. From my two visits, I would also say they are quite consistent (this is not true after the third visit – but still open for discussion). I would highly recommend a visit to Fourth and Sea.

Jimmy Bean's FIFO Cafe - American, Berkeley

1290 6th Street (at Gilman), Berkeley, CA

(510) 528-3435

Parking: Street parking
Hours: Mon - Thurs 6:30am to 9pm, Fri 6:30am - 9:30pm, Sat 7am - 9:30pm, Sun 7am - 9pm

http://www.jimmybeans.com/

Last Visited: August 7, 2010

Food: 2 stars

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Service: 3 stars

Price: $ to $$

Jimmy Bean’s FIFO Café is more of a café than restaurant. Their menu says that they serve American, Southwestern, and Middle Eastern favorites. While my first encounter with them was eating their food at the UC Berkeley campus, today’s outing was at Jimmy Bean’s primarily because my friends had their dog with them and we needed to find a place that was dog-friendly.

Both inside and outside, the atmosphere is casual. We sat outdoors and noticed that the sign outside the place showed that a three course dinner was available for only $15. That made our decision for dinner pretty simple.

The dinner menu includes pizza, roasted chicken, roasted fish, and sandwiches. Today’s main dish special for the three course meal was paella. The waitress was pretty excited about it and gave it good reviews, so three of four people in our party ordered the paella.

Even though it wasn’t that long ago that I was here, I can’t recall if I ordered soup or salad. I also can’t recall what the dessert was – except that it was a slice of something – probably cheesecake, but quite honestly, it wasn’t memorable, and I usually remember.

- Famous Paella – The paella comes with halibut, clams, mussels, shrimp, chicken, sausage, vegetables, white wine infused fish stock, garlic and fresh herbs. All of this goes over saffron rice and is topped with lemon aioli. While the menu says the dish is served with grilled bread, I don’t remember any and the photo doesn’t show it. What I do remember is that the rice was really oily. The presentation was cute with the little wok and the amount of food for the price was good, but I thought the overall dish was just okay. It ranks pretty low on the list of my paella experiences, even though I haven’t had many of those.

We thought the dessert presentation was also nice and service was very friendly, but when it comes down to the core of the meal, I wasn’t that impressed. It was better in concept than in execution and reminded me of cafeteria food. I don’t have plans to go back for dinner, although the place was pretty busy the night that we went. On the plus side, service was very friendly and attentive throughout our time there, although we were missing silverware for a little bit.  To me, Jimmy Bean’s is more ideal for breakfast, lunch, or a snack, but it's nice to know some places are trying to provide a better version of a value meal.

Chouchou - French, San Francisco

400 Dewey Blvd, San Francisco CA 94116

(415)242-0960

Parking: very small parking lot, street parking

Hours: Sun, Tue-Thurs 5:30pm-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm, Closed Mondays

http://chouchoubistro.com/  

Last Visited: January 30, 2011

Food: 2 stars

Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars

Service: 1 to 2 stars

Price: $$$

Chef Jean-Gabriel Ferrandon is behind the food at Chou Chou Bistro and his past experiences are prominently displayed on their website.

Tonight’s restaurant was chosen by the group after Connie provided several SF Dine About Town selections for us to choose from. We had more than ten people and thought that there was enough room to accommodate the group, plus there was mention of parking in other people’s reviews. It’s true that there is a parking lot, but it was completely packed – very few cars can fit in the lot anyway, so expect to park on the street.

I arrived about half an hour earlier than our reservation, and when I checked in, the host suggested I sit at the bar and enjoy a drink. However, this is probably where my evening started to turn downward – I glanced at the bar and found it completely full – all five stools were occupied by someone either eating dinner or enjoying a drink. This made me wonder why I would be directed to the bar in the first place when there was no potential for a seat. Our reservation was for 6:30pm, but we weren’t seated until at least ten minutes later. Our group waited patiently outside while they rearranged tables and cleaned up.

The Dine About Town menu was not as good as it could have been. As I have warned in previous posts, you need to be careful about the Dine About Town deal. If you’re lucky, the cost of the three courses you select add to the price of the Dine About Town meal or you even come out ahead. However, some places will charge you more for the set than if you ordered them separately. That’s just ridiculous and not a good way to do business. Their selection here had a couple of configurations that would have cost the customer more ordering through Dine About Town than separately, and I dislike that.

I opted not to order through the Dine About Town menu and to just choose something else instead.

- French Onion Soup Gratinée – This homemade soup had lots of little mustard seeds in it. The onion was nice and sweet, and a large crouton floated on top of the soup and was topped with lots of yummy Swiss cheese. While the flavor was good, and the soup was very filling, I would have liked to have more onion. Still, I wouldn't mind eating this again.  $8.00

- Pan seared All Natural Local Veal Chop 11oz – The veal was overcooked – it was so bad that after cutting it with a knife, you could feel that the action of cutting was a bit of a struggle, even with a steak knife. The veal demi-glace was rich and a little bit too salty. The fingerling potatoes and mushrooms, Hedgehogs and Mache, were beautifully cooked. I would have enjoyed having more vegetables – more of the green leaves on top would have be appreciated.  They just didn't hold up well to the richness of the dish.  Unfortunately, the overcooked meat made the meal continue to go downhill. Sadly, I was reminiscing about what could have been with that nice-sized cut of meat. $27.00

My overcooked veal wasn’t an isolated incident. Other steaks that my friends requested be cooked medium came back well done. One for medium rare came rare.

The handling of the vegetables on my plate show that there is hope for the food, but service and main dishes still need improvement in order for them to be successful.

Service was awful. The water glasses weren’t filled for at least ten minutes, but at least we had bread. While the evening was busy, the lack of attention for something as basic as water is frustrating. We repeatedly had to catch the staff’s eye for everything from water to dessert. The dessert menu arrived more than twenty minutes after each place setting had been cleared. Then it took a long time for them to return with our dessert order.  The flambe is somewhat entertaining to watch, but nothing spectacular.

Overall, the experience was poor. I left a few minutes before everyone else, but heard that the staff came out to say we were short $15, and when people from our party went in to count the money with the staff, we learned that the amount was indeed paid in full. I have no idea whether or not there was an apology about that. Either way, I won’t be back.

El Patio - Mexican, Santa Rosa

425 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 578-4757
http://www.elpatio1.com/
Last Visited: August 22, 2004

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

This review is for their former location at 901 4th St, Santa Rosa CA 95404.

From the outside, El Patio is very simple looking. Almost like the old fashioned style burger joint. There are tables outside on the deck that are surrounded by a rectangular fence and around the other side is an awning covering more tables. The restaurant itself only has three booths inside.

It’s very simple with a menu above the counter. The kitchen is in the back and they’re quickly cooking up orders. After ordering, you are given chips in a basket and you take the number on the plastic stand to your table. Once your order is ready, they serve you by searching out your number.

- Regular Taco with Shredded Beef – Two flour tortillas are filled with shredded seasoned beef. Adjacent to the wrapped taco is a bed of shredded lettuce topped with a little salsa and cheese. It’s a simple dish, but nicely done. Don’t let the beef sit too long because the juice from the meat will soak into the tortillas. Fresh and good, the meat is not overseasoned, but nice. Other meat choices are available. $2.25

- Regular Burrito with Shredded Chicken – A large burrito filled with rice, beans, cheese, choice of meat, and cheese is topped with enchilada sauce. It’s a hearty portion, and the filling is fresh. Simple and good. The chicken is indeed shredded and lightly seasoned. $ 5.25

Food comes only a few minutes after ordering, and the salsa is bottomless. They put the salsa into little plastic containers and you can enjoy as much as you like. It’s a self serve place for drinks and salsa, but it’s simple and good. Fresh food for inexpensive prices, El Patio is the place to go.

Little Sheep - Chinese, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Best: Grilled Lamb

1/F, 26 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ph: 2722 7633
Nearest MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui, Cameron Road exit

Last Visited: November 2010

Food: 3 stars, 4 stars grilled lamb

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Service: 2 to 3 stars

Price: $$

While I normally don’t critique restaurant franchises, Little Sheep is an especially unique one. Although there are some back home in the San Francisco Bay Area, the only one I’ve visited is in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It’s a five minute walk from where I stay while in HK, while it’s at least 1.5 hours of driving from home to restaurant back home.
I’ve gone to Little Sheep three times, at least once every time I have been in Hong Kong in the last couple of years. Little Sheep specializes in hot pot, but for lunch, they have a variety of dishes including dim sum, noodles, fried dishes, and of course, various styles of lamb. Unlike what many business models might dictate about sticking to what you’re good at, Little Sheep in Hong Kong has been expanding their menu to fit local tastes.

After perusing the Little Sheep Hot Pot Restaurants (US) and the Little Sheep (Asia) websites, I learned that Little Sheep sells soup bases in addition to being a meat processor. Their franchise has expanded in Asia – China, Japan, and Macao, as well as to North America – Canada (Vancouver and Toronto) and the United States (mostly along the West Coast and Houston).

The photos show some of the items that are available. Like many other Hong Kong restaurants, they offer lunch specials where you create your own set from a predetermined selection. The featured item for me is always the same.

- Grilled Lamb – It’s a small plate that one person can probably enjoy on his or her own. I know I could just eat a few plates of this and be happy. I always order this dish because the meat is incredibly tender. The seasoning is flavorful, but not overwhelming, and the grill allows the juicy meat to be cooked just perfectly.  A couple pieces did have some tendon that made it harder to eat, but still an amazing dish.

- Osmanthus Flower Jelly Dessert – This is one of the most recent food trends items that I noticed while dining in Hong Kong a few years ago. The dish itself has been around for a while, but is seemingly only surfacing in restaurants in recent years (kind of like the cupcake phenomenon in the United States, but not the point of having flower dessert shops). The dessert has a gelatinous consistency, but is so light and refreshing. It’s the perfect ending to a heavy meal. The flowers are edible too and create a pretty presentation as they are suspended in the jelly. I had this at least a year or two ago at Little Sheep and during my 2010 visit, they didn’t have it on the menu.

- Fried Meat Rolls - These are like taquitos.  I liked the presentation of them standing tall in the glass.  Though it's not the right place for them if you plan to leave them in a glass a long time (the steam will keep them from staying crunchy), they're still flavorful and good.

The variety of another meal is shown in this picture of seven dishes.  The dim sum mentioned earlier, a vegetable dish, and of course, that grilled lamb.  They do a nice job with cooking vegetables until they're tender and not overcooked.  There is a variety in their options for lunch sets and most people ought to be able to find something that they're happy with no matter whom has joined the party.

Some of the other photos included here show baked and fried items that are fairly enjoyable. My least favorite are the soup noodle dishes - they taste fine, but are fairly lackluster.  The pan fried noodle dishes are a better option.

The desserts are interesting and always seem rather healthy - gelatins and steamed cakes rule their menu.

Try Little Sheep if you are nearby one and be sure to get one of their many lamb dishes - available in various spices, this featured item is definitely worth trying.

El Charro - Mexican, Santa Rosa

1529 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 570-3287
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: July 21, 2006

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

El Charro is located in a shopping center and recommended by my fellow foodie Emily. At first glance, you may miss it, but the food is quite good with homestyle quality. The large windows in the front allow you to see the whole restaurant. In the rear is the kitchen with a semi-circular opening for easily placing plates to be served. Above the bar were metal lizards and a sun figure on the wall. There are also three lamps, one red, one green, and one white, hanging in the semi-circle. Near the rear is a dark wood bar. Throughout the room are hanging lamps and lights on ceiling fans. Mexican music plays in the background.

There are very large tables with bench style seating. All of the seats look like large wicker style chairs with leather covering the backs. On each chair, the light tan brown leather is painted with the El Charro name and a horse with its rider. The same leather is used on the tables, but the tables are covered with plastic. The table tops have salt, pepper, sugar, and hot sauce. Many tables also have a large candleholder with a sun sculpted on the side of the holder.

When we arrived, we received fresh salsa and a basket of chips. Some of the chips vary in freshness, but overall, it’s good.

- Carne Asada Burrito – The carne asada burrito is one of the specials highlighted on the menu. It’s filled with grilled steak, sour cream, rice, beans, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo. All of the contents are wrapped in a warm flour tortilla and topped with a warm ranchera sauce and cheese. I’ve been eating a lot of burritos lately, and the quality of this one is great. It’s juicy on the inside even without the ranchera sauce. There is a lot of meat and everything is very fresh. Even if you take home leftovers, you’ll still find the leftovers enjoyable. Excellent. $7.75

- Flautas – Three flautas are filled with shredded beef and deep fried until crisp. The flautas are laid on a bed of lettuce and topped with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole, and cheese to create a platter of color reminiscent of the flag of Mexico. The flautas are served with rice and beans topped with cheese. The flautas are fresh and crispy. Good. $7.95

- Soft Tacos – Two soft tacos are served with rice and beans. The choices for meat include al pastor, carne asada, chicken, fish, or lengua. This evening, I tried the chicken and the lengua. The lengua has a nice quality – fresh and flavorful. The chicken is good too. Both tacos are topped with pico de gallo, cilantro, and served with guacamole. Good. $7.95

Service is fair. The gals can be a bit slow to come to your table, but they do remember to check on you. At the end of the meal, refills on the water glasses would have been helpful. The little touches that make great servant are absent, but they’re friendly. Of all of the burritos I’ve tried recently, and I’ve tried about five or six in a row, the burrito at El Charro is one of the best. Juicy with tender meat and a great sauce, it’s sure to fill your belly and leave you with pleasant thoughts. The other items are fresh as well (I preferred the tacos over the flautas, though the flautas were okay), but so far, nothing tops the burrito.

During a recent visit with a large party, we found that service was again only fair. With thirteen people, the one person serving could not attend to the entire room. We were constantly asking for more chips. Since the salsa bowls are rather large, there wasn’t a need to ask for additional salsa, but we were repeatedly asking for more chips. There was also a mix up when it came to the dishes being served, and they didn’t keep track of who had ordered what. This casual style was okay, but not impressive. There is lots of room for improvement, but the server was still friendly. Also, the dishes were probably all served within a ten minute period after the first dish had arrived. One of my fellow dining companions also commented on the tamales – lots of masa and not a lot of meat. My experience was better though.

- Enchilada Suiza – Two soft tortillas are rolled with either shredded beef or chicken inside. Jack cheese top the enchiladas which are covered with chile verde sauce. The enchiladas as served with rice and beans. The rice and beans were great – the rice was moist and the beans had great texture. The enchiladas were also delicious – soft and warm. Between the shredded beef and chicken (I selected one of each), I preferred the beef because the texture of the enchilada as a whole was not as dense creating more of a melt in your mouth feel. The chile verde was seasoned just right. Great. $10.95

My most second recent lunch visit was good in terms of service and food. Service was much more attentive and the food came out incredibly fast. As the restaurant filled up, we were neglected in terms of service, but service was still better than past experiences.

- Quesadilla – Choice of meat. This quesadilla is grilled until crispy and the meat and cheese inside are fresh. I selected steak. It came with a small serving of sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo, all topping shredded lettuce. Very good, though the portion is just okay. The supreme quesadillas are very large. Great lunch deal. $5.45

Today’s salsa was very fresh – blended, but lacking salt which is good for those who have a low in sodium diet. The chips were fresher, but they’re on the thick side. By the end of the lunch period, the room was entirely packed. So get there early.

My most recent visit also had good service. The food on the other hand – well, the portion was large, but the bread was burnt. The salsa was still good.

- Mexican Torta – The Mexican torta is basically a large bun, cut in half, coated with butter and grilled. Inside, your choice of meat is sandwiched between the bun with beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, mayonnaise, and tomatoes. It’s warm and the sandwich is huge. I selected carnitas and it had been fried crispy until the fat was crunchy. The flavor was very good, but the bread had been burnt. Some of the bread had been scraped out since it must have gotten too burnt to serve. The contents get 3 to 4 stars, but the bread which would have been in the same range gets 1 star. Eat at your own risk for burnt bread. $5.95

Despite the issues with service, the food is still great. It’s also unclear whether the menu has changed in style, or if there is a lunch menu and a separate dinner menu. Heartwarming and homestyle, they serve up a great plate. El Charro is definitely a place I would visit again.