Gott's Roadside Party - Napa, Burgers

Oxbow Market
644 First Street
Napa CA 94559
(707) 224-6900
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: 10:30am - 9pm

http://www.gottsroadside.com/

Last Visited: March 26, 2010

Food: tonight was free, and not made to order, so it's unrated
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

After ten years of being Taylor's Automatic Refresher, the Gott brothers have decided to change names to Gott's Roadside "Tray Gourmet." To celebrate the name change, they held a party at each of their three locations in San Francisco at the Ferry Building, at Oxbow Market in Napa, and in St. Helena. I found out about the party on Twitter after seeing a brief tweet about the name change and looking around to investigate the reasoning behind it.

I took to the street and decided to check out the party firsthand. The doors opened at 6pm and I was standing in line at 5:30 along with the folks in this picture. I happened to meet Richard and his friend and a nice elderly couple, all from Napa. The great thing about this area is the friendliness of people around. We stood around chatting with each other about other great places to eat as well as the generosity of the Gott brothers to throw this party.

Tonight's dinner was free with a choice of a Seoul burger (pulled pork with non-spicy kimchee and a touch of hoisin sauce on a bun), Ahi burger (seared ahi with ginger wasabi mayo and asian slaw on a toasted egg bun, a cheeseburger and fries. We also had a choice of soda, beer, or sparkling wine. Lastly, a generous neopolitan ice cream sandwich was also served.

Make no mistake, everything was served full size. Upon opening at 6pm, the assembly was going full blast in the kitchen and the people were making their way through the line, first to get their free Gott's T-shirt, featured above and then to the counter for a drink. Tables were set up with the various types of burgers available and we were on our way.

- Seoul burger - This is a nice change if you want to try something a little different. The pulled pork is well-flavored and the kim-chee gives a nice crunch. Since tonight's burger wasn't made to order, I have a feeling that it would be hotter in temperature if normally ordered. Interesting stuff.

- Ahi burger - The ahi is a five ounce portion. Although this too was served at room temperature, normally, I suspect it's a little warmer. The ahi is tender and the wasabi is mild. Typically, this is sold for $14.99 (how generous of the Gott's to share this burger with us tonight).

In any case, although this isn't exactly my normal type of review, the good will of the Gott's was made apparent and Napa has a lot of love for them. That ice cream sandwich really hit the spot too!

Della Santina - Italian, Sonoma

133 E. Napa St
Sonoma CA 95476
(707) 935-0576
Parking: street parking
Hours: 11:30am-3pm, 5pm -9:30pm

http://www.dellasantinas.com/

Last Visited: January 16, 2010

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

Located in Sonoma's Plaza, Della Santina's sign says it's a trattoria, rotisseria, and pasticceria. It's been on the square since the 1990s just a couple doors down from where it sits now. The menu displayed outside invites patrons to Tuscan fare and dishes like gnocchi, minestrone, and duck, for which it is well known. Enter the restaurant and you'll feel the quaintness of the table setting and small town feel that is Sonoma.

Upon our arrival for dinner without reservations this evening, we found the restaurant already bustling with about half of the tables full. However, despite standing in the doorway for several minutes, none of the waitstaff acknowledged us which seemed disappointing. When Robert, the owner's son arrived, he was very warm and made us feel like we were going to be well taken care of for the night as he ushered us to an available table.

Water and warm bread arrived at the table as we perused the menus. It seemed that we waited more than 15 minutes for someone to come and take our order even though the restaurant wasn't completely full.

- Tortellini in Brodo - Tortellini in a light chicken broth. I really liked the flavorful broth. The tortellini wrapper seemed a little too thick, but for that same reason, that seemed to indicate it was homemade. I would love to have the soup alone, but it wasn't melt in your mouth pasta. $5.95

- Spinaci con Radicchio - Spinach radicchio salad with garlic vinagrette. The salad was very fresh and the baby spinach was tender. The vinagrette was refreshing and paired well with the radicchio and spinach combination such that the veggies held up to the dressing. The garlic was not overwhelming. They also added fresh parmesan at the table. A four star salad. $5.50

- Parpadelle alla Arrosto - Parpadelle with a duck ragu. Della Santina is known for duck, so I had to try this special of the day. The parpadelle was homemade and the noodles were tender. The duck meat was minced and mixed with a lot of garlic, but the garlic was sauteed well so it didn't have too much bite. Very delicious. I wish the portion would have been a little larger though. I appreciated all of the fresh parmesan cheese (you can see the generous amount in the photo). Four stars. $15.95

- Spiedini Misti - Combination plate of three roasted meats - duck, rabbit, pork loin. You can select the meats from those available on the menu which also include chicken and turkey. Again, duck was a must try according to other folks whom have been to Della Santina before. The duck and rabbit are both spit-roasted with fresh herbs. The was okay, but since we've had duck other ways, we found this one to be a bit lacking in flavor, but still tender and moist. The rabbit was okay also and the pork loin, served with natural juices, was a bit dry. It's nice that they offer this dish to allow you to sample more than one of its roasted meats, but I would have liked more sauce with each one. A side of broccoli and roasted baby red potatoes are also served with the dish. Okay. $16.95

After dinner was served, it took a while for the staff to come back to get our plates and although they gave us a dessert menu, the portions were filling and we didn't have room for dessert although some of the offerings like tiramisu looked appetizing.

Service gets a two to three star rating only because when they're actually with you, the staff does a great job, hence the three stars. However, it felt like we were constantly in waiting mode - waiting to order, waiting for food, and waiting for the check. Overall, I found the prices to be typical of Sonoma restaurants located in the square and the food was good quality.

Taylor's Refresher is now Gott's Roadside

Taylor's Automatic Refresher (St. Helena, Napa, San Francisco) recently changed its name to Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet.

To celebrate, the San Francisco location is having a party from 6-8pm on Thursday, March 25, offering free food and the Napa and St. Helena locations are having their parties from 6-8pm on Friday, March 26.

More details on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/GottsRoadside?v=app_2344061033

Tong Palace - Chinese, San Francisco

933 Clement St,  San Francisco CA 94118
(415)668-3988
Parking: street parking and nearby parking lots

Last Visited: November 25, 2011

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

Long ago, Tong Palace was a great place to go for dim sum and for dinner.  The quality used to fluctuate between three and four stars, but these days, in 2011, it's closer to two to three stars. In the past, we've had amazing experiences, and other times it’s just acceptable. Today and my most recent experiences have given me enough frustration that I have second thoughts about ever going back. 

My latest experience was for dim sum.  It was past 1pm, so there were a lot of available tables.  While prices are reasonable, quality of the dim sum fluctuates and service leaves you wondering whether or not the staff has been properly trained.  The restaurant can also be a bit crowded, so this isn’t the place you want to go if you’re looking for a quiet lunch experience (in fact, few dim sum houses are quiet places).

The tables are covered with white paper placemats on top of white tablecloths.  The walls are seeing some wear despite newer paint.  The granite tile that covered some of the woodwork has started to chip.

We ordered four dim sum dishes today.  Two of them were hot and good.  Two had been sitting on the steam table longer than they should have been and were lukewarm.  If you know anything about dim sum, you know that it's usually steamed and loses flavor when it's cold.  Sadly, these were way too cold.

We then ordered a Beef Chow Fun, but the server forgot to order it into the kitchen, so we waited a total of 15 minutes for it - fairly long considering the table that ordered a dish after us had their noodles come about five minutes earlier. 

That wasn't too bad.  The worst part was that we ordered two additional dim sum dishes and after 34 minutes, they had still not arrived.  This was after the waiter and another server went to check in the kitchen on our order.  When the manager came over to see what was going on, we asked him to cancel the order if it hadn't been started yet (who knows how much longer we would be waiting), so he went to the kitchen and came back saying  he cancelled it and after the check came, one of the two dim sum dishes arrived.  One wonders about the system for ordering and the competency of the staff.  Where the other dish went, nobody knows. 

With that in mind, and a few other glitches during this and my most recent visits, I will pass on coming back.

From past experiences before 2011:

- Beef with Special Sauce Pan Fried Noodles – Beef is sautéed with vegetables and a red XO sauce. This dish had great textures and flavors, but the sauce was a little on the sweet side. Otherwise, the noodles were pan fried just right, and the thick slices of beef were slightly peppered giving each piece of meat great mouth feel and flavor. Good. $9

- Seafood Pan Fried Noodles – Shrimp, scallops, and squid are cooked with baby bok choy in a light sauce and all top crispy pan fried noodles. Again, the noodles were just right. The seafood is cooked until tender, but not overdone. Very good. $10

The best:- Deep fried stuffed eggplant – Hot out of the deep fryer and tender. The eggplant is hot and the shrimp filling was flavorful. The best dish by far.

- Shrimp stuffed bell peppers – A green bell pepper square is topped with shrimp paste. A black bean sauce is lightly drizzled on top. The color is brilliant, the shrimp paste is sautéed until golden on top, and the flavor is delicious.

- Deep fried sesame ball – A glutinous rice flour ball is filled with lotus paste and rolled in sesame. The concoction is deep fried to perfection with a light outer shell and warm sweet lotus paste inside. Delicious. During my most recent visit, the outer layer was a little on the thick side, but still crispy and good.

- Shrimp stuffed tofu – Much like the shrimp stuffed bell peppers in stuffing and sauce, the tofu is quite good. The triangular tofu block is stuffed and the entire piece is deep fried until golden. Very good.

- Large Pea Sprouts sautéed with garlic – This dish is available during dim sum time and is served with caramelized garlic cloves. Very flavorful and tender, the greens are excellent.
The good:- Pork dumplings (Siu mai), Braised chicken feet, Braised spare ribs - All of these dishes were pretty good. The pork dumpling wrapper is often broken apart by the steam and juice from the pork.

- Tofu Skin Rolls with shrimp – Shrimp, black mushrooms, and other vegetables are wrapped in tofu skins and steamed in a light sauce. The result is a golden brown seafood roll that bursts with the flavor that has been absorbed from all of the inside contents.

- Lotus leaf wrapped chicken and rice – A small roll of chicken, black mushrooms, and sticky rice is wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed. The texture of the rice is just perfect and the flavor of the lotus leaf infuses all of the contents. Three leaf wrapped rolls are served together. Good.

- Barbequed Pork Bun and Yellow Custard Bun – Both of these buns are steamed to perfection and filled with an abundance of contents. Good.

- Steamed spare ribs – Spare ribs are steamed with chili peppers giving them a little bit of spiciness. There is a large quantity of spare ribs, and the texture of the meat is soft. However, I like the ribs to be infused with more flavor and just a little bit of black bean. Good. During my last visit, the balance was a little better. Very good.

- Braised Chicken feet – Four to five chicken feet are braised in a red sauce and cooked until tender. The pieces are large and plump with juices. It has a great flavor with just a hint of spiciness from red chili pepper. Good.

- Fried Pork Dumpling – Sweet glutinous rice flour dough is wrapped around chopped pork and vegetables are deep fried until golden brown. The dough is a bit too thick, though the color is beautiful. This was just fair compared to other places which have a thin dough that is light and crispy. This one is crispy, but could have a thinner shell.

The medium:- Shrimp dumplings (Har gow) – Shrimp is wrapped in a translucent dumpling wrapper. The wrapper was a little on the soft side this time, but flavor was very good.

- Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll – Whole shrimp is rolled in a rice noodle wrapper. The texture is sometimes a little on the sticky side, but usually okay. The shrimp is always very fresh. During my most recent visit, this was just right.

The bad:- Steamed stuffed tofu – of all the dishes I tried, this was the worst one because it didn’t have a lot of flavor and it was the priciest one of all of them. Just wasn’t worth it and wasn’t enjoyable. Bland tofu and bland stuffing all steamed and topped with very little black bean sauce. Avoid this one, no matter how hungry you are.

As for dinner, you’ll find that they have a good selection of fresh seafood. In winter, they serve snake soup.

- Snake Soup – The meat of the snake is shredded and braised with thinly sliced strips of chicken, strips of bamboo shoots, and strips of dried orange peel. The soup is served with two side dishes, one containing deep fried wonton wrapper strips and another containing a chiffonade of leaves from a lemon tree. The wonton wrapper strips give an added crunch, adding texture to the soup. The lemon tree leaves balance the flavor. The snake has a texture like chicken, but has an almost gamey taste, so the lemon tree leaves along with the orange peel deliver accents that create a unique blend of flavor. At other restaurants, instead of lemon tree leaves, you’ll find fresh chrysanthemums added to the soup. Very flavorful broth and tender snake. Great. $4.50 per person

- Sturgeon served two ways – Sturgeon is divided so that the bones are used to make a soup and the filet is used for stir fry. The soup is made with mustard greens, tofu, preserved duck egg, straw mushrooms, and the bones from the sturgeon. The soup is served with the broth in a large bowl and the cooked ingredients are served on the side with a dish of light soy sauce containing a couple of slices of hot red peppers. The combination of ingredients results in a soup that is creamy and full of flavor. The preserved egg accentuates the freshness of the fish. Excellent soup. The filet of the sturgeon is stir fried with sliced carrots, snap peas, sinqua, and small pieces of ginger. If you like fish that is on the denser side, you’ll enjoy the sturgeon which has an almost light pink/orange color. Although it was really fresh, I prefer a softer fish that breaks apart more easily. Of the two, I definitely enjoyed the soup more. The stir fry was nicely done with the vegetables adding brightness to the fish both in color, texture, and flavor. $20 per order

- Rock Cod served two ways – See description above, but replace sturgeon with rock cod. Rock cod is a lighter and whiter fish. It flakes more easily and has a sweeter flavor. Tonight, the stir fried dish had sliced carrots shaped like fish, snap peas, and asparagus. Everything else in the description above is the same. Excellent. $24 per order

- Braised Tofu and Mushrooms with tender greens – Tofu is cut into small bricks, deep fried, and braised with large Chinese black mushrooms. It is served with carefully placed bok choy and the black mushrooms top the tofu. Bite into a piece of tofu and it will burn your mouth. That’s how you know it’s good. The mushrooms were tender and soft, without being soggy. The bok choy crowns were lightly braised by themselves and had a beautiful green color. They were tender, but not overcooked. Very good. $8.50

- Chinese Sausage and Frog Clay Pot Rice – Rice is cooked in a clay pot until bubbling and frog, slices of Chinese sausage, ginger, and scallions are placed on top to produce tender meat on rice. Then the ingredients are topped with a little thick soy sauce. The pot is brought to the table and the meat is plated on a separate dish which contains baby yau choy. The server then loosens the rice, adds some more thick soy sauce, and serves the rice into bowls. The meat was cooked to perfection. The frog had a consistency between chicken and fish – not as dense as chicken with the lightness of fish fillets. Very good. It warms you up inside. Small $8.95/Medium $13.95/Large $16.95

- Crispy Fried Chicken – A chicken is deep fried and cut into pieces. It is served with a wedge of lemon and a plate of Chinese seasoning salt (a combination of salt with five spice powder). Colorful shrimp chips top the chicken. The skin of the chicken was a deep golden brown and crispy. The overall flavor was good, although the chicken breast pieces were on the verge of being a little dry. The chips were crisp and fresh. Okay. My second time ordering this same dish of chicken was better than the first. It was still a golden brown, but all pieces of meat were tender and juicy. Even after our meal was over, the leftover pieces of chicken were still glistening with its juices. Half $8/Whole $15

- Steamed Tofu topped with Seafood in Lotus Leaf Wrapper – Soft tofu bricks are topped with a seafood sauce comprised of shrimp, mini scallops, and chopped gai lan. Baby gai lan line the edge of the tofu which is placed on top of a large lotus leaf. The entire mix is steamed in a large bamboo steamer to infuse the lotus leaf flavor into the tofu. The tofu is silky and the sauce creates a light coating about the tofu. Very good. $9.50

- Green Beans with Beef – Green beans are dry fried with thin slices of beef and carrot slices. There is lots of wok-air in this dish. It has excellent flavor and the beans remain crispy even after cooking. Very good. $7.50
Dessert is complimentary with dinner.

- Tofu in sweet syrup – Soft tofu is served warm in sweet syrup lightly flavored with a hint of ginger. The tofu is all in one piece, which for this style is the best way to serve it. The consistency is light and silky. Very good.

- Tapioca in coconut milk – Tapioca is cooked and served in sweet soup that is made with coconut milk and small pieces of taro. The taro thickens the coconut milk further creating a creamy decadent dessert. Very good.

Overall, the food was very good for dinner. This is a great value, and the service isn’t snooty or stuffy. Good. By the way, the tea is excellent. Full bodied, full flavored, with aromatic jasmine buds.

Sadly, it's not nearly as good as it was in past years.  Oh how I wish I could go back in time....

Vik's Chaat Corner - Indian, Berkeley

2390 4th Street
Berkeley CA 94710
(510) 644-4432
Parking: street parking

http://www.vikschaatcorner.com/

Last Visited: February 7, 2010

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

Chaat means 'to lick.' As their menu describes, these road side snacks were served on a leaf and were so good that you couldn't resist licking the last morselfs from the leaf before discarding it. When friends first told me to try out Vik's I was told to expect street food or snacks, so keep that in mind as you look at the menu containing various specials like puris, dosas, biryanis, kebabs, and more. I remember going to Vik's a couple of years back. They have since moved two blocks south of the old warehouse (and it really was a very basic warehouse with little style) to a newly remodeled location which they affectionately refer to as the Taj Mahal.

The new location contains a grocery store (stocked with plenty of different spices) and also has a new, fresh modern design with a new flow for both ordering and picking up food. First, you order from the main counter which has a menu overhead and several registers to take your order. This counter also contains a glass case displaying all of the wonderful desserts available. Upon ordering, you approach the condiments and utensils counter to pick up all the environmentally- friendly sporks (yes, that fork/spoon combo utensil) that you might need. Find yourself a table in the large dining area and listen for you name to be called from the sound system. It's a casual do-it-yourself environment, so if you're expecting service here, you'll be sorely disappointed. Also, everything comes in paper trays and plates, so it's kind of like going on a picnic.

If you're like me, you're more curious about how the food is being made. I headed to the kitchen area where there are signs designating the various locations of food pick-up depending on the type of food being ordered. It can feel chaotic, but trust that your order will come up eventually.

- Plain Dosa - A dosa is basically like a crepe. This thin pancake is golden on one side and soft on the other side. It's rolled and served with sambar (a lentil stew/soup containing vegetables and made with a tamarind base) and chutney. I really like the other dip it's served with because it has a texture similar to hummus (I love hummus). You can also choose to get potato or vegetable filling as well. It's excellent hot, but with all the running around to get the next item, it cooled very quickly. $5.75

- Bhatura Cholle - You can see a lot of people eating this giant round puffy bread (bhatura). It's made with fermented white flour and served with spicy garbanzo curry (cholle). Unfortunately, I don't know the spice combinations well enough to describe it in detail except to say that it's good. It's quite a lot for one person to eat, but great for sharing. It's not exactly what appears to be low in cholesterol - if you watch them cook it, you'll see how the bread is deep fried until it expands to this size - fun to watch. I could eat it alone even without the curry. $5.75

- Lamb Baida Roti - Roti is a whole wheat flat bread cooked on the griddle. Stuffed inside is spiced minced lamb. This was probably my favorite dish because of the great flavors and slightly crisp outer crust. It also reminds me of having a Chinese curry beef pastry because of the similar texture of the meat inside. A dipping sauce comprised of mint and yogurt also comes with the roti. Very good. $6

- Chicken Biryani - Biryani is a rice dish that comes with meat still on the bone. Here you can see the tender meat over long grain

basmati served with a side of raita (flavored yogurt) which cools your palate. This is a great comfort dish, but don't forget about the bones in the meat. I found this dish to be fairly filling - if dining alone, it's a good choice. $6.25

During my first visit, I tried the samosas and they too were quite good.

One thing about the old warehouse system that I liked before was that your meal was given to you all at once. With this new system where certain areas of the kitchen attend to the dish of that area, you'll find that you may need to approach the counter multiple times which means your food is getting cold while you're away. If they could return to having your entire meal ready at once or if someone brought it to your table, I would be a happier camper since the food that has arrived already could be enjoyed while waiting for the items still to come.

The food is very fresh overall and it's definitely quite an interesting cultural experience if you're unfamiliar with the chutneys and dipping sauces. As long as you are willing to try something new, you'll enjoy the great flavor combinations and interesting textures and possibly get to try a few items that are new to you. Also, you'll find some weekend specials and of course, they have kulfi, a personal favorite of mine. Kulfi is a rich ice cream that you'll have to save room for to end your meal properly. And don't worry, they also have a glossary for all the words you may not be familiar with. Vik's makes for a great casual dining experience.

Pasta Moto - Italian, Novato

5800 Nave Drive, Unit C
Novato, CA 94949
(415) 883-6686
Parking: shopping center parking lot
http://www.pastamoto.com/

Last Visited: January 9, 2010

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

Located in the new Hamilton Shopping Center in Novato, Pasta Moto serves made-to-order fast food including paninis, salads, pizzas, and pastas, with some ingredients being imported from Italy. This isn't the first Pasta Moto though - one was opened in San Francisco at the Westfield shopping center four years ago.

Walking into the establishment, it's a bit of an unusual setup in that you walk into an area with many tables and the counter/kitchen area behind those tables are where you order (although that's not the unusual part) and to the right of the tables is a walled section with a combination of high-backed bar stools and tables near the cushioned bench. Within this section is their unique wine dispenser - it's like a vending machine that takes cards allowing wine to be dispensed in various ounced portions. You could either choose all of one wine or do your own tasting. I didn't try it, but the concept is interesting. My friend recently found one of these dispensers while eating in Hong Kong at a fancy bar, so they're around if you look for them. The rear of the restaurant has a self-service counter containing the soda dispenser, utensils, napkins, and pitchers of water with mint floating in them.

After ordering, you receive a card that they have pre-programmed and after you select a table, you plug the card into what looks like a tiny jukebox to register your location. That's how they know what table to bring the order to. It's probably a lot of fun to do this with a kid and explain how it works.

The menu had a fair number of options, so I wanted to try at least one pizza and one pasta.

- Gnocchi Pesto - Served on a plate with a triangular-shaped well in it, the dish seems to have an artistic flare. Topped with grated parmesan, the gnocchi had great pesto and garlic flavor and came out very hot. Good. $8

- Pizza Funghi - A thin crust pizza is served on a peel (the wooden paddle that takes the pizza out of the oven). The pizza was topped with mozarella, tomato, large slices of mushroom, roasted garlic and white truffle oil. When the dish was first presented, my first thought was that it's not very pretty because those large pieces of mushroom fanned out in this fashion didn't look appealing. I hope it tastes better than it looks. The outer edge of the crust was crisp, but the center was soggy. You know you're getting full slices of mushroom, so that's a good point, and the flavor was very pleasant. The roasted garlic was a nice complement without overwhelming the pizza. $9.50

Service was very good. They checked on us one time after both of our items, which came separately, had arrived. The staff is pleasant and eager to please.

Overall, I had a good experience and found the food to be fresh. It's not as fast as fast food, but they certainly reasonable had a reasonable wait time. A nice addition to options in Novato.

Taiwan Restaurant - Chinese, San Francisco

445 Clement St, San Francisco 94118
(415) 387-1789
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: January 2, 2011 (Most prices listed below are from November 2007)

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

Taiwan Restaurant has been around for a number of years. They also have a branch in Berkeley, but of the two, I like the one in San Francisco better. I’ve been going to this restaurant for a number of years. Their signature rich pink painted façade outside makes it easy to find. The décor inside is a little worn. They have light finished wood chairs and the walls could use a fresh coat of paint, but the interesting thing is the front of the restaurant. The front window and waiting area allows you to watch the master chefs at work making steam buns, dumplings, pot stickers, and whatever else. In the background, you’ll see them deep frying Chinese donuts and other goodies.

- Fried Chinese Doughnut – Chinese doughnuts come in both sweet and salty flavor. The salty doughnut (yau tiao) is a long bar that is split partway lengthwise so it can easily be separated into two pieces. The doughnut at the Taiwan Restaurant is good, but not as light as the restaurants in Hong Kong make it. This doughnut is typically eaten for breakfast or lunchtime, and is accompanied with soybean milk (see below). $1

- Soybean Milk – Soybean milk is available in both sweet and savory. At $1.00 a bowl, it’s a steal. It’s hard to go wrong with sweet soybean milk. Good.

- Hot and Sour soup – The hot and sour soup was excellent, especially on a cold, overcast day. It had just the right amount of hot and sour and the soup is filled with ingredients – bamboo shoots, black fungus, egg, chicken strips, and so much more, but none of the stuff that shouldn’t be there (at some restaurants, vegetables that aren’t typical of hot and sour soup are found, but here, it’s authentically made). A few pieces of cilantro add color to the reddish soup. With the temperature also very hot, it was delicious. It’s also helpful if you need to clear your sinuses – it cleared mine quite well. If you’re a fan of hot and sour soup, this one was a treat. Unfortunately, I had to update this review so that everything was in past tense since during a recent visit, I found that the chef had changed and that the soup no longer had the same qualities - something was lacking, but it's hard to place my finger on it. It just didn't have the same balance in flavors as it once did. $4.95

- Pot Stickers – Pot stickers are a great lunch item. It can be a little risky for dinner. During lunch, they make large quantities, so you know they will be fresh. Six pot stickers are served upside down with their golden brown bottom facing up. It’s a presentation that some people aren’t used to, but it’s the golden brown that shows the freshness of the pot sticker wrapper and the technique of the chef. The pot stickers are filled with a pork and cabbage filling. It’s a great balance of dry (though not overly dry) wrapper with a little crispness on the outside, and when you bite into the pot sticker, you find juicy filling in the center. It’s best if the filling inside is hot in temperature. Sometimes, they have been sitting for a bit, but most of the time, it’s quite good. Check out this photo taken in 2011. The wrapper is browned until crispy and the price is extraordinary - what a bargain! Still great quality. $3.95 (price is the same in 2011)

- Steamed Dumplings – Six dumplings are served in a metal or bamboo steamer. Each dumpling contains a pork and cabbage filling. It’s served with a small dish of sliced ginger strips - the thinner the ginger strips, the better. Typically, you add red wine vinegar to the ginger and let the ginger soak in the vinegar. Then, the dumplings are dipped in the ginger vinegar. When the steamed dumplings are cooked right, the wrapper swells from the liquid steamed out from the filling and the dumplings are served so hot that they typically burn your mouth. If they’re not made well, the wrapper has a hole which has caused the flavorful juices to leak out. The steamed dumplings at Taiwan Restaurant are typically good, but aren’t the best of the Bay Area. During my most recent visit, the ginger was not cut well and some of the dumplings had holes in them, but the flavor was still okay. $3.95

- Chinese Pan Cake (Green Onion Pancake) – Two pancakes are deep fried and cut into quarters. Inside the pancake are pieces of green onion which give a savory flavor to the dough. The outside is crisp and crunchy while the inside is al dente and soft. Today’s pancakes were perfectly golden brown, hot and delicious. Excellent. $1.95

- Dumplings with chives and shrimp – Shrimp, pork, and chives fill a dumpling that is boiled in hot water. The texture of the wrapper is thin and the meat is juicy and flavorful. It’s a great dish to try and it’s frequently one of the dumplings that you can see being made in the front kitchen. $4.50

- Fried rice cake with pork – Rice cake is made by creating a roll and cutting the roll into thin slices. The texture is best described as very al dente – it should never be tough, but always somewhat chewy while being soft. It’s typically cooked with pork and chopped snow cabbage along with some napa cabbage. During this last visit, there was a lot of large pieces of green onion too. Very good. $5.25

- Beef stew noodle soup – Noodles are served with cubes of beef in a five spice seasoned soup. The beef has been infused with the five spice flavor and the noodles are al dente. A few spinach leaves and a sprinkling of green onions typically also come in the soup. Very good. This photo taken in 2011 had two small servings of noodles already removed from it, so it actually comes larger than what is shown. Still as good as I remember it. $6.95 in 2011 (was $4.95)

- Beef tendon noodle soup – Like the Beef stew noodle soup, the bowl includes lots of noodles and some spinach leaves. However, in place of stew is tender beef tendon that has been stewed until smooth and soft. It breaks apart with ease. The texture is an acquired taste though. It’s a little less spicy and less flavorful than the noodle soup. $4.95

- Szechuan Hot Sauce Noodles – Room temperature noodles are topped with Szechuan hot sauce. This sauce is comprised of chopped everything – ground pork, waterchestnuts, bamboo shoots, chili flakes, green onion, preserved mustard green, and more. There’s a touch of peanut butter and sesame paste in the mix. You combine the noodles at the table yourself, and the marriage of flavors is perfect with just a little bit of spiciness. Very good. $4.50

The thing that might make you flinch at is the ceiling. When you’re in the waiting area, don’t stare too closely at the walls lest you be frightened by what you see. Same is true of the restroom. If you don’t have to go, then don’t. Since my last visit, it looks like Taiwan Restaurant has gotten a fresh coat of paint inside, so it’s much cleaner now. You can once again look at the ceiling and walls.

All of the food is reasonably priced. I’ve tried a lot of different dishes. Most of the time, they’re quite good. You just need to be a little daring. One of the best things about Taiwan Restaurant is their tea. By the end of the meal, the tea flavor has gotten stronger and it’s a nice way to end your meal. Taiwan Restaurant has a lot of typical Taiwan/Shanghai style cooking, so give it a try sometime. It’s an excellent value (and prices have remained stable over the last few years too)!