1010 Hopper Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 523-2358
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
Hours: Mon – Sat 9am to 9pm, Sun 10am to 8 pm
http://leesnoodlehouse.com/
Last Visited: March 4, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $
Lee’s Noodle House is located in a small shopping center amongst some other small restaurants and businesses. The room is a bright yellow with light streaming in from the front windows. It’s an open space where you see the little nook on the left with several tables, and everything else is right in front of you. Directly above the wood paneled counter area are some white wall insets displaying plants. One of the other nooks contains a fat buddha figure. Other wall hangings of various flowers are displayed around the room. Red lanterns hang from the ceiling in front of the counter.
The tables are topped with green tablecloths and covered by glass tops. Light maple wood chairs surround the tables. On top of each table is a napkin holder and a small lazy susan containing standard Vietnamese condiments including fish sauce, soy sauce, red chili paste, hot sauce, Maggi sauce, salt, and pepper. A stack of chopsticks are also placed upright in a container on the table. Underneath the glass is a color photo showing some of their specialties. It’s great for those who have never tried Vietnamese food, and even better, the photo and the real-life dish actually do look the same.
Thus far, I have visited only for lunch. Each visit has been good and quite consistent in terms of service.
- Combination Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Dac Biet) – The standard eye round steak, well-done flank seak, soft tendons, tripe, and fat brisket are served over rice noodles in a hot broth. A plate of bean sprouts, thai basil, jalapenos, and lemon or lime accompany the noodles. Overall, it’s a great bargain. The broth is light, and I imagine similar to home made versions of the dish. It’s not as heavy in flavor as others, but still very good. Regular $4.65, Large $5.50
- Grilled Pork & Egg Roll with Rice Noodle (Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio) Cold rice noodles are topped with thin slices of grilled pork and an egg roll cut into sections. Cilantro, chopped peanuts, sliced carrots, and sliced pickled turnip strips are served with the grilled pork. There is also a side of fish sauce vinaigrette. The pork has excellent flavor. Everything had a fresh flavor and the mixture of textures and flavors are balanced in combination. Good. $5.75
- Lee’s Special Noodle – A quarter of a roasted chicken (dark meat) is placed in a bowl of light broth and egg noodles. The plate of bean sprouts and basil served with the combination soup also accompanies this one. This broth is a little different than the beef broth, but it too has that great flavor that is further accented by the fresh herbs. The chicken has excellent flavor and the skin has a beautiful golden brown color. It’s a little hard to maneuver since it’s not cut into pieces, but it does taste great. It’s a great dish to try. Only one size available. $6.50
When the place gets busy, it will take forever to get a check, so you have to ask for it. If you need anything, it’s better to be outspoken, otherwise you might not receive what you need. They bring food quickly, but service as a whole is fair. Granted, there’s only one person servicing the entire room. However, you can still get in and out within an hour. Value is excellent. No single item on the menu exceeds seven dollars. It’s great for a quick lunch on the go.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
McNoodle House - Chinese, Noodles, Richmond, Vancouver, Canada
Best: Won Ton Noodles
8291 Alexandra Rd, Richmond, BC V6X, Canada
(604) 231-8141
Parking: in parking lot
Last Visited: July 2, 2009
Food: 4 to 5 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
If only I lived next to a McNoodle House, I would probably go there at least two or three times a week for their Won Ton Noodles in Soup. Equally as much (ok, just a smidge more) of a treat as Tsim Chai Noodles, also in Vancouver, I would definitely stop into this place on my next visit. Also, it's right next to Kam Do Bakery where you can stop in for some the best wife cake for dessert. 
Uncle James and Auntie Winnie had just gotten back from a trip to Vancouver and said that we would really enjoy the place, and indeed we did. Like other Chinese restaurants in the area, this noodle house looked more like a cafe with warm colors and comfy cushioned booths. The decor is really new and modern. We ordered a variety of items to get a better feel for what they had to offer.
- Preserved Egg and Shredded Pork Congee - The congee is cooked to the right consistency and the meat and preserved egg are not overcooked. Great. $5
- Wonton Noodle Soup - The noodles are al dente and the won tons have just the right amount of filling. Just like you would find in restaurants in Hong Kong. Excellent. $4.50
- Deep Fried Chicken Wings - I think there were half a dozen chicken wings and what a great price. The outside is deep friend until crispy and the inside is super juicy. Beware that it's very hot when it is served. Another item that you must get if you go. $3.25
- Gai-Lan - Fairly standard in preparation, the gai-lan was tender and even though the stalks were thick, it was still very good. $3.25
- Cold Lemon Tea - Lots of slices of lemon go into strong black tea sweetened with simple syrup. Delicious and refreshing. $2.50- Hot Milk Tea - Very authentic and also inexpensive - some places will charge more for this drink - especially in the Bay Area, but this was yummy as expected. $1.50
Although we went for dinner, I'm confident that it's equally good for lunch. Great food and great prices - it's really hard to beat the value and quality McNoodle offers. I give it a best rating for the won ton noodles and a thumbs up all around!
Monday, May 16, 2011
La Azteca - Mexican, Petaluma
1420 South McDowell Blvd #E, Petaluma CA 94954
(707) 763-6844
Parking: In shopping center parking lot
Last Visited: November 24, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
James suggested trying La Azteca which is located in the Arroyo center. The restaurant is L-shaped with bright yellow walls. There are pictures of Spain, Mexican suns hung throughout the room, mirrors within some sun art, and on a display shelf are some beer bottles. In the back of the restaurant, you’ll see a bright fresco. The red cushioned booths are on one side of the room, and light brown tables fill the remainder of the room. On the side of the walls, you’ll see wood logs cut in half to line the wall. From one part of the room, you can see a view of the kitchen and all of the dishes that are served.
There was a flower at our table, but I noticed the amount of dust on it and tried to look away.
We were promptly greeted and told to sit anywhere we liked. The menus are already on the tables waiting for all the patrons. The waitress came very quickly, but we needed more time. After she had taken our order, and before the food came, the waitress came by again to see if we needed anything. It seemed a bit excessive, but maybe we looked confused or something.
James said to try the burrito and the chips. So we did. Chips arrived at our table with red salsa. The chips were homemade, but the texture is hard to describe. They’re not like tostadas, and not like hard chips, but somewhere in between, leaning more toward the hard chip, but not as hard. The salsa is on the spicy side, but not burning your mouth.
- Chunky Chicken Burrito – A good sized burrito is made with a flour tortilla and filled with chicken, rice, beans, fresh salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. There is a choice of red ranchero sauce or green tomatillo sauce. Since it was my first visit, I opted for the red ranchero sauce on the side, which they seemed to think was a slightly unusual request. The sauce is good. Good burrito – very satisfying. $5.75
- Fish Tacos - Two corn tortillas are topped with deep fried fish and salsa. I didn’t expect the fish to be deep fried, but it was okay. Fresh, but not spectacular. Okay. $2.75
- Chicken Enchilada – Chicken is wrapped in a corn tortilla and pan fried. Then the enchilada is topped with enchilada sauce. Shredded lettuce accompanies the enchilada. The sauce is nice – different from others I tried, but good. $3.00
Combination plates, seafood, and egg dishes are available. They also have seating to accommodate larger groups.
The overall experience was a good one. I enjoyed the chips, and found them a bit addictive. Even after finishing off my burrito, I still ate more chips. The food is fresh, and the service is good, though our waitress may have been slightly overly attentive, but I would certainly be willing to return to try some of their other offerings.
(707) 763-6844
Parking: In shopping center parking lot
Last Visited: November 24, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
James suggested trying La Azteca which is located in the Arroyo center. The restaurant is L-shaped with bright yellow walls. There are pictures of Spain, Mexican suns hung throughout the room, mirrors within some sun art, and on a display shelf are some beer bottles. In the back of the restaurant, you’ll see a bright fresco. The red cushioned booths are on one side of the room, and light brown tables fill the remainder of the room. On the side of the walls, you’ll see wood logs cut in half to line the wall. From one part of the room, you can see a view of the kitchen and all of the dishes that are served.
There was a flower at our table, but I noticed the amount of dust on it and tried to look away.
We were promptly greeted and told to sit anywhere we liked. The menus are already on the tables waiting for all the patrons. The waitress came very quickly, but we needed more time. After she had taken our order, and before the food came, the waitress came by again to see if we needed anything. It seemed a bit excessive, but maybe we looked confused or something.
James said to try the burrito and the chips. So we did. Chips arrived at our table with red salsa. The chips were homemade, but the texture is hard to describe. They’re not like tostadas, and not like hard chips, but somewhere in between, leaning more toward the hard chip, but not as hard. The salsa is on the spicy side, but not burning your mouth.
- Chunky Chicken Burrito – A good sized burrito is made with a flour tortilla and filled with chicken, rice, beans, fresh salsa, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. There is a choice of red ranchero sauce or green tomatillo sauce. Since it was my first visit, I opted for the red ranchero sauce on the side, which they seemed to think was a slightly unusual request. The sauce is good. Good burrito – very satisfying. $5.75
- Fish Tacos - Two corn tortillas are topped with deep fried fish and salsa. I didn’t expect the fish to be deep fried, but it was okay. Fresh, but not spectacular. Okay. $2.75
- Chicken Enchilada – Chicken is wrapped in a corn tortilla and pan fried. Then the enchilada is topped with enchilada sauce. Shredded lettuce accompanies the enchilada. The sauce is nice – different from others I tried, but good. $3.00
Combination plates, seafood, and egg dishes are available. They also have seating to accommodate larger groups.
The overall experience was a good one. I enjoyed the chips, and found them a bit addictive. Even after finishing off my burrito, I still ate more chips. The food is fresh, and the service is good, though our waitress may have been slightly overly attentive, but I would certainly be willing to return to try some of their other offerings.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Pongo's Kitchen & Tap - Thai/Burgers, Petaluma
(707) 765-9800
Parking: in shopping center parking lot
http://www.pongospetaluma.com/
Last Visited: June 2, 2012
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$
Sadness. After visiting Pongo's about a year after my initial visit, I have downgraded the food from 4 stars to 3 stars and service down to 2 stars. While the flavors are still there for the pumpkin curry, I was thoroughly disappointed by the fact that the steamed rice was not fresh. I've heard that the food is the highest quality when Pongo is actually in the house, but today, he was off, so the food was also off. The rice wasn't steaming and was actually a little bit hard. As I separated the mound of rice, I noticed that it wasn't hot inside. It seemed like it had just been microwaved.
- Prawn rolls - The menu describes it as fried crispy rolls that are stuffed with prawns and chicken along with red curry and basil. A ginger chili dipping sauce accompanies the dish. I was pretty disappointed by these rolls. Five rolls are served on a plate and you pretty much just taste the prawn. The texture of the other items just blends in and I felt like texture contrast was missing. The roll lacked a freshness to it and wasn't as crispy as it could have been. I wouldn't get this again. $8.50
The service was still amateurish. We had a different server, but when he brought out the plates for our appetizer, he just left them in a pile on the table without distributing them. I was surprised that he left them this way since they weren't busy - there was only one other table of people.
Pongo's can be really good - they just need to be more disciplined and make sure that the food quality stays as high as possible even when Pongo is away. If they can do that and perfect the service more, they'll be back on top again.
May 7, 2011 visit
Pongo's opened up about a month ago and has taken over the spot formerly occupied by Julian's. Located in the same shopping center as G&G Market, it's very accessible and will be a nice addition to this area if it can attract enough clientele. Fellow foodie James went there a couple of times and recommended it to me highly for Thai food.After James told me about Pongo's, I tried to find some information about them on the internet, but only found a very sparse Facebook page. There were some good reviews on yelp, but no visible web presence - no photos, no menu - with a name like Pongo's, I wasn't clear about what kind of restaurant I would be going to try out.
I was very surprised to find that it was called Pongo's Kitchen and Tap. That name was still a little confusing, but after I saw the bar with two large screen televisions above it, along with the combination menu of primarily traditional Thai dishes and burgers, I have to admit, I was still a bit confused. After talking to the owners, it started to make sense. Pongo had partnered with another family and their two ideas had combined to form this restaurant. While burgers and sandwiches may serve the bar folks, Thai food with fun comments like "he can cook; he really can" to describe Nick's special pan fried rice noodles, are the highlight of the menu.
Pongo was formerly the chef at Jhanthong Banbua in Santa Rosa (one of my former favorite lunch places when I worked in the area) and he also owned the Thai fast food station at Northgate Mall. Knowing he once cooked at Jhanthong, I had a feeling I would enjoy the food.
- Chicken Satay - Marinated, grilled chicken breast skewers served with a peanut dipping sauce and a cucumber salad cup. The fact that the chicken was marinated made an incredible difference. The white meat chicken was tender and moist. The peanut dipping sauce was rich and paired well with the chicken. While the ingredients of the cucumber salad were standard, I would prefer it to be more tart - the dressing/vinegar was a little too light and almost bland. Great chicken. $7
Choice of chicken, beef, pork, or tofu are available for most of the dishes. Add $2 for prawns, $3 for combination or fresh mixed seafood.
- Pad Thai Noodles - The pad thai noodles contain the same ingredients as what you would find at most Thai restaurants, but what I really appreciated was that it wasn't too sweet and the noodles had a terrific texture - slightly al dente, yet still very tender. he colors also show how nicely it was presented. I selected beef for this dish and found that the beef was tender and didn't have any hint of being frozen. The color of the sauce leans more on the brown (versus orange side). Very good. $8.50
- Pumpkin Curry - Kabocha squash, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, and basial in a red curry sauce, served with steamed rice This pumpkin curry was a little more thin than I prefer, but it had good flavor. I selected tofu for this dish. There was a good balance of red peppers, 
and other vegetables - there were no 'filler' vegetables as I call them (sometimes you find cabbage and other things that don't seem to belong or aren't authentic to curry dishes), but this didn't even have a hint of that issue. I am curious to know if there would be as much meat as there was tofu if I had selected meat. I also liked how they had included rice with the dish - at most Thai places, you need to order rice separately. $8.75
and other vegetables - there were no 'filler' vegetables as I call them (sometimes you find cabbage and other things that don't seem to belong or aren't authentic to curry dishes), but this didn't even have a hint of that issue. I am curious to know if there would be as much meat as there was tofu if I had selected meat. I also liked how they had included rice with the dish - at most Thai places, you need to order rice separately. $8.75Pongo's has a lot of potential, but they have a few kinks to work out. They need a more prominent sign outside because the temporary one isn't very eye-catching. All of the staff need to be familiar with the menu, otherwise, they need to stay behind the counter or assist in some other manner. They need to build a stronger web presence to attract new clients. Fortunately, the food is delicious - good enough that I would go back and try more of their menu, but until these other things get worked out, it will be harder to pull in new people and get them to keep coming back.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Kyoto's - Japanese, Rohnert Park
5 Padre Parkway, Rohnert Park CA 94928 (Padre Town Center)
(707) 584-4204
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30 to 2:30, 4:30 to 9:30 pm; Fri 11:30-2:30, 4:30 to 10pm;
Sat Noon to 10pm; Sun 3:30 to 9pm
Last Visited: June 18, 2005
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: Lunch $$, Dinner $$ to $$$
Kyoto’s has been open for 20 years, but has been under its current ownership for the last seven years. The evening of our visit happened to be prom night, so there were a lot of young people filling the restaurant.
The atmosphere of Kyoto’s is fresh and clean. The colors are typical of Japanese restaurants – a lot of ivory and wood. The room is decorated with Japanese art showing ladies in their kimonos holding fans as well as pictures of bento boxes and sake bottles. Upon walking in, the sushi bar is to your left and there is a raised area with two tables to your right. Adjacent to the sushi bar is another raised area with five tables, and the main dining area spaciously seats more. I liked how they seated families in the main dining area as to separate them from the more enclosed raised locations. There are lanterns and other decorations that give the room a cozy feeling.
The staff is friendly. Upon arriving, you are served hot Japanese tea and a basket of edamame. To hold the edamame shells, they give you a folded paper box made from a page of a Japanese magazine. It’s a clever way to reuse the paper and is convenient for disposal as well. You will also receive a hot towel to wipe your hands, and it really is a hot towel. Throughout the evening, the staff checked on us to make sure we were well attended to and they also frequently checked the amount of tea in our tea cups and refilled often.
- Moriawase Sashimi (Assorted combination sashimi) Dinner - The dinners are served with miso soup and cucumber salad. The miso soup contained green onions, thinly sliced mushroom, and tofu. One thing that a number of Japanese restaurants do is serve you cold or lukewarm soup. This isn’t the case at Kyoto’s – it’s piping hot and very good. The quantity of soup is also good. Some places are stingy with their food, but Kyoto’s is far from it. The cucumber salad is topped with a mandarin orange and cherry. The portion of the salad is good, but the flavor of the cucumber that wasn’t soaking in the dressing was a little lacking. The pieces that were in the dressing were still crispy, and their flavor was more infused in the cucumber. Onto the sashimi - Plentiful pieces of tuna, halibut, mackerel, salmon, yellow tail, topped with a shrimp are served over thinly sliced turnip. The sashimi is accompanied by pickled ginger, wasabi, sprouts, and lemon slices. The presentation was lovely - very colorful. Slices of lemon are wrapped in salmon, and the plate contains a rainbow of color. The sashimi was very fresh in appearance and flavor. The freshness revealed that Kyoto’s is probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in Sonoma County. $16.95
The restaurant was quite popular this evening, and if that’s any indication, you’ll also want to consider making a reservation if your party is large.
If the amount of edamame served isn’t enough, additional side orders are also available. The other good thing about Kyoto’s is that they serve you a refreshing orange for dessert, and your check is accompanied with a piece of Japanese flower candy. The overall experience was excellent, and I would definitely go back. Very fresh and very good. Kyoto’s does an excellent job with simple touches of excellent service.
My second visit was almost a year after the previous. This time, service was disappointing, but Kyoto’s redeemed itself that same evening, and so their service rating remains the same. Upon our arrival, we were immediately seated and given menus. The tea and edamame came as expected, but it was at least ten to fifteen minutes after being seated that anyone came to take our order. Let me go through the food items first.
- Miso Shiro - See miso soup comments in the Moriawase sashimi section. Good. $1.75 per bowl
Nigiri sushi (each order comes in a pair)
- Anago (sea eel) – The sea eel wasn’t good. Sea eel is a cooked sushi. The presentation was nice, but the fish wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t spoiled either, but since it wasn’t fresh, I was disappointed. I wouldn’t order the sea eel here again. More than likely, it doesn’t have the turnover rate to keep it fresh. $4.50
- Hirame (halibut) – Fresh, but the fish had some blood vessels in it. Still edible, but I wonder if there is a way to pull those vessels out. Good. $3.50
- Unagi (freshwater eel) – Unagi is cooked sushi as well, but this freshwater eel was fresh (especially compared to the sea eel). Lovely presentation. Great. $3.50
- Maguro (tuna) – Fresh tasting and no blood vessels. Great. $3.50
Maki Sushi
- Rock and Roll (eel and avocado) – Unagi and avocado are wrapped into a roll and cut into six pieces. Great. $4.50
Our miso shiro came about ten minutes after ordering. It took another ten minutes after that for the sushi to come. Food was good, but service was extremely slow. Normally, I don’t say anything when service is bad. I just take note or ask where my food is, but I don’t complain. Knowing how great service can be at Kyoto, and since the owner came to check on every table and ask how things were, I said something. What was interesting was that our table seemed to receive particularly poor service and it was mostly related to timing. The owner was quite apologetic when I gave her my comments and explained how they were short handed this evening. She also shared that she noticed other tables in a different section of the restaurant in a similar situation – one of her employees didn’t realize that part of her duties as hostess required her to also assist the wait staff when they are shorthanded.
When I received the check, accompanied with it was a gift certificate for five dollars toward my next visit. As mentioned earlier, Kyoto managed the situation well, and with that, I am keeping the service rating at four stars. The staff may not be fully at four stars yet, but the management is, and with more training, their staff will be as well. Still good sushi, and we’ll see how service goes the next time.
(707) 584-4204
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30 to 2:30, 4:30 to 9:30 pm; Fri 11:30-2:30, 4:30 to 10pm;
Sat Noon to 10pm; Sun 3:30 to 9pm
Last Visited: June 18, 2005
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: Lunch $$, Dinner $$ to $$$
Kyoto’s has been open for 20 years, but has been under its current ownership for the last seven years. The evening of our visit happened to be prom night, so there were a lot of young people filling the restaurant.
The atmosphere of Kyoto’s is fresh and clean. The colors are typical of Japanese restaurants – a lot of ivory and wood. The room is decorated with Japanese art showing ladies in their kimonos holding fans as well as pictures of bento boxes and sake bottles. Upon walking in, the sushi bar is to your left and there is a raised area with two tables to your right. Adjacent to the sushi bar is another raised area with five tables, and the main dining area spaciously seats more. I liked how they seated families in the main dining area as to separate them from the more enclosed raised locations. There are lanterns and other decorations that give the room a cozy feeling.
The staff is friendly. Upon arriving, you are served hot Japanese tea and a basket of edamame. To hold the edamame shells, they give you a folded paper box made from a page of a Japanese magazine. It’s a clever way to reuse the paper and is convenient for disposal as well. You will also receive a hot towel to wipe your hands, and it really is a hot towel. Throughout the evening, the staff checked on us to make sure we were well attended to and they also frequently checked the amount of tea in our tea cups and refilled often.
- Moriawase Sashimi (Assorted combination sashimi) Dinner - The dinners are served with miso soup and cucumber salad. The miso soup contained green onions, thinly sliced mushroom, and tofu. One thing that a number of Japanese restaurants do is serve you cold or lukewarm soup. This isn’t the case at Kyoto’s – it’s piping hot and very good. The quantity of soup is also good. Some places are stingy with their food, but Kyoto’s is far from it. The cucumber salad is topped with a mandarin orange and cherry. The portion of the salad is good, but the flavor of the cucumber that wasn’t soaking in the dressing was a little lacking. The pieces that were in the dressing were still crispy, and their flavor was more infused in the cucumber. Onto the sashimi - Plentiful pieces of tuna, halibut, mackerel, salmon, yellow tail, topped with a shrimp are served over thinly sliced turnip. The sashimi is accompanied by pickled ginger, wasabi, sprouts, and lemon slices. The presentation was lovely - very colorful. Slices of lemon are wrapped in salmon, and the plate contains a rainbow of color. The sashimi was very fresh in appearance and flavor. The freshness revealed that Kyoto’s is probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in Sonoma County. $16.95
The restaurant was quite popular this evening, and if that’s any indication, you’ll also want to consider making a reservation if your party is large.
If the amount of edamame served isn’t enough, additional side orders are also available. The other good thing about Kyoto’s is that they serve you a refreshing orange for dessert, and your check is accompanied with a piece of Japanese flower candy. The overall experience was excellent, and I would definitely go back. Very fresh and very good. Kyoto’s does an excellent job with simple touches of excellent service.
My second visit was almost a year after the previous. This time, service was disappointing, but Kyoto’s redeemed itself that same evening, and so their service rating remains the same. Upon our arrival, we were immediately seated and given menus. The tea and edamame came as expected, but it was at least ten to fifteen minutes after being seated that anyone came to take our order. Let me go through the food items first.
- Miso Shiro - See miso soup comments in the Moriawase sashimi section. Good. $1.75 per bowl
Nigiri sushi (each order comes in a pair)
- Anago (sea eel) – The sea eel wasn’t good. Sea eel is a cooked sushi. The presentation was nice, but the fish wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t spoiled either, but since it wasn’t fresh, I was disappointed. I wouldn’t order the sea eel here again. More than likely, it doesn’t have the turnover rate to keep it fresh. $4.50
- Hirame (halibut) – Fresh, but the fish had some blood vessels in it. Still edible, but I wonder if there is a way to pull those vessels out. Good. $3.50
- Unagi (freshwater eel) – Unagi is cooked sushi as well, but this freshwater eel was fresh (especially compared to the sea eel). Lovely presentation. Great. $3.50
- Maguro (tuna) – Fresh tasting and no blood vessels. Great. $3.50
Maki Sushi
- Rock and Roll (eel and avocado) – Unagi and avocado are wrapped into a roll and cut into six pieces. Great. $4.50
Our miso shiro came about ten minutes after ordering. It took another ten minutes after that for the sushi to come. Food was good, but service was extremely slow. Normally, I don’t say anything when service is bad. I just take note or ask where my food is, but I don’t complain. Knowing how great service can be at Kyoto, and since the owner came to check on every table and ask how things were, I said something. What was interesting was that our table seemed to receive particularly poor service and it was mostly related to timing. The owner was quite apologetic when I gave her my comments and explained how they were short handed this evening. She also shared that she noticed other tables in a different section of the restaurant in a similar situation – one of her employees didn’t realize that part of her duties as hostess required her to also assist the wait staff when they are shorthanded.
When I received the check, accompanied with it was a gift certificate for five dollars toward my next visit. As mentioned earlier, Kyoto managed the situation well, and with that, I am keeping the service rating at four stars. The staff may not be fully at four stars yet, but the management is, and with more training, their staff will be as well. Still good sushi, and we’ll see how service goes the next time.
Southern Pacific Smokehouse – BBQ, Novato
224 Vintage Way, Novato CA 94945Parking: shopping center parking lot
http://thesouthernpacific.com/
Last Visited: May 5, 2011
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$
Located in the Vintage Oaks shopping center, Southern Pacific Smokehouse is the result of a partnership between Philip Claypool, country western singer, and former Plumpjack Group CEO, Rick Riess. The place had been open about a week when I visited and you could still see some of the kinks being worked out. The restaurant’s style is reminiscent of a lounge, but it doesn’t have a pretentious feel. The remodeled jewelry store is now filled with dark wood, mirrors, a comfortable bar, an open kitchen including a pizza oven from Italy, and a dedicated lounge for musical acts. One can appreciate the expense spent to give the place a whole new look. A few of my dining companions said it was easily one of the best looking places in Novato. While it’s only been open a short time, Southern Pacific is already getting involved in local activities including hosting a fundraiser for Novato Youth. They have also scheduled a number of bands, both local and more famous musical acts. Their vision is ‘to provide guests with an approachable dining experience.’ I can definitely attest to the friendliness of the owner – Philip came up to our table to introduce himself and thank us for coming in to enjoy his new place. However, I found the hosting staff to be a little less friendly, more stuffy – perhaps it’s their all black outfits or just their demeanor, but they could be warmer and it wouldn’t hurt a bit.
The menu (same for lunch and dinner) is fairly simple. There are a variety of sandwiches, salads, and pizzas as well as wood-fired and smoked options including tri-tip and ribs. All of the sides are a little expensive at $5 each, but I don’t know what kind of quantity they might give you. Upon our arrival, we were given the choice of still water or complimentary sparkling water. The water comes in a clear bottle and the glasses are small mason jars – an interesting way to set themselves apart from the typical Novato restaurant.
They had made an extra pizza, so they gave it to us to sample for free. That was a nice way to start off our visit. Another interesting item of note was that all of their order-taking was done on an electronic device.- Smoked Chicken, Bacon, and Brie Pizza – Breast meat is pulled apart into small chunks and along with bacon and brie, it tops a thin crust pizza. I thought I tasted some sweet onions too, but it wasn’t listed as one of the ingredients on the menu. The pizza crust is cooked through well, but not overly crispy. The amount of toppings are reasonable and the crust is able to hold up to them well. $12
- Dry Baby Back Ribs – Since it’s a smokehouse, I had to order something from the barbecue. This half rack had about six or seven ribs. It’s served with cornbread, coleslaw, and beans. Unfortunately, the cornbread didn’t come until I asked near the end of the meal and by that time, I was pretty stuffed. Two pieces of jalapeno cornbread came with sweetened butter. The cornbread was sweet and good, but if you prefer to see and enjoy the texture of corn in your bread, you won’t find that here. The coleslaw was lightly dressed and still very crunchy. The beans were hot and sweet – I liked this side the best of all of three offered. Now to the ribs – the ribs are crusted with a dry rub giving a blend of spicy and smoky. The meat was very tender and I loved how the smoky flavor rang through each bite. What I didn’t like about this dish was that the flavorful and spicy sauce that came with it was cold as though it had just come out of the refrigerator. I prefer the sauce to be warmed through or hot in temperature. Overall, the ribs were good, but a little on the expensive side for lunch. $17 half rack, $25 full rack
My other dining companions ordered more pizza – they found the bbq pulled pork pizza to be too heavy and the mushroom pizza and tomato/basil/mozzarella pizza to both be very good. Another person ordered the risotto and enjoyed that a lot. While we were eating, we overheard our waitress sharing the specials that weren’t shared with us, so you can tell that they’re still learning the ropes. She was also still familiarizing herself with the desserts which we asked for a list of despite knowing we were too stuffed to enjoy them. While the staff descends upon you when it’s time to serve with at least three or four members serving our plates so that all of the food would arrive together, missing the cornbread shows room for opportunity. Midway through our meal, we also heard the kitchen staff yelling out orders that needed to be fired off. While this may be normal in other settings, it doesn’t seem to fit in well here and caught our group a bit off guard.The food is good, but the prices are too high for Novato, at least for lunch. For dinner, the prices are okay. To survive in this town, Southern Pacific needs to offer a few menu items that will allow patrons to get in and out for lunch for under $12 including tax and tip in order to continue to attract a good lunch crowd once their newness has worn off. Sandwiches at $14 are just too high to sustain regular weekday clientele. They also need to work on their attention to detail in terms of service. They have a promising future, and we’ll be watching how they execute their approachable dining experience vision.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sesame Tea Eats Now has a Facebook Page!
After several years of having a Facebook group, Sesame Tea Eats now has its own Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sesame-Tea-Eats-A-Bay-Area-Restaurant-Blog/224276227587563
Click on the 'Like' button on the Facebook page to get new blog post updates. Thanks for supporting Sesame Tea Eats!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sesame-Tea-Eats-A-Bay-Area-Restaurant-Blog/224276227587563
Click on the 'Like' button on the Facebook page to get new blog post updates. Thanks for supporting Sesame Tea Eats!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)