Simmer Huang / Miao Grill - Chinese

 

148 Serramonte Center, Unit B
Daly City CA 94015
(650) 331-1511
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Daily 11am-9:30pm

Last Visited: January 15, 2023

Food: 3 stars

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Service: 3 to 4 stars

Price: $$ to $$$

Located in the Serramonte shopping center next to Meet Fresh, I had driven by this location a few times and noticed the Grand Opening sign.  I wasn't sure what to expect at Simmer Huang / Miao Grill, and when I arrived, I was definitely surprised to see cat art in the restaurant, including a cat Mona Lisa.  The word miao sounds like the word for cat in Chinese. 

Upon arriving, we got one of those sauce plates with three compartments containing a little complimentary appetizer of edamame, chex mix, and peanuts with skin on - it was a bit unusual to get chex mix, but it still tasted good.  

There were a lot of tables for larger parties and few for tables of two. Most of the tables have a warmer for your pot to stay hot while you're dining.  You'll see the menu offers a number of different combination pots - some referred to as dry pot style.  Think of it as pre-made hot pot, but a whole lot more flavorful.  Most people order this and each pot comes with optional sides for an extra cost.

- Beef Rib Dry Pot Szechuan Spicy Style with Tofu  - I figured you can't go wrong with beef ribs, and to help absorb whatever gravy or pan sauce, I figured going with something plain like tofu would be good.  Little did I know that this pot, which according to the menu contained beef short ribs, potato, cauliflower, green pepper, celery, and which is marked as popular and bone-in, was not marked with the icon for spicy! I was thinking spicy per the title was going to be pretty mild, but green pepper is apparently not bell pepper, but jalapenos!  There are also a lot of peanuts, sesame, and fresh cilantro all throughout the dish.  While the menu says it serves 2-3 people, I think it could easily serve four.  It's good-sized for normal eaters. The beef is tender and the potato slices absorb all of the oils in this dish; there is pretty much not a bite without a lot of spice. This is flaming hot, and even with rice and tofu, I had a hard time eating much of this dish. When I brought home the leftovers, I had to pick out all of the jalapenos and add a bunch of vegetables to tone down the spice level. $45.88 base price with tofu $4.99

- Dumplings (10) - There is only one option for dumplings available - pork and cabbage.  These are pretty standard dumplings - nothing wow, but nothing bad either - I wouldn't mind ordering them again.  They come with a small plastic cup of black vinegar.  The price for ten pieces is fairly high though compared to other places.  $13.99

Most of the dry pot options start just above $30 and go up quickly from there.  Add a side dish (or up to six) and it could easily be much more.  You can also make your own custom soup pot which starts at $13.99.  If you're not into the different pot offerings, you can choose standards like fried rice and noodles. They also have bbq skewers and grilled fish dishes.

Service was quite friendly.  The servers checked on us throughout the meal and offered more napkins.  Food took some time to arrive, but the appetizer helps you pass the time.  

While I would be willing to give Simmer Huang another try, I probably would stick with the things that aren't their specialty because the spice level is too strong for me.  After a second look, I noticed that under the grilled fish, they have one option listed as non-spicy which seems to indicate that this is the one thing that is not like the other, at least under the fish section.  

If you have good spice tolerance, and mine is ok for mildly spiced foods, then this is a good stop for you. If you're ultra sensitive, then be very careful. 

Saap Thai Kitchen - South San Francisco

 427 Linden Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 989-8220
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30am-2:30pm; 4:30pm-8:30pm; Sat 10:30am-7pm, 10:30am-7pm

Last Visited: June 3, 2023

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

Saap Thai Kitchen opened two weeks ago and took the spot of the former Siam Spoon location.  They have refreshed the decor a bit and a couple wall-sized mural decorate the large walls - freshly painted, you can see they're dated May 2023 and done by hand, giving the place a unique look that you won't find elsewhere in town.  

We arrived early in the evening and were promptly greeted by the friendly hostess.  

- Pad See Ew- This wide rice noodle dish has a lot of great flavor and comes with your choice of chicken, pork, or beef.  For three dollars more, you can have your choice of squid or shrimp instead.  We chose beef, and found it a bit on the tough side - this was likely due to the meat not being marinated with some tenderizer, but the flavor was definitely there.  It's a touch on the sweet side. Also, the rice noodles were a bit more broken down than I would have liked, but nothing was burnt which is good; getting the noodles hot enough and staying whole can be a challenge with these noodles depending if they're super fresh or day old. Mixed in are a few crowns of broccoli and carrot slices.  Some minor improvements to the meat would make this dish better, but still good. $12.95

- Panang Curry - Similar to the above dish, you can choose your protein and we selected beef again.  The beef in this dish was a bit more tender than that in the pad see ew - maybe due to a shorter cooking time? It could still stand to have a little bit of tenderizer, but the cut of meat itself was ok and fresh.  The flavor of this curry is terrific with a bit of heat, and you can see the lemongrass slices and bay leaf along with sauteed onions.  The curry is served with a side of fresh steamed vegetables - cabbage, broccoli, and sliced carrots.  The vegetables are drained well so it doesn't water down the sauce.  I would recommend this curry.  Note that it's not the super thick kind - it's a different style, but still delicious nonetheless. $13.95

- Jasmine Rice - Standard stuff.  Good portion. $3

- Thai Iced Tea - One free tea for purchases over $25. Good and not watered down. 

Three stars for this overall experience since the food tasted good and they likely still need to dial in their cooking.  Prices are very reasonable for the portions, food is fresh, and service is friendly as the host checked on us during the start and middle of the meal and had a great attitude.  Lunch specials are available for about $15.  Check out this small family-owned business and get a Panang curry.

Easy Rider - Southern, Petaluma

190 Kentucky St, Petaluma CA 94952
(707) 774-6233
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri 5pm-9pm; Sat-Sun 10am-1:30pm, 5pm-9pm
www.easyriderpetaluma.com

Last Visited: May 6, 2023

Food: 3 to 4 stars

Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars

Service: 4 to 5 stars

Price: $$$

Petaluma's food scene is pretty happening for a small town - Italian is a staple and while there is a good variety of everything else, there hasn't really been a southern comfort food spot in Sonoma County, so it's fun to see a new place take this location.

Enter Easy Rider and you'll see their full bar.  Tables tend to be a bit tight in terms of space - for example, we sat in the booth across from the bar and if you happen to be a little larger, this would have been uncomfortable, but overall, they have made it cozy and rustic, using up every counter and corner that you can find.

The restaurant was packed on a Saturday night by 6pm, so reservations are definitely recommended.  If you live locally, consider the three course prix fixe menu for $44 - a terrific deal when most of their entrees are in the high $30 range.  Brunch is available on the weekends.  If you have to wait, there seems to be an abundance of drink choices to try.  

Ashley, our server, was very positive and had such a pleasant attitude.  She was not fazed at all by our declaration that we would share all of the entrees and made sure the bussers didn't take our plates away after the appetizer.  I really appreciated her service and attention to detail. 

- Hushpuppies - For our starter, we chose the bacon and cheddar hushpuppies which are served with a sweet strawberry and japaleno jam.  The hushpuppies exterior are a bit dark in color, but the inside is bright yellow and the flavor of the bacon and salt from the cheddar definitely comes out.  There were six in total.  The jam could be more jammy/thick, and the strawberry was definitely more prominent the jalapeno, but that was fine for our table since we can't tolerate a ton of spice anyways. Solid, but I would have preferred the oil to be fresher so that the presentation could be golden brown.  $13.75

- Braised Short rib - This was easily the best dish of the night.  The short rib is super tender and flavorful.  You don't even need a knife.  The potato puree is covered with gravy and topped with the meat, so you can't go wrong there.  The short rib was topped with some fried shallots, chopped parsley, and a horseradish cream.  While the menu mentions turnip and mushrooms, I think with our splitting all of the entrees that I missed getting these ingredients. They certainly weren't overwhelming.  In any case, I could easily eat this dish again.  The horseradish cream is pretty mild, so I wouldn't have minded if the horseradish flavor was stronger here.  Four stars. $37 

- Shrimp n grits - Four shrimp are served with four slices of andouille sausage cut on the bias and grilled.  The grits are topped with sauce creole and there is a small spoonful's worth of trinity pickles on the side.  The shrimp is tender and not overcooked and the sauce has a kick - so if you don't like spicy food, you should skip this one.  The grits are just the right texture.  For this price, I think another couple of shrimp would make it a better value.  Good, but the sauce can be a touch overpowering and possibly affected every dish I ate after this one. $33.50

- Berkshire pork chop - I was pleasantly surprised at how juicy this pork chop was when I cut into it.  It's thick and meaty - maybe it's brined.  With all of the other dishes, my palate might have been a bit distorted by the time I ate this, but the pork chop could be a bit saltier.  The cheesy grits don't have as much of a cheesy taste as just a regular grits taste.  The collards are slightly sweet because of the apple butter.  This was just okay, but the meat was done nicely.  If you want mild flavors, choose this one. $34.50

- Southern fried chicken dinner - This was my second favorite dish of the night.  Four pieces of chicken are breaded with a cornmeal crust and fried.  I think they probably brine the meat because I've never had a fried chicken breast this size that is this juicy.  The meat is served drizzled with calabrian chili honey and there is bacon truffle gravy on the side.  Mac and cheese and collard greens also come with the chicken.  The calabrian chili is not very noticeable, but the sweetness of the honey makes for a terrific bite with this thick crust.  Similar comment as above when it comes to the color being a bit on the dark side.  Nevertheless, the gravy makes it better, although I could taste the bacon more than the truffle.  Actually, had the menu not said truffle, I can't say I would have even noticed that was part of the ingredient list, but again, it could have been that creole sauce from the shrimp and grits dish that made it less noticeable.  The mac and cheese is awesome - even if you're not ordering the chicken, I wonder if you can get that as a side (it's not on the menu as a side dish).  Collard greens are ok - nothing to write home about here.  The sides make this a really good value. $35.50

The food and service make Easy Rider worth a visit.  In my opinion, there is a lot of good flavors going on, but some ingredients could be highlighted even more.  I'm really glad I shared the entrees so I didn't feel stuck with any one because depending on what you order, as noted, some flavors are mild while others may be too strong.  

The menu offers sandwiches and other sides as well as lighter fare.  The staff was all around friendly and made the evening enjoyable.  It's a fun atmosphere for drinks or night out with friends.  Note that they also charge a living wage surcharge on your dine in bill.

CA Bakehouse - Bakery, San Jose

 979 Story Rd, Unit 7066, San Jose CA 95122
(408) 287-9188
Parking: mall parking lot

Hours: Thurs-Fri, Sun 12p-4p, Sat 12p-6p, Closed Mon-Wed
www.cabakehouse.com

Last Visited: February 5, 2023

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

I have heard about CA Bakehouse for a long time, but their limited hours have made it challenging to visit.  Nestled inside the Little Vietnam plaza, you'll find this shop by the line outside. The idea of pandan waffles, ube croissants, black sesame choux pastry, honeycomb cake, and mochi cakes all together make their offerings the perfect blend of east meets west.  Since the pandemic, you can no longer enter the shop, but the display case is still available for you to see from the window.

Let me start with a few tips to save you time: 

1. Your best bet, due to the limited hours and resulting long lines, is to make your order online on their website.  That allows you to approach the front door in the much shorter pickup line.

2. Check your order - I walked to my car and fortunately, looked through my bag. My croissant was missing.  I went back immediately and was able to get my croissant - no questions asked.  It's pretty obvious from the way they packaged things that there was no room for a croissant, so this was easy peasy.

- Original Green Waffle - This is a family recipe that has been passed between the Le Monde Bakery to Century Bakery, and now, to this location under a new name, CA Bakehouse.  The waffle is a bright green due to the usage of fresh pandan leaves.  For those who are unfamiliar, the pandan flavor is a bit grassy and very fragrant, falling in the same category as how toasted coconut can be super fragrant.  You extract the juice from the leaves by blending or pureeing the leaves and separating the juice from the pulp.  The waffles came warm, but since I was sharing with friends, I didn't eat it right away.  I reheated it in a toaster oven, so I got to enjoy the waffle warm.  The scent is lovely - slightly grassy and how can you go wrong with a waffle smell.  It's a little chewy in texture like a mochi waffle and not too sweet.  Solid 3 stars. $2.50

- Ube Croissant - I was having a hard time deciding whether to go for an ube croissant or a kaya croissant (made of pandan) and since I had already ordered the pandan waffle, I opted for ube.  The color of the filling is a brilliant purple and the dough is also light purple.  If you've had a good croissant, you know how flaky and light it is.  This croissant wasn't particularly flaky and while the ube filling does taste like ube, it could have been stronger in its flavor.  I was disappointed and wouldn't get this croissant again. 2 stars $4.25

- Portuguese Egg Tart - The crust is one of the main differentiators of a classic Chinese egg tart and a Portuguese egg tart.  The Portuguese egg tart the crust is a puff pastry and light and flaky.  While these don't compare to what you can find in Belem, Portugal, I did enjoy the warm regular egg tart and its custard which wasn't too sweet.  The kaya egg tarts, while pretty to look at, were just ok. The kaya custard texture is not as smooth as the regular one. Several of us compared the two and all preferred the regular one.  If choosing between the two, I would select the regular one.  $2.75 regular, $3 kaya egg tart

My pick-up experience was very straightforward and service was friendly.  They were attentive and still friendly when I came back around a second time.  For me, a one time visit was sufficient, but I wouldn't be opposed if someone brought me a black sesame choux pastry, lol.

Poke Lab Fish Bar - Hawaiian, Millbrae - CLOSED

1069 El Camino Real, Millbrae CA 94030

(650) 627-7772

Parking: small parking lot or street parking

Last Visited: September 2, 2019

Food: 3 stars

Service: 3 stars

Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars

Price: $$ to $$$

This is a very late post, but still thought it was worth adding.  

Despite it being open for several years prior, unfortunately, this place didn't survive the pandemic.  

It was a decent model where you could create your own bowl - choosing from a regular or large, then base (sushi rice, brown rice, kelp noodles, spring mix, chips, or half and half.  Then you select your choice of protein (ahi tuna, salmon, hamachi, albacore, spicy tuna, shrimp, scallops, tako, or tofu).  

With choices for mixers, sauces, and toppings, you really are getting what you want, but alas, this place succumbed to the sheltering in place and people not eating out much during this period.

While I didn't find it to be the best poke I've had, it wasn't too bad either.  Goodbye Poke Lab Fish Bar.  

Vinoma Tapas Argentinas - Rohnert Park

5085 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park CA 94928
(707) 536-9215
Parking: gas station parking lot
Hours: Closed Mon-Wed; Open Thurs-Sun 11:30am-7:30pm
vinoma.net

Last Visited: September 24, 2022

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 4 stars
Price: $

I first learned about Vinoma through some news articles about where to find the best Bay Area restaurant, although you can't actually eat inside.  The headline about it being located next to a gas station sounded curious enough and since I've spent a good amount of time in Rohnert Park, I knew this cuisine definitely wasn't available there in the past.  Although I've had empanadas at various restaurants around the Bay Area, it was in 2019 when I had the opportunity to visit Buenos Aires that I had a chance to try one that was so good that I went back for more the next day.  While I was passing by a convenience store, slightly smaller than most 7-Eleven's in the states, I saw that they had a heat lamp pointing at multiple shelves of fresh empanadas.  Since I love a good Chinese curry beef turnover, I figured I had to try these local treats and I was not disappointed.  It seemed that a lot of people were stopping there for a takeaway lunch and when I passed by it an hour later, all of the empanadas were gone.  

To save time and avoid missing out on what might run out at Vinoma, I ordered online the night before and although I arrived earlier than my delivery time, they were able to accommodate my order.  It seemed that most people that came without ordering ahead received their empanadas in 15-20 minutes.  

A menu on the outside of the door, with photos, is available to help you decide what to get.  There's a discount if you buy a dozen.  And in case you forgot what you ordered, a picture menu is also sent with you when you pick up your order.  Vinoma adds a nice touch with each order - a fresh dahlia.  Since many may not be familiar with an Argentinian empanada, they help educate you by noting that each empanada is 3-4 bites and they recommend you get 4-6 per person.  There are meat, vegetarian, dessert, vegan, and breakfast empanadas available.  Brian, the owner, will answer any questions, and I watched him explain the same thing over and over to many new customers.  

- Canastita (open face empanada) - I tried one plum and bacon and one spinach and artichoke.  Both have a very flaky crust that is a bit reminiscent of eating puff pastry.  The plum is a rehydrated plum with a very intense flavor that pairs well with crispy bacon, fontina, and mozzarella cheese.  If you love a mix of sweet and savory, I would definitely recommend this one.  These empanadas also come out super hot out of the oven - to the point that you should use caution when eating them.  The spinach and artichoke canastita is mixed with onions, garlic, and monterey jack - for me, this was like eating a delicious bite of quiche, but of course, without the eggy quality.  

- Empanada - For the traditional style of empanada, I ordered traditional beef which is ground beef with scallions, red onions, spanish olives, chopped eggs, and spices.  This was yummy also, but less novel than the plum and bacon.  The texture of the dough seems different here because of the fold, but still tasty.  If you prefer a spicy version, they have that available too.  The other empanada I tried was ham and cheese made with diced hickory smoked ham, bechamel, and fontina.  This was also quite good, but there was something about walking down the street in Buenas Aires, where those may have been fried and even flakier that I can't quite compare these to.  Both are still good and worth trying.

Empanadas are $3.89 each or $3.44 each if you purchase a dozen or more.  

If you're in the area, this is definitely worth checking out.  Avoid the lines and order ahead. 

Super Duper Burgers, Daly City

3 Serramonte Center, Space 662, Daly City CA 94015
(650) 773-4041
Parking: mall parking

Last Visited: October 14, 2022

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

So if you've read any of my reviews, you know I don't typically write about chain restaurants unless it's super impressive or super bad.  Here goes - I was excited to see a Super Duper Burgers pop up at Serramonte and after about a month of their being open and having gotten the kinks out, I was hoping that this was going to be a good experience. 

I arrived a little before 5pm, so the place was just starting to get busy.  There was a line to the registers and you have the option to use the two self-serve kiosks or order from a real person.  I opted for the latter. 

- Super Duper Burger - Two quarter-pound patties are served with super sauce.  I added the freebies of grilled onions, tomato, pickles, and lettuce, along with paying for added cheese and bacon.  I was not that hungry, but since we were in the neighborhood, I figured I could at least eat half, so I asked them to cut it. The first couple of bites were really good - nice grilled flavor and saltiness from the cheese and bacon.  The toppings were present, but not particularly noticeable.  The pickles don't actually come in the burger - those are actually over in the condiments area and you need to get them out of the jar yourself - see the upper left of the photo for a glimpse of the pickles. I wasn't actually that impressed by the pickles - they are crisp, but not that crunchy and they're quite tart.  If I was basing it on the time at the restaurant, I would definitely recommend the burger, but you have to keep reading to know the true verdict. $10 burger, +$1 cheese, +$1.50 bacon  

- Garlic Fries - The fries were drenched with garlic oil and topped with 6 month aged cheddar.  I thought it looked good when I saw others eating it while I was waiting for my food, but when it arrived, the fries were no longer crispy - at all. And they weren't particularly hot.  The cheese was in that mid-ground of not solid and cold, and also not melted, but greasy.  I couldn't find a single bite of fries that still had crunch and the bottom of the paper tray had a couple of teaspoons of oil there - it's as though they mixed a bunch of fries with garlic, left these in the bowl, they got soggy, and they served it anyway.  Then the cheese sprinkled on top didn't melt because the fries weren't hot enough.  Not recommended. $4.50

Okay, so this is where things go awry.  Throughout the evening, my dining partner and I were forever thirsty.  I ate garlic fries - I get it.  I will have garlic breath all night, but it just gets weirder.  I go to sleep, and I wake up constantly. Then I have a bad dream.  I don't usually have bad dreams.  And when I checked with my dining partner the next morning, I find out I wasn't the only one who had bad dreams.  

So my Super Duper experience was super duper thirsty, super duper oily, and super duper weird/bad dreams.  If the weather is hot, I might go try their Strauss soft serve shake or cone, but I don't have any plans to go back for a burger or fries.  Super Duper memorable, but not in the good kind of way.