Simmer Vietnamese Kitchen - Petaluma

299 North McDowell Blvd, Petaluma CA 94954
(707) 762-4288
Parking: in shopping center

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

Last Visited: April 27, 2013

Simmer opened up about three weeks ago, so word is just getting around Petaluma about this place.  A couple of friends told us that it was worth trying, so of course, we had to go. 

With Simmer, Pho Ngoc Tranh, and Thang Long, we now have three Vietnamese restaurants in Petaluma.  Thang Long started it all, but as can be seen from the date of my review of them, I haven't been back in a while.  Pho Ngoc Tranh, located in the OSH shopping center, opened up in 2012, and that seemed to be good for competition.  Simmer is located in the same shopping center as Thang Long, albeit on the far side of the shopping center, but it's going to be interesting to see if Petaluma can sustain this many Vietnamese restaurants within a close distance of each other.

Walk into Simmer and notice that the space is very open.  Once you get past the shelves holding Asian figurines, you'll see the rather large fish tank in the rear with beautiful brightly colored tropical fish.  Just outside, along the window are lots of newly planted green bamboo plants; the colors of the restaurant are warm and inviting.  The rather large head statue in the rear is a little unusual - it's about the height of a small toddler, but it still seems appropriate.  What seemed slightly unfinished is the very bare side wall opposite of the windows.  A large painting or series of paintings would spruce that up a bit. 

We were greeted by one of the waitresses who seated us near the window.  Their one page paper menu seems like a good way to help locals feel comfortable with the selection and less daunting than what you might find in the city.  Pho, vermicelli noodles, fried rice, curry, stir fry, are typical items that you will find on the menu, and there's even a few kid's menu dishes available.  The waitress was very friendly and happy to answer questions for those new to the menu.  Ice water arrives in a tall glass with a thin slice of cucumber. Orders are taken by the waitress on an electronic device.

- Combination Pho - Individual plates of bean sprouts, sweet basil, sliced jalapenos, and a lime wedge arrived which was a nice way to cater to small town locals unaccustomed to the typical shared plate of garnishes/condiments.  The piping hot soup broth in the bowls was delicate, but slightly salty on its own.  Eaten with the other ingredients, the soup is more balanced and flavorful.  Fresh slices of red and yellow onion accompanied floated in the bowl along with rice noodles, beef brisket, tendon, tripe, a meatball, and slices of rare eye round steak.  It was nice that they had put the eye round steak on top, so most of it had not cooked through, giving the customer the option to eat it rare or plunge it into the broth further.  I thought the quantity of meat and noodles were ample and matched the price charged for the bowl.  I also appreciated that the noodles were not served in the bowl in a clump and had been loosened a bit (not always the case in the city).  While it isn't the best quality of meat that I've had in pho, it was certainly acceptable.  Good.  Regular $8, Large $9.50

While the food rating is good, you should consider that I only had one dish.  As for service, the staff is friendly, but may have a tad too much commentary, though not unprofessional - I think the staff may still be feeling this out a bit.  I noticed that they asked patrons where they were from and whether they worked nearby to get a sense of whom was coming in - this was fine - what is a little strange is to comment that our order of two bowls of the same pho dish is easy, good, and direct.  Another oddity - it's weird to hear Biggie Smalls playing on the radio in the background - they may want to consider another channel to cater to a more diverse audience.  Attention to detail seems to be the key - my friends told me that they had to request the dish of condiments when they ordered their pho, so that issue has been resolved, but things like no chopsticks in the silverware holder (it seemed that all tables except ours had chopsticks) and making sure that napkins are stocked (we had none at our table, although the server did bring them eventaully), would help improve the experience.

Overall, Simmer is a good find and I would be willing to go back.  Pricing is higher than what you might expect to find for this dish in San Francisco, but reasonable compared to local competition.  Amongst the three Vietnamese places in Petaluma, I would rank them first in the pho category and service.

Ongpin - Filipino, South San Francisco

73 Camaritas Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 615-9788, (650)615-0622
Parking: small parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-9:30pm, Fri 11am - 10pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9:30pm
http://www.ongpin.com

Last Visited: January 2013

Food: 3 to 4 stars (if no contaminant)
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

After reading San Francisco Magazine's article, The Great Noodle Quest, I was surprised to see a dish featured at Ongpin because I drive by this place at least a couple of times a week.  I am always looking for a local neighborhood restaurant that could become a regular go-to place.

I arrived at the restaurant and noticed that it was pretty simple in its decor.  Despite it being only 5pm on a weeknight, there were already a number of tables eating their dinner and from the blank waitlist at the doorway, I expect that as the evening wore on, it would get even busier. 

- In the article, Jonathan Kauffman describes the restaurant and their pancit miki-bihon as follows: "This restaurant has one of the largest selections of Filipino noodles in the Bay Area, among them siomai noodle soup and pancit palabok with shrimp sauce and crumbled pork rinds. But the stir-fried pancit miki-bihon is the one to order. A mound of skinny, wriggly rice noodles (bihon) twines around fat golden egg noodles (miki), with vegetables, chicken, and shrimp. The umami-bump of shrimp paste is discernible but not overpowering, and a squeeze of lemon gives the flavor a jolt."

- Pancit Miki-Bihon - I had never tried a mixture of egg noodles and rice noodles.  Reading the description above, I was a bit concerned - it sounded like those concoctions from college dorm days when the cafeteria would mix leftover dishes together to get a messy looking combination of things that didn't belong together.  Even though it was early, I had to wait about 15 minutes for my takeout order to be completed.  When I opened the box of this dish which I had ordered to go, I was happily surprised to see udon sized egg noodles (as opposed to thin egg noodles) mixed with small rice noodles.  Two wedges of fresh lemon added great acidity and balance to the rich flavors.  The egg noodles added good texture that contrasted with the sliced carrots, celery, cabbage, scallions, and rice noodles. The shrimp was succulent, not mushy, and the chicken (dark meat) was tender.  Unfortunately, after I had dished out two servings, I noticed a hair in my food.   I called Ongpin to let them know and they offered to make me a new one if I brought it back, but by then, my appetite was suppressed and I didn't want to drive all the way over just to get a replacement.  $8.95

The flavor is good and had it not been the hair, I would visit Ongpin again, but this experience was just too disappointing for a first impression and alas, not a go-to place for me.

Aperitif - Things that Don't Belong

It's sad to be writing this post, but alas, I have encountered a recent increase in contaminants.  Here is a run down of past and recent encounters (look for these under the label 'yikes') - a continuation of Foreign Objects in My Food:

Restaurant Peony, Oakland - Visited: 2001
- Clothespin in the Seafood Soup - dine in, found by the waiter as he served the soup
- How they handled it: The server took the clothespin out of the soup with his hand and placed it on the plate holding the serving bowl.  Served the soup as though nothing happened.  Horrible!

Silver Dragon, Oakland - Visited: 2004
- Bug in the shrimp appetizer - dine in
- Didn't notify them because it was a wedding banquet

John Ash, Santa Rosa - Visited: 2006
- Live Worm in the salad under a pork chop - dine in
- How they handled it:  No apology. Busser whom we told about the problem brought the manager more than ten minutes later who started by saying 'heard you had a visitor' and told us the salad was organic and twice-washed.  The waiter offered to give us free dessert which we declined.  Did not remove anything from the bill.  Horrible!

Zuzu, Napa - Visited: 2006
- Hair in the artichoke and mushroom salad - dine in
- How they handled it: Apologized and offered a replacement.  When we declined, they took it off the bill.  No further mention of it throughout the meal.  Server and hostess saw us as we left, but had no goodbye greeting or further apology.  Lack of customer service. Horrible!

Morimoto Napa - Visited: 2011
- Hair found in the Nigiri Sushi - dine in
- How they handled it:  Server took the food away and apologized.  Came back with a replacement nigiri.  Did not remove anything from the bill and told us he hoped we had a nice meal at the end of the meal with no mention of the hair again.  Talked to the manager as we left the restaurant and expressed disappointment that nothing was removed from the bill.  Lack of customer service.  Horrible! 

Wild Fox, Novato - Visited: 2011
- Dead Bug in my salad - dine in
- Didn't notify them because it was a birthday celebration

Hung's Kitchen - Visited: January 2013
- Hair in the Braised Pork Rib Stew - dine in, found halfway through the dish
- How they handled it:  Asked if we wanted to still eat the dish.  Took off half of the cost of the item on the bill since we had eaten half.  Okay, if the first comment had not been made. Room for improvement.

Ongpin, South San Francisco - Visited: January 2013
- Hair in the Pancit Miki-Bihon - take out
- How they handled it: Apologized. Offered to provide a replacement if I brought the dish back to their restaurant.

Cooking Papa, San Mateo - Visited: April 2013
- Hair in the Braised Tofu with Vegetables, dine in, found midway through the dish
- How they handled it: Apologized.  Asked if we wanted a replacement and when we declined, they took it off the bill.  They handled it okay.

Chang Puak, South San Francisco - Visited: April 2013
- Hair in the Beef Tendon Stew - dine in, found before I took a bite
- How they handled it: Apologized when it happened.  Made a replacement and took the item off my bill and apologized again after.  They handled it very well.

Addendum - California, Yountville

6476 Washington Street, Yountville CA 94599
(707) 944-2487
Parking: parking lot
Hours: Thursdays - Saturdays 11am-2pm
http://www.adhocrestaurant.com/addendum/

Last Visited: March 30, 2013

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

Located behind Ad Hoc, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, you can grab a lunch box or 'hunger relief to go' at Addendum.  Behind the parking lot is the path to Addendum and the little house where you can order a lunch box, dessert, and Ad Hoc goods like t-shirts or fried chicken mix.  I've heard of Ad Hoc's friend chicken for a number of year's now and this was a perfect way to enjoy it while sitting at picnic tables in Ad Hoc's garden of raised beds.  It's a scenic and peaceful location.

All lunch orders are $16.50 and come with a piece of cornbread, baked beans, and potato salad.  You get a photo holder that holds a piece of paper with your name on it and when your order is ready, Ad Hoc staff walks it from the kitchen in the main building to the garden area.   Orders of four or more can be placed ahead via email.

- BBQ Pork Ribs - You can select pork ribs or pulled pork.  I went for the ribs and got three bones.  The sauce has a prominent chili powder flavor and the meat is tender.  It wasn't the best pork ribs I have had, but it was acceptable.   I would have liked there to be some bark on the ribs and for the meat near the bone to be more infused with flavor. 

- Buttermilk Fried Chicken - Three pieces of fried chicken - a drumstick, a chicken breast, and a thigh are battered and fried.  The skin is nice and crispy and sprinkled with some sea salt, but the color was a little darker than what I was expecting.  The meat was very juicy - even the white meat.  However,  some of the chain restaurants offering fried chicken offer a slightly better product. 

- Sides - The cornbread is moist and sweet.  The baked beans are also on the sweet side and could be served hotter.  The potato salad is a combination of purple and yukon gold fingerling potatoes coupled with caper berries and fresh herbs.  I thought the potatoes were a little on the hard side.  You can see that all of the ingrediences are of good quality, but I've had better potato salads. 

Overall, if you happen to be in Yountville, it's a nice stop, but it doesn't make it on my list of food to drive for.  There are definitely options in the Bay Area that offer better individual entrees.  Service could be more friendly as the staff walks around and delivers your food - something definitely felt missing in terms of warmth of the servers - they're professional, but are much better during regular restaurant service.

Ristorante Buon Gusto - Italian, South San Francisco

224 Grand Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 742-9777
Parking: street parking and pay parking lot next door
Hours: Mon-Fri Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner 5pm - 9:30pm; Sat 5pm-10pm; Sun 4:30pm - 9:30pm
http://www.buongustorestaurant.com

Last Visited: November 1, 2012

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

The owners were raised in Sicily and opened the restaurant in 1988.  Walk into the restaurant and it is a bit reminiscent of 1980s/1990s decor.  The lighting is a bit dark and the full bar in the back looks well-stocked.  We had a party of about ten for lunch during our visit, and we were seated in the nook area near the window.

The host/owner was very friendly and we had let him know ahead of time that we had a limited time to eat lunch.  He was very accommodating, but service from his servers could have been improved by more attention to detail.  Things seemed disorganized as the water and bread arrived before we ordered.  I had ordered appetizers ahead of time and it seemed like the execution of the delivery of these and the coffee after dessert could have been better.

- Mozzarella Caprese - Large pieces of mozzarella are topped with a leaf of fresh basil and both are placed on top of a fresh slice of tomato.  Olive oil, salt, and pepper top the salad.  The tomato was pretty bland, but the basil was fresh.  I wasn't particularly excited about this dish because it seems like it should only be offered seasonally when the tomatoes are ripe and flavorful.  $8.50

- Fried Calamari - The calamari was breaded lightly and tasted good.   Half order $8.50

- Pork Osso Bucco (special of the day) - All lunch entrees are served with a choice of soup or salad.  I selected the salad and found the vegetables (lettuce, carrots, a cherry tomato, and a jarred pepper) to be fresh, but very overdressed.  Most of my dining companions had a noticeable amount of dressing still on their plates even after finishing the vegetables.  Thankfully, the osso bucco was delicious.  The marrow was super tender and the tomato based sauce had really mingled with the meat well.  The broccolini and carrot were fresh and the polenta with tomato sauce was a rich side dish.  f you have the chance to try the osso bucco, definitely don't miss out on it.  The portion is also quite generous for lunch. This was definitely a four star dish.

In general, I found that the plating could be a bit better.  You can see that the salad dressing has dripped onto the side of the plate and the presentation of this and other dishes could be a bit cleaner.  The food at Ristorante Buon Gusto is good, and greater attention to detail as well as serving more seasonal items could easily move their ratings up a star.  Overall, it's a convenient location for decent Italian in South San Francisco.

Ecco - Mediterranean, Burlingame

322 Lorton Ave, Burlingame CA 94010
(650) 342-7355
http://www.eccorestaurant.com/
Parking: pay parking lot nearby
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Sat-Sun 5:30-10pm

Last Visited: February 4, 2013

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

I went to Ecco for a business lunch and found them very accommodating.  I had worked with Chef Tooraj to arrange vegetarian options ahead of time and found him to be very helpful.  We arrived just past noon and had a change in the number of attendees.  They reset the table and were able to accommodate our group at one table.  Attention to detail was good, but not spectacular - for example, one of the place settings was missing a fork and another was missing a butter knife.  With two primary waitstaff, they seemed to have a little difficulty with welcoming guests and serving at the same time. In general, they did a good job.

They were very kind in offering to give us single serving crab cakes rather than plating as they normally would. This attention to detail definitely helped them make the sale too.

- Dungeness Crab Cake (single serving) with greens, mango and avocado relish - The crab cake is definitely one of the top crab cakes that I've had.  It's crispy on the outside and doesn't contain much filler.  The mango and avocado relish was refreshing and paired well with the warm crab.  The cake was served over a nice bed of lightly dressed greens.

- Wild King Salmon with roasted potatoes and winter vegetables - Another very nice dish.  While the portions are on the petite side, the salmon was very nicely done.  Crispy on the outside and just barely cooked through, the salmon was not dry and had a lot of great flavor.  There aren't too many potatoes - in fact, I wouldn't have minded more.  Each component was very nicely done.

Ecco is accustomed to hosting the business lunch crowd and has good food served in a simple, elegant presentation.  Each element is fresh and while servings are petite in size, the quality of the food is good. I would definitely go back to Ecco. 

Jiro Dreams of Sushi - A Must Watch Film

While I don't normally write about movies, I had to share a short blurb about Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  This documentary is about Jiro, owner of a three-star Michelin restaurant located in a subway station, whom has dedicated his life to the art of making and perfecting sushi is pure delight for foodies and an inspiring story of hard work and dedication.  Plus, you get the inside scoop on selecting tuna, massaging octopus (yes, you read that right - it's a method of tenderizing the meat), and making tamago - egg sushi.  

Who knew that a 20 minute meal could be such an amazing experience?  The only drawback to the film is that after watching, you will crave sushi, and not just any meal, but one that exhibits the perfection that only Jiro can provide.  This is a must watch!