Amuse-bouche

Eating my way through the Bay Area and documenting it all. Nothing worse than money spent on a bad meal twice!

[imlovinin]

Lyfe

Verdict: Great concept and decent execution--the future of yummy healthy food? :)

Also: They have all the calorie and nutrition information listed for each entree. They have gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan menus available so everyone can find something they like!

My favorite dish was the unfried chicken. It tasted like fried chicken to me but it wasn't. WOOHOO to tricking my stomach and saving my waistline! The veggies and sauce it came with were scrumptious as well! Because these are all pretty low-calorie meal options, the entrees are a bit  on the small side.

I also tried the Farmer's Market salad which was great and substantial--I couldn't finish it...who would've thunk that salad could be so filling! 

Lyfe also has an impressive selection of strange health drinks. We tried the Ginger Mint Chia drink which was a lot better than it sounds. I enjoyed it, although the floating chia seeds were a bit off-putting. Regarde--

[imlovinin]

Gott's Roadside Diner

Verdict: YUMMY! The higher prices are worth it given the really good quality food.

Also: It's on that SF 7x7 list (as Taylor's Refresher which is its original name) for the Cheeseburger, although their other food is delicious too!

I went to the Palo Alto location which is very big, open and airy. There isn't much inside seating but fortunately it was a nice day so we sat outside on the wooden picnic tables. The food is DELICIOUS.

I got the Ahi Poke Crispy tacos and there were generous chunks of tuna, avocado, cilantro, and lime sauce...I was in tuna heaven. It comes with three tacos which are pretty filling.

We also tried the California Chicken sandwich which is a very good solid choice as well, although a bit on the small side (I love how they give you big pieces of avocado; they aren't messing around ;) ).

Lastly, we got the White Pistachio milkshake which was amazing. Pistachio is my go-to ice cream flavor and this was my first time seeing it in a milkshake.

I like how this place focuses on food. The setting and presentation is really simple, while the food itself is phenomenal.

Also, given it's location in Town And Country, you'll see lots of adults dressed business casual chowing down on burgers and shakes on wooden picnic tables, which is always entertaining :D

[imlovinin]

Rok Bistro

Verdict: Fun solid food. A bit overpriced and the food isn't spectacular but a nice environment/experience.

Also: They have strange meats to try like alligator and elk though the waiter was honest and said alligator tastes like a bad version of chicken :P I appreciate honest waiters. (On that note, the service is fantastic)

I treated my mom to a nice dinner here and we got the chicken and the tuna and it was delicious :) It comes with different dipping sauces because the meat is a bit bland, although I think that is the point. It was a fun way to try new foods and my mom wants to take my dad for their next date night! It's fun though stressful to cook your own meat...I kept over-cooking it so it'd be dry and taking it off the hot stone only to have it get cold...I need some practice.

We also got the avocado salad which was yummy. Simple, but much needed given all the meat.

Random note: if you get the fruit side, grill yo pineapple! Mmmm!

Next time I want to try the fondues!

[imlovinin]

Spicekit

Verdict: The Asian version of Chipotle, Spicekit is cheap, casual, mediocre Asian fusion fast-food.

Also: If you come, get the 5-spice chicken Korean style!

I tried the 5-spice chicken and beef short ribs in the Korean and Vietnamese bowl styles. The 5 spice chicken is delicious (and the cheapest) meat; I'd definitely recommend going with that.

The Vietnamese bowl style was terrible. It tasted like a lot of sodium and vermicelli noodles and I had a hard time finishing it.

The Korean bowl on the other hand, was yummy. There was a lot of flavor and veggies and you can sub in brown rice for a small extra fee (pictured above). However, it felt weird eating Korean food from a disposable bowl, especially since I'm used to steaming Korean food still cooking when I get it, not lukewarm rice. Side note, the restaurant was really cold. Haha sorry for the random interjection, it was bothering me.

I probably won't come again, but it's a nice cheap option when you want some Asian food on the go.

Also, I have to admit that I didn't try the seemingly popular Banh Mi or pork buns, which I'm sure are tasty (those are hard to mess up :P).

[imlovinin]

Umami Burger

Verdict: Overhyped, overpriced, yummy and simplistic burgers

Also: They are impossible to eat neatly.

I was super excited when one opened in Palo Alto and hustled to go try it. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but was surprised that we got a burger, and that's it. Look at the picture! No accompanying fries, salad, not even lettuce or tomato in the burger! However, this isn't too bad as the burgers themselves are really good.

We got the Truffle Burger, the Greenbird, and the Truffle Royale. I loved the Greenbird (partially because I love turkey burgers and avocado and sprouts--sue me, I'm from California :P) but it was a mess to eat. I probably went through 10 napkins.

The Truffle burger was very good as well, a simple high quality burger. I appreciate that the patties are substantial and filling, unlike a lot of burger places. The Truffle Royale is a burger + braised short rib, aka it's a monster of meat and very flavorful. I preferred the regular Truffle burger because the braised rib overpowered the rest of the flavors.

I enjoyed the food, but the prices were a little absurd given the burgers aren't very big (ok, the Truffle Royale is very filling). Come with that in mind!

[imlovinin]

Tootsie's

Verdict: An adorable cafe in Stanford barn that serves solid lunch food.

Also: It's only open for lunch and closed on Sundays so be warned. Also, if you want to try the infamous bombolini or zeppole go early (I haven't caught them yet :( )

I love this place! It's adorable and hidden behind California Cafe. It serves mainly sandwiches; I've had the Perfetto, Italiano, and burger. My favorite was the Perfetto, although the burger was good too. The foccacia that the sandwiches come on is huge and delicious, but since it's so big I felt a bit cheated, as I felt like I was paying for mostly bread and a little bit of (albeit high quality) sandwich fillings.

The portions are modest and prices are a bit high considering we're just getting sandwiches, but it's Stanford Shopping Center so it's to be expected. You definitely pay for the atmosphere as well; it's a red brick building with rustic outside seating and it reminds you of a European (presumably Italian, as the owners are very friendly Italians) cafe!

I really want to come try the breakfast menu as well as those darn pastries mentioned above...I guess I have to come back :)

[imlovinin]

Tacolicious

Verdict: Delicious, clean, simple fusion Mexican food. Very simple and very tasty!

Also: Reasonably priced for high quality (and beautifully presented, LOOK AT THOSE PICTURES!) food.

Since the 7x7 SF Best Eats list said to get the Albacore Tuna Tostadas, I did (top picture) and they were 1) beautiful 2) delicious 3) so simple! It's a hefty chunk of tuna with avocado. This, to me, is like the Mexican version of sashimi. SO GOOD. It's kind of pricey ($11) for two small bites though.

If you want to be full, get the tacos, which are a much better deal. Pictured is the rock cod and the specail, mole. I'm not the biggest fan of mole--it has a strange stinky taste to it, but the rock cod was super tender and moist.

NOMZ! I approve.

[imlovinin]

Scramblz

Verdict: Fun, yummy breakfast/brunch restaurant. Reasonably priced (between $10-15) with an amazingly extensive sides menu. 4/5

Also: They often have deals on LivingSocial. That's how I found them! :)

We got a scramble and eggs benedict. The scramble was delicious and hearty, and comes with 2 sides. The eggs benedict was a disappointment--it was the saddest smallest thing I've ever seen. It was yummy, but there are plenty of much better options on the menu (like the omelettes and scramble).

The fun part is choosing the sides. Each dish comes with 1-2 sides and the sides range from the healthy (fresh fruit, granola, yogurt, oatmeal, etc.) to the unhealthy (bread pudding, chocolate crepes, strawberries in creme...note, all three are shown in the picture above). 

No matter what, I don't care if you're on a diet or have diabetic, get the bread pudding. It is to die for. Drenched in caramel-y sauce with a healthy ratio of bread and chocolate, the waitress recommended it and for that I should've tipped more generously :P

The chocolate crepe was anticlimactic, just an average crepe with hershey's chocolate, but the strawberries and creme was great. With the fresh fruit and light creme, it seemed almost healthy :)

[imlovinin]

Curry Up Now

Verdict: YUMMY INDIAN FOOD! There is a food cart and a restaurant. The food is delicious and a fun twist on traditional indian food. (I went to the restaurant in downtown Palo Alto). 4.5/5 *GOOD DEAL*

Also: It's on the SF 7x7 2012 Best Eats list. #53, tikka masala burrito!

I got the chicken tikka masala burrito, and I love that you can choose what to put in it--white or brown rice, wheat or flour tortillas, tikka masala or punjabi, etc etc. Trying to be healthy, I got brown rice and it was delicious! The photo isn't very flattering as everything is the same color, but let me tell you, it was BIG, it smelled like heaven (or India...), and tasted just as good as it smelled. GET IT! I saw a lot of girls splitting it so it's worth the $8.50, and it's pretty heavy/dense, being full of rice, beans, and meat. I finished the entire thing though, so if you're not sure just get yourself the whole thing (it's yummy!!!!)

My friend got Thee Unburger, which is basically like a hamburger with samosa filling (potatos, peas, etc.) and a protein (she got chicken). It was pretty good, although she complained that is was very carb-y. Maybe not the most girl-diet friendly...

All in all, very very yummy food. Fun and casual, not too expensive, good quality and flavorful food, a very nice addition to the relatively boring and high-priced downtown Palo Alto. :P They also serve water in these cute little jars that have the Curry Up Now logo :)

[imlovinin]

MacArthur Park

Verdict: Mediocre, expensive food, but beautiful restaurant and atmosphere. 3/5

Also: It's next to the Palo Alto CalTrain Station and is a bit difficult to find, it's in a kind of isolated location. 

MacArthur Park is sort of a historical landmark, as the back of the menu told me. It used to be a WYCA during WWII and was sold to Palo Alto for $1. No matter how it came to be, it's a beautiful quaint wooden room with high ceilings. I can see many a marriage receptions taking place here.

As for the food, it was good, but nothing amazing or worth the three dollar signs $$$. 

We ordered the jumbo prawns, jalapeno quinoa cake, and fisherman's pasta. I know I know, MacArthur Park is known for the BBQ and ribs, but we weren't in a very carnivorous mood. So maybe if we had ordered those this review would be more positive.

But of what we ate, there was nothing great. The jumbo prawns were good and the sauce they came with was yummy, but the fact that $16 got us 6 shrimp was a bit disappointing. The fisherman's pasta had a surprisingly large amount of seafood and was filling, probably the best deal of the night. The quinoa cakes were decent too, my favorite being the pile of spinach put atop each one and the chipotle cream. 

All in all, it was a good meal. Not worth the money, but with good company and a blind eye to money, it makes for a comfortable nice dinner getaway.

Also, the sourdough they serve is pretty yummy with butter. We filled up on that because our plates weren't too big :P

[imlovinin]

Shana Thai

Verdict: My favorite Thai restaurant in the area. Great setting, reasonable prices, delicious food! 5/5

Also: It's located on Moffett Boulevard, aka the not-downtown side of Castro. It's seems a little sketchy, but trust me, this place is worth it :)

First off, the atmosphere of this restaurant is really nice. It it beautifully decorated and has candles; it's the perfect spot for a friendly date or nice dinner with friends and family, yet the prices are all around $10. How can you top that?

Also, the restaurant is pretty big so even if there is a lot of people, the wait is never long.

Now for the food.

I love how they let you choose the meat--you can get it vegetarian (tofu + extra veggies), chicken, or pork for $10. We couldn't decide half the time and we discovered that they can do chicken AND pork in a dish! Yay for indecisive people.

Their pumpkin curry is really good (Yelp agrees), but I have to say my favorite is the pra nam. The sauce reminded me of a thicker curry and it came with a lot of veggies (spinach, broccoli, and cabbage), which at first put me off until I tried it. Mm Pra Nam. The "from wok" section of the menu is all a win/win, although the garlic sauce chicken wasn't a stir-fry like I expected; it was garlic chicken on a bed of lettuce. It was really salty, but once you get over that, the flavor is delicious!

The noodles are good but nothing spectacular, and the crying tiger beef is bland--you have to add your own sauce, and you don't get much meat for you money. 

The portions run a bit small, but it is well worth the money!

[imlovinin]

Back A Yard Caribbean Grill

Verdict: Delicious Caribbean food. I went to Jamaica over the summer and was craving some good Jerk Chicken, and this place delivered! 4/5

Also: It's location isn't the best, and the restaurant itself is small and rickety--come for the food, not the ambiance.

Since we were craving jerk chicken, we got the jerk chicken "hot quick eat" which comes with 2 rolls and is only $7. The jerk chicken was very flavorful and tender and when I bit into it, I swear, juice gushed out. Or maybe that was oil. Besides the point. It was a bit too salty for my taste, so I had to take breaks and eat some dinner roll and everything was okay again. We all didn't like the container of sauce the chicken came with though. With that much flavor in the chicken already, the last thing you need is some more sauce.

We also got a jerk chicken meal which came with rice, beans, fried plantains, and a salad. The fried plantains are delicious, although they are not the most attractive looking and oozing oil... Just don't think about that part and eat it. Mmm. The salad is just there to act as your healthy veggie of the day. It's nothing special.

Lastly, we got the corn festivals, which is like fried dough. Although they are a bit dumpy looking (I'm not sure if that's a word but that's the best word I can think of to describe it), don't let their modest looks fool you. We got 4 to split between 3 people and we were all fighting for the last one. The outside is a bit crispy and the inside is soft and doughy, and the slightly sweet flavor makes you just want to keep on eating.

All in all, solid Jamaican food, albeit a bit greasy--I could feel it sitting in my stomach for quite a while after. We couldn't find seating at the restaurant so we had to go home and eat it, but while we were waiting for our food, we noticed a lot of the customers were from Jamaica, speaking Patois, so that has to be a good sign right?

[imlovinin]

Tartine Bakery

Verdict: THE best bakery in SF. 5/5

Also: It's hours vary with each day so just be sure to check when it's open.

Also: There's always a line. Even at 7:30am. If that's any indication of how amazing the food is here...

This is THE best bakery in SF. If you don't believe me, ask the line that forms at 7:30am on a weekday--that should speak for itself.

I haven't tried their cafe food or bread, but I've had just about every dessert.

While Tartine's bread pudding has rave reviews, it was a too mushy and soggy for me, but then again, that's bread pudding for you!

If you have a sweet tooth, order the morning bun, a sugar-y overload of cinnamon, in the best possible way. It's dense, but flaky and there's a bit of orange flavor in addition to the cinnamon sugar. Mmmmm.

The tarts (hello, TART-ine) are my favorite though. I've had the:

frangipane (my favorite--it's not too sweet but still indulgent)

coconut cream (good for the coconut lover, aka not me...)

lemon (just the right amount of tart)

chocolate hazelnut (a bit too dense and chocolate-y for me)

banana cream tart (delicious!)

All of them were amazing in their own way, depending on what you like. The chocolate coated crust of the cream tarts almost blew my mind and it prevents the crust from getting soggy--brilliant! They are expensive ($6-7 for a 4" tart), but they are the best of the best. Come with a friend and share so you can try as many different slices of heaven as possible.

While there's always a line out the door, it moves reasonably quickly, and it gives you time to ogle at all the baked goods at the counter and make your final decision. Fortunately, it's almost impossible to go wrong!

[imlovinin]

Chairman Bao

Verdict: My favorite communist pork buns. The food here is amazing; always good and a great combination of flavors. 5/5

Also: According to the website, it was votes "Best Food Truck" by San Francisco Magazine! Impressive.

I've come here twice and gotten the same things because they were just that good. The chicken (with sesame sauce, carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro) was really tender and flavorful. The pork belly (with daikon) was even more tender and juicy. I love how when you eat it, the sauce and meat juices start to run down your hands. Messy hand food at it's best.

They have two options, the steamed bun (shown in picture) and baked bun. While the baked bun is larger and more filling, I think the steamed bun is the best way to fully experience Chairman Bao. The smaller, slightly sweet, fluffy steamed bun is the perfect base for the marinated meat and pickled vegetables.

The food comes out pretty fast here, and while it's a bit expensive at $3-4 for a small steamed bun (a 3-4 bite snack), the innovative flavors are more than worth it!

[imlovinin]

Sushiritto

Verdict: Awesome concept, solid food, large portions, fun experience. 3.5/5

Also: It's only open for lunch on weekdays (grrr).

Also: At least for it's Montgomery St. location, there's no sitting space, so get it to go and find somewhere else to sit. We were hungry so we sat at the benches across the street next to a dumpster. Not the best choice....

I love sushi. So I was super excited to check this place out, and in case you couldn't tell from the picture above, the food is very VERY good looking. Sushi burritos (aka one big fat sushi roll)--what's not too love?

Well, my biggest concern was the amount of rice. Since it's so big, you need a lot of rice to fully surround it like a normal sushi roll. The burritos are already pretty large, like a Japanese Chipotle, and with so much rice, I had a hard time finishing my roll. Some of friends just ate half and took the other half for dinner. That works too :P

The menu is constantly changing so the food we ordered is no longer offered, but no matter, the food is pretty good, the flavors are fine, and the ingredients are fresh, but I don't think there's anything spectacular about these sushirittos that make them worth the $10. It's just one really big regular-old sushi roll.

There is always a line (especially since the hours are so limited), but it moves pretty quickly, so don't be too intimidated when you drive by. When I went, I wanted to try the Lava Nachos, but by the time I got there, they had run out of ingredients and it was only 12:30. So keep that in mind when you come too!

[imlovinin]

Cam Hung

Verdict: Cheap, yummy, fast (if you're not caught in the lunch rush...) food. 5/5 *good deal*

Also: Cash only!

Also: They sell some packaged goods, like these thin white cakes with mung bean paste that I used to drive 30 minutes to Lion supermarket to find. YES! (banh ni dau xanh...mung bean cake?)

I got the grilled chicken (I know, you don't get that at viet places, but Yelp strongly recommended it) and it was really good! The bread/baguette roll was the perfect texture: it had a nice crunch when you bit into it but not enough to cut your mouth, and the inside was light and fluffy. Mmmmm!

[imlovinin]

Oren's Hummus Shop

Verdict: Really good Israeli food. No more needs to be said. 5/5

Also: It's location on University Ave means it can get really busy and have a significant wait, but it's worth it. 

I've had Mediterranean food and although I like it, I was never a huge fan, so I was skeptical coming here. But I was blown away.

First of all, I didn't think you could have an entire meal of hummus. But the hummus here is so good I stand corrected. The hummus comes with different toppings; we got the original which has lemon-y olive oil and sauces that all go together very well. I could've licked the dish clean. I also like how they offer whole wheat and regular pita, and you can have some of both!

Each table comes with a complimentary dish of pickled cabbage.

I ordered the Shakshuka, which is poached egg in a tomato based broth. It was delicious, although by the end I was getting tired of tomato :P My brother got the Mozy Rice Bowl which I tried and wish I ordered--it was so good! Seasoned rice and grilled chicken mmm. It tastes almost like an Asian rice bowl, so of course, that appeals to me :P The portions looked small, but once you start eating you realize it's very filling.

I recommend coming with multiple people and sharing dishes. Especially the hummus! According to their walls, their hummus is also very healthy. Yay!

I am the worst person to judge if Oren's is authentic, but my friend's boss is Israeli and says this is incredibly authentic. So believe at your own will, but come try this place out!