We spent a few days in Seattle earlier this week. Our first night we went to dinner at Cafe Campagne, a casual French bistro near the Pike Street Market (I'll post a review later). It was quite nice and we had a good dinner, but our experience there with two overtired and cranky children convinced us that we should get take out the rest of the time. Meanwhile, the girls and I (alone during the days) had lunch at ultra-casual places.

Monday we had lunch at The Rainforest Food Pavillon at the Seattle Zoo. Unfortunately the Zoo has not join the bandwagon of providing gourmet organic food to its patrons, so we had a very overpriced micro-baked pizza. It could have been worse.

For dinner we got take out from Bahn Thai, a moderately-priced Thai restaurant near our hotel. We had actually eaten here during our previous visit to Seattle and had liked the food then. This time we were a little less excited. The masamun curry ($9.25) was tasty albeit a bit on the spicy side (too spicy for our 3yo), but otherwise unremarkable. The gai yang (BBQ chicken - $9.25) managed to be both dry and undercooked at the same time. It was also a bit on the fatty side, but Mika, for whom we'd ordered it, liked it well enough. Finally, the "What a Feeling" combo of "chicken, pork, and beef sauteed with bamboo strips, basil, bell pepers, mushrooms, carrots, and onions in a hot spicy wine sauce" ($9.25) tasted like just another generic stir fry. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly noteworthy either. All that said, as the place is only half a block away from the hotel, I'd probably get take out from there again.

Tuesday the girls and I had lunch at the food court at the Seattle Center House. Mika had a slice of cheese pizza from Pizza Haven which was pretty good and somewhat reminded me of Blondie's Pizza (perhaps the thick crust). I had an Old Fashioned Cheeseburger from Quincy's Charbroiled Burgers ($5.50). It was pretty bad, the patty was thin, dry and tasteless and the burger tasted almost exclusively of the condiments. I'd definitely not eat there again.

I had a huge craving for pasta for dinner, but I could not find any Italian-American restaurant near our hotel. The Italian restaurants in Queen Anne all seemed to be semi-upscale and what I wanted was very downscale food. Finally we decided to order from Paggliaci Pizzeria, which delivered to our hotel. I got the Nonna's Pasta, penne in a tomato/five-cheese sauce ($7). It was just OK and not a particularly large portion. I wouldn't order it again. We also ordered a small cheese pizza for Mika, this had a medium to thin crust and it was actually quite good, we all enjoyed it. Mike had a calzone which he thought was good, but too liquid. In all, not a bad place to get dinner.

Finally, Wednesday I went to Pike Street Market and the Waterfront with the girls. There were many tempting places for lunch, but few that could accomodate a stroller and potentially loud kids. Finally I settled on The Fishermans Restaurant at Pier 57. The large, somewhat informal restaurant has two large dining sections on the pier, they both have waterviews though most tables are not at the water. The dining section was quite full, but the "cocktail & snacks section" was empty and we decided to sit there. Here pretty much all you can order are appetizers and drinks, I got the fish & chips (about $8.50 for 3 pieces) and a beer ($4). The fried fish was pretty good - though I'm convinced that fried fish is only remarkable when it's bad. The fries were also unremarkable. Still, the location is hard to beat and I'd certainly come back here with my kids.

Salang Pass, located in Fremont is probably the best Afghan restaurant in the Bay Area

Ephesus, a self-proclaimed kebab lounge, makes, indeed,pretty good kebabs. But beware of the one appetizer in particular!

Cock-a-Doodle Cafe offers good, eclectic breakfast food in comfortable surroundings, though not interesting enough to make us go back.

Fatapple's, a perennial favorite, Fatapple's continues serving great breakfast and pastries.

Lovejoy's Tea Room has wonderful food in an atmosphere reminiscent of grandma's living room

2/11 Update: Harley's is now known as JD's Burgers & Mexican Food (though they're keeping the old Harley's sign). We went there today for lunch and it was horrible. Read Updated Review.

2005 Review

One of the many things I enjoy about living in San Leandro is visiting its prehistorian dining establishments - places that are so clearly from another era (one before I was born) but somehow manage to survive and even thrive in the modern day. Among these is the Fifth Wheel, a former truck-stop that has lost none of its charm, a bunch of coffeeshops that seem frozen on time (among them The Cherry Pit, Pelton Cafe and Nick's), a couple of places that once upon a time served what then passed as "fine dining" and that now just seem anachronistic (Elio's and Bancheros, and a bunch of drive-up hamburger joints. Harley's Burgers fits squarely into the last category.

Harley's no longer offers car-side service, you do have to get out of your car and go into the window to place your order. And as so many of the other restaurants and business in town, it's now owned by Chinese people who've added Chinese entrees to its menu. Its main appeal seems to be to blue-collar workers and others who are in their cars around lunch time - the ample parking makes getting food quite easy. But it's only a block or two from our house so from time to time we get a bite to eat there. Not very often, as the food is not that good. Its burgers are square shape but served in rectangular French buns, they are OK but they taste mostly of mustard. Its fries are also OK, but its crinkle shape reminds me of school cafeteria fries. Its Chinese offerings aren't bad, but we prefer those from other nearby Chinese restaurants. The food is reasonably cheap, with sandwiches around $4 and Chinese entrees under $5.

The restaurant is usually opened between 10:30 AM and 7 pm (closed on Sundays), and it has a couple of tables outside where you can eat, or a modest dining room next to the kitchen.

Harley's Burgers
(510) 351-6420
2170 Washington Ave
San Leandro, CA

In the last year or so a plethora of Hawaiian BBQ restaurants have opened in San Leandro. While the first one to open, Aloha BBQ, was quite good, all the other ones we've tried since have been a disappointment. Ono Hawaiian BBQ, which recently opened in Palma Plaza, is somewhat better than the rest, though still not as good as Aloha.

We got take-out from there a couple of weeks ago, and we went for the Hawaiian BBQ Mix ($7.30), which included chicken, beef and short ribs. The meat was of similar quality to the other places: low. The beef and short ribs were fatty and chewy, while the chicken had hints of that weird, canned-chicken-like consistency that I find so unappealing. It seems almost universal at Hawaiian restaurants, so I may just have to conclude that I don't like Hawaiian food. That said, I did enjoy the spicing of the meats.

I'm willing to give Ono another try, but I'll probably try something different.

Update 10/14. I went to Ono for lunch today and I got a mini-plate of the chicken katsu (about $4.50) It was a very generous portion for being a "mini". The chicken was that reconstituted kind I mentioned before, but the weird texture wasn't as apparent under the breading. The breading was light and yet pretty dry. By itself the chicken was boring, but the katsu sauce improved it. I'd get it again on a pinch.

I ate in the restaurant which is quite nicely appointed with granite-style tables and modern light-wood chairs. All the food is served in styrophone take-out containers, which makes it hard to cut and eat.

Ono Hawaiian BBQ
13808 E.14th St., Suite C
San Leandro, CA
http://www.onohawaiianbbq.com/