New & Updated Restaurants

Frequent visitors to my website will probably have noticed that I haven’t updated my restaurant reviews in a while. Part of the issue is that I don’t eat out as much as I used to – it’s a pain in the butt to go to restaurants with Camila, and the kids are going to sleep pretty early lately -, but a bigger part of it is that Mike has been singularly busy for the last few months and he has not edited my restaurant reviews. Moreover, he doesn’t think my writing should appear anywhere without editing (that’s very flattering), so he kept telling me that he’d have them ready and to wait just a couple of days more. Finally, when I threatened and threatened to post them unedited, he relented and did them all. So here they are:
In San Leandro
Horatio’s. An update on our local steak & fish house. Read about how we managed to have a three-course meal for $25.
Makiyaki. This Japanese restaurant in Pelton Center has good sushi but terrible teriyaki.
Chang’s. This new restaurant at the new MacArthur development offers scaled-up Chinese food with fresh ingredients.
Vila Cereja update. This strange restaurant has no windows, but some cool design motifs – as well as very good food. Now, if only the service could match it.
Further afield
Pappo, in Alameda, offers solid food that needs a little bit more pizzazz. Still a good choice for a Californian meal.
La Note in Berkeley has a lovely room and did a good job with a ratatouille but completely failed with a simple burger.
Also in Berkeley, Viceroy Indian Cuisine proved that serving good food is no requirement for staying in business in Berkeley.
In Oakland, Tanjia serves tasty Moroccan food, in a tent-like atmosphere, as well as bellydancing. But the service is stiff and the tea could be tastier.
And talking about tea, the Leland Tea Company in San Francisco serves an impossibly cheap tea service which includes a very weak cup of tea. Some of the food was good, however.
A better choice is Secret Garden, which is frilly and delicate but has good tea and good food.
Finally, there is a November update from a visit to the Buenos Aires Grill in the San Fernando Valley.
I’m off to two new restaurants this week, and I still have to write a review of Angelina’s, so keep your eyes open for more reviews coming soon.