Category: Restaurants (Page 1 of 53)

Chain Restaurant Reviews: Domino’s Pizza

Better than expected and a great (now expired) deal

It’s been a couple of decades since I last ordered pizza from Domino’s, despite having an outlet not very far from my home. Domino’s is definitely not what I think of when I imagine quality pizza, and I had the vague memory I was boycotting it for some reason (apparently, its anti-abortion founder has long divested from the company, though there might be a grassroots boycott due to the behavior of Domino franchises in Israel). Still, I couldn’t remember why and when I saw an ad for large pizzas with up to 7-toppings for $10 ($11 here in the Bay Area), I was tempted. We have pretty much stopped getting take out due to the exorbitant prices, and I been on a cooking strike as of late.

We ended up getting Domino’s a couple of times while the promotion lasted. I was surprised to find that Domino’s pizza is pretty good. The pizzas are nothing to write home about, but they are pretty solid in comparison to other chains and mom & pop pizzeria pizzas – and at $11 while the promotion lasted, they were far, far cheaper. My only real complaint is that the pizzas could have stronger flavors, maybe some oregano would help.

We tried both the handtossed and pan pizzas – the handtossed are on the thin side, and pan are what used to be a normal thickness a few decades ago. The handtossed only comes in medium, which I imagine is a 12″ – the others come in 14″ / large size.

I wouldn’t order Domino’s at the regular price, but I just got a promo for a 2-topping large carryout pizza for $7, and given that I mostly buy pizza for my children and they prefer just cheese pizza, I’ll probably get these at some point. Hey, at that price they are competitive both with 7-11 and supermarket pizza.

I like that Domino’s lets you pay online when you order, or use cash and pay at the store and, of course, that it’s close enough that we can save all fees by walking to get them. Note that this is not a restaurant, there is nowhere to seat, just a kitchen with a counter to pick up pizza.

Domino's
1768 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA
(510) 351-3301
M-Su 10:30 AM - 12 AM

California Eating: The Grill in Lone Pine

High prices and average food in a town with few choices.

A few weeks ago, rather late in the season, we visited Death Valley to see the spring wild flowers. We decided to come back up north through the road that hugs the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and that’s how we ended up in Lone Pine for the night.

There isn’t much to the little town, but its location is breathtaking. Lone Pine is just one of a plethora of tall, snowy caps that greeted us the next morning and accompanied us much of our way home – if you haven’t driven up 395, I fully recommend it. We arrived in Lone Pine hungry and tired, and went to The Grill simply because we saw it and we were running out of town. I didn’t take any pictures – we were probably just too hungry to think about it.

The Grill is a pretty casual place, with wooden tables and metal chairs in a mostly undecorated dining room. The low lighting at night made it look nicer, however. We sat by the window but this is not a very high-traffic town.

The dinner menu featured sandwiches and burgers, pastas and a sprinkling of other American favorites. The prices were on the high side for this sort of restaurant – but it’s understandable given the remoteness of the location. Still, the quality of the food did not match the prices, even when the quantity did.

I got the Linguini Bolognese ($25), which consisted of a large plate of linguini with a mild meat sauce. I felt that linguini was the wrong pasta to use with this sauce – the noodles were too slippery and did not hold on to the sauce well. The sauce was quite thin and the mince fine enough to slip within the tines of a fork. The flavor was OK, nothing to write home about, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a commercial sauce. The portion was very large – but it still felt like a very overpriced dish.

They offer both a veggie and vegan burger. The former consists of a black bean patty while the latter of a Beyond (or maybe Impossible) burger. My daughter ordered the latter, but the waitress misheard and brought her the Veggie Burger ($20) instead. It was fine, just your typical veggie burger. If you are a vegetarian, you are safe ordering this.

My husband had the Chili Size ($19), a burger smothered with chili. Now, this wasn’t what he expected. He thought it’d just be a chili burger. He should have read the description better as it was, indeed, a burger fully smothered with chili (on top of the bun). It was a total mess but he thoroughly enjoyed it – particularly compared to the “chili” he got for breakfast the following day.

Service was fine, and the experience was overall positive. We’d return, but I wouldn’t order pasta.

The Grill 
446 S Main St
Lone Pine, CA
(760) 876-4240
M-Su 9 AM - 8 PM

California Eating: Jack’s Restaurant and Bakery in Bishop

Blah, just blah, very blah

Our very short trip to see the wildflowers in Death Valley had us in Bishop for breakfast a weekday morning in March. We stopped at Jack’s Restaurant because it was there, clearly visible from the road as we drove through the city. Alas, I think – I hope – there are better choices to be made.

Jack’s Restaurant is your typical coffeeshop/family restaurant. It has dinette seating and booths, and it’s decorated with huge taxidermy fish and other fishing gear. It did bring up the question of just how you preserve a fish. While it’s ran by Latinos, it features your typical all-American breakfast – or perhaps the cartoon version of one. It was affordable, but just not good.

I, as usual, ordered the French Toast ($9). It was made with white sliced bread and served with corn syrup. It was as average as it gets. It wasn’t bad, and the portion was filling, but it was what you’d expect a hurried mother to whip together in a few minutes.

I did also order a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice ($7), and while it really wasn’t large (more like 6 oz), at least it was fresh and quite good.

Mike had the Texas chili and cheddar omelet ($15), which was served with hash browns and your of toast & jelly, biscuit with gravy or muffin, he chose the latter. He was totally disappointed. The “chili” was anything but, it had no beans and no heat, it was just mildly spiced minced beef. Still, the beef did manage to block the natural flavor of the omelet, so the whole thing was just unpleasant.

The hash browns lacked seasoning, but were otherwise OK. The muffin, on the other hand, was a joke. It had the consistency and sweetness of a heavy cake, rather than of a muffin, and I very much suspect it was made with Jiffy mix – it brought me back to my college years when that’s all I could afford. I ate it for nostalgia’s sake, but everyone else passed on it.

My daughter had the pancakes ($7.25 for two). She said they tasted as if they were made from a dry mix. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.

There are other breakfast places around, so I wouldn’t go back if we find ourselves in Bishop again.

Jack's Restaurant and Bakery
437 N Main St
Bishop, CA
(760) 872-7971
M-Su 7 am - 2 pm

Chain Restaurant Reviews: TGI Friday’s

A visit to the Porter Ranch location shows how bad food dooms a restaurant

Once upon a time TGI Friday’s was a happening chain. It was cool, even somewhat hip, offering good burgers and cool drinks. I have a vague memory of going once or twice to the Jack London location (since closed) and not thinking too badly of it. But things have changed in the last few decades, and TGI Friday’s has now become a tired, unappealing chain only to be visited when you are stuck at the airport with no better choices. Indeed, I had an OK meal at the Miami airport location a few years ago.

Still, we were in LA visiting family, and my brother suggested we go to dinner there – he had a coupon. As he can be picky about what he eats, I figured we might as well and so we headed there a week night in March, 2026. It was even worse than I expected.

The restaurant itself doesn’t look too bad, but it’s just tired. It looks like it did back in the 90’s, but with the same wrinkles and sagging we acquired ourselves. It’s as low energy as it gets – pretty much the opposite of what it once signified. The service, however, was very good. Our waiter was extremely patient as my brother tried and failed, time after time, of applying the electronic coupon (here is a hint: order first, and apply the coupon after you get the bill).

I had the boneless wing basket ($11). I wasn’t very hungry, but I wanted to try their famous (as per the reviews I read) whisky sauce. You choose the flavor of the wings and a side – obviously, I went with onion rings.

The 8 “wings” (boneless wings are really just breast slices) were OK, a bit dried and overcooked but I did like the whisky sauce, which was sweet and not too intense. It reminded me of Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, but better. The onion rings were pretty standard. But it was a tired meal, the sort you’d expect from a diner anywhere in America.

My brother had essentially the same thing, only that instead of the “basket” he ordered the small appetizer of boneless chicken wings, as that’s what his coupon was for. Normally, this costs $14 and you don’t get a side, so check under “Meal Deals” to make sure you are not overpaying by ordering from a different part of the menu.

My husband went for the Friday Feast ($32), and it actually hurt paying so much for such a mediocre meal. He chose whisky glazed ribs (half a rack) and fried shrimp, with broccoli and slaw as sides. He thought his meal was just “fine,” – there just wasn’t anything remarkable about it. For the price, there should have been. Indeed, I think the ribs I had at the Miami airport a few years ago were better.

In all, we left unsurprised that TGI Friday’s went bankrupt. And while they have since announced a revamp, it seems to be at the planning stages only. Personally, if I had to go back to TGI Friday’s, I’d stick with the value menu (so at least I’m not paying too much for mediocre food) – but I’ll probably only go back if I’m stuck at an airport without better choices.

TGI Friday's
19855 Rinaldi St
Porter Ranch, CA
(818) 831-2324
M-Su 10:30 AM - 1 AM

Munching Around the Bay: La Note

A nice brunch at this Berkeley institution

For her birthday, my daughter wanted to go out for brunch. This seemed like a lovely idea except for the fact that her birthday fell mid-week, she didn’t want to wake up early enough for breakfast, and she didn’t want to go to a coffeeshop/chain restaurant sort of place. That didn’t leave too many options, so I was happy when a google search reminded me of La Note, a quaint French restaurant in Berkeley. Now almost four decades old, La Note has reinvented itself into a brunch place, serving breakfast and lunch from early in the morning to 2 PM everyday. Exactly what we needed.

I’d been to La Note several times over the decades, both for breakfast and dinner, though apparently the only review I wrote of the place was from my first visit back in 2006. The restaurant has a smallish but very cute and crowded dining room, and a busy and funky decore. It’s more low key than country French, but I like the vibe well enough – my daughter wanted something cuter. We got very lucky in that we were able to snatch a window table – they are elevated and you get to enjoy more light. During weekends, you can stare at the people in line to get in. There is also a patio, though it apparently doesn’t open until 11 AM. This was a rainy, somewhat cool day, so indoor dining was best anyway.

We had a reservation and were seated promptly. We got lemon water and were given adequate time to peruse the menu. We started by sharing a kouign amann ($5), and incredible Breton pastry. This was only the second time I’d had one, and we were blown away at how delicious it was. Unfortunately, they were sold out so we couldn’t get any more. It was so good that I think if we go back, we’ll just order pastries.

For breakfast proper, I had the Pain Perdu au Chocolat ($20), French toast filled with chocolate hazelnut spread (aka Nutella). It was served with butter and a little jar of lavender honey. It was just OK. The bread was just too dry. It probably needed more egg. The portion was very large, and half of it would have been plenty for breakfast. I don’t think I would order it again – or even make it, for that matter.

My daughter had the Brioche Pain Perdu ($20), a French toast made with cinnamon brioche dipped in orange blossom water and accompanied with the same lavender honey and butter. She really liked the bread but wasn’t crazy about the lemon water flavor. At least, this toast wasn’t as dry as the other one. She did decide that she likes cinnamon bread French toast, but would probably order something else next time.

My husband had the Cote Est ($22), a dish of scrambled eggs, choice of pancake and either home fries or bacon. He liked the eggs, they were light and fluffy and cooked perfectly. He was also very fond of the lemon gingerbread pancake he selected. It was served with three slices of poached pear and a little blueberry compote and the whole combination worked very well. It was probably the highlight of his meal. He chose the homefries (not pictured), and these were remarkably tasty. The herbed cubed potatoes might have been baked rather than fried, and they had an amazing consistency, crispy on the outside and melt-in-your mouth inside. They were very nicely seasoned and the portion was quite generous.

We also shared a side of bacon ($6 for 3 slices). It was very tasty, definitely high quality bacon, but it was a little too crispy for our taste.

Both my daughter and I had the mocha ($8.25) but we differed in our assessment. I thought it was pretty good, though I found it a little strong for my taste – though that dissipated once I mixed in the whipped cream. It’s served in a handle-less bowl, and I liked the primitive feel of drinking it. My daughter disagreed completely – she pointed out that even ancient pottery comes with handles and disliked having to use two hands to drink it. She also felt the mocha tasted more of hot chocolate than of coffee. She drank it, but wouldn’t order it again. I might.

Service was friendly and competent – but I was unhappy that a surprise 3% surcharge was added to the bill. Upon enquiring, we learned that it was a tip for the kitchen, as the waitress does not tip out. I guess this means you can leave the waiter 3% less than you planed to, though most people, like us, won’t. Thinking back, it leaves a little of a bitter experience. Just increase the price of each item by 50cents or a dollar and don’t try to deceive customers! I should note, however, that prices have gone up $1.50 to $2 per item (drinks included) vis a vis the menu posted on their website.

In all we had a lovely breakfast. If we returned, however, my daughter and I would probably just order a basket of pastries and eat bacon and potatoes off my husband’s plate.

La Note
2377 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA
(510) 843-1525
M-F 8 AM - 2 PM
Sa-Su 8 AM - 3 PM



California Eating: Scott Diner in Merced

Why you shouldn’t trust reviews from Google Maps

Yesterday, we found ourselves near UC Merced during lunch and thus used Google Maps to look for a place to eat that wouldn’t take us too far out of our way as we made our way back home. I will say that I’ve used this method before, with mixed results. This time, it was a failure.

Scott Diner gets 4.8 stars on Google Maps and pretty much all of the reviews were great. Most mentioned the service and made general comments about the food, but everyone said they enjoyed it. The reviews sounded honest and maybe they were, but our lunch at Scott Diner was one of the most disappointing meals I’ve had in a long time – which is saying quite a bit as we’ve had several less than stellar restaurant experiences lately. I have to guess that inflation is pushing restaurants to using lower quality ingredients and maybe even hire less experienced cooks.

Scott Diner is your basic American diner/coffeeshop. The building is a bit run down and it looks like it’s been there for ages and ages. It has booths and tables, it’s pretty dark inside, and it’d be the type of place where you can go with younger children and they wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. Indeed, my husband pointed out there was a screaming child at one point, but as my super power is being able to completely ignore kids, I hadn’t noticed.

The diner is decorated with military memorabilia, though it’s not particularly intrusive. One review specified that they don’t offer a military discount.


The menu is pretty basic, breakfast items (apparently served all day, but the menu didn’t specify), salads, sandwiches and burgers, and a list of specials you need to go to the front and have good eyesight to see (but I’m providing you with a photo so you don’t have to). Prices are reasonable for this day and age – or would be, if the food was up to par.

I had the tri-tip sandwich ($17), which comes with a choice of fries, garlic fries, crinkle fries, sweet potato fries or onion rings – I chose the latter. The beef in the sandwich might have technically been tri-tip – it was very thinly cut, so it’s hard to tell – but the sandwich would be better described as a French dip. The beef felt and tasted like roast beef and it came accompanied by the little bowl of absolutely tasteless broth. It’s quite amazing how they managed to have a broth with no flavor at all. They do have a kitchen, and the sandwich was warm, but I can’t imagine they make the “tri-tip” in house.

The onion rings were fine, they were made in oil that was in the cusp of needing to be changed and cooked a minute too much, but they were sweet and tasty. They were screaming for some ranch sauce, but that’s on me because I forgot to ask the rushed waiter (who doubled as the cashier and host) for some.

Mike had the double western bacon cheeseburger ($17), and the massive sandwich looked impressive – as long as you didn’t look too closely. The patties had a very strange, smooth consistency and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were frozen and precooked and then just heated up in the kitchen. Not only did they look uniformly gray, but the consistency was very weird, it had no grit but some unexpected chew. Flavor wise, it wasn’t too bad, barely better than a McDonald’s burger.

Mike opted for the garlic fries, and these weren’t bad. They were a tad overcooked as well but they had a pleasant flavor.

Service was a bit rushed – no fault of the waiters, who had too much to do -, but friendly.

Scott Diner
2015 E Childs Ave
Merced, CA
(209) 658-1819
M-Su 7 am - 7 pm

San Leandro Bites: Wonderful Cafe

Disappointing take out

Last night I got take out from Wonderful Cafe, the Hong Kong restaurant that has opened in the Le Soleil space. I loved Le Soleil for many years, before it became tired and I stopped going, so I wasn’t necessarily sad to see it go – but I wish a better restaurant had taken its place.

I didn’t go to pick up the food, so I can’t tell you about the atmosphere and service, but photos I’ve seen online make it seem closer to a cafeteria in style than to the “Asian bistro” look of the 00s and 10s which I so enjoyed. The walls are half painted in a hospital-teal color which I’m guessing is aiming to exude “cleanliness,” I can’t imagine what else.

I ordered the Beef Brisket Clay Pot Vermicelli ($18), which looked nothing like its picture online, and actually consisted of a few cubes of fatty meat, rice and bok choy. There was no vermicelli. The beef cubes were mostly fat, there was very little meat to speak of. The rice was tasty enough in the areas that had been caramelized, but it was mostly insipid. If I hadn’t had a dog to whom I could feed the fat, it would have been a complete miss of a meal. Obviously I wouldn’t order it again.

Mike had the sweet and sour grilled pork ($19.5). It was “just OK.” He found it to be bordering on bland, without the intensity of flavor and just “tastiness” that he was looking for. He wouldn’t order it again.

The people at the restaurants were very nice, they even gave Mike some candied walnuts while he waited for the food. Those were quite good. For this reason, I may give them a try in the future, once they have found their stride and hopefully corrected criticism.

Wonderful Cafe
1515 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA
510-756-6103

L.A. Chow: Amazing Siam Thai Restaurant

Disappointing fare at this once SF Valley favorite

A Thai restaurant has been operating in the strip mall on Topanga Canyon and Lassen, in Chatsworth, for over a quarter of a century. I’ve never noticed the change of names and ownership of said restaurants, but I’ve frequented them all as they are very close to my parents’ home. Alas, it’s the end of an era. Not only because life and death means we won’t be visiting the area for much longer, but because our last visit to the restaurant in the space, now named Amazing Siam Thai Restaurant, was less than amazing to say the least. Given the quality of Thai restaurants in the San Fernando Valley, I can’t imagine Amazing Siam has long for this world.

The restaurant itself looks as it’s always looked: it’s a rectangular space with booths on one side, some next to the window, and a wall bench on the other with tables and chairs facing it. It’s decore is muted, which has been the trend for Thai restaurants for at least a decade or two now. It’s a nice, casual place to stop by. The menu is pretty standard and prices are on the affordable side, with most dishes in the high teens – low for 2025.

We started with the beef satay ($14), five little skewers of pounded and marinated beef served with toast, peanut sauce and salad. I love beef satay, but it’s practically impossible to find it in the Bay Area – it’s a staple of LA Thai restaurants, however. This one was just competent. The meat wasn’t particularly tender and while it was nicely flavored, it needed a bit more salt. Indeed, that was my complaint about all the dishes at Amazing Siam. I liked the peanut sauce, though it was very sweet. Diabetics might want to stay away. The toasted bread was just that: toasted sliced white bread, but it worked for soaking up the leftover peanut sauce.

As my entree, I had the Golden Curry with beef ($19), and here is where things went completely awry. The curry consisted of slices of beef and large chunks of potatoes and carrots. It tasted as if each ingredient was cooked independently, unseasoned, and then just added to the curry. That meant that none of the food was able to actually soak up the flavor of the curry, and instead every bite was insipid. The curry itself wasn’t great either. It neither looked or tasted like a yellow curry, rather it resembled a watered down panang curry. There was no depth of flavor and while it was somewhat spicy, it was very underseasoned. There was no salt at the table to help it out either.

Mike ordered the Pra Ram chicken ($16). Here again, the chicken and spinach had been cooked on their own, unseasoned, and served with the peanut sauce. Once again, the peanut sauce was tasty, if very sweet, while the chicken was insipid – though as the sauce was thicker, it was a better conduit for it than the beef in the yellow curry had been.

The one highlight of the meal was the Pad Thai ($15), which my daughter ordered with tofu. The noodles were well cooked and the sauce was as delicious as one could expect, hinting also toward sweetness (which is not a bad thing unless you are avoiding sugars). If I went back to the restaurant, this is what I’d order.

Service was unremarkable, though the kitchen sent dishes when they were ready, which means the appetizer came after the curries (I’m guessing because the beef satay had to be cooked rather than just plated).

Amazing Siam Thai Restaurant
9839 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Chatsworth, CA
818.718.8548
M-Th 11AM - 3PM, 4PM - 10PM
F-Sa 11AM - 11:30PM
Su 11AM - 10PM

Beware of Zaytoona Restaurant in Hanford, California.

Head Chef Stalks Local Teacher

I received a disturbing report from a teacher friend. The head chef of Zaytoona restaurant in Hanford, Alex Kent Ryan, has been stalking her. Alex Kent Ryan appears to be your typical white supremacist, genocide supporting, misogynist, child-sexual-abuse accepting, hateful Trumpster and he seems to object to my friend speaking up for equality and human rights for all. He has been threatening her, stalking her and he even called her job trying to get her fired – a move we’ve seen many Charlie Kirk supporters do in the last month.

Women, people of color, and people of conscience in general may not feel comfortable eating at restaurant where the person preparing your food is a vindictive, hateful, right-winger.

San Leandro Restaurant Week is here, but is it worth it?

Dearth of good deals means no FOMO if you skip it.

San Leandro Restaurant Week is upon us and, if possible, it’s even lamer than last year. There are very few deals that will make me want to try a new restaurant or revisit an old one.

Here are the best ones, which I might try:

Paradiso has a $45 prix-fix menu available daily from 4 to 5 PM. During restaurant week, you can order it all day.

Nella’s Place, a Southern food place, offers half off a second dinner, so $9 to $11 off the price of two dinners. I haven’t tried it, and this seems like a good opportunity.

Scend offers several promos with small discounts, for example you can save $1 on a 2-wing/fries/soda lunch deal, buy one dessert get another for 1/2 off. It might be a good opportunity to try their oxtails, though, as they do offer a small order of 2 oxtails over rice for $17, and usually you need to get a full order for over $40.

The offers from the other nicer restaurants in town leave much to be desired.

Horatio’s has a 2-course menu with only 4 choices of entrees for $33 – which saves you an average of $5 over regular menu prices, depending on what you order and whether you go for dinner or lunch.

Moussaka gives you a free babaganoush or hummus ($8) with purchase of an entree

Top Hatters gives you a free order of lemon ricotta doughnuts ($10) but only for lunch for a party of at least two people.

Some restaurants are adding cheap freebies

Elio’s will give you a free cup of tapioca pudding or scoop of ice-cream if you order their daily-special dinner.

Leisure Cafe offers a free ice tea or milk (~$5) if you buy its baked pork chop or black pepper spaghetti.

Tequila Grill has a 3-course menu for $25, featuring half-entrees, which basically means that by ordering the very limited choices for appetizer and entre, you get a free flan.

Tsuru Sushi offers 3 orders of chicken teriyaki for the price of 2 or a free California roll if you buy ramen. The latter is not bad, but who wants three orders of chicken teriyaki?

Discounts at other restaurants are pretty paltry:

You can save $3 at 21st Amendment brewery, but only if you want to eat fish tacos with an El Sully beer.

Fieldwork Brewing is offering an appetizer + pizza for $30, usually $27 to $41 (assuming all items are included in the promo).

You can save $1 on a Bento Box at Makiyaki.

Sushi Delight offers its 9-piece sashimi dinner for $22 or $6 off its regular price and its “tempura & teriyaki” dinner for $19, or $2 off its regular price.

You can save 15% on the dish-of-the-day at Habibi’s Birria.

And then some restaurants don’t offer any savings whatsoever.

Drake’s Barrel House, Sons of Liberty Alehouse, Zenti Bistro and Mai Thai, as well as Koolfi Creamery are serving a dish or two not usually in the menu.

Pistahan is offering its same weekend buffet at its regular price.

Josephine Southern Cuisine is opening a pop-up on July 18th & 19th from 11 am to 4 pm only, at E14th Eatery and Kitchen and serving their fried chicken with mac & cheese and collard greens for $25, which seems like their regular price.

There are also a few bars/drink places with offerings, but as I’m not someone who goes out to drink I didn’t analyze them.


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