Category: Restaurants (Page 24 of 52)

Anyone who lives in San Leandro and has the lowest appreciation for good food, cannot but decry the state of our local restaurants. There are only a handful of acceptable restaurants in town, and none of them ever change their menu, which makes them boring on my book.
But after reading last week’s San Leandro Times poll, it’s no surprise that good restaurants avoid San Leandro like the plague. The SLT asked five random San Leandrans what their favorite restaurant in San Leandro was. The answers? Wendy’s, McDonald’s, some unnamed taqueria on East 14th, Los Pericos (which I like) and Tsuru Sushi (which I don’t think much of). Yeah….
I’m also very sad to report that the old space occupied by Peewee’s Pizza on East 14th by Estabrook (a stonethrow away from my house), has re-oped as a Papa Johns, a cheap pizzeria chain 🙁 Peewee’s was no gourmet restaurant, but it was a cool place – a little dive that had been a family business for decades, and made quite good pizza. It had character, it was locally owned, we liked it. Alas, it burned down to the ground a few years ago and the owners did not have insurance. We kept the hope that they’d be able to get the money somehow and rebuild, but alas, it didn’t happen.
What is even more pathetic is that we’ll at least try Papa John’s pizza.

Last week was my 41st birthday and Mike and the kids wanted to take me out for dinner. They wanted to go to a nice place – and so did I so I could doll up with some of the make up I’ve gotten recently from listia – but I really didn’t want to spend much money. Our local Le Soleil might have been a good choice, but I’ve gotten bored with their menu – which has barely changed over the last six years (though my kids still love it). Fortunately, Phnom Penh House came to mind. I’d been there several years ago (see review below) with a group of girlfriends and I’d really liked it. I also remembered it as quite affordable. It was a great choice – the restaurant is quite nice (one of these “Asian Bistros”, as I like to call them, serving modern Asian food in stylish surroundings at affordable prices) – and the food was excellent. More importantly for us right now, they don’t seem to have raised their prices almost at all in the last six years. This restaurant may very well be the best bargain in the Bay Area.
We started our meal by sharing a “Noum om Beng” ($8), a crepe stuffed with pork, shrimp, coconut and bean sprouts, served with one of those ubiquitous light sweet-sour sauces so common at Thai restaurants. It was amazingly good, specially with the sauce. The thick crepe was very light, with some sweetness to it and it reminded me of egg custard. The filling was so tasty that I even ate the bean sprouts (which I usually hate, these ones were smaller and less crunchy that the ones I usually find in my chow mein). The kids didn’t really give it a chance. The portion is large enough to provide a light snack to four people, but it’s so good that you may want to share it between two people instead 🙂
I wasn’t very original in ordering the “sachkor ang” ($9) as my entree. This dish consists of been charbroiled on skewers and served with the same sauce as the crepe. I order this at Le Soleil all the time, so I might have wanted to try something different. But I was glad I ordered it. The beef was very tender and had an amazing charbroiled flavor. Camila loved it and ate a whole skewer by herself. The portion was definitely good enough for one person.
Mike ordered the “moarn bouk” ($9), chicken wings stuffed with lemongrass, bean thread and meat. They were also very tasty. The filling was a bit mild, but the wings themselves were tender and had a great flavor on the skin. The kids liked them (sans filling).
Finally, we ordered the shrimp fried rice ($7.75) for the kids and this was a big hit. It had a light smokey flavor, plenty of shrimp and it was a pretty large portion.
We skipped dessert, as we had birthday cake at home.
In all it was a great birthday meal.
Phnom Penh Restaurant
3912 Macarthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619
(510) 482-8989
http://phnompenhhouse.com/
—
2005 Review
Going through my papers I just run across the take out menu of Phnom Penh Restaurant and realized I hadn’t written a review. It’s been a couple of months since my visit, and I cannot actually remember specifically what we had, so I figured I’d just make a general note on it. If/when we go back again I’ll write a proper review.
Phnon Penh has been a Chinatown institution for many years, but they now have opened a second location on Macarthur Blvd. and had given it what I call the “Asian Bistro” look. The walls and furnishings are stylish and trendy and yet comfortable and inviting – making it the sort of place where you can take anyone for any reason. And with a menu with entrees starting at $7.25, you can afford to. The portions are in the small side, so you’ll want to order appetizers.
Phnon Penh offers Cambodian cuisine which in California it can mean anything, but which you can understand as a fusion of Vietnamese and Thai. As I said, i don’t remember what we actually ordered, but the four of us shared several entrees and appetizers. Everything was very good, though obviously nothing was that memorable. I do remember particularly enjoying the deep fried bananas with coconut and ice cream ($4). The dish was large enough to share among the 4 of us.
One word of caution. Phnom Penh’s secret is out (a glowing review in the Express hasn’t hurt) and the restaurant is pretty small. When we visited in a weekday night there were people waiting in line outside the restaurant to come in. But they do take reservations, so call ahead.
Phnom Penh Restaurant
3912 Macarthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619

I got a coupon on the mail today for the Manor Grill, announcing its re-opening. I haven’t been there for years and I didn’t know it was closed, but I thought I’d share the news with you.
Let me know how it is if you check it out.

This is just an update on local eateries:
– I reported a couple of weeks ago that my friend Mauro had had a terrible dinner experience at Boulevard Burger. Despite that, we went for dinner there last night, and our experience was definitely the opposite. For one, there were few people there (probably because it’s a neighborhood joint and word of bad service spreads quickly), which meant that the staff definitely had time to do their jobs. Our dinner was served quickly, accurately and it was very good. I have no complaints at all.
– Marita’s Sweet Potato Pie, a bakery which sells cakes and pies only, has taken on the space next door to it (owned by Marita’s owner), previously occupied by Cornerstone Cafe. They are still doing the same operation, but now they also have tables and chairs. I didn’t go inside so I don’t know if they also serve drinks to go with those cakes, but I’ll check it out soon.
– The Golden Tea Garden in Hayward has new hours. It’s now open Tu-F 11-4 and Sa-Su 11-5 PM. I understand that as the place gets empty later in the afternoon, but as we usually linger for hours when we go to tea, I’ll sure our next tea there is no later than 2 PM.
A couple of unrelated additional comments:
– Does anyone else wonder what goes on at Mae’s Soul Food on Victoria Circle in San Leandro? I go by there every day and the place is not open for dinner and only erratically opened for lunch. Indeed, I’d say it’s closed more often than open. I can’t imagine how the restaurant can make any money, if indeed selling food is their main business.
– I went to the Alta Mira Club’s tea and fashion show last week. The fashion show – styles of dance dresses since the 1860’s to the 1970’s – was great, even for someone like me who has no interest on fashion. The tea goodies weren’t bad, the little sandwiches (tuna salad, egg salad and shrimp) were super cute and the cookies weren’t bad, but the tea was close to undrinkable, incredibly weak and tasteless. It didn’t help that they only had half-and-half, entirely too heavy for the watery tea, and no milk. The tickets were $25, a bit steep, but it was an enjoyable afternoon.
– I’ve gone to the lunch buffet at Aroma Cuisine of India in Castro Valley three times now. The first two times I thought the small buffet was great – but yesterday all the food was lukewarm (even though we got there around 11:45 AM). I hope this is not an indication that quality is going down at Aroma.

Today I received a phone call from my friend Mauro complaining about the terrible dining experience he had at Boulevard Burger last night. He went there for dinner with his family and children and had to deal with bad service, mixed orders and food that just didn’t make it to the table. Apparently, it took 45 minutes for some of the burgers and an order of fries to come to the table – his own burger and the remaining orders of fries never arrived. Other people were having the same problems and the waitresses seemed to be lost as to which order belonged to which table.
He, of course, complained both to the cook and the servers, who basically had an attitude of “deal with it”. There were no apologies whatsoever.
Boulevard Burger is very much of a neighborhood joint, and it really cannot afford to antagonize its patrons like that. My experiences there have been good, but I have heard complaints about service from other people as well. I’m still willing to go back there, I do like their burgers, but I’m a bit weary bout it now.
Boulevard Burger
1027 MacArthur Boulevard
San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 632-3100
Original Review

Update 4/10
Our first visit to Rocky’s Charcoal Grill wasn’t great and I’m sad to report that our second one, three years later, wasn’t that wonderful either. This time we ordered some of the complete burgers (the Goldenburger, which with sauteed mushrooms in a sourdough bun – $6 – and the vanyburger with bacon, sauteed onions and BBQ sauce). Neither burger was very tasty. The mushrooms in the goldenburger were a bit bitter though mostly mild, but still gave the burger an unpleasant flavor and texture. They probably should have been sauteed longer, maybe with more salt.
The other burger was better, but still didn’t have much meat flavor and just lacked an all-around oomph.
We both liked the onion rings, however.
I doubt we’ll go back.
—
Original Review
I’m disappointed to say that I was not impressed by Rocky’s Charcoal’s Grill, the latest restaurant to take the space on West Estudillo and Haste, next to the San Leandro History Museum. The burgers we had there were OK, but pedestrian – and the chose your own condiments and toppings (sans tomatoes, which you have to ask for separately) was not a winner in my book. If I knew how to properly dress a burger, I’d make it myself 🙂 The patties themselves were on the dry side, and they had only a slight charcoal flavor, though they are cooked on a charcoal grill.
On the plus side, Rocky’s only uses fresh beef not treated with artificial hormones and given an all-vegetarian diet. I’d like to see more restaurants do that. The prices are quite affordable, with 1/3 lb burgers starting at $4.25.
I’m sad to not be able to give Rocky’s a good review. The people working there were very nice, and I do hope the business to succeed. I should also note, that other people have raved about the place, so I’d recommend you go and judge for yourself.
Rocky’s Charcoal’s Grill
300 West Estudillo Ave.
San Leandro, CA
510-351-6228

Yesterday I went to lunch with a friend at Ono Hawaiian BBQ in San Leandro. We go from time to time as it’s close to our house, the food is good enough and not too expensive, specially if you use one of the coupons you get on the mail.
Yesterday we had their $5 value lunch, and it’s really a good deal. It consists of a small portion of an entree (there are 5 choices, I think, mostly chicken and no fish), a scoop of rice and some veggie (cabbage, I think). It comes with a small fountain drink, but you can get free refills. I had the chicken katzu, which I really like, and the portion was a perfect size for lunch. In all, I think this may be the best lunch deal in town.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ
13808 E.14th St., Suite C
San Leandro, CA
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

2013 Update

Emil Villa had a fire and is closed, it doesn’t seem  that they’ll be re-opening.

Sunday Mika and I went out to brunch at Emil Villa’s in San Leandro. It wasn’t my first choice for breakfast, but we were without transportation and Emil Villa’s is only a few blocks away from my home. We had an OK, but not very exciting experience.
I’m partial to sweet offerings for breakfast, and Emil Villa’s offers french toast, pancakes and a pecan waffle. Both the french toast and pancakes come plain, no fruit toppings or anything special, and accompanied by corn syrup. I got the sourdough french toast ($7, I think) and was disappointed that the plate consisted of four, thick but small slices of french toast and nothing more. It was sort of expensive for the price, specially given how plain it was. Mika got the pancakes from the children’s menu. The two pancakes were HUGE, one would have been more than enough for a child under 12. She liked that they were fluffy, but they were nothing special. She probably wouldn’t order them again. I think they were $5.
Service was very good.
Emil Villa’s is a very popular place for weekend breakfast, something which I cannot understand. Grant it, all the breakfast options in San Leandro are dismal, but both JD and Palomares Cafe in Castro Valley offer far superior breakfast options for about the same price.
Emil Villa’s
1800 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA
(510) 351-7427
Original Review
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

A new restaurant will be opening sometime soon at the old La Cocina de Raquel location (which previously housed andy & joe’s, Taqueria, Kolbeh and Casa Maria #2 – all in the last 7 years). The new restaurant will be called Ming Tasty and will, presumably, serve Chinese food. I guess 5 Chinese restaurants within a 1/2 mile radius is not enough).
The new owners are spending over $200K in remodeling the place (wow!) and I can only wish them luck – they must have quite a bit of faith that the East 14th by Parrot St. location is not actually cursed. But in reality, the fact is that all the previous restaurants failed miserably because they served lousy/expensive food. If Ming Tasty is actually tasty, I’m sure it’ll do well.
Other restaurant news:
The owner of The Englander is opening a new wine & tapas bar next door. The restaurant will be called The Vine and should be opening soon. I can’t wait to try it.
Castro Valley’s Pyzano’s Pizza will be opening a branch in San Leandro, at the current Sergio’s Pizzeria location. This is indeed a good thing as Pyzano’s is much better than Sergio’s.
The owners of Planet Cafe (which may be moving) are opening a new restaurant, to be called Creekside Bistro, in Creekside Plaza (Davis St. x San Leandro Blvd.). Seems like a great location for nearby businesses.
Finally, today I noticed that a new restaurant has opened (or is opening) near the Safeway on Washington Ave. (at the old Taco Bell location, I think). It’s called Ha Ra sushi. Now, there are already three sushi restaurants in the immediate area, but none of them is very good. Still, is there a market for yet another one?
I also know that one of the restaurants on McArthur Blvd. will likely be closing, but no word as to which one it is yet.

Yesterday I took my girls to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. We arrived just as noon, and we were all starving – so we decided to give Caffè Museo, its restaurant, a try. The food was fine, but given the high prices, I was somewhat disappointed and I’d probably not go back.
I had their short ribs burger ($13) which actually consisted of shredded short ribs in a bbq sauce, served with coleslaw in a burger bun. It came accompanied with potato chips. The “burger” was OK – it had a very slight short rib flavor, but it really wasn’t very different from a pulled pork sandwich, given the overwhelming bbq sauce. I wouldn’t order it again.
The kids shared a Margherita pizza ($9.50), which they were happy with – but they aren’t that picky. The thin crust pizza was probably 6-8″ wide, fine for two kids to share – but definitely expensive.
Service was very good and the food came quite quickly.
Caffè Museo @ SFMOMA
http://www.sfmoma.org/pages/restaurant
151 Third Street
San Francisco CA
415.357.4500.
Th – 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
F -Tu 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Marga’s Reviews of Venue Restaurants
Bay Area Restaurant Reviews