Category: Restaurants (Page 27 of 53)

Last weekend we found ourselves hungry on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. We’d had pizza the night before, so I didn’t want to have it again, but I wanted to have something cheap. We saw Naan n’ Curry, and wrongly assumed that it’d make for a cheap meal. That it didn’t do, I think I paid $24 for lunch, much more than an Indian buffet would have been, but the food was definitely better than what we’d had the last time we ate there. The portions, however, were in the small side – specially the lamb tikka masala. We had no leftovers besides naan.
As I mentioned, I got the lamb tikka masala. The lamb was tender but somewhat dry. The sauce was very nice, well balanced with a minimum amount of spiciness There was plenty of it, which we were happy to eat with the plain and garlic naan that I also ordered. Mike had the lamb chops tandoori and he was quite happy with it. I thought that the spicing hadn’t really penetrated the meat, but it was OK.
All in all, I think that Naan n’ Curry is too expensive for what it is, and I rather go to a buffet next time.
Naan n’Curry
2366 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA
510-841-6226
http://www.naancurry.com/
Hours: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Original Review
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant.com is selling its gift certificates for 90% off (use code NINETY). That means that a $25 gift certificate costs $1 and a $50 one, $2. There is usually a minimum purchase, about $35-$50 for a $25 GC and $100 for a $50 GC.
I’ve used restaurant.com gift certificates several times now, and I’ve not have any problems with them.

It’s been over five years since the last time that we ate at Pyzano’s in Castro Valley. We usually either get pizza delivered to our house or go to Angelina’s in San Leandro, we like their pizza and they have a little section where children can sit and play.
Our plans for tonight were to go to Berkeley, get a slice of pizza at Blondie’s or Fat Slice and walk around. Alas, there was a home football game and it was impossible to get to Berkeley, much less find a parking space close to campus. So we postponed the visit to another time.
Meanwhile, Camila wanted pizza so, after some deliberation, we decided to go to Pyzano’s. I was hoping that they would have their cooks tossing the pizza dough and that Camila would get a kick out of it – unfortunately it appears they are not doing that anymore.
I was kind of surprised to find Pyzano’s only half-full on a Saturday night (about 6 PM), but I guess the economy has been affecting everyone. I should also say that Pyzano is pretty pricey for a pizzeria – I think Camila’s mini cheese pizza was about $7, while our large “Primo” (pepperoni, salami, smoked ham, bacon, Italian susage, and linguica) was about $23. Drinks were an extra $2.50 each, not cheap. But Pyzano makes up for the prices by serving a high quality pizza. The thick dough is very tasty by itself and works great with the other ingredients. All the toppings in our pizza tasted fresh and went well together. We really liked it.
We also ordered a portion of meatballs ($8 for 5 meatballs and 4 slices of cheesy garlic bread), and I have to say these were the best meatballs I’ve eaten at a restaurant. They were incredibly light, with very little filling, and perfectly seasoned. They came in a tomato pasta sauce that reminded me very much of the one once served at Pirro’s (a little Italian restaurant in Berkeley which I used to go to when I was in college). The garlic bread was also good, in particular when dipped in the sauce.
In all, we had a very good meal – and so much pizza left over that we’ll be eating it for the next couple of days 🙂
Pyzano’s Pizzeria
3835 E Castro Valley Blvd
Castro Valley, CA
(510) 881-8878
www.pyzanospizzeria.com
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews

A reader asks whether someone can confirm that there was a Prings satellite restaurant in Hayward (on Mission, near Cal State) in 1965. If you can confirm, please let me know (marga@lacabe.com. Thanks!

2010 Update: Double B has closed. Sylantro Vietnamese Cuisine has opened in its location.
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I thought I had written a review of Double B Ranch & Grill a couple of months ago, when Mike and I had dinner there. However, I can’t find it anywhere, so it must only have been written in my imagination. Of course, a couple of months are a long time and I now don’t remember the meal in great detail, so I’ll do the best I can 🙂
My general impression of Double B Ranch & Grill was that it was an OK restaurant, but grossly overpriced for the atmosphere and food. The restaurant is located in a strip mall, and the inside looks like it, though it’s been spiffed up with a cowboy theme. The menu is brief, specializing on grilled items, with prices in the mid-to-high teens for most entrees – even for lunch!
I had a cheeseburger ($10), despite the fact that they will not cook it medium rare (one good reason to not go back). It was OK, a bit dry as it was overcooked. The cook also forgot to take the piece of paper that separates cheese slices, so I found myself eating paper! Not a big deal, however, just somewhat amusing.
Mike had the ribs (and he had them again at a subsequent lunch visit) and he liked how off-the-bone tender they were, but he found them too dry. The BBQ sauce was OK, nothing spectacular. The portion was generous (it should be, for $17!) and came with beans (which he liked) and run of the mill steak fries.
In all, it wasn’t a bad meal but not one I’d have again at those prices.
Double B Ranch & Grill
967 Manor Blvd
San Leandro, CA
(510) 352-1874
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews
Bay Area Restaurant Reviews
Marga’s Food Page

Sonoma restaurant, on McArthur in San Leandro, has closed for good. I’m not surprised – while the concept was good, it failed on execution: the food just wasn’t that good. I gave it several tries, but it just underwhelmed me.
I’d be sorry to see it go, but the rumor is that Mike Wiesner of Paradiso is taking over the space and opening a (gourmet?) burger joint. He will also serve breakfast. The food at Paradiso is pretty good (if also overpriced), and I think that San Leandro could really use a good burger place. There are several, but since the closure of Joplins, the only one that does a good burger is Vila Cereja (though I haven’t been there for quite a while).
Anyway, I’m looking forward to trying the new place.

Sweet Fingers is San Leandro’s only Caribbean restaurant. Located on East 14th, near the Oakland border, it’s relatively inconspicuous. From the outside it looks like a bar, from the inside, like a third-world restaurant. The tables are cheap, the light is dim and the bar quite prominent. It’s the kind of place you go to hang out, listen to some reggae or just have some great Jamaican/Caribbean food. That’s what we did last night, when we had our monthly informal SLCAN meeting at the place.
Everything we ordered was a winner: B. loved the jerked tofu, T. became a fun of the shrimp curry and D. enjoyed his oxtail stew. R. and I had had dinner earlier and weren’t planning to eat, but we had to order the fabulous friend plantains ($4). After we enjoyed them, the waitress was nice enough to bring us a plate of jerk chicken to share. It was dark and moist and nicely spiced – I’m always afraid that jerk chicken will be too strong for my taste but that is not a worry here. In all, I regretted not having gone back to Sweet Fingers since my first review a couple of years ago. Service, as you can imagine, was really good.
The prices, however, are a little high – most entrees are in the mid-teens. However, you can usually buy a $25 gift certificate to Sweet Fingers for $10 at restaurant.com (just do a search for restaurants within a mile of 94577). There is a $35 minimum food purchase. Once in a while restaurant.com has specials which allow you to buy said gift certificate for $2 or $3 – keep an eye on dealdetectives.com.
Sweet Fingers is very friendly to vegetarians – their new menu features 11 vegetarian entrees. With over 15 meat and fish entrees, it’s also pretty friendly to carnivores.

The new menu keeps many favorites such as the jerk chicken, but adds new dishes such as brown stew goat ($16), braised blue mountain lamb ($18) and ginger orange chicken ($16).  Some of the dishes are daily specials.
Sweet fingers is also increasing its musical offerings. They will have music every day but Monday from 10 PM to 2 AM. There will be live music every Sunday.
They will have a happy hour from 3-6 PM with half-price appetizers.
I’m unlikely to go for the music or the happy hour, but I’ll definitely return for the food.
Sweet Fingers
464 E. 14th St.
San Leandro ,CA
510.553.9869
http://www.sweetfingersrestaurant.com/
Marga’s Original Review
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

I’m sorry to say that I have not added restaurant reviews to my website for many months now. I was waiting for Mike to edit them, but I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon, and some of them are over a year old! So here they are, unedited:
Asmara – typical Ethiopian food on Telegraph Ave.
Bijou – This new French restaurant in Hayward fails miserably in ambiance and food.
Cafe Majestic – I went there for my birthday last year, alas, it seems to have closed before I posted my review 🙁
The fig cafe & winebar – a great lunch spot in Glen Ellen
The Golden Tea Garden is a relatively new tea house in Hayward that has quickly become my favorite.
Highland Dell Lodge Restaurant – Less than successful food at this German/American restaurant.
Pizzaiolo – unusual think-crust pizzas in North Oakland
Skates on the Bay – I loved the atmosphere and burgers at this Berkeley institution.
Soizic – a very nice Californian restaurant near Jack London Sq. has a Michellin star and killer mushrooms.
There are three more reviews from the Vancouver, WA area that are in Mike’s computer so I can’t post now. When they are ready, they’ll be at http://www.marga.org/food/rest/other/
As usual, you can find my restaurant reviews at http://www.marga.org/food/rest/

A couple of days ago I went with my friend Mauro to lunch at Khana Peena. He likes it quite a bit, but I was not crazy about the buffet. It had many of the usual dishes: chicken tikka masala, a lamb curry, chicken tandoori, naan, rice and so forth. It was $10, including soda.
The place itself is very nice, in particular the outside patio which has benches and pillows and lots of fresh air. Inside it looks a bit more elegant than your run-of-the-mill Indian restaurant.
I wasn’t thrilled with the food, though. It was OK, but I thought the curries needed more “ummph”, not necessarily spiciness, but something to complete the flavor. The chicken tandoori also wasn’t very flavorful, but most importantly, it was quite undercooked. The rice and naan were nice.
I wouldn’t be rushing back to Khana Peena, but I won’t mind if Mauro suggests it again.
Khana Peena Indian Cuisine
5316 College Ave.
Oakland, CA
510-658-2300
Marga’s Bay Area Restaurant Reviews