Category: Restaurants (Page 32 of 53)

Mike and I found ourselves in Lakeport on our way to the Lake county from the Alexander Valley. We were hungry and Jack’s Gaslight Grill was pretty much the first restaurant we came across. It wasn’t a bad choice for lunch.
The restaurant looks like it used to be an old tavern. There is a nice wooden bar with mirrors, and a relatively small cooking area. The menu is coffee-shop style, with burgers and sandwiches.
I got the steak sandwich which was just OK. The meat was tough but tasted fine. The onion rings it came with, were quite good. Mike got the burger, which he said was very good, juicy and tasty.
Service was very friendly, and the place is worth a try.
Jack’s Gaslight Grill
135 N. Main Street
Lakeport, Ca.
707-263-0188
Restaurant Reviews
Bay Area Restaurant Reviews

Last week I went out to Adagia with my friends Parker, Aamani and Dolores. We had all had desserts there a few months before and Parker was eager to try it for dinner. All in all we had a good experience, and I would go back.
I had their famous burger with provolone cheese, avocado and house cured pancetta. At $17.50 it was the most expensive burger I’ve ever eaten, but it was quite good. The meat was juicy, the toppings balanced, and the pancetta, in particular, was delicious. Still, I had an equally good burger at the Auburn Alehouse a few weeks back for only $11. I’m not sure that I’d order it again, but only because of the price. The fries that came with it were good, but not special.
Dolores had the Gorgonzola and walnut ravioli ($14.50) which came in a white wine cream sauce with arugula. I tasted the dish, and I liked it, but I think I’d grown bored eating the whole plate. Still, it’s a good option for vegetarians.
The baked casarecce pasta ($16.50), which Aamani and Parker shared, could have been better. It had a very mild taste and was screaming for more kale (or so I’m told), neither would order it again.
Finally, both Parker and Aamani were happy with their shared falafel crusted halibut ($24), though I didn’t hear any screams of ecstasy as in other occasions.
After our experience last time with the chocolate bread pudding, we all ordered it again and once again it was both delicious and satisfying.
Adagia
2700 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, Ca
510.647.2300
http://www.adagiarestaurant.com/
Original Review
Bay Area Restaurant Reviews

We stopped at the Old Village Grill in Arroyo Grande yesterday for lunch. We were driving down 101 and were famished by the time we got to Arroyo Grande. Mike remembered that we’d been to the Old Village Grill before, and he thought it was good. This time I thought it was merely OK.
I got their sourdough burger which came with cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato and not-sauteed-enough onions (~$6). The patty was rather small and the whole burger was unwieldy to eat. It tasted good, however. Mike had their BBQ bacon burger and he liked it, it was tasty and juice and the BBQ sauce did not overwhelm the flavors. We shared onion rings that were a bit overcooked, but nicely seasoned – though the accompanying (ranch?) sauce was too salty. I had a peanut butter shake which wasn’t flavorful enough. The bill came to $19 before tip.
In all, I think next time I may try a new place.
Old Village Grill
101 E. Branch St.
Arroyo Grande, Ca
(805) 489-4915

A couple of weeks ago I was in Berlin for a conference and I had lunch at Cafe Stresermann, which happened to be in front of my hotel. I had a wiener schnitzel (E. 9) and a coke (E. 1.70). The coke was fine, but the wiener schnitzel left much to be desired. The meat was tough and underseasoned, and the breading wouldn’t stick to it. I was expecting much more of a wiener schntzel in Germany. The potatoes it came with were fine, but not memorable. I don’t know if I’ll ever return to Berlin, but I won’t be eating there again.
Cafe Stresemann
Stresemannstr. 90
10963 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 2611760

I returned from a short trip to Berlin yesterday afternoon, and the first thing I did, after coming home, was head to the Farmers’ Market. We were there a little bit later than usual, so we didn’t see all our friends as has become the custom, but we did see enough to make me remember what I so love about this place. We also found that amidst the eating choices the market offers (tamales, corn-on-the-cob, teriyaki sticks & hot dogs and steak & sausage sandwiches), there was a new one: Indian food from (I think) India Gourmet in Watsonville. Of course, I had to try it, and the choices were not bad.
India Gourmet offers wraps (for about $6, I think), rice plates ($8) and full dinners ($12), which include rice and veggie sides. The main entrees include chicken curry, lamb curry and two or three vegan options to which I paid no attention (sorry). They have daal, nan ($2) and mango lassis (no sweet ones, though).
Both the chicken and the lamb curry were pretty good. They were well portioned, enough food to eat, though not too much that there were leftovers. Neither was particularly spicy, but they had enough of a kick to keep my oldest kid away. The curries were well balanced and the meats were tender. They weren’t my favorite curries out there, but I’d have them again.
The nan was also very nice, on the thick side.

Wednesday evening we went to the Downtown Farmers’ Market again. This time they had family entertainment and a few different stands, including one that serves coffee drinks and another one selling beautiful baskets. There is also now a place selling corn-on-the-cob, which the kids enjoyed.
Mike and I had the teriyaki chicken and beef at Meyers BBQ stand. They were both quite good, but not exceptional. The meat was very thin, tender and a little fatty. The portions were large enough for dinner, in particular if accompanied by rice. Chicken skewers are $6, beef $7, add $2 for a large portion of fried rice (which wasn’t that good).

Lola and I spent a nice weekend in the Gold Country which culminated with a late lunch in Auburn. We basically headed to the old town, and had lunch in the first place that caught our eye – we got lucky, because Auburn Alehouse serves very good food.
The restaurant is stylish, and doesn’t really look like a beer joint. We were seated by the window and had a nice view of the antique market going on that weekend. Though the place was somewhat noisy, it was pretty relaxing for us.
The menu offers sophisticated versions of American classics. For example my burger was made with Kobe beef. Prices are a little high with appetizers averaging $8-9, sandwiches for $9-12 and main dishes from $10-25. But portions are very large and you feel you get your money’s worth.
As I mentioned, I ordered the Kobe burger, a 1/2 lb patty that comes with bacon, avocado, American cheese, tomato and lettuce ($11). I substituted the fries for onion strings ($1 additional). The burger was cooked a little bit browner than the medium-rare I ordered, but it was still very juicy. The meat itself was very tender, but I otherwise could not distinguish a special taste to the kobe beef. The whole thing worked very well together, and I enjoyed it. The crispy onion strings were severely underseasoned, but they were good with some salt added. In all, I enjoyed the dish and would order it again.
Lola had the BBQ pork sandwich ($8.50) with a side salad. The BBQ pork was excellent, very flavorful with an intense BBQ sauce. I’d definitely order it myself. She liked the salad which had a simple vinaigrette, she particularly enjoyed the arugula and felt the greens were quite fresh. She also couldn’t finish the whole thing.
We decided to skip dessert as they are all quite pricey ($7.50!).
I’ll definitely eat here again next time I find myself in Auburn.
Auburn Alehouse
289 Washington Street
Auburn CA
530-885-2537
http://auburnalehouse.com/

Restaurant Reviews

Yesterday my friend Lola and I went to California’s Gold Country, for our yearly girls’ weekend out. We drove east until we heat 49, and then north. We stopped in Sonora for lunch. We picked Alfredo’s as it was the first restaurant we walked by after we parked.
Alfredo’s occupies a very nice room in historical downtown Sonora. The main wall is brick with recessed shelves here and there displaying Maya and Aztec ceramics. Other walls have orange hues and there are couple of large stereotypical Mexican wall paintings. It’s both stylish and informal at the same time.
Service was very good, the waiter was very attentive – and chips and drinks, and then food, came quickly to the table.
The major problem we had with Alfredo’s was the food. It was just bland. Nothing had been adequately salted or spiced – it’s as if they were cooking for middle-American seniors with high blood pressure (which may be their target audience, for all I know). The menu was your typical Tex-Mex, with entrees at $9 to $12.50. There is also a children’s menu.
I ordered the Botana Combo ($8.75), which included four different appetizers: a good portion of guacamole, 4 beef taquitos, 1 plain quesadilla and 3 bacon wrapped shrimp. None of it was good. I love guacamole, but this one needed some lemon to perk it up. You could taste the corn tortillas on the taquitos, but the meat filling was to bland to come through. The quesadilla was just a cheese stuffed tortilla, with nothing to make it special. And while I didn’t try the shrimp, as I don’t like shrimp at all, Lola thought they were quite mediocre.
Lola had the same complaints of blandness vis a vis her entree, a combo plate of a beef tamale and a chicken enchilada ($10.55). She described the enchilada as “just an American enchilada” and while she praised the fluffy and light masa of the tamale, she thought the filling was bland and unsurprising.
As you’d expect, we wouldn’t stop at Alfredo’s again – but if you prefer bland food, this may be the place for you.
Alfredo’s Mexican Restaurant
123 S. Washington St.
Sonora, CA
(209) 532-8332