Thursday, December 27, 2007
Savory Pie at Kearny Street Hand-Held Pies
It was a dreary day today, so when Giao passed Kearny Street Hand-Held Pies today on the way back from his eye appointment, a warm pastry enclosed lunch sounded like it would hit the spot. The restaurant is very small, more like a bakery, with the pies under glass, than a true lunch spot. Giao was pretty disappointed in the selection of protein, there was only one with beef, and one with chicken, and neither of them sounded appetizing. It seems caters more to the vegetarians and vegans. The service was a little curt, but that mostly consists of putting a pie into a bag, so no big deal.
Pie of the month - Spinach, Orza, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Feta $3.80
The pie itself was nice and warm, with a good mix of ingredients. It is much too small for meal, it's more like a snack.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Service: 0
Decor: 0
Health Code Violations
Kearney Street Pie Company
307 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Pie of the month - Spinach, Orza, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Feta $3.80
The pie itself was nice and warm, with a good mix of ingredients. It is much too small for meal, it's more like a snack.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Service: 0
Decor: 0
Health Code Violations
Kearney Street Pie Company
307 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 0
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Gigantic Prime Rib at The Prime Rib, Philadelphia
We went to The Prime Rib with Giao's parents in Philly the night we got in. Alexis was warned that the meat was enormous, but she didn't quite believe it. The decor of the place is decidedly 80s with black being the primary color and gigantic flowers being the primary design element. It was a throwback, but a kind of funny one. Alexis' camera was on the fritz, and Giao left his in the car, so iPhone time:
Greenberg Potato Skins - $8
Main Lobster Bisque - $9
Very flavorful, if a bit thick.
Roast Prime Rib - $42
The biggest piece of Prime Rib we've ever eaten (and Giao did finish it). Basically it's sliced at the width of a full bone. The first bite is pure heaven.
Creamed Spinach - $7
They make an incredible creamed spinach, very fresh tasting and smooth, but without much cream.
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 1
Service: 2
The Prime Rib
1701 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 772-1701
Greenberg Potato Skins - $8Surprisingly delicious and earthy.
Main Lobster Bisque - $9
Very flavorful, if a bit thick.
Roast Prime Rib - $42The biggest piece of Prime Rib we've ever eaten (and Giao did finish it). Basically it's sliced at the width of a full bone. The first bite is pure heaven.
Creamed Spinach - $7
They make an incredible creamed spinach, very fresh tasting and smooth, but without much cream.
Food: 2
Decor: 1
Service: 2
The Prime Rib
1701 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 772-1701
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 2, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Fried Chicken Challenge
Fried chicken, for us, is both guilty pleasure and comfort food. It's no wonder that we tend to order it when we see it on the menu, or seek it out on weekend mornings. Our recent visit to the new Jolibee inspired us to look back and collect all the offerings around the city. We'll cover them in roughly least to most preferred.
Fried Chicken Bucket--6 pieces for $12 from Jollibee
When a branch of the Phillipino fast food giant opened up down the block from us, Alexis kept lusting after the fried chicken. The results were mediocre, with neither the chicken nor the coating very good.
Jollibee
200 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Health Code Violations
Fried Chicken from Whole Foods
Groceries stores are easy and convenient places to get your chicken fix. Whole Food's coating tends to fall off too easily, and all the time spent in the heat lamps dries out the chicken.
Fried Chicken from Safeway $3
Safeway's version is crispy, but again the chicken suffers under the heat lamp.
145 Jackson St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
Fried Chicken from Maverick $19
This is the first upscale version that makes the list. Usually this is served with mashed potatos, but we asked for veggies instead. The chicken was underwhelming, particularly considering the price.
2 Piece Dark Meat from KFC
KFC has become the de facto standard because of the amount of locations and price. Giao and Alexis tend to split on this, since the meat is very salty even though it's juicy. Giao will wolf this down, while Alexis gets the popcorn chicken. Usually you can get a deal on the dark meat.
10 Piece Dark Meat from Lousiana Famous Fried Chicken - $14
Fried Chicken from Whole FoodsGroceries stores are easy and convenient places to get your chicken fix. Whole Food's coating tends to fall off too easily, and all the time spent in the heat lamps dries out the chicken.
Fried Chicken from Safeway $3Safeway's version is crispy, but again the chicken suffers under the heat lamp.
145 Jackson St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
Fried Chicken from Maverick $19This is the first upscale version that makes the list. Usually this is served with mashed potatos, but we asked for veggies instead. The chicken was underwhelming, particularly considering the price.
2 Piece Dark Meat from KFCKFC has become the de facto standard because of the amount of locations and price. Giao and Alexis tend to split on this, since the meat is very salty even though it's juicy. Giao will wolf this down, while Alexis gets the popcorn chicken. Usually you can get a deal on the dark meat.
10 Piece Dark Meat from Lousiana Famous Fried Chicken - $14
This hole-in-the-wall Tenderloin chicken joint serves cheap and tasty chicken. It's not quite the deal it seems, because the pieces are on the small side, but still probably the best deal on the page.
Fried Chicken from Circa $20
Fried Chicken with Collard Greens and Mac n' Cheese from farmerbrown - $16.50
This is Farmerbrown's standout and signature dish. Though we agree with the throngs of admirers of this dish, they need an upgrade on the mac and cheese and the rest of the menu so we have another reason to go there.
Fried Chicken from Circa $20Great crispy panko coating, tender meat inside. The only complaint would be that it's a little pricy.
Fried Chicken with Collard Greens and Mac n' Cheese from farmerbrown - $16.50This is Farmerbrown's standout and signature dish. Though we agree with the throngs of admirers of this dish, they need an upgrade on the mac and cheese and the rest of the menu so we have another reason to go there.
Labels: chicken, regional American, restaurant, reviews
Sunday, October 07, 2007
A Surprising Breakfast Deal at MDW
As we surveyed the food court at MDW, we were resigned as usual to over-pay for our morning repast. We considered finishing up our Chicago Food Trifecta with the Italian Beef, or another hideous rendition of the bagel breakfast sandwich when we ran across Illinois Bar and Grill tucked into the corner of the food court.
Unlike it's neighbors, which are your standard counter walk up, it has actual walls which house 3 booths and a bar. The most surprising part was that it offers up the same menu as its out of airport location, without your standard airport markup. A 5 egg omelet for $6! A breakfast sandwich for $3! We both ended up ordering the breakfast sandwich, adding cheese and a generous portion of bacon.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese $6
We mistakenly ordered the sandwich on a "bun", which we thought was going to be a toasted roll, but which was, in fact, a regular hamburger bun. However, this enormous sandwich was filling and was certainly a good deal.
Unlike it's neighbors, which are your standard counter walk up, it has actual walls which house 3 booths and a bar. The most surprising part was that it offers up the same menu as its out of airport location, without your standard airport markup. A 5 egg omelet for $6! A breakfast sandwich for $3! We both ended up ordering the breakfast sandwich, adding cheese and a generous portion of bacon.
Bacon, Egg and Cheese $6
We mistakenly ordered the sandwich on a "bun", which we thought was going to be a toasted roll, but which was, in fact, a regular hamburger bun. However, this enormous sandwich was filling and was certainly a good deal.
Illinois Bar and Grill
Midway Airport
Chicago, IL
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
No Website
Health Code Violations
Midway Airport
Chicago, IL
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
No Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: airport food court, regional American, restaurant, reviews
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Chicago Style Dog and Duck Fries from Hot Doug's, Chicago, IL
As our second stop in our Chicago food tour, we headed over to Hot Doug's. Hot Doug's specializes in sausages, and despite toting themselves as an 'Encased Meat Emporium', it doesn't seem like you can buy sausages in bulk, just for eating. On weekends they also offer french fries fried in rendered duck fat.
Service is of the queue up and order at the counter, and then wait at the table to wave down the cute waitress shouting your name out variety. Though they offer a wide variety of sausages, including enticing daily and weekly specials (like the Bacon and Chedder Elk Sausage), we were on a mission to taste the classic Chicago Style Dog.
Duck Fries $3.50
This was a huge basket of hand-cut, skinny fries from real potatoes. They less like potato and more like fat, which for us, was a good thing. We couldn't eat even half this basket, even though they were quite tasty, so we replated.
"The Dog" $1.95
This is a classic Chicago style hot dog and it consists of a grilled (or steamed) hot dog, a soft bun (which we weren't too fond of), a dill pickle sphere, tomato slices, chopped onions, relish, mustard and celery salt. The toppings were good, but we think this could be improved on with a higher quality bun and a bigger, thicker sausage.
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Service is of the queue up and order at the counter, and then wait at the table to wave down the cute waitress shouting your name out variety. Though they offer a wide variety of sausages, including enticing daily and weekly specials (like the Bacon and Chedder Elk Sausage), we were on a mission to taste the classic Chicago Style Dog.
Duck Fries $3.50
This was a huge basket of hand-cut, skinny fries from real potatoes. They less like potato and more like fat, which for us, was a good thing. We couldn't eat even half this basket, even though they were quite tasty, so we replated.
"The Dog" $1.95
This is a classic Chicago style hot dog and it consists of a grilled (or steamed) hot dog, a soft bun (which we weren't too fond of), a dill pickle sphere, tomato slices, chopped onions, relish, mustard and celery salt. The toppings were good, but we think this could be improved on with a higher quality bun and a bigger, thicker sausage.
Hot Doug's
3324 N. California Street
Chicago, IL 60618
Ratings:3324 N. California Street
Chicago, IL 60618
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: 1
Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: cookbook reviews, Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, Service: 1
Brunch at Lula Cafe, Chicago IL
We got a recommendation for Lula Cafe as a great spot for a Saturday Brunch. Located in the Logan Square area of Chicago, this spot was a bit hipstery but had al fresco seating (of which we could not partake because it was full when we got there). We were seated indoors right away and were presented with a brunch menu that did include a few items that looked interesting. The people seated around us seemed to be enjoying their surroundings and the food. We enjoyed the environment and the food was ok, but it was nothing to write home about, on the whole.
Vegetable Miso Soup $5
A tasty, if standard, miso, packed with oddly shaped cuts of veggies which made it a tad difficult to eat.
Roast Pork with Scrambled Eggs, Queso Fresco, Cornbread, Beans and Salsa Verde $11.95
This sounded way better on the menu that it was in actuality. The eggs were light and fluffy and the pickled onions were good, but the pork itself was a tad dry, the cornbread was so sweet it was inedible and the beans were sort of hard.
Lox Bagel with the Works $10
A bit expensive for a bagel. There was only enough cream cheese for 1/2 the bagel and the veggies were cut far too thick.
Housemade Pork Sausage Patties $3.75
Standard.
Vegetable Miso Soup $5
A tasty, if standard, miso, packed with oddly shaped cuts of veggies which made it a tad difficult to eat.
Roast Pork with Scrambled Eggs, Queso Fresco, Cornbread, Beans and Salsa Verde $11.95
This sounded way better on the menu that it was in actuality. The eggs were light and fluffy and the pickled onions were good, but the pork itself was a tad dry, the cornbread was so sweet it was inedible and the beans were sort of hard.
Lox Bagel with the Works $10
A bit expensive for a bagel. There was only enough cream cheese for 1/2 the bagel and the veggies were cut far too thick.
Housemade Pork Sausage Patties $3.75
Standard.
Lula Cafe
2537 North Kedzie Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60647
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Health Code Violations
Website
2537 North Kedzie Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60647
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 2
Service: 1
Health Code Violations
Website
Labels: cookbook reviews, Decor: 2, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, Service: 1
Biscuits and Gravy at the Midway Sheraton
Biscuits and Gravy $4
The biscuits were heavy and the gravy was not particularly flavorful. We weren't expecting all that much from the hotel connected to an airport hotel at 6:30 in the morning.
The biscuits were heavy and the gravy was not particularly flavorful. We weren't expecting all that much from the hotel connected to an airport hotel at 6:30 in the morning.
Labels: regional American
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Lunch at Taylor's Automatic Refresher, St. Helena, CA
We were up in Napa wine tasting and we didn't want a long, drawn out lunch, so we decided to go to Taylor's. While we'd been to the San Francisco outpost of this burger joint too many times to count, we'd never been to the original. The food was just as good (and expensive) as the San Francisco location, but the menu had fewer items. Taylor's is the perfect place for a low-key burger and glass of great wine. The quaint atmosphere of the St. Helena location was really great. It was a beautiful day and we took advantage of the plentiful, shaded picnic tables on a grassy lawn while eating our greasily delicious food.
Beer Battered Onions Rings $4
These super-crunchy, onion rings have a light, slightly tangy batter. Usually Alexis tries to abstain, but this time, she just couldn't.
Chili Cheese Dog $6
Eh, not really the greatest. The chili is too bean-y and the hot dog is not of superior quality.
Bacon Cheeseburger $9
This tasty, juicy burger is served with "special sauce" onion, tomato and pickles. And we always get it wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
Beer Battered Onions Rings $4
These super-crunchy, onion rings have a light, slightly tangy batter. Usually Alexis tries to abstain, but this time, she just couldn't.
Chili Cheese Dog $6
Eh, not really the greatest. The chili is too bean-y and the hot dog is not of superior quality.
Bacon Cheeseburger $9
This tasty, juicy burger is served with "special sauce" onion, tomato and pickles. And we always get it wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
Taylor's Automatic Refresher
933 Main St
Labels: burger, Decor: 2, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Friday, September 07, 2007
Dinner at House of Prime Rib, San Francisco, CA
For the second time this week, we ate at House of Prime Rib. This time it was a dinner with Giao's family. A prime rib dinner, including salad, bread, yorkshire pudding, cornbread, creamed spinach or creamed corn, baked or mashed potato, PLUS seconds comes to about $33.
House Salad
A tasty salad with a creamy dressing and the odd addition of pickled beets.
English Cut Prime with Creamed Spinach and Bacon Bits
Tonight the prime rib was incredibly tender. Very, very good.
House Salad
A tasty salad with a creamy dressing and the odd addition of pickled beets.
English Cut Prime with Creamed Spinach and Bacon Bits
Tonight the prime rib was incredibly tender. Very, very good.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 2, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Breakfast from Katz Bagels, San Francisco, CA
After dropping Giao's dad over at an early morning conference, we headed to the only bagel place we know of that still has low-carb bagels on offer.
Low Carb Everything Bagel with Lox Spread, Tomato and Onion $3.50
Not enough spread, but still tasty.
Low Carb Everything Bagel with Lox Spread, Tomato and Onion $3.50
Not enough spread, but still tasty.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Monday, September 03, 2007
Dinner at House of Prime Rib, San Francisco, CA
After Giao's fantasy football draft we headed to House of Prime Rib, a San Francisco institution, for a hearty dinner. It was very tasty, as always. A prime rib dinner, including salad, bread, yorkshire pudding, cornbread, creamed spinach or creamed corn, baked or mashed potato, PLUS seconds comes to about $33.
House Salad
Iceberg lettuce, beets and cheese dressed in the house dressing, which seemed to be some sort of thousand island. We always ask them to go light on the dressing, which is a smart idea, because even when they go light, there is still quite a bit of dressing.
English Cut Prime Rib with Creamed Spinach
Very tasty. Tender meat and tasty spinach. We always ask for extra bacon bits to sprinkle on our creamed spinach so it can be even more artery-clogging...I mean...delicious.
House Salad
Iceberg lettuce, beets and cheese dressed in the house dressing, which seemed to be some sort of thousand island. We always ask them to go light on the dressing, which is a smart idea, because even when they go light, there is still quite a bit of dressing.
English Cut Prime Rib with Creamed Spinach
Very tasty. Tender meat and tasty spinach. We always ask for extra bacon bits to sprinkle on our creamed spinach so it can be even more artery-clogging...I mean...delicious.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Lunch at Sonoma Chicken Coop, San Jose, CA
We went to meet some friends for lunch at Sonoma Chicken Coop in San Jose, a place we've never heard of, but which is apparently known for fresh, tasty food at great prices. The place really was a great value. We ended up ordering way too much food because we had no idea that the portions would be so huge. Overall, it was a very tasty meal and we still would have been stuffed if we had ordered 1 less dish.
Chicken Cobb Salad $10
This was the least successful of the dished we ordered, but it was a still a huge salad full of fresh ingredients. The main issues were that it didn't contain enough bacon and that the bowl was so stuffed it was hard to mix up the salad effectively to get a good bite with all of the ingredients in it.
Biscuits and Gravy with Fried Eggs $9
For some reason, despite our usual low-carb diet and the fact that neither of us are from the south, we have a real soft spot for biscuits and gravy. This was a particularly tasty version--the gravy was full of tasty sausage bits and the biscuits were light and fluffy without disintegrating in the gravy. We practically licked the plate clean.
Half Chicken with Red Wine Sauce and Pearl Onions $10
The dark meat was tasty and tender, but the white meat was a bit dry. The sauce was pretty tasty.
Crab Bisque (served with the chicken above)
A bit starchy, but flavorful and full of crab chunks.
Sonoma Chicken Coop
31 North Market Street
San Jose, California, 95113
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: NA (order and pick up food at counter)
Website
Chicken Cobb Salad $10
This was the least successful of the dished we ordered, but it was a still a huge salad full of fresh ingredients. The main issues were that it didn't contain enough bacon and that the bowl was so stuffed it was hard to mix up the salad effectively to get a good bite with all of the ingredients in it.
Biscuits and Gravy with Fried Eggs $9
For some reason, despite our usual low-carb diet and the fact that neither of us are from the south, we have a real soft spot for biscuits and gravy. This was a particularly tasty version--the gravy was full of tasty sausage bits and the biscuits were light and fluffy without disintegrating in the gravy. We practically licked the plate clean.
Half Chicken with Red Wine Sauce and Pearl Onions $10
The dark meat was tasty and tender, but the white meat was a bit dry. The sauce was pretty tasty.
Crab Bisque (served with the chicken above)A bit starchy, but flavorful and full of crab chunks.
31 North Market Street
San Jose, California, 95113
Ratings:
Food: 1
Decor: 0
Service: NA (order and pick up food at counter)
Website
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review
Friday, August 24, 2007
Lunch at Taylor's Automatic Refresher, San Francisco, CA
Another beautiful day in San Francisco called for lunch outside at the Ferry Building.
Bacon Cheeseburger $8
Expensive, but served with extra "special sauce", this burger is worth the price.
Taylor's Automatic Refresher
Previous Restaurant Review
Bacon Cheeseburger $8
Expensive, but served with extra "special sauce", this burger is worth the price.
Taylor's Automatic Refresher
1 Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA, 94111
Previous Restaurant Review
Labels: burger, Decor: 1, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Breakfast at Katz Bagels, San Francisco, CA
After partying a bit too hard the previous night, we needed something a little more hardy than our standard bacon and egg to soak up the remaining alcohol still sloshing in our stomachs. Lucky for us, Katz is still one of the few places around that still carries low-carb bagels.
Low-Carb Everything Bagel with Lox and the Works
A tasty breakfast with all food groups accounted for.
Low Carb Everything Bagel with Lox Spread, Tomato and Onion
Satisfying.
Low-Carb Everything Bagel with Lox and the Works
A tasty breakfast with all food groups accounted for.
Low Carb Everything Bagel with Lox Spread, Tomato and Onion
Satisfying.
Katz Bagels
606 Mission Street
606 Mission Street
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 0, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
Monday, August 20, 2007
Lunch at Work
Chili Cheesesteak $8 (plus chili from home)
This is Giao's creation--he buys a chicken cheesesteak from Manhattan Hub, then generously tops it with our own homemade chili and cheese. Quite tasty.
Manhattan Hub
343 Sansome St
San Francisco, CA 94104
Previous Post
Labels: beef, breakfast recipe, Food: 1, homemade, regional American, restaurant
Monday, August 06, 2007
Lunch from Manhattan Hub, San Francisco, CA
Chicken and Steak Cheesesteak $12
Giao's "patented" 2 in one cheesesteak heart-stopper.
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 0
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Breakfast at Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken, San Francisco, CA
We've been eyeing Louisiana Fried Chicken every time we go to Tu Lan, as it's located on 6th street, just a few doors down. For some reason, we woke up craving fried chicken, so we decided to give it a shot. We found that we actually liked it better than KFC, as the meat was not as salty, but was just as tender and juicy.
10 Piece Dark Meat $14
A bit pricy, but juicy, succulent, tender meat, worth going back for.
10 Piece Dark Meat $14
A bit pricy, but juicy, succulent, tender meat, worth going back for.
Louisiana Famous Fried Chicken
6 6th St
Labels: Decor: 0, Food: 1, regional American, restaurant, review, Service: 0
Monday, July 23, 2007
Lunch from Johnny Rockets, San Francisco, CA
Another catered in lunch at Alexis' work...
Hot Wings
These were way too breaded, and they were not wings so much as nuggets.
Chili
The chili at Johnny Rockets is a bit weird, and the meat is almost too tender, but the flavor is pretty good.
Hot Wings
These were way too breaded, and they were not wings so much as nuggets.
Chili
The chili at Johnny Rockets is a bit weird, and the meat is almost too tender, but the flavor is pretty good.
Johnny Rockets
1946 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
1946 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Labels: Food: 0, regional American, restaurant, review
Monday, July 16, 2007
Lunch from Goathill Pizza, San Francisco, CA
Another catered in lunch at Alexis' office, and this time, a pretty bad one...
Side of Meatballs
These were pink in the middle, and Alexis was afraid to eat them.
Chopped Salad with Chicken
Pretty horrible, all around. Iceberb lettuce, a few measly strips of chicken, and a lackluster dressing.
Side of Meatballs
These were pink in the middle, and Alexis was afraid to eat them.
Chopped Salad with Chicken
Pretty horrible, all around. Iceberb lettuce, a few measly strips of chicken, and a lackluster dressing.
Labels: Food: 0, regional American, restaurant, review
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Breakfast at Costco, San Francisco, CA
Hot Dog $1.50
The Costco hot god has got to be the best deal around. A polish sausage with all the toppings and a drink for less than $2. Amazing.
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Labels: regional American
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