Bluestem Brasserie

Dinner Date: July 14, 2012

Because of its proximity to hotels, Bluestem Brasserie caters to a certain type of clientele -- it is  frequented by conference attendees and tourists in "I Love SF" sweatshirts.

Despite our experience with one particular group of loud and obnoxious conference attendees, we had an enjoyable dinner at Bluestem Brasserie prior to seeing Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter at the Century Theatre. Bluestem is a great pre-movie dinner venue being just a five minute walk to the Century Theatre at Bloomingdale's.

Bluestem is sleek and contemporary with floor to ceiling glass walls, wood and dark leather.

For my drink I had the BLUEBERRY GIMLET ($10).   A little too tangy for me. I was not so happy with my drink but I never send my drink back. The prize of the blueberry  soaking in blueberry syrup in the bottom of the cocktail glass gave me the sweetness that I was craving for in my drinks.

We had LAMB SAUSAGE WITH YOGURT-MINT AND ROASTED EGGPLANT ($11.50) for our appetizer. It was a simple appetizer but the lamb sausage was surprisingly mellow yet flavorful. The freshness was very apparent which was not surprising because the sausage was made in house. The mint-yogurt and eggplant were equally tasty.

As my main meal, I ordered the DUCK CONFIT SALAD WITH POACHED DUCK EGG ($23). Not only this salad delicious, it was also very filling.  This salad was loaded with tender duck meat with perfectly poached duck egg on top that ran and mixed in with the greens and duck. The richness of this meal really satisfied me!

Enrique had the 12 OZ RIBEYE  $35 WITH BOURBON ESPRESSO SAUCE $3.75. Enrique reported that this was a disappointing steak. The steak was full of veins which made it chewy.

Our check was $104 with Iced Tea and tip

A delightful meal pre-movie date night dinner.  Service started out slow but turned out to be efficient. Our servers were friendly.  If given the chance I want that duck confit salad for lunch again one of these days.

Pa'ina Lounge

DINNER AND MOVIE NIGHT: 07.14.12

Pa'ina Lounge replaced the former Sundance Kitchen. When Enrique saw that a new Hawaiian-fusion was reincarnated right next to our favorite theatre, Sundance Kabuki, he literally did a happy dance!

Walking in, it was like going to a club with purple and blue lights illuminating the white walls. The place is bi-leveled, open and spacious: bar is on upper section then it drops to the lower section which is the dining area. Pa'ina is sleek, modern and loud. The stage is ready to receive entertainers that the managers talked to us about when they finally get the license and paperwork done. There will be performers on a nightly basis-- DRAG SHOWS, REGGAE, HAWAIIAN, BLUES, etc.

Sadly, Pa'ina was not what at all we anticipated.  This has not been the most horrible experience we'd ever had but the most annoying!

We go to dinner to chill and relax. This place was so disorganized that it actually stressed me out!

Service was lacking and disorganized. Although the managers and servers were friendly, it did not make up for the fact that we did not get our drinks until 40 minutes after we sat down -- despite hounding any servers we could find to remind them about my Mango Kamikaze. Our dishes were delivered to our tables about 20 minutes apart.

1. $5 Happy Hour Clam and Mussel Combo.

2. Spicy Hawaiian Poke $12 with a side of rice $3

3. Short Ribs with Macaroni Salad for Enrique $10

4. Mango Kamikaze $10

The poke and rice arrived first after about 20 minutes. Another ~ 20 minutes and then the short ribs and appetizer of clam and mussel combo arrived. Our drinks were nowhere to be seen.

Our server was literally running -- no, make that sprinting back and forth across the dining room looking very stressed.

Until Enrique verbally expressed his disatisfaction that I have not received my drink and that his Diet Coke has never been refilled,  then that was when things ran a little bit smoothly.

We took a chance of placing our second order for more food. This time I guess because they knew we were upset, that the service became more efficient. However, my glass was never taken away nor was I offered another drink.

We placed another order for ISLAND POKE $12 for me and KALUA PIG FRIES  for Enrique. 

VERDICT:~Sleek cool place to chill.
~Very disorganized service.
~Reasonable prices and adequate portions.
~Strong drink. (Mango Kamikaze was at least strong and good.)
~ Decent food: Spicy poke was seasoned enough but the Island Poke was bland. According to my guy, the ribs were tender but very sweet. The Kalua Pig Fries were tender, flavorful and came with lots of pig.

FINAL THOUGHTS:We are frequent flyers at the Sundance Kabuki. In fact this theatre is where we watch our movies 98% of the time. Enrique is such a movie buff  that  we go to the movies quite a bit. We would often grab a quick bite at the Sundance Kitchen in the past and liked it for the convenience.

However, we will wait until Pa'ina iron out the kinks and hoping they would before we go back again.

TOTAL: $81 with generous tip despite the poor service.

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe (Oakland)

DATE NIGHT: JULY 4, 2012 @ 5:30 PM

Dinner Fail?  Hardly!

On a Sunday afternoon, Enrique and I just wanted a lazy, casual and tasty dinner that is also not far from the hood. Gotta support Oaktown!

Rudy's seems to be the perfect spot. At the very least, Rudy's is fun! It is a diner in the trendier-by-the-minute Uptown Oakland.

Rudy's is spacious, airy, metallic with high ceilings.

 The spinning Rudy's flat "statue" indoors is a unique work of art. Rows and rows of  Kens and Barbies sporting "I am Rudy" nametags; with some random doll morped into Joker/Zombie wannabe made Rudy unique and funky, and slightly creepy.

Think 50s diner that got lost and time travelled to 2012 and decided to stay instead of finding its way back to be-bop era.

Oh, if only! The big IF! If only I were not watching the scale I would park my behind at Rudy's for few hours and go through its sinful list of cocktails. Or at least have the ALCOHOLIC CHOCOLATE SHAKE.

So, for the sake of the waistline, I opted for BLOODY RUDY ($7.25).This drink was okay and not the best Bloody Mary that I've had and a little bit on the bitter side. But it was also strong and almost knocked the fat girl out of me.





The Carnivore  ordered ONION RINGS $5.95 and CHEESE BURGER $9.25: The onion rings were enough to feed the planet. Enrique devoured the whole thing and had the mind to leave 2 onion rings and then declared "Everything's good!"

Being an occasional pescetarian, I ordered the BUFFALO TOFU $6.95: Vegetarian version of Buffalo Wings. Instead of chicken I got a generous plate of thick-cut tofu doused with savory buffalo sauce, a side of Ranch and celery sticks. I passed up on the dressing but devoured the medium-soft tofu. I loved it and it could have been a meal in itself.

I had the CAJUN CATFISH (BLACKENED CATFISH W/ BLACK BEANS, RICE,  MANGO SALSA and AVOCADO) $12.95 as my main dish.  I usually stay away from "blackened" because what I have gotten instead in the past was "burnt." Not RDCF's version of this dish. The catfish was sweet and fresh. The crust was well-seasoned providing a nice crispy outside but juicy fish on the inside. The mango salsa was sweet but complimented the fish. The black beans were tasty but slightly oily that I did not eat it. Instead of rice, I asked for steamed veggies which were simple but crisp. A delighful meal with leftover for lunch the next day.




TOTAL: $56 including Arnold Palmer and tip

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe is a fun modern diner. A great place for not-so-greasy diner food with inventive booze to quench your thirst. Generously portioned and reasonably priced.  Service was friendly and attentive. Our drinks were refilled like clockwork. A great place to grab a pre-show meal at the Fox Theatre next door.

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe is a new Oakland resident but with its fun and funky atmosphere, it fits right in and should be allowed to stay.

It was not such a shabby ending for me and Enrique but I will return for my Happy Endings. All I have to do is go back for the BOOZE-IN-IT, SHAKE AND FLOATS. Here are some of the items:

- Shakin' Jesse: Guinness Stout, Chocolate Ice Cream & Espresso Milkshake
- Jesse James: Our signature Shakin' Jesse Milkshake with a shot of Jameson
- The Malt Liquor: Makers Mark, Bailey's, Vanilla Ice Cream & Malt Powder
- Dr. Zenzero: Fernet, Vanilla Ice Cream & Ginger Ale Float

(Otherwise, I will just be dreaming of Rudy's until then.........)

Cinderella Bakery and Cafe

SOLO DINNER: 06.14.12 @ 6 PM

Oh, Cinderella. I am the Big Bad Wolf. I did not blow your cafe down but I ate all your food. Well, sort of.

Armed with $16 Living Social  I went a  little bit crazy buying food for one since Enrique was away on a business trip.

PELMENI SOUP $7.99

Russian Meat Dumpling Soup

* I have been salivating over this soup since reading about it. Think Chinese wonton soup but crossed the border to Russia. Big meaty dumplings wrapped in pasta wrappers. The slightly thick  broth was so tasty with a note of lemony tang to it.  The portion will deceive you but this soup is so filling that I ate it for 2 nights! Oh, how comforting! I love this soup and will go back for more!!!!!

HEADCHEESE (Holodetz) $4

Housemade cooked beef, pig and chicken feet with spices

* I just could not resist! I love head cheese but try to  eat it only once in a blue moon in my attempt to be healthier. But  I just had to try Cinderella's. I read that a good headcheese is supposed to be tender, melt in your mouth and should NOT be firm chewy or rubbery. Cinderella's headcheese had a nice hint of flavor and just melted in my mouth while the meat tasted firm but still tender.  The portion was packed that I was only able to to eat  a third of it and sadly had to let it go since Enrique would never eat it.

BLINCHIKI WITH SWEET CHEESE FILLING SERVED W/ RASPBERRY & SOUR CREAM ON THE SIDE $4.5

*These Russian pancakes remind me of blintzes. What a delicious sweet way to end my solo dinner! This could have been the best blintzes I've had since they were freshly made and still hot even after 45 minutes later. Sweet soft cheese snuggly wrapped in think pancakes topped with savory sour cream and sweet raspberry jam. Oh, deliciousness!

COMPOT $1.99

* A cold sweet homemade Russian drink similar to the color of iced tea. It was made with prunes, raisins, etc. I drank a tall glass while waiting for my order and found it refreshing.

DECOR/AMBIANCE:



*A neighborhood cafe since 1953. Cute, European and cozy. On the day I was there, Russian was spoken all around by the owner and customers. The cafe is cramped and very small with a couple of tables and a counter seating  for 8  that will not be too comfortable for dining because you will be  eating "elbow to elbow." Sidewalk cafe was too chilly even when it was a beautiful warm day all over the Bay Area.

However there is something cozy and romantic about finding a little cafe in the chilly Richmond neighborhood in SF. While the rest of San Francisco was "suffering" in sweltering high 70s, it was cold and chilly on 5th and Balboa.  Being surrounded by homemade bread, pastries, spreads just inches from my nose was comforting eventhough I was huddled in one corner freezing my behind.

VERDICT:

A delicious find! I will be craving the Pelmeni soup on a cold rainy day in SF. The ultimate comfort food--hot, meaty and filling! I will definitely be back for more.

MUST TRY:I had to restrain myself from grabbing the following but will definitely try them on my next visits:
-Marinated Fish Spread
-Eggplant Spread
-Siberian Style Pies with beef, egg, cabbage, etc.
-Piroski (baked or fried)

TOTAL: ~$21 (before $16 Living Social)

A scrumptious savory-sweet carbolicious comfort food. Cinderella's Russian offerings have definitely joined my "Favorite Meals of All Times!"

Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen

DATE NIGHT: June 9, 2012 @ 4:30 PM

As seen on  "Check, Please! Bay Area"  

Angeline's is BIGGER.

The last time we tried to have dinner at Angeline's in April, there was an hour wait. We tried again yesterday for date night and at 4:30 PM on a hot Saturday afternoon, Angeline's had plenty of space and no wait at all. By the time we finished dinner at 7:30 there were still plenty of tables. We secured a reservation just to be on the safe side.

Not only Angeline's has expanded its space through renovation, they are now open all day on weekends as well from 11:30 AM to 9 PM -10 PM.

DECOR/AMBIANCE:
Angeline's decor can be best appreciated at night where the chandeliers on the high ceilings, "antique" window grills on the brick walls, Mardi Gras artwork and tealight candles give Angeline's an exciting but eerie/gothic atmosphere. I try to imagine that the other customers as vampires having dinner. ;)

In the day time, it is a spacious and casual place to have lunch or early dinner. A long bar graces the back of the restaurant.

PAST EATS:
Enrique and I have been to Angeline's many times throughout the years and have almost eaten through their menu. My faves are the CREOLE-STYLE BARBECUE SHRIMP and VOODOO SHRIMP. He always comes back for the HONEY-BRAISED BARBECUE RIBS. They were always very tender and flavorful. 

WHAT WE ORDERED:
~OYSTER BORDELAISE $12.95
                      Cornmeal-crusted fried oysters w/ garlic butter

* The batter was crispy, perfectly fried and was so light without  the slightest hint of grease. However, it was also very bland. It almost tasted like the chef forgot to put in the seasonings!  Even Enrique who does not use hot sauce and salt doused his with Tabasco, salt and pepper. I drowned mine in Tabasco as well. The oysters were huge and tasted fresh but breading was very bland. The GARLIC BUTTER had no hint of garlic and did not compliment the oysters.

~ VOODOO SHRIMP $14.95
                      Signature barbecue shrimp over rice with beans



*I just love this comfort food of plump shrimp in tasty sauce that is not a traditional barbecue sauce (more like gravy) over rice. I end up always ordering this dish at Angeline's.

~ BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN $15.95
                    Boneless breast w/ mashed sweet potato, gravy & green beans



*Enrique who would rather eat and enjoy his food than describe it states "really good!"

~ MASHED SWEET POTATO WITH GINGER AND VANILLA $4.95
*Enrique does not like sweet potatoes in general and did not enjoy his but I love mashed sweet potatoes and I love Angeline's!!!! This mashed sweet potato so comforting good, sweet and lovely. The ginger and vanilla made this side dish more special than others that I've had in the past.

~ CAYENNE CHOCOLATE CAKE $ 6.95
                  Warm flourless chocolate cake with hint of cayenne and orange

*My first thoughts upon opening this cake that we took to go was, "this is too small." However, this cake was so dense and decadent that I could only eat a 1/4 each time. The cayenne pepper was pronounced but provided a nice naughty spicy bite to this cake that slowly sneaks into your palate.

~ BEIGNETS $4.95

*Just like what I had at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. I ate those fried delicious French pastries 7 days in a row every single day while vacationing! I found Angeline's beignets to be the closest in taste/texture to the ones I've had in New Orleans. Of course these fried French donuts came in a bowl of powdered sugar!

TOTAL: $80 including tip and 1 Iced Tea

VERDICT:
Angeline's is bigger and better. A solid New Orleans-style cuisine in the Bay Area. A place to indulge in a comfortable, interesting and non-pretentious venue. Great value and friendly service. This was not our first visit and it will not be our last. We love Angeline's!

Gosh, I just got myself hungry for everything we had at Angeline's just writing and re-reading this review! Darn!

Zuni

GIRLFRIENDS  LUNCHDATE: 05.25.12  @ 1 PM

In celebration of my beautiful friend Heather's birthday, we shared the following:
CAMPARI $7.5
*An aperitif for the birthday girl which she enjoyed. Water for me who is on the clock.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH CITRUS W/ 2 CROSTINI TOPPED W/ GOAT CHEESE $8.75 *Nothing remarkable. It was pretty standard that you can get at any decent salad place.

BROCCOLI DI CICCIO AND MANILA CLAMS A LA PLANCHA $11 with  white beans, lemon zest, and garlic:
*A must get! Very tasty and very delicious! A simple dish nicely dominated by the flavors of the garlic. The flavors of the broccoli, juicy clams, garlic, lemon and EVOO just married each other in harmony.

PIZZA WITH WAGON WHEEL CHEESE AND CARAMELIZED ONION $12.75:
*Another must get! Melted hot gooey cheese and sweet caramelized onion on nice thin crust. Very delicious!

SHOESTRING POTATOES $6
Relive your childhood memories with Pik-Nik Shoestring potatoes -- only Zuni's are the adult version. A fascinating tower of potatoes cut very thin and short like Pik-Nik but less salty than the packaged version and more tender. Enjoyable to munch but we prefer the traditional french fries.

TAB: $61 including tip

SERVICE:
A server who was very very pleasant and smiled a lot. I do not care to know my server's name usually but I wished I have known his name. A delightful presence during our lunch. Thank  you for your kind positve energy!

DECOR:
Zuni's architecture is a lovely brick and steel. Rustic and industrial. Multi-leveled dining spaces. It is very bright with glass walls all around allowing sunshine to come in.  A long contemporary bar, a rustic  dining area with brick fireplace and upper level where you have to climb the industrial stairs.

AMBIANCE:
Very energetic and loud with mature looking crowd dressed conservatively for lunch. Formal-casual place.

VERDICT:
A lovely lunch with simple yet well-executed dishes. A delightful professional server. Lots of sunshine.

* 7x7 Big Eat: Zuni's Roasted Chicken $48 is on the 7x7 SF Big Eat: 100 Things to Eat Before You Die.  I still cannot bring myself to pay $48 for a chicken!  http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/big-eat-2012-list

Morimoto Napa

GIRLS WEEKEND GETAWAY: 06.02.12 @ 8:30 PM

A perfect day of decadence getting our tan on at the Francis Ford Coppola's swimming pool built the appetites of three ravenous sunburnt girls.

An equally decadent dinner at Morimoto was the perfect venue to wrap up this perfect day in the Wine Country.

Three very hungry girls: one's vegan, one's carnivore and the third one is an occasional pescetarian (me.)

VEGAN GIRL: "This is so amazing! This is absolutely delicious!"
She had the:
-OCTOPUS CARPACCIO $21 as her appetizer
-BRAISED BLACK COD (in ginger -soy reduction) $32 as her main entree

CARNIVORE GIRL: "These are too salty. Good but salty!"
She had the:
-DUCK MEATBALL SOUP $14
-PORK SHORTRIBS $32 as her main entree

PESCETARIAN GIRL (Me): *Slightly Disappointed* "These are okay."
I did not try any of my friends' dishes but I had the:

-BRAISED OCTOPUS $21 (with sushi rice and "refried black beans)
*The flavors and textures of this appetizer were made eclectic by the fried sushi rice squares which were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside like rice cakes; crispy "refried bean" chips" and the very soft octopus tentacles. Octopus meat is supposed to have a "bite"-- like al dente pasta. The octopus was like a spaghetti that was boiled a little bit too long. The flavors were interesting but nice.

CRISPY WHOLE FISH $31 (tofu sauce and papaya salad)
*The fish for the night was a Branzino (aka European Seabass). This is one of my most favorite fish for its light tender meat. Some parts were not very crispy although lightly fried. It was served over cubes of bland tofu. This dish was a disappointment for me since I could have just gone to any Ranch 99 and had a whole fish fried for me on the spot. The bland tofu and light fish meat did not compliment one another. The papaya salad provided a little bit of flavor but not enough.

DUCK CONFIT FRIED RICE $12 (with perfectly fried egg on top)
The idea of eating a whole fish without rice (the Asian in me protests) was too unbearable for me. Luckily I decided to order the duck confit fried rice which was very delicious! The rice was very flavorful with bits of very flavorful tender duck meat. It was great by itself and was an overkill eating it with the fish. The bland fish was overpowered by the strong but nice flavors of the duck fried rice.

TOTAL: $216 including tip and 3 beers ($72 per gal)

VERDICT:
Who has not heard of the "IRON CHEF" or "CHEF MORIMOTO"? Even for someone like me who is not a big fan of the show, the anticipation of dining at Morimoto conjured up images and imaginary flavors that tantalized my tastebuds before the actual dining experience.

Maybe I did not order the "right" dishes. The oyster with uni, bacon mochi, foie gras and bone marrow dishes teased me. However, I vowed to "eat well but eat right" so I chose healthy seafood.

I do not mind a return visit if my friends insist to go back. For now, I will just be happy to watch Chef Morimoto do his magic on the flat screen. The dishes at Morimoto Napa were just not "ironclad" for me.

AMBIANCE/DECOR/SERVICE:
- "East meets West"
- The lobby of Morimoto Napa was like the Asian Art Museum in SF with Asian artifacts and artwork
- Modern Asian furniture of beautiful wood, glass and clean lines
- Al fresco dining by the Napa Riverfront
- Loud chefs at the open chaotic kitchen just like in "Iron Chef"
- Casual, festive and packed.
- Superb service was very friendly, professional, knowledgeable and attentive.
- Portions were generous that we could not find room for dessert