Luna Park

Saturday Date Night: March 12, 2011 @ 5:30 PM

How to describe Luna Park:

CUISINE: American Comfort Food

MUSIC: Loud alternative rock/hip hop "Gorrilaz"

AMBIANCE:
* Hip, chic and dark
* Date night or gal-bonding worthy

DECOR:
* Red Burgundy Walls
* Cute teardrop chandeliers
* Long contemporary bar
* Dark hardwood tables and bences
* Soft comfy booths

SERVICE: Friendly, relaxed and efficient server and busboy

VALUE:
* One of the most affordable dinners in town
* $20 or less per plate

We had the following:

Anchor Steam MUSSELS with Kielbasa, Fresno Chiles, Basil, and French Fries $13.50:
* The mussels were okay. It could have been more garlicky. The chilies added a layer of extra flavors. The broth were too salty even when I tried to eat it with bread. (Crusty bread would have been the perfect match but theirs is more of the soft kind.)

BRAISED SHORT RIBS with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Horseradish Sauce 19.50:
* Enrique really liked his short ribs. He said it was good although not as good as my braised short ribs. (I slow-cook my short ribs for 10 hours or more.) He said his were tender and flavorful.

FRESH PARPADELLE, House-Made Pomodoro, Buffalo Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Grilled Bread $13.50 ($4 more for prawns).
* For a simple dish, it was not bad! The house-made pomodoro stood apart from its canned version. Fresh and tasty but once again on the salty side. The prawns were overly-charred to the point they were dry and burnt. It ruined the taste of what could have been a nice pasta.

Chocolate Chip BREAD PUDDING with Chocolate Chip Ice Cream $7.95
* Generous portion of gooey and dense comfort goodness. Yummy!

TAB: $80 including tax, 20% tip and an iced tea.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 3.5 Stars


A sweet neighborhood spot for dinner and drinks. Luna Park serves dishes that are familiar and comforting but on the more gourmet level. But just like many restaurants, they committed the mortal sin of being too heavy-handed with the salt grinder. Salt does not equal flavors, guys.

Luna Park still offers one of the best values in town in a chic, hip and classy atmosphere. It has been around for over a decade and I am sending Luna Park my best wishes for few decades more.

I would not hesitate to go back in a heartbeat.

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Brazen Head

Saturday Date Night: February 26, 2011 @ 6:30 PM

Entering The Brazen Head is like entering Harry Potter's world. To me it resembled The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, and I almost expected Hagrid to burst in through the door any minute, and for the portraits on the wall to start talking to one another.


On a more mature level, The Brazen Head is speakeasy-ish, intimate and romantic. It is very dark, mysterious with an air of old-world charm to it. It is nestled among the residential part and few blocks away from the upscale shopping strip of the Marina district.

The place is only lit by a table lamp on each table. You could barely see the people around you. Dark but not perfect enough for clandestine affairs--so do not get any ideas! The place is loud and the tables are placed so close together.

The bar was packed more than the dining area. The place was classy but has more of a down to earth feel to it. The servers were friendly and very efficient.

We saw people having drinks and ordering few appetizers than eating dinner. Some just had few rounds of cocktails and/or lingering around over few bottles of wine.

Enrique and I went for dinner.

DARK AND STORMY: I thought it was only appropriate to choose this drink because the room was dark.  It had rum and ginger, I think. All I remember was that it was strong and not  very sweet. Well-made and I liked it!

1/2 DZ CHILLED OYSTERS $12: Very sweet and fresh. The only complaint I have is they gave us one oyster that almost had no meat in it. They could have discarded that one. We felt like they gypped us one $2 oyster.

BONELESS RIBEYE STEAK $29: 14oz. Certified Angus Beef, Herb Beurre Compose.
Enrique is very happy with his dish, and he is very picky when it comes to his steak. He enjoyed every bit and said the meat was tender and flavorful.

COLOSSAL PRAWN SCAMPI $19: Sauteed lemon, white wine and cream. Oh so deliscious! 4 big plump prawns in nice well-balanced sauce. I wish there were 6 prawns instead of 4 then it would have been a perfect portion for me.

CHEESE CAKE: It was okay and a good way to end a wonderful dinner!

Tab: About $90 including 20 % tip and Diet Coke.

PARKING: Very difficult but we found parking after driving around the block twice.

MIDNITE NOSH: Open until 1 am. Perfect for a romantic late night dinner or nightcap.


FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 4.5 STARS
A sweet neighborhood spot. A great place to grab a drink or two or even have dinner after a day of shopping at the Marina. Unique and classy ambiance. Perfect for a fun and romantic dinner. If we are in the area, we will definitely return.

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Mariscos La Costa

Saturday Date Night: March 4, 2011 @ 5PM

We were too cold and too lazy to drive to the City. The weather was making me crave huge servings of Mexican comfort food of rice, beans, fish and tortilla. So Enrique and I decided to explore the funky and fun Fruitvale Avenue/International Boulevard in East Oakland.

Being the date night planner, Mariscos La Costa was my venue of choice for this date night.

Not a food truck. Not quite a restaurant.

At first glance, Mariscos La Costa resembles a fastfood takeout joint. Instead of burger and fries, you'll get cocktail seafood in a cup, burritos, tortas and tacos.

Mariscos is as authentic as it gets. The customers consist of immigrant Latino folks and families. Being the only Asian at that moment, I got some curious but friendly glances.

Ordering consists of walking up to the window of this brick building in East Oakland after parking our car in the private parking lot. I am very thankful for my un poquito español, we were able to comfortably order from the Spanish only menu board.

There was really no dining room except for a tarp-covered seating area with the school cafeteria style tables.

There were no big dinner plates on the menu that I was craving but they have a good selection of COCTELES (cocktails). They have all kinds of cocteles: coctel de camarones (shrimp), pescado (fish), pulpo (octopus) or combination of all these. Being a seafoodtarian, I felt like I hit the jackpot!

Except for the cocktails which were $7.50 for regular and $13 for large, everything else on the menu was priced at $1 to $4. Enrique and I were so thrilled to look at the prices and we went crazy!

He went for the meat and I went for the seafood.

FIRST ROUND: ($13 including a Diet Coke and Horchata)
Taco Carne Asada + Quesadilla de Carne Asada + Tostada Ceviche de Camaron+ Tostada Ceviche de Pescado + Horchata

SECOND ROUND: ($15 before tip)
(We were on a mission to stuff our faces. Plus hey, it's super-cheap!)
Coctel de Camaron + Quesadilla de Camaron + Lengua Tacos

VERY DELICIOUS:
COCTEL DE CAMARON: Came with a couple of crunchy tostadas, it was full of plump good-sized shrimp in complex room-temperature broth of tomatoes and chili; came with avocado, chopped onions and cucumber. We shared this dish and we both agreed that this dish is a winner! Cocktail is a simple easy dish but when not done right, it tends to be watered-down. This one is very flavorful with the right spices!

TOSTADAS (CAMARON/PESCADO): The tostadas were packed on top and spilling over with seafood and full of nice spices. I honestly could not tell apart which was which. They tasted the same and I covered mine with hot sauces (my bad!) Yummy and without the fishy taste.

LENGUA TACO/CARNE ASADA TACOS: These tongue and beef tacos were tender and delicious according to my guy.

GOOD:
QUESADILLA DE CAMARON: This was not on the menu. The quesadillas offered are all meat but my guy asked the server to make me this for me and they happily obliged. A hefty quesadilla loaded with shrimp and falling out of the flour tortilla in every bite! Just like what my guy thought about his quesadilla, it was delicious but this resembled a burrito more than a quesadila. Not "tightly" fried, not much cheese but more crema, the fillings were loose. Yummy but I wanted my cheesy, slightly greasy, packed quesadilla.

OKAY:
HORCHATA: I washed my spicy meal down with this traditional Mexican rice drink with cinnamon. Cold with nice hint of cinnamon, it was too sweet for my taste.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 4.75 STARS
1. Super-cheap and the best value in town with free parking.
2. The seafood cocktails are the "MUST ORDER" at Mariscos La Costa.
3. You can go to a restaurant with solid walls and roof but sitting at the tarp-covered dining area adds fun and uniqueness to the dining experience. Some folks ate their food in their car. Now, isn't that romantic?!

Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Girl & the Fig

My dinner at Girl & the Fig summed up everything I wanted for my birthday this year--simple, warm, cozy, loved and blessed.

G&F is a warm and cozy French restaurant in Historical Downtown Sonoma.

The place was not very big but instead of feeling claustrophobic, you will feel like you are getting a big hug when sitting at those big fluffy booths or even at just their regular tables for two. The place is decorated in warm earth colors. The lounge area is like being at one's homey, classy and pretty living room with a comfy couch. It's a perfect blend of French and wine country interior decoration.

This is a French/California restaurant but the service is very friendly, unpretentious and down-to-earth. Our server really made us welcome. A complimentary basket of bread arrived as soon as we sat down.

LAVENDER MOJITO: They must have known that it was my birthday because they have LAVENDER MOJITO! (I had this at Aziza on my bday last year!) The lavender in the mojito was very pronounced. A well-made cocktail. Lavender cocktails two years in row on my birthday! A real treat for me! Enrique had the regular Mojito and he said it was strong and good.

BUBBLY WATER: G&F makes their own bubbly water to be green and respect the environment. It was actually a good-tasting bubbly.

MATCHSTICK FRENCH FRIES: This is how good they were--I ordered/devoured two plates (with help from my fiance). They were like those shoe-string potatoes that I ate from the can when I was a kid except these were hot and fresh out of the frying pan. Addicting!

BISTRO PLAT DU JOUR (3 course for $32) for me:

1st Course: CRAB SALAD (for me): With citrus, avocado and kumquat vinaigrette. Delicious appetizer size portion but packed with fresh crab meat.

2nd Course: LOCAL PETRALE SOLE: With potato puree and brussel sprouts. Delicious but on the salty side. I still enjoyed the tender fish very much.

3rd Course: CHEESE AND FIG CAKE (for dessert): I had to take this home since I was so full but this is a nice plate of local blue and creamy cheeses, orange marmalade and slice of fig cake served with slices of baguette. I enjoyed devouring this at home.

FIG ROYALE: Gotta try the restaurant's namesake so I ordered this as my dessert wine. French-sparkling wine with house-made fig liquer. Meh! It was okay. The fig liquer made the drink a little bitter.

BRAISED WILD BOAR SHOULDER: Served with polenta. I convinced Enrique to order this instead of the hamburger. I don't think he was happy with his meal b/c I saw him googly-eyeing the big juicy hamburger with thick fries at other tables. I don't blame him. He said the braised pork was good though

BUTTERMILK PANACOTTA: Enrique's dessert. It was smooth and creamy. I could not bear to see any of it wasted so I ate his last 3 tablespoons of leftovers. Yummy!

Tab: $125 including 20% tip and tax. I think given the amount of food we had, this was very reasonable.

OVERALL:

The dishes at G&F were far from magnificent. Some of the dishes were on the salty side. However, it was still a very good meal from the tasty dishes that were served, to the kind service to the warm ambiance and decor. And next time I am back in Sonoma, you bet I will be dining here again!

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 4.5 Stars
A place I would keep on going back to when I am in Sonoma!

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Sycamore

Rocker, hipster or 9-5 office worker, the friendly folks at The Sycamore will welcome you with plenty of genuine smiles.

Sycamore is a Groupon find. Not a barhopper type of gal, if not for Groupon I probably would not have ventured into this neighborhood bar for our monthly foodie lunch with my foodie friend, Heather.

Sycamore is tiny, dive-ish and the vive is friendly. The decor is eclectically rocker-fun with dark blood red walls, black/white paintings and zebra-stripped pillows. The bar is stocked with beers. (I tried to order tea but they said they only serve soda and beer only.)

What sold us was the promise of PORK BELLY DONUTS W/ MAPLE MAKERS MARK GLAZE (3 for $3): Heather and I were so intrigued while we were planning our lunch date and really looked forward to trying this appetizer. And I almost broke my seafoodtarian diet to try one of these donuts. Luckily, I did not have to.

Before I popped a whole one in my mouth, Heather cut one donut in half and we found a big chunk of pork in the middle. I just ate the fried dough and I still got the flavor of the pork without eating the meat. The dough was nice but we did not do this food justice. We are not pork gals so just tasted one each and left the pork out. Good concept, though!

SALAD: Butter Lettuce with Pear, Strawberries, Goat Cheese, Chives and Creamy Tarragon Vinaigrette ($8) This salad was so ginormous! Sad to say, it was not a very good salad. The butter lettuce was not cut and we had to cut them which was hard because we only had appetizer plates. The quantity was great for sharing but the ingredients did not come together nor the dressing well-balanced.

BEER BATTERED ROCK COD SLIDERS with Sriracha Aioli and House Made Pickles ($3): These are the bomb!!!! Hot, fresh off the fryer, delish and flavorful! A "must order "when at Sycamore. You can mix and match their sliders of lamb or beef burger, and/or fried chicken sliders for $3 each.

SEITAN SANDWICH ($8): Let me put it this way. Unless you are a vegetarian, I will go for the beer battered rock cod sliders.  This sammy was huge but tasteless and dry.

FRIES: $1 more with the order of sliders or sandwiches. Not very good. Greasy and overly fried.

OVERALL:

Sycamore is a very cool place with decent food and great value. They will definiltely feed you without stealing your wallet. If I were a beer drinker I will come this place but I would not mind returning for those sliders.

The interior is fun but on the divey/gritty side. It did not help that it was storming when we got there. We were wet and cold, and the place was not heated up. The seats had stains and crumbs on them. It was still a nice experience. I will definitely go back to have those beer-battered sliders to go and even a gigantic bowl of that salad!

TAB after $25 Groupon: $5 including tip!!!!

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 3 Stars  Best Deal in Town!


Key:


0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Bay Leaf

Saturday Date Night: February 5, 2011 @ 6PM

Bay Leaf is a modest family-owned Soul Food Restaurant in East Oakland.
Bay Leaf's Soul Food is grandma's own recipes from Mississipi. Passed down to her daughter who went to Oakland High and now does the cooking, Bay Leaf was born. Bay Leaf is also a family -run business. And we got this trivia from our very friendly young server who is the granddaughter of granny from Mississipi.

Bay Leaf looked like a social hall. However, it was very neat and clean. The decor was tasteful. The huge brick fireplace added cozyness to the place. The open kitchen is very visible as soon as you walk-in. African-American artwork adorn the walls. R&B was jamming on the background. The setting is complete for down-home food that feeds that soul.

At Bay Leaf, I had the yummiest SWEET TEA. For $2, it was unlimited refill. I wished my bladder was bigger than the size of a lima bean because I could imbibe 5 gallons of this nectar in one seating. Enrique who had his share of sweet teas in the South during his travels cited that the Sweet Tea at Bay Leaf tasted exactly what he had in Alabama, Georgia, etc. So he abandoned his Diet Coke and ordered his own Sweet Tea.

SOUP AND APPETIZER:

*CRAWFISH BISQUE $5: With nice chunks of crawfish floating around, this soup was full of flavors but not salty. It was creamy and delicious served over grits.

*FRIED OKRA $3: I love fried okra but the ones I had in the past were tough and dry that they could chip a tooth. The ones at Bay Leaf were nicely battered, crispy, not dry and the okra was still very moist.

MAINS: (All mains come with a choice of two sides and cornbread.)

*FRIED CHICKEN WITH MACARONI AND POTATO SALAD $15: This was Enrique's order. For someone who does not like fried stuff and has a love-hate relationship with fried chicken, he ordered it, loved it and raved about it. He said that the chicken was nicely battered crisp, not greasy and still very moisty.

*SHRIMP AND CHEESY GRITS WITH YAMS AND COLLARD GREENS $15: 4 big, plump, fresh and deliciously seasoned shrimps over cheesy silky grits. Need I say more? Except "More, please!!!!!!"

Collard greens were flavored with pork(?), delicious and not yummy. And the yams made me go "WOW!" It was sweet and nice. I think it was flavored with honey.

*CORNBREAD $0: Buttery and moist that I saved my little cornbread and ate it later that night as dessert.

DESSERT:

*ICE BOX PIE $5: Lemony, sweet, smooth, tangy piece of pie heaven! This completed our divinely satisfying comforting meal.



OVERALL:

The Bay Area is teeming with countless places to eat that Enrique and I go to different new ones each week. However, Bay Leaf will be included among our favorite go-to places. The prices and portions are right. The service was genuinely friendly, efficient and unpretentious. The place was low-key and down-to-earth.

Whenever I eat at a Soul Food place, I always ask myself this question, " Did the food fill my tummy and comfort my soul?"

My answer is a resounding, "HECK, YEAH!" Mamas can cook!

TAB: $61.03 including 2 Sweet Teas, 1 Diet Coke, tax and 20% tip.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 5.5 Stars
*I just cannot stop dreaming about the food at Bay Leaf even just hours after our dinner!!!


Key:


0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)