Samovar Deli and Catering

Location: Mountain View, CA

Cuisine type: Russian, Eastern European

Atmosphere:  deli, supermarket

Meal: lunch

Price range: $6-$8 (entrees)

Overall grade: 7.8

Ben

We found this place in the Mountain View area while looking around for some eastern european food. The place is actually 99% a Russian/ eastern european shop with a lot of imported items, and housemade sausages and deli meats. We found on the counter it mentioned some food cooked in house and decided to try it out. We ate at the only table in the restaurant, in the corner by a window next to all the food aisles. The food was served with a fresh bread, and we ordered stuffed cabbage rolls - which were served with sour cream and dill, and a lamb rice pilaf. We didn't meet the cook but guessed it may have been the wife of the presumed owner, the man who was single handedly running the store. 

The food was delicious in a very homey way, served with a generous portion and had the true feel of a homemade meal served in Eastern Europe. The stuffed cabbage was perfectly done, well spiced and delicious. The lamb was a generous portion and had a strong paprika flavor. For drinks, they offered us to pick a bottle of juice or water off the shelves. The prices were very low, $5-7 for the items. Overall it was a nice surprise, and a great idea for a genuine homemade european lunch in a cozy setting.

Food             8

Drinks           -

Atmosphere   4

Service          8 

Value            9

Nina

On our second attempt at buying furniture (almost successful this time), we stopped for a quick lunch in Mountain View on the way. I spotted a place that looked interesting on the map, by name it sounded European so sure, why not? Turns out that was accurate, except the part that it didn't really look like a restaurant. Samovar is a (Eastern) European supermarket and deli, with a kitchen in the back for catering. They also have two tables squeezed against the store window, where you can sit down and eat a meal if you choose to, though the atmosphere isn't very inviting.

Hunger prevailed and we decided to eat here anyway. I ordered chicken pilaf, while Ben went for the cabbage rolls (sarmale in Romanian). I got the pleasant surprise of a free! upgrade to lamb for my dish, which definitely improved the experience. The food was served with a dark sourdough bread, which did not come with butter, probably due to the expectation that it would be eaten as a side to the entree - as I was growing up, my grandparents made it clear that food cannot be digested unless it's washed down with copious amounts of bread, so I guess it's a cultural detail. The food was quite delicious and filling, and certainly reminiscent of back in Romania. We'll probably go back at some point to get more of their food, though take-out might be in order.

Food              9

Drinks            - (selection from supermarket shelves)

Atmosphere    4

Service           9 

Value            10

Firehouse Grill & Brewery

Location: East Palo Alto, CA

Cuisine type: American

Atmosphere: sports bar

Meal: lunch

Price range: $10-$15 (entrees)

Overall grade: 6.4

Ben

We shared a sausage and mushroom pizza with a roasted tomato cream soup and a house salad. The place is a sportsbar at an awkward location around Ikea - the reason we were in the area in the first place. The food was OK, the mushrooms were canned on the pizza and the soup was average. The atmosphere looks like a reliable place to watch a game. The prices were about what you'd expect. The place is a satisfactory sportsbar. The manager was friendly in greeting us and sitting us, but the waitress forgot us outside and I had to chase her down for an extra plate in order to split the pizza and to get a refill on our drinks. Overall a pretty decent sportsbar with bar food.

Food 6

Drinks 7

Atmosphere 7

Service 4

Value 7

Nina

With most errands out of the way, we went looking for furniture at IKEA so we could start shaping up the design of our new place. As unexpected disruptions to our schedule (misunderstanding with rental car from Honda dealership, delay with documents at the DMV etc) tore us away from IKEA prematurely, we still needed to eat before heading back to San Jose. As such, we stopped at the closest restaurant we could see, a sports bar with a homey feeling and slight gourmet flare on the menu.

We skipped the sports-bar component (they had pre-season replays on TV) and went for the outdoor seating. The manager was courteous and explained to us the daily specials before taking our drink order and asking us to inquire on the daily specials with our waitress as well so she could practice presenting them. When she showed up, I could see why she needed the practice - not sure how new she was at her job, but she was certainly not on top of her game.

We ordered a creamy tomato bisque (we can never say no to those when they are one of the daily soup specials) and a sausage mushroom pizza to share. The food was good, though nothing too far out of the ordinary - about what you'd expect from a sportswear. We ate quickly (you can tell we were in a hurry, we even forgot to take a picture) and headed back out to errand running, so it wasn't the kind of meal you think back on with fondness. However, it seems like it would be a great place to watch a football game when our preferred team is not on one of the ESPN channels.

Food 7

Drinks 7

Atmosphere 8

Service 4

Value 7

Elephant Bar

Location: Cupertino, CA

Cuisine type: American, various

Atmosphere: casual, lounge/bar

Meal: dinner

Price range: $5-$15 (appetizers)

Overall grade: 8.4

Ben

We went to this bar / restaurant for a late dinner based on a recommendation. It is a dimly lit bar / restaurant, a romantic atmosphere with a classier bar island, though clearly the restaurant aspect was more emphasized. We caught the happy hour on appetizers (after 9 PM) and decided to try these out. We ordered steamed edamame, shrimp vietnamese egg rolls, a seared ahi tuna with seaweed salad, and stir-fried peanut chicken mixture in lettuce leaf wraps. At the happy hour specials, the appetizers were reasonably priced and we found them to be exquisitely prepared, cleaning the plates. The Ahi Tuna / Seaweed salad was the most impressive, an elegant display of thinly sliced very lightly edge seared raw ahi tuna around a tasty green salad. 

The beer list was somewhat limited, and the cocktail list was decent. The service was prompt and polite. I would strongly recommend this place as a reliable date location, suitable for a wide range of dress/formality levels and with food varying from burgers to highly elegant dishes. It has a relaxed and subtly classy atmosphere, while retaining the not too stuffy atmosphere suitable for a casual night of cheap beers with friends.

Food             9

Drinks           7

Atmosphere   9

Service          7 

Value            8

Nina

After an exhausting afternoon/evening spent looking at cars, then signing papers for the 2012 Honda Civic we decided to get, we were starving and feared that at 9 pm on a week night (when we finally left the Honda dealership) we couldn't find much open. We followed the salesman's recommendation and searched for the Elephant Bar, which he said served a wide variety of foods belonging to cuisines from all around the world in a casual, fun setting. Sure, why not?

We got there at happy hour, which meant specials on both drinks and appetizers. I ordered a lemon drop vodka martini (Ben had some beer, Sam Adams Oktoberfest) and we decided on three appetizers to share. The shrimp Vietnamese rolls were light and fresh, the seared Ahi tuna with seaweed salad was delicious, the steamed edamame were perfectly salted and the stir-fry peanut chicken salad wraps came as a nice surprise - the richness of the sauce, the crispiness of the lettuce and the brightness of the mango relish that came on the side - combined perfectly together. 

The atmosphere was, as described by the salesman, relaxed and youthful at the same time. Happy Hour seemed to bring together many groups of young professionals eager to socialize and unwind at the end of a long work day.

Food             8

Drinks           9

Atmosphere   9

Service          9 

Value            9

Roux

UPDATE (5/22/12): Looks like this place might be closing, sorry to see them go but looking forward to see what takes their place in the cool food scene of Santana Row

Location: San Jose, CA

Cuisine type: Cajun
Atmosphere: casual, lounge/bar
Meal: lunch
Price range: $15

Overall grade: 8.1

Ben

A fun cajun-style bar/restaurant in the fashionable Santana Row shopping center in San Jose. Inside seating looked like a respectable sportsbar, but we ate outside in their seating in the plaza for lunch. Upon sitting, warm, delicious individual loaves of cornbread were offered to each of us in true southern style, and second portions were offered upon finishing. It may have been that we ate a late lunch, but the service was very prompt and very nice. We both ordered Po-boys, a main lunch selection. Contrary to normal, we actually ordered the same order - a pepper blacked catfish Po-boy served topped with lettuce, tomato, and a chipotle mayonnaise remoulade on a large bun.

The Po-boy matched our expectations and the outdoor atmosphere in the busy plaza was pleasant. The menu had a large selection of drinks and southern sandwiches / entrees. The price was a little higher than expected for the classic ultra-cheap southern sandwich (~$12-$15).

Food 8

Drinks 8

Atmosphere 8

Service 10

Value 5

Nina

During our search for a second car (for Ben's commute), we stopped by the Santana Row Shopping Center in San Jose. It seemed like a promising destination, with many restaurants from typical chain to small, locally-owned. We decided to eat at Roux, a cajun restaurant, in part because we don't usually see this type of cuisine. The other reason was that from their stylish rendition of their name it looked like they were called Poux (read Poo), which grabbed our attention from afar. The place looked like a lounge/bar on the inside, with comfortable seating and a vast selection of alcoholic drinks. We chose a table outside, where the weather was perfect as always and the air was fresh.

After inspecting the menu for a good 10 minutes, something not entirely unusual happened - Ben and I both chose the exact same dish from their wide selection spread over 4 pages: Cat Fish Po' Boy. To make things even more exciting, we had both thought of getting the blackened filet (as opposed to deep fried or plain grilled). Since there is no rule against ordering the same food, we decided to follow our instinct and have the Po' Boy. The only difference was that mine was off the bun and served with sweet potato fries, while Ben's was served on the bun with a side of cajun fries.

Moving on to the actual food.. Before our meal came in we were served warm over-fresh corn bread with honey butter - melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, it took all the will power I could muster to not order seconds, and thirds etc. The catfish was perfectly done, juicy and tender and deliciously spiced. It came with lettuce and tomato (which would have gone on the sandwich), with a chipotle sauce and chili remoulade on the side. These sauces ended up being the perfect replacement for ketchup for dipping fries, so they didn't go unused. In all, this place served its role of a light lunch well, though there certainly wasn't a shortage of deef-fried foods on the menu either.

Food 8

Drinks 9

Atmosphere 8

Service 10

Value 7

Nina's dessert bonus:

Kara's Cupcakes was a small shop on the same plaza as Roux, so I couldn't resist going in to check it out. After all, it's dessert and I've been particularly interested in getting in on the cupcake craze that's been taking over large cities. They had about a dozen types of cupcakes, all looking pretty in the various colors of their icing (naturally derived from added ingredients - fruit, spices, chocolate etc). The best part was their added selection on mini-cupcakes, of the same types as the larger ones. After much gawking, I finally settled on a chocolate mini with an organic blackberry (homemade) jam as filling and a blackberry buttercream icing on top. Pure delight!

Gobi Mongolian BBQ

Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Cuisine type: Mongolian, stir-fry
Atmosphere: casual, austere
Meal: dinner
Price range: $10
Overall grade: 6.9

Ben

A highly efficient mongolian grill. A basic selection of ingredients, including meats: chicken, beef, pork, lamb, shrimp. Good looking cuts of meat, though pork and lamb were frozen while on the buffet. Additional ingredients included fresh looking: broccoli, corn, carrots, bean sprouts, zucchini, chinese noodles. About 6 sauces with suggestions for mixtures. Cooking was done very quickly, with no wait time at all. Chef pours water over hot plate to simultaneously steam ingredients while grilling.  Served with options of egg drop soup and rice, and soft ice cream dessert at no additional charge. They offered a limited selection of bottled beers including domestics, Heineken, and Tsinghua. 

The selection of ingredients and sauces was much smaller than other Mongolian grills I have visited. Additionally, the environment is efficient and cafeteria - like. The servers will respond promptly to requests but will not interact with you otherwise. What the restaurant lacks in flash and romance, it makes up for in excellent food at a great value. I made a dish with lamb, chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and chinese noodles under their "Spicy" mix (a mixture of oil and chili, soy, bbq, kung pao sauces) and found it to be the best tasting mongolian grill I've had - I did not miss the more obscure ingredients. The chef does not dance or sing, but has mastered his timing and technique. The high temperature grilling / quick steaming combination was perfectly executed: meat was very tender and not overcooked, vegetables were perfectly heated through while remaining crisp. Gobi Grill is not a place for birthday parties or romance but is an excellent choice if you are looking for a quick stop for a delicious meal using fresh ingredients, in an unimposing atmosphere and at a very reasonable price. 

Food            8

Drinks          4

Atmosphere   5

Service         7 

Value          10

Nina

Tonight was the first night we spent in the Bay Area, after concluding our month long, cross country road trip. Tired from the drive and the hot sun at Lake Tahoe, we decided to begin our food adventure at a low key, no fuss restaurant close to our hotel. We chose Gobi Mongolian BBQ, since we always enjoy a good stir-fry and  the liberty of assembling our own plate from raw ingredients. After a quick stroll down the street we walked into this small, minimally decorated restaurant, that got right to the point: a buffet line starting from the door and ending by the hot plate, where a chef was waiting to cook each customer's order.

When it came down to the food, it was quite amazing - exactly what a Mongolian BBQ should be. The selection on the buffet line was extensive, with several types of meat (chicken, beef, pork, lamb and shrimp), many kinds of vegetables and a good variety of sauces. The food was cooked on a screaming hot plate with the sauces I selected (garlic with a splash of spicy cooking oil) and an addition of water which created a flash-steaming effect. As a result, my food was done much faster than at any similar restaurant I've even been to, and the end result was a juicier, more tender dish than I expected. We had steamed rice on the side, though it wasn't really necessary as the stir-fried food with noodles was both rich in flavor and filling on its own. The restaurant also offered vegetable egg rolls along with the dinner, which were good (though greasy, as expected) and came with spicy mustard (mustard with wasabi) and sweet and sour sauce. The egg-drop soup was served with tofu, though it didn't impress - too watery and lacked the richness that I appreciate in this type of side dish. 

Food             9

Drinks           3  

Atmosphere   5

Service         5

Value           10