Hunan Home

Location: San Francisco (Chinatown)
Cuisine type: Chinese
Atmosphere: family style, authentic decor
Meal: early dinner
Price range: $4-$6 appetizers, $9 soup to share, $10-$15 most entrees
Overall score: 8.17

Nina

After a nice, long walk through San Francisco, and a light snack at Tartine Cafe in the Mission which served as lunch, we were starving for dinner by 3 o’clock. We refused to be fooled into going to the most shiny, expensive restaurant operating as a tourist trap like we were our first time in Chinatown, so we did our homework. From cuisine type to review scores, we were drawn to Hunan Home, a nice restaurant with a cozy and authentic decor, though unassuming from the outside.
Since the menu seemed reasonably priced, and since walking by all the different grocery stores that line the streets of Chinatown only increased our interest in trying a variety of flavors, we decided to share a three course meal. They don’t actually offer multi-course fixed menus, but we chose a nice appetizer, a soup and entree that spanned across different cooking styles, flavor profiles and textures, perfect for the curious palate.
For an appetizer, we got Xiao Long Bao, or in other words broth filled pork dumplings - a variation on the classic which not only contains the flavorful meat mixture, but also encloses a small amount of broth. I can never tell if they are made with so much care that liquid is actually trapped inside the delicate wrapper, or if the shell is more porous and thus allows the broth to be absorbed during cooking. Either way, they were quite delicious, to the point where I found it difficult to wait long enough for the broth to descent below boiling temperatures before digging in.

The choice of soup was influenced by the barrels upon barrels of very expensive dried scallops that we saw in every neighborhood grocery store. I couldn’t think of a way that extremely dehydrated seafood could transform into something edible, it looked rock hard and potentially very salty. The dried scallop soup we ate proved me wrong - the concentrated seafood flavor of the scallops really came through and the minced pieces of scallop in the soup, while a bit on the chewy side, were a burst of added flavor. It also helped that the soup was dressed with egg, since I am always a fool for egg drop soup.
The slight disappointment in this meal came from the entree. We ordered sizzling prawns, and in my head I saw something similar to the way some Indian restaurants serve tandoori chicken on a bed of onions in a hot cast iron platter. The platter part was right, but the preparation was not even close - the shrimp came in a glaze-like sauce which at first glance looked like a pre-packaged sweet and sour sauce reminiscent of Chinese fast food. However, it was less sour and more sweet, and the spice that the chili flakes warned of remained absent. I also noticed the stark absence of vegetables, which is ironic because at most Chinese restaurants I have the opposite problem to complain about. Even so, the rice worked as a great vessel to soak up some of the sauce on the serving platter.
To finish our meal with a truly authentic touch, a parade dragon entered the restaurant to greet customers in honor of the Chinese New Year, and fire crackers were being fired outside at the same time.

Food 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 9
Value 8

Ben

A highly authentic (what else would you expect?) restaurant in the middle of Chinatown. A perfectly sized menu (good selection but not overwhelming as many chinese restaurants) and friendly staff. The feel, decoration, and utensils reminded me of some of the restaurants I went to in China. I'm not usually crazy about egg-drop soup, but i actually really enjoyed the dried scallop egg-drop soup (we were tempted after having seen dried scallops sold in several shops throughout Chinatown). The dumplings were subtly tasty and not too greasy/fatty. The sizzling shrimp entree was pretty flavorful as well (slightly sweet for my taste but overall delicious). The restaurant has a pretty cozy and pleasant feel, and I would recommend it as the best restaurant I've eaten thus far in Chinatown.

Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 9
Service 9
Value 8

South Legend Sichuan

Location: Milpitas, CA
Cuisine type: Szechwan (Chinese)
Atmosphere: austere, family style seating
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 3.5

Nina

Ben got home very excited that he found a great online deal for this restaurant with rave reviews. To make things even better, it was a Szechwan restaurant, and given how much he likes spicy food, that in itself was a compelling reason to try it out.
The prices were very low, which wasn’t entirely surprising given the level of competition among Chinese restaurants in this part of Milpitas. Feeling at ease, we ordered an appetizer and two entrees to fully enjoy the offerings - we got a rabbit cashew appetizer to share, and I ordered a chicken mushroom entree (mild spiciness, I didn’t want to risk it too much). Of course, like with every other traditional Chinese restaurant, hot green tea was a given - however, we were not offered water and looking around the restaurant no one else had a single water glass on their table either.
The raised expectations and high level of anticipation for this food made the disappointment that much more bitter once we were served the food. The appetizer was flavorful, though not as spicy as advertised, but it was very hard to eat since it consisted of little more than cashews, scallions and rabbit bones - it almost looked like they put a whole animal through a wood chipper and fried it that way. My entree came before I even had a chance to get a good taste of the appetizer, so our table quickly got a little crammed. My chicken pieces were lost in a sea of long celery pieces, and again not even close to the level of spiciness I was hoping for.
But I’m not done! I could have probably overlooked some of these issues - I’m used to having way too many crunchy vegetables in my Chinese dinners (so I usually just eat a part of those and all the meat to find the right balance for me), and I might even be ok with chewing through bones to get to small pieces of rabbit meat. The main problem which could not be overlooked was the insane, no, *inhumane* level of salt in these dishes. If it were only the appetizer, or only my entree, I would have dismissed it as a slip or a blotched batch of sauce. But all three plates on our table were impossibly salty. It quickly saturated our taste buds and drowned all other flavors of the food. We asked the waiter if they usually make their food extremely salty, and he said no, they never do. At this point we were too disappointed to even try anymore, we let them take away most of the food and didn’t ask for to-go boxes either. I guess the sane thing to do would have been to order a new set of dishes to replace the unedible ones, but at that point, having all three in that state, we were unsure asking for a new plate would fix anything and too hungry to wait for another round - instead we just headed home and snacked on things we already had in our fridge (cheese and crackers has never tasted so good).
We will likely go back to this place (not before our year of unique restaurant visits is over, of course) to see if this was an isolated incident or common practice.

Food 1
Drinks 4
Atmosphere 5
Service 5
Value 1


Ben

We stopped in with a groupon to check out. In a predominantly Chinese plaza in Milpitas, it has a very pleasant and inviting feel and the area is interesting to walk around. The service was a little scarce, but prompt upon ordering.  We started with an appetizer  order, rabbit cashew. I found the appetizer to be pretty unpleasant (basically a rabbit chopped up whole with the bones, making there a lot of irregular shards and difficult to pick through, and served cold with celery andn uts) to being something I just wasn't used to. For the entree, I asked for a suggestion and ordered a spicy beef, which was served on a hot platter above a candle to stay warm. The presentation was appealing, and was served with a warm and flavorful green tea. The beef was fried and stewed in a sauce which looked appetizing and spicy, a good-looking platter of Chinese food - not too breaded and not overly greasy.  Upon tasting it, it was the most bizarre experience I can remember at a restaurant. The food was the single saltiest thing I have ever been served in my life. This is not just my dish, but also Nina's and the appetizer as well. I couldn't shake the thought that the dishes were meticulously prepared, and then a full cup of salt was poured over and shaken through each dish (and I am not one averse to fried, salty foods). I tried to taste through it to see the flavor, but it was difficult to see past. The only explanation I could think of was that this was simply a mistake (the chef used soy sauce instead of vinegar? A cup measure instead of a teaspoon?). The whole experience was simply bizarre. We weren't able to work through more than 10% of any of the dishes (each bite tasted like gelified seawater), and just discarded the food and walked out extremely disappointed as I had high expectations from some decent reviews. I am curious to try it again just out of sheer disbelief from the food I was served. 

Food 0

Drinks 7

Atmosphere 6

Service 5

Value 7

Favorite Indian Restaurant

Location: Hayward, CA
Cuisine type: Indian
Atmosphere: casual, authentic decor
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.17

Nina

We had the unique opportunity of attending the Cirque du Soleil show called “Michael Jackson - The Immortal” at Oracle Arena, which I particularly enjoyed since I grew up being a huge MJ music fan. On the way back home, we were famished since we went to the show straight from work, so we stopped for dinner at this very modestly named restaurant called Favorite Indian Restaurant.

The place was a small standalone building (which we found to be rare in this land of strip malls), with more of the look of a Japanese steakhouse on the outside than what it really was - maybe it was the slanted flat-top roof reminding me of a pagoda, or just a feeling of deja-vu that gave me this impression. On the inside, the tables were pretty plain, many of them nested in simple booths, but the decor still brought in a feeling of authenticity.

I went for the Thali Dinner Platter, not knowing at the time exactly what it involved - I later found our from a very enthusiastic friend that the name describes a traditional way of serving a multi-part meal on the same platter, thus the name “thali”. The entree on my platter was a shrimp prepared in a creamy spinach sauce - I loved this dish, it was delicate, flavorful, yet not really spicy. The shrimp was well cooked, but not tough, and the portion size was very appropriate. I am not sure that I could identify all the other components on my platter even after asking the server specifically about it, many of the names I was presented with were Indian dish names which didn’t really ring a bell. Overall, there were about a half dozen small metal bowls/cups lining the outside of a metallic platter. Among them, I was able to recognize a lentil soup, a vegetable curry and a raita (spiced yogurt sauce that complements spicier dishes by balancing out the hot flavors with the cooling effect of the dairy). There were a couple of other vegetable and lentil based creamy dishes that went along with the meal, which I enjoyed even now knowing exactly what went into them. Finally, the dessert was a single ball of gulab jamun, the traditional cheese-based donut soaked in syrup that is so prevalent at all Indian restaurants and on all Indian buffets. This bite of sweetness was a little tougher than I like, as often happens when the dessert is chilled - I like it better when it’s warm and it melts in your mouth, but I can’t say that I didn’t like this one either.

Overall, this meal was reasonably priced, generously portioned and rish in both flavor and texture. Not sure I would call it my ultimate “favorite Indian restaurant”, but it’s definitely among my favorites.

Food 8

Drinks 6
Atmosphere 7
Service 7
Value 8


Ben

We were on our way back home in San Jose from Oakland, and stopped on the way for dinner in Hayward. I was feeling Indian so we googled and found a closeby place. I had pretty low expectations when I saw the name (was thinking they knew it was the only way their restaurant and "favorite" would be found in the same sentence). We were greeted by a friendly hostess and went in to a half full restaurant with buffet fixtures (they were off.. open for lunchtime every day and dinners on weekends). We looked at the menu and were surprised to see how low the prices were - $9 for an entree and an extra $5 for a Taali meal. We ordered one entree (lamb curry) on its own and another entree (shrimp and spinach) with the Taali meal. The Taali meal came with a light lentil soup, a vegetable curry, a sambar (a pea and lentil sauce), and a yogurt dish. We were also served the classic tamarind sauce and cilantro chutney served with papadam (the thin chip used for dipping). I found my entree to be (as of 1/18/12) to be probably my favorite Indian dishes I've had(and I love Indian food). The lamb was clearly slow cooked, was extremely soft and tender and had an incredible flavor. The sauce had a perfect creaminess and spiciness and a strong kick of flavor, and the naan and all of the Taali sauces were also great. The server was young but very good, friendly in explaining the menu and very quick in service. The restaurant is pretty big and well spread out, and there were a few large parties that were well accommodated. There is a pretty decent selection of wines - including plenty of local. Overall I loved the food and experience, and would definitely go back frequently if it were a little closer to us. 

Food 10

Drinks 8

Atmosphere 7

Service 9

Price 10

Neto Caffe and Bakery

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: American breakfast
Atmosphere: Cafe
Meal: breakfast
Overall score: 7.42

Nina

Dreading the high price, low quality food at Candlestick park, it seemed reasonable to eat something before heading to the NFC playoff game between the 49ers and New Orleans Saints. As luck would have it, we found this neat little cafe on Castro St in Mountain View, just across the street from the Caltrain station. The atmosphere was really relaxed, with smooth soft music in the background and small round cafe-style tables both inside and outside (with heating, too, to combat the chilly morning air). The menu was light, classic coffee shop fare, with a slight middle eastern influence in parts (some kebobs, baklavas etc).
I ordered the ricotta and fresh fruit crepe breakfast, since I always find it hard to say no to a light and tasty French treat, especially when sugar is involved :) The crepes were only mildly sweet, and the ricotta was mixed with chopped fresh bananas and strawberries, which struck a perfect balance. The surprise on this dish came with the sides - I actually got not only the crepes, but also roasted potatoes and a spring greens salad with a creamy balsamic vinaigrette. It appears that these sides came with any breakfast dish, but it was nice to get this unexpected, well composed savory component to my meal.

Food 7
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 7
Value 7

Ben

A cafe with a European vibe by the train station on Castro in Mountain View.  Lots of outdoor seating, and a good selection of some good looking breakfast omlettes. We got smoked salmon and bacon omlettes with some fried potatoes and spring green salad. It was a great breakfast while on our way to a 49ers game (definitely provided a solid anchor meal to get us through a day of cheering / drinking / running around SF). There was even a TV playing soccer in the background, and the steady stream of people in for coffee and morning is testament to the overall food quality and pleasant, relaxed environment. 

Food 8

Drinks 6

Atmosphere 9

Service 7

Value 7