Babushka

Location: Walnut Creek, CA
Cuisine type: Russian, Eastern European
Atmosphere: cozy, classic restaurant
Meal: late lunch
Overall score: 8.5

Nina

On a whim, we decided to check out an Eastern European restaurant in Walnut Creek - Babushka Russian Restaurant and Deli. Since there are no Romanian restaurants in business anywhere in the bay area (that we could find out about), this seemed like a suitably close replacement. The restaurant is hidden behind a small and plain deli shop with imported Eastern European foods - everything from salami and cheese to mineral water, beer and sweets from the old continent. Given the setup, we didn’t expect much, but we are quite impressed by the restaurant. A chic dining room with white tablecloth, beautiful china and silverware on the table (I’d guess Russian designs, but I couldn’t know for sure), and a sparkly stage apparently set up for small entertainment shows. They were also preparing to open up a patio soon with additional seating and a slightly better view than the narrow strip mall that the store entrance was located on.
The menu was very authentic, and with the entire place being run solely by an Russian couple, it seemed like most likely all the food was prepared by them too. In order to try as much of the food as possible, we decided to share a soup and order two entrees, it seemed like a balanced way to go about it. We picked solyanka, “old-style” Russian soup, which claimed to contain no less than twenty-five different types of sausage, with lemon and olives, served with sour cream on the side, as all sour soups should :) As we later discovered, sausage has the broader meaning of deli meat, so it includes everything from bologna to salami and what is usually referred to as sausage in English. I couldn’t tell if there were really 25 different types, but there was definitely a good variety. The balance between the sourness of the lemon and olives and the smooth creaminess of the sour cream was really satisfying. What came as a surprise was that even though we ordered one soup to share, they brought us two plates filled to the brim. I assumed it was a convenient mistake that would end up charging us double, but instead they made it clear they would only charge us for one plate, but they wanted both of us to enjoy the soup.

We shared two entrees - golubtsy, which is their version of stuffed cabbage leaves with beef and rice, covered in a zesty tomato sauce, and blintzes, which are much like crepes, filled with either a savory or sweet mixture. The golubtsy were well made, though a little more plain in flavor than I’m used to from home. I suspect it was in part because the cabbage seemed to be fresh rather than pickled, and the meat mixture was only beef, whereas we usually add pork and smoked bacon for more depth of flavor. For the blintzes, two were filled with a cheesy chicken mixture which had a mild, pleasant flavor with a touch of dill, and the other two had a sweet farmers cheese filling with a touch of lemon rind, and topped with sliced strawberries.
The Russian wheat ale that we also shared was a great complement to this meal, and we left both full and satisfied with the flavors of Eastern European cuisine we hadn’t enjoyed for a while. The service at this family owned restaurant was outstanding, focusing more on the enjoyment of the food by the patrons rather than simply maximizing their profit. The selection in the deli was thoughtfully picked out to satisfy all tastes - Polish borscht, Romanian feta cheese, Hungarian salami and so on. It’s unfortunate that Walnut Creek is so far from home for us, or else we might become regular patrons of this place.

Food 9
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 8
Service 10
Value 7

Ben

With Nina's Romanian background, and my developed preference from 7 years around her family and from our time in Europe, we are always looking out for great Romanian / Eastern European food. It has been actually even surprising / disappointing to us that the selection in the bay area isn't much more abundant. That said, when we stumbled on Babushka while spending a day in the East Bay, in Walnut Creek, it was such a pleasant surprise. In the front is a small grocery packed with canned / packaged products, as well as sausages, cheeses, and assorted groceries from throughout Eastern Europe (including Romania). We picked out a lot of old favorites, only after eating in the restaurant behind the store. The room had a very prim but festive Eastern European feel to it, red walls adorned with russian decorations, with wooden chairs and tables covered in a white cover. We were served alternately by a middle aged Russian couple (presumably the owners), who were as friendly as their nationality would allow them to be. I loved all the food.
We started out with a "Solyanka" soup, a soup made with 25 sausages, a variety of vegetables and spices, and served with sour cream. This is a brothy, fatty soup that was incredibly hearty and delicious (reminds me of what Nina's grandmother cooked for us a few times). Next, we ordered Golubtsy and blintzes. Golubtsy is a beef and rice stuffed cabbage with a tomato based sauce - a classic eastern european dish of myriad variations. This was delicious and filling, and I preferred over the blintzes,(potato pancakes, one with chicken and the other with cow cheese and strawberries), which were also good. We were impressed to see a lot of beers and wines we remembered from europe (including a Romanian wine), and we enjoyed a wheat beer from Russia called Baltika no. 8. Ironically, as we were admiring the food and how it had satisfied our craving for some good Romanian-like food, we observed that the only other couple in the room was Romanian, which seemed to validate we had finally found a good spot to satisfy our next Romanian-food-craving.

Food 9
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7

First Street Alehouse

Location: Livermore, CA
Cuisine type: American pub fare
Atmosphere: sports bar, pub
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8

Nina

I made the rookie mistake of assuming that having my mother with me in the car (thus qualifying us for the coveted commuter lane) would ease the commute east towards Livermore in the afternoon, not realizing that the commuter lane vanished on highway 680 and would leave us stuck in the sea of cars for the better part of the drive. This brought us to the city of Livermore much later than expected, and well hungry for a delayed dinner.
Based on recommendations from Ben’s colleagues, we went straight for First Street Alehouse, a restaurant/pub with the setup of a classic sports bar, but more of a family dining vibe (smooth music as background for the muted TVs with sports). The place appeared indeed to be very popular, for on this Wednesday evening the waiting time for a table of 3 was about half an hour. We noticed the heating lamps on their patio and offered to sit outside, which got us a table right away to our relief. Unfortunately, from that point on it took 10 minutes (and almost as many passes of our waitress by our table without seeming to notice us) before we were even greeted and asked for our drinks order. I can blame part of the delay to how many people were in the restaurant and the permanently understaffed state of every California establishment we’ve been to, but I still think we could have at least received an acknowledgement and maybe even a “sorry for the delay, I’ll be with you in a minute” sooner than we did.

After nursing my Alaska Amber Ale for a while before having the chance to order, I wasn’t feeling quite as hungry anymore. We shared an order of spicy buffalo wings for an appetizer. The buffalo sauce wasn’t all that spicy, but it was served on the side, which allowed the deep fried wings to remain crispier when served and allowed for some freedom in choosing how much sauce you really want to eat with your meat. I also played around with combining the buffalo sauce with some barbecue sauce for more depth of flavor, but the barbecue sauce (if not both sauces) were store bought and fairly plain.
After an appetizer on the heavy side, I decided to go for a smaller entree, without compromising on taste entirely (so I wasn’t planning on getting a large garden salad). I went for the black and blue salad (steak and blue cheese) with blue cheese dressing. Aside from the lettuce (iceberg) which was plan and slightly watery, the rest of the salad was quite delicious. One thing is for sure - I was definitely glad I ordered the small salad, since the amount of meat, blue cheese and shredded/sliced veggies made for a satisfying meal. Oh, and I shouldn't forget a very important detail - they don't serve dessert of any kind, but instead offer a tootsie lollipop with every meal, a whimsical way of replacing a sweet offering on the menu.
This left me with the impression of a solid pub with well made food and a decent selection of bottled and draft beers, good happy hour deals and well made food. Also a good place to watch sports with family/friends, but only if you’re not too keen on actually hearing the commentary since the sound seems to be always off.

Food 7
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 9
Service 6
Value 8

Ben

Probably the highlight of downtown Livermore, the center of first street with a constantly packed crowd filling the large alehouse and spilling into the tables outside. We arrived around 7 PM for dinner, were told the wait (for 3) would be 30 minutes. After inquiring, we found we could seat right away outside (which we preferred anyway, due to the great weather). The place has almost everything you could ask for in regards to beer and solid bar / comfort food, with some interesting twists on burgers / wraps. I was impressed to see the bavarian classic, Paulaner Hefeweizen on the menu, and went with that, some spicy buffalo wings, a chorizo smoked jalapeno tortilla soup, and a cajun chicken sandwich with pepperjack. The wings were breaded and fried (and tasty), though the sauces (buffalo and bbq) weren't homemade - really the only complaint I had to push this place over the edge (how difficult is it really to make your own sauces ..). The soup was pretty interesting and tasty (i finished it) and the sandwich was generous and flavorful. The atmosphere is a very lively and busy, with servers trying to keep up. Overall it's a fun place to get some good bar food and great beer from a huge selection.

Food 8
Drinks 10
Atmosphere 9
Service 7
Value 8

Satsuma

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Japanese, sushi
Atmosphere: plain decor, booth seating
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7.6

Nina

On Valentine’s Day it was my treat to name my restaurant preference for dinner, and more often than not I choose sushi :) We planned on a late dinner to accommodate my cake decorating class, and picked a restaurant close enough to my class to save us time. That brought us to Satsuma Sushi close to 9 pm, when most of the dinner crowd was already gone and activity at the restaurant was dwindling.
The atmosphere was fairly standard, with a small sushi bar in the corner and basic tables and booths scattered along the restaurant floor. We had to wait for a few minutes before we were seated even though there were no other customers in line, and once we sat down it took much longer to place our order, get water and drinks, etc. We finally ordered the Satsuma Special, a large platter with an assortment of sashimi, nigiri and a classic California roll, the usual suspects. Unlike previous mixed selections I’ve tried, the nice surprise about this one was that the nigiri sushi came in pairs, so it avoided the tough decisions on who gets which types of fish, and allowed us both to try each type. The sashimi came in generous, thick chunks which tasted very fresh and light. The one part of the platter that we were not excited about was the California roll - I find it to be an overused and overrated item, and odds are it is made with flavorless fake crab instead of the real stuff. In order to correct that, we asked for an upgrade, which the server allowed us to order after checking with the sushi chef (we paid part of the cost of the upgraded roll to make up for the difference). I picked the Lion King roll, which was quite a bit more spectacular than the California roll we gave up on - it was a generous shrimp tempura roll, topped with scallop and salmon in alternating strips, and fish roe sprinkled on top.
Service quality aside, this Mountain View sushi restaurants definitely ranks among my favorites due to the freshness and flavor of the raw fish, and the creativity of combinations in their rolls.

Food 9
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 6
Service 7
Value 7

Ben

This is one of the nicer sushi places we've been to in the bay area, though a little pricier than many. The server was a little awkward in her impatience to get an order placed or answer any question about the menu. We ended up ordering a sake and sushi special, replacing the california roll with a "lion king roll" of shrimp tempura with scallop and salmon. The sushi special was an attractively plated large variety of food, and the flavor on the nigiri and roll were good. The fish was all delicious and fresh tasting, and overall the food was very good.

Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 8
Service 6
Value 6

Tortellini Originali

Location: Half Moon Bay, CA
Cuisine type: Italian
Atmosphere: deli store, a few small wooden tables
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 6.5

Nina

This was a pretty straight-forward eatery, so not too much to say. After an over two hour long class of exhausting English-style horseback riding (meaning smaller, less comfortable saddle than they have in Texas and US ranches in general), we wanted something quick and effective to give us some energy back.

This small family owned shop is located directly along Highway 1, and sells very authentic Italian (and mediterranean more broadly) groceries and prepared foods. It seems like they cater and sell food to-go, while their dining area is more of an afterthought, something that happened just because a few customers asked if they could just eat the food there.

We sat at one of their small wooden tables, surrounded by the shelves of imported olive oil, roasted pepper jars and olives. The shop attendant (who seemed to be one of the family) served us a basket of crusty freshly baked bread, which had a perfect balance of tenderness and crunch. We had to ask for butter (how could we not) since it didn’t come with the bread, and we got a little bowl with a few dabs of butter cut directly from a larger block - another reminder that table service is not their main business. I ordered the porcini ravioli with rose sauce (part cream sauce, part tomato sauce, mixed together), since I can never resist mushrooms on a menu. It was served in a styrofoam microwave plate and with plastic utensils, that gave the sad first impression of frozen TV dinner. The flavor was intense, balanced and the dish had an overall authentic feel, which redeemed the food in my mind even though the portion size was pretty small for the price. We left the shop still somewhat hungry, but with a roll of pancetta and a tub of tiramisu ice cream to extend our Italian food experience later, at home.

Food 9
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 5
Service 8
Value 6

Ben

A small, family owned deli/catering business in Half Moon Bay. The woman who was working there was friendly and accommodating, we started by buying a couple of cheeses, sausages, and gelato to bring home. We saw they offered sit-down meals, and we each ordered a ravioli. I ordered the "Cajun Crab" with rose sauce. This deli was so pleasant, with a rustic european feel and, in my mind, setting up to be a home-run. But the food that was served was for me very disappointing. It may be hard to fault that they are clearly deli first, but someone from the back did come to serve us, and there was a menu (this is a restaurant review after all, so I'll review the restaurant!). The ravioli was mediocre, very small portion with uninspired flavor, and felt like the dish had just been microwaved (our best guess was that the small raviolis were flash boiled from frozen, with a microwaved sauce poured over the top), at a cost of about $10. They were served in little plastic trays which we threw away. I'd recommend checking the place for the deli, but skip on the restaurant aspect.

Food 5
Drinks 5
Atmosphere 6
Service 8
Value 7

Shiva's

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Indian
Atmosphere: mood lighting, authentic decor
Meal: dinner
Price range: appetizers $5-$10, entrees $15-$20, dessert $4-$8
Overall score: 8.3

Nina

One of the simple pleasures in life is to walk down the street in a pretty town like Mountain View, admire the sights, walk other people walk by, and best of all - pick a restaurant on a whim. Our spur of the moment decision led us to Shiva’s, which sits close to the south end of Castro St downtown. Even from the outside, the restaurant has a warm glow, a cozy yet majestic feel. Inside, the lights are dim, the decor is glamorous and authentic, and tables vary to accommodate everyone from couple out for a dinner treat to large family-style gatherings. Overall, this place would definitely qualify as “fine dining” without being too glamorous or overpriced.
The appetizer we shared was called Samil Dil Ruba, essentially a cheesy potato cake baked/fried, which was tasty on its own but really got pushed over the top by the accompanying tamarind sauce. My entree was a lamb biryani - even though I was worried that I might get too much rice and too little lamb, the chunky, saucy flavorful plate I received proved me wrong immediately. There was nothing particularly unique to this dish in either taste or ingredients, but it was perfectly prepared - the lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender, the sauce was creamy and spicy, and the texture of the rice was not drowned out by the other components. Along with the entree I opted for the whole wheat tandoori roti, which as far as I could tell seemed to come out of a real tandoor oven - crunchy and ever so slightly charred on the outside, with a softness inside that made it a delicious vehicle for the sauce.
The meal was so satisfying that it had to end in an equally satisfying dessert. We asked our server for a recommendation since the dessert menu was more extensive than usual and I had a hard time deciding. The Kesar Rasmalai (cheese dumplings in sweet reduced milk) that she brought really fit the bill - it was sweet, but not overly so, dumplings had a delicate texture yet held their own, and last but not least the milk sauce had a hint of saffron that rounded off the flavor profile of the dish.

Food 9
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 10
Service 9
Value 7

Ben

An impressive looking restaurant on a prominent corner on Castro in mountain view. The interior is equally impressive, abundant in plants and well adorned and colorful walls and scaffolding, along with a dimly-lit, smooth feel to the inside, a popular date spot. The food lived up to the environment - powerful flavors and fresh ingredients. We ordered sanu dil ruba as an appetizer, a soft cheese / potato cake with some sauce, which was pretty good. I really liked the entree - goan chicken vandaloo, an intense and complex sauce over soft dark chicken. I cleaned the plate with some classic and whole wheat naan, both of which were delicious -a little crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. For dessert, we had rasmalai, a simplistic but delicious two cheese custard-like balls in a sweet milky sauce, a great finish after a spicy entree. They had an extensive wine list and a decent beer selection, and the service was a little overwhelmed but very responsive. The price was around $15-$20 for meat entrees, with glasses of wine started around $7-$8.

Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 9
Service 8
Value 6