Tomatina

Location: Santa Clara, CA (by Mission College)
Cuisine type: Italian, pizza
Atmosphere: casual, family style seating, subdued lighting
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8

Nina

Seeking a quick late dinner, we stopped by the Mexicali Grill in Santa Clara. After sitting at our outdoor table for 15 minutes and not even getting water (or the promise of water), we crossed the parking lot and entered a much more welcoming and well staffed Tomatina. The lighting was dim, the seating was a combination of smaller tables and banquet/family style shared tables, and we were quickly presented with menus and water, and soon afterwards offered drinks.
The menu was classic and rustic Italian, with a broad selection of vegetarian and seafood dishes, along with smaller sections specifically designated as for meat eaters. It was nice to see this kind of balance, where vegetarian options are not an afterthought, while at the same time not being the only thing available.
I ordered a beer and the mushroom veal medallions with marsala sauce, served alongside mashed potatoes and roasted bell peppers with zucchini. The dish was quite flavorful, the meat was tender and the sauce was rich and creamy without being too heavy. The vegetables were perfectly cooked, which I appreciated given how many times I’ve had both of them either overcooked or virtually raw. That being said, there could have certainly been improvements to add an extra zing - more seasoning with the sauce and vegetables, an extra softness or golden sear to the meat, but I guess you can’t have it all.
A much redeeming factor was the classic, solid tiramisu that I had for dessert. Dessert always makes everything better :)

Food	8
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	8
Service	9
Value	8

Ben

This is a pretty solid italian place, average location across from a strip mall in Santa Clara. The pizza was pretty tasty; a little thick but generous with the toppings (we had meat lovers: pepperoni, prosciutto, spicy italian sausage and mushrooms). The atmosphere is decent, somewhat dimly lit, wooden tables in a combination of booths, long tables, and several (small) TVs hung up throughout, tonight playing the olympic opening ceremony though I imagine they tend to play the sport of the day. They offered a reasonable beer selection with some local favorites. The price was about average. Not a bad place if you are in the area and looking for italian (though I can only speak to the pizza).

Food	8
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	8
Service	8
Value	7

Milpitas Buffet

Location: Milpitas, CA
Cuisine type: Chinese, Japanese, other? buffet
Atmosphere: cafeteria style, ultra-casual
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 6.5

Nina

Finding ourselves in an impasse and looking for an easy to access, easy to please place, our eyes fell on one of the most recently received bulk coupons in the mail - Milpitas Buffet. It promised an incredible variety of dishes for a more than enticing price, and honestly I wasn’t expecting anything more impressive than the common run of the mill Chinese fast food buffet.

The array of options was indeed impressive - everything from a section of seafood (giant raw oysters, mussels, conch, crab legs, shrimp), to another dedicated to dim sum (a wide variety of dumplings and steamed buns), a couple of rows with classic Chinese buffet options (think General Tso’s chicken, beef and broccoli, sauteed mushrooms etc), an array of Japanese fast food selections (teriyaki chicken, satay skewers, sushi rolls and nigiri), and finally quite a few desserts (puddings, cakes, fried options and fruit). The quality of the food was by no means impressive, which was not surprising for the cost of the meal. The meat was often chewy or dry, the seasoning was a little off (often on the side of too salty), and the ingredients were not the epitome of freshness. All in all, it was a classic example of an experience that sounds pretty impressive from afar but does not deliver in quality and execution.

In the end, I would definitely choose to pay more for a more focused and satisfying meal than to repeat this experience and be left with an overstuffed and unsettled stomach.

Food	4
Drinks	5
Atmosphere	5
Service	7
Value	8

Ben

I’ve been to many Chinese buffets around the U.S., but I’ve never been to one this large / impressive. As we basically stumbled upon it and it is likely one of many, it opened my eyes that I am a major newbie to the magnitude of Chinese buffets in the Milpitas area. To me, the buffet appeared to have everything one could think of: starting classic chinese dishes (pork, shrimp, halibut, chicken, beef … in various sauces), mussels, oysters raw and cooked, crab legs, an aisle with 8-10 soups (chinese and japanese), various japanese classics from skewers, a sushi and sashimi bar, snails in shell, octopus, various rolls, dumplings, fruits, even fried chicken, pizza, and ice cream.

Due to a large crowd, most of the food is reasonably fresh. The food was overall pretty decent-tasting for a buffet, particularly with such a large variety. The price was all pretty fair ($12 or so?), so it is a great place to stuff your face or go with a large appetite.

Food	7
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	8
Service	8
Value	9

Tomisushi

Location: San Jose, CA (Saratoga Rd)
Cuisine type: Japanese, sushi bar
Atmosphere: authentic, intimate
Meal: dinner (takeout)
Overall score:

Nina

After a tiring day at work and yoga, I was not feeling up to cooking dinner, so I stopped by for a pickup on my way home. First place that popped in my way was Mitsuwa Marketplace, where I found this small sushi restaurant. At first glance it looked like a very small and modest place, but the atmosphere was actually quite pleasant and intimate, and the wood lining the walls gave it a rustic feel. There was a line of seats around the sushi bar, and the rest of the dining room consisted of small wooden tables.
I ordered takeout, and took a seat by the sushi bar while I waited for the food to be prepared. A waitress offered me a drink while I waited, though that green tea never showed up, which was a bit disappointing. After a 15-20 minute wait, I got a large bag with neatly stacked boxes comprising our dinner.
First of all, I ordered one of their daily specials for an appetizers, the seared spicy scallop appetizer. I was impressed by the presentation, the one single large scallop was well seared on both sides, then put back into a half shell as a plate. The spicy factor, however, came from an all-too-familiar spicy mayo, which was nicely garnished but a bit too heavy and greasy to be fully enjoyable. The miso soup and salad that seem to accompany every Japanese meal ever were mediocre, but I don’t really count on them very much unless I order them off a menu a la carte.

The first dinner combo we enjoyed was a tempura mix with salmon sashimi on the side. The tempura involved potatoes, red potatoes, zucchini and shrimp - it was a bit plain and not as crispy as I would like (though the latter could be attributed to takeout vs fresh). The salmon sashimi was fresh, tender and creamy - it wasn’t outstanding but it was tasty and enjoyable. The second entree was pork and egg; when I ordered it, I was imagining something of a breaded tenderloin with a runny yolk egg on top, not that it was based on an actual detailed description, I suppose it was just wishful thinking. The reality was closer to a plain old pork stir-fry with scrambled eggs, which was not particularly exciting or flavorful, but good enough for what it was.
Overall, I found this place tasty, but not extraordinary - a little overpriced for the food I got, and the dishes were largely hit or miss with no big surprises. For the short time I was in the actual restaurant, service was courteous but not well followed through and prices seemed generally higher than in other similar caliber sushi places.

Food	7
Drinks	n/a
Atmosphere	8
Service	7
Value	6

Yank Sing

Location: San Francisco, CA (near Embarcadero)
Cuisine type: Chinese dim sum
Atmosphere: classic, ceremonious
Meal: brunch
Overall score: 8

Nina

This dim sum place came up in several “best of” lists that I glazed over, and there were only two types of complaints I read about it - one is that it’s quite expensive for the type and quantity of food it serves in each small plate (which I definitely agree with now), and the other that it’s not as authentic as other, more hidden, places (most of which are less accessible for non-Chinese speakers and more broadly to dim sum newbies).
The dining room was starting to fill up as early as 10 am for brunch/lunch, and the seating was at closely packed tables (to the point where two person tables were actually attached, so we ended up sitting right next to another couple for our meal). However, the decor was something to behold. The walls were covered in lush red and gold, there were large mirrors and paintings adorning every vertical surface, and the general atmosphere was one of glamour and celebration. The servers were all dressed up either in classic formal attire or traditional Chinese garb, and were busily milling around with carts loaded with a wide variety of dishes. We decided to forget about the prices and just get the food we wanted, it was our fun day on the town anyway.
We started with shrimp egg rolls, which looked like any other spring rolls on the outside (albeit smaller and with a thin seaweed strip across the middle for easier identification). However, the inside was a juicy and savory shrimp concoction which was a pleasant change of pace from the usual cabbage centric fillings.

Next, we selected a steamer basket with the famous Shanghai dumplings, which are these extremely delicate and light soft dough shells filled with a small pork and shrimp meatball and a small amount of savory broth. That makes them a bit more difficult to eat - you gently pick up a dumpling from the steamer, place it in a ceramic spoon to prevent it from breaking and losing the broth, then add a few fine strands of ginger and a few drops of a vinegar-based soy dipping sauce and then eat it more of less whole, with caution though since the filling is often steaming hot. All the effort is well worth it, this was probably my favorite savory dish of the night.

The only completely mundane dish we picked up was the shrimp and pork shu mai, which was nothing more than a cylindrical, solid dumpling with the usual mild flavor and slightly spongy filling. As a veggie side (so we would appease our conscience to some degree) we picked up green beans dressed with a thick, sweet sauce and sprinkled with small dry shrimp.

I got very excited about a strange looking crab claw dish, which looked like a big breaded and deep fried meatball with an actual crab claw shell sticking out of it. Turns out it was a partially stripped shell (the meat was left dangling from the tips of the claw), which was then covered in a thick fish/shrimp paste meatball, and indeed breaded and deep fried. After working through the thick layer of mildly flavored and not that exciting fish paste, and just as I was looking to pick out the meat from my claw, a waiter snatched away the plate to clean up our table and he was gone in a heartbeat. I complained that the juiciest part of my dish was taken away (and probably more enthusiastically than I normally would after seeing the price on it), and another server promptly replaced it with a brand new crab claw giant meatball, which I appreciated greatly.

The final two meat based dishes were a smal (*very* small) Pekin Duck sandwich - a steamed bun with scallions and hoisin sauce and sticky pekin ribs, which were very juicy and tender short ribs glazed in a sweet and dark sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Our final selection - dessert, of course - was quite possibly the most delightful surprise of the meal. Ben reluctantly agreed to picking out a pair of coconut rolls with a mango filling, but neither of us held much hope for it, probably due to a few too many tasteless, sticky and chewy coconut cream desserts. This one was quite different - the coconut was creamy and light, though it retained some of the gooey chewiness characteristic to the preparation (in just the right amounts, I should add), and the mango cream was also light, soft and bursting with fruity flavor. Overall, a perfect ending to a very meat-centric meal.

Yank Sing is an impressive dim sum place which delivers in flavor and quality, and I would probably return here especially if I was hosting someone with the aim to impress. The price point is a little too high for the authenticity and value of the food, so next time we are on our own I am thinking I might seek out one of the other dim sum gems the city has to offer.

Food	9
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	9
Service	8
Value	6

Ben

This place is almost legendary in downtown SF. It is both extraordinarily popular and extraordinarily authentic (if it’s not broken don’t fix it; they haven’t americanized too much). An upscale dim sum place with a large waiting staff moving around a larger selection of foods, it looks very nice on the inside and out and is flowing with people especially around brunch time. The prices are very high (around $7$15 for a small plate), but for the location, service, and popularity they are fair. I would guess that if I weren’t counting and just eating, I could have easily spent $70-$90 on food for myself.

The Shanghai dumplings are incredible, the peking duck was fantastic, as were the pork and mushroom shu mai (dense dumplings), and the coconut sticky stuffed roll. I did not enjoy the crab claw fish ball (a dense, dry eggy / fishy sponge around a small crab claw, breaded and deep fried). The green beans with baby shrimp was a solid (salty) appetizer. It’s definitely a fun, less intimidating Chinese Dim Sum experience than some other places in town - a Chinese wait staff with generally limited english, but clientele is not a majority Chinese by any means so you won’t stick out for speaking English. The place is relatively upscale for a Chinese restaurant and can have a decent wait time, but is overall an impressive, authentic experience.

Food	8
Drinks	7
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	6

Ephesus

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Mediterranean casual to classic restaurant fare
Atmosphere: relaxed, outdoor seating along Castro St
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 7.75

Nina

Just before we headed out to visit family for Independence Day weekend, we found out that a friend was coming to visit the Bay Area. As usual, this was a perfect excuse to try yet another restaurant - this time the Mediterranean terrace on Castro Street in Mountain View.
The menu was an interesting combination between the mediterranean cafe classics (wraps and dips) and a series of more classic entrees (meat and sides). The whole group ordered the appetizer sampler, which we all shared. The selection was quite delightful, a slightly more refined version of things that I’ve had a million times before - hummus served with a dash of light olive oil on top, baba ganoush, tzatziki and an olive oil and herb dip, with plenty of crisp and fresh pita wedges (that kept coming). Also, we got a small bowl of tabouleh, a few falafel and a couple of dolma (a rice stuffed grape leaf which I am usually not crazy about, but appreciated the Ephesus version).

I ordered the lamb shank special (I’m always a fool for a nice piece of lamb, though I’ve set myself up for disappointment countless time due to an excess of enthusiasm on the topic of lamb). Today was my day - the lamb was tender and almost flaky, with a mild herbal flavor, and it was served on a small bed of mashed potatoes and a side of steamed vegetables with a vaguely tomatoey sauce. I didn’t care too much for the vegetables (they weren’t very flavorful and quite undercooked), and the mashed potatoes were a little soupy, which didn’t make for a cohesive dish. Overall, I was ok with it because the meat hit the spot and sometimes that is enough to make me happy.

Food	7
Drinks	7
Atmosphere	8
Service	8
Value	8

Ben

Located on Castro street and with a good amount of outdoor seating, Ephesus is a great place to eat outside and enjoy the lively downtown Mountain View. They offer a pretty standard Greek menu, and a good amount of draught and bottle beers at reasonable prices as well as a selection of wine. I would recommend the appetizer combo we ordered as a good mix of classics: hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, tabouleh, falafel and dolma, all were tasty as was the pita bread. For my main dish I ordered Beyti (a grilled lamb skewer with bread, tomato sauce and yogurt). It was a hearty and tasty dish which I really enjoyed. The prices overall were pretty good for the location. Overall, Ephesus is a solid place to go for a casual dinner and drinks with friends in a cool outdoor setting.

Food	8.5
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	8
Service	7
Value	8