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"Oh, I DARE any business owner to threaten me. Please!"
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285 Useful, 207 Funny, and 331 Cool
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San Francisco, CA
Yelping SinceJuly 2005
Find Me InCastro and 18th St.
My HometownKalamazoo, MI
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm sleeping, flying planes, or attacking evil corporations.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI defend my reviews against stupid lawsuits with ALL of my might!
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadHow to Sue a Lawyer
My First ConcertKalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
My Favorite MovieApollo 13
My Last Meal On Earthin a German wirsthaus
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I got laid off, darn.
Most Recent DiscoveryPeruvian Ceviche, yum.
Current CrushAbominable Snowman
DateBerkeley, CA 94704
(510) 849-0211
Musical Offering Cafe
Categories: Restaurants, Music & DVD's
Neighborhoods: Telegraph Ave, UC Campus Area
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1 Previous Review: Hide »
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05/11/2008
Upon drifting into this dinner spot at sunset, we were greeted with subtle background music, a cello and piano adaption of Le Barbier de Sville. It set the sublime atmosphere of the place, and pretty much guaranteed a pleasant evening.
The waitress was personally engaged in making us happy and helped us as we struggled through the simple menu. Because she alerted us to the modest portions of each course, we knew we would have enough room for everything.
For appetizers, the chef was incredibly creative with the beet salad, and the red and golden beets they used were full and rich. Although this picture-perfect appetizer and the others are overpriced, it's very fun to experience the way these are presented.
The main course is again overpriced for the modest portions, but perfection on a dish is worth experiencing once or twice a year, right? The chicken with asparagus was deep in flavor and perfect in preparation. The Cuban-style pulled pork entre demands a whole article in Gourmet Magazine. It's obvious that the staff takes pride in serving this caliber of food, especially ahead of the Saturday night performances in the area.
The desserts were not particularly impressive, and I would have skipped this course and opted for bigger portions in the main course. A chocolate brownie and a cup of coffee later, and we got hit with the bill. One person cramped up and another made gurgling noises, but we bit the bullet and paid our share for a most excellent meal.
This restaurant and music store, notwithstanding the price, deserves five stars. Hopefully, the wonderful service is just as good any day of the week. If only they could drop the menu prices a little and somehow compensate by drawing more patrons into the music CD area, this place would no doubt win many awards.Was this review …?
(1)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 863-6868
Thailand Restaurant
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Castro
It's Thai food, typical yet iconic. The basil-infused dishes just keep making me return for more, and the clay pot specials are great comfort food any month of the year. Of the Castro Thai restaurants, this is the one I have frequented the most.
This restaurant certainly is not handicap accessible, occupying the second floor of the building, so just keep that in mind in the uncommon case that your dinner mates cannot climb stairs (which included me for a few months in 2004!). The restaurant is NOT good for kids, unless your kids are ok with gay guys talking about how big their dicks are while your family munches on satay.
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You've found the right place for high-quality Sunday dim sum, and the restaurant serves a mean dinner any day of the week as well! Order some heartwarming tea (kept hot at the table with a candle), then open the menu that's as a big as a world atlas and pick your poisons. If you still can't decide, then walk up to the koi tank in the front and reach your hand in there for your dinner. Just kidding.
A very obvious favorite of mine are the shanghai dumplings. There is no such thing as a dinner at Koi without an order of these dumplings. Nearly all the shrimp dishes are gems, and if you never thought that fried rice can be listed as gourmet, then order the crab fried rice. Heavenly.
I can't vouch for the abalone selections (or bao yu) which can top $120 per serving. For history's sake, I'll have to try a $60 abalone treat one of these days, just to see if it gives me longer life.
There are a few potholes in the vast menu however. Steer clear of the goofy mushroom and broccoli veggie dish. It was bulbous and unwieldy in my mouth, and apparently they have something against cooking Chinese broccoli correctly. Also, about half of the lovely photos in the menu do not represent the dishes as served. Just don't order based on the photos and you'll be ok.
A final word on the desserts: these sweets are hard to beat, especially during dim sum. For a crazy jump right off a cliff, try the durian pancakes.
Koi palace... yes, there really is a reason to visit Daly City.
One. Reason.
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(2)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 981-0685
ABC Bakery Cafe
Category: Chinese
Neighborhoods: Nob Hill, Chinatown
What can $7 get you in this place? Noodles, sui-kau, wontons, rice plates, and a host of other cuisine. The menu is very large, so you're sure to find something to fit your mood. Make sure to ask about the specials though, since they're written in Cantonese at the entrance.
For dessert, try the coconut tarts or one of the other cheap pastries. I give them credit for setting the restaurant up with the sweets and goodies viewable from the street. But on the flip side, you sit down for dinner close to an ugly cleaning station with a sink and dirty mops. What the hay?
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(1)
(1)
(1)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 255-8828
Osaka Sushi
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese
Neighborhood: Castro
This is very poor restaurant policy, and apparently this has sparked a string of bad reviews for Osaka. We switched to the sushi restaurants in Noe Valley instead. It's only a few blocks away!
Total Osaka revenue lost by my boycott so far: $4,600. Ouch.
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(6)
(3)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 252-0999
Firewood Cafe
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Castro
Anyway the pizzas, the herb-roasted chicken, and the pastas all have award-winning qualities, and they are priced a little too high. Their Firewood sides are also appealing, particularly the fire-roasted beets. Set your whole body straight for an entire week with an order of those beets!
You can eat healthy here, but to do so, you may have to stick to the monstrous salads. Make sure to add three extra ingredients to your salad for free!
Be creative and try some combos too. When the moon hits your eye, grab the Italian sausage pizza and add prosciutto to it for a $14 pizza pie. Add beets to your salad and watch them stain everything purple, including your clothes.
Expect to stand in line and collect cobwebs though, as the cashiers are painfully slow, and they never seem to realize it, no matter how many times you complain to the managers. They give local merchants like me a 10% discount, which really attracts me any day of the week.
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(1)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 750-9518
Singapore Malaysian Restaurant
Categories: Singaporean, Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
My dinner mate was Malaysian and spent time in SIngapore, so we are obviously qualified to trash-talk the food if necessary. The fried tofu appetizer was the only thing that tasted authentic. Everything else was just bizarre and even disturbing. We couldn't finish the chicken dish we ordered, and maybe I'm lucky I forgot the name of the dish.
The entrees were defective enough for my friend to specifically ask the chef if he was sure he used the right ingredients in the sauce. Yikes! When it was time for dessert, we just counted our losses and escaped. No return to this forsaken place. :(
One last creative note: Singapore Malaysian Restaurant? Can you possibly choose a more boring name? Granted it reveals the cuisine, which is a marketing trick, but it backfires! Would you eat at a San Francisco diner if it were called: Interesting German Polish American Taste Restaurant?
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(1)
(1)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 252-1190
Thanh Tam II
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Mission
I ordered pho with raw beef on the side (pho bo tai). The beef was very high quality, which unfortunately I couldn't say for the broth. The Vietnamese coffee I ordered came out already prepared. GOD! I hate that. I wanted the damned Vietnamese filter at my table, so I could watch the coffee percolate as I ate my pho. But I guess this is my fault, since I don't seem to know how to order what I want.
And no, I didn't yell "Pho Q!" at the waitress, don't even start with the bad Pho jokes. But I do admit I am a little pho-king irritated. ;)
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(1)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 503-0333
Home
Categories: American (New), Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Castro
There is plenty of seating in three general areas, so it's always a safe bet if you have a larger group or don't want to wait for one hour at these tiny closet restaurants elsewhere in the neighborhood. There's a cozy fireplace in seating area #3, so if you're looking for something that's even remotely romantic, then ask for the fireplace.
The food is average, and kitchen mistakes are probably masked by the tons of salt they dump into the dishes. The menu makes everything sound like they grabbed a master chef out of Hawai'i, but it lands on your table as American diner food. 3 stars always. The purely average service matches the quality of the food.
Go ahead and try the very large chicken or steak dishes, or the Sunday evening Turkey special. Definitely add a side of corn bread, which is served with honey butter! If you don't like corn bread, then all right, ya snob, add the Brussels sprouts instead! ;)
If you're also in the mood to booze up, they have a full bar, so start ordering one drink after another. Just be prepared for the bill. Something else you're sure to notice on the bill is the unannounced levy for the employee's health care! Our $120 bill was levied over $4 for health insurance! BARF!
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(2)
(1)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 282-0344
Savor
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Noe Valley
If you choose the joint for Sunday brunch, just get drunk off of Mimosas and order a few crepes, including a dessert crepe (like the cherry blintzes). Every single one of the crepes EXCEPT for the curry crepes are total winners. The curry crepes are gritty, almost as if they dumped generic curry powder right in the crepe before they served it.
If you come here for din-din, grab a cheap glass of red wine, and then insert the steak or lamb into your mouth. And... order the cherry blintzes for dessert.
There's a few knots they never seemed to work out, like the changing of the chefs, where you suddenly are stuck waiting a long time for your food. The upside is that the new chef just started his shift, and the food is always the best then. The other kink is the wine menu. It's all average wine, but again the upside is the rather cheap CTGD... or Cost To Get Drunk.
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Lists
6 ListsThe Castro Chomp
The Castro (or Ground Zero of the Gay Mecca)
Eat Here
Visit my 10 favorite places, and let me know if you loved 'em as much as I did !
Pho Attack
When you need to find a Vietnamese restaurant as if your life depends on it,…
The waitress was personally engaged in making us happy and helped us as we struggled through the simple menu. Because she alerted us to the modest portions of each course, we knew we would have enough room for everything.
For appetizers, the chef was incredibly creative with the beet salad, and the red and golden beets they used were full and rich. Although this picture-perfect appetizer and the others are overpriced, it's very fun to experience the way these are presented.
The main course is again overpriced for the modest portions, but perfection on a dish is worth experiencing once or twice a year, right? The chicken with asparagus was deep in flavor and perfect in preparation. The Cuban-style pulled pork entre demands a whole article in Gourmet Magazine. It's obvious that the staff takes pride in serving this caliber of food, especially ahead of the Saturday night performances in the area.
The desserts were not particularly impressive, and I would have skipped this course and opted for bigger portions in the main course. A chocolate brownie and a cup of coffee later, and we got hit with the bill. One person cramped up and another made gurgling noises, but we bit the bullet and paid our share for a most excellent meal.
This restaurant and music store, notwithstanding the price, deserves five stars. Hopefully, the wonderful service is just as good any day of the week. If only they could drop the menu prices a little and somehow compensate by drawing more patrons into the music CD area, this place would no doubt win many awards.