Eating Out

...now browsing by tag

 
Alameda baking Bars Beer Breakfast Burritos Campbell Cocktails cookies deserts dessert Distillery Doughnuts Eating Out family recipe Farmers Market farming Festivals Foodie Gifts gardening Home Cookin' home cooking Indian IPA Japanese Los Gatos Mexican Oakland Pasta Pizza recipe Recipes Salad San Francisco San Jose santa cruz seafood seasonal Silicon Valley Street Food Super Bowl Tacos Tailgait Recipe tailgating Wine
 

An Afternoon Outdoor Beer & Apps Spot: The Ramp, SF

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

The Ramp Restaurant was a typical Sunday family occasion for friends of ours who lived for many years in Portrero Hill in SF. So one weekend they took us to the Ramp to reminisce for an afternoon brunch.

The Ramp’s location makes it a great casual spot with a smaller number of tables inside but many tables outside right on the waterfront. It was overcast the day we dined at the Ramp but I can see how a sunny afternoon could offer up a perfect excuse to have beers and apps with friends. Inside there was a table of older guys playing cards or some kind of game in the corner and a handful of folks having a beer at the bar. Overall it had a nice neighborhood feeling but I can see how nice days would fill up the waterfront.

The food servings were large and fresh with SF prices to match. The best food was the fish and calamari fritto with chips because of the delicious dill dipping tartar-like sauce. The prices ranged from $12 for a cheeseburger and fries to $13 for fish and chips. A friend had the Taco Salad and it was huge and looked very good. I had the omelet but wished I had gone for the fish and chips.  It’s not bad, check it out if you are in the area!

http://www.ramprestaurant.com/

Posted in Eating Out | 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,

Los Gatos Cafe: Good Sandwich for Lunch!

Friday, February 12th, 2010

This is their special grilled cheese filled with avocado, sprouts and tomato.  They grill the sandwich with cheese and then add the other goodies.   The menu at Los Gatos Cafe is huge and it is pretty hard to choose what to order.  We liked this and it even came with a coconut chocolate chip cookie!

Posted in Eating Out | No Comments »
Tags: , , ,

Happy Hound in Los Gatos

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Happy Hound in Los Gatos was pretty good.  They made us huge burgers with grated cheese and thick sliced red onions.   A+ on presentation.  B- for sloppy eating, not quite packaged like an In-n-Out burger.  It was around $9.50 for a cheeseburger, fries, and drink which is pretty expensive.  The folks that worked there were fast and friendly and the place was really clean.

When we walked in I realized that we should keep our coats in the car if we didn’t want to walk out smelling like a burger and fries joint.   A couple sitting sitting at the counter , who seemed like regulars, were both having Mexican hot dogs.   Next time, hot dogs por favor!

Posted in Eating Out | No Comments »
Tags: , , , ,

Fritz, SF: Fast, aFfordable, & Filling

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
  • When your starving, don’t want to spend a ton of money, and want to sit down quickly with a group of friends, Fritz in the Mission is the place to go!  Fritz is a great casual and quicker alternative to a sit down dinner in SF.  I’ve never had to wait for a table during the week at this location, even with five to eight friends (PS it may have been around 8pm or so).
  • These photographs are from the newer Fritz location on Valencia in the Mission.  The smaller original Fritz in Hayes Valley had a more quaint feeling and a nice outdoor eating space, although I haven’t been there in a few years and I’ve heard they moved next door to the old location and remodeled.  The newest location in the Mission is modernly decorated and dimly lit.  You order your food, beer or wine at the counter and choose a seat.
  • It would be totally acceptable to hit Fritz for a cone of thicker french fries with various dipping sauces from jalapeno ketchup to Parmesan peppercorn ranch to Morracan lemon saffron aoli and many, many others and a Belgian ale on draft or a Spaten or Pilsner Urquell. We had their burger the last time we were there and it was delicious.  The burger was cooked perfectly and served on our personal favorite, a Dutch Crunch Bun with caramelized red onions and miso cole slaw!  I’ve tried their crepes and sandwiches and the burger has been my favorite by far.
  • Don’t try to get mojitos or any eclectic dish because their menu is so huge.   Just stick with the tried and true fries (+ creative dipping sauces), a beer, and a burger if you are really hungry!

Posted in Eating Out | 1 Response »
Tags: , , , , ,

Psycho Donuts: Campbell, CA

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Zach says their Apricotology (aka Apricot Fritter) is the best doughnut he has had in his life.  This is a bold statement coming from Zach.  So it must be at least pretty good because he is picky!

So which came first, Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon with their punk rock concoctions OR Psycho Donut in Campbell, CA?  We have tried Voodoo Doughnuts maple bacon doughnut and it was good but Portland is a pretty far drive from SF.  So when we came across Psycho Donut in San Jose/Campbell we were pleasantly surprised with their creative and funky doughnut creations.  They also have some pretty interesting illustrations and street art decorating their walls.

What we love: Apricotology and the Butter Finger Doughnut (chocolate cake doughnut)

http://www.psycho-donuts.com/

Posted in Eating Out | No Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,

Burrito Factory in San Jose

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Long time San Joser’s told us to include Burrito Factory in the San Jose Burrito challenge. They instructed me to try the chicken burrito.  I have to say, I didn’t try this one yet.  By the time we got to Burrito Factory last October (open until 10pm), it was closed.  So this weekend we finally got the chance to try it.  Everyone was griping thinking for some reason it would be a chain like Chipotle.  It is not a Mexican chain like Chipotle, even though it is in a strip mall.  However, they do have four locations in the San Jose area.

The food was good and we liked their salsa which had some good heat (you purchase the chips and salsa).  I got the crispy tacos with steak and el pastor and they each got a Chorizo breakfast burrito.  John said it is now the second best breakfast burrito in San Jose.  His first favorite breakfast burrito in San Jose is from Henry’s Fresh Mexican Grill in Santa Clara because they put tater tots in their breaky burrito!   The staff was really nice at the B.F. we tried on Camden.

We know the food is made with vegetable oil because a friend with allergies called and talked to them about it.

Zach: Good. Good service. Salsa was good.

Lesley: It was pretty good.  We need to go back and try more things on the menu to really see what we love there. But my tacos were tasty, particularly the shell.  I like more stuff on my tacos so I would probably get a burrito next time, a super burrito!

Posted in Eating Out | 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,

Out of Town: Crabill’s Hamburgers – Urbana, OHIO

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

My dad has frequented Crabill’s Hamburgers since 1955.  Crabill’s cooks their mini burger patties in a secret recipe oil. Fried on a grill in oil an inch deep makes these burgers pretty unique in flavor.   There are only eight bar stools inside but they do have a drive through and pretty big take-out service. We always leave our coats in the car so that they don’t smell like grease.

Ever since 1928 they put mustard, relish, and onion on top. But ketchup was added in 1990.

What to order:

  • A couple doubles w/ mustard, relish, and onion with the buns dipped. Then just keep ordering them until you are full.  The record is over 20 something doubles!
  • A bag of locally made Mumford potato chips, and a coke in the little bottles.

Posted in Eating Out, Out of Town | No Comments »
Tags: , , ,

Out of Town: Portland, Maine – Foodelicious Xmas

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

• Awesome Online Portland, ME Visual Food Map: http://www.portlandfoodmap.com/

• Novare Res: Great Bier Café w/ Artisan Cheese Plates – We want this in our neighborhood!

• Breakfast: Hot Suppa! – Best Corned Beef Hash Ever!

• Cookbook Bookstore: Rabelais

Over the holidays we headed home to Maine. This gave us the chance to checkout Portland’s foodie claims that attracted our attention in this years Bon Appetit article “Portland, Maine–America’s Foodiest Small Town.” Portland has certainly changed since the last time we visited five years ago with much more than your traditional seafood spots and pubs. There are more local breweries and bakeries, quaint & kitschy cafes that highlight modern takes on comfort food, and creative fine-dining with daily designed menus offering creative interpretations of regional favorites. We also went to a wonderful bier café with a beer list of more than 200 beers along with Maine made Meed as well as featuring great mix and match artisan cheese plates.

The Portland Food Map: This is awesome. It is a visual guide to food and drink in Portland separated by category such as kind of food, bakery, and specialty food shops and so on. When you click on the restaurant name it shows you a rating number as well as a list of the reviews about the restaurant. We are looking forward to every town having one of these.

Click to continue »

Posted in Drinks, Eating Out, Out of Town | 1 Response »
Tags: , , , , ,

« Older Entries