Woodchuck BBQ - Redwood City

BBQ. Not to be confused with grilling, it is a more leisurely approach to perfectly cooked meats. Everything is cooked at a low temperature for what seems like an eternity, the result is tender meat.

Woodchuck BBQ was started by two colleagues that were passionate about BBQ, and it shows. Why else would  they have 5 sauces to complement their meats! The sauces range anywhere from the sweet Sugar sauce to the spicy enough that they had to warn you about it in the name You Betta Not or You'll be Sorry sauce. With that range of flavors, the experience is part meal, and part chemistry experiment.

We had the ribs, both St Loius style, and the baby back. Personally, I enjoyed the baby back more. The meat was seasoned perfectly, and fall off the bone tender. The St Louis was good, but took more work to get cleanly off the bone. The BBQ chicken was moist and flavorful. The brisket and pulled pork were good too, but unlike many other places, these folks do not sauce their pulled pork. There you go - chemistry experiment!

Every meal comes with 2 sides. The potato salad was ok, the beans with burnt ends was really good, but the creamed corn really creamed the competition,. The cole slaw is unlike anything I have had before, instead of mayo, it has salt, pepper and vinegar, which works well with the meats.

Their style is described as a hybrid, drawing inspiration from Texas, North Carolina and many other famous areas on the BBQ belt. And the apple wood they use to smoke the meat imparts a distinct flavor.

Vegetarians if your carnivore friends want to go here, don't worry, they also have a veggie burger on the menu.

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Casual

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes

The Village Bistro - San Jose

Santana Row is different things to different people. Some people go there for the high end shopping, some for the fantastic spa, and yet others for the fantastic food, drink and people watching opportunities.

Village Bistro is a popular destination most days, they seem to be especially busy on weekends when people sit outdoors and celebrate the good weather with good food, and good wine. Their wine list deserves a special mention, they have a really diverse selection to pick from, and source lesser known wines from all over the world!

One of my favorite things is that their menu changes with every season, so theres always something new to look forward to. They also offer small plates, so you can get a few different things and share it with your group. 

Lunch, below, consisted of  Summer Mix Grill with Lemon Garlic Prawns, a well conceived dish, with great falvors, Turkey Ruben (yep! Turkey) great, but on the sweet side, and the Vegetarian Cobb which was a hit. The Caipirinha Cooler was refreshing, and complemented the meal well.

Village Bistro
(Clockwise from Top Right: Summer Mix Grill with Lemon
Garlic Prawns, Turkey Ruben, Vegetarian Cobb, and
the Caipirinha Cooler) 

Go for brunch, go for dinner, just go! Most importantly, save room for dessert, especially their seasonal creme brulee. It is a must do.

Bottom Line:
Price - $$
Ambience - Trendy

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes

Pacific Catch - Campbell

Pacific Catch opened relatively recently in the Pruneyard. The name was "catchy" so we decided to give it a try.

As the name suggests they primarily serve seafood, however they do have some steak dishes for the folks not too keen on fish. The restaurant decor is warm and inviting, and the menu is really exciting as well.

They have seafood dishes from many different parts of the world, you will see dishes inspired by Hawaiian, Asian, Mexican, and South American cuisinses. Their Hawaiian Poke bowl being one of my absolute favorites.The saltyness from the soy, and the nutty taste of the sesame oil, contrasted with the crisp wonton chips and pungent mustard greens make this a very enjoyable appetizer.

Their Korean Sticky Ribs are another must have. These are a bit on the salty side, but the meat is fall of the bone, tender. It is missing a starchy component though, they should consider adding mashed potatoes, or maybe rice cakes to this dish to balance the saltiness, and to sop up the sauce.

Pacific Grill
(Clockwise From Top Right - Poke Bowl,
Mahi Mahi and Steak Tacos, Korean Sticky Ribs,
Prickly Pear Margarita)

Onto the entrees - one of my favorite things is that most dishes come in small plates. Perfect for a light meal, or to share with a group. Our group got the Mixed Catch Basket, a combination fish and chips platter, tacos - steak, and mahi mahi, and Cabo shrimp. The steak and fish were on the dry side, but the shrimp was a huge hit.The sushi roll was pretty good too.

We also indulged ourselves with cocktails - the lemongrass mojito missed the mark, but the prickly pear margarita was really good!

All in all, it is a fun place to get a few drinks, and a quick bite to eat before you head out to watch a movie.

Bottom Line:
Price - $$
Ambience - Trendy

Vegetarian Friendly - No

Vintage Wine Bar - San Jose

Wine bars are all the rage now, or have been for a while. They are right up there with froyo places, and cupcake shops. One big difference though, a glass of wine lasts longer (most times), and with the right company, it can be one of the most relaxing things to do.

Vintage Wine Bar in Santana Row is one such example of a place where time seems to stand still. The have 2 locations there, one in the middle of Santana Row park (near Pinkberry), and the other, more of a store, but they also serve wine (by Amber - the Indian restaurant).

Our favorite location, obviously, is the tasting room in the park. What better way to enjoy this wonderful weather, than to sit outdoors and enjoy a good glass of vino! And on a cold night, there is nothing cosier than sitting indoors, and people watching through the large windows.

They have a selection to suit every palate, and inspired wine flights. Best of all, if you love what you got, you can buy it at the store!

Vintage Wine Bar
(Top Right: 2010 Laroche Petit Chablis Chardonnay,
2011 Monchhof Estate Riesling,
Bottom Right Back: 2009 Frescobaldi Cabernet-Merlot Blend)

Let the Vintage Wine Bar transport you to a place where time stands still. So go, get a glass of wine, maybe even 2, and be sure to order their cheese plate. Better yet, invite your friends to join you!

Bottom Line:
Price - $$
Ambience - Intimate

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes

Sushi Lover - Belmont

Not a place you would think to look for a restaurant, let alone a sushi place... Sandwiched between a chiropractor's office and a dry cleaning store, Sushi Lover has been serving fresh, high quality sushi since 2010.

The menu is a combination of staples like steamed edamame, sushi rolls, sashimi, etc. They also have some uniquely named rolls that are intriguing. No matter what you order, the fish is always really fresh and high quality, making it a really good, satisfying meal.

Some of our favorites are the refreshing Sunomono Salad - a cucumber and seaweed salad with seafood, the Salmon Skin Handroll, and the Salmon Backbone.

Contrary to what the salmon backbone dish sounds like, they don't actually get all the meat off the bone when they filet a fish. The remnants are really good for a fish broth, or as Chef KC does, grilled, served with a light Teriyaki glaze. The result is a tender flaky treat!

Perhaps these dishes are available at most sushi places, but this was the first place I had ever tried them, and they are all stellar.

Sushi Lover
(Clockwise from top right: Gyoza, Sunomono Salad
Salmon Backbone, Salmon Skin Handroll)

 They also have a lot of vegetarian options, including sushi rolls, tempura, and much more. If you haven't been, go try them. Today!

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Casual

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot - San Mateo

My first Hot pot experience was at dinner at a friends place, and I was hooked. As I have said in posts before, there is almost nothing better than a good bowl of flavorful broth. Hot Pot is just that, plus you get to add various meats and vegetables to it, making it a pretty well balanced meal.

Little Sheep Hot Pot (unfortunate name, I know), in downtown San Mateo is a great place for hot pot. They also have a location in Cupertino on Stevens Creek.

The concept is simple:
1. Pick a broth, or 2 (they even have a completely vegetarian broth!), and they have a pot that keeps the 2 separate
2. Pick your meat, there are plenty of vegetarian options as well.

Soon, a steady stream of food set up in front of you. Bowls of vegetables - cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, tofu, fish balls and fish cake come with every order. Another tray holds thinly sliced frozed meat. All this, and lunch only runs about $9.95 per person!

Every table is equipped with a heating coils in the center - this keeps the huge bowl of broth hot. Once the broth gets to a rolling boil, use tongs, and ladles to immerse the ingredients into the hot pot. The meats only take about 30 seconds to cook, while the fish balls and tofu etc. take a little longer. You can even ladle some of the broth into your bowl to enjoy as a soup.

Picking the 50-50 bowl allows you to enjoy 2 completely different broths, or as it was in our case, allows vegetarians to enjoy food with the rest of the group.



Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot
(Clockwise From Top Right: 50-50 Pot with Spicy Vegetarian, & Original broth
 Fish, Beef, Pork, Lamb, & Vegetarian Accompaniments)

 There is something really comforting about sharing this meal with a group of friends, and the interactive cooking makes it a fun, relaxing meal.

Fair warning though, lunch, or dinner, you are bound to have too much food.

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Trendy

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes

MilkShake Werks - Redwood City

On a warm summer evening, theres almost nothing better than good ice cream (and a run, but thats a post for a different blog).

We chanced upon MilkShake Werks (including their yelp link since the website seems to have been down for a while...) when we were at lunch close by. This family owner business has been churning out ice cream since 2007. No kidding, you can see the equipment behind the counter.

They are best known for the milkshakes, made with their own slow churned ice cream. All of you know, the secret to a good milkshake, is good ingredients. They have some of the most unique flavors I have ever seen. From dairy free coconut, to chocolate stout with Guinness, to the one we picked - nectarine and blackberry.

Now, I am not sure who came up with the idea of adding blackberries to nectarine ice cream, but the result is pure genius! You get a bowl that has so many flavor nuances, that you are left scraping the bottom of the bowl for some more. It is creamy, and soft, and just the right amount of sweet. So good in fact, that most people in our group ended up getting it.

They also do ice cream cakes, and pints and more if you want to take some home.

Nectarine Blackberry Ice Cream

I don't know about you, but I am definitely going back there to try the chocolate stout ice cream, and a milkshake (not on the same visit).

Sweet Basil Thai Cusine - Foster City

Sweet Basil is a popular Thai restaurant in Foster City, one that we have been to on more than one occassion.

The food includes the Thai staples from curries, and pad Thai, to some more unusual dishes, like Bangkok duck. On this particular visit, our order was veg spring rolls as an appetizer, and a few Thai ice teas. The entree order included pad Thai (veg, and pork), Bangkok duck, red curry duck, and crispy chicken with rice.

The appetizer and drinks arrived promptly. The presentation was great, and the spring rolls were good.

A short wait later the entrees arrived, and we set about the task of destroying the food in front of us. The red curry duck was probably the winner at the table. The Bangkok duck was cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Unfortunately the honey glaze overpowered the dish,  making it too sweet, and overpowering any other seasoning in the dish.

Sadly, the crispy chicken too was cooked perfectly, but underseasoned. The pad Thai also left a lot to be desired. Instead of a dish with the texture of bean sprouts and peanuts with spice to it, these noodles had a lot of sauce - unexpectedly sweet sauce.

Sweet Basil Thai

The consensus was that all in all the food was under seasoned, even just adding salt would definitely have helped.

We have been here before, and the food was good (which is why we went back), and chances are we will probably give it one more try.

Bottom Line:
Price - $$
Ambience - Casual

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes

The Attic - San Mateo

Have you noticed how Sisig is everywhere? From food trucks to restaurants...

Well, wanting to leave no stone unturned, we had to find our own sisig source. Armed with our resident Filipino, we decided to check what the fuss was all about at Attic. This place also came highly recommended by a friend.

Though Attic originally started more as a lounge and dinner destination, they recently started serving lunch. It is a very basic, no frills lunch, with a limited menu. You order at the bar, the food comes in to-go containers, but you can eat there at the bar as well. The bar itself has a lot of visual interest, from meat grinders that accent some of the smaller tables, to a giant old style citrus juicer at the bar.

We all got the same thing - the Long Life Garlic Noodle Bowl - now, how do you resist a name like that? Could one really pass up the change to live a long life, smelling of garlic? Didn't think so.

Anyway - the order comprised of a few bowls topped with crab, and a few with sisig, and an order of the chicken wings. The noodles (Pancit) were yummy, really garlicky, with a nice spice to them, and the crab was cooked perfectly! The sisig on the other hand was sweeter than expected...

The chicken wings were really good, the adobo sauce was mild, but very flavorful. One thing missing on the menu was vegetables of any kind. A salad, or steamed/sauteed vegetables added to the noodle bowl would make it a much more well rounded meal.

Attic Restaurant
(Clockwise from Top Right - Long Life Noodles with Crab,
Long Life Noodles with Sisig, Adobo Chicken Wings, Drink Menu)

They seem to have really good happy hour deals ($1 oysters on Fridays, taco Tuesdays), and the menu showed some really creative drinks. Remember the citrus juicer at the bar from earlier in this post? Well, they use fresh squeezed juice (orange, grapefruit, ...) in their cocktails. None of that prepackaged stuff will do!

Will have to go back there for happy hour and dinner one of these days...

Bottom Line:
Price - $$
Ambience - Eclectic

Vegetarian Friendly - No

Ramen Halu - San Jose

Can you tell we love ramen? Seriously, it doesn't get much better than ramen if you are looking for comfort in a bowl.

Ramen Halu, is a treasure in this little strip mall in San Jose. The simple decor reflects the surfer side of chef Kumao. The menu is a good mix of small plates, and ramen.

Our favourite small plates include the Age Dashi Nasu - deep fried eggplant in dashi, the Hiya Yakko - Fresh cold tofu with Japanese relish, and the non fried croquettes.

Their ramen however, is the reason to visit. They have 5 different types of broth, and a few varieties of noodles. The Tsukemen is probably the most unique. Also called the dipping ramen, this is a deconstructed ramen that comes with the broth to dip the noodles and the toppings in, and a side of hot water that you can add to your broth to drink it at the end of your meal.

The winner of the ramen round however, is the Tantanmen.  Tantanmen is inspired by dandanmian, a spicy noodle soup originating in Szechuan Province of southwestern China.

The rich, and spicy broth is dominated by the taste if  sesame. Unlike many of the other ramen bowls, this one comes with ground meat. One bowl, and I promise you will be hooked!

If it is too spicy, you can cool off with a Japanese soda - Ramune, available in a few different flavors (Original, Orange, Melon, Strawberry, and Litchi), that is if you can get it open (this involves a strong thumb, and stronger determination!

Ramen Halu
(Clockwise from top left: Lichi Ramune, Hiya Yakko,
Tantanmen, Age Dashi Nasu, Cold Tofu)

On a diet, or just not hungry enough to eat an entire bowl of ramen? They have a small plate, sort of like a salad, that has all the toppings that go into ramen.

This place is a gem, definitely add this to your restaurant bucket list. Assuming of course that you are not already driving there...

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Casual

Vegetarian Friendly - No

Bistro Burger - San Francisco

You know how there are some days where grease and/or sugar are the only way you can make it through?

Well, we just happened to be having such a day, and were a block away from Bistro Burger! Serendipity!

We ordered  the Mediterranean turkey burger with curly fries, and the pineapple cheddar burger (medium rare) with onion rings. Don't judge! We needed the grease.

Lets start with the pineapple cheddar burger - the burger was cooked perfectly, and as my companion said it was "one of the best" he had ever had! Unfortunately, they forgot that he had asked for swiss instead of cheddar, so that was a bit of a let down, but the perfectly crispy onion rings made up for that. Well, almost.

The Mediterranean turkey burger, topped with spinach, feta and kalamata olives was also really good. For those of you that order turkey burgers, you know that most times the only thing that separates it from used leather footwear is 2 pieces of bread! Their turkey patty was well seasoned, and cooked prefectly.



Bistro Burger
(Top Right: Mediterranean Turkey Burger,
Bottom Right: Pineapple Cheddar Burger)



All in all, we were both happy with our meals, and having raised our cholesterol levels for the week. If you are in the neigborhood, this is a great place to stop by for a quick working lunch!

Bottom Line:
Price - $
Ambience - Casual

Vegetarian Friendly - Yes