Ben & Jerry's

20150430:
Taking advantage of a two-for-one deal, I tried the BRRR-ito from Ben & Jerry's. While it's not bad, it's basically just two scoops of ice cream wrapped in a soft waffle with chocolate cookie crumbs and fudge.

After choosing the Spectacular Speculoos and Wayne'Swirled, I was beginning to salivate. Unfortunately, upon taking a bite of the BRRR-ito, I found the chocolate cookie crumbs and fudge masked the individual taste of the ice cream scoops.

As an observation, the rolled waffle remained soft and chewy from the first bite to the last. While different in texture, it tasted as a waffle normally tastes.

Menu Description:
Spectacular Speculoos
Dark caramel & vanilla ice creams with speculoos cookies & a speculoos cookie butter swirl

Menu Description:
Wayne'Swirled
Dark caramel & vanilla ice creams with fudge & caramel swirls

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Ben & Jerry's

Relevant Links:
Ben & Jerry's Website
Ben & Jerry's - Berkeley, CA (Yelp.com)

Dara's Cuisine

20150430:
I got the pork kabobs and they were delicious. I especially liked the green sauce.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the rice which seemed fragmented like the rice in cơm tấm (broken rice), a popular Vietnamese dish.

Oh, and the pineapple pieces placed at both ends of each skewer was also a nice touch.

As a final note, I found the pork was sweet, and not excessively charred. 2:50PM PT

[20150523 Edit]

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Dara's Cuisine

Relevant Links:
Dara's Cuisine Website
Dara Thai Lao Cuisine - Berkeley, CA (Yelp.com)

Easy Creole

20150428:
Today my friend introduced me to a restaurant called Easy Creole, a Cajun/Creole/Kind Of place whose menu is always changing.

Etouffee (upper left) and Stroganoff (lower right)

From the available menu choices I got a half & half plate: Fire Curry Etouffee with Shrimp and Mr. G's Bacon and Beef Stroganoff.

Keeping my notes to a minimum, I mainly noted that the etouffee (pronounced ay-too-fay) was spicy and tastier than the Stroganoff. While I associate Stroganoff being served with pasta, I learned today that this is not always the case.

Anyhow, both choices were tasty, with the exception of the occasional discomfort and tingling sensation from one of the two dishes.

Fortunately, their melon lemonade was absolutely delicious. 9:11PM PT

With a little room left for dessert, I was planning to order the rice pudding but they had run out. Feeling adventurous, I decided to try the bread pudding.

Though tasty at first, especially when eaten together with the whipped cream, the bread pudding began to acquire a bitter taste.* Feeling full and unable to continue with the bitterness, I left the bread pudding unfinished. 9:25PM PT

*While I had no idea at the time, a little reading suggests that the bitterness may have came from the use of vanilla or a liquor-based sauce (e.g., whiskey or rum).

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Easy Creole

Relevant Links:
Easy Creole Website
Easy Creole (Facebook Page)
Easy Creole - Berkeley, CA (Yelp.com)

CRUNCH

20150423:
Today was my first time eating at CRUNCH. After looking through the menu I decided to order the regular bulgogi bibimbap with no sesame seeds and no sesame oil. 9:15PM PT

Bulgogi Bibimbap (20150423)

It came with a good tasting soup. After having a couple of sips, I decided to save the rest for last.

As for the bulgogi bibimbap, the bowl was so large that I almost didn't know where to begin. After a couple of glances, I tried each of the vegetables one after the other and then finally tried some of the bulgogi. Some of it was plain (e.g., beansprouts and carrots) and some of it was delicious (e.g., kimchi).

Seaweed Soup (20150423)

After that, I had some of the brown rice. It was good, but then I discovered there was some broth/juices at the bottom. Now the rice tasted great.

Eventually I mixed all the ingredients together and I absolutely enjoyed the entire experience. While a bit overpriced, I'll definitely come back for more. 9:35PM PT

Bulgogi Bibimbap (20150423)

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20150424:
Sooner than expected, today I came back to CRUNCH. Today I ordered the bulgogi plate with no sesame.

It tasted good and was a smaller portion than the bibimbap I had yesterday - perfect for lunch. 1:36PM PT

Bulgogi Plate (20150424)

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CRUNCH Korean-American Fusion Foods

Bulgogi Bibimbap (20150423)

Relevant Links:
CRUNCH - Downtown Berkeley - Berkeley, CA (Yelp.com)
Crunch (Facebook Page)

Athineon

20150421:
Today was my first time going to Athineon. I got a gyro plate with rice and hot peppers.

Gyro Plate (20150421)

I enjoyed the dish so much that I practically just inhaled it.

Overall, I found the peppers were a good combination with the gyro. The melted cheese on the rice was also a nice touch. 1:59PM PT

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20150504:
Today I came and wanted to order the lamb shank. Unfortunately, the cashier said that they just sold out of it. As such, I settled with getting the Athineon plate: gyro and a chicken skewer. As before, I got the hot peppers; but instead of rice, I decided to get fries.

Athineon Plate (20150504)

First trying a piece of chicken on the skewer, I was amazed. It was juicy and absolutely delicious. As for the gyro and hot peppers, they were as tasty as they were the last time I came.

As the fries sat under the gyro, I decided to eat the gyros and fries together with a fork, occasionally dipping them in ketchup. 1:17PM PT

[20150504 Edit]

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Athineon

Relevant Links:
Athineon Website
Athineon - Berkeley, CA (Yelp.com)
Athineon Berkeley (Facebook Page)

Pho Saigon #1

20150412:
I'm here with my family and some extended family and I decide to order a big bowl of pho with tai (sliced rare steak) and bo vien (beef meatballs).

Normally turning up the noodle results in a picture where the noodle and meat occupy the soup's surface. However, so little rice noodle was given that the surface is mainly just the broth.

Unfortunately, the supposedly large bowl hardly had any noodle. Furthermore, the broth was extra hot and didn't taste very good. Finally, the meat (both the steak and the meatballs) was just okay. Overall, I found the bowl to be a lackluster experience. 12:08PM PT

In Orange County, there are so many pho restaurants that finding one that you like isn't hard (see Little Saigon (Wikipedia.org) for other areas with large Vietnamese-American enclaves). Some of my favorite pho restaurants include Pho Quang Trung, Pho Kimmy, and Kobe House USA.

Outside of a Vietnamese-American enclave, the options are much more slim. While there are literally hundreds of pho restaurants in Orange County, there are only four Vietnamese restaurants (Yelp search) in Fairfield, CA.

[20150428]

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Pho Saigon #1

Relevant Links:
Pho Saigon No 1 Vietnamese Restaurant - Fairfield, CA (Yelp.com)

Three Twins Ice Cream

20150411:
I tried the salted caramel and it was extremely sweet. And, since I got a little tingling sensation (possible food sensitivity), I was hesitant to have it As such, I decided to get strawberry ice cream and vanilla ice cream instead.

While waiting, my sister and I saw the waffle cones being formed; it was cool. The employee pulled the waffle off the griddle, at which time it was a flat circle, and fed an end of it towards a slot. The employee then turned a handle and the circle got pulled in and a cone formed around the roller.

I liked the strawberry flavor, because it tasted like it had real strawberries even though there were none. Meanwhile, the vanilla ice cream was just okay. 2:25PM PT

My sister said she tasted the flour in my waffle cone.

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Three Twins Ice Cream

Relevant Links:
Three Twins Ice Cream Website
Three Twins Ice Cream - Napa, CA (Yelp.com)

Carpe Diem

20150411:
The Carpe Style Fries from Carpe Diem were simple, but good. 1:23PM PT

Though similar to the tacos from C CASA, the amount of food we received for ten dollars was small.

Perhaps it would be fair to say that the quality of the food was good and that price seemed fair with respect to other food available in the area.

[20150411][20170113 Edit]

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Carpe Diem

Relevant Links:
Carpe Diem @ Oxbow Market - Napa, CA (Yelp.com)
Carpe Diem (Oxbow Public Market Website)
Carpe Diem Wine Bar Website

Napa Valley Crust

20150410:
Today at my cousin's rehearsal dinner, the dinner which took place after the rehearsal wedding, and catering for the event was Napa Valley Crust.

Prosciutto (left), Pesto/Baby Clam (center), and Pepperoni/Corn/Portuguese Sausage (right)

As guests lined up along the truck, pizzas were being made and served on the fly. Among the various pizzas I tried, one had prosciutto, one had pesto & baby clam, and one had pepperoni, corn, & Portuguese sausage.

However, among the different toppings, the Portuguese sausage blew the others out of the water and I kept returning for more. That Portuguese sausage was great.

[20150410][20170113 Edit]

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Napa Valley Crust

Two slices of a Pepperoni/Portuguese Sausage pizza. Also a slice of Pepperoni/Pesto and a slice of Cheese/Corn.

Relevant Links:
Napa Valley Crust Website
Napa Valley Crust (Facebook Page)
Napa Valley Crust - Calistoga, CA (Yelp.com)

C CASA

20150410:
In addition to having ordering a burger from Five Dot Ranch, my sister and I waited in line to order some tacos from C CASA. As each order is just a single taco (a bit pricey for what you get, but worth a try), I ordered a skirt steak taco and a duck taco. My sister, however, only ordered a crab taco. After ordering, the cashier hands us a buzzer so that we can walk around as we wait.

Duck Taco (left) and Skirt Steak Taco (right)

Upon getting our food and sitting down, I quickly have a bite of my sister's crab taco; I thought it wasn't bad. The skirt steak taco was also not bad. In particular, the cheese and veggies were interesting. 1:09PM PT The duck taco, however, was tastier.

FRESH CRAB TACO
with garlic aioli, romaine, micro greens, lime vinaigrette, pico de gallo, avocado crema & fresh avocado $9.00

Crab Taco (20150410)

SKIRT STEAK TACO
with grilled onions, blue cheese, avocado, jalapeños, garlic aioli & cilantro $7.50

ROTISSERIE DUCK TACO
with spinach, red onions, goat cheese, oranges, cumin vinaigrette, avocado crema & cilantro $8.00

[20150427 Edit]

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20150411:
Returning to the Oxbow Public Market for lunch, I ordered the pork carnitas tostada and the C CASA chicken taco.

Pork Carnitas Tostada (20150411)

PORK CARNITAS TOSTADA
with white beans, corn relish, poblanos, micro greens, romaine, lime crema & cotija cheese $5.75

The tostada is really good. In particular, the carnitas is juicy.

C CASA CHICKEN TACO
with cotija cheese, avocado, pico de gallo, mixed greens, garlic aioli, cilantro & chipotle aioli $5.75

C CASA Chicken Taco (20150411)

Unfortunately, the chicken taco did not have enough chicken. 1:23PM PT

[20150427 Edit]

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C CASA

Relevant Links:
C CASA Website
C CASA - Napa, CA (Yelp.com)
C CASA (Oxbow Public Market Website)

Five Dot Ranch

20150426:
After picking up my parents and sister from the BART station, we drove directly to the Napa area to meet up with my relatives. Nearing lunchtime, we decided en route to meat at Oxbow Public Market and get something to eat.

With various restaurants to choose from, I had a part of a Five Dot Ranch Burger* from Five Dot Ranch and some tacos from C Casa.

While just having a small portion of the burger (either a quarter or a half of it), I found my portion to be juicy and the cheese to be tasty. 1:09PM PT

*I suspect they change the ingredients of this burger from time to time.

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Five Dot Ranch

Relevant Links:
Five Dot Ranch Website
Five Dot Ranch - Napa, CA (Yelp.com)
Five Dot Ranch and Cookhouse (Oxbow Public Market Website)

Pho 45

(20150517)

20150404:
Today was my first time eating here, but I didn't take any notes on the food.

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20150406:
Before catching a flight back to NorCal, my dad and I came her and got some pho. It was, however, our intention to try a popular bun bo hue restaurant called Ngu Binh, but they are closed on Mondays.

(20150404)

In any case, my dad asked them to not put so much noodle (I guess because they gave too much the last time we came), and the bowls arrived with practically no noodles at all. Of course, we can't hold it against them because my dad specifically asked for less.

Fortunately, at least the broth and meat was tasty.

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20150513:
This was my third visit to Pho 45 and I simply got pho tai. The broth was super hot and so the beef came well done.

(20150513)

Next time we should remember to ask them to bring the meat out on a plate.

The broth tasted alright. Overall, the bowl tasted alright. I would give it about 3.5 stars. 2:51PM PT

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20180712:
Today I got a small dac biet with large noodles and filet mignon. The broth tasted good, there was a lot of noodles, and I was so full by the end of it. 12:16 PM PT

(20180712)

[20181223]

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Pho 45

Relevant Links:
Pho 45 - Garden Grove, CA (Yelp.com)

Green Field Churrascaria

Food from the Salad Bar. Clockwise: Shrimp, Tuna, Salami with Cheese, Ham, Seafood Salad, Artichoke, Cauliflower, Zucchini, and Mushroom.

[20150424]
So I've been to Green Field one or two times before. However, in recent years, buffets and all-you-can-eats have lost a large portion of their appeal to me.

Bacon-wrapped Turkey, Chicken, and Sausage.

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20150403:
Despite the comment I made above, I have put my personal preferences aside every once in a while and joined in the joy of the all-you-can-eat experience.

Duck, Garlic Steak, Pepper Steak

In particular, last January I ate at Tandoori Nite and last December I ate at Star BBQ.

In any case, starting at the salad bar, I first find the shrimp wasn't plump.

Top Sirloin (left) and Beef Ribs (right)

Next, the cheese used for the salami with cheese was unappealing.

Fortunately the bacon-wrapped turkey was really good.

The sausage, however, was just okay. I liked the chicken more.

Feijoada

While I was looking forward to the duck, the duck was not as good as the chicken. At least the meat near the bone was tastier than the meat near the skin. 8:47PM PT

The garlic steak was strong tasting, and mushy on the inside (disgusting).

Skirt Steak

In comparison, the pepper steak was better.

The top sirloin has a nice taste, but was a little too charred on the outside.

The beef rib, however, was just okay.

Ribeye

The skirt steak was pretty tasty, but also a little salty.

The ribeye is the best cut of beef thus far.

Getting more ribeye, I happily (and shamelessly) savored the delicious fat.

Quail

Honestly the quail was just okay (my dad makes it way better).

Finally full and ready for dessert, I went and grabbed a fried banana. It's so good! 9:32PM PT

Fried Banana with Cinnamon and Sugar

I did, however, end up having one more piece of ribeye. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as before.

Oh well, time for more fried banana! 11:18PM PT

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Green Field Churrascaria

Ribeye

Relevant Links:
Green Field Churrascaria Website
Green Field Churrascaria - Long Beach, CA (Yelp.com)

Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking

Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking

Ritter's Famous Pan Roast (House)

Relevant Links:
Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking Website
Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking - Huntington Beach, CA (Yelp.com)
Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking - Santa Ana, CA (Yelp.com)

20150402:
Today was my first time eating at Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking. To eat my friend and I ordered the bouillabaisse, Ritter's Famous Pan Roast (House) with sausage, and a po' boy sandwich (blackened catfish). I'm not sure if this applied to the pan roast as well, but I noted that we got the bouillabaisse with a spiciness level of 7. To drink I ordered a glass of Drake's Denogginizer.

Menu Description:
Ritter's Famous Pan Roast tomato cream based creole dish served w/ rice & trinity - Choose from: .house (shrimp, crab, clams, & lobster) 23 .chicken/sausage 16 .clam 16 .shrimp 19 .crab 19 .lobster 26

Bouillabaisse

While it didn't affect how the food tasted, my friend and I thought the entree with the rice was the bouillabaisse and the one without was Ritter's Famous Pan Roast. It was, however, the other way around (the bouillabaisse has mussels and the pan roast does not).

Menu Description:
Bouillabaisse shrimp, crab, lobster, white fish, mussels & clams cooked in a tomato leek based soup w/ saffron 23

Starting with the pan roast, I found it tasted really good. In contrast to the pan roast's thick, creamy texture, the bouillabaisse was more like a (liquid) soup and had more of a seafood taste to it. Overall, the bouillabaisse was not bad. 8:19PM PT

Po' Boy Sandwich (Blackened Catfish)

Menu Description:
Po' Boy Sandwiches served on a French roll with mayo, creole mustard, lettuce, tomato & trinity w/ fries .chicken (blackened or fried) 10 .fried calamari 11 .fried shrimp 12 .catfish (blackened or fried) 12 .fried oysters 12

Finally we tried the po' boy sandwich (though ideally it and the fries that accompanied it should have arrived before our entrees). The blackened catfish was nicely seasoned. Unfortunately, by the time I got to the fries, they were a bit cold. I would also add that the seasoning was colorful, but only somewhat tasty.

In the end, the pan roast (the dish with the rice), was the best of the three items we ordered. 8:45PM PT

Ritter's Famous Pan Roast (House)