Lydia, awesome review once again!

Well, since my dear fellow food chick reviewed her spring break, I will review my food experiences as well:

If you ever find yourself in Huntington Beach, a.k.a. Surf City, you must eat at Sugar Shack . This charming, surfer and family-friendly place is located on Main Street and PCH. You will find a long waiting list in the morning, as breakfast is served there all day. They have outdoor and indoor seating, allowing customers to stroll in with their flip flops, sunglasses, and be among some of southern california's finest beach bums. I had the raisin french toast with a site of scrambled egg whites, and an iced tea. The french toast was delicious! Perfectly battered and cooked to a slight crisp, covered in powdered sugar and served with a side of butter. The egg whites had some flecks of yolk, however, but I'm not anal enough to freak out over that. My friend Andrew had the avocado and cheese omelette with a side of hashbrowns. The avocado melts so beautifully into the omelette. Each meal only set us back about $5.50. Affordable AND delicious! Try it out for yourself! The servers are young and friendly, and the place is just a few steps from the beautiful beach! Eat and then study on the beach as I did (hey we're berkeley nerds here AND everywhere else).

Also over break, I was so thankful that I was able to introduce my dad to the Benihana Sushi Bar. At lunch, they have special discount prices ($1 for california roll/ spicy tuna; $1.75 for shrimp tempura handroll - my favorite- $1.75 for sashimi). They have daily specials for $1 as well. The fact that you can just take as much as you want on the floating conveyer belt adds to the fun of eating sushi. The chefs are attentive to your needs and are always willing to take special orders. My cousin and I once ordered the Las Vegas Roll (off the menu, of course). This roll is sooooo good. It is tuna, crab, and shrimp tempura in rice and nori, the whole roll is then battered and deep fried tempura style. The chef then slices the roll and tops it off with this tantalizing spicy sauce. The tuna gets slightly cooked, and the crunch just adds this crazy dimension to the roll. This roll will set you back about $7, even at lunch time, but it's enough to share between two people. Lunch at the sushi bar (a filling and quality lunch at that) will not set you back any more than $10. As for sushi, that's a bargain! Try it out for yourself!!


'til the next culinary journey,

Melissa Joy

Someone asked me yesterday, "You have that food blog right? Do you have a recommendation for me?" and I blanked. In the spotlight, I balked under the pressure to find a somewhat obscure, affordable, quality restaurant to recommend. And I vow never to be in that situation again. Next time, I might go the safe Kirala or Zachary's route, or I might recommend Carol's ramen place on University.

However, in this 3 am entry, I want to talk about Las Vegas buffets. I was in Vegas for 3 days and ate 3 meals in between my incessant gambling, all buffet style and here is the rundown:

Dinner- Monte Carlo, $15.95:
The most basic of the buffets we sampled, the Monte Carlo offers an affordable buffet dinner with some of the perks of the fancy places. I enjoyed the BBQ ribs as well as the herbed chicken. As with all the buffets, I did not bother with salads or other non-meat items. This buffet also featured oysters on the half shell, which seemed a litlle shady to me. However, I did end up eating all of mine as well as my friends, with no ill side effects later. There is a made to order pasta bar, but the pasta ended up a little overcooked. The actually eating area itself was pretty standard restaurant style, with booths and tables. The buffet is on the small side, but with plenty of room to manuever. There is $5 blackjack at the Monte Carlo, so make your way to the buffett if you're in the area.

Lunch- Bally's Paris, $17.95:
If you only have time/money for one Buffet in Vegas, this is it. A little pricey yes, but Paris has got to the the most charming casino we visited and the buffet lives up to that title. Off the main casino floor, the buffet is Parisian themed from the seating areas to the waitresses. The food area is very spacious with separate areas for different themed food. Highlights included the CHEESE bar, as well as the smoked salmon and the whitefish salad and the fresh mozerella. The flan was amazing, as well as the lamb (though I still think it was mislabeled beef) and basically everything else at this buffet. The ambiance is very quaint and the theme is VERY well established here.

Brunch- Bellagio, $12.95:
I personally thought the Bellagio's buffet was a little overrated. The decor did not quite match the elegance of the establishment, and the selection of food wasn't quite as wide, though we went at the transition between breakfast and lunch. Standouts included the smoked salmon and bagels, as well as the french toast and the steak. The scrambled eggs were a little mushy, however, and there was a random selection of Asian food. However, the price before 11:30 can't be beat for Bellagio quality, which is why I would rate this higher than the Monte Carlo.

Overall, all were great deals- at weekday prices. Weekend prices shoot up exorbitantly. Lydia's tips include avioding all asian type food b/c frankly, you didn't go all the way to Vegas to eat fried rice or sweet and sour pork. Also, don't bother with the salad bar- salad bars are all the same. Everything else is game- but don't stuff yourself silly. It ain't worth the money.

Don't think that just because we are on Spring Break, we will not be bringing you the food news you have come to know and love. To the contrary, in fact. Lydia is bringing this show on the road. Travel with her to the exotic locations of San Francisco and Los Angeles in this edition of...the Food Chicks.

For a solid fusion of Chinese and Vietnamese food in San Francisco's Sunset district, try PPQ on 19th and Irving. Although the acronym might inspire giggles, the quality food at a good price is nothing to laugh about. (haha, I could write like this all the time) I had the Satay beef pho with ho fun (thick rice noodles) which had just the right amount of satay sauce broth, beef and noodles for 6 bucks. Rice dishes come with fish sauce and rice paper wrappers on the side, which Korey demonstrated use of by dipping in warm water and making your own spring rolls. The five spices chicken is also recommended, coming in vermicelli bowls and in soup. Basic noodle soup and rice plates ranged from 6-8 dollars. The most expensive dish of the night rang in at 9 (fried calamari). Irving in the Sunset is a cornocopia of food delights- from Naan and Curry to Plutos (plutos!), but if you are looking for a good value on Vietnamese food, try PPQ.

If you find yourself near the UCLA campus and hankering a hearty breakfast, try Norm's on W. Pico near Sepulveda. Okay, honestly, this place is on par with your local IHOP or Holden's Country Inn. However, the character of the place is uniquely LA. You know those diners in the movies where the detective goes to interview clients and such? Or just diners from the movies like Memento and Muholland Drive? Yeah, its that kind of place. Booths and booths of senior citizens, some guys in trenchcoats, and the random Asian people (us). I had the french toast (mediocre), eggs and sausage, for about 6 bucks. Before 11:30 am, there are breakfast specials on steak and eggs as well. The steak is actually decent, and very worth the money coming with hashbrowns, two eggs and pancakes. A carafe of OJ will cost you about 5 bucks. Be sure to get your money's worth and ask for the free LA Times with each entree! Great atmosphere for people watching, or pretending you are in a scene from Ghost World or Eternal Sunshine or Go or any of the hundreds of movies featuring a seedy diner.

Dude, I am so jealous of Melissa's food experiences. Take me to Cheeseboard, girl! Also, we have a date for Edoko if any of you would like to join us to try out the buffet.

Another week of restaurant eats for Lydia, but here are two "local" glimpses into my food week.

Grabbed dinner at Cafe Sorrento, a small restaurant across the street from Thai House on Channing and Telegraph. I've heard not to get the pasta there, but the salads are better than average and moderately priced. Get the Chinese chicken salad ($4.75ish), which comes with a copious bed of lettuce topped with mandarin oranges, shredded chicken, and pasta. Ask for the dressing on the side. There are other varieties of salad, including ones with tomatoes and avocado. Also available are the aforementioned pasta and sandwitches. It's a very non-descript little place- great for having good conversation.

For you late night partiers with a designated driver, try Daimo, a Chinese restaurant located by Ranch 99. Local: take University to San Pablo, right on San Pablo until Center where you take a left. Highway: 80 East- Exit Center. Open until 3 AM, Daimo offers affordable noodle soup and congee, as well as family-style dishes. John and I shared a plate of highly-recommended Malaysian Chow Fun (thick noodles, shrimp, pork and curry sauce.) for $8 (yum), fried calamari (too salty) for $10 and half a roast duck (don't know how much that cost). Service is sparse, but quick. Prices for non-noodle soup dishes are a little steep, but it is one of the few restaurants that are open past midnight for your late night cravings. It is quite a drive away, however, but can accomodate large after-event groups.

well, i just got back from superb's bear's lair show with the velvet teen, and this show rocked!

and i just finished enjoying a fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato- foccacia sandwich from yali's cafe on oxford, across from GPB (think north-west side of campus, near west circle) under the berkeleyan building. this cafe kicks ass. open everyday, they have the probably the best almond latte (my favorite) that i've had in berkeley. well, they have the standard cafe menu but they do boast a wide array of fresh scones, croissants, tortes, cookies, etc every morning that look soo delicious.

onto the sandwich items. they have chicken salad, tuna salad, my favorite mozzarella, turkey, roast beef, on a selection of breads- baguettes, foccacia, white/wheat. most sandwiches range from $4.95 to $5.75. they come with a mini salad served with a garlic, balsamic vinagrette. i must say the mozzarella is so satisfying. fresh crisp basil, freshly sliced tomatoes, and light and airy fresh mozzarella (emphasis on fresh) on herbed focaccia, you can't get any better than that my friends. you can get the combo deals (1/2 serving of two selections: soup, salad, sandwich) for an affordable $5.

the cafe is always buzzing with people and has an adequate amount of chairs/tables for students to utilize.

oh and they have internet hookups as well!

alright kids, the weather has been so incredibly beautiful and odd at the same time. to celebrate, treat yourself to a limonada and slice of cheeseboard pizza (it's truly the ultimate in the high class pizza experience) soon! (north shattuck, across from chez panisse).

life is a matter of taste.

til next time,
melissa joy

for you organic food lovers (or not): you must try Razan's Organic Kitchen located next to California Theatre on Kittredge. I live right by the place and I had not tried it until last night. Tuned in concerning the great benefits (health and ethical) of eating organic meat by my friend eric, I found myself quite excited to try out their menu.

last night, i ordered the grilled chicken burrito (wheat tortilla)- organic chicken, organic rice, organic beans, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. i must say, it was DELICIOUS. the quality of the meat was much better than any chicken burrito you could get at other burrito places around here. there was a perfect proportion of beans to rice to cheese, ets. however, be warned, because everything is organic, the prices are a bit higher than the average la burrita deal. i paid $6 for the chicken burrito. tonight, i went back to Razan's with eric and ordered the garden burrito- grilled veggies, basil, spinach, organic rice, beans, salsa. it was quite tasty as well, setting me back about $5.50. Also on the menu are some international wraps, as well as a side menu of falafel, fries, pita, and some tasty lookin smoothies ($3.75). oh and my friend recommends the raspberry-ginger ale with your meal.

the place is tiny with a few two-seater tables inside and out, colorful walls, with a view of touchless carwash and all the people waiting out of Great China. I'll save that review for later!

expand your experience with organic; your mouth and the environment will thank you!

cheers,
melissa joy

With the weekend comes a plethora of oppourtunities to eat outside the home- I ate out every meal this weekend. Placed the earned my patronage included Sufficient Grounds (Across from Unit 3 on Durant), Steve's Korean BBQ (Durant Food Court), Yogurt Park (Across from Sufficient Grounds) and a new place I will highlight in this entry.

So my friend John and I started a very complicated quest for lunch this Sunday. Neither of us having eaten all day, he first suggests that we meet at Cafe Intermezzo (Dwight and Telegraph). However, like on most days at lunch, Intermezzo's line runs out the door and around the corner. So we hop in my car and head down University to look for Adoko (University and Sacramento-ish), which is an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant, which we find out is not open for lunch on Sundays, though it is every other day for a solid price of $10 or less. Since we are headed to the Fourth Street shopping area of Berkeley, we decide to just eat there- but we remembered the pricey selection from our last trip. At San Pablo and University, John suggested two nearby eateries that both sounded delicious. Everett and Jones BBQ has a little hole in the wall stand on San Pablo, turning right from University headed west. We go there first and discover that the line is atrociously long, with people looking like they've been waiting around for ages. So we book it and head across the street to the other side of University and the Cheesesteak Shop, a place praised by John's frat brothers.

I must admit I'm not a fan of the cheesesteak sandwich. I simply don't get it. Beef sauted with cheese, add pepers and onions. All the ones I've tried before (IB Hoagie, Steak Escape) have left me with a meh opinion of the menu item. However, the Cheesesteak Shop changed my conception of this food from Philidelphia. With 10+ varieties of cheesesteak (garlic, mushroom, pepperoni, bbq, bacon- to name some) and an equivalent chicken menu, the menu at the Shop can't be beat. Also available are a few regular sandwitches (vegetarian, italian), fries, onion rings and the like. I tried the original cheesesteak sandwich with fries and a medium drink for about 5.50 (with a Cal Student ID discount- show it to them at the register). The cheese was perfectly melted and there was an ample amount of beef. The sandwitch comes topped with green pepers and spicy red peppers, for a spicy and sweet mixture. Now, be aware that a 7 inch sandwitch is deceptively small, so order up if you are especialy hungry. The fries are made to order, good and served piping hot. There was no line when we got there, but soon people started showing up. Take advantage of the frecuent customer card and get free stuff. Another cute aspect of the little storefront is that they have the days sports page tacked up by the counter so you can eat and catch up on Cal basketball's dismal road record.

The CheeseSteak Shop definetely opened my eyes to the delicacy that is appreciated by frat guys the world over. While I still may never crave one of these things, I know where to go in case I ever do.

On a non-food note, but equally important- the North Face Outlet at Gilman and Fifth St. is having a MASSIVE sale. It's too late for you little girls (there were NO ladies smalls left when I went), but men's fleece and jackets are 50% already reduced prices. There are sleeping bags, backpacks, shoes and casual clothing at 30%-50% of too. I wish I could justify purchace of a new backpack.

dude... you're so right lydia. garlic rocks. the best way to eat garlic.... ROASTED. it's like butter. i grossed my friend charlotte out when i ate four cloves of roasted garlic by itself off her bread from gypsy's. i'm telling you, it's the best stuff ever. AND i hear it helps lower cholesterol, thereby preventing heart disease =)

here's how you do roast garlic:
cut the top off a whole head of garlic. then drizzle some good olive/vegetable oil on it, sprinkle a bit of salt/pepper as well. wrap the head of garlic in foil, making a little pouch. pop the pouch right into the oven at about 350 degrees for a good hour to hour and a half. roast until the garlic looks carmelized/ light brown/ and almost as soft as room-temperature butter. you'll be able to pop the cloves right out of their skin once it's ready. i'm telling you, you'll fall in love. it's GREAT in mashed potatoes or just spread on bread.

melissa's berkeley food insight: La Note on Shattuck. a quaint and charming french restaurant. as recommended my dear friend ramona, try the brioche (french toast) for breakfast along with the best hot chocolate in berkeley (total about $10). it gets quite busy during the breakfast hours on the weekends, but it's definitely worth the wait. check it out soon!

You know what was missing from my linguine and clams? Well, for one, linguine. But the most important thing was: GARLIC! I heart garlic.

With no food in her apartment, Lydia eats out at least one meal per day. Today's food experience was lunch at Le Cheval on Bancroft and Bowditch. An airy space hidden behind the YWCA, La Cheval offers a 3-item lunch buffet for $5 (tax included). I had the curry chicken, the lemongrass chicken and the green beans, but they have a lot of other dishes offered including eggplant dishes, spicy tofu and a plethora of chicken. The curry chicken was mediocre, but the green beans and the lemongrass chicken more than made up for that choice- the green beans were crisp and lemongrass chicken was sauted with onion. The three selections come with a large scoop of rice; a drink is another dollar with free refills. This was actually my first time at Le Chaval for lunch and I have to say that I am very impressed with the amount of food you get for the price as well as the spacious dining area. $5 even for a very full stomach is a good deal indeed. Entrance is on Bowditch facing Urban Outfitters.

Pho Hoa IS good, for those of you who've never been. It is a chain, though, with stores all across California and the Pacific Northwest.

Also on Shattuck is High Tech Burrito, which is also a chain. See a pattern running in the Downtown district? High Tech offers your basic burrito (chicken, steak, etc) for around 5-6 bucks. For a little more, you can get special ones that involve seafood or mango chutney and exotic things like that. I had the steak burrito with a spinach tortilla, black beans and extra cilantro. Honestly, I wouldn't eat at this place if it wasn't a 30 second walk from my apartment. They don't serve chips with their burritos and the burritos themselves are super dry. Its hardly worth the money, especially in a 100 burrito town like Berkeley. Could there BE any more burrito places? Everyone has thier favorite, and mine is La Cascada on Center right by the Starbucks. Carol and I frequent that place MUCHO and thier chicken burrito is to DIE for, as is the tomatillo sauce they put in. They make everything fresh and have a nice selection of salsa as well. I've also tried the nachos (HUGE) and the tacos (BIG), both of which are delicious as well. The workers are very nice and like Carol, so I benifit by association. If you're on Center, try it out.

ahh, thanks lydia for that riveting review!

today's food experience:

Pho Hoa on Shattuck. the vietnamese noodle soup was just calling my name today. i had a small chicken bowl at $5.55. other dishes, like seafood pho or the tantalizing beef trip and tendons (mmmmmm....) will set you back about $6.50. honestly, i haven't had too many pho experiences, but this is the third time i've gone to pho hoa and it's not bad at all! there are always a good amount of people eating there, so they must be doing something right. service is fast, the restaurant is clean, and the hoisen and chili sauce are free flowin. if you're craving soup on a cold night, check out pho hoa!

i think i'm craving some naia gelato now (formerly known as mondo gelato); if you go, i recommend their tiramisu, ferrero roche, or the cranberry mueli! manigifico!

life is a matter of taste.

cheers,
melissa joy

Never order the fish ball soup at the Old Teahouse. Some of thier food is adequate, but that dish is horrific. $4.50 for that?! However, the black milk tea with egg pudding was solid as usual- a very filling drink. Try it today if you've never had pudding in your milk tea.

However, in the past, the Old Teahouse has provided good food with filling quantity at moderate prices. I recommend the seafood udon as well as the singapore style chow mein, both for around $5.50. Apparently, baked dishes are huge down in SoCal, but they kinda freak me out. Why is there cheese in there?! But apparently those are good as well. Lots of selection, all for around 5-7 bucks, and you get a pretty chill atmosphere with the chinese music videos that always provide good conversation fodder.

It's also open until 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays. Smart move, Chinese people.

hello world as well (esp. you berkeley folk),

thanks to lydia's insight, you all are going to get to enjoy some "fresh" restaurant reviews from us and whoever else would like to join us.

berkeley and the bay area is a food mecca, to all you who don't realize yet.

this week's recommendation:

thai temple @ russell and mlk. every sunday morning from 9 to about 1, the people and monks of this buddhist temple prepare an array of authentic thai food for everyone in the community to enjoy.

it's a token system- $1/1 token. you can use the tokens to buy a variety of thai dishes at various stations: papaya salad ($4), curries ($4), pad thai, noodle soups, desserts (fried taro/coconut), chicken wraps, fried chick, and the MUST have mango over sticky rice and coconut milk ($4).

the great thing about this is the fact that it is a true community event- all people, young and old, from all over the place, coming together for the love of thai food.

come for the food, stay for the atmosphere!

til next time,
melissa joy

life is a matter of taste

Hey world!!

First, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Melissa, who's profile updates about food inspired this little site to begin with. Secondly, I'd like to welcome all food lovers out there in Berkeley and/or the Bay Area.

So I made my own dinner tonight. I tried to make linguine and clams with red sauce. It turned out alright...but I think I lack the right seasoning. Too much basil. Not enough oomph.

Lesson: Lydia shouldn't try this at home.