Kong Tofu & BBQ

Kong Tofu & BBQ is located at 19626 Stevens Creek Blvd in Cupertino.

Banchans served with your meal--my favorites are the chap chae, seaweed and fish cake. My husband loved the spicy potatoes.

Soft Tofu Stew with Clams--$11.99. I order mine mild, which is spicy enough for me. I forgot to ask for no green onions but they were easy to pick out. I love this dish. The tofu is so soft and the clams give it just the right amount of flavor. I tried the vegetable tofu once and it wasn't the same. You really need the clams to flavor the broth.

My husband got the Bibimbap with Spicy Pork--$13.99. He liked it but I still like my tofu stew better. The bibimbap has vegetables and a spicy bean sauce. Mix everything up--the hot stone pot gives the rice a crunchy texture.

Beef Shortrib--$14.99 at lunch (smaller portion than the dinner portion for $19.99). This was delicious. It had a nice sweet marinade.

2017 08 12

Baan Thai Restaurant

My favorite place to eat when I get back into town is Kaede Sushi. Unfortunately, they're closed on Sundays.

Nearby is  Baan Thai Restaurant and we thought we would give it a try. It's located at 424 Larkfield Center in Santa Rosa.

Fried Tofu with 2 Sauces--peanut & chili--$7.95. The tofu was crispy on the outside yet still soft on the inside. The chili sauce was a nice blend of sweet and hot. The peanut sauce was okay--needed a little more flavor. The accompanying salad had dirt on some of the leaves.

Shrimp Pad Thai--$11.95. The noodles were nice and chewy and the dish had good flavor. Again, the lettuce had dirt.

Chicken Yellow Curry--$9.95. Potato, tomato, onion, coconut milk and a few pieces of chicken. This had absolutely no flavor even though we ordered it medium spicy. This was the most disappointing curry I have ever had.

We probably won't be back to try this restaurant again. The dirt on the lettuce was really not appetizing.



2017 08 06

Carl's Junior

My favorite fast food snack is the fried zucchini at Carl's Junior. The zucchini is tender, the coating is flavorful and the Ranch dressing is perfect as a dip.

2017 08 06

Carnitas El Rey

One of the highest rated places in Oxnard is Carnitas El Rey. It's located at 125 E. 5th Street.

They only sell one thing--carnitas. If you eat onsite, you can get pico de gallo & salsas for free. If you take it to go, a tiny container of salsas is $0.99.

Carnitas taco--$2.50. This is a huge portion--my guess is 1/4 lb. The carnitas is so tender and juicy.

2017 08 05

Moqueca

My favorite place to eat in Oxnard is Moqueca, a Brazilian restaurant located at 3550 S. Harbor Blvd, Suite #201.

Bread & Tapenade--$3. This is complimentary at dinner but there is a charge for it at lunch. The tapenade was delicious--nice taste of olive without being too salty.

I always get the Shellfish Combo Moquequinha--$13. Onions, tomatoes, olive oil, cilantro, urucum essence and coconut milk cooked with shellfish in a clay pot and served with rice. This is so delicious. Great flavor with cilantro and urucum and not spicy.

2017 08

Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach

From Bakersfield, we drove to Oxnard. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on Mandalay Beach. It's a great location for family reunions--2 room suites with 2 bathrooms, free breakfast (served 6:30-10am) and happy hour (served 5:30-7:30pm) daily, great pool area and it's located on the beach.

You can get a king suite or 2-queen suite.

Main bathroom with 2 sinks, bathtub/shower combo and a toilet in its own room.

Refrigerator, sink, coffee maker and microwave oven in the living room area. There is a pull-out sofa bed so you can accommodate 2 more people.

2nd bathroom with 1 sink, toilet and shower.

It's right on the beach.

Ocean view room in Building 7.

We enjoyed our breakfast on the balcony. You can get made-to-order omelette or scramble.

2017 08 04

Country Kitchen

My husband was in search of a restaurant in Oildale where he remembered getting huge plates of biscuits & gravy. He found it at Country Kitchen, located at 813 N. Chester Ave.

Look at the size of the biscuit & gravy. Two biscuits for $3.99. This is filling enough for 2 people. The biscuit is light & fluffy. There's no sausage in the gravy but it was still tasty.

Side of Corned Beef Hash--$3.99. Another huge portion. The hash was nicely fried--crispy without being burnt.

2017 08

Woolgrowers Restaurant

When in Bakersfield, you have to try basque food. If you've been to the basque region in Spain & France, this is like nothing you'll see there.

I normally go to Noriega's, where you sit at long tables and eat family style with total strangers. It was closed during my visit so we went to WoolGrowers. At WoolGrowers, you're still served family style but only with your party. It's located at 620 East 19th Street. 

You get a "set up"--bread, vegetable soup, beans, salsa, tomato salad, green salad, pickled tongue, vegetable of the day, French fries and spaghetti. It comes with all entrees. If you only want the set-up, it's $16. My favorite part is the pickled tongue. At Woolgrowers, if you want more tongue, it's $5 for a small plate and $7 for a large plate. At Noriega's, there's no extra charge for extra tongue.

I ordered the filet of sole with lemon butter sauce for my entree--$22 (basically, $6 for the sole because the price includes the set up). I was surprised to find it fried but it was still moist.

2017 08 03

Dewar's Fine Candies

Another Bakersfield favorite is Dewar's Candies. There are 3 locations in Bakersfield: 1120 Eye Street in downtown, 2700 Calloway Drive in the Northwest and a drive-thru at 11320 Ming Ave. They also have a location at the Outlet at Tejon.

The Eye Street location is the original location and there is a soda fountain onsite.

My favorite Dewar's are the almond, peanut butter and pistachio chews. It's a taffy but not like any other taffy you may have tasted. There's a great band of nuts in the center and the chews are soft and not sticky. $16.99/lb.

2017 08 03

Luigi's

Whenever I pass through Bakersfield, there are a few iconic places I visit. One is Luigi's, located at 725 E. 19th Street.

Tongue for One--$3.50. I loved pickled tongue. The thinly sliced beef tongue is nicely marinated in an Italian dressing.

Antipasti of soft or hard roll, salami, cheese, pepperoncini & marinated carrot. This is served with each pasta entree. I like the soft rolls--great to sop up the dressing on the pickled tongue.

Beef Ravioli with Meat Sauce--$13.95 for large portion. I add a sausage for $2.95. I love the ravioli. The meat sauce is a little oily but full of flavor. I ask for no cheese on my pasta--the cheese comes from a green can. The sausage is lean and delicious.

Special Sandwich of the Day--Pork Tenderloin--$9.95. The pork was moist.

Butterfinger Pie with Biscotti Cookie Crust--$4.75. How can you go wrong with butterfingers.

2017 08

Goodlife Cafe & Bakery

In Mendocino, one of the better breakfast spots is Goodlife Cafe & Bakery, located at 10483 Lansing Street, near the Harvest Market.

Order at the counter. You can get quiche, breakfast burritos and pastries. I like the Nectarine Cheese Danish--$4. It was a huge danish and filling enough.

2017 07 29

Tri Tip Trolley

Had another work event that was catered by Tri Tip Trolley.

They cater from a trolley and set up a menu.

I had the Susie's Salad--$9. It was a wedge salad with Gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes, onion and bacon with their house vinaigrette. I added tri tip for $4. Their tri tip is so juicy and flavorful.

Another of my favorites are the Shishito Peppers--$7. They were grilled and served with chipotle sauce. The peppers are not too spicy which make them so easy to eat.

2017 07 23

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Our final show of the 2016-2017 SHN season was "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." This was a very techno show and unique.

I did not get tickets for the next season. My biggest complaint is the neighborhoods where the Orpheum and Golden Gate Theatre are located. It's turned into such a homeless encampment.

2017 07 22

Lers Ros, San Francisco

Before our final show of the 2016-2017 SHN season, we had dinner at Lers Ros, located at 730 Larkin Street.

Vegetable Fried Rolls served with Sweet Chili Sauce--$9.95. The rolls were crispy and the sauce was sweet with a hint of spiciness.

Som Tom Koong Yang--$12.95. Shredded green papaya salad with chili, tomatoes, lime based salad dressing and grilled prawns. This was a small portion and was very spicy. It came with a chunk of cabbage. Not sure how to eat the cabbage because there was no knife and it was too big a chunk to pick up and gnaw a piece off.

Kang Karee Pak--$13.95. Yellow curry with potato, yellow onion, vegetables and tofu. This was just okay--taste was boring.

Garlic & Ginger Rice with Steamed Chicken, served with Soybean Paste Sauce and Clear Soup--$13.95. This was moist and similar to the Hainan chicken we had in Portland but the one in Portland had a tastier sauce. 

Pad Thai--$12.95. Thai style pan-fried rice noodles, prawns, served with crushed peanuts. Again, not big portion but tasty.

Fried Tilapia with house chili based sauce--$20.95. $2 extra because we asked for it to be de-boned. The fish was a little over fried but the chili sauce was good.

2017 07 22

Blue Heron Restaurant & Tavern

On the way back from Bodega Bay, we searched for a place to have dinner. There were quite a few cars at Blue Heron in Duncan Mills so we decided to give it a try. Turns out, we were the only ones in the restaurant. Everyone else was in the tavern.

Cod & Chips--$14. This was served with fries and coleslaw. These were huge chunks of fish and were actually quite good. The fries were perfectly crisp yet still moist in the inside. Great value.

Seafood Fettuccine, served with a small house salad--$22. Shrimp, scallops, salmon & mussels in a creamy sherry sauce topped with Asiago cheese. There was a lot of seafood in this dish. The pasta would have been better had it been boiled in salted water. It had no taste and even with the addition of salt, it still didn't have much taste. The sauce didn't have much sherry and tasted more like Alfredo sauce. I agree with the Italians that cheese and seafood don't mix so I didn't like this dish. Too much dairy in the dish. 

2017 07 11

Lily's, Mount Shasta

In Mount Shasta, we had dinner at Lily's.

It's located at 1013 S. Mt. Shasta Blvd.

The rolls were warm.

Special appetizer--Deep Fried Softshell Crab--$13. This was too fishy.

Castroville Artichoke with Smoked Aioli--$13. This was a big artichoke but it was still hard to justify the $13 price tag.

Skirt Steak Chimichurri, Wedge Potatoes, Avocado Salad--$26. The steak was tough, even though it was rare.

Cabernet Braised Beef Shortribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables--$27. I didn't get to try this but my friend liked it. It was tender.

Pork Belly Bao Sliders with Cucumber, Cilantro & Peanut Honey Hoisin--$15. This wasn't a big portion but good enough if you have a small appetite.

Special Dessert--Apfelkucherl--$11. German apple pancakes with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. The apple pancakes and ice cream were good. The whipped cream wasn't freshly whipped though.

2017 06 25