Burmese Bistro

Another of my favorite ethnic cuisine is Burmese. I found Burmese Bistro at 2135 El Camino Real in Santa Clara.

Palata & Dip (Coconut Chicken Curry Sauce)--$6. This was just okay. The palata didn't have many layers and the curry sauce was bland. I like the one at Layang Layang better.

Yellow Pea Fritter--$6. I had ordered Tofu Fritter but the server wrote down Yellow Pea Fritter. This was a hard fritter that was flavorless. The sauce helped but I wouldn't order this again.

Tea Leaf Salad--$10. Pickled tea leaves (simmered in peanut oil) on a bed of Romaine, tomato with toasted garlic, crispy yellow bean, roasted sesame seeds and peanuts, squeeze of lemon.

The server tosses the salad at the table and this is what it looks like after tossing. The salad has great flavor and tastes like nothing else I have eaten. It has a nice crunch with all the ingredients.

Fish Noodle Soup--$9. Fish simmered with lemongrass, garlic, onion, ginger, yellow pea topped with bean fritter and thin rice noodles. Egg, lemon, cilantro and chili powder included. This also had a nice flavor.

Burmese Style Chicken Biryani--$13. Braised chicken breast and leg buried in a big pot baked with biryani rice, raisins and cashew nuts. I also liked this dish.

2016 01 09

Kong Tofu

It's been a while since I've had Korean tofu. Kong Tofu in Cupertino is still my favorite. It's located at  
19626 Stevens Creek Blvd.

Banchan served with your meal. My favorites are the Chap Chae (glass noodles), tofu and seaweed. Other banchans included potatoes, kimchee and bean sprouts. You can get as much as you'd like.

I always get the Clam Tofu Stew--$11.99. I order mine mild but it's still a little spicy. You can also have it Xtra Spicy, Spicy, Medium, Very Mild or White. You can crack a raw egg into the stew when it arrives. The egg cooks in the hot broth and I can't distinguish it from the tofu because it's so soft.

2015 12 24

Carmen's Burger Bar

Right before Christmas, we walked in the McDonald neighborhood in Santa Rosa to check out the lights. After our walk, we stopped at Carmen's Burger Bar to have dinner. It's located at 1612 Terrace Way

Carmen's Burger with Grilled Onions, Mushroom, Bacon & Jack--$9.25. Onion Rings substituted for French Fries.

Lamb Burger--$10.50. I love the Ciabatta bun.

Carmen's Burger Bar serves wine & cocktails, in addition to beer.



2015 12 23

Lucy's Lounge & Grill

We were driving home from Albion one weekend when Hwy 128 was closed because of flooding. We had to drive all the way down Hwy 1 to Jenner and take Hwy 116. We found Lucy's Lounge & Grill at 20391 Hwy 116 in Monte Rio.

Biscuits & Gravy--$6.95. This was a huge portion. The biscuits were good but I would have liked more sausage in the gravy.

Large Stack of Pancakes--$5.25. These buttermilk pancakes were light and fluffy.

Lucy's Favorite--$10.95. Ribeye steak, two eggs, hash brown and toast. This was a Sunday special and I couldn't believe the portion size, especially given the price. The steak wasn't bad either.

2015 12 20

Thursday Night Dinner

Here's this week's Thursday Night Dinner at Flavor Bistro in downtown Santa Rosa. Four courses with four wine pairings for $24.99.

Bruschetta Con Mousse D'Anatra--Topped with Duck Mousse, Grilled Endive & Balsamic Glaze, paired with Donelli Lambrusco 1915 Reggiano D.O.C., Italy. This was a new dish. It worked well with the Lambrusco.

Quaglia Arrosto--Pan Roasted Quail Served with Lentils, Sausage, Escarole & Homemade Petite Gnocchi in Sugo D'Erbe, paired with 2013 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel, Sonoma

Bistecca Ai Ferri--Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak Garnished with Organic Fingerling Potatoes, Ragoût of Winter Green Garlic, Mushrooms, Sweet Peas & Carrots Served in Barolo Wine Sauce, paired with 2012 St. Francis Winery & Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma

Tiramisù E Tartufi Di Cioccolato--Espresso Lady Fingers Layered with Rum Flavored Mascarpone Cream Garnished with Homemade Chocolate Truffles, paired with 2012 Bonterra Vineyards Late Harvest Muscat, Bartolucci Vineyard (Organic), Lake County

2016 02 04

The Noodle Man

We found another Chinese place for lunch--The Noodle Man, located at 6870 S Rainbow Blvd #101.

Stir-fried black fungus--$3. This was a special for the day. The fungus was a little overcooked. It shouldn't be soft.

Mongolian Beef Pancake--$5. This was delicious. Nice and juicy inside with crispy skin.

Fried Dumpling--$6. We tried both the pork with leek and chicken with mushroom. I liked the chicken with mushroom but my sister liked the pork with leek.

The boys wanted plain stir-fried noodles, which we had to special order. This was actually pretty flavorful and cost $8.

Lan Zhou Beef Noodle Soup--$8. I was not impressed. 

Homemade Zha Jiang Noodle--$8. This is black bean ground pork sauce with noodles, bamboo shoot, dry tofu, cucumber, carrot and bean sprouts. This was okay.

2015 10 19

Beatles Love

We had kids with us so we had to choose a show that was kid-friendly. We thought the Cirque du Soleil "Love" show would work and we were right. The kids loved it.

Love is playing at the Mirage.

The Beatles music, of course, is great and the show is 90 minutes of very energetic acrobatics and rollerskating. Show time is 7 pm and 9:30 pm. I don't think there'a a bad seat in the house. The audience surrounds the stage. We sat in Section 207, Row N and had a great view. 

2015 10 18