Little India Cafe

I was in the south bay and had a craving for Indian food. I turned to Yelp and found Little India Cafe. Since my husband was working late, I ended up getting take-out.

Little India Cafe is located at 415 N. Mary Ave, Suite 101 in Sunnyvale.

We tried:

Chicken Biryani--$8.99. This had good flavor but the chicken pieces were too large.

Butter Chicken--$7.99. I ordered it medium but I think they made an error. There was no spice in this. It had good flavor though.

Saagwala Lamb--$9.49. I ordered this mild but it was spicy. I liked the spinach but the lamb pieces were tough.

Naan--$0.99 each. Loved these. Large portions and just slightly chewy.



2016 03 26

MaMa Chen's Kitchen

I've only been to MaMa Chen's Kitchen once and I didn't care for it. Meanwhile, it's gotten pretty good reviews so I thought I would try it again.

MaMa Chen's Kitchen is located at 19052 Stevens Creek Blvd in Cupertino and specializes in Taiwanese cuisine. I liked it a little better than last time but I won't go out of my way to eat there.

Spicy Pig Ear--$5. I love pig's ear but this was too sweet. The texture was good though.

Oyster Pancake--$6.50. This was actually pretty good. The only problem is that oysters in the US are so much larger than those in Taiwan. The dish is much better with tiny oysters.

Sauteed Pork Kidney with Sesame Oil--$13. The kidney was well cooked but the knife skills on this dish needed improvement. The kidney slices were huge and irregular.

Squid Potage Noodle--$6.75. I did not care for this at all. The soup was too thick and too sweet. There was no flavor and the noodles were too thick.

Beef Chow Fun--$8.25. This was not bad. It was a tad sweet though.

Glutinous Rice--$4. 

2016 03 26

Equus Steakhouse

The next night, I attended a Retirement Party at Equus Steakhouse. It's located at 101 Fountaingrove Parkway in the Fountaingrove Inn. We were in the room to the right when you walk into the restaurant. We had a group of 75 but the room could probably accommodate 100 people.

The salad was a green salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and a lemon vinaigrette. I had pan-seared Atlantic salmon with roasted grape champagne sauce and toasted almonds for an entree and it was delicious! I was pleasantly surprised. Dessert was Lemon Mousse Cake.



2016 03 24

Willi's Wine Bar

I went to Willi's Wine Bar for a work event and didn't take pictures. It's a Stark Restaurant, located at 4404 Old Redwood Highway in Santa Rosa. Unlike other Stark restaurants, Willi's does not have a Happy Hour.

We had:

Ahi Tuna Tartare with Lemon, Shiso and Pine Nuts--$13. The ahi was fresh and there was good flavor but there wasn't much Shiso. I might order this again.

Monterey Calamari Salad a La Plancha, Sweet Pepper Piperade, Chorizo, Aji Amarillo Vinaigrette--$12. This was in quite a bit of oil. I wouldn't order this again.

Warm Skillet Bread, Melted Gruyere, Sea Salt, Green Olive Tapenade--$6. This was the best thing we had. The cheese on the bread was delicious and I loved the tapenade. I would definitely order this again.

Cauliflower Soup Shooters, Truffled Pimenta Grilled Cheese--$9. There were 2 shooters and 2 tiny sandwiches. The soup didn't have much flavor and there was too much cream in it. I didn't get a chance to try the sandwiches.

Arugula & Endive Salad, Avocado, Manchego Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Meyer Lemon Truffle Vinaigrette--$9. This was okay.

Warm Spinach Salad, Goat Cheese, Dates, Cracked Almonds, Pancetta Vinaigrette--$10. I liked this salad better than the arugula salad and would order it again.

Willi's Truffled French Fries with Truffle Aioli--$9. This was okay--not enough truffle flavor. I wouldn't order this again.

Lamb Tartare with Vadouvan Aioli, Preserved Lemon, Mint, Pinenuts & Harissa Olive Oil--$13.  This was served on baguette toast slices and had good flavor.

Liberty Farms Pulled Duck BBQ, White Cheddar Polenta--$11. This was okay.

Crispy Pork Riblets, Pomegranate BBQ, Thai Basil, Pinenuts--$12.50. This was way too salty and too greasy. I wouldn't order this again.

Filet Mignon Sliders, Creamed Spinach, Whole Grain Mustard Bernaise--$16. There were 2 sliders per order. Not worth $16.

I had a flight of Zinfandel--three 2-oz pours for $17. The Zins came from Watkins Family, Taylor Mountain (2012), Benovia, Sonoma County (2013), Gamba, "Starr Road Ranch" Russian River (2012). I didn't like any of these zinfandels. I like my zinfandels jammy with a spicy undertone. Maybe, I didn't care for most of the dishes because my wine didn't pair well with the dishes.



2016 03 23

Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg is a city of 7000 and the largest on the Mendocino coast. It was founded as a military garrison before the Civil War. During its heyday, it was a lumber town but the mill was shut down in 2002. Commercial fishing plays a role in its economy now.

Town clock.

Guest House Museum. It served as the Fort Bragg Redwood Company's home for senior officials and VIP guests. The home was donated to the city of Fort Bragg in the 1990s and serves a museum today.

Nearby is the largest redwood in Mendocino county. It lived for over 1700 years--it started as a seedling in 190 and was cut down in 1943.

You can also catch the Skunk Train in Fort Bragg. It used to travel all the way to Willits but Tunnel #1 was damaged so leaving Fort Bragg, you can go only as far as Pudding Creek.

Visiting downtown Fort Bragg is like stepping back in town. There is still a functioning Sears store.

2016 03 19

Fort Bragg Whale Festival & Chowder Tasting

Two weekends ago, Mendocino had a whale festival and chowder tasting. This last weekend was Fort Bragg's turn.

The chowder tasting was $10 with a $1.34 convenience fee on Brown Ticket. Having a pre-purchased ticket allowed us to skip the line and go straight to Will Call. We got out wrist band before it opened at 11 am and stood in the line to get in.

In Mendocino, there were 7 clam chowders to taste. Fort Bragg only had 6 chowders and 2 of them were the same as in Mendocino--North Coast Brewing and Harvest Market. My favorite was Angelina's. The chowder was thick and creamy, the potatoes were cooked through and it was full of clams. I also liked Point Noyo Restaurant & Bar. I did not like Cucina Verona. It had an off taste and my husband nearly broke a tooth on a piece of shell.

2016 03 19

Wednesday Night Dinner

This week's Wednesday night dinner was pork chops. Fabulous, as usual.

Farmhouse Soup--Tomato. This was delicious. I could have made an meal with just the soup.

Organic Green Salad

Spice-Brined Grilled Pork Chops with Sun-Dried Fruit Compote, Creamy Spinach with Homemade Sausage, Blue Lake Beans & Whipped Potatoes. I don't like Peter Rabbit's Favorites so they weren't included on my plate.

Homemade Bread & Butter

Chocolate Foldovers with Whipped Cream

2016 03 16