Taste is finally here!

Taste of the Himalayas in Sausalito opened just last Friday for dinner after much anticipation. I've been watching the build out closely and looking forward to having food from the Himalayas so close and available!  I had some correspondence with one of the owners, Pemba, wanting to know the moment the new place would be open!  Some of the correspondence happened on their convenient Facebook page where they showed the progress towards completing the build out and opening.  I've also been following the progress on Twitter. And I wrote about the opening in last week's Bread and Butter.

I was happy to finally meet Pemba and his sister Dawa in person this evening when I stopped by for my first dinner at Taste of the Himalayas.

And how is the food?  Well see what I had!

This appetizer is called Pani Puri ($6). I was so excited to find a new taste treat!  I had never heard of this Nepali street food which is described as semolina puffs stuffed with fork crushed spiced chick peas and potatoes, and chilled masala infused pani.  The small white decanter in the photo above holds what looks like water, but it is a watery topping which contains black salt, which I was told is very good for your body.  All this and a delicious light bite too.

For my main course I tried the Alu Bhanta ($10), which is potato and eggplant curry which comes with a side of the lightest saffron basmati rice.  I had it spiced medium and the spicing was just perfect for my taste. Usually I eat the items in the curry with the sauce on the items, but do not eat much of the curry sauce itself with these type of curry dishes.  I scraped every drop of this curry sauce out of the bowl, it was just too luscious to leave any.

I asked which of the desserts was the most Himalayan as the restaurant draws its offerings from Nepali, Tibetian and Indian foods, and I was told the Ju ju Dabi ($5) would be it.  Pemba sent me out one as a treat, and it wowed me.  It is described on the menu as saffron infused sweet creamy yogurt in a raw clay pot.  Dawa told me that she had brought back the authentic clay pots from Nepal.  The pot was so cute!  She said that the raw clay pot was used because it is absorbent and that it drew out the watery liquid of the yogurt, making the texture creamier and thicker.  There were pistachios scattered on the top, and the wax paper covering was artfully scrolled part way back.  It has a satisfying sweet yet tart taste, and reminded me of a bit thicker Greek yogurt.

The space is also simple yet elegant and I understand that they are starting with a simple menu and will be expanding and exploring new menu items as they ramp up over the next few weeks, including adding a vegetarian Momo (dumpling) next week. Other Himalayan genre restaurants I have been to tend to be a little more family style with less emphasis on presentation.  Sausalito's new Taste of the Himalayas chef shows much more attention to beautiful presentation which only enhances the experience.

Restaurant Inspection Results

The Taste of the Himalayas is too new to be listed and inspected at the time of post publication.

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Definite fusion

Craving one of those amazing Rose Lassi's, and having Avatar's within walking distance from my office, I found myself seated at Avatar's in Sausalito before evening thinking about it.

And here is my favorite Rose Lassi.

As soon as I placed my order, a fresh and crisp Pappadum showed up.

Then the pickles came with a bonus Chappati. The fragrance was amazing! It reminded me of the whole wheat bread my mother made with freshly ground flour (she loved grinding her own just before baking). My mother never made Chappati's but beyond the smell, the wholesome grain taste of the Chappti is something special.

I decided to go with an interesting fusion dish, the Punjabi Enchilada stuffed with curried sweet potato. It was an interesting medley which tantalized and pleased the taste buds. Be sure to tell your server what level of spicy hot you would like, foods here tend to be a little spicy. And Ashok, the owner, is very good about adjusting foods to your dietary requirements, such as gluten free, vegan, dairy free etc. Avatar's has good service and a unique fusion menu with many tasty things to try!

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 1
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 7/29/2009

Previously reviewed:
September 21, 2007
April 6, 2007
January 20, 2007

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

What's in a name?

According to The SF Chronicle, Fondue Fusion has become Ray's Hot Pot. This would have been a great place to go during the past cold spell!

I've been in the area, just in a bit of overwhelm between big projects at work, and the holiday season. I will be back as I can.

Matches the memories

I had a special reason to meet my friends Michael and Karen at Crustacean in San Francisco the other day. It was Michael's birthday! The request was to recommend a French/Vietnamese restaurant that was special. I remembered a number of happy meals at the Crustacean, and thought it also wasn't too far from the Orpheum, where Michael and Karen were going to see "Wicked" afterwards.

The neon crab on the building is actually a better beacon than the restaurant signage. An old friend of mine, Yves, dropped into town to say hi some years ago, and he was effusive in his praise of this restaurant and introduced me to it. I've been back many times since that first visit where I tasted their famous crab and garlic noodles.

We had a couple appetizers, the first which was the Steamed Seafood Dumplings. These were stuffed with black cod, prawn and eggplant. These were delicious!

We also tried an appetizer special that night, a Hot and Peppered Calamari dish. We thoroughly enjoyed these as well.

Karen had the special fish of the day, Basa, over garlic noodles. She was positive in her comments about this dish.

Michael insisted we each taste his Pan Roasted Halibut. It was wonderful! It was in a toasted sesame miso vinegrette with shitake and corn, accompanied by baby bok choy. This all was atop white cheddar Asian basil mashed potatoes. We all enjoyed our meal and the good atmosphere (not too noisy) where we could have a good dinner conversation. The service was attentive as well.

Note: My friend Zoomie pointed out that I hadn't included my dish! Here it is:

The Egg Noodles with Vegetables and Prawns was delightful! Plump shrimp with fresh vegetables and noodles - it's hard to beat!

New kid on the block

In the space that I believe last housed Mezzo Mezzo in San Rafael, a new place has opened, Savory Orient. I enjoyed lunch there a few days ago. The waiter told me that Savory Orient aims to bring us good tastes from many countries in Asia. The menu had things from Thailand, Japan, China and Malaysia that I could see immediately.

The lunch items come first with a salad. It was cool and fresh and served elegantly. In fact the whole space was quite elegant, and there was a big buddha sitting in the restaurant with us.

I loved the Fresh Spring Wraps which were indeed fresh and served artfully in a glass. There was a good amount of iceburg lettuce inside which gave it some extra snap.

I ordered off the specials menu for my entree, which was Drunken Noodles. The drunken noodles consisted of hokkien noodles with prawns, scallops, bok choy, red bell peppers, mushrooms, basil (tomatoes) in a spicy Thai basil sauce. I put tomatoes in () since these were listed on the menu, but not in the dish. This was a fusion dish with a very Thai flavored treatment of Chinese noodles. These egg noodles orginated in the Fujian Province of China and are popular in Singapore and Malaysia. These were served beautifully and spiced just right.

This is a place that emphasizes presentation and taste rather than family-sized large portions. The service was prompt and friendly.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 1

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 8/12/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Another fine catch

We had a little celebratory dinner with Glen and Jessica at Pacific Catch the other evening. Celebrating wellness after that bout with H1N1. Glen was instrumental in keeping things going during that period at the house and we wanted to thank him.

The usual table treats were brought over after we were seated.

Jessica chose an appetizer for her main, Seared Ahi Macadamia. The ahi was sprinkled with toasted macadamia nuts, and it was accompanied by a mango salad with Thai style citrus sauce. She said it was great!

I had the Tokyo Salmon, which was basically salmon fish & chips, which were hot and tasty. The fish was really meaty and solid. I opted for regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries.

Glen thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ Unagi (Japanese Eel) Wasabi Bowl. Along with the eel, a generously sized bowl of sushi rice was topped with wakame salad, avocado, daikon sprouts, cucumber, ginger, sesame seeds, shredded nori and soy-wasabi sauce.

Dad enjoyed his regular Fish & Chips with Sweet Potato Fries, cleaning up his whole plate and asking for dessert!

So I had the Mochi Fondue, with several flavors of mochi ice cream cut up and ready to dip in a fudgy chocolate sauce.

Jessica enjoyed a dainty single Mochi Ball, coffee flavored.

Dad went for broke with this special Dulce de Leche with ice cream special. I tried a bite, and it was special!

I'm not sure but that Glen chose the best, the Passion Mango Cheesecake. He said it was great, and it looked very densely delicious. The service was good, the food as well and we were happy.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 5/22/2009

Previously reviewed:
April 24, 2008
February 18, 2008
January 25, 2007

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Big box, good value

It's been awhile since I visited The Cheesecake Factory in Corte Madera. It's a big box corporate type place, however they've been in business 30 years for a reason. They provide consistently good food at a reasonable price, along with good service and nice ambiance. It's no wonder there is usually a line.

I had the 'lunch' sized Beer-Battered Fish & Chips. The Icelandic cod are hand battered on site, and it seemed like a dinner portion to me. I couldn't finish it. There were a lot fries and some tasty rainbow like cole slaw. With its extensive menu, The Cheesecake Factory is a good choice when you have a large crowd that can't agree on a single cuisine.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 4
Last inspected: 12/1/2008

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

The hot spot

It's not been open long, but already there's a wait even early on a week night! Marinitas in San Anselmo already has a following it seems. The greeters were sparkly and got us seated quickly despite the crowd.

The waiter immediately brought over some light and luscious crunchy chips with salsa. I hear these are baked, probably why these are not greasy.

Everything on the menu is made for sharing, so Dad and I shared everything starting with this inventive and stylish Mexicana salad. The salad consisted of chopped romaine lettuce and cabbage with radish, jicama, green onions, queso fresco, fresh oregano, crispy tortilla ribbons and cumin citrus vinaigrette.

Next up was the Pescado Yucateco which came highly recommended by the waiter. This roast cod with Sikil Pak, corn cakes with epazote, cherry tomato-pumpkin seed vinaigrette was heavenly!

And how could a mostly veggie person pass up an amazing sounding Plato Vegetariano? The plate included achile relleno stuffed with grilled corn and queso oaxaca, quinoa pilaf, chard with raja crema and chipotle glazed butternut squash. As complex and flavorful as colorful!

And I was just so curious about the Arroz Verde, that we had to try some of this green rice. And the kitchen let me in on the mix - half parsley and half cilantro - that gives this dish its distinctive flavor.

Dad and I decided to make it a celebration and ordered desserts.

These light as a feather churros with chocolate dipping sauce had me thinking about churros in a whole new way. Previously, I never sought out churros, but am rethinking that stance.

And noting a famous Mexican dessert, Tres Leche Cake on the menu, we had to try Marinta's version. This one was a delicious rendition with strawberry garnish. We had a totally enjoyable experience here with good service and delicious unique dishes. This is definitely a keeper. However, expect to pay more than at a more pedestrian Mexican restaurant. It was worth it.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 6/2/2008

Prawn dishes at Kitti's

Coincidentally, my friend Daniel came over yesterday and after some debate, we went to Kitti's Place in Sausalito for dinner. Since Daniel leans towards family-run cozy places, I thought he'd love Kitti's.

It was unfortunate that the server seemed rather impatient and it seemed like she was trying to steer me to dishes I wasn't interested in, although I was very specific about what I wanted. I had my eye on the Ga Prow Kai Dow, which usually has a choice of chicken or beef for the meat aspect. I requested shrimp as a substitute. The dish is stir fried with a basil in chili garlic sauce over jasmine rice, topped with two fried eggs. I got the impression that she felt I wouldn't enjoy the egg addition. Ah, but that was the draw! An unusual combination. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish with its protein punch!

Daniel ordered the Scampi, which I vacillated between before settling on my dish. The scampi is described as large prawns with white wine, garlic, butter, lemon, and parsley with brown rice and sauteed mixed vegetables. Most unfortunately, Daniel really thought the sauce tasted 'off', and he had me try it. It was very sour and over-garlicked in a way that I wasn't fond of either. I somehow think a little sweetener would have taken the edge off. Daniel tried a few more bites before he requested a change of dish. The server was gracious in bringing over a new dish - one that matched mine exactly except for the switch to brown rice. Daniel thought it was much better, and tasted 'typically Thai'. I've had many a wonderful meal here, this was the first time there was anything off about what came to the table.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 1/13/2009

Previously reviewed:
February 23, 2008
June 4, 2007
September 19, 2006
September 25, 2005

Asia's Fondue - Hot Pot cooking

Fondue Fusion has opened. Dad and I stopped by for an early dinner there a few evenings ago. We were the only customers at that hour (when they opened) and the place was immaculate and nicely decorated. Our waitress was very pleasant and helped us or offered to, every step of the way.

Although Fondue Fusion doesn't carry ice tea, they have a selection of sodas, so we had Diet Cokes served up in pretty glasses.

The menu and fresh sheet are 100% choices for what to put in the pot! So we ordered a variety of reasonably priced options, and then quickly the sauces, a special house sauce (ginger, garlic onions...) and hoinsin came out. The house sauce is really to thick to 'dip' things in, but it is delicious spread on the top!

Not long after the hot pot with a vegetarian broth came out and was put on the electric burner in the middle of the table. The bubbling broth contained pieces of tofu, garlic and onions.

Then the ingredient dishes followed quickly. The first was one of the fresh sheet, Shrimp Shumai. However, once we had them steaming on our plates, we found that these are shrimp and PORK shumai, so if you have a dietary concern, be sure to inquire about the dishes before ordering, as the menu appears to be abbreviated. That said, these were tasty.

Next came the fried tofu puffs and rice noodles (background).

We also ordered an assorted vegetables plate. There was a variety of interesting mushrooms and greens as well as taro slices included in the plate.

The oysters were so fresh they were just shucked before arriving at our table!

And finally arriving were the bean threads (mung), which have a nice texture and virtually no calories by themselves.

As you simmer ingredients in the pot, the broth becomes more flavorful. It may not be the custom for hot pots, but it would have been nice to have spoons to enjoy some of the broth with. In Japan, these kinds of dishes are served with empty bowl, we had saucers. I don't know the custom for this particular kind of Asian Hot Pot, but with such drippy ingredients I found myself wishing for bowls as the sauces started getting soupy and sloppy. However, the dish was light yet filling and the flavor was delicious. There is not currently a dessert menu, but it is being created. It is naturally low fat and wonderful for a cool evening. This restaurant is a great addition to the Marin dining scene.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 2
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 12/22/2008