Behind these pink walls lies some great food. Another foray into Fairfax, and I notice Siam Lotus is open for lunch. Friendly people and a well-cared for place greets me. A menu with a wide variety of choices soon lands in my hands.

Still being rather cold and rainy, I was attracted by the soups. The Tom-Ka Noodle soup looks particularly attractive, described as "rice noodle with tofu and seasonal vegetables in galanga coconut milk broth." I asked about the 'galanga', and was told that it is an herb in the ginger family. Whatever family it is, it works. this vegetable laden soup has a smooth and refreshing taste with loads of bright vegetables. I highly recommend it and this Thai oasis just across from Fairfax's main parking lot.

I love nice surprises. I drove to Fairfax for the fun of it one rainy day last week, and happened upon a restaurant I hadn't heard of yet. And I seem to have a left-looking neck freeze as when I drive into Fairfax from the east, I'm always looking towards the big parking space in the middle, rather than the charming businesses on the other side of the road. Barefoot Cafe is one of them.

I'm always looking this direction, which also happens to be the view out the door of the Barefoot Cafe.

I was pleased to see a whole section of vegetarian sandwiches, including this one, the mushroom sandwich. I had the bread toasted and ordered the recommended cream of artichoke soup. The soup was as fantastic as the waitress said. The sandwich was great as well. For me, vegetarian sandwiches can be hit or miss, but this one definitely was satisfying as a sandwich, with good flavor and texture. I took a peek at the dinner menu, seems to have a heavy Italian leaning. And the breakfast menu looked fabulous as well. It is open every day for breakfast! You know I'll be visiting again for it.

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And here is where I am tonight (Sunday) as I write this. I'm on the road, visiting a client south of here in the morning. If I can appropriately do it (I will be dining with the client), I'll blog a little later this week of my dining adventures here in Central California. A quick factoid - Selma, a city I passed on the way here has a big sign stating "Raisin Capital of the World" (see location on above map). A hint from my companion, and a little detective work found that indeed, this is an apt declaration as 90% of US raisins are produced within 8 miles of Selma! The US is the largest producer of raisins in the world, with Turkey ranking second. If you combine the production of the US and Turkey, it accounts for 80% of world raisin production!

Anna does the drive-thru. It was a very rainy afternoon, the kind that makes you just want to curl up in a blanket in front of a fire and not go out. But out I was, at an afternoon class on the CPI (California Psychological Inventory) related to my graduate studies. So it seemed just the time to grab & go.

Having experienced Panda Express as unusually good for 'fast food', I took the drive through option in this nasty weather. I ordered two of the same "Panda Bowls" for Dad & I. Half & half fried rice/chow mein with a topping of stir fried eggplant and tofu.

I got it home and although the lid squishes it a bit, it tasted great, and Dad concurred. A delicious dinner for two for $10.24 including a fortune cookie qualifies as a pretty cool find.

Comfort in the rain. When it's raining, often one just feels like the tried and true. So it was Thursday when I seemed to be in Seattsalito. Kitti's Place is quite nearby my workplace and there was a parking spot right in front, so in I went. The staff were their usual warm and friendly selves.

I tried a special, Emperor's Noodles, but I asked for the pork to be changed to tofu. So these had a salty, soy, garlicky taste with prawns, tofu and thinly sliced vegetables, and were quickly wok-fried. A very satisfying, and a bit too filling lunch. Kitti's Place remains, on all counts a very recommendable place for a casual Thai-inspired treat.

Reviewed:
June 4, 2007
September 19, 2006
September 25, 2005

The locals know it. I arrived after 7 p.m., and right after me came a steady stream of locals, including a couple policemen. Policemen often know the best values around. Puentez Taqueria is a good value. My meal was $10.36 + tip, and the food was in generous portion. And the high speed wireless internet is free, although I didn't bring my mac. This is a family run business, and I had an enjoyable conversation with the young man at the counter who told me he enjoys 'street basketball'. I'd never heard of it, and asked him what that meant. Apparently it's quite anarchistic in that there is no real organization. The players just show up - or not, there are no teams, and it seems as though it's as much about showing off great tricks and plays as actually playing. Sounds like a young man's fun!

Not realizing the portions, I tried assembling my own 'plate', which they gave me unassembled. I tried a cactus taco (left), veggie taco (next right), cheese tamale (continuing counter clockwise), with pinto beans and rice. The cactus taco was fine, but the veggie taco was wonderful. You can guess which one I actually finished. The cheese tamale was a little dried out around the edges, but aside from that, had a nice flavor. I forgot to ask if the pinto beans were entirely vegetarian or not, but they were good, ditto the rice.

NOTE: I just received confirmation from Puentez Taqueria that their pinto beans are indeed vegetarian, no animal fats nor meat in them at all!

Sunny Spot. No matter what's going on elsewhere, it always seems to me that Hamilton field is warm and sunny. I was reminded of that again when Dad and I stopped by the Hamilton Cafe for brunch last weekend. The interior of this cafe is warm, with paintings adorning every wall. There was Italian opera playing in the background, and it looked like local folk enjoy hanging out here. We did too.

I tried out their Garden Crepes (Avocado, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, Jack cheese, tomato, sour cream & chives), which came with fruit and - or Adriatic fries (I was told that these are like regular breakfast potatoes except they have onion and garlic sauteed with them). I chose the fruit, and enjoyed these delicate yet delectable rolls of fresh vegetable delights.

Dad always thinks 'brunch' is funny. Growing up on a farm, one had three squares in between all those farm chores he likes to remind me that he did. Things like milking cows by hand, tilling the soil, and pulling weeds. So he'd not have eggs for lunch thank you, but a veggie burger. Well, he has made some modernization. His father was trained as a butcher, and they raised their own steers, so he had VERY fresh meat, and much was shared with the neighbors. (The neighbors brought their cattle in for my grandfather to butcher as well, and they returned the favor.) My Dad has a soft heart, and as long as I've known him he wouldn't knowingly eat veal. So he's gone on from beef to mostly veggie burgers, happily. Hamilton Cafe is a casual and comfortable, yet has a spark to its personality. It was a nice place to enjoy a lazy weekend brunch.

Been dying to try. I found a good opening to try Sushi to Dai For in its new space, it's LARGE new space. It's huge and echoing and I can imagine it hopping with fun at night. So what if the rolls aren't very authentic. They are inventive and artistic, and the menu is huge.

I decided to try the Niagra roll, a special. Albacore tuna paired with something green, I've already forgotten - either avocado or cucumber, with green tea soba noodles, daikon radish spouts and a drizzle of jalepeno (hot!) ponzu over the top. I had my doubts about this combination, but it worked! I'd order the same again if it were to appear on the menu.

Not realizing that the Niagra roll would be a meal in itself, I also ordered the steamed shrimp shumai. These were steaming hot, fresh and tender. Well worth having again sometime. The service was a bit confused, but friendly. I think they are still working out the logistics of such a cavernous place.

Previous reviews:
September 4, 2007
March 9, 2007

Chances are good, and fortune smiles. Sometimes things just 'click'. So I got stuck yesterday in the bicycling race traffic in Sausalito. Seeing that it was much worse going back the way I came, I decided on such a beautiful sunny day, I'd just keep heading south with my Dad, and enjoy some lunch in San Francisco. Clement street is a likely place for good food, and I soon happened upon "Golden Gate Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant" with its big red "Grand Opening" sign. I couldn't resist stopping.

Turns out, that was a very good choice. I loved that they had a duplicate copy check off sheet with all the dim sum choices in Chinese/English and offered House Special plates at the bottom portion of the sheet. The prices were right too, $2, $2.50 & $3 for dim sum choices, and $4.50 for the plates. The colorful menu with photos of the food helped in the ordering. This way, everyone's food came out at its peak of flavor and temperature. With such temptation, we over did it a bit, but hey, it was a holiday! And here's what we picked:

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed Scallop Dumplings

Pan Fried Turnip Cakes

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf

The rice in the open leaf. It has minced pork and mushrooms in it too. (Yep, first red meat for me since Dec. 9th, and worth it! The turnip cakes took me by surprise too, as they had some Chinese sausage bits.)

Pan Fried Shrimp Puffs

The crisp wrapping was 'yuba' in Japanese, it was made of dried soy bean curd in Chinese-English. However you describe it, it was crispy and the interior was filled with luscious shrimp and herbs. Quite delicious.

Pan Fried Chive Dumplings

Dad and I were really slowing down by the time these arrived.. and I had an ooops! with one, belying what I told the host earlier about not needing a fork since I'd a lot of practice in Japan. One of these shot out of my smoothly slippery chopsticks grasp and shot into the wall and on the floor!

Then we had to visit the garden behind the glass wall in the back. It was delightful with blooming orchids, a blossoming tree and koi and a turtle swimming around in the pond.

It also came with a delightful boy and perhaps his grandmother, who kept telling me the best shots in Chinese. (No I don't understand it, but somehow I understood her and we smiled together.) You've got to click on the above photo and enlarge it to catch the wonderful smile on that boy's face. You'll also get a better look at the live turtle in the center.

Blossoming Tree


Koi


Koi


and more koi!

And we took the long way home through Sea Cliff, where rounding random corners offer views that make you inhale! Now this is what I call a lunch break!

Sushi on Sunday. I didn't have any this time, but I had found myself a week or two earlier looking for a Marin location that served sushi at lunch on Sundays. Pacific Catch in Corte Madera is the only place that I could come up with.

Dad and I stopped by here for Valentine's Day lunch after getting Dad's hair cut around the corner. This sweet little nibbling plate is still given you with your menus.

Dad was craving fish and chips, and this time was so adventurous as to try the sweet potato chips. He must have liked them since he ate every last one, and he usually leaves some fries behind. He said the fish was good too, I believe it was tilapia.

I tried a daily special, a British Columbia farmed grilled Coho salmon served on a banana leaf, with grilled bok choy, maui onions and pineapple fried rice. It was a nice symphony of tastes.

Last reviewed:
January 25, 2007

Mellow and relaxing, a nice place to stop in the bustle. Champagne French Bakery and Cafe set in the middle of busy Corte Madera Town Center, was a great oasis to stop between dashes to The Container Store, REI and other such tempting places.

Dad and I split a spinach and goat cheese quiche with french fries. It was really perfect for sharing as a whole one would have been a bit daunting to eat, delicious as it was! There is also a Champagne location in Mill Valley. The Corte Madera location is open for breakfast everyday at 7:00 a.m.

Smooth experience. No wonder LoCoco's Italian Pizzeria has been around so long. This family-run restaurant has it down. From the moment you walk in the door, you are immersed in a friendly yet not too tightly cozy atmosphere with a menu that's been honed from experience to local favorites.

I enjoyed the inventiveness of their House Special Salad, which included romaine lettuce with bleu cheese, pecans and currants. Doesn't health, taste and good looks fairly scream out of that photo?

Then came the Fenicia pizza a bubbly and fresh toasty round with bumpy crust that is indicative of a brick oven. This was every bit as good as it looks, and very healthy with fresh tomatoes, spinach, black olive, feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. I won't forget to come back here!

Roxanne is back! I was excited to learn the other day that Roxanne is coming back with a line of her delicious products!

Naturally I picked up something at Whole Foods as soon as I saw her name... I paired this Nutmilk Cheeze with the blanched asparagus and fresh carrot sticks as a dip. It was creamy and wonderful, not to mention rich and filling. I'll be going back for more soon!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope cupid finds you where ever you may dwell. I thought I'd post about Novato's well-loved Chinese restaurant, Ming Yen today. Dad & I visited it a few days ago. First off, the service was prompt and friendly throughout the meal.

We started with some walnut prawns which were great! Crisp/sweet without being cloying.

We also had vegetable egg foo young, which was heaping with fresh vegetables. Underneath was the egg, flour and shredded cabbage pancake.

And finally we tried the vegetable fried rice. All of the vegetables in this were fresh and wok-fried crisp. Not your boring fried rice! The atmosphere is casual and family friendly. The prices are very reasonable as well.