Matsu Sushi

The words cheap and sushi almost never end up in the same sentence. However, a couple of years ago I was introduced to the best value available in sushi restaurants. There exists an item on 95% of all sushi menus called Chirashi. For the true sushi enthusiast, a person who loves raw fish and is not afraid to "think outside of the roll". Chirashi is for you, translated Chirashizushi means literally "scattered sushi".

Chirashi consists of a bowl of sushi rice that is covered with assorted raw fish, accompanied by wasabi paste, ginger, and often times tamago (a sweet layered Japanese omelete).

It's always chef's choice as to what fish you get. I've always had good luck though, they seem to always have a great variety. So let's break this down to dollars and cents. Your assorted nigiri sushi can cost anywhere between $3-$5 per two piece order. Most Chirashi varies between $14.95-$24.95, we'll average it out to $19.95. Typically you get 20 pieces of sushi, so that is only $.99 per piece.

Also, they serve miso soup and a house salad with their Chirashi. I personally think that iceberg lettuce needs to be banned from cuisine entirely both here at home and abroad. With that said, the dressing they used on this salad was so delicious that I ate every chilled lettuce crisp and carrot (and I dislike carrots more than iceberg lettuce).

It really is "edible art", look at all those vibrant colors!!

Today the chef included:

Shiro Maguro (Albacore Tuna)
Maguro (Ahi Tuna)
Red Snapper
Yellowfin
Salmon
Tamago
Ebi (Shrimp)

Each of the pieces of fish was very fresh, the salmon had great color and magnificent flavor. The albacore tuna was fantastic as well, the flavor was exceptional as it melted away on my tongue.

Albacore dipped in wasabi/soy sauce mixture. I love albacore like Homer Simpson loves donuts.

I was surprised that Matsu Sushi was so good, as it happens to be located so close to a bunch of other chain style restaurants next to a movie theater.

If you ever want to get your Wasabi fix before a movie stop by Matsu Sushi.

You can visit them online at:

http://www.matsusushiusa.com/pages/menu.htm

Or in person in Dublin at:

4930 Dublin Blvd., Suite 800
Dublin, CA

Thai House and Yogurt Shack

Today I had the pleasure of sharing my dining experience with Barbara and Rob. We met in Danville, and chose Thai House. Thai House is one of those restaurants that is located inside a converted house. These types of place always amuse me, I don't know why, easily amused I guess. I also like shiny objects. We decided to sit on the patio, the weather was just warm enough, with a slight breeze and lots of shade.

Thai food was my first foray into ethnic cuisine way back in 2000. I've been really bad about eating just a couple of Thai dishes, either the Pad Thai, or the Spicy Basil Noodles with chicken. However, as I've been writing this blog, it's becoming more important for me to keep trying new flavors and new experiences. I've never had Thai curry, Rob and Barbara are seasoned veterans and suggested I try the Red Curry. Most Thai restaurants offer Red, Green, Yellow, and even Orange curry selections, each with a different flavor and spice level.

From left to right Pumpkin Curry, Yellow Curry, Red Curry.

When you are ready to order be prepared for the quiz. Our waiter asked us, what we wanted, with what meat, and on a scale of 1-4, how spicy would you like it. Barbara went with a 2, which was medium, Rob selected a 1 for mild, and I wasn't sure how hot the 4 would be so I settled with a 3.

They were out of "Sippy" cups, poor Rob.

Barbara enjoying her fantastic Thai Iced Tea.

We decided we would all sample a little bit of each curry. My red curry was only a number 3 but it packed some heat. Flavored with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, zucchini, green peas, and fresh basil. It was odd, it didn't burn my tongue, instead the spice hit me right in the back of the throat. After I took a bite I would cough, yes it was strange. The pumpkin curry had large chunks of fresh pumpkin (where do you get that this time of year anyways), shrimp, zucchini, and red bell peppers. The spice of the pumpkin curry was warm, it was like sitting in a spa that is set at 98 degrees. Rob's yellow curry was excellent as well, including potatoes, onions, and carrots in addition to the coconut milk and curry base.

Easy to find, fantastic service, reasonable prices and great food can be found at Thai House in Danville. You can find them online at:

http://www.thaihousedanville.net

Or in person at:

254 Rose Avenue
Danville, CA 94526

So after lunch Rob and I were still a little hungry. We were craving something sweet. I enlisted the help of my trusty iPhone. A quick map search later and we found out that we had to walk around the corner 364 feet to arrive at The Yogurt Shack.

If you have a pulse you probably know that frozen yogurt is gaining a lot of popularity these days. I've been to a few places now, and I've learned, grab the smallest cup and try not to fill it up. They charge by the ounce and it's very easy to over indulge without even trying.

Looks like a laundrymat!! There were a total of 10 flavors, I went with the Original Tart (my favorite), Golden Gate Chocolate (more brown then golden), and "Cake Batter".


These are all the toppings available. I usually stay away from the toppings. Aren't there enough calories in the yogurt? Ok, I will indulge in the Mochi (a soft Japanese rice cake) if they have it, this place didn't. Their yogurt was good, not the best I've had but I'd go back again. Friendly service and a great location.

You can visit them in Danville at:
290 Hartz Ave.

Papaya Grill

It's not easy finding new and interesting places to eat everyday. Today I enlisted the help of YELP!, I needed to see what other people in the area are eating and enjoying. Papaya Grill is located in San Ramon and has been getting some great reviews. It's Wednesday and I was accompanied by one of my regular lunch companions Gary M.

Papaya Grill offers Filipino cuisine either ala carte or they have 1 or 2 item combination plates served with white rice. There are 8-10 prepared items on a steam table for you to choose from.


The lady behind the counter was very friendly, offering free samples and education on the various dishes.

What's amazing is, Papaya Grill serves an authentic Filipino breakfast menu for only $4.95 available until 12pm.

Gary took advantage of the breakfast, he ordered the Tocilog, served with white rice and a fried egg. Tocilog is a Filipino sausage made with pork, it's very crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle with an exceptional pork flavor.


There were many unique and interesting choices available for me. Gary suggested I sample one of the dishes that were on display. Pork Dinuguan is the name of this strange purple colored concoction of pork chunks slow simmered in pork blood, vinegar and spices.


Ok, you can swallow your bile, it wasn't too bad actually. I've never been too keen on anything that is flavored with or cooked in blood. Honestly though, I've never tried it before. Recently I have been watching more and more food shows on the Travel Channel, and well I'm starting to get a little brave. I found this dish to have a very strong vinegar flavor to it, I couldn't taste the blood, and the pork was tender and juicy. I wouldn't eat a whole plate of this stuff, but I definitely could try it again.

For my lunch I decided to order the two item combination. One item I chose was my old Filipino stand by, Chicken Adobo (chicken parts simmered in soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, bay leaves and other spices). I needed to order something that I have tried before so that I could have a basis for my comparison. In addition to the adobo, I tried the Beef Mechado which is slices of beef stewed in tomato sauce with carrots.


The Chicken Adobo was fair, I've had better and certainly worse, but I wasn't wowed. The Beef Mechado had a great flavor and the sauce from the stew was excellent on the rice, I wished the beef was more tender though. This restaurant had some strange condiments as well. In the picture above there is a brownish grey sauce and a red sauce. Neither of these sauces went with the dishes I selected but I was curious about their flavor. I was reading the label for the sauce on top, the first two ingredients were sugar and breadcrumbs, yes it tasted strange. The red sauce was called banana sauce it was a sweet ketchup like sauce that tasted like bananas.

Let's face it, food is fun! It's enjoyable trying different ethnic fare around the bay area. I think of it as a lunchtime vacation.

If you are ready to take it to the next level, stop by Papaya Grill. For only $8 for a 2 item combo it's a great value as well.

You can visit them online at:

http://www.papaya-grill.com/

Or in person at:

280 Market Place
San Ramon, CA 94583

Rancho Grande Taqueria

My lunch destinations are always a surprise for me. Some days I will just drive until I find something interesting, other times I have an idea of what kind of food I feel like that morning and I'll be cosmically drawn to a restaurant. Or days like today, I am willing to take recommendations from friends, strangers, co-workers, and even the occasional nemesis.

Recommended by Lani, today I visited the Rancho Grande Taqueria in Pleasanton. I'm always very skeptical of any Mexican Food establishment located anywhere outside of the "San Joaquin Central Valley". It's almost a curse, if you have ever had authentic Mexican food either in Mexico or homemade by your Best Friend's Mom. Then you know what the flavors "should" taste like. However, you almost have to dumb your palate down to eat Mexican Food anywhere else. So, I go in with lowered expectations.

Most people would sample a burrito, or perhaps even a couple of tacos. Instead, I opt for two of my favorite items, chile verde and a chile rellano.


Most Taqueria's have you order at the counter, pay and have a seat. Here at the "Big Ranch" it was no different. My food arrived surprisingly fast actually. First I tried the rice and beans. Expecting to be "underwhelmed" with flavor I was surprised to find the rice was quite tasty and the beans were, they were, well...not boring.


Next was the chile verde, chunks of pork slow simmered for hours in a green sauce that combines tomatillos, garlic, limes, and chiles. The flavor of the chile verde was great, there was a nice tartness that I enjoy, however, it didn't even register on the Scoville scale (a measurement of the hotness of a chile pepper). Perhaps they should rename their version of this dish to Tomatillo Verde flavored pork?

The chile rellano was great. I was curious why it arrived with no sauce, which if done right is a vital part of this dish. However, if you have bad sauce it can also ruin it, maybe they were doing me a favor.

Rancho Grande serves up great portion sizes and pretty good food. Two people could easily split a combination plate. Shucks, with the all you can eat chips and salsa bar in addition to the 10 tortillas they serve with your meal, this taqueria offers a fantastic value for your lunchtime feria.


Also worth mentioning, their salsa bar included many varieties of fresh salsas, limes, guacamole, pickled vegetables, and honestly the best tortilla chips I've had in the bay area (still warm, and a touch greasy, just the way 1/4 Mexican's like them).

You can visit Rancho Grande Taqueria online at:

http://www.ranchograndetaqueria.com/index.html

Or in person in Pleasanton at:

2707 Hopyard Rd.
Pleasanton, CA 9456

Special Edition *Alameda County Fair*

Today was a very special day, I got to go to the Alameda County Fair for the first time. So, my main objective was to go and sample all the deep fried once a year goodness!! My guide for the Alameda County Fair was Lorraine Guimaraes, aka LG. We decided to split everything we ordered so as to get the most amount of food with the least amount of caloric impact (yeah right). So without further ado...

The County Fair Corn Dog:


Goodness, look at all that fantastic, perfectly applied mustard. Utterly delightful, but I must say, stay away from this stand and any other stand that prepares their food ahead of time. Or at least ask them to make it for you fresh. This corn dog was tasty, but it would have been perfect if it was fresh out of the fryer. You see, I am one of those that likes to live life on the edge. I like the fear of scorching the top of my mouth with the melted cheese off of a fresh pizza. So it's the same with a fresh corn dog, give it to me piping hot, not sweaty with condensation 10 minutes after you fry it.


On the way to the Horse Races, I decided to try a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. Keep in mind, when I was 15 years old I sampled every Chicken Fried Steak between here and Missouri. I've done the same with Cheese Steaks, until I reach the mecca of cheese steaks in Philadelphia I'm determined to try them every chance I get. As far as this one, well lets just say the search continues, the meat had a great flavor and the jalapenos on the side were a great addition, however the crusty bread was less than impressive.

Cheese Steak booth, they should spend more money on fresh bread than the fancy signage.

Who could go to the fair and not sample the deep fried zucchini?

The deep fried zucchini gets high marks for the breading, the ranch dressing, and the fact that it was cooked to absolute perfection. The zucchini, somehow was still crisp, and flavorful after being entombed in batter and fried to a golden brown.

For the record, as much as a foodie as I am, I have never had the pleasure of any of the deep fried sweet goodies that most fairs are famous for. There was a selection of breaded and deep fried, Snickers, Nutter Butters, UnCrustables (Round crustless PB&J sandwiches ), Oreos, and Twinkies. How could I choose between the Deep Fried Snickers AND the Deep Fried Twinkies? Too much pressure, I had to try both.


I found the Twinkie to be very light, fluffy, and most enjoyable. If ever there was a reason to stay out of prison aside from the obvious, I would say Big Macs and Deep Fried Twinkies, that should be our message to our high risk urban youth.


The Snickers was good. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious. However, I felt that it lacked all the goodness that we come to expect from a Snickers bar. The nougat was melted away, and all you are left with is essentially a pancake wrapped chocolate goo with peanuts. If you ever find yourself wavering between the two, I would suggest the Twinkie.


The Alameda County Fair runs July 1st-July 19th.

You can visit the fair online at:

http://www.alamedacountyfair.com/2009fair/home/index.php

Or in person at:

Located at 4501 Pleasanton Ave off Bernal Ave. This is the location of the Administration Offices, Will Call Ticket Booth and VIP Parking Lot.

Red Smoke Grill

Red Smoke Grill is home of the local's favorite, the Tri-Tip and Bleu! This is a fantastically rich sandwich with thin slices of Tri-Tip and mountains of Bleu Cheese. I was joined by my friend Grant, and we noticed immediately that, this isn't the kind of place for smiles and chit chat from the owner working the cash register. You walk in, you view the menu hanging overhead, your order, you pay, you sit, they call your number, you eat, you leave!!

That being said, the food here is fun to eat, they have some great flavor combinations. On earlier visits I have sampled their Pulled Pork, and Tri-Tip and Bleu sandwiches. They also offer many sides including potato salad, french fries, baked beans, and the like. Stay away from the cole slaw, very bland, but their roasted corn salad is exceptional.

Grant ordered the Tri-Tip and Bleu.


The "Santa Maria" Tri-Tip has great flavor, is cooked well, and is thin and tender enough to bite easily. The bleu cheese is plentiful as you can tell from the picture, creamy and a little mild. Keep in mind their sandwiches are served ala carte, so you have to order sides or else your "Samitch" is "Rolling Solo".

In trying to keep a balanced diet and still write a food blog I decided to go with their "Protein Plate" option. You can choose between Tri-Tip, Pulled Pork, or 1/4 chicken, served with a salad consisting of romaine lettuce, roma tomato slices, and feta cheese. The salad comes with your choice of dressing, I went with the Balsamic.


They use the same delicious Tri-Tip as in their sandwich for this dish. It works well with the salad and is a fantastic choice for the health conscious. Sure it's red meat, but low carb and quite filling.

If you are in the mood for a sit and go restaurant and you like Bar-B-Que "style" food, give Red Smoke Grill a visit.

They are located online at:

http://www.redsmokegrill.com/

Or in person at:

4501 Hopyard Road
Pleasanton, CA

Tomatina

This food blog is starting to gain some momentum, and I guess I'm starting to take requests (thanks Victor). Tomatina is one of those places that unless you've heard of it somewhere you might be inclined to just drive by it and never stop.

Also, a quick side note, I fear I may be a hypocrite because I keep saying I won't eat at chain restaurants, but so far I've done three blog entries. So, from now on, let's just say I won't seek out a chain as my first choice, but if I end up at one I might as well write about it.

My friend LG and I showed up early at 11:17 and the restaurant didn't open until 11:30, however there were already 2 other parties in line. That's always a great sign. When they opened we were seated quickly, offered menus and out server took our drink order.


Hot summer days require an ice cold Sangria. This Sangria was fantastic, it was Super Duper Ultra Tart!! I couldn't believe it!! If you are ever interested in a "Liquid Lunch", this is a great choice.

Lorraine ordered the lunch special, 3 slices of pizza and a side salad for $8.


Everyday the pizza special changes, today was the Pesto Chicken Pizza and it included:
tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, roasted chicken, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomato and basil pesto.

The pizza had a thin crust, with a perfect balance of cheese and sauce. The salad had generous helpings of roasted red bell peppers, and tomatoes in addition to the mixed greens. Often times we all expect the house salad to be just a boring filler. Not this time, the red wine vinaigrette floated on my palate like a hot air balloon, not heavy at all.

The reason I chose Tomatina today was because of a recommendation that I try a Piadine. I've heard of these before, it is a fresh warm flatbread with a salad in the middle and you roll it up and eat it like a sandwich.


After some help from my server I decided on the Chicken Piadine, some other options I considered were the Hummus and also a Salmon Piadine. In addition to Chicken it also included: baby spinach, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, red bell pepper, garlic paste, oregano and citrus vinaigrette.


This "Salad Sandwich Wrap Thingy" is my new best friend. The flatbread was chewy delightful goodness, and once you bit through it, you are rewarded with the crisp crunch of the fresh baby spinach. This is truly "Refreshing Texture Paradise"!!

Anybody that knows me well knows that I love to spice things up. Since my Piadine was similar to a pizza, I thought it might be a good idea to add some red pepper flakes. Then disaster struck, like all good salt shaker pranks, so was the loose lid on the jar of the "Red Hot Chili Peppers".


Oops, I was going to try to scrape the pepper flakes off, but LG got the attention of our server. When the server showed up she was horrified that somebody would have done this. We thought it was funny, but she took it VERY seriously. She apologized profusely and immediately offered to remake my lunch. Fantastic service, and a great job by Tomatina.

Fine, I hate to admit it, but I guess not all chain restaurants are bad. They do a very brisk and busy lunch crowd as well, by the time we left there was a line at the door.

You can visit Tomatina online at:

http://www.tomatina.com/home.php

Or in person at the Dublin location:

4590 Dublin Blvd
Dublin, CA 94568