Posts by Richard Foss
Barnacles serves gastropub quality food without the chic décor or the prices
I have reviewed the food at a number of taverns lately, causing some people to wonder if I have been drinking dinner or eating it. To them I say that like any reviewer, I write about what my readers are consuming, and lots of them are eating in bars. This is due to two trends…
Read MoreWildflower Café, where food is worth its weight in gold
Most Americans are conservative about their breakfasts. Barring those who grew up in an ethnic community and who like to start the day with curry or piiraka, we eat permutations of eggs, potatoes, sausage, and bread. Restaurants specializing in breakfast can stand out by making an everyday thing extraordinary, using high-quality ingredients like free-range eggs…
Read MorePersonal Chef George Zervos prepares anything from a grilled cheese sandwich for one of the kids to a chateaubriand or a big business lunch or dinner.
When you hear that the Peninsula boasts a chef named George Zervos who has won numerous awards over a 40- year career, your first response might be to wonder why you haven’t heard of him before. Is he a new guy at an established place, or someone with a startup restaurant? More importantly, where can…
Read MoreThe Bull Pen: a No Bull, Beach Institution
When we asked Paula, our server at the Bull Pen, what had changed in the last 20 years, she had to think a moment. “The honey mustard dressing – that was added 10 years ago,” she finally replied. “The crabcakes were about eight years ago, and they’ve added a few bottles at the bar. Other…
Read MoreThe Fast and the Prettiest: Restoring the VW Bus
Mark Machuszek didn’t intend to become a car restorer. The dusty Porsche languishing in a garage is what changed his life. “When I was a teenager, my dad had a Porsche 356 that he bought from a neighbor and always intended to restore. He never got around to it, so I inherited the project. Porsches…
Read MoreSushi Duke reigns supreme: Chef Sanjay excels at re-imagined Japanese cuisine
I first reviewed a sushi bar in these pages about 25 years ago, and at the time I lamented about how difficult it was. Almost every place in the South Bay served traditional sushi, and the only things to distinguish one from another were the variety and freshness of the fish, the friendliness and English…
Read MorePockets clears the table with food and service [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
I was a pool shark as a teenager, beating most opponents at the table that dominated my parents’ rec room. There was a secret to my skill, namely the large dog that liked to sleep in the same spot on the table every night and had warped the surface with an irregular canine-shaped hollow. Billiard…
Read MoreTara Thai harmonizes juxtaposing flavors
When I saw an item called “Garlic Goodies” on the menu at Tara Thai Restaurant, I had to smile. I could guess what it was – meat or tofu sautéed with onions, garlic, and black pepper, a popular dish usually called gra tiem – but it seemed like such an appropriate name for a Thai dish.
Read MoreSeafood is the Catch of the Day at Blue Salt Fish Grill
Think of salt and you see white – the dazzling glare of the Bonneville salt flats to those who have seen that landscape, for the rest of us the blank palette that inhabits an everyday salt shaker. Salt actually comes in many colors, some used for culinary purposes; I have had fish served on a…
Read MoreBest Philly Cheesesteak
Big Mike’s – It’s a no nonsense place – a few tables out front, the register, and a long counter that faces the grill. We recommend the counter seating because you get to watch the action as the guy at the grill constructs the best cheesesteaks in the South Bay. Perhaps if you watch you…
Read MoreBest Restaurant for a Special Occasion
Chez Melange – You can decide what to have at some special occasion restaurants before you leave the house – the menu never changes, so you’ll have the same steak that you had at the last anniversary, and the one before that. This is not the case at Chez Melange, which offers an ever-changing selection…
Read MoreBest Pizza
Fresh Brothers – If you want to eat a Fresh Brothers pizza absolutely fresh from the oven, you’ll have to do it at one of the three small tables in an alcove by the counter. There’s no particular ambiance, but it’s only about thirty feet from the oven that turns out thick, thin, and gluten-free…
Read MoreBest Steak over $20
Fleming’s – The classy bistro on the ground floor of an office building has won again with their vast cuts of prime beef flame-broiled to perfection. There are three stalwarts, filet mignon, ribeye, and New York strip, available with a variety of housemade sauces including a luscious brandy-peppercorn. Add in the Sunday prime rib dinners,…
Read MoreBest Mexican Restaurant under $10
El Gringo – There are an amazing number of Mexican places in the beach cities where you can get a decent meal for under ten bucks, so anybody who wins this category has faced down some serious competition. The three restaurants in the El Gringo chain have taken the title for the third year in…
Read MoreBest Tapas
Mediterraneo – Tapas started in the easygoing café society of Madrid as a complement to glasses of wine, and they have thrived after being transplanted to the South Bay. Exhibit A is Mediterraneo, which has the largest variety of authentic Spanish tapas as well as some that exhibit a Californian flourish. The traditional plates of…
Read MoreBest Italian Restaurant over $20
Bottle Inn – Someone who didn’t know The Bottle Inn is a fine dining restaurant might think it was a wine shop – and indeed there is an impressive selection of wines here, but their destiny is to be paired with impressively authentic Italian food. The pastas are homemade, the sauces rich with the flavors…
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