Since we are moving this week, we haven't been cooking in the apartment. Yesterday, we ate at Shangri-La on 8th Street and today we ate at Chuy's on Lake.
The reason I decided to eat at Shangri-La yesterday was that they had listed on their menu "Crabmeat and fish maw soup." This is one of my favorite soups and it's so good down in LA that I had to see what it was like in Davis. I think my expectations were too high, because at Shangri-La it was nothing like what it was supposed to be. Fortunately, the soup was still good, if I tried not to think about what it should have been.
We also ordered their peking spare ribs and spinach with garlic. I wanted Chinese spinach with garlic, but they didn't have that. Everything was good, and the ribs weren't that bright reddish color that I'm used to seeing. The spinach was so delicious, I might have to go back just for that. I've never made spinach that good before. The only thing was that eating there was kind of depressing because we were the only ones there.
Today, at Chuy's, I ordered a tostada plate with carnitas, and a fish soft taco. Nick had the special, which was the taco salad. The fish taco was good as always, with salsa, great seasoned white fish, lettuce, and slices of avocado. Drizzled with a bit of lime, it was great. My tostada plate was good, but it was too much for me. I liked the guac and sour cream on top.
Nick's taco salad was served in this taco bowl that had a flaky, buttery texture. It was very different. He was surprised to find a layer of beans down at the bottom as well. I think he liked it. I decided to order a Mexican coke to see if it really did taste better because it has cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. It was good, but I don't think I'll pay $2 regularly for one.
The guy that works behind the counter is extremely nice, and offered to wait on us once he knew we planned to eat there. The salsas there are delicious, especially the chunky one.
I forgot to bring the camera, but I can assure you everything looked delicious.
Shangri-La Restaurant
1750 8th st.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 753-3398
Sun-Thurs 11:30AM-9:30PM
Fri-Sat 11:30AM-10:00PM
Chuy's Taqueria
1260 Lake Blvd. Suite 103
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-4183
Mon-Thu 10:00AM-8:30PM
Fri 10:00AM-9:00PM
Sat 8:00AM-9:00PM
Sun closed
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Bistro 33
Many Davisites who come across our URL might think that our favorite restaurant must be Bistro 33. I actually named it Bistro for two because more often than not, it's just the two of us eating out together. We come here occasionally, and today we came for brunch. I had the salmon nicoise salad, and Nick had the salmon hash.
This was the third time I got the salmon nicoise salad, and it wasn't as good as I remembered. The baby leaf lettuces were cute, though. Nick's salmon hash was good, but he asked for his eggs overeasy but they came out solid. Sad.
It was nice sitting out on the patio (though the wait was super long and we could see empty tables) but I felt that it wasn't a place I would probably eat at again for a while. It's good when you get a craving, but it's nowhere near our top ten places to eat at in Davis.
Bistro 33
226 F Street
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-4556
Sunday: 8am-10pm
Monday-Wednesday: 11:30am-10pm
Thursday-Saturday: 11:30am-midnight
This was the third time I got the salmon nicoise salad, and it wasn't as good as I remembered. The baby leaf lettuces were cute, though. Nick's salmon hash was good, but he asked for his eggs overeasy but they came out solid. Sad.
It was nice sitting out on the patio (though the wait was super long and we could see empty tables) but I felt that it wasn't a place I would probably eat at again for a while. It's good when you get a craving, but it's nowhere near our top ten places to eat at in Davis.
Bistro 33226 F Street
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-4556
Sunday: 8am-10pm
Monday-Wednesday: 11:30am-10pm
Thursday-Saturday: 11:30am-midnight
New format
Okay. I've decided that these long reviews that I've been trying to write aren't working out for this blog. Nick and I eat at so many places in the area so often, that we can't find the time to write out detailed reviews. Plus, more often than not, we don't have our camera with us to take pictures of the delicious food.
So we'll just post quick bites, impressions, and mentions of our favorites at whatever place we happen to be eating at. Hopefully this will also encourage Nick to post once in a while!
So we'll just post quick bites, impressions, and mentions of our favorites at whatever place we happen to be eating at. Hopefully this will also encourage Nick to post once in a while!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Korea House
Korean barbeque is one of our favorite things to eat, but until last week we hadn't had the pleasure of actually grilling the meat at the table. With just the two of us, this wasn't possible. Last week we went to Korea House in Sacramento as a farewell dinner for one of our closest friends, and snagged the corner table with a grill. Korea House is in a neighborhood filled with other Korean bbq places and Korean businesses, but is rather hard to spot given its secluded location in the back corner of a semi-deserted strip mall.
Our waitress happened the be this older Korean woman who gave off a stern, but grandmotherly air. She didn't lift an eyebrow at the amount of food we ordered, which included the green onion style pancake, two mild beef and tofu stews, and two table barbeque platters, one of beef, and one of pork. This was of course accompanied by banchan, the traditional side dishes, that I must admit I look forward to the most. The ones we received this time included pickled cucumber, kimchi, daikon, bean sprouts, sweet potato, and this small, dried tiny fish.
Our pancake came out first, paired with a spicy soy vinegar dipping sauce. The fluffiness of the cake contrasted well with the salty, sour taste of the sauce. Our waitress brought out the banchan and crisp romaine lettuce leaves first, then a huge plate of our bbq pork and beef (bulgogi). There were tongs and scissors to help us arrange the meat on the greased surface she set on the table burner. Luckily for us, she started us out by putting a huge amount of meat on the grill and arranging it for us.
The delicious smells filled the air, and soon our plates were crowded with various banchan, meat, and rice. When I asked what the lettuce was for, my friend informed us that you wrapped the meat in it, along with a slice of the chili pepper and a clove of garlic. I did this, but avoided the sting of the pepper and the garlic. I know, I'm a lightweight!
Nick did most of the grilling, and I have to say my meat came out perfectly. Plus, the grill is designed in a way that you can push the meat off to one side, still on the surface but off the burner, to keep warm. Unfortunately, we didn't figure this out until the waitress showed us. She also came to turn the heat down when we were almost through grilling all of the meat.
We ordered our tofu stews mild, but this does not mean without flavor. The last time we were here, we ordered the medium and could barely eat it all without our throats burning and protesting. The mild let us experience the flavor of the tofu, beef, and mushrooms while still giving us a kick. At Korea House, the tofu isn't as silken as I've had it at other places, but I like the texture of the tofu here because it stands up to the strong flavor of the soup.
All five of us ate and ate until we could eat no more. We asked for only two refills of some of the banchan, but they will replace as many as you actually finish. It came out to around $125 for the five of us. I've heard that you must order at least two bbq platters when you sit at the tables with grills, to make it worthwhile for the restaurant. I completely understand this and recommend that if you want to grill the meat yourself, you come with at least five people. Having them grill it for you is great too, it's cheaper and just as good.
It has never been overly crowded when we've been there, which is nice because you never have to wait for a table. The waitstaff is friendly and the interior is clean and stereotypically asian. Be prepared, however, to smell like grilled meat for long after you've left the restaurant. I think it's worth it.
Korea House
9729 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95827
(916) 362-5013
Open 7 days, 11am-10pm
website
Our waitress happened the be this older Korean woman who gave off a stern, but grandmotherly air. She didn't lift an eyebrow at the amount of food we ordered, which included the green onion style pancake, two mild beef and tofu stews, and two table barbeque platters, one of beef, and one of pork. This was of course accompanied by banchan, the traditional side dishes, that I must admit I look forward to the most. The ones we received this time included pickled cucumber, kimchi, daikon, bean sprouts, sweet potato, and this small, dried tiny fish.
Our pancake came out first, paired with a spicy soy vinegar dipping sauce. The fluffiness of the cake contrasted well with the salty, sour taste of the sauce. Our waitress brought out the banchan and crisp romaine lettuce leaves first, then a huge plate of our bbq pork and beef (bulgogi). There were tongs and scissors to help us arrange the meat on the greased surface she set on the table burner. Luckily for us, she started us out by putting a huge amount of meat on the grill and arranging it for us.
The delicious smells filled the air, and soon our plates were crowded with various banchan, meat, and rice. When I asked what the lettuce was for, my friend informed us that you wrapped the meat in it, along with a slice of the chili pepper and a clove of garlic. I did this, but avoided the sting of the pepper and the garlic. I know, I'm a lightweight!
Nick did most of the grilling, and I have to say my meat came out perfectly. Plus, the grill is designed in a way that you can push the meat off to one side, still on the surface but off the burner, to keep warm. Unfortunately, we didn't figure this out until the waitress showed us. She also came to turn the heat down when we were almost through grilling all of the meat.
We ordered our tofu stews mild, but this does not mean without flavor. The last time we were here, we ordered the medium and could barely eat it all without our throats burning and protesting. The mild let us experience the flavor of the tofu, beef, and mushrooms while still giving us a kick. At Korea House, the tofu isn't as silken as I've had it at other places, but I like the texture of the tofu here because it stands up to the strong flavor of the soup.
All five of us ate and ate until we could eat no more. We asked for only two refills of some of the banchan, but they will replace as many as you actually finish. It came out to around $125 for the five of us. I've heard that you must order at least two bbq platters when you sit at the tables with grills, to make it worthwhile for the restaurant. I completely understand this and recommend that if you want to grill the meat yourself, you come with at least five people. Having them grill it for you is great too, it's cheaper and just as good.
It has never been overly crowded when we've been there, which is nice because you never have to wait for a table. The waitstaff is friendly and the interior is clean and stereotypically asian. Be prepared, however, to smell like grilled meat for long after you've left the restaurant. I think it's worth it.
Korea House
9729 Folsom Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95827
(916) 362-5013
Open 7 days, 11am-10pm
website
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