StevenGrimm

Super expensive, but the best sushi in the valley in my opinion. This is the sort of place where you go in and tell the owner how much you want to spend, and he gives you a meal of delicious food the likes of which you’ve never seen before. If you want to splurge on a birthday dinner for a sushi lover, this is the place to do it.

Delicious authentic Hunan food. They aren’t afraid to crank up the spiciness, but it is not so blisteringly hot as to overwhelm the flavor. If you don’t mind some heat, the Hunan mixed meats (湖南炒肉) is delicious. I also enjoyed the Dong An chicken (东安鸡片) which was not as spicy (though still slightly so) but had a pleasant hint of sourness.

Deliciously spicy food, flavorful as well as hot. Very authentic (which might be a good or bad thing depending on your point of view). Everything I’ve had there has been excellent, no weak links so far.

One word of warning: English is not the wait staff’s strong suit. You might not have a very good time if nobody in your party speaks Chinese.

Went for dinner on a Sunday night. If you are specifically in the mood for masala dosa, then this might be an okay place. They do some other things, but the dosas are clearly their emphasis. Unfortunately, their dosas, while not awful, are ridiculously overpriced for their mediocre quality, as is most of the other stuff on the menu. My girlfriend was appalled to order a mango lassi for $2 and get a little cup that couldn’t have been more than a 6oz serving.

Give this one a miss unless you specifically want a masala dosa and someone else is paying.

Mediocre Chinese food. Nothing really horrible, but nothing really fabulous either. My girlfriend gorged on the all-you-can-eat crab legs, so if you like crab that’s probably a big draw. I’d probably rate it a bit higher if it weren’t for the long, long wait to get seated. If you go there when there’s no crowd it’s probably fine, but the food isn’t worth standing around for 30-45 minutes.

Run-of-the-mill sit-down Mexican food. Their specialty goat dish is tasty enough, but the meat is sprinkled with annoying little bone chips that make chewing it less than pleasant. Other meat dishes the other people in my party ordered didn’t seem to have that problem, however. I would go back if friends were already going there, but I wouldn’t suggest it to them.

Meat! You don’t come here if you’re a vegetarian. You do come here if you want to gorge yourself on an endless supply of tasty meat, cooked just the way you like it because you cook it at your own table. As soon as you set foot in the place you will smell the cooking meat; if that thought makes you salivate, then you want to try this place.

Scrumptious pizza, cooked to perfection. I’m not in the mood for pizza too often, but when I am, this is where I head. The barbecue chicken is to die for.

This is pretty much the definition of a 5-star restaurant. Amazing food and impeccable service with a refined atmosphere. I’ve been three times and it has blown me away each time. My only complaint, if one can call it a complaint given the exquisite food, is that the amuses bouche tend not to change very often. Each time I’ve been, I’ve gotten roughly the same little goodies before the meal and between courses. They’re all really good (hence my reluctance to call this a complaint, exactly) but a little variety would be welcome.

In any event, I definitely want to go again. If I can ever get through on the reservation line.

Time has passed this place by to some degree. They were one of the earliest places in the area to do Asian fusion. They still do a decent enough job (I’ve never actually disliked anything I’ve had there) but they’ve been outclassed by subsequent attempts, so now I’d have to rank them as middle-of-the-pack in that particular genre.