westbaybanjo "I like to eat...my stomach's big"

I’ve been to the Princeton area about 5x in the last year, and this past week I discovered this newly opened restaurant. It’s on one of the main roads passing near Princeton and it looks like a residential house.

I stopped in and atmosphere was definitely inviting, with a good group of people at the bar and not-too-bright lighting.

I ate at the bar (since I was there for business and traveling alone) and the friendly female bartenders were nice and attentive.

The bread they served came with a hummus-like spread. Tasty.

This is small, historic burger joint that was renamed from murder buger to redrum. It’s claim to fame are the ostrich burgers that they serve.

Went to the 11am seating at the Navio Sunday brunch for my wife’s birthday. All I can say is prepare yourself and do not eat for about a day before.

Having gone to vegas many times before, I’m always sceptical about buffets and being able to eat its worth (see my review on the all-you-can-eat sushi at the atlantis resort in reno). However, although the brunch at the Navio is pricey ($82 per person), I can say with confidence that it was almost worth it (I don’t think I could ever say that spending $100 on a buffet is ever completely worth it).

The dining experience was awesome. We sat next to the windows and was able to enjoy a spectacular sunday afternoon with views of the ocean and the awesome grounds at the ritz.

The assortment of food was plentiful and yet very diverse, ranging from very fresh seafood, to asian, to traditional american brunch type foods.

There was caviar-a-plenty (although not boluga) and the salmon tar tar was killer.

My wfie truly enjoyed the dessert section, as the presentation was excellent.

My wife and I literally stumbled on this place as we were looking for a place to eat.

As you walk into Hattoriya, it reminds you of someone’s house, but not quite. As most true japanese restaurants go, there’s one tv playing some japanese sitcom, game show, or cartoon. Most of the people in the restaurant were japanese and each were heads down into their comic books.

The food was original and tasty, yet pricey. Not so sure if there will be a return to Hattoriya.

Manpuku is set up similarly to a korean bbq restaurant. You can order a variety of meat, seafood, veggies, and unique items to bbq yourself at your table.

The wait staff was prompt and polite. The bbq fans weren’t too loud so that you can have a sensible conversation with the people sitting across from you.

On old main street in santa monica, the library ale house is a good place to get drinks, watch a game on the tube, grab some food, or do all three. Not to mention, people watch. You are in west LA.

This place is an absolute circus. I came here because it use to be a favorite bagel stop of mine. Low and behold, the bagel shop is gone and now it’s Izzy’s. Okay. I can live with that. Let’s give this place a try.

I order the american breakfast, which is suppose to come with an omlette, some veggies, some potatoes and a bagel. Instead, they don’t have any veggies and no potatoes. However, they decide that french fries would go well with this dish. The omlette, isn’t actually an omlette. It’s just an overdone egg. The bagel is plain and getting it toasted wasn’t even an option.

On top of that, the entire time I was there, I was holding my Starbucks drink (during ordering, while I was waiting for my food, and while I started to eat). As I’m eating, one of the waiters comes up to me and says that I can’t bring outside food in. I ask, “What do you want me to do?” He says, you can drink it quickly. Uh…it’s coffee.

That was pretty much it for me. If you’re not going to tell me I can’t bring outside food in when I walk in, or when I’m ordering, or even when the food is brought to me, then why then?

This place won’t last 1 month. I hope my bagel place comes back.

Downtown Mountain View tends to have new restaurants pop up on a monthly basis. Just outside of Castro Street, you rarely find successful restaurants. Yellow Ginger sits in a spot that was a chinese noodle house for the longest time that I can remember. It then was Baba Neo, which didn’t last long. Now, new owners have launched Yellow Ginger. I live close to this place and finally decided to check it out.

The decor inside was definitely surprisingly nice compared to the strip mall exterior. This restaurant is family owned and run, and you can tell by the random people just sitting around in the restaurant, and then occasionally popping into the kitchen.

The food presentation was great and the portions were excellent. One of our dishes got mixed up, but other than that, I’d recommend trying it if you’re into malaysian/singapore food.