Restaurant Reviews – Page 19

Gohan Japanese Restaurant

May 7, 2010

Me and sushi go way back. My older cousin first introduced me to it when I was a child and it immediately became one of my favorite foods. Years later, it didn’t hurt that I had Japanese roommates in college who encouraged my foray into sushi eating. During a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto a few months ago, I got to eat sushi and sashimi to my heart’s content.

I had just finished up Trevor Corson’s The Story of Sushi when I was invited to lunch at Gohan in Petaluma. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Gohan looked promising as soon as I stepped inside. The ambiance is bright and modern, and our friendly server immediately brought us tea while we looked over the menu. For those who aren’t crazy about sushi, there are Japanese standards to choose from, but the emphasis is on sushi and sashimi.

The first plate I had was the negi toro roll.

The toro was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Best of all, the rice was adequately vinegared and rolled just right – loose enough so that the rolls kept their shape but the rice wasn’t mushed together.

I also ordered a kryptonite roll.

Like most sushi restaurants, Gohan offers primarily Americanized sushi rolls. I don’t like the mayonnaisey, greasy renditions, and the kryptonite roll was thankfully neither. Comprised of tuna, hamachi, salmon, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, and crunchy tobiko, this was hands-down delicious and super fresh.

Since my first visit, Gohan has become one of my favorite restaurants in Sonoma County. It’s a good balance of accessible sushi for both aficionados and for those who aren’t well-acquainted yet. (And oh, for my Persian-speaking readers, don’t let the name deter you.) The warm staff, the inviting ambiance and the consistently tasty sushi make this place a winner.

Hog Island Oyster Company

May 3, 2010

That’s right, another oyster-themed review. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I could stomach raw oysters without feeling sick, and it was Hog Island’s oysters at the Ferry Building in San Francisco that made me a convert. Their Monday and Thursday happy hour oysters won me over, and soon I was slurping down Kumamotos and Sweetwaters like a pro.

I missed happy hour the last time I was there, but my dining group and I split a plate of Sweetwater oysters anyway.

Delivered fresh daily from Tomales Bay, Sweetwater oysters are plump and salty, and as the name suggests, sweet. For an acidic kick, I always add a few drops of the onion and pepper-flecked mignonette that come with the oysters. I absolutely love this combination and the only thing that makes it even better is the side of fresh Acme bread and Cowgirl Creamery butter that comes with the oysters.

I didn’t get as many raw oysters as I usually do, so I also ordered a bowl of oyster stew.

These were more Sweetwater oysters, but this time stewed in their own liqueur, mirepoix, pimenton De La Vera, lemon zest and cream. I wanted to like this stew, I really did. But it was too sweet and so creamy that it overpowered the taste of the oysters.

Overall, Hog Island Oyster Company in the Ferry Building is a great place to enjoy top-notch oysters and with an incredible view of the Bay Bridge to boot. I’ll likely stick to the raw oysters next time – I can’t seem to get enough of those Sweetwaters.

Sea Salt

April 28, 2010April 28, 2010

Oysters are my happy food. Well that, and just about any shellfish. I stopped by for dinner at Berkeley’s seafood-themed Sea Salt restaurant one evening eager to try their oft-praised oysters, and ended up ordering much more.

The dimly lit and mellow restaurant was packed, and my dining companion and I had a hard time keeping ourselves from wanting to order just about everything on the menu. We started, of course, with the oysters.

Fried oysters with remoulade, to be exact. You know when fried oysters achieve that super-crispy crust on the outside and are oozing with steaming, creamy, hot-but-delicious lava on the inside? Yeah, that’s what we had here. A drizzle of lemon juice and a quick dip in the sauce, and these babies were gone in no time.

Next we tried the fried smelt with green goddess dressing.

I have a lot of recipes for smelt and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making them, but can never locate smelt at the market. I’m so glad we ordered this because it ended up being my favorite dish of the evening. The smelts were very savory and rich without being greasy, and the dressing added a textural contrast to an otherwise crispy, crunchy dish.

Our next dish was the Baia Nicchia Tomato Salad.

Baia Nicchia is a small farm and nursery in Sunol that grows primarily gourmet tomatoes. The ones we were served were meaty and sweet, and topped with fresh mozzarella, pickled onion, and cilantro. I loved the addition of the tart, vinegary onions.

Our mini lobster roll came next.

Served with house-made chips, pickles, and slaw, the lobster was fantastic but the portion was pretty small. We had one bite each before I polished off the pickles. (Did I mention I love pickled vegetables?)

The last dish of the meal was the grilled local squid.

Squid is so easy to overcook, which results in a rubbery texture, but not these. These squid were grilled to tender, smoky perfection and were served atop a white bean salad. A drizzle of basil almond pesto completed the dish, though I think the squid and beans were so delicious on their own they could have done without the pesto.

Sea Salt is a gem in a city that’s already chock-full of good restaurants. They have a daily $1 oyster happy hour too; I know what I’m going back for next time.

Flour + Water

April 19, 2010

I can’t remember the last time I heard so much buzz about a restaurant since Flour + Water opened up in San Francisco’s Mission District a few months ago. Fresh off of a strong review in the Chronicle, the restaurant was a packed house every night of the week. Things were no different when I visited Flour + Water with a group to try their renowned hand-rolled pastas and house-cured meats on a weekday evening. The restaurant opens at 5:30 so we showed up at 5:15 to be on the safe side, but a line had already formed outside.

Our group waited for about half an hour before we were seated at a long communal wooden table and began to peruse the menu. We started with the yellow peach and rabbit confit salad.

Served with pistachios and wild arugula, this salad was refreshing and despite the wide range of flavors, it worked. The peaches were succulent without being too sweet, so it complimented rather than overwhelmed the rabbit.

Next we tried the crispy oxtail terrine.

This was probably my favorite dish of the meal. Terrines have a texture similar to pate and they’re usually not crisped on the outside. Flour + Water managed to pull it off though, and the terrine held up its form both on the interior and exterior. They were served on top of a watercress salad with delicious bits of chantrelle mushrooms.

Our third dish was the biancoverde pizza.

Topped with ricotta cheese, anchovies and nettle pesto, this was a rich pizza without being too greasy. It was also my first foray into nettles, which had a very mild flavor. I’m curious to try them again. While the anchovies provided a salty kick, I would have been even happier if this pizza came with a healthy sprinkling of garlic or something equally flavorful.

Our last dish was the eggplant and crescenza cappelletti.

Cappelletti are similar to tortellini and these were incredibly ethereal. The eggplant filling was light and was topped cherry tomatoes and gypsy peppers. After having sampled this dish, I can easily see what all the fuss is about over Flour + Water’s handmade pasta.

It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten there, and I imagine that the initial crowds at Flour + Water may have died down a bit. That being said, Flour + Water’s menu is constantly changing, which only means one thing: it’s time for a return visit.

5 Joy Restaurant

April 18, 2010

5 Joy Restaurant is in the middle of nowhere. Technically, it’s at the edge of Foster City to be more exact, but it may as well be the middle of nowhere. I’d long been searching for exceptional Chinese food in the Peninsula, so I was more than willing to make the drive to Beach Park Boulevard near the water on a Sunday afternoon in the hopes of finding what I was looking for. The long wait outside was a promising sign, and I was rewarded with some of the best Chinese food I’ve had in quite some time.

You know you’ve stumbled upon an authentic Chinese restaurant when all the patrons are, well, Chinese. My dining companion and I stuck out like sore thumbs, and our waiter was happy to offer suggestions on what to order.

We started with the beef noodle soup.

The broth was incredibly rich and hearty, and was full of tender cuts of beef and hand-cut noodles. I couldn’t quite make out the spices, but I think I detected a good hit of anise and onions. It was hard to not go back for seconds, but I had to save room for the next dish.

I tend to stay away from run-of-the-mill dishes like chow mein at Chinese restaurants, but the mu shu chicken chow mein at 5 Joy Restaurant is anything but. Like the soup, the noodles in this dish were hand-cut.

The noodles were tender and slightly chewy and although the dish was pretty greasy, it was also incredibly flavorful. A combination of fresh vegetables and juicy chicken made this dish a winner.

Last came our Zhong Hua Road potstickers. We had been warned that this dish takes the longest to cook, and indeed, it arrived at the tail-end of our meal.

I can see why. The care and labor it must take to make these super-delicate potstickers must be time-consuming. These babies were much larger than the potstickers I’m used to, and the soy-chili dipping sauce served alongside them were an ideal accompaniment to cut through the richness of the filling.

The portions at 5 Joy Restaurant are huge, and I went home with plenty of leftovers. 5 Joy Restaurant may be well out of the way, but I can easily see why it gets so busy. I no longer live in the Peninsula, but it remains a must-go eatery for when I’m in the area.