California Grubbin'

food: 2.5/5 experience: 1/5 overall: 1.5/5 With a name like the Waffle Experience I was expecting a lot more. So the waffles here are made out of dough, not batter, just a heads up. They're Liege Belgian waffles as opposed to the traditional Brussels Belgian. So they're really, well, doughy. The only thing I tried was the chicken and waffle. The chicken batter was crispy and delicious. It was among the best chicken half of chicken and waffles I've had in my life. Granted I've only had this dish less than ten times total, but still. It's up there. It came with an herb waffle, which was, to be generous, alright . (The company I was sharing it with thought it was awful.) The dish came with ricotta cheese which doesn't have much flavor so nothing to add there. And it had an apple-bacon coleslaw thing on top. They call the bacon some other weird fancy name but rest assured it's just bacon. Also wtf at adding kale on top of chicken and waffles. Not tryna e

food: 5/5 experience: 4.5/5 overall: 5/5 The line here for brunch rivals Bacon & Butter. Thanks a lot to everyone who gets bottomless mimosas for planting yourselves at the table for an entire hour. Service is excellent at least. (The waitress remembered our entire order and afternoon plans from one week to the next) The rundown: Beignets: 4.5/5 Had to try these first. I think they're a signature dish here. Eleven huge fried New Orleans-style doughnut holes (not really but if you want an idea) with powdered sugar, served piping hot on a fake newspaper. Delicious but I wish they were doughier inside. They're very crisp but since they're fried they don't last more than a couple hours before getting soggy. And soggy beignets is a very sad thing. (A bit of trivia: apparently Portuguese "filhós" are very similar to beignets. Yay for being Portuguese!) Buttermilk biscuits: 4.5/5 These were also huge. They were more like scones. Also really cris

food: 2.5/5 experience: 3.5/5 overall: 3/5 I came here because it was on a list I had of very highly recommended restaurants. Definitely wouldn't have found it otherwise. Kabob is not usually my thing but I figured with such a good rating why not. It went... ok. The chicken kabob tasted "not bad." Good but nothing special. Same with the hummus. The pita was rather plain but it was mainly for dipping in the hummus so it ended up sufficing. The rice kind of sucked, but my mom liked it so to each their own. The little side salad was kind of nasty as well. It's a little rinky-dink restaurant in a strip mall so don't go in expecting a five-star dining experience and you'll be okay. Restaurant is even a stretch; shop is more like it. The service is alright and they clearly have some regulars. I just wouldn't have it again. Was worth a shot though.

food: 3/5 experience: 2.5/5 overall: 2.5/5 Hooray, yet another example of a classic WeHo-style, all $$$, no substance business. I believe this is the first yogurt shop I encountered in Los Angeles with a theme. You wanna know why it has a theme? Because otherwise it would suck, and no one would come here. Save for the fact that it's in WeHo. Yogurt at Yogurt Stop will cost you a good ten cents more per ounce than anywhere else. Ten cents, you sniff? Believe me, that shit adds up. You'd get more for your money at Pinkberry. True story. The flavors are all labeled with name-tags, sometimes cute, mostly annoying. The store itself is nicely styled, I have to say. Although I question the person who thought up the concept of associating frozen yogurt with gasoline. Plenty of toppings to choose from, too, I'll give them that. Lots of "weighty" choices, I noticed. The yogurt itself? Yeah, it was good. Just... good. Was it worth almost seven dollars? Hell  n

food: 4/5 experience: 4/5 overall: 4/5 If there's one thing Sacramento got right in terms of Mexican cuisine, it is its very own chain of Jimboys. They appear to have expanded into the Reno territory as well as the Bay area. Practically everything at Jimboys is a home run, and I believe I have actually tried practically everything. First and foremost, if you're new to Jimboys I suggest introducing yourself to their tacos and burritos. Their fresh taco shells are coated with a layer of parmesan cheese (uh...sure, why not) that makes them just superb. Their tortillas are grilled, so the burritos are served nice and warm. No plain, supermarket-tasting tortillas over here. The classic bean burrito will fill you up good. They even have breakfast burritos! Also recommended. Tostadas: pretty standard, they've never impressed me in general. Basically just an open-faced taco on a corn tortilla shell. I say opt for the taco salad instead. Parmesan mini-dilla: the

food: 2/5 experience: 3.5/5 overall: 2.5/5 I don't really see a reason for this place to exist. It's like the people in this particular section of Greenhaven are so lazy when it comes to eating Mexican food that they just bump into the nearest location. "Me want beans. Want rice. Where get. Ah! Sign says Mexican! Me like Mexican. Mexican good." Speaking of which their beans and rice taste straight out of the large container they came in. I mean Chipotle has some soggy food but even that is better than here. Their flour tortillas are about as good as the ones you could get at Bel Air a few blocks away. Chips, blah. Everything tastes prepackaged. Those all being the basic components of Mexican cuisine, I don't care to come back to try the rest of their menu. Everything was just amazingly mediocre, like they actually took time and effort into making it as bland as possible. Service is slow, as if you actually were in Mexico, so at least they got some ki

food: 5/5 experience: 5/5 overall: 5/5 I've enjoyed many a visit to Elephant Bar. A lot of people hate on chain restaurants but this one makes the mark for me. They specialize in "worldly" cuisine. There's only one thing in the world that keeps drawing me back: the New Zealand lamb shanks. These babies are huge. They come in a pair and are enough to fill you up for the rest of the day. A half order will still be plenty for dinner. Comes with a side of mashed potatoes. When the lamb gravy is mixed into that mash ooooh, it hits you just right. Haven't tried many other things (why would I when I hit a home run the first time?), but I do recollect having tried someone else's chicken lettuce wraps. Eh, what's to be said about lettuce wraps? This pseudo-healthy dish has never inspired me. Back to the tried-and-true, the tender, melt-in-your-mouth, fall-off-the-bone lamb shanks. Service is always lovely and blah blah. Lamb shanks lamb shanks lamb

food: 4/5 experience: 5/5 overall: 4/5 Hey, another throwback. Back when I used to be vegan as well. I came here very regularly in high school because it was the most basic vegan food you could find: vegetables. Cooked up on a steaming barbecue and served fresh with infinite refills. Can't go wrong with Mongolian BBQ. That is unless you're gluten-sensitive, in which case steer clear, because the grill is loaded with noodles on a regular basis. My being vegan meant I avoided the noodles and meat, and you know what? Mongolian BBQ is still delicious even when you just get a bowl of veggies loaded with pineapple and garlic on top. It beats Chinese food any day. Over time you'll acquire packing skills so as to get the most food in one go. I personally don't think I could ever eat more than one towering bowl myself, but if your friends have huge appetites, MBBQ is where it's at. Service was always great. Usually I got one bowl full to-go and unlike some other

food: 1/5 experience: n/a takeout overall: 1/5 It was hard times living between hotels, Airbnb's and hostels, trying to establish myself in a place in Los Angeles. I had been on a wing kick of late so this spot was open late and in the area, and it got decent ratings online. I figured it would do. Ordered your standard wings. Came with eight. That is, technically if you lifted them up you would count eight. They occupied a full quarter of a standard styrofoam takeout container with the remainder of the tray filled with soggy curly fries. Everything equally nasty. And all this for eight bucks? Wowza. Looks like I'd been duped. Definitely finished that meal still hungry. Next time I'll stick to the tried-and-true Buffalo Wild Wings.

food: 3/5 experience: 2.5/5 overall: 3/5 This is the little taco stand in the parking lot next to Trader Joe's. (Note: do not park here for TJ's, the lot owners are parking Nazis.) The tiny location always tempted me in a hidden-treasure kinda way so I finally went in and got some grub. I wanted to sample as much as I could to get a good idea of how good their food was. My selections: tamale, taco, burrito. Basically the extent of their menu (they also have quesadillas). No chips to be found here, gotta get those next door. Dreams dashed. Disappointing. Everything was thoroughly blah. Even the tamale lacked flavor. I couldn't describe how anything tasted because it was all just a wash. There's not really any seating outside, just a few flimsy tables, so I couldn't even enjoy some scenery while I scarfed down my grub. Welp, one more Mexican joint to cross off the list, I s'pose.

food: 3.5/5 experience: 3.5/5 overall: 3.5/5 What's to say about MOD? It's just another Chipotle -style pizzeria. They have their own specialty pizzas or you can get one with whatever toppings your heart desires. The calorie counts are definitely off, by the way, because I definitely gained some weight in spite of the calorie consciousness. Be forewarned, weight watchers. We tried a couple of them. You can't get half and half so me and my, er, (bad) date (sorry, dude) opted for the Calexico and the Caspian. The crust, my favorite part of the pizza, just didn't make the cut. It passed as crust, sure, but it did not have that doughy, bread-y flavor or texture I so desire. The toppings definitely were the star of the show here. The Calexico had a nice kick to it with the spicy buffalo sauce and jalapeños. It was actually quite a bit on the spicier side, and I'm a spice veteran. The Caspian was like a palate cleanser with its sweet barbecue sauce. Barbec

food: 4/5 experience: 3/5 overall: 3.5/5 This place is located in Dublin, which is a small suburb of East SF, so I just filed it under SF. Sorries for the confusion. We came here after picking up a very rambunctious puppy in Redwood City that was to be named Cocoa Bean. After we cleaned up a huge, smelly accident in the car, we came into this place for a late lunch. On the menu: my favorite, sea bass, market priced at $25. Eep. This was a nice, thick steak, filling but not too filling, and very fresh. It came with a side of zucchini that was fairly bland as it was just dry-roasted plain with no seasoning at all. Comes with a lotta plain rice as well that went untouched. Good, but not worth the price tag. Unfortunately, they didn't have the maple-glazed salmon that was advertised in the restaurant. How you gonna not serve the food you post a picture of? Seriously, the picture makes you wanna order it and anyway. That was disappointing. So we missed out on that. Asid

food: 4/5 experience: n/a take-out overall: 4/5 A tiny delivery pizza spot in the same Freeport strip mall that houses Dad's Kitchen among other things. The service is great and the pizza is great. Simple, yet well-executed. I got the Hawaiian. The crust looked pre-frozen but was delicious nonetheless, basic but bread-y and not cardboard in flavor or texture. No garlic seasoning on it or anything, so it still doesn't compare to my beloved Pizza Hut crust. Still, it was on point for fast-food pizza. The size was decent, the price was decent. Wouldn't think it was this good just by the looks of this place. Not much to say here. Just know that Famous does delivery pizza right. They also have wings but meh. You want the pizza.

food: 5/5 experience: 5/5 overall: 5/5 Thanksgiving in Hawaii. Ah, screw it, we're having fish. All these turkey-themed restaurants are so overpriced. We made reservations earlier in the day and they didn't have them for some reason so we almost didn't get a table. Thankfully we did, and we got the opportunity to try some great food. At first they seated us way in the back corner but we talked our way into getting a seat outside, close enough to hear the music playing. Props to the DJ, the music here is good. As soon as we sat down the Biebs came on so I knew it'd be a good night. We went "big" for Thanksgiving, ordering the bigeye tuna sashimi with Yuzu sauce, chicken karaage, double happiness roll and Doraku tuna tataki. Chicken karaage is your basic Japanese fried chicken. And who doesn't like fried chicken? A sweet and savory breading with a teriyaki-type sauce, this one was a win. The double happiness roll came wrapped with cucumber

food: 5/5 experience: 2/5 overall: 3/5 I remember when this first place opened. It was packed . And noisy. My friend was raving about it and I wasn't big into the sushi/sashimi scene yet but let me tell you this was a great introduction. First time I ever tried eel and roe, too. Man I like me some eel. Ever the healthy eater, I just got me a bowl of sashimi, but my friend lured me into trying half the menu, but most memorably, the fried calamari. Award goes to fried calamari for classiest junk food on the menu. Now I have never had fried calamari before, but friends, this was the best fried calamari I think I'll ever have. So crisp, it was like eating onion rings but with delicious fish inside. The perfect texture, and they give you a lot. Award for healthiest item on the menu that wasn't nearly as filling as it looked, goes to the sashimi. This "small" sashimi though, this was nothing to sniff at. A little boat of sashimi came with fish aplenty and it,

food: 3.5/5 experience: 3/5 overall: 3/5 The Izakaya, in Sacramento. It's an old standby sushi restaurant relatively close to our house so I've sampled the fare on occasion. Usually when I can't decide on anywhere else to go and it's getting late. This last time we went right before closing. The waitress was clearly none too happy about that. Especially when I ordered BBQ albacore sashimi and it came with sesame seeds on top (see below), to which I am allergic. I had to send it back. She practically rolled her eyes. Hey lady, you're not the one doing the cooking, 'kay, you just put the food on the table for us and you're still open so there. The dish was really good, I have to say. I'm glad I sent it back though because my allergic reactions last for days. Besides this, they don't have a very good sashimi selection (the standard salmon, hamachi, white and red tuna) so I just opted for the hamachi. Tuna and salmon get kinda old after a whil

food: 3.5/5 experience: 3.5/5 overall: 3.5/5 We used to go here when I was a little kid and I remember thinking it was just the best place ever. So I wanted to revisit my childhood to see if memory held up. Well, everything's amazing when you're a kid I guess. The chips/nachos are a lot less tasty than I remember. Also tried the burrito and the taco. I figure these three items contain all the components by which to judge a Mexican restaurant: chips, beans, rice, guac, cheese, and both styles of tortillas. Enchiladas are also good but I only have one stomach and the only additional component there is sauce so... Anyway, it's no secret most Mexican food is different combos of of the same ingredients. What can I say? It's definitely good Mexican food. If you're looking for Mexican food, this will do. It's hard to go wrong with Mexican. It's not fantastic though and Sacramento has better to offer. You're not gonna be like ozmagah I has to

food: 4/5 experience: 5/5 overall: 4/5 It was my first official Korean BBQ experience. Instigated by my Korean friend. I had no idea how much food they gave you. No idea. First they give you about twenty different appetizer dishes. There's a name for these, I learned: banchan (hope I'm spelling that right). There was one that looked like bamboo or noodles or something that was my favorite. Wasn't a fan of kimchi, broccoli or any of the vegetables for that matter. They also had these rice cake things that were really plain, wasn't sure what to do with those. Then came the main meal. You get your choice of meat with vegetables. They give you as much meat as you want. All you can eat is definitely not my style thanks to my small stomach but my friend was more than happy to eat my remains. And after the appetizers was even less hungry. You put it all on the little stove in the middle of the table to barbecue and well you know what's up if you've ev

food: 4/5 experience: 4/5 overall: 4/5 A bit of a wait at the height of breakfast time but definitely worth it. Had to treat myself to at least one nice Hawaiian breakfast during our stay in Oahu. Our hostess could have had a little more enthusiasm but our waitress more than made up for it. We got the Hawaiian delight, which was a stuffed papaya, and the chicken mango sausages and eggs. Chicken mango, what a delectable combo. They serve the dishes separately which is kind of annoying because ideally you don't want to finish yours before the other person starts, but you also don't want your food to get cold. The fruit side came a lot faster (obv). The papaya was nice and fresh. Came with blueberries, strawberries, granola and whip, all good. They sure pile on the whipped cream here, shoot. Every plate that was coming out of the kitchen had a mountain. Ours were no different. The portions are huge. Two eggs looked more like four, and they came with cheese. The sau

food: 4/5 experience: 4/5 overall: 4/5 I always feel weird going to another hotel for dinner, like I'm cheating on mine or something. I promise we'll be back, Sheraton, really! It's not you... it's uh... Anyway. This spot is located in the Outrigger hotel. They have live music in the front. Unfortunately we couldn't see any of it but on a little flatscreen black-and-white TV in the bar because we were seated in the back. Another thing we couldn't see: the menu! Our table was only lit by a lone candle. The menu is small. Mostly fish-oriented items. We got the French onion soup, ahi katsu, and soup of the day. Both soups were on the salty side but good. When they say a cup, they really do mean a cup. The onion soup had a ton of cheese though and was super filling. The ahi katsu was like a sushi roll almost, just made with fried ahi and sauce on top, plus a little salad underneath with champagne dressing. Pretty good. The sauce had wasabi in it so

food: 3.5/5 experience: 3/5 overall: 3.5/5 Meh. It's alright. We went here because we were fresh off the plane and starving for dinner at 8:30 (plane food is gross). This spot was about a block away from the hotel so Shizen Ya it was. I tried one of their specialty rolls, the Sakura Blossom. Lovely presentation, as you can see. It said it came with maple sauce (how Canadian!) but I didn't see any. That was one of the main draws so that kinda sucked. Their gimmick is they use all brown rice for their sushi. Well, it was edible, on the good side even. But I'd never go out of my way for it if I were back in the city. We also tried the gyoza. Typical gyoza with sweet sauce, not much to be said. If you've had one gyoza you've had 'em all. They wouldn't steam them, only fry, so that was disappointing. Prices are standard. Nothing to drive out of your way for or anything. It's just... there.

food: 3/5 experience: 3/5 overall: 3/5 Honestly do not understand why this place is so popular. Seems to me to be just another Land Park fad. Land Park likes to latch on to particular businesses for some reason. Usually meeting some of the following requirements of being 1) small in size, 2) serving a gourmet style of a particular cuisine, 3) with a fancy sounding name, 4) with a limited or seasonal menu. Looks like we got a bingo over here. I've tried several of their pizzas and they are all exceedingly mediocre. Apologies to the Land Park crowd for crapping on your dreams but this is not the best pizza you can find in the Sacramento area. The crust is the cornerstone of good pizza and while the texture is fine, theirs just completely misses the mark in terms of flavor. Sometimes they bring out a particularly thin, limp-crusted pizza and all the toppings slide off when you pick it up. The pizzas... Margherita: 3/5 Hard to go wrong here unless you literally put moldy