Restaurants

It’s another rainy, gray day in Germany.  It should be expected – in the hills of the Pfalz, Novembers are always cold, wet and dreary.  I should be used to it but sometimes it’s just a little too much.  So today, I’m dreaming of the warm sun and azure waters of Mexico.  But barring an imprompu trip to Puerto Vallarta, I’d take some really good chicken enchiladas.

I could make them myself – I have a great recipe.  An incredible and authentic recipe.  But as it is with anything, making good enchiladas from scratch is a seriously time-intensive activity.  Between the chopping, the layering and the baking, you’re looking at a few hours work.  And to make my favorite enchilada sauce (canned just won’t do)?  Well, once you blend together the cream, lemon and spices, it’s best to let the sauce sit overnight in the fridge and hope that you can stand the wait.

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Captain D's two-piece fish

Apparently my emergency excursion to Long John Silver’s earlier this month has set off seismic cravings for cheap, greasy fried fish sticks, because this week I found myself in the parking lot at Captain D’s Seafood.

I tried to excuse my new habit by saying it was only fair that I review both competitors in the interest of good journalism technique. The problem with that lie is I’ve never really stopped eating at Captain D’s over the years, especially if they had a coupon. Still, I could objectively compare the chains’ quality and experience just as I did Moe’s and Chipotle, right?

Wrong. You see, to my complete surprise, I have yet to figure out the difference between my meals.

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Pasta Moto "Quick Taste of Italy" new in SF

San Francisco Metreon Shopping Center, in the San Francisco Center has a large lower floor filled with mini versions of larger restaurants as well as your basic food stalls.   Think International Terminal at SFO more than Harrod’s Department Store’s famous Food Halls.

Westfield – Metreon is a state of the art technology and entertainment marketplace covering over 350,000 square feet on four levels. It is the new home of the old Emporium-Capwell’s for you old school shoppers and citizens like me. Remember that crazy Ferris Wheel on the roof of the store at Christmas? How was that legal?

While shopping at Bloomingdale’s and checking out the Rosetta Stone kiosk in the mall, I got really hungry all of a sudden. Maybe from thinking of my trip to Spain and all the fresh seafood I was going to consume!  Deep down inside though, my craving was for simple comfort food rather than a balanced sensible meal.  Good thing I was at a mall because the lower level produced the perfect choice, Pasta Moto! Read More »

Pho Clement 2 in San Francisco

Every neighborhood in San Francisco has great local cafes and restaurants for quick meals.  Truly, living in San Francisco means you can eat as much cheap and “fast food” as you like, only it doesn’t have to be McDonalds.  With a huge Asian population, a great fast food is a hot bowl of pho noodles, however this time we not only tried a dry noodle salad instead of our standard bowl of rice noodles – but we also forgot to tell the server and got a big dose of MSG. Read More »

Tad's Steaks

Cheap steaks are like treasure, it is always a surprise when you discover they still exist in today’s world. When you walk into Tad’s Steakhouse in downtown San Francisco, you are reminded that cheap steaks (that come with salad, garlic bread and a baked potato) do still exist in this expensive city of ours.

The dinner menu at Tad’s is on the opposite spectrum as John’s Grill around the corner, or my across town favorite Harris’ Restaurant but this Powell Street steakhouse is a safe place to direct that foreign student who stops you on Union Square or the occasional tourist family with the hungry kids. They all can enjoy a non-burrito and non-fast food place for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

My husband and I do like to eat at downtown hole-in-the-walls that only a non-local would go to once in a while. It reminds us of our first time in cities like Paris, Vienna, London, Tokyo et al. Eating at Tad’s also reminds us of being college students with cast iron stomachs.

Seriously it is a bit of a tourist trap but I am kind of impressed that Tad’s has survived all these years across from fancier restaurants. The longevity of Tad’s could be its relationship to Ruth’s Chris but if it is, the better quality steaks I’ve had a Ruth’s Chris Steak House are not at Tad’s Steakhouse.

120 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 982-1718
www.tadssteaks-sf.com

Mon-Sun. 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.

After a long day out of town, it’s nice to come home to a home cooked meal. However, when that doesn’t work out for me, Panda Express is a good alternative.

Too Cute!

I know, I know, who wants fast food? Not me, but man do my kids love it. They even go so far as to call it, Panda Bear Express. The kid meals are adorable, they come in a cute little box that the boys love. I also love them, because the two items inside are separate. Rice on one tray and chicken on the other.

My kids are partial to the Orange Chicken  and Fried Rice, they like the peas. My personal favorite is the Kung Pao Chicken, I like the heat. My husband tried the Asparagus Chicken and liked it, though he would have liked it better if they called Aspargus, Mushroom Chicken. He doesn’t like mushrooms, so I ate them all.

Panda Express is not my first choice for take-out food but it will do in a pinch. I guess its a nice change of pace from McDonald’s or our other favorite chicken from Albertson’s.

Panda Express – Located in a mall near you, unless you are lucky enough to have a stand alone drive-thru restaurant less than a mile from your house like I do.

Photos – Be Melodious and my iphone

Do you ever find yourself in an unfamiliar part of town and suddenly your stomach starts growling? It happens to me more than I care to admit, but this time rather than suffering until I got home – or reluctantly eating fast food – I let my nose lead me to some of the best Mexican food ever in Daly City.

Finding myself on the outskirts of the Mission District in San Francisco with a hungry stomach, I took the first parking spot I found on a busy section of Mission Street. When I got out of the car, the first thing I noticed was this lovely smell of warm tortillas and roasting meats coming out this little doorway with a green metal gate.

I was technically in Daly City, not San Francisco which is not discernible unless you have a map in front of you. Our “accidental” find proceeded to bring all sorts of wonderful memories out for my husband – with the music, the authentic and rich smells coming from the kitchen and the colorful decorations on the wall. He kept saying how the room felt like he was in his grandmother’s house.

Delicious menu items

I loved the decor and the warm hospitality from the staff of Lisa’s Mexican Restaurant.

The sangria I had was delicious and not too sweet. We were very surprised at the number of empty tables but at the same time you could tell that the people who were coming in for lunch, felt very much at home and ready for a relaxing and unhurried meal.

On this occasion I had a combination of chicken enchilada and crispy flauta (a flauta is deep fried like a taquito but made with a flour tortilla rather than corn) – both were cooked and seasoned perfectly.

I will definitely put this down in my book under the category of “undiscovered finds” and return again. The prices were very reasonable and the portions were perfect.

Lisa’s Mexican Restaurant
6582 Mission St
Daly City, CA 94014
(650) 756-6289