34 - Katana-Ya Ramen House - San Francisco

430 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA. 94102, (510) 771-1280

Last Visit - June 2009

I first went to Katana-Ya to meet some old college friends I haven't seen in years so the event over-took the food. I enjoyed it, but the cramped seating kind of got to me. I'm used to this in Japan, but sometimes I prefer the giant booths you'd find in a regular Denny's restaurant. But the ramen was good and I did find it reasonable to go again.

On my second trip I went there and tried the spicy ramen. That was pretty awesome. The flavor was rich and the broth was thick with lots of seasonings. There really isn't much to say about it because many other people would've told you by now that Katana-ya is THE BEST RAMEN place in San Francisco (or the Bay Area as alleged by some). Go there and you can't go wrong with the food.

But anyway, on my second trip I appreciated the decor a bit more too as the meal proceeded. The room only fits like 10 tables and it creates a narrow pathway for the waitresses to move around. The chef looks like he's really Japanese, but I didn't want to make conversation with him. There is a counter for patrons to eat ramen in and behind the counter they hung a giant gilded Japanese screen. It was actually gorgeous and I felt it out of place for a Japanese restaurant. What made it even more weird were the christmas lights and the gaudy halogen light bars. I wasn't sure if I was in a Tokyo street vendor or an esoteric Japanophile's basement. There actually was a pair of Katana blades there too. To complete the look they should've added a train set like Izakaya Mai's. Either way, it was entertainment for the amount of time it takes you to finish ramen. The people come and go quick, so you'll have a fun time people gazing also. All in all, a winner for the people of San Francisco.

33 - the Pretty Lady - Oakland

1733 Peralta St., Oakland, Ca.94607, (510) 832-1213

last visited - September 2009

"People on Yelp love us!" was the only piece of real advertisement we saw on the door. It was Saturday and me and my girlfriend were going to try a new diner for breakfast. This one I picked from scanning through Yelp: good food, reasonable prices, and homey hospitality were what they said. The only problem was the location.

Traveling through West Oakland was like going to a different city for me. For all the urban legends of crime and violence I had shut that area out of my mind in my search for food. The Pretty Lady is on Peralta Street, which was a couple streets away from everything. We parked beside a car repair shop and a side of a school. And now for the food itself.

One thing that you notice out of the ordinary about the Pretty Lady is that it's owned by some friendly Koreans. That's one thing that you don't see everyday - an American breakfast place with soy sauce on the counter. Well, that, and a customer came in wearing an African shroud with purple trims along with a Sacramento Kings hat. Amazingly, it worked well for him. The lady that works there is the server and only waiter for where I am concerned. We are greeted and given menus quickly. A quick glance at the decor reminds me of a bar I went to in Japan called "Redwood". A lot of pictures and keepsakes from the Texas west. I guess the pretty lady must have stemmed from the idea of a western Cowgirl.

We ordered a simple breakfast. I had two pancakes with ham and eggs while my girlfriend had the eggs, sausages, and toast. I had coffee and she had orange juice. Everything came out quickly and the dishes were typical diner food. My girlfriend did think the complimentary hash browns were a bit greasy, but I found it alright. Another Yelper complained about the same thing, but I tried it and didn't mind it so much. All in all, I found it a pleasant diner with small smiling crowd. I do think I'll be going back again, maybe for lunch to try their Salmon burgers.

Lastly, it's important to note that they only take cash, so please bring some.

32 - the Candy Bar - San Francisco

1335 Fulton street, San Francisco, CA.94117, (415) 673-7078

Last visited - August 2009

(image from curbednetwork.com)
One look inside you'll notice something different about the bar. It's clientele? Preppy and in their early 30's. The food? Desserts that people don't think about would taste good, but it TASTES GOOD! The ambiance? dimly lit with hints of artificiality. It took me awhile, but the bar didn't look out of place, it WAS out of place. It's the type of bar you'd find in L.A... but in San Francisco.

I did like the fact that they had board games in the bar. It seemed like a good idea to be able to play some Monopoly or Yatzee while sipping on some cocktails, but the tables were amazingly cramped. I guess they wanted to pack more people in, but it's a small issue. We ordered our food and it arrived promptly. My girlfriend had the nacho sundae platter (is it a play on the words "not your sunday"?), our friend had the matcha green-tea cake, while I had some fruit tart thing that's served in a little jar, the white chocolate mousse it looked like creme' brulee. It was made of three layers and garnished with the white chocolate mousse on the side. Reviewing their menu online, I learned that the three layers were Blue berry compote, Kalamansi Sorbet, and Candied Parsnips. Upon the second spoonful I realized it was the Kalamansi sorbet that really excited me. It was amazingly smooth and the chill kept the whole dessert together - a tingling delight at every bite. The blue berries were fresh and the parsnips were delightful. I almost forgot about the mousse. The sorbet was a true winner, and I had a cup of coffee with it that went together really well. The cake was mediocre for the price, but my fruit snack and my girlfriend's nacho desserts were both tasty.

Lastly, I enjoyed the food and the presentation of the food, but I wouldn't make a trip to San Francisco for it. Now if I was already in town, it would be a different story. Bon appetite!

31 - Ramen Halu - San Jose

375 Saratoga Ave, Suite M, San Jose, CA. 95129, (408) 246-3933

Last visited - September of 2009

www.ramenhalu.com

(Ramen Halu at night, image from my own library) When you go out craving something to eat and end up getting something different, your judgment of a place will never be too objective. Here's the story, we drove down all the way to San Jose hungry for some "whole shibang" shrimp from the Boiling Crab, but when we got there the wait was two and a half hours. That's right, the girl said 2.5 HOURS! We couldn't wait that long, so we got two pounds to go for a later time and went to Ramen Halu for the first time.

The place was mentioned by my friend months earlier and I told her that I'd check it out if I was in the San Jose area. I guess I found the time to do so that night. The drive there was not too bad, but you'd never expect a ramen place on Los Gatos ave. So Ramen Halu is nestled between an Indian supermarket and a cash checking place. From across the way you can see a Casino and a hoff brau restaurant on its diagonal. When we drove in the parking lot we thought we went to the wrong part of town, nevertheless I heard Japanese folks speaking outside a small store front, and sure enough there was a Ramen restaurant.

The service is laid-back in Ramen Halu, they seem to have some really greenhorn waiters that take their time in cleaning off tables and checking up on the tables. The theme of the restaurant is beaches and surfing. The little eatery was lined with surfboards and they give you the check on a conch shell. And like the theme suggests, the waiters reminded me of chilled out surfers serving you on their own time. Luckily, they have a speedy kitchen and our ramen came pretty quick. I ordered the Ramen Halu, my girlfriend ordered the tan-tan noodles, and our other friend ordered the Ramen Halu with buckwheat noodles. Out of the three, I found the tan-tan noodles the tastiest. The Ramen Halu was supposed to be this healthy soup with noodles that'd make you strong and cleanse your system. Of course healthy food never tastes great. I found the soup simple and not enough flavoring. My friend thought it was a bit too oily for her and that the soup was dominated by the bamboo shoots' flavoring. It might have been saltier than one is used to also. Not to be unfair, the tan-tan noodles are really good and I recommend that for all those that are in the San Jose area. They probably have a decent ramen too, we just didn't try it that first time.

30 - the Victorian Pub - San Leandro

15325 Washington Ave., San Leandro, CA 94579, (510) 614-7130

Last visited - November 2008

Most likely known to many as "the Vic", this San Leandro hole-in-the-wall bar is recognized as a homey place for its locals. Located right off of the Washington Ave exit across from the Walgreens, you'll find yourself wondering, "Why is there a bar here?", believe me I was befuddled the first time I seen it. This place is so hole-in-the-wall that I can't find a picture of it on Google. Well, not the first few pages at least. I was introduced to this bar by my co-workers at Peterson Tractor. They go on regularly and enjoy a couple of pitchers to ease the hard work week. Drinks are decently made, the beer isn't ridiculously priced, and there is a nice juke box with today's tunes.

I like places like these because it reminds me of the way "America" used to be. America with it's steel workers and brick-layers and all that blue-collar, work a "dollar-a-day" for an "honest man's wages" kind of deal. When I picture the Vic, I am reminded of the U2 song, "These are the hands that built America". Anyways, it's just a bar. They don't serve food neither. Walgreens can supply chips. Hell, the guys sometimes order pizza delivered there.

The Vic has limited seating, two pool tables, a dart board and a big TV. Last I heard they installed a couple of gaudy LCD's to guide the eyes of sports fans. They like to turn on to MMA and wrestling there, so if you're into that kind of stuff and around town, duck into the Vic and have a pint. I find myself having a good time the few times I been there. I think I should make another pilgrimage there myself.

29 - Frank's Saloon - San Leandro

2014 Marina Blvd, San Leandro, CA.94577, (510) 895-0140

Last visited - June, 2009

(image from citysearch.com) One of the things I grow fondly of is the amount of lesser known eateries around the Bay Area. If the East Bay restaurants were to be made into a Monopoly board many of the casual diners would be made to resemble Baltic and Mediterranean avenue. It's quite sad, but a lot of these places deserve a brief visit if one has the time.

Yesterday I went back to Frank's Saloon towards the Marina in San Leandro for some tacos. They do it pretty good there. These little soft shell tapas with spicy pork and chicken. It's definitely got a kick and the price is cheap. I think it's about $1.75 each, and you can get full off of four of these. They did a remodel to the kitchen so it's a bit cleaner. The people there usually buy the food to supplement their drinking and drinking games.

The bar is friendly and there are three TV's for the usual sports. I think the price of drinks is low, so you don't have to worry too much forking up the tab for a round. There are two pool tables and an electronic dart board. I played a sorry game of darts the last time I was there. I'm usually there for the tacos and beer. If you're headed to San Leandro and find yourself towards the Marina, I suggest you go in for a bite too.

28 - Sura - Oakland

4869 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94620, (510) 654-9292

Last visit - August 2009

(image from SFcitizen.com) As for safe Korean cuisine, Sura will be a pleasant choice. You're definitely going to be treated to a cornucopia of "banchan" side dishes as appetizers. I just have to say that of them all, I didn't enjoy that many of them. The kobocha pumpkin were good, but they didn't have the caramelized potatoes and I didn't find their kim chi very tasty. So I guess that makes it so-so at best. They usually give you a free steamed egg dish if you go in large parties and for birthdays you might get another treat.

I went with a huge party of ten and we ordered a bit of everything. The BBQ spicy chicken is a must, and I think it's their most delicious dish. Their bogulgi beef on a sizzling platter is pretty good too. The Bi bim bab is always safe when ordering Korean food, but it was not spectacular. I tried some of their clay pot soups, spicy tofu with mixed seafood, and that tasted pretty good. It gave my stomach a bad feeling though.

Now here's the thing that gets most people, their service IS slow. No matter how many times people try to be nice about it, they will fail to give you that "rest assured, you're in good hands" feeling that better restaurants can give you. They even have the service call button on every table, but pressing it will only alleviate your urge to press something. Not only that, they tend to mix up their orders. I have only been there twice, but both times they either gave us something extra or forgot to give us everything; albeit I went with big groups on both occasions.

I heard they have a grand ladies' restroom, but that never gave me a reason to visit a restaurant.