Lohan's in Salthill, Galway

If you're ever looking for casual and traditional dining in Galway, Lohan's can accommodate you. Located in the Salthill suburb of Galway, it presents a much quieter version of big city life. A family friendly place, it dishes up fresh, locally caught fish and shellfish. Although it has a bar, it is not a pub and the quality of the food shows that the restaurant is their primary business. Waitstaff was friendly and very helpful and patient with those of us unfamiliar with some traditional Irish dishes.

Our first courses consisted of smoked Irish salmon and Galway Bay mussels in a wine sauce. Both portions were generous and quite good with moderate prices (under 7 euros). Either would have made a satisfying lunch selection.

Bacon and Cabbage (9.95 euros) served with mashed potatoes, cabbage and a parsley sauce without a speck of parsley to be seen, was a total surprise. I ordered it because something told me that this was what the Irish-American dish of corned beef and cabbage was originally based upon. Close but no cigar. The bacon would be described as ham to anyone living in the U.S. The cabbage was very dark compared to what we're accustomed to, but more flavorful. The portions of potato and ham were so large, they couldn't be finished at one sitting, so this was a great value meal. the sauce in all its blandness detracted from the dish. I couldn't help but think that a rich onion sauce may have been a better fit.

Beef and Guinness Stew (10.95 euros) served with mashed potatoes and "mushy peas" (this is a style, not a criticism) was also a good value and very filling meal. The Guinness creates a rich depth to the flavor of the beef. Several Irish cookbooks that I've seen offer recipes for this and it would be a worthwhile dish to try and duplicate. All in all, this was a decent restaurant and a great place to relax after a hectic day of traveling. There is a boardwalk along Galway Bay just across the street.

http://www.lohans.ie/

232-234 Upper Salthill
Galway
091 522 696

Le P'tit Laurent

Now I regret ever having moved from Glen Park. Le P'tit Laurent has to be the best new "neighborhood" restaurant in the city and it's small enough to avoid becoming a destination restaurant for the masses. The food is so classically French that is does momentarily transport one to Paris (as does the faux painting in the corner that makes one believe the restaurant is directly under the Eiffel Tower), until the patrons speaking English bring you back to reality. One could easily book a standing reservation here with no regrets. Offering a 3 course meal for $19.99 will certainly bring me back often.

Two of us split an order of mussels to start our dinner. If half an order is what you see in the photo above, and it is, it's obvious that the portions are generous. Anxious to start eating, the photo didn't get taken or even thought of until after I had removed the shells. All the better to see the plump mussels and savory broth that was sopped up with the never ending basket of sliced baguette. It look 6 hours, by the menu account, to braise the lamb shank and it was falling off the bone tender. The sauteed Swiss chard and wine sauce were not as photogenic as they were tasty.

Cassoulet, the penultimate culinary barometer of a French bistro did not disappoint, and clearly identified the excellent quality of this restaurant in one bite. It was perhaps the best I have ever tasted. At the very least, is was my favorite of any I have tasted. Profiteroles rounded out the meal. The chocolate sauce was fit for a chocoholic and smelled good enough to be noticed by my dinner partner.

Our companions were also complimentary of their frisee salad, mussels and New York steak. All in all, it was a wonderful dining experience. Another classic French feature of this restaurant was the fact that we were not rushed after being at the table for almost 3 hours.

http://www.leptitlaurent.com/index.html

Le P'tit Laurent
699 Chenery St
San Francisco, CA 94131

Phone: (415) 334-3235

33rd Street Grill

While on an outing with friends in Sacramento our plans for lunch were up in the air. We had planned on dining at Biba, but the restaurant does not serve lunch on Saturdays. Also on our short list was The Waterboy, a Southern French and Italian restaurant that intrigued me the one time I walked by it. They also did not serve lunch on Saturdays. We needed a Plan B in a hurry but none of us were familiar with other restaurants. Our outing was a shopping trip to Corti Brothers, an upscale market, so I looked around, found a stylish looking woman who confirmed that she lived in Sacramento. I asked for her suggestion, naming the other two restaurants as a point of reference. Without hesitation she suggested 33rd Street Grill on the corner of Folsom and 33rd and a block from the freeway for our return trip home. We were already on Folsom, so what could be easier for us? It turned out to be perfect for a casual lunch, not so upscale, but pleasant.

The starters ($5.95 - $8.95) were good portions and interesting combinations of ingredients. French fries came with creamy blue cheese, spicy peach ketchup, and malt vinegar. Fried artichoke hearts were regrettably made from frozen or canned, not fresh, artichokes and lacked the characteristic taste of the fresh vegetable; but they were nicely battered, perfectly crisp and the grated parmigiano was a nice addition along with the aioli. Frozen or not, we polished them off without much hesitation, difficulty or complaint.

We all agreed that the cannellini bean and artichoke spread with crostini was the best of the three items we ordered to start off our meal. I was amazed at the portion considering the $5.95 price. One could have easily eaten just that for lunch, it was so generous a portion of food with 5 baguette slices of large proportion. The beans and marinated artichoke hearts were obviously right out of the can and jar, but pulsed together and drizzled with a grassy live oil made them delicious as a crostini spread. Olive tapenade added even more dimension to the flavor. Reordering this would not be difficult to do maybe even worth another trip.

The Chop chop salad was a large portion and a big hit. We must have been in the throes a food frenzy by the time the pannini came, because I completely forgot to photograph the one made from Chipotle rubbed pork with Gorgonzola spread on Ciabatta and the one in the photograph below is a complete mystery at this point in time. What I do remember is the Jerk short rib with lime and creme fraiche which was not as spicy as I had expected, but tender.

Including passion fruit drinks with little to no passion fruit taste (several had to be ordered to make sure the first was not an aberration), we did have a few other problems. Mayo was added to sandwiches with no mention in the description, a sauce that was ordered on the side was spread inside another sandwich, the Creme Brulee was burnt to the bitter point and the Key Lime pie had way too much crust and cream, but too little filling. Of the 3 items on our dessert Trio, the Caramel Sea Salt cheesecake was the best in what amounted to a lackluster group, but it was very good. As you can see by the photo, we went at it prior to picking up the camera.

Biba Revisited

Biba serves Lasagne Verdi Bolognese ($18.00) every Thursday and Friday. One can only wonder how long it will take for the 3 day work week to commence. In the interim, taking a vacation day to eat lunch at this fine dining, Sacramento restaurant is well worth the effort it takes to get there, and so is the lasagne. Because this capable Northern Italian restaurant serves seasonal menus, it seems appropriate to review it a second time.

The Romaine and Gorgonzola salad ($6) reminded me of a Cesar without anchovies but was a nice light first course and our dining companion seemed to enjoy it. Did you notice I slipped in another photo of the Lasagne Verdi? It is so Bolognese, so Italian, so exemplary in taste, that it deserves another photo. Even though the menu lists it as having 7 layers, it arrived at the table with 10 layers and filled the rim soup bowl it was served in, to this diner's delight. It was so perfectly executed with Bechamel and Bolognese meat sauce lightly skimming the surface of each spinach flavored pasta sheet, that is almost melted in your mouth. Was it a twist of fate that Biba Caggiano moved to Northern California and opened this restaurant, or Divine Providence? I vote for the latter.

One of the entrees ordered was chicken with sweet peppers in a tomato sauce served over grilled polenta. Biba's polenta is so delicious when it is first cooked that one would hesitate to order it grilled (a day old and reheated leftover) but I was assured by the person who ordered it that the texture was still creamy inside. The next entree was grilled lamb on a skewer that included peppers, red onion and hot Italian sausage. Very nice, but it would have been better had it been all lamb. I had misread the menu, so the sausage was actually a surprise when it arrived. The mashed potatoes that came with it were rich and creamy with the definite addition of Parmigiano and butter or Mascarpone, or possibly both. In Bologna, they are brought to the table and the Parmigiano is sprinkled on top. This particular treatment was silkier in texture. Biba compares favorably to the best restaurants in Bologna.

This time we ordered Zuccotto Fiorentino as our dessert to share. Two courses at this restaurant are very filling, but it's always nice to have a taste of something sweet to end the meal. Mostly frozen whipped cream with chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds, a thin layer of rum soaked sponge cake and a chocolate frosting, this "dolce" was just what we needed.

After little deliberation, I believe it may be necessary and only fair to review a restaurant with seasonal menus at least 4 times. That means a return visit to Biba in Summer and Fall...I can manage that!

http://www.biba-restaurant.com/

You May Have TASTE, But Have You Dined There?

Plymouth California in Amador County has more than gold to attract visitors, it has a thriving wine industry clustered in and around Shenandoah Road. But it also has a diamond in its midst, Taste Restaurant. The owners were brilliant in locating their restaurant in this town, because most people who love excellent wine also love exceptional food. I don't know if the restaurant has an interest, but there is also a gourmet market across the street, so I envision more fine dining in the future of this small town. Still, as it stands, Taste Restaurant is a destination in and of itself.

To start, a bread basket with olive oil and balsamic vinegar is placed on each table. The staff was kind enough to replace our dipping "sauce" with just the olive oil. The bread, from a bakery in Amador City that will be relocating to Sutter Creek, was incredibly good with a perfect crumb and crust. We ordered another basket of bread and although were charged for it, thought it was worth every penny (all 400 of them). One starter we had to order was seared foie gras served with a pineapple chutney, hazelnut, black pepper crisp, and rosemary grilled brioche.

Our second starter was a smoked duck, maitake mushroom, mixed greens, shaved asparagus salad, topped with a lemon and truffle vinaigrette, and a poached egg, apparently fresh from the chicken...look at that yolk! Both starters were excellent. The salad had a green that I couldn't identify but was similar to Mizuna. The lemon and truffle oil worked so well with the asparagus, that I'm inspired to use them together in the near future. The smoked duck must have been prepared in house as it was so succulent, not like commercially prepared smoked duck I've eaten before.

On to the larger plates, menu items were divided into small plates and large plates. The photo above is of the NY steak smothered in mixed mushrooms, accompanied by a delicious potato gnocchi and organic Swiss chard, which looks like broccoli rabe in this photo. Perhaps they made a substitution.

The Colorado rack of lamb was superb and a perfect medium rare, as ordered. It came with baby carrots and a Spring pea "cake" that was coarsely mashed peas, onions and perhaps a small amount of mint. It was a grand idea and excellent partner to the lamb. The lemon gremolata was perfect with the lamb, but I failed to taste the lavender sauce that was mentioned on the menu, one of the reasons I chose this entree.

Even though we were full, not that that has ever stopped us, we ordered desserts. The puff pastry in the first photo was filled with a light pastry cream and fresh fruits, surrounded by a barely perceptible clear, banana flavored sauce (click on the photo to enlarge, maybe you can see it then).

The second photo shows a lime coconut panna cotta with toasted coconut on top and a cashew candy side on a thick, dark chocolate sauce. It was fine panna cotta, but the dark chocolate did not enhance anything but the cashew brittle, and that it did well.

One has to wonder how a fine restaurant like this will manage during months when the tourists are not plentiful. The management team is very smart in that respect, they offer a three course fixed price dinner for $30.00 and that should keep the locals coming back.

http://www.restauranttaste.com/

Open Thursday - Monday

209.245.DINE

9402 Main Street

Plymouth, California 95669

Red Flame Coffee Shop

This diner had no real charm, frazzled but polite and efficient waitresses, speed lightening service, and the best priced meals in the area. No wonder it was packed. Only trying one item, I'm no expert, but I liked this place. It appealed to my sense of thrift and efficiency.

We had passed by this place on many an occasion, because it was only 3-4 doors down the block from our hotel. It made no impression at all, except that it had no visual appeal, but was usually full. Nova lox and bagels are perpetually on my "must do" list for NYC, so off we went in search of an alternative to breakfast at the hotel restaurant. You may not think of lox and bagels as a "breakfast of champions", but I'm willing to eat it any time of the day or night.

We were staying at another hotel this trip and found no place we wanted to try. Since we were running out of time for an appointment at the New York Yacht Club, we headed for Red Flame since both are on 44th St within a block or so of one another. The breakfast rush must have just ended because we were immediately seated. Once I saw lox on the menu I had made my selection, called the waitress over and placed the order. Within 5 minutes, our plates were set on the table. Could someone have ordered Nova lox and an order of french toast 15 minutes earlier and walked out 10 minutes ago? I have never seen service that fast, before or since.

I had no great expectations for a Nova plate costing $9.95 after having them many times for $12-$14. The cream cheese single serving container was no surprise; bagel, plain, no seeds; iceberg lettuce, predictable; beefsteak tomato and red onion ring, adequate; no capers, expected. But what a delight it was to find "melt in your mouth" Nova lox in generous proportion on that plate. Okay, I did have to ask for a second helping of cream cheese, other than that, Red Flame really delivered.

(212) 869-3965
67 W 44th St #1 (between 5th and 6th Ave)
New York NY

Zephrus

Zephrus was a nice find on Martha's Vineyard, more sophisticated than most restaurants in a tourist area and open all year for the locals, who indeed like to eat well. The cookware shop in Vineyard Haven was enviable by any standard, and services the local population, who go into semi retirement when the tourists leave in early Fall. Seems they like to cook in their collective spare time. I can relate to that. The decor is kitchy modern, with small hand carved and painted fish hanging about from the ceiling.

I enjoyed the the way they served their bread in a paper cone even more than I enjoyed the bread. The clam chowder was creamy and tasty, but thin with few chunks, if any, so I felt obligated to add the oyster crackers just for the visual impact of the photo. I like oyster crackers, so it was not just for show, but texture too.

Pasta with mussels was a nice light dish, again with a thin but tasty sauce that I enjoyed. I did feel that more pasta would have been a good idea for this dish, since it was a main course.

The best selection of the evening had to be the crab cakes, which were more balls than cakes. They were crispy on the outside, delectable on the inside and most importantly, there were not a lot of "filler" ingredients. The crab was the star of this preparation and there were 4 "cakes" on the plate, with a generous serving of a mixed green salad. I admit that the dessert of Apple Crumble a La Mode had me swooning at the first bite and groaning at the last. That portion was just too generous and filled the soup size bowl to the brim.

9 Main St
Vineyard Haven
MA 02568
(508)-693-3416

Maxie's Delicatessen

If you think quantity is more important than quality or are a member of the "clean plate club" with the girth to prove your affiliation, then Maxie's Delicatessen is the perfect place for you to scarf up in New York City. We discovered it on our way back to our hotel from the theater. It was raining, so we skipped the menu in the window and walked in, since we saw a few tables available. We were hoping to find a deli and this one was in the right place at the right time, but perhaps we were not.

It seemed at the time that the price for the cheese blintzes was a bit high, but since we were so close to Time's Square, we were willing to "pay the price" for being in such a tourist driven location. The three cheese blintzes were the size of a modest Midwestern town and the fruit garnish could have easily fed a family of four. I call it a garnish because I don't recall even seeing it mentioned on the menu. The food was fresh and not the best, but certainly not the worst that I've consumed in my lifetime. If you're a quantity eater that embraces your style, then Maxie's will certainly be a good choice. The rest of us may be better served elsewhere.

723 7th Ave (At 48th St)
New York NY 10019
Phone: (212) 398-1118