**** (4 stars)
Excellent sashimi, and a very reasonable price for it as a lunch combination was the highlight here. The space is cozy and very popular, with good reason. The restaurant is actually in two separate buildings, but only one side is open at lunch.
Sushi Ran
107 Caledonia St
Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 332-3620
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-ran-sausalito
***** (5 stars)
As good as the food is, the highlight here is the extraordinarily accommodating service. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
We loved the flexibility of assembly as many courses as you like in any order to create your own tasting menu. Four starters, cheese, and no dessert? No problem. That’s just the way we roll.
The caviar course we began with was served the what they called blinis, but were actually buckwheat pancakes from heaven. I want to go here for breakfast!
The wine list is extensive, and I particularly appreciated the large selection of half bottles, which allowed us to assemble our own custom wine pairings to accompany our meal.
Gary Danko
800 N Point St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 749-2060
http://www.yelp.com/biz/gary-danko-san-francisco
*** (3 stars)
Sad to say, this favorite haunt of my youth has fallen on hard times, and now just seems a bit seedy. The views are still great, except that the former dark and romantic lighting has been replaced by a brightly lit (and completely empty) dance floor and a big screen TV, both of which are brightly reflected in all the windows. Drinks are decent if pricey (presumably to pay for the view), and the menu is basic bar food, although nicely presented. Service was efficient.
Top of the Mark
1 Nob Hill
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 392-3434
http://www.yelp.com/biz/top-of-the-mark-san-francisco
**** (4 stars)
I love this kind of dive place, where you order at a counter, serve yourself from the salsa bar, and the food is authentic.
Excellent (presumably house-made) rustic chips. The nachos and chicken quesadilla weren’t too impressive, but the fish tacos were excellent, nicely spiced and great with an extra squeeze of lime.
But the highlight was the beef tacos, which were perfectly spiced, with delicious marinated beef with just the right crunchy edges to give the whole thing some texture. Probably the best beef taco I’ve ever had.
Taqueria Los Pericos
139 Water St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 469-7685
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-los-pericos-santa-cruz
**** (4 stars)
The first Paso Robles winery to wine the “Best Winery in California” title by taking the most medals at the fair. The wines are perhaps not all categorically great, but the reserve wines are extremely well made. The tasting room policy of free tastings with the purchase of a bottle is highly appreciated.
Robert Hall Winery
3443 Mill Rd
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 239-1616
http://www.yelp.com/biz/robert-hall-winery-paso-robles
**** (4 stars)
The food is good here, with a wide range from a casual pizza to a tasting menu. But the real highlight is the amazing wine list, with 1000 selections at (mostly) reasonable prices. There is a focus on regional wines from the central coast, but also great selections from Napa and Europe.
The outside dining area atop the click can’t be beat. And our server was extremely helpful, even finding us a couple of cans of diet coke from elsewhere in the resort to take back to our rooms. (And the resort is magnificent.)
Lido Restaurant
Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa
2727 Shell Beach Rd
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(805) 773-8900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lido-restaurant-pismo-beach
**** (4 stars)
Spacious, modern rooms and nice bathrooms are the highlight at this hotel, located conveniently right across the street from Berns Steakhouse. I’m not a fan of the hotel restaurant, which is too austere, but the rooftop bar is great.
Epicurean Hotel, Autograph Collection®
1207 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 999-8700
http://www.yelp.com/biz/epicurean-hotel-autograph-collection-tampa
*** (3 stars)
This is the third venue I’ve been to in this space, and they don’t seem to be getting any better. I’m not sure what differences account for the emptiness of this place when there are lines on the sidewalk for places across the street.
But clearly one difference is the food quality, which is not improving through the various iterations. On a recent visit we sampled several appetizers that were half price during happy hour, including a very soggy flatbread made with limp naan bread, some mediocre mussels, and a very tasty “pork wing.”
We then preceded to the tomahawk steak for two. This was an excellent and perfectly cooked piece of beef accompanied by average asparagus and almost inedible au gratin potatoes.
I will say, though, that the steak was an excellent deal since it included the sides, two salads and a bottle of low end wine, all for $35 per person. Including additional drinks and all these courses, dinner only totaled $108, so definitely a good deal, mostly due to happy hour pricing.
The irony is that the best things we had were both meat, and this is a seafood restaurant.
There was nothing dreadful about the meal, but also nothing that would draw us back, so I think I’ll wait for the fourth iteration before trying it again.
Mingos
100 S Eola Dr
Ste 105
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 781-2539
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mingos-orlando
***** (5 stars)
Best live performance venue in Orlando mainly because of decent acoustics in the theaters and reasonable sound levels. The seating isn’t the most comfortable, but when you go to a concert you want to hear it clearly, and this is about the only venue in town that guarantees that.
The Plaza Live
425 N Bumby Ave
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 228-1220
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-plaza-live-orlando
**** (4 stars)
Stylish on both exterior and interior, Tartini serves up authentic Naples style pizza. The thin crust is the perfect combination of crisp and chewy, and can be slightly charred around the edge if you request. There’s an almost infinite combination of toppings available, including arugula, pesto sauce, and ricotta cheese for something different from the typical American pizza.
Even the bargain priced side salad is a generous serving, and there are some excellent pasta dishes.
A brief wine list offers an interesting three glass tasting option, and there are some intriguing beers.
Service is friendly and helpful.
Tartini Pizzeria & Spaghetteria
6327 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32809
(407) 601-2400
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tartini-pizzeria-and-spaghetteria-orlando