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Theresa’s cousin Larry had mentioned Fleming’s Prime Steak had a three course dinner special running. We have always wanted to try Fleming’s, so we went with him and his wife plus another one of Theresa’s cousins this past Friday.  Fleming’s markets itself as a premium steakhouse, slotting between the likes of Outback and the very premium steakhouses like Alexander’s and Sundance.  I would put it in the same category as Capital Grille.

The special consisted of three courses: an “amuse bouche”, choice of soup or salad, and a surf n turf.

Food impressions:

Amuse Bouche:
PAN-SEARED SCALLOP
over goat cheese polenta, fresh chives and seared grape tomatoes

Presentation was nice, with the scallop was nicely seared and seasoned. the underlying polenta had the requisite creamy texture, with the goat cheese adding a subtle flavor. In fact, Theresa and a couple of our dining companions who don’t really like goat cheese commented that they did not realize there was goat cheese in the polenta until I pointed it out.  Tomatoes provided a nice acidic counterpoint to the rich polenta. My one criticism was that the scallop was a bit on the cool side, so the sear was not as “crispy” as if it were fresh out of the pan.

FRENCH ONION SOUP
baked with gruyère and parmesan cheeses

Onion soups, at least the less expensive ones, tend to be salt bombs, but the Fleming’s version was not.  The soup base was well balanced and had a nice oniony sweetness to it. The choice of cheese was appropriate and had a good stringiness that you would expect. My soup lacked the traditional crouton underneath the cheese (perhaps I could not find it or it disintegrated into the soup). Not a huge deal, but traditionalist might miss it.  The presentation was a little off in that I would have expected the  cheese to be melted on top of the soup in stead of a swimming in it. This is a bit of a nit pick, but given the price point and target market segment, I would have expected something more refined. Operationally it would not be hard to ladle the soup into large ramekins, top with a sheet of cheese, and run under the broiler, and serve to the table.  Lots of less expensive restaurants do this.  Perhaps it’s the traditionalist in me.

8-OZ. FILET MIGNON AND 8-OZ. LOBSTER TAIL
with drawn butter

 

 

 

Call if given the right price, but fold if you want to save your bankroll for a better opportunity

Ramen Shalala in Mountain View is a ramen shop that usually has long waits during peak times. We decided to drop by later in the evening on Saturday to avoid the crowd. The three ramen sizes are prominently displayed in front of the open kitchen as you walk in the door. Tables with bench seating and chairs line the open spaces next to the street facing windows.

The restaurant only seats around 24 people and two waiters were covering all the tables. Service was efficient and the food came quickly after we ordered.

The Tori Paitan Ramen is basically Shio Ramen with Charsu pork, soft boiled egg, and topped with green onions.  The broth was flavorful and not overly salty like some ramen places, but lacked the richness of some others I have had in the past (i.e. it had less pork fat). On balance though, I would be happy drinking the broth by itself.   The regular bowl came with a good portion of ramen, which was of the thin variety.  I tend to like ramen on the chewier side, but most people would find it perfectly acceptable. The charsu was on the firm side in contrast to other ramen shops’ whose meat has a more tender mouth feel.  I liked the slight texture contrast, but then again, I like chewy ramen. The egg was decent, but the yolk was not runny, just soft.

The spicy miso ramen with spice level 1(there are 3 levels of spiciness). The broth had a nice miso taste with a hint of heat.  It works well with the ramen, but unlike the Tori Paitan/shio broth, I would struggle to finish it, as it needs ramen for balance.  The ramen noodles themselves were thicker compared to the Tori Paitan, with more chewiness, which suited my liking.  When we go back, I will make sure to request this ramen in my Tori Taipan.

In summary, Shalala provides good portion of tasty ramen and would be a place I would put on rotation as places to go when we happen to be in Mountain View, although a long wait time of more than 30 minutes might make me think twice.

Rating: Call

Having origins in a food truck, the brick and mortar version of Curry Up Now serves up the same food and is located close to Palo Alto City Hall in downtown Palo Alto.

The menu  consists of twists on Indian snacks and dishes.  Fusion stuff includes Kathi Rolls and Indian style “burgers”  and burritos. They also offer Thali platters which includes a main dish, rice,  and a variety of sides.

Since we wanted a snack instead of a full on meal, we ordered the deconstructed samosas and the sexy fries.  You can choose the protein to go with the somosas (beef, chicken, paneer, tofu, with lamb and pork belly being an extra $2).  Given the food truck origins of this dish, I totally get why the somosas were served this way. By separating the wet elements (garbanzo beans, chutney, sauce) from the fried elements,  you eliminate the need to fry somosas to order, which is a great asset in a food truck during rush times. It’s almost like an Indian version of nachos. The crunch worked well with the toppings and flavors were spot on.

The Sexy Fries use sweet potato fries as a base and topped with cheese, fried green onions, and a masala type sauce. The Sexy Fries come with the same protein options as the somosas, so we opted for paneer.  I was doubtful about the sweet potato fries being an appropriate base, but it worked well with the spicy sauce, lending just a hint of sweetness. Regular potatoes fries would have not had the same effect. I would say they are the indian version of the Irish Nachos we had at Bruxie’s in LA

Verdict: 
Curry Up Now’s brick and mortar restaurant is welcoming and great for a substantial snack with options for a full meal.   If you happen to the in downtown Palo Alto, I would definitely swing by if you are in the mood for Indian Fusion. Since the trucks deliver the same food, I would be on the lookout for those.

Rating: Call 

Izzo Restaurant is a Taiwanese cafe in the North Valley area of San Jose. The restaurant is part of an Asian dominated strip mall located and somewhat overshadowed by the the larger Asian plaza anchored by 99 Ranch that is located kitty corner from it.  The plus is that it does not get really busy, so getting a table on a weekend isn’t that much of an issue.  The setup is casual table service dining, with 3 or 4 wait staff circulate among 20 or so tables. They are also open late (til midnight), and I suspect late diners would gravitate to Izzo over time.

The Food:

Traditional Taiwanese cafe food such as noodle soups, rice plates, and appetizers (e.g. popcorn chicken) populate the menu. Izzo’s differentiation is that they hand make their own noodles and also have a couple of “fusion” dishes on their menu. Some of the most mentioned dishes on Yelp were the wings with house sauce and the pork belly quesadilla.

Izzo has Taiwanese cafe staples like popcorn chicken. We got the appetizer, but they also offer it in a rice plate with soy sauce egg, veggies, and rice.  Good execution on this one.

The Wings in House Sauce were deep fried in a simple breading and tossed  in an appropriate amount of sauce (that is not sopping wet or bone dry). Nice Asian flavors, good for sharing, and a good accompaniment to your main dish. While supposedly spicy, I did not detect much heat, but those that are super sensitive might detect a hint.   A must order for wing fans.

Noodle soups are pretty healthy sized portions, coming in large white bowls. The hand made noodles are definitely a strong suite here, with just enough bite and good chewiness and mouth feel.  Because of the flour base, you should not let the noodles sit in the soup for too long, as it will start to absorb the liquid and start to become water logged. The beef noodle soup stays true to the flavors of the ones I have tasted in Taiwan, with a small bit of spice/heat and an appropriate beef to noodle ratio. Beef has been braised and tender.

The seafood noodle soup is similarly good, sporting a  wide variety of seafood in a slightly spicy broth, a bit of tang, and the aforementioned house made noodles.

The one miss for us would be the Korean Spicy Sauce Noodle (Jajangmyeon) or Zhajiangmian in Chinese. A couple of Yelp reviews mentioned it, but it really disappointed.  The sauce was unremarkable, and not much seafood or meat in it. Just eating the noodles with some sriracha sauce would be an improvement. I would not order this again.

All the Yelp reviewer mentioned the pork belly quesadilla, so it was a must order for us.  Instead of using flour tortilla as a wrapper, Izzo’s quesadilla uses a large dinner plate sized green onion pancake to encase chunks of braised pork belly intermixed with gooey white cheese.  The wrapper was appropriately flaky and not overly greasy like some other places’ onion pancakes, with a nice sear.  The pork belly worked well with the well melted and oh so gooey cheese, although I am not sure of the exact blend used. I am thinking queso blanco, but I am not sure.  While I don’t expect this dish to convert the large population of “Chinese stomach” diners to Mexican food, Izzo’s version will probably have wide appeal, unless you happen to not like or can not eat cheese.  Onion pancake fans and pork belly fans will not be disappointed.  Incidentally, popcorn chicken can be substituted for pork belly.  While it sounds intriguing and something that we might try in the future, I think sticking with the pork belly would be the better choice

Verdict: 
Izzo delivers on the Taiwanese cafe fare and then some, having just enough unique dishes to make it worth a short trip out to the North Valley to try. Beef noodle soup and quesadilla are a must order. Late hours, affordability (most entrees are under $10) and not having to wait too long for a table during peak hours add to its appeal.  Izzo is a nice neighborhood joint that you would put on a short list of places for times you want something better than fast food but not as “fancy” as a sit down Chinese restaurant.

Rating: Call 

Explanation of Ratings here

Located off CA 92 in San Mateo, Wakuriya is a Japanese Kaiseki restaurant serving California inspired multi-course Japanese fare. The menu is prix fixe, and the items rotates depending on what ingredients are freshly available or in season, and the chef’s discretion.    Normally, my reviews only encompass the time spent inside the restaurant, but Wakuriya merits a chronicling more than just the actual dining experience, namely the reservation experience

The Reservation Experience

The restaurant is very small operation, run by a total of 3 employees: owner chef Katsuhiro Yamasaki does the main cooking, his wife runs the front of the house and does some prep and finishing, and a bus boy/dishwasher.  As a consequence, the restaurant only serves a maximum of 16 diners per night. There are two seatings per night, spaced 1/2 to 1 hour apart as not to overwhelm the server or the chef. Wakuriya only takes reservations one month in advance. Additionally, reservations can not be made online or via email, only  by calling the restaurant after midnight, exactly one month in advance. So for example, if you want to dine on the 3rd of the next month, you have to call midnight on the 3rd of the current month (i.e. when the clock turns from 11:59pm the night of 2nd to 12:00am the “morning” of the 3rd).  As a consequence, hard core foodies start furiously dialing in at exactly midnight like radio listeners calling the station to win concert tickets and backstage passes to their favorite band. If you are lucky enough to get through, you get the restaurant’s answering machine, on which you leave your name and contact phone number. Priority is set based on the order the calls were received, and you will be granted a coveted reservation if any slots are left after fulfilling the reservation requests of the previous callers. So better hope the first caller to get through does not take all the slots  The restaurant then calls you the next day to inform you whether you got a reservation or not.

Armed with this knowledge, we employed no fewer than 3 phones on the night in question. After being greeted with the dreaded busy signal for the first few attempts, we got accustomed to pressing the end call and redial buttons with the speed of a telegraph operator on crack. Theresa finally got through at 12:03 and left a message. We got through again at 12:07 and I left a request as well.  We found it very hard to wind down and get to sleep afterwards.  The next day, Theresa received a call stating we got a reservation for 2 at 6:30. Success! The restaurant asked for a credit card number to hold the reservation and we were all set.

Location and Atmosphere

The restaurant is pretty non-nondescript storefront, located in a small plaza/strip mall with a Safeway and a few other shops. Inside the restaurant, along the left hand side is a ktichen and long counter, while along the right side are tables. The decor is modern contemporary, with warm woods and clean lines.

We arrived early and was able to choose where to sit. We chose to sit at the counter to watch chef Yamasaki in action. Would recommend this option if you are a party of 2, but for 4, a table would be better. Sitting at the counter allowed us to observe more of the operational side. The pacing was “Japanese efficient”, with the chef and wife team going about their tasks in a brisk, but unhurried manner. A contrast to the typical restaurant kitchen, which can sometimes resemble the frenzy of a retail store on Black Friday.

Pre-meal 

After we were seated, we were given an amuse bouche of strawberry infused sake.

Since the menu is set, the only decision we had to make was what type of beverages we wanted. We decided to order a flight of Japanese Sake which consisted of 3 X 2oz glasses. We chose the Tsuki, which consisted of Kubota, Hekiju; Shimeharitsuru, Jun; and Koshino Kanbai, Muku.

Each sake had a nice clean finish without being overly dry.  The Koshino was my favorite, with just enough “rice-i-ness” without being overly muddy.  While I am no expert in Sake, it seems like Wakuriya has a good selection, and is a good accompaniment to the meal.  Would recommend it.

 Main Courses

We were given a short description of each dish after presentation.  I have copied and pasted the menu description for each course below, followed by my commentary/impressions, but given the complexity of each dish, I am sure I will miss something.

Sakizuke (Starter)
“hiyashi chawan-mushi” shrimp, squid, okra and tomato on chilled egg custard

The egg custard was silky smooth, with a pudding like consistency, topped with a thick gel. The texture and mouth feel of the squid was definitely the surprise of the dish, resembling the tenderness of lychee jelly you get in Asian drinks, and not the rubbery feel you would normally associate with squid. I would love to know how the chef accomplished this. My suspicion is that the squid was cured somehow to accomplish this. Great way to start off the meal.

Zensai (Appetizers)  – assorted appetizers
Homemade “goma-dofu”(sesame tofu) with freshly grated wasabi
Salmon and Japanese cucumber with cream cheese sorbet
Japanese eggplant and Maple leaf farms duck

This trio displays the fusion part of the restaurant. The tofu was not made from soy but rather another vegetable, which the wife mentioned, but I did not catch.  Topped with freshly grated wasabi (no cheapo powder based stuff here), and sitting in a ponzu type sauce, the mouth feel was custard like and silky smooth. I was expecting the wasabi to be very punchy and sharp, but it was very subdued, most likely pickled to temper it a bit.  Definitely my favorite of this trio. The salmon was wild salmon from the Alaska, wonderfully fatty and topped with a cream cheese sorbet and salmon roe on a bed of soy based pickled cucumbers.  A very nice play on cream cheese and lox, minus the bagel of course. The sorbet had a nice airiness and mouth feel was smooth, without chunks of ice or wads of fat. The duck was cooked rare and had a nice smokiness to it, accompanied by skinless Japanese eggplant. The eggplant is worth mentioning because it is very difficult to retain the structural integrity of the eggplant without the skin and still achieve the crispness, perhaps via blaunching and shocking with water? Unfortunately this was prepared before service, so no way to tell for sure, although I would love to know.

On mono (Hot dish)
“Alaskan gindara no aoto an-kake”
Steamed black cod, Sun Smiling Valley farms shimeji mushroom and vegetable with thickened sweet green pepper sauce

The dish was served slightly warm, with the prefectly cooked fish surrounded by a savory sauce, which we could not get enough of, packing a lot of umami like flavors, it must have been reduced for a while to concentrate the flavors.

With the amount of sauce, I expected the mushrooms and fish to just sink, but when digging deeper, I discovered there were strands of something that served to elevate the fish fish and mushrooms.  Not quite sure what this was, beyond being very delicious. Maybe delicately cooked strands or green pepper? Regardless, we enjoyed each bite.

Tsukuri (Sashimi)
“suzuki to hotate ,Nihon kara”
Wild sea bass and scallop from Japan
“su-miso ”(vineger-miso) sauce

This dish is all about ingredient selection and presentation. While a mustard and miso based dipping sauce was provided, it was unnecessary, as the sashimi stood well on its own.  Scallop had a slight “taste of the sea”, while the bass was a good balance of richness.  I ended up using the dipping sauce only with the micro green garnishes.

Age mono (Deep fried dish)
“lobster no haru-maki”
deep-fried spring rolls with lobster, corn and king-oh mushroom
Tempura snap peas

Japanese cuisine, gotta have something deep fried, right?  Lobster was properly cooked, and the sugar snap pea was a nice change from the typical long bean tempura. While this was my least favorite dish, that is not to say I did not enjoy it or that was improperly cooked. Saying this is my least favorite dish is like saying I was the worst player on the NBA all star team. It’s not that it was a bad dish, but it was out shown by the others, which were more unique and intriguing.

Hashi yasume:
Garnite “suika”(water melon) sorbet
ginger sauce with chia seeds

This dish is meant as a palate cleanser before proceeding to the next set of richer dishes. The sorbet only had a slight sweetness with a subtle watermelon flavor.  While the descriptions says sorbet, I am not sure it is a truly sorbet in the traditional sense. While it had an airiness similar to the cream cheese sorbet of the earlier course, it lacked the iciness and general chilly mouth feel.   The other curious thing was it kept its shape despite being out in the open for a bit before we consumed it. Additionally, this dish was pre-made before our arrival and we saw the chef bring it form the back and place it in the fridge underneath the counter where it sat for a good while before being served. When served, the glass was not cold to the touch, nor was the ginger chia sauce super cold either, indicated it was not super chilled while sitting in the fridge. Liquid nitrogen treatment perhaps? And mission accomplished. Palate cleansed.

Yaki mono (Grilled dish)
“Snake river farms American wagyu beef no ishi-yaki”
Kobe styled beef and vegetable grilled on heated “ishi”(stone) at your table served with fresh tomato-ponzu sauce

So for this dish, you only have yourself to blame if you don’t like how your steak is cooked.  Again, this dish is all about ingredient selection, and the beef (ribeye) provided a nice richness. The best element had to be the tomato ponzu sauce, which matched the steak nicely.

Above is the chef placing a rock that had been sitting on the gas burner since our arrival, and it gave off some serious heat. Metal chopsticks are provided so you can grill the meat to your liking. While there was some stickage on the first couple of piece, we got the hang of it by the last piece.

Gohan mono (Rice dish)
“maguro to avocado no chirashi-zushi”
pan sautéed tuna and fresh avocado over sushi rice with egg omelet

The tuna was flashed seared on four sides, leaving the middle appropriately rare, topped with a ponzu/soy sauce based sauce. Well executed and a nice end to the savory portion of the meal.

Homemade Dessert
White peach crème brûlée and chocolate “mochi”(rice cake)
Served with green tea

In typical Japanese fashion, dessert is dressed up and presented beautifully.  White peaches are in season, and the cream brûlée played it up nicely with the perfect amount of sweetness and topped a nice sugar crust. The mochi had a nice dark earthy chocolate taste and provided a nice ending to great dining experience.

Overall impressions

I would have to say Wakuriya is well worth the effort it takes to secure a reservation. You can tell a lot of love, creativity,  artistry and attention to detail goes into everything that chef Yamasaki does. The food is creative, interesting, and beautifully presented.  Set your alarms for 11:59pm and start dialing once the clock hits midnight…. And hope you get through before the others take the reservations that are rightfully yours.  And if you have a choice on arrival, definitely sit at the counter. It will make you appreciate the food even more.

The Grub Shack is located in downtown San Jose on Santa Clara St, a few blocks from the SAP Center/San Jose Arena/The Shark Tank,  and serves up an updated. more gourmet  take on Hawaiian BBQ.  GS has been on Theresa’s Yelp radar for a while, and a recent trip downtown motivated us to stop by on a Thursday night.

The Atmosphere:

The restaurant offers counter service with 2 tables and 8 stools along the wall. There are also cocktail style tables outside where you can stand and eat. The setup is like other Hawaiian BBQ joints, where you eat and run or do takeout.   Definitely not a place where you sit and chat at length after dinner. Staff was friendly and efficient.

The Food:

The standard Hawaiian BBQ fare like Kalua Pork, Garlic Shrimp, Loco Moco, and Tuna Poke are offered as well as burgers and hot dogs. They ran out of the tuna poke, which is something we really wanted to try, so we opted for the 12 shrimp plate/platter and the Kalua Pork Fries.

The garlic shrimp plate come in 2 sizes, 6 and 12 shrimp. We opted for the 12 since we were sharing. The shrimp was tossed in a light garlic sauce accompanied by a couple of lemon wedges. While it can not compare to Gianvanni’s shrimp truck on Oahu, GS’s shrimp is pretty tasty.  Plates come with 2 scoops of rice (brown or white) and their house macaroni salad. The rice  does a good job of sopping up the extra garlic sauce on the bottom of the plate.

The macaroni salad was adequate, not really distinguishing itself, and similar to what you would get at other Hawaiian BBQ joints minus the heavy dose of MSG .

The Kalua pork fries were mentioned (and photographed) a lot on Yelp, so it was on my must try list.  This is another “don’t get your cholesterol checked the day after” dish.  The portion is very substantial, but I guess it needs to be to justify the price ($9.50). The fries are topped with Kahlua pork and jalapenos and drizzled with sour cream and their own GS sauce.  The fries themselves were thin cut and were “seasoned” somehow, having a slight hint of flavor similar to, but not exactly teriyaki.  Perhaps they were tossed in a thin glaze after frying, but when combined with the pork and sauce, it made for a tasty dish, and not a just a bunch of stuff piled on top of plain potatoes.  The pork was definitely the standout ingredient of the dish, and based on our experience, I think I would order the pork plate on our next visit. If you do order the fries, I would definitely recommend you share. We could not finish it, and had to leave some behind. Unless you are a big eater, plan to take home leftovers or share plates.

Verdict:

Based on this experience, we would return to Grub Shack. The ingredients were of higher quality than your typical Hawaiian BBQ, but it also means you will pay a bit more.  For suburbanites like us, the location is a minor negative, since it sometimes does not justify the time needed to  fight traffic and park during business hours or on days an event is taking place at the SAP Center.  The same reasons makes it impractical for us to “swing by” to do take out for dinner (which we would totally do).  But for a quick hit and run dinner, Grub Shack fills the bill.  So if we happen to be downtown for a Sharks Game or other type of business, I would definitely put this on the short list of places to hit. A GS food truck would solve the location/accessibility issue. Wish they had a suggestion box.

There are several new shops and restaurants opening in the San Antonio plaza at the border of Mountain View and Los Altos and one of those restaurants is Pacific Catch, which has additional outposts in Campbell, San Francisco, San Mateo. As the name implies, fresh fish is the main attraction, and the concept is seafood with a Californian/Asian fusion flare.

The Hawaiian poke is the standout and signature dish here. There are 7 different varieties of Hawaiian poke, including one with salmon and another with white tuna.  You can order a single serving or opt for the trio, where you can mix and match 3 types of poke, and comes accompanied by fried wanton chips, seaweed salad, and cucumber salad. (see pic below)

The Original is the standout in the bunch, having a nice sesame soy taste.  The white tuna poke (yuze citrus, fresno chiles, white soy sauce, red onions) tasted more like ceviche, although a wee less vinegary, and a bit muddled. I would have preferred the white tuna plain. The Lomi Lomi (salmon, tomatoes, sweet onions, cilantro, red chiles) had the right concept, but suffered from over salting, namely having large chunks of sea salt within the dish, delivering small salt bombs in an otherwise decent poke.  I am not sure if this done for texture or if the batch we had was not done correctly, but mixing large grains of salt into a poke seems counter-intuitive to me. It should be the fish and not the salt that stands out.  The Ahi Macadema Nut (sweet onions, fresno chile, and macadamia nuts) was the second best of the ones we tried. The nuts provide a nice textural contrast and did not suffer the faults of the Lomi Lomi and macadamia variety.  We like the original so much that on a return trip, we opted for a double order of the original poke when ordering the trio.

 The menu is heavily tilted toward fish, as you might expect, with a daily fresh catch of the day special, sushi rolls,  fish topped salads, fish tacos, fish n chips, sandwiches  and “Pan-Asian” rice bowls.  For non-seafood eaters, they offer sticky ribs, and you can get the rice bowls and salads topped with chicken and steak as well.  The rice bowls can also be ordered with greens instead of rice for those watching your carb intake, or you can do half/half .  The wasabi ahi sandwich was surprisingly good, although it’s very rare, so if you don’t like sashimi, you should skip it or perhaps order it well done.  All the ingredients were high quality and fresh tasting.  Portions are fairly generous, so if you do order the poke as an appetizer, plan accordingly.  Splitting a poke trio and an entree with a dining companion would be the way to go, and should be more than enough food. While I did not try the sushi rolls, they looked to be on the larger side, so one roll with some poke should be enough to fill you up., unless you are a big eater.  The salads are meal sized and come in large bowls

Poke is definitely the draw at Pacific Catch and it is a must order if you do dine there. They even sell poke to go (priced by the pound) if you want to take some home or want to grab some without dining there.  While the other items on the menu are tasty and well executed, there was not anything unique about the preparation or flavors that provided a “memorable wow” or “fun” factor, but they did hit a home run with the poke.

Add shaved snow to the list of frozen desserts that you need to try. I think this originated in Taiwan, or perhaps from Taiwanese creators as an alternative to shaved ice.  While similar in concept to Hawaiian shaved ice or the Sno-Balls I grew up with in New Orleans, the shaved part is not just plain frozen water. It has more of a creamy sherbet feel to it. The blocks are frozen and then a machine takes thin shavings, which are piled onto plate. The net result is a texture that is not coarse or icy like shaved ice, but a “snow” like texture which does not rely on toppings or a syrup to flavor the dessert.

Snozen has the normal snow flavors that I have seen at other places like chocolate, vanilla, mango, taro. But they also have peanut butter and black sesame as well.  The snow serves as a base on which you can add various toppings, such as fresh fruits, mochi,  and various “drizzles”, like chocolate syrup, caramel, etc.  Something unique is their black sesame drizzle, which is black sesame paste combined with condensed milk.  It’s pretty darn tasty, even with taro snow.  While you can freely mix and match, they also have cutely named, pre-configured combinations, like the Elvis special, which is peanut butter snow with fresh bananas and chocolate drizzle.

What I like about Snozen’s version of shaved snow is it is not overly sweet and the flavor is not so overpowering that I feel like I am eating shavings from a creamsicle or frozen juice bar. There is also a slight richness similar to ice cream or frozen yogurt. This makes sense, as you don’t want the snow base to overpower any of the toppings that are added.

Prices are on par with other frozen desserts, and the large size (pictured above) is more than adequate for sharing between two people. If you are in a large group, I would order a few different flavors/combinations and share family style to try out.

Parking can be an issue, as it is located in a townhome/condo complex where street parking is limited and often taken by residents; however, outside of business hours, you can park in the CalTrain garage that is located beneath some of the condos. Or you can park further up  Pacchetti Way toward California Street.

We’ve been here a few times and have never been disappointed with our selections.  So skip dessert at the restaurant and go to Sno-Zen.  There is another Snozen in downtown San Jose, and another opening up in the Silver Creek area as well.

Located in the Mission District in San Francisco,  Beast and the Hare represents “New American” dining, with a constantly rotating menu. The restaurant itself is fairly small, with seating for perhaps 40-50 people, and a “neighborhood hangout” type of vibe. In the center of the dining room is a large bar height table that can seat up to 12 people. 2 and 4 topper tables ring the outside perimeter of the room, with a couple of tables along the windows. This is not a place for large groups.  Food and orders appear from the semi-open kitchen in the back.

We were given a gift certificate, which allows us to order 2 “smalls” (i.e. appetizers), 2 “bigs” (i.e. entrees), and 1 shared dessert.  Reading the Yelp reviews, the consensus for “smalls” seemed to be the roasted bone marrow, and with nothing else catching our eye, we ordered 2 of those.  Most yelpers also panned the rabbit stew, so for entrees we decided to lean more to the “Beast” side of the menu, staying away from the “Hare”, ordering the pork chop and the lamb 2 ways.

Mushroom and Bone Marrow Gratin with Grilled Toast – The marrow dish came out piping hot, with spoons to scoop out the marrow from the bones.  Flavor was rich and the marrow was “spreadable” onto the toast made from their rustic wheat bread. Not sure the accompanying dipping sauce of herbs, vinegar, and olive oil really added to the dish, but I guess it was there to provide a palate cleanser or perhaps something else to spread on the toast? The dish holds up well on its own making that addition unnecessary.

Grilled bone in pork chop, spring succotash and date creme fraiche –  This was a large pork chop, brined and grilled, with nice sear marks. The meat itself was well cooked and seasoned properly. The date creme fraiche was an interesting addition, although like the dipping sauce that came with the marrow appetizer, I am not sure it added much to the dish. While very tasty by itself, it did not lend enough sweetness to the dish to make it well balanced.  The succotash provided some acidic contrast to the chop, but again, I think it misses the mark as an entire dish .

 

Lamb 2 ways – Lamb T-bone and Lamb Sausage with sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus – The lamb t-bone was well executed, with the proper render, with nice browning on the outside and just rare interior.  There was some compound butter resting on top of the chop, giving it some extra “moisture” and flavoring elements. Normally, I am not a big lamb fan, but when properly seasoned and cooked, the gamy flavor is less noticeable, which was the case here.  The sausage, to me, had more of the gaminess to it, but was also more strongly seasoned and spiced to compensate. Unlike the other dishes so far, I think this dish worked well as a whole. I enjoyed alternating bites of all the elements, with the sweet potatoes providing a nice contrast with the heavy lamb meat. The grilled asparagus provided a nice contrasting texture to the other elements.

 

Trio of House Ice Cream  – Cardamon, Rose, and Honey Jack Daniels – Usually desserts are hit or miss at restaurants like these and I am typically fairly skeptical about them, especially if the dessert menu contains very pedestrian fare (e.g. cheesecake, pies, flans/custards/panna cottas).  But several yelpers mentioned the house made ice creams were very good and worth trying. This also made me glad our gift certificate included dessert.  While flavors change daily, it seems, the one stalwart is the Honey Jack Daniels.  I would have to say that this is probably the best part of the meal, with the ice creams being very silky and rich without being overly sweet or over overpowering.  When I first heard cardamon as being one of the trio I expected it to be very much like chai tea, but the flavors were very subtle, allowing the creaminess of the base ice cream to come through.  My initial impression of the rose flavor was slight dislike, as it tasted like milk seeped in rose petals. But with subsequent spoonfuls, the flavors mellowed a bit and I came around to liking it. I was expecting the Honey Jack Daniels to taste like the “adult” milkshare you can get at TGI Fridays or other burger joints, but like the other scoops,  the whiskey flavor came through subtlety and balanced with the honey ice cream base.

Service:
The one sticking point I would say was the service, but I don’t really fault the wait staff, who seated us promptly, took our orders and checked in on us periodically. It was more the pacing from order to when the food hit the table.  Because of the constantly rotating/tweaking of the menu, I suspect there may be only one chef back there firing the main dishes, and a full house would definitely back up the kitchen in that respect. I would suggest ordering a charcuterie plate to tide you over until your entrees come, because in theory, these should only involve plating something that is already cooked.  If you go in with more a European expectation of what dinner service and dining times should be, then you should feel very comfortable. If you go in with an American expectation, you will be a bit frustrated (as I was) with the pacing of the meal.

Verdict:
Overall there were some hits and some misses, which made for a mixed experience this time around. Some of the criticisms of the food that are levied above are somewhat nit picky, and our experience might have differed on a different day with a different menu and a different kitchen flow. The quality of the ingredients were top notch, and there is clearly a lot of cooking skills behind the food. The entrees just did not have a big enough “wow” factor for me , but the bookends of the meal, namely the marrow and the dessert, compensated a bit for the entrees.  Different diners might have different thoughts, and I would suggest you try it for yourself. Would I return to Beast and the Hare? Given the other choices San Francisco has to offer, I would probably opt to try another place offering similar fare before returning. It just did not elicit a “I’ve gotta return” feeling in me that some other places have.