Sundae in the Park

Does Flour and Water have a good bar for the single diner to eat at? If not, is there a great place that comes to mind for fine bar dining? I'll be a singleton in town in a few weeks, and want to try something new. Thanks!

We'll be out in the San Gabriel area of LA in a few weeks. Any recommendations out of the multitudes of ethnic places around there? We don't mind eating different asian foods all week, but could branch out...

Even though there are a plethora of solid Indian choices in Fairfax, I always end up returning to Minerva. Our meal the other night was as usual - excellent, slightly oily (prepare to have a heavy meal if you get a curry, the end) lamb korma and bangain bharta, warm, fluffy naan, and reserved, but attentive (we always had water) service. The dinner version of the dishes is a steal, since the naan that accompanies the platter would cover the $2 upcharge already, but I always enjoy trying the soups served that night, the vegetable curry is reliably good, and the dessert item always makes my husband happy (especially if it is the gulab jamon). The happy hour specials are kind of puzzling - they seem to imply that you can get some of the entrees at half price, but then the waiter said that they were an "appetizer portion." Still, since they run the HH specials through 9 PM, there is plenty of time to try them, one of the these days...

Had a nice meal here the other day - the dining room is quite pretty, even if the 2-tops are uncomfortably close together (and small!). I really like the opening dish of bread accompaniments, but wish our bread had been warm - it's very light and good, but I imagine that the warm, fresh-from-the-oven version would stand out. The various kabobs (we tried the mixed grill) are well seasoned and very good, but I didn't think that they were much better than other dedicated kabob places - I'd say that here you would want to focus on the mezze and the more exotic offerings. The baba gannouj is silky, smoky, and addictive and the eggplant fatteh is very interesting, with the fried element tamed by the yogurt, but the overall texture kicked up with the crunchy pieces. The falafel and potato kibbeh were both expertly fried and delicious. They have a quite decent mojito and a generous, shareable version of baklava (four wee pieces, easy to parcel out!). The people around us had various interesting-looking salads - colorful with lots of tasty-looking bits - and soups and non-kabob meats that I would like to try in the future.

We hadn't been back in awhile, but wanted to have the Thanksgiving Duck again. Granted, we probably got more attention to our dishes since we had reservation and had ordered the duck ahead of time, but I still have to say that our meal, and the look of the meals of everybody around us, was fantastic. There was nary a gloppy brown sauce to be seen in the whole place, which was packed, with a line, most of Saturday night. The autumn rolls were light and crispy as remembered, and the duck is a dish that is worth every (considerable) penny. The presentation and then the taste is worthy of hosting guests (which we were) and the leftovers (2 quarts!) are just as good the next day...or 2. The Shaking Beef was tender with each piece still pink inside, and the spicy tofu still packs enough flavor to stand on its own as an entree. As good as our meal was, another table near us had the whole fried fish and some sort of beef concoction served in flaming bamboo "bowls" that looked delectable and disappeared quickly - we will be getting that meal soon!! The presentation of dishes is still very careful and imaginative, and the service has improved, which I think is impressive. It does help if you are sitting by the TV, which ensures that a parade of waiters and busboys sneaking glimpses of the game will be ever present to refill water glasses and take away dishes. Still, our server Kevin was friendly, welcoming, able to describe the dishes in detail, and very attentive, and we saw that the owner/manager spent all of his time working the room and making sure everybody felt taken care of. We won't let ourselves stay away so long this time!

A roundup of some recent experiences in the Bay Area: Kincaid's in Burlingame is primarily there to feed the captive audiences at the Hilton and the Embassy Suites, but there's a nice water view and the portions are large. We saw another table get a fried chicken plate that could have fed 3! There were various steaks at our table, including a small plate version of the sirloin. It's a nice small plate option that they have for quite a few of their entrees. We were happy with our meat and potatoes, but it wasn't a place I'd drive out of my way to visit. The service was briskly professional. The Baltic in Richmond is a really neat place. Housed in a hundred-year old bar (that used to be a bordello!), it has such a sense of character and history that I could hang out there every week for the atmosphere alone. The excellent German food is just another plus! I had a schnitzel sandwich and a side of beets. The meat was lightly breaded and fried, and still very tender and juicy. The sauce is thousand island-ish and was good, but I was glad I got it on the side. The large dish of beets was simple and vinegary and quickly eaten down. The other food at the table, sandwiches and sausages, all looked great and were generously apportioned. I really, really wish we had a spot like this around here. I got a recommendation off the board to eat at Cesar in Berkeley, but we ended up in Oakland, so we ate at the Cesar Latino there instead. It's on Piedmont in a cute little neighborhood full of eclectic shops and restaurants. The restaurant is done mostly in wood and seems to be kind of trendy for a casual-looking place. The food was great, sort of a cross between what we could get at Jaleo and Oyamel, and about that same quality and price point. We especially liked the duck tacos, as well as the other assorted meat tacos (all were very good, with juicy meats and sharp sauces), the flank steak dish, and the tiny bison? burgers. The papusas were fine, but I prefer to get those at joints that specialize in them. The cinnamon-chocolate ice cream and the churros in the sundae were fantastic, so much that we actually got another order, and it was a great contrast to the perfectly tart and light key lime pie. It's a lot of fun and quite good and I'm glad we went. (Thanks for the tip, Qwertyy!) Back for a reprise at Koi Palace in Daly City, we got the fried pork buns and the xiao long bao - almost identical ingredients, but two such different, delicious presentations! We also got the soup of the night, which was some sort of pork-based broth with meat and greens. It was very good and hard to stop eating, but we had to tackle our "beef bacon" (enoki with prime rib in spicy sichaun sauce), seafood pan-fried noodles, and a new dish, the smoked sea bass. OMG, the sea bass is the new beef bacon (which was not quite as spicy, and therefore not nearly as good as last time). It was a giant slab of ridiculously fresh sea bass, treated with the red pork coloring/flavor on the outside, and somehow broiled/steamed such that the inside is just cooked through. That fish tasted like butter, it was so sweet and rich, and to top it off, was served with...mayonnaise. A little weird and unnecessary, but elevating. It was AMAZING, and in no way could have been imagined from the spare description (we decided on it randomly). We three each had a full portion (4ish ounces) and couldn't finish the dish, it was so decadent. What a find!

If you happen to find yourself in Medina, OH, (in the outer suburbs of Cleveland) craving some well-prepared food, I can recommend Thyme Restaurant. It's an interesting space with sleek darker woods and some cozy corners and, in the summertime, an enclosed patio. The menu when we visited seemed very heavy, full of creamy, hearty items, and I'm not sure whether that is what the chef wants to serve or what he thinks he ought to be serving in this area and season, but I can say that most of the dishes we ordered were good-excellent and all left us very, very full. The highlights were the hanger steak and scallops. I didn't get a bite of the steak, which was jealously guarded, but it looked perfectly medium (it was served sliced) and very juicy and was gone in a flash. The scallops were probably the best I've had all year, so perfectly were they seared (delicate crunch on top, quivering on the inside, clean and sweet). The accompanying risotto was very creamy but just fine, as was a (huge) dish of gnocchi dressed with porcinis and spinach. The salads (Caesar and beets) were crisp and pretty, and the French Onion soup came with a gluttonous cap of cheese. The one dessert we ordered reminded us of fair food - deep-frying doesn't really enhance lemon pound cake, but the lemon curd and blueberry sauce were nice toppings. The service was excellent, extremely friendly and attentive without being intrusive. I don't think I can say this without sounding like a total coastal snob, but it was so much better than I expected! The menu is varied and interesting and I look forward to exploring it further when "home" (spouse's) for the holidays.

Yep, the hush puppies at Sou'Wester are fantastic. Like good tempura, they are expertly fried to be surprisingly light and crisp (on the outside, soft and wonderful on the inside).

I think they are serving excellent low country food here, but I don't think I'm really a low country food kind of girl. Everything was very good, but very heavy, especially for a brunch. I did love the lamb and bean soup - it was incredibly flavorful and didn't feel like it was going to harden my arteries. The mushroom soup, while delicious, was too creamy and difficult to finish. The chicken-fried trout is served atop potatoes dripping with butter and the hush puppies are perfectly fried, surprisingly light and crisp. The pork belly is unctous and deeply flavorful, and the mustardy, pleasingly crunchy coleslaw does its job in cutting through the richness. I would reccomend going, just not anytime around Thanksgiving.

Short work week in Denver, and managed to score some pretty eating experiences. The 16th street area is ridiculously full of choices, and the only problem is finding the really good food! Rioja was excellent! I had the black truffle gnocchi, exotic mushrooms, red wine truffle emulsion, organic arugula to start and then the saffron manchego risotto and seared Muscovy duck breast, pistachio pine nut stuffed Medjool dates, saffron almond cracker, spiced citrus jus. The gnocchi were light and actually tasted strongly of potatoes, and the sauce was lickably good. My main was very heavy, with seriously cheesy risotto topped with lovely duck slices, perfectly medium rare. Again, a wonderful sauce accompaniment. I don't care for dates, but someone who does would have loved the roasted dates, the sweetness of which cut right through the heaviness of the main event. The bread service reminds me of 2491, with many types of bread to choose from, of varying tastes and textures. I tried the goat cheese biscuit (flaky but deadly, and again, you could definitely taste the goat cheese) and an orange and fennel roll. I should have learned my lesson in being about to taste the flavors here, because the fennel was very strong and I don't like licorice flavors, with a secondary citrus aftertaste, but it was a great roll - crusty on the outside with a soft, fluffy inside. I don't know if it's the best of Denver, as the website claims, but it was fantastic! Cook's Fresh Market has a limited selection of hot breakfast items, but they have some nice breads and pastries and very buttery croissants. Illy coffee is available. There are lots of snacky things to buy, if you're willing to drop some $$. Reminds me of a Dean and DeLuca. Primebar for a work event. They were very nice to us and easy to work with - highly recommended if you're going with a large, picky group and want a nice-looking spot to graze and drink. Large portions of upscale-ish American/bar food, nicely presented with some whimsical touches. My chicken tortilla soup had some heat and my beet salad was topped with a few pieces of peanut brittle! I didn't drink but the group seemed very happy with the beer and cocktail selection. Illegal Pete's for a shredded beef burrito was fine, but not particularly special. I do like how they mix up all the burrito ingredients before wrapping it up. A perfectly serviceable quick lunch spot. I was all set to recommend Osteria Marco for a dinner, when the groupthink decided on Euclid Hall. When I found out that it was a sister restaurant to Rioja, I was thrilled! It's a very different spot, with an extremely eclectic menu. Loud and boisterous, with an extensive drink menu (with, it seemed to me, fairly decent prices), and friendly but casual and slightly slow service (I think, though to let groups drink more. Which is correct, when folks keep ordering!). We tried the housemade kielbasa (wonderful!) and blood sausage (tender and crumbly and strongly of curry) and several poutines. I thought that the duck topping didn't add much to the plate, but the person who ordered the wild mushroom topper loved it. The mushroom soup is not cream-based, which is nice, but was tangy and had lots of carrots, which I didn't enjoy nearly as much as I'd hoped I would. The bone marrow looked fantastic, and the person who ordered it refused to share. It's a really fun spot with lots of great food and presumably drink choices. I saw the Thai cart at 16th and Stout, and even waited in line for awhile. But it was taking too long and I had to make a shuttle. I really wished I could've tried it, though, as several people in line were commenting how she was absolutely worth the wait. It was neat seeing her craft different dishes to order in that tiny booth! I had to make do with gloppy Wolfgang Puck pasta at the airport

After a week of birthday and Thanksgiving feasting, my two favorite meals were from A&J (usual order of szechaun beef noodle soup, fried chicken noodle soup, pork dumplings fried and steamed, the edamame greens, and the fried beef bun - everything perfect) and the lounge at Restaurant Eve. I think that's a pretty favorable comparison both ways

I know you were looking for specials, but if you're headed to the Penn Quarter, Jaleo, Oyamel, and Zaytinya should be able to fit your parameters and budget, especially if you order sangria by the carafe. On the same vein, Cafe Atlantico has a pre-theater menu w/ several choices for $35.

Tried it with a group, family-style, the other night. Everything was...fine. Duck was cool/cold, but tasty, two types of noodles were plentiful but not particularly chewy or delicious (when I don't want to eat of the lion's share of the noodles, they aren't great), brisket casserole was nice and fatty, barbequed pork was in huge pieces and unpleasantly sweet, the prawns were basically untouched (I can't comment 'cause I don't eat shellfish), and the greens were good. Overall, not a set of dishes that would make me seek it out over my usual Szechuan or Taiwanese.

I love fried turkey, especially a turkey that is fried in someone else's yard! It was a touch overdone, which was great for me, because that's how I prefer my meat (remnant of my mom's cooking), with lots of dryer and crispy bits. We had the yellow and purple yams as well, and my mushrooms were made better than usual with a (generous) splash of cream. Rolls, Stovetop, cranberry-pomegranate sauce, TJ's cornbread, canned corn, mashed potatoes, and asparagus blanched and then sauteed with garlic. Pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, assorted cookies, and a chocolate fountain. And too much wine

I popped in earlier this fall for a refueling lunch in the middle of a day on the Mall, and it was fine-good. The potstickers were tiny and quite exquisite, actually, with great porky flavor and crisped bottoms, but the portion was very small (granted, it was the lunch tasting menu, but compared to the plates being served around the room and the price point, a very small portion). My chicken salad/slaw was interesting, but everything (nuts, cabbage, crisped things) was crunchy and hard - no relief for my jaws!! I could only get through half of it, and while the portion was large, that reflects both on the crunchy textures and the overall sameness of flavor throughout (which is great for consistency but boring for a large portion-ed dish). The peanut butter and chocolate dessert confection was good, but it's hard to mess up chocolate and peanut butter. The service at the bar was very friendly and efficient, and they were very nice to me desipte my scrubby, dusty appearance. The other things coming out of the kitchen, the burgers and other American-style looking plates, were all huge and quite pretty. Those items seem to cater to the tourists, and successfully so. It's a nice option for a stop in the middle of a Mall day, but my experience didn't make me want to rush back to try a dinner.

Oooh, thanks for the Berkeley suggestions. Now, just in case we get stuck, are there good-great similar places (on the casual side, price-point, food, and dress-wise) in Oakland?

I'm getting a box of the sea salt dark chocolate caramels and a round of the plain fds caramels (yes corn syrup but they keep well and taste great for a packaged caramel) every week when I go into TJ's. This way, I'll still have a few of each around when they run out weeks before Xmas. That's the plan, anyway.

When in Berkeley, are there places worth visiting besides Chez Panisse? Maybe somewhere more casual? Or should I just go to the cafe?

Nope, the $77 deal includes both the food and cocktails. It's an amazing value, and makes this "deal" slightly confusing.

I'll be in Denver staying at the Brown Palace in a few weeks, From this thread it looks like my best bet is at Rioja on Larimer for at least one meal. Any other suggestions that keep us close to the 16th street corridor? I doubt my colleagues will want to cab around when they can see so many (mediocore, sigh) options right in front of them.

I didn't see this upthread, so I thought I'd mention that the Lickety Split menu is now running $14.98 for two items. As a first introduction to the restaurant's capabilities, I have to say that lunch was absolutely perfect and we're now dying to try out the other rooms. The mushroom soup (hen-of-the-woods veloute) and the sandwich (a pile of pulled/shredded veal shoulder, dripping with juice, and dressed wtih pink radish-pickle and garlic aoli?) were wonderful, beautiful, and filling. I wanted to add on the birthday cake (since the meal was the kickoff to birthday week) but couldn't because I was stuffed! The bread is definitely worth eating, the service is attentive, gracious, and friendly, and the space itself is charming. It's been a while since a first meal at a new place affected us so strongly, but we honestly loved the whole experience. I can't wait until my next chance to play hooky so I can try more of the menu.

I'm getting too old for this much fried food at once, but everything (cod, grouper, chips) is still delicious. We can never remember that we only need small sizes of everything!!!

I saw that and it made me a little sad - I had been happy to purchase a "fine American product" and then, the sticker of truth

Candy corn. I feel like my teeth are going to fall out, but I don't care.

Oh, that's nice!! Everybody does win I got a set of the Brekinridge as well. I liked the Boulder Creek set better, but my patient husband, who prefers a more classic look, preferred the Brekinridge. Since I sprung the idea of suddenly "needing" a new set of dinner service for 8 on him, I thought the compromise was a fair one. The key was the price - these are very nice dishes for everyday! I also like how they are much lighter than the stoneware we've been using.