827 Washington St
(between 8th St & 9th St)
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 835-5585

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Dave’s Review Coming Soon

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We had an interesting time at Levende East. It is a new restaurant, so we expected some hiccups going into it. We had a 9:00 reservation and when we arrived we were told the people at our table before us were being very slow. No problem, we’ll sit at the bar for awhile. Half an hour later we were seated and the very nice hostess told us that dessert would be on them for the inconvenience. How nice!The restaurant is very pretty, with neat artwork and cool chandeliers. There is a DJ, which in our opinion was way to loud, but that might have been because it was late on a Saturday so they were going for more of a loungey feel. I’d be curious to see what it’s like during the week.The menu was very eclectic, and everything looked good. I finally settled on the guava BBQ glazed baby back ribs and sharing the mac and cheese with Dave. Both of these items were GREAT! The meat came right off the bone and the BBQ sauce was so good. The mac and cheese was super cheesy and delicious. I couldn’t have been happier with my food and it seemed to be served pretty quickly. I have a feeling the hostess told our server to get our food to us quickly since we’d already been waiting so long. And then we were pretty much abandoned. Our waiter was a total space cadet and I had to ask for more water 3 times. Our finished dinner plates sat in front of us for a good 20-30 minutes. I wasn’t too bothered, though, because I knew dessert was coming! We each got something and I tasted a little of everything. The peanut butter chocolate cake was EXCELLENT, that’s definitely what you should get if you’re going. The Key Lime Chantilly and the Banana French Toast were okay, but both featured large amounts of bland bread. The cheesecake had somewhat of an odd consistency (a little like pudding) but tasted pretty good.

After waiting around a bit we finally got our bill which, of course, had the desserts on it. We got our waiter’s attention (not a simple task, since as I mentioned before his head was totally in the clouds) and he said he’d forgotten and would fix it. Then a guy who I’m guessing was the shift manager came over and said they were taking two desserts off. We said we were told that dessert was on them so we had assumed that meant for the whole party. He gave us the distinct impression that he thought we were trying to scam him out of 5 desserts so we told him to just forget it, we just wanted to leave. (it was past 11:30 at this point) The very nice hostess then came over and apologized profusely and took the rest of the desserts off. Then we waited another 20 minutes while our waiter processed the bill. I saw him at the machine literally doing absolutely nothing staring off in space with the credit card poised above the swiping area.

So after 3 hours we were finally on our way home. The service and professionalism of the shift manager were fairly appalling. I couldn’t believe he would quibble over $30 on a $400 bill and practically guarantee that 7 people plus anyone they talked to about their experience wouldn’t come back. The hostess, who I suspect has a bit more sway than just being a hostess, was wonderful, and because of her and the great food we probably will go back, and hopefully they’ll have gotten their act together a bit more.

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125 E. Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
The Brick Kiln
Larkspur, CA 94939
(415) 461-6358

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Wow, the Melting Pot sure is yummy! We all ordered “The Big Night Out” which involved two kinds of cheeses for the table (we got the featured Feng Shui and the Fiesta), two kinds of cooking broths (we got the Coq au Vin and Mojo), each pair of people sharing an entree dish (Dave and I shared the Fondue Fusion) and two dessert pots (we got The Original and the Flaming Turtle) I absolutely loved the cheese and the chocolate, specifically the feng shui and the original. The entree was good, but I have to say that two pots for 6 people can be a little hectic. I also think with so many different kinds of meats going into them I lost some of the intended flavor of the broths. The dessert tray is great, I really like the graham cracker covered marshmallows!

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6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94620
(510) 654-6607

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The food at the Wood Tavern was very good. Not only did I enjoy the Halibut that I got, but everyone else’s meal looked appetizing as well. While the menu was on the medium to small size and there weren’t any specials, almost all of the options on the menu were appealing and it was tough to choose. The biggest downside was the service. We were there for almost three hours which I think was mostly the result of our specific waitress who was clearly new. On the plus side they did have our table ready and waiting even though we got there a few minutes early.

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The hostess and co-owner was very friendly and had our table ready for us when we arrived. She got us our water right away. I thought that was a good sign for the kind of service we would get. But, as Dave said, we were there for 3 hours! Our server did not stop at the table for long periods of time. Sure, we were a big table, but I felt like she was getting the guaranteed 18% tip and took us for granted. She did seem new, and she was friendly enough, but she was a little bit odd. I had a flatiron steak. Mostly, I could not decide on what kind of meat I wanted and so I was choosing based on sides. The steak came with scalloped potatoes so I went for that. I ordered the steak medium-rare and it was quite rare – too rare for me. The potatoes were fine but nothing special. Other people enjoyed their entrees but based on what I ate i’m not that interested in going back. Even my cocktail was off. I often will order from a resturant’s special cocktail list. I chose a vodka-grapefruit-cranberry drink because I like a little bit of tartness. But this drink was pretty bad. EB tasted it and agreed. I got it topped off with cranberry, which made it at least drinkable. I wanted to love this place. I had high hopes because I loved their SF restaurant Frascati. Maybe I’ll give it another chance and get the halibut.

I had a burger, and I liked it a lot. The fries were the little skinny kind, which are my favorite kind. The service was…strange. It really detracted from the whole experience. Our waitress was clearly new, but she seemed to be constantly confused and it seemed like she forgot about us a few times. We sat for about a half hour before getting bread or ordering anything, and then everyone got their food at different times, with no apology or explanation. It was also pretty noisy. That being said, the food was very good. The restaurant is still new so I suppose once they’ve worked out the kinks it will be a nice place to eat.

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2416 San Ramon Vly Blvd
San Ramon, CA 94583
(925) 314-0974

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Cafe Esin is tucked away near a 7-11 and a pool hall and doesn’t look like much from the outside. But inside it has nice atmosphere and good food. They had three specials in addition to a small menu that was all meat. The highlight of the main menu was a phyllo wrapped chicken breast, but I went for the halibut special, which was one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever had. Our waiter was pleasant and charming, but had to come back several times to confirm our order even though he wrote it down and while the service wasn’t slow, it was a little slower than I prefer. Save room for desert, because they have a bunch of great ones.

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I had a cup of the soup of the day, which was a very vegetabley vegetable bean soup. I also had the risotto. The risotto was very good, all the veggies in it had a lot of flavor and it was very creamy. It was a very heavy dish, and you could probably get away with sharing it, especially because they have a superb dessert selection that you’ll want to save room for. I split the lemon tart and the strawberry rhubarb pie with Jean, and I have to say the rhubarb pie was excellent. For such a nondescript little place I was very pleased with Cafe Esin.

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1300 10th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 527-0099

Total Score (Average over 3 reviews)
Food: 7.8
Ambiance: 8.67
Service: 8.3

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While I wasn’t thrilled about the baby back ribs that I ordered (they were a little dry), the T-Rex experience was still very good. I’d recommend a table on the upper floor where it’s a little quieter and there is tons of space between the tables. Our waiter was excellent and attentive. The two highlights for me were the extensive drink menu which featured a bunch of unique cocktails, and the wide array of sides. The HUGE cornbread servings and macaroni and cheese were enough to make a return trip worth while. Beware they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more.

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I pretty much agree with Jen and Dave. I had brocollini with shaved parmesan or maybe it was peccorino, and that was really good. The “ Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Potato Cake and Meyer Lemon Crème Fraîche” was fine but it sounds better than it is. The pulled pork was very good – I would definitely recommend it, especially over the ribs, which were dry. And, of course, I enjoyed the mac and cheese and cornbread. I was very glad we had a large anough party to make a reservation. I don’t know how long the wait was for other people but the downstairs is a little bit loud / hectic seeming and there really isn’t anywhere to sit and wait. Fortunately, our table was upstairs, and we had so much room! Oh – and they have a very cool bar which I definitely want to check out when it’s not a weekend night.

T-Rex is so yummy! I have to agree with Dave and say that the ribs were just okay, but all the sides were so exceptionally good! The cornbread tastes like it was literally sitting in a vat of hot maple syrup just before being served. It’s one of those foods you keep cramming into your pie hole even though you think you’re about to die from fullness just because it’s so good. The beverage menu is huge, and I’m talking all beverages, not just cocktails. They have a whole page of non alcoholic mixed drinks! Neat! The downstairs seemed really crowded but the upstairs was laid out very nicely, They managed to fit a lot of people up there without it feeling like we were sitting near any other tables at all!

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Ghirardelli Square
900 North Point Street
San Francisco, California 94109
(415) 929-1730

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This is one of my favorite bay area restaurants. Every time I go back I’m surprised about how great the food is even though I go into it knowing it’s going to be great. The menu is huge and I’ve never heard anyone say anything except great things about every entree they’ve tried. Another plus is a small array of unique cocktails that I haven’t seen anywhere else. The dining room has a great view of the bay and while every aspect of the food and service is first class you don’t have to pay first class prices. I guarantee your satisfaction!

EB’s Review Coming Soon

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I’ve always had a good meal at McKormick and Kuletto’s. The views are great, and the dining room has a nice feel to it – elegant but not stuffy. They have an interesting (and good) cocktail menu. And we’ve never had bad service. I have a hard time choosing from the large menu, butI recommend the parmesan-encrusted sole. The last time we were there, I was looking at a cocktail on their menu that had vodka and lime and cherry puree. I told the waiter I don’t like super-sweet drinks and he said that would be a good choice. And yes it was a little tart and not too sweet – yummy! The waiter had good recommendations over all and took good care of us. It’s not hard to get same-day reservations on Friday and Saturday.

McCormick and Kuleto’s is always great. The menu has so many choices and everything is always so good. The service is always very friendly and efficient, the views are fantastic, and the dining room has just the right ambiance to be comfortable and classy without feeling stuffy. I would highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you have out of town guests and you’re doing the whole touristy Fisherman’s Wharf/Ghirardelli Square thing.

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2261 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 548-6900

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We had to wait almost an hour even though we’d made a reservation, but they gave us all a free glass of champagne and apologized profusely. Also the restaurant itself isn’t much to look at. But, it’s all worth it for the food. As we were waiting everyone who walked by said, “It will be worth the wait.” And it was. The ribs on the appetizer portion of the menu are hands down the best I’ve ever had in my life. The hush puppies were great and the shrimp dish I had was super. Did I mention the ribs? They are AWESOME! Make sure you go for dinner because I hear the lunch menu is much smaller and doesn’t have many of the highlights that the dinner menu has.

The place is a little small, so if you are there at an even remotely popular time, expect to wait for a table, possibly even with a reservation. However, the staff is friendly, and they are clearly aware of their demand vs. space problem, and do their best to accommodate (when we had a particularly slow group at the table we were waiting for, the owner brought us a bottle of champagne, for example).

Regarding the food, the hush puppies (appetizer) and the ribs (appetizer or entree) are NOT to be passed up. The mixed grill of Cajun-style grilled shrimp, ribs, sausage and such is also very good.

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I didn’t go, but Dave brought me back some jambalaya that made a wonderful lunch the next day!

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1329 Gilman Street
Berkeley, CA 94706
(510) 527-9838

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Everything about Lalime’s was pretty good, but not memorable. For me it just fades into the background of the many other East Bay restaurants. If you eat there you won’t be dissapointed, but you won’t want to tell anyone about it either.

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We had a reservation for 7:00 and when we walked in there at 7:00 we were seated right away, despite the fact that there were a lot of people standing at the front waiting for a table. That was definitely good, since a lot of restaurants these days don’t seem to realize that a reservation is supposed to actually reserve you a table for a specific time. The waitress was very nice and helpful, they kept the water glasses full, and the ambiance was pleasant.

I think everyone else is going to disagree with me on my food rating, but to be honest I just wasn’t overly impressed. I had the Pizzetta with roast garlic, onions, olives and fontina (sans olives, though) and the Roast Quail with sausage cornbread stuffing and cranberry relish. I chose the quail primarily to try the stuffing/relish, which was rather good. The quail was a little on the fatty side, so it was a little hard to get the good meat off the little tiny quail bones. I stayed strong and resisted desert, but I did have a bite of Jean’s Meyer Lemon Tart with Blood Orange granita, which made me regret that decision. (The decision not to get desert, not the decision to try a bite of hers)

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1553 Olympic Blvd
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 977-3477

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Everything at Ruth’s Chris was great. All of the appetizers and entree’s we had were dynamite and you could tell that the meat was a cut above what you’d get even in other nice restaurants. The biggest problem was the cost. Everything was definitely pricey and while it sure did taste good, afterwards I wasn’t quite sure it was worth it.

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One problem for me is that I’m not really a huge steak fan. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I don’t really like it that much more than other meats. So when we go to nice steak houses I usually try to find something that doesn’t cost $40 and when all they have is steak that’s sometimes tough. But that’s not really Ruth Chris’ fault, it’s just the way of the steak house. I had the Steak House Salad, Veal Osso Buco Ravioli, and a side of steamed broccoli. For basically just being a house salad the salad was great. The croutons were very yummy. The ravioli was also very tasty. The broccoli came so hot it burned my mouth! Desert was the best part, I got the berries with sweet cream sauce. Wow, that cream sauce was good! I also ate almost all of Dave’s sorbet, which was the best sorbet I’ve ever had. He tried to offer some to EB and I had to stab him with my spoon for giving away my sorbet. Don’t mess with a pregnant lady’s dessert.

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3842 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94601
(510) 533-2395

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