Turn--Los Altos, CA

A visit from the grandparents permitted Jenny and me to escape to dinner at Turn Monday night. The best came first with the grilled baby lamb chops, ordered as an appetizer. It was rare, but juicy and tender. I was shameless about holding the bone and ripping off every last morsel. Things got disappointing from that point onward, however.

I got the pork belly pizza, partly because I wanted to try for a value play (at $16, it was one of the cheapest items on the menu) and I love eating pork. The problem was, there were at most four or five small strips of pork in the whole pizza. I mean, look at the photo, how much pork do you see? The pizza tasted fine, but it was dominated by the figs (which themselves were on the watery side).

And, the fried chicken Jenny ordered? It was OK, I guess. I just don't understand the $22 price tag. Not at all. I had some of the dark meat and it was tender and juicy, but then a fried drumstick is a slam dunk.

Despite the mediocrity of the entrees--entrees I'll never experience again because I'm not going back--one highlight was our server, Mahran. He tended to practically every need and always wore a bright smile. If you get him tending your table, consider yourself fortunate.

Turn Bar and Grill
www.turnbarandgrill.com

Flavor--Half Moon Bay, CA

My wife, beautiful inside and out, recently surprised me with a trip to Half Moon Bay, where we had brunch at Flavor. Always in the mood for eggs (at any hour!), I didn't make it past the Eggs Benedict on the menu. Mine was with corned beef and I especially liked how Flavor made perfect thick patties out of it.

Jenny chose the Seafood Pot Pie, which was loaded with halibut, clams, shrimp and scallops in a peppery cream sauce. Though the most expensive item on the menu at $24, the delicious filling of this pie plus the spectacle of the giant puff pastry made it worth every penny.

Tyler's a tough critic of everything bacon and his bacon waffle didn't disappoint. Note that not only was there bacon on top, but it was there in the waffle mix itself. Dylan went with a burger with fries, a dish that wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't the standout of any of the other three.

You can see the harbor from Flavor, but don't go there for the view. Yes, the ambiance is fine, but it's the food that carries the day.

Flavor

www.flavoronthecoast.com