Xi'an Famous Foods--New York, NY

I'm here to say the Emperor has no clothes.

With a bit of anticipation due to positive reviews on the internet and a lot of high-profile press, we tried Xi'an for dinner. From the start, they make it clear they dictate the take-it or leave-it terms: No credit cards, no servers (so clear the table after you're done, please), almost no counter space (and certainly no tables) and no tap water. That last was the most inconvenient "no" of all, as the food was very salty. It almost seemed like a business strategy: Make the customers thirst to death and offer nothing free to drink. If the amount of business they're getting was any indication, though, a lot of people were falling for it.

Ox Tail Noodles

I got the Ox Tail Noodles, which did offer tender, fall-off-the-bone meat. I ordered the dish spicy, but it ended up being pretty mild. I enjoyed the wide, chewy noodles in the Stewed Pork Noodles, as did the kids. You can get the similar noodles, though, at QQ locally in Cupertino.

The Buckwheat Cold Noodles came with too much cilantro for the kids to enjoy and the acidity was a bit strong. The noodles also didn't have the elasticity that I would have wanted.

Stewed Pork Burger

Of all puffery about Xi'an Famous Foods on the internet, though, what I found most difficult to justify is the praise for their Stewed Pork Burger. The meat was dry and it passed among the four of us with nobody wanting to finish it.

Well, at least they're upfront about it

Of the more than 250 reviews I've given, I know this seems to be one of the harshest. I don't mean it to be, though. The saltiness and the overdone pork aside, there'd good food to be had here. However, for a restaurant that clearly puts its customers in their place (see above), and given that this is New York, I expected a lot and Xi'an just didn't deliver. Not on food quality and certainly not on hospitality.

Xi'an Famous Foods
25 W 45th St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 786-2068

Noodles and Company--Cupertino, CA

On our way to De Anza College earlier this week I took the boys to Noodles and Company for lunch.  I got the pad thai with shrimp, a dish that was buried under an overabundance of bean sprouts. The pasta and the shrimp were adequate, though they didn't stand out. I wondered why the leaves of the parsley weren't separated from the stem. Was it laziness? Or, was it for appearance? Either way, it was more or less a big branch on the dish that I had to push aside this way and that throughout lunch.

Though the boys liked the pasta itself in their spaghetti dishes (one got a regular, the other got a small), they found the meatballs too salty to finish. 

Small vs. Regular size comparison

The quality of the food was so-so, but what really caught me was how fast costs add up. The added shrimp, for example, came at an additional $3.34, or nearly 50 cents per shrimp. With tax, the two regular dishes plus the small one came out to more than $26, which is a lot to pay for ordinary food--and we still left hungry. I liked the ambiance at Noodles and Company, though. The restaurant is clean with an abundance of natural light.

Noodles and Company
20735 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014

Mercado and Taqueria de Amigos--Pescadero, CA

Yes, this is a gas station and yes, the food here is amazing! The shrimp in the special (above) was succulent, though a little too spicy for the boys. The fish in the tacos was cooked to perfection and left me regretting we can't get anything quite like it here in the Mountain View/Los Altos area.

The boys shared a chicken burrito, which was good on its own, though overshadowed by the seafood dishes. 

We dropped by this restaurant while in Pescadero really as a last resort. However, it was a great surprise and I'd love to go back. One bite and you'll forget you're in a gas station (except when you need to get a key to go to the restroom--but isn't that part of the charm?).

Mercado and Taqueria de Amigos--Pescadero, CA
1999 Pescadero Creek Rd.
Pescadero, CA
(650) 879-0232

Troutmere--La Honda, CA

To kick off the 4th of July weekend, we took the kids to Troutmere in La Honda. As far as sure catch (aka "fish-in-a-barrel") operations go, Troutmere is pretty good. In Tahoe, I had issues with whacking the fish to death in front of the kids with a steel rod. At Troutmere, though, you take the hook out of the fish and toss it into a bucket. You then get them cleaned and gutted for 50 cents each.

If there's any downside, it's that this pond is stocked so full of trout, your kids will each catch a fish within 30 seconds tops. A typical trout of eight to ten inches, including the cleaning, will set you back about five dollars. (Also, there's a $5 admission charge per car.) So, costs will add up quickly. We had to tell the kids to stop for a short while so we could draw things out a little.

That said, the fish was delicious! They send you home with the fish in a bag of ice. Just add some salt and coat the trout with flour and you're ready for frying in the pan!

The skin was crispy and, to me, irresistible. Take a few seconds to scrape the tender meat off the bone and you've got a terrific fillet!

Deep fried watermelon

Today at the Alameda County Fair the twins and I shared a deep fried watermelon. Even though I'd skipped lunch, it was past 3:00 pm and I shared with two nine-year-olds, the concoction still filled me up. The watermelon was sweet and juicy, but the main attraction for the boys was the deep fried coating with its sweet red sauce.

The rind was deep fried as well, though I don't think it was meant to be eaten (believe me, I tried). However, the boys managed to eat all of the fried batter around it.

I liked the dessert for its novelty. If I try a deep-fried dessert at a fair again, it would be something else. For example, I found the deep fried Nutella intriguing!

Pampas--Palo Alto, CA

With my wife knowing I love meat and buffets, she picked the perfect spot to celebrate Father's Day. I celebrated my 40^th birthday at Pampas and it was also one of the first five restaurants I ever reviewed. Yet, it had been nearly six years since I’d eaten there.

  

Pampas did not disappoint! This restaurant features Brazilian barbecue (except at certain times, such as lunch on weekdays), where you place a button green side facing upwards to indicate you want skewers of meat delivered to your table. Finally, there will come a point where you just can’t take any more, so you flip the button to the red, which means you’re crying “Uncle!” and the bill will arrive at your table. 

Though the skewered meats are what set this restaurant apart from other, their salad bar is almost as important. The vegetables, so delicious, crisp and fresh are beautifully displayed. The granola, slightly sweet, is made in-house. What really grabbed me, though, was the coconut couscous, which served cold with raisins, was almost like a dessert pudding. In fact, I made it my dessert along with the yogurt and berries, which were constantly refreshed.

The list of meats can be seen in the menu below, but what stood out was the filet mignon and the tenderloin. The pork and the chicken were tender, but the beef—so juicy and flavorful—was irresistible. Making a great steak taste even better was the sauce delivered to the table featuring Tamron and chipotle. Sure, it was a little spicy, but it made a terrific combination with the beef and lamb.

The service was exceptional. Virtually everyone stopping by our table, the waiter included, wore a smile and was patient with the kids. 

Pampas

529 Alma St.

Palo Alto, CA 94301

www.pampaspaloalto.com

(650) 327-1323

Cream--Palo Alto, CA

Having finished a piano lesson in Palo Alto, we recently went to nearby downtown PA for dessert at Cream. What makes Cream stand out are their ice cream sandwiches made with freshly baked cookies. The older brother had the mint chocolate chip ice cream with an M&M cookie (above), while the younger one had the mint chocolate chip with chocolate chip cookie.

Jenny and I shared the turtle cookie with banana fudge walnut (below). The banana stood out. Across all desserts, what stood out most was the cookies were hot and fresh out of the oven. Yet, the ice cream didn't melt so fast that you had to hurry.

With the line out the door and along the street in the mid-afternoon, Cream could have charged a lot, but they didn't. For $3, you'll get two cookies and a scoop of ice cream. For the same price you'd get just the ice cream (well, slightly more than a scoop) at Baskin Robbins.

That said, the kids liked Baskin Robbins more, as they thought eating the sandwich was too much of a challenge. Their desserts did get a bit messy. Jenny and I, meanwhile, thought the sandwiches sweet. We definitely needed tea or water, but that's what partly what ice cream is about.

Cream
440 University Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
www.creamnation.com