Ostra--San Antonio, TX

We went to Ostra for Christmas dinner. There, we enjoyed prawns, short ribs and crab tamales. The dish as shown was $40. Perhaps almost as important as the food itself was the festive River Walk environment. I strongly recommend being seated outside, as that's a big reason to eat at Ostra.

You'll need valet parking at the Mokara hotel, but your validation lasts until midnight.

Mr. Kano Peruvian Restaurant--Santa Clara, CA

My wife and I came here for exotic seafood Friday night and weren't disappointed. I got the Pescado a lo Macho, a seafood mix in a creamy sauce. This included mussels, shrimp, squid and a fish fillet at the bottom of the pile. White rice came on the side.

My wife got the Arroz con Mariscoz, a paella dish which I liked even more than mine because of the soft, fluffy flavorful rice.

The dishes were respectively $18 and $19--a good value.

Pescadero a lo Macho

Arroz con Mariscoz

Menus below:

Brown Chicken Brown Cow--Campbell, CA

he Honolulu Zinger at BCBC has the perfect mix of hot, sweet and savory and highly recommend this decadent burger. Though it comes with brie and bacon, the jalapeno and pineapple jelly is the main event. Because it was so juicy, I needed a knife and fork to eat this.

If you like things that go cluck, my boy had a chicken club sandwich, which he enjoyed. More importantly to me, it filled him up--not easy to do for a fifteen-year-old!

The Honolulu Zinger: Jalapeno and pineapple jam tops this sandwich. The white stuff is brie.

The chicken club sandwich at Brown Chicken Brown Cow

Menu below:

Cucina Venti--Mountain View, CA

This is another one of many Bay Area restaurants that's popular, but I don't get why it's popular. Yes, the service was good and Cucina Venti, if you don't mind a louder environment, is a pleasant place to eat. But, I knew we were in trouble when a guy came up to our table with two different types of bottled water and asked, "Which would you like?" I don't like restaurants that make you feel bad for wanting tap water.

Across two paella dishes and a penne francesca we received overdone chicken and shrimp. We found the calamari acceptable but unremarkable. Overall, we had a right to expect more at about $25 per entree. I'll give Cucina Venti this, though: The paella came fresh out of the oven--everything was piping hot including the pan.

Menu below:

Delta SkyClub in Seattle, WA

I've been to the Delta SkyClub in Seattle twice and enjoyed it both times. With floor-to-ceiling windows the lounge is bright. The second floor, virtually empty when I visited, offered ample privacy. My family really liked the food selection, too, which included Ivar's clam chowder--a local favorite (at least among tourists).

Mile High Ice Cream Pie--Champps in Minnetonka, MN

My son and I nearly finished this masterpiece of a dessert last weekend. It exceeded our expectations in every way, including its sheer size. Remember the top and bottom are made of giant cookies and are not to be missed (as you'll likely have to leave something behind). But, everything here--the cream frosting, the ice cream, the flavors--is flat out awesome. For us, it was a bargain at $12.

Everest--Mountain View, CA

This restaurant has had the same name and location for years, but it's vastly improved over what the previous management offered. You can come in at 1:30 or even 2:00 and the buffet offerings are still hot, fresh and plentiful. I particularly enjoyed the tandoori chicken, chicken biryani and, for dessert, gulab jamun. A great kicker is the milk tea, free to all customers.

This lunch buffet is $12, which is a steal. You get 5% off if you sign up with Fivestar at the register.