This new spot has the perfect location for a work lunch that is tasty and affordable. The black structural piece thing on the ceiling is interesting, albeit a bit suffocating and makes the space look small. After reading an article about the food however, I was really excited to see how their menu would be executed.
We started with the wings - I think most of us agree that Point Reyes blue cheese can make anything taste good - creamy, rich, tangy, but not too overpowering.
Alice gave her squid salad a thumbs up, despite her usual dislike for frisee. The fried green tomatoes were perfect and sweet - summer is truly the best season ever!
The "pulled" lamb was so juicy and tender, and the watermelon vinegar only enhanced the flavor. The accompanying slaw had a bit too much mint for my taste, but it gave nice contrast in texture to the sandwich.
The fish sandwich (I don't think it was the po boy on their online menu) and the BBQ chicken sandwich weren't as memorable, but still satisfying. The desserts also sounded much better on the menu than they were executed. The Japanese pear pie with aged gouda sounded so delicious, but the final product left us wondering if there was any point to the ingredients they used. It tasted great - warm and comforting, but it was barely distinguishable from a traditional apple pie. The spices overwhlemed the delicate flavor of the Asian pear, and the gouda got lost in the pectin from the fruit once baked. The crust, however, was perfectly flaky, so props to them on that. The inverted root beer float was also a fun concept, but it was not for me.
Overall, Wexler's has some winners here, and is a great place for a warm break from work.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wexler's
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Uncle Frank's BBQ
2135 Old Middlefield Way (at N Rengstorff)
(650) 964-4476
BBQ in Mountain View
Went here for my brother-in-law's birthday dinner since he's a Texan and wanted some meat. I was really confused at first because the building is shared with a Mexican bar which is where the entrance is... but once I got to the back, I felt like I had walked into what I imagine the South to be like! (I wouldn't know though). It almost feels like you're at picnic tables, just indoors.
The food was pretty decent - cheap and large portions. We had ribs, chicken, sausage links, creamed corn, collard greens, black eyed peas, baked beans, cornbread, potato salad, and cole slaw. The corn got a lot of kick from jalapenos, and the baked beans tasted like they were cooked in pork fat (that's a good thing). The ribs were pretty decent (but like most - dry without ladling the sauce on), and I ate like five pieces of cornbread (very moist and right out of the oven). Everything else was forgettable. I felt bad for the one vegetarian there. Hopefully he ate beforehand!
The staff is friendly - they were stressed out at first and it showed (we had a party of 25 that kept asking for more and more water... it was a hot day!), but towards the end they warmed up to us and even initiated the Happy Birthday song. I was particularly enlisted to cut and serve the pie by one of the women who said I needed to eat more (even though I had already been stuffing my face).
Fun and cheap! You will get full.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Memphis Minnie's
576 Haight St.
BBQ in the lower Haight
Sunset magazine has consistently called this restaurant the best BBQ place on the West Coast. They have a sake menu, too.
Everything is good here. I had my first sweet tea here, and I had grits with shrimp, gravy, and sliced green onions -- an item from their Sunday brunch menu that's "a South Carolina tradition." I've had grits before, but they were like a cross between oatmeal and concrete mix. Today's grits were smooth, rich, and creamy, and the shrimp (which were slightly overcooked) complemented the grits. Our party of four also shared two types of ribs, beef brisket, potato salad, corn bread muffins, and a beef brisket omelet.
I like the non-pretentious, bright atmosphere.
When I saw all our food spread out on our table, ready to be eaten, I exclaimed, "I love America."
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I went here for dinner, and got the rib tip appetizer, the beef brisket, and the pork ribs. For sides, we got the mac n cheese and beans, which were ok. The meat, however, was HORRIBLE. It was dry and flavorless, and we basically had to douse everything in sauce, which was runny (I prefer it thick). After talking to Jesse, he suggested I go for lunch, since his experience wasn't like that at all. Perhaps I will one day and have this experience redeemed, but for the time being, I do not plan on ever going back.
I took off 1.5 stars because I thought it was really bad (I would've taken off more, but I thought that would be unfair to Jesse's review).
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One rule of thumb for any and all BBQ restaurants: The meat will be more moist if you go during lunchtime and drier if you go during dinnertime. Memphis Minnie's is no exception, unfortunately.
- J - k -J