A couple of days ago we took the kids to Disneyland. We were going just for a day and I spent a fair amount of time researching what the best place to eat at Disneyland would be. In our previous visit, we had eaten at the Blue Bayou and, while we had enjoyed it, it wasn’t an experience worth repeating. What I wanted this time was good food for a reasonable price, and I have to say that I found it at the Plaza Inn.
The Plaza Inn is located in what looks like a fancy Victorian restaurant, at the end of Main Street near the Disney/Mickey statue. It’s actually a cafeteria with a couple of stations selling broasted chicken, penne pasta & pot roast ($13-$15), salads ($7) and desserts ($5). They have chicken or pasta kids meals for $7. You can chose to eat inside one of the ostentatiously decorated dining rooms, or outside on the veranda, under an umbrella, with a view to all the Disneyland action. The outside spots are good for people watching and for catching parades. Mika loved how fancy it looked inside, so that’s where we ate.
I had read that the chicken was actually good at the Plaza Inn so that’s what we had. We ordered two plates of chicken (each came with 1 half breast, 1 thigh and 1 drumstick, mashed potatoes and green beans), and two child pasta dishes for three adults and three kids. We had plenty of food. The broasted chicken had a crispy skin, was perfectly herbed/spiced and very moist. It was very tasty. The pieces were rather large. The mashed potatoes were also good, though the green beans were sad and wimpy and rejected by all. The kids were happy with their pasta (which comes in a Micky Mouse shaped tray), but they aren’t picky. They didn’t like the herbed breadstick it came with, and ate the bagged carrots later as a snack.
Fountain soft drinks at the Plaza Inn are ~$3, as elsewhere in Disneyland, but here you get free refills. You can also get iced water for free, and because it’s the water that comes from the soda machines it’s purified already. It tasted fine.
We were in Disneyland on a Tuesday in May and the park was as non-crowded as it gets. We had lunch around 12:45 PM, and there we no lines at all at the Plaza Inn and only a few tables were occupied.
I’m not planning a return trip to Disneyland any time soon, but I’m sure I’ll head here next time. I can’t imagine you can have a better meal for the money anywhere in the park.
The broasted chicken at the Plaza Inn Restaurant. Picture courtesy of LA Foodie
Plaza Inn Restaurant
Disneyland
Annaheim, CA
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/plaza-inn/
Venue Restaurant Reviews
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews
Author: admin (Page 14 of 51)
It’d been 6 years since my original visit to (and review of) Taste of India in Buttonwillow and I was a bit surprised to see that things haven’t changed that much. The restaurant seems a bit more run down, the menu has been streamed line and now you order at the counter, but the restaurant still serves mostly North Indian food at relatively high prices (dishes are mostly priced around $11, same for dinner and lunch). The food is pretty good for Indian food in the middle of nowhere, but not outstanding.
We ordered our standards, chicken tikka masala and lamb korma (both $11), with a side of garlic nan and a large rice. The rice was purely white, no hints of saffron or mixed peas for appearance sake, which is fine with me. The nan was a bit thin but passable. The curries were better. The lamb korma was probably the best of the two. The pieces of lamb were tiny, but they still had considerable flavor. The curry was smooth and balanced. I liked it. The tikka masala substituted salt for smokyness, and its sourness was too one-noted, but it was still OK. Mika liked her mango lassi and I my sweet one, which once again was almost too sweet.
In all the meal was pleasant but we spent over $40 and only ordered two entrees, too expensive a lunch.
We’ll probably stop at Taste of India again, but given the prices and the location (a bit too close to LA), it may be a few years.
Taste of India
20687 Tracy Avenue
Buttonwillow, CA
661.764.6464
Original Review
I haven’t been to SadieDey’s Cafe in downtown Oakland since it was called Tumble n’ Tea and my kids were little. Back then I enjoyed it, so I was sad to receive an e-mail today announcing that it was closer. The owners started selling homemade pies a few months back at the cafe, and they seem to have found their passion. They are closing SadieDey at the end of May and starting a pie-business.
The e-mail implied that they may be getting a food truck, but their website suggests that they’re selling the pies from a bicycle. In any case, while the pies are called pies they look very much like empanadas. Their fillings are pretty eclectic, however, and include chicken gorgonzola, beef in tomato sauce, apple brie and even coconut curry and aloo matar (Indian potatoes & peas). They also have some dessert ones. They use mostly organic ingredients.
The pies are not cheap, they cost about $7-8 and, in the pictures, at least, they seem to be the size of an empanada. But I imagine they must be considerably larger (or very filled), as otherwise they’d be significantly overpriced. You usually need to eat three regular-size empanadas to call it a meal.
In any case, I’m curious about them and if I ever come across their bike or their truck I’ll give them a try.
Sue’s Sassy Pies
http://suessassiepies.wordpress.com/
This year the San Leandro Farmers’ Market has a new food post: Roli Rotí. They sell rotisserie chickens, cooked right in their special truck. The chickens are free range (but not organic), not fed animal bi-products (unlike Foster Farms’) and fresh. They aren’t brined but just rubbed with an herb mixture. They are $12 for a full chicken, $6.40 for 1/2 and $6 for a 1/4 chicken with a portion of roasted rosemary potatoes.
We got half a chicken for Mike and I. It was packed to take home (not in a container we could eat it from nor did it come with forks, though I imagine we could have asked for that) and came with a lime. It was quite good, very moist, with a sharp herb flavor on the skin. It didn’t have that weird metallic taste that most commercial rotisserie chickens have, probably because it’s not brined. As good as it was, however, it wasn’t any better than the rotisserie chickens I make a home.
Roli Rotí doesn’t say how big their chickens are (and I forgot to ask), but a full chicken is supposed to serve 4 adults. I’d say that’s accurate, if you are eating other sides. They didn’t have roasted potatoes when we went (go later in the evening for them, as they are cooked in site), so eating the chicken solo left us hungry.
Roli Rotí is specially famous for their porchetta sandwiches, which get amazing reviews in Yelp. However, they only sell them at the Ferry Building Farmers Market. Still, if enough people in San Leandro ask for them, perhaps we can convince them to bring them here. So next time you get a chicken, ask for the porchetta sandwich (apparently pronounced “porketta”).
Roli Rotí Gourmet Rottisserie
http://www.roliroti.com/
San Leandro’s Farmers’ Market
W 4 – 8 PM
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews
This recipe for spaghetti bolognese comes from the latest issue of Bon Appétit (I’ve adapted it, of course). It was simple to make and delicious – but it really needs the long simmering time for the flavors to blend. I tasted it throughout the process and it really became much better at the end. I’d definitely make it again – though next time I’d double it and freeze the leftovers.
Spaghetti Bolognese
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 12 oz ground beef
- 3 oz bacon, chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 1/2 cups beef stock
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste (about 1/2 6 oz can)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 cup milk
- 1 lb spaghetti (or your favorite pasta)
- Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Turn temperature to medium low and saute until soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the beef and bacon and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the stock and tomato paste and mix well. Turn heat up and bring sauce to a boil. Turn down heat to very low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add the milk, mix well, and simmer for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. Serve spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Marga’s Best Recipes
It was our anniversary, we had managed to snag some last-minute babysitting and we wanted to try something new and good nearby (since we’ve had children, the possibility of going out to dinner in San Francisco doesn’t even occur to us). After some online menu and review consulting, I decided to give Nex a try. Nex is a small restaurant, situated right next to Mua in Oakland’s dying Auto Row. It shares an executive chef with Mua, and as I’ve loved the food at Mua I figured Nex was worth a try. It was, the food we had was great tasting and consistent – but not particularly novel. I’d say come Nex for well made classics, but to Mua if you feel more whimsical.
Nex is a pretty small restaurant, with a tiny bar and a industrial look. It’s hip and original, though perhaps geared to a slightly older audience (30’s) than Mua. It wasn’t what you’d call a typical anniversary place, but I was there for the food and not the ambiance.
The menu was pretty similar to the one online. Though several of the appetizers sounded appealing to me, Mike wasn’t sold by any of them and I was still too full from lunch to attempt one on my own – so we went directly to the entrees. I had the duck confit ($19) and my “please keep my name out of your reviews” significant other (SO) had the cod. The duck was perfectly cooked, with a delicious crispy skin. The meat was tender and juicy, without any fattiness. It was perfectly spiced and succulent. There was nothing special about it, but there is much to be said about perfectly cooked duck. I don’t usually like beans, but the accompanying white beans were also wonderfully seasoned and cooked, they had a hearty, slightly smoky flavor. I loved them and ate them all. While the portion look a bit small in the plate (one duck leg and thigh and maybe 1/2 cup worth of beans plus half a carrot and some lettuce), it filled me up. Then again, I wasn’t that hungry to start with.
SO had the cod and he was quite pleased with the flavor of the dish. The thick piece of fish was nicely cooked and came with a delectable sauce. The accompanying asparagus was nicely grilled. However, he regretted not having ordered an appetizer as the entree wasn’t very filling. Personally, I think that’s true of most fish entrees at restaurants. They really need to be served with a starch if they don’t want patrons to go hungry.
For dessert, SO and I shared the funnel cake fries ($7). These are fried dough sticks, with a tiny bit of powdered sugar, served with a spicy chocolate and a raspberry sauce. I love funnel cake but this one failed miserably. The sticks were very bland by themselves – a dash of salt in the batter would help as well as more uniformly applied powdered sugar – and the sauces needed more sweetness and flavor. As it was, this desert was a waste of calories.
Service was quite good and efficient, and we had a good time – but I didn’t find either the food or experience compelling enough to merit another visit.
Nex Oakland
2442 Webster St (@Broadway)
Oakland, CA
(510) 238.8224
http://www.nexoakland.com/
M-Th 5:30 PM – 9 PM
F-Sa 5:30 PM – 10 PM
Continuing with my international cooking project, I’ve posted the Costa Rican and Creole dishes I made. Yum!
I’m a big fan of restaurant.com, a website that allows you to buy “gift certificates” for local restaurants at deeply discounted prices. I’ve been using it for years, and so far I haven’t had any bad experiences. But there are some things you need to beware of:
– Price: $25 gift certificates usually cost $10, but some restaurants charge more. Some restaurants also offer $10 gift certificates for $5 and $50 gift certificates for $20. DO NOT PAY THOSE PRICES, however. You usually can find coupon codes for 70%-90% off those prices, so that that $25 gift certificate should cost you only $1-3. To find those codes do a search for restaurant.com codes , or go to couponcabin or retailmenot
– Minimum purchases: it’s usually $35-50 for a $25 gift certificate, and that may not include the price of drinks. For some restaurants you will need 3 people ordering to get to reach those minimums. If you end up ordering more food than you would otherwise to reach the minimum, you may end up spending more than you would in the first place.
– Day/time limitations: Often times you can only use the coupons during weekdays, though some restaurants may have other limitations. For example, The Englander doesn’t accept restaurant.com certificates on Sundays & Mondays. Most restaurants only accept them for dine-in meals, often for dinner only.
– Automatic tip: If you use a coupon, an 18% tip will be added to your pre-tax purchase. That’s less than my usual tip, so I don’t mind, but beware so you don’t end up double-tipping (unless you want to, of course 🙂
– Restaurants no-longer participating: Sometimes restaurants close down and sometimes they stop participating in the program. I’ve had the first happen to me, and restaurant.com gave me credit for another gift certificate. I don’t know what happens in the latter case. For that reason, and also so that you don’t end up buying coupons you don’t end up using (because you forget about them, lose them, etc.), I recommend that you only get the certificate right before you go to the restaurant.
– Limited number of coupons: some popular restaurants (like The Englander) only sell a limited number of gift certificates and sometimes they run out.
– One certificate a month: you’re only allowed to use one gift certificate a month.
Read below for a March 2011 dinner update of Aroma
I’m so happy with Hayward’s Favorite Indian restaurant, that I have not felt the need to explore the other Indian restaurants in the area. According to my friend Alpana (who, btw, is a great family photographer – check out her website), a native of India, that has been a mistake. So it was on her suggestion that my friend Mauro and I headed to Aroma yesterday for their buffet lunch. Alpana was right – while I still love the California-Indian food at Favorite Indian, Aroma’s more carefully crafted fare is definitely worth tasting.
Aroma prides itself in offering a higher quality product, using organic and fresh ingredients when possible. As the restaurant itself, their buffet lunch is small (11 or 12 items, including rice and dessert) and carefully crafted. During our visit, there were only 3 meat offerings (chicken tandoori, chicken tikka masala and lamb vindaloo), and that, of course, is what I tried. I was impressed, in particular on the tandoori. The perfectly cooked, moist chicken legs were infused with flavor and lacked the artificial red coloring that most Indian restaurants confer onto them. They were probably the most understated and best tasting chicken tandoori I’ve ever had.
I wasn’t as fond of the curries but I had to confess that they were good as well. The lamb vindaloo had a nice quick, and tender lamb. The tikka masala was a bit too acidic for my taste, but it tasted fresh and bright. You can feel the quality.
Buttered naan is brought to the table, and the one had a very nice light consistency. I also tasted the dessert, some runny pudding made of rice flower with nuts and spices, and I enjoyed it quite a bit as well. Mauro wasn’t as keen of it, but he did enjoy everything else he had.
While we only sampled the buffet on this occasion, Aroma has a full lunch and dinner menu, its prices are on the high side, however.
Aroma is located in a small space at a strip mall in Castro Valley Village, the small room actually looks quite cozy, the beautiful serving dishes and the faint scent of incense helps give it a non-tacky atmosphere. Service was very good, our drinks were refilled quickly and our dishes taken away.
In all, it was a great lunch experience. The buffet lunch for two, with a soda each, came to about $27 after tax and tip. Not a super cheap lunch, but this is not super cheap food.
A couple of nights ago my friend Aamani and I wanted to meet our friend Miranda for dinner somewhere in Castro Valley, and Aroma popped to mind. Though I’ve been there many times for lunch in the last year, I’d never tried them for dinner. It was just as good, solid food, fresh flavors and very good service. I’ll definitely be back.
Aamani and I shared the chicken pakora (battered chicken served with a cilantro and a sweet & sour sauce, $6) and I was quite pleased. The chicken was nice, hot and tender. The batter was tasty, though perhaps a little soggier than I would have wanted. Still, I’d order it again.
I had the lamb korma ($13), one of my favorite Indian dishes, as my entree. The lamb was moist, tender and not too fatty and the sauce was creamy, well balanced and perfectly spiced medium, as I’d asked. I enjoyed the dish, though it didn’t really awe me. That was Miranda’s opinion of her navratan korma ($13), a vegetarian version of my own dish. She ordered her spicy, and she also said it fit the bill. Aamani had the dal saag (a spinach lentil dish, $11) and she was quite pleased. Aamani is Indian, but she doesn’t like cooking so she may be less demanding. We ate everything with rice ($3 for a huge portion), which was quite good as well.
Aamani also enjoyed the keema nan (a bread stuffed with spiced ground lamb, $5), but I forgot to try it! I did enjoy the kabuli nan (called Kashmiri nan at Aroma, a bread stuffed with a sweet filling, $5), Miranda thought it was too sweet but it was fine for me. Miranda had a good masala tea with dinner ($2) and I enjoyed my sweet lassi ($2), though it also wasn’t outstanding.
I don’t usually order dessert at Indian restaurants, but Miranda was in the mood for something sweet so I ordered a kulfti (a pistachio froze dessert, $3). The ice cream itself was too icy and not that flavorful, but it came with a delicious condensed milk sauce. Miranda and Aamani seemed to enjoy their kheer (rice pudding, $3). I’ve had it before in their lunch buffet and, indeed, it’s very good.
Service was very diligent. We stayed there late and they didn’t make any moves to kick us out, which I appreciated.
The meal came to $88 after tax and tip, but I had a $25 off gift certificate from restaurant.com I’d gotten for $2, so really it came up to $65. Not bad for that quality of food, in particular considering that we had enough left overs for lunch for two.
Aroma Cuisine of India
3418 Castro Village Dr.
Castro Valley, CA
510-888-9555
http://www.aromacuisineofindia.com/
Everyday: 11:30am – 3:00pm, 5:00pm – 9:30pm
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews
A few weeks ago, the San Leandro Patch had a little “story” about the 88 market on East 14th St. I’d been to the store once or twice before, in search of rare Asian ingredients, but it’s not a place I’d normally hit. However, the Patch article mentioned that the 88 market has become a seafood emporium in the last few years, offering 150 varieties of fish, so when I needed some catfish earlier this week (to make Catfish a la Meuniere which was, btw, amazing), and Safeway was selling it at $9 lb (really? who are they kidding?), I thought we should give 88 market a try.
Fortunately or unfortunately I sent Mike to do the shopping. He was very impressed with the freshness of the fish. Indeed, it was alive and swimming in a tank until Mike ordered it, heard a big thump and a lot of flopping around. He didn’t watch, and he was happy the kids didn’t go along. He asked for the catfish to be filleted but again, declined to look at the process. What can we say? He’s squeamish.
So he was not prepared, after he came home, for me to scream at him from the kitchen to come see what he bought: a bag of fish parts (head, tail, fins, whatever) with two very uneven, not fully descaled, bone-in fillets that would feed one person (if I chose to cook them, which I did not). Moral of the story? Go to 88 market for very fresh, full fish – but if you want your fish neatly processed, go elsewhere.
I will try this place again, however, when I need some type of rare fish you can’t find at the supermarket – and I have time to learn how to fillet fish myself 🙂
88 Supermarket
14405 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA
(510) 351-8200
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