A couple of days ago my friend Mauro and I met for lunch, and he suggested going to Ohgane Korean BBQ Restaurant. They have a lunch buffet ($9 or $10) and he’d enjoyed previously. I’d never been to a Korean buffet and it’s been ages since I’ve had Korean food, so I eagerly agreed.
I can’t really comment on how good the buffet was, as I stuck to the meat options. But Mauro was quite happy with the vegetarian and seafood entrees. The meat entrees, basically Korean BBQ, were very good – in particular the short ribs. They had a smokey, meaty flavor I really liked.
The restaurant itself is sort of generic and not particularly inviting, the buffet dining room is large, with long tables that you share, and with sort of a dinning commons feel.
In all, it was a good buffet, though somewhat expensive, and I’d go again.
Ohgane Korean BBQ Restaurant
3915 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 594-8300
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews
Author: admin (Page 32 of 51)
Grocery Outlet is selling a branded tin that includes a 20-teabag package of Twinings tea (Lady Gray or English Breakfast) for $3. This is actually /not/ a good deal – as you can often get said package for $2.50 on sale at the supermarket – but I ran out of tea so I bought it. I think I can use the tin for crafts (or to hold craft supplies), so it may be worth those extra 50 cents I paid for it. But I’m not at all surprised that that particular item didn’t sell well at regular stores.
I also got Kellogs Cocoa-peanut butter puffs for $1 for a box, Haagen Dazs Hawaiian Lehua Honey & Sweet cream ice cream and Zambeedo Creme de chocolat ice cream. Both are $1.50, I think. I actually liked the sweet cream ice cream quite a bit. It has an amazingly creamy texture, and a nice, light flavor. There isn’t much honey to speak of, but when you get some mixed in with your ice cream, it’s quite nice. I’d buy it again. The same cannot be said about the Zambeedo ice cream, which leaves *much* to be desired. First of all, it was melted and re-frozen (a not unusual problem with frozen products at Grocery Outlet), and second, it had a very, very light flavor, not at all chocolaty. Again, it’s no wonder this product ended up here.
Finally, I got a 2-oz bottle of McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract for $3 (it sells for $11.50 at Safeway). Alas, once I got home I realized that it contains corn syrup (?!!), so I won’t be buying it again. Maybe that’s why it’s not selling well at the regular stores?
And that’s about it for now.
My fresh oregano and thyme have passed on to a better life – but here I’ll post recipes I find that use both or either and that I can make again when I get some new herbs:
Grilled Lamb Chops with Salmoriglio Sauce
Last weekend we found ourselves hungry on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. We’d had pizza the night before, so I didn’t want to have it again, but I wanted to have something cheap. We saw Naan n’ Curry, and wrongly assumed that it’d make for a cheap meal. That it didn’t do, I think I paid $24 for lunch, much more than an Indian buffet would have been, but the food was definitely better than what we’d had the last time we ate there. The portions, however, were in the small side – specially the lamb tikka masala. We had no leftovers besides naan.
As I mentioned, I got the lamb tikka masala. The lamb was tender but somewhat dry. The sauce was very nice, well balanced with a minimum amount of spiciness There was plenty of it, which we were happy to eat with the plain and garlic naan that I also ordered. Mike had the lamb chops tandoori and he was quite happy with it. I thought that the spicing hadn’t really penetrated the meat, but it was OK.
All in all, I think that Naan n’ Curry is too expensive for what it is, and I rather go to a buffet next time.
Naan n’Curry
2366 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA
510-841-6226
http://www.naancurry.com/
Hours: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Original Review
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews
Grocery Outlet is selling a 1qt carton of Land o lakes heavy whipped cream for $1.50. Safeway usually sells their 1 qt carton of Lucerne regular whipping cream for about $4.50 – 5.50, so this is quite a bargain. HOWEVER, the expiration date on the cream is 9/22 – which means that it’s only good for the next 10 days or so. But if you want it for something right away, it’s a good deal. As for myself, I’m making strawberry ice cream now, and I’ll figure out what else this weekend.
Restaurant.com is selling its gift certificates for 90% off (use code NINETY). That means that a $25 gift certificate costs $1 and a $50 one, $2. There is usually a minimum purchase, about $35-$50 for a $25 GC and $100 for a $50 GC.
I’ve used restaurant.com gift certificates several times now, and I’ve not have any problems with them.
I’m not sure how I got this wine but I took it today to a pic-nic and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s deep, but easy to drink, somewhat fruity. Very light tannins. Just nice 🙂
It’s been over five years since the last time that we ate at Pyzano’s in Castro Valley. We usually either get pizza delivered to our house or go to Angelina’s in San Leandro, we like their pizza and they have a little section where children can sit and play.
Our plans for tonight were to go to Berkeley, get a slice of pizza at Blondie’s or Fat Slice and walk around. Alas, there was a home football game and it was impossible to get to Berkeley, much less find a parking space close to campus. So we postponed the visit to another time.
Meanwhile, Camila wanted pizza so, after some deliberation, we decided to go to Pyzano’s. I was hoping that they would have their cooks tossing the pizza dough and that Camila would get a kick out of it – unfortunately it appears they are not doing that anymore.
I was kind of surprised to find Pyzano’s only half-full on a Saturday night (about 6 PM), but I guess the economy has been affecting everyone. I should also say that Pyzano is pretty pricey for a pizzeria – I think Camila’s mini cheese pizza was about $7, while our large “Primo” (pepperoni, salami, smoked ham, bacon, Italian susage, and linguica) was about $23. Drinks were an extra $2.50 each, not cheap. But Pyzano makes up for the prices by serving a high quality pizza. The thick dough is very tasty by itself and works great with the other ingredients. All the toppings in our pizza tasted fresh and went well together. We really liked it.
We also ordered a portion of meatballs ($8 for 5 meatballs and 4 slices of cheesy garlic bread), and I have to say these were the best meatballs I’ve eaten at a restaurant. They were incredibly light, with very little filling, and perfectly seasoned. They came in a tomato pasta sauce that reminded me very much of the one once served at Pirro’s (a little Italian restaurant in Berkeley which I used to go to when I was in college). The garlic bread was also good, in particular when dipped in the sauce.
In all, we had a very good meal – and so much pizza left over that we’ll be eating it for the next couple of days 🙂
Pyzano’s Pizzeria
3835 E Castro Valley Blvd
Castro Valley, CA
(510) 881-8878
www.pyzanospizzeria.com
Marga’s Restaurant Reviews
A reader asks whether someone can confirm that there was a Prings satellite restaurant in Hayward (on Mission, near Cal State) in 1965. If you can confirm, please let me know (marga@lacabe.com. Thanks!
2010 Update: Double B has closed. Sylantro Vietnamese Cuisine has opened in its location.
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I thought I had written a review of Double B Ranch & Grill a couple of months ago, when Mike and I had dinner there. However, I can’t find it anywhere, so it must only have been written in my imagination. Of course, a couple of months are a long time and I now don’t remember the meal in great detail, so I’ll do the best I can 🙂
My general impression of Double B Ranch & Grill was that it was an OK restaurant, but grossly overpriced for the atmosphere and food. The restaurant is located in a strip mall, and the inside looks like it, though it’s been spiffed up with a cowboy theme. The menu is brief, specializing on grilled items, with prices in the mid-to-high teens for most entrees – even for lunch!
I had a cheeseburger ($10), despite the fact that they will not cook it medium rare (one good reason to not go back). It was OK, a bit dry as it was overcooked. The cook also forgot to take the piece of paper that separates cheese slices, so I found myself eating paper! Not a big deal, however, just somewhat amusing.
Mike had the ribs (and he had them again at a subsequent lunch visit) and he liked how off-the-bone tender they were, but he found them too dry. The BBQ sauce was OK, nothing spectacular. The portion was generous (it should be, for $17!) and came with beans (which he liked) and run of the mill steak fries.
In all, it wasn’t a bad meal but not one I’d have again at those prices.
Double B Ranch & Grill
967 Manor Blvd
San Leandro, CA
(510) 352-1874
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews
Bay Area Restaurant Reviews
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