Gaffney's Restaurant Bethesda

I chose Gaffney's as the site for my birthday dinner this year - classy, but not pretentious. The restaurant featured American and soul food. In fact, there was way more Cajun/Creole on the menu than I expected. We shared the red pepper hummus and calamari to start, which were both good, but your standarad fare. For my entree, I had the Bayou Stew, wanting to try something a little different. The Stew was great - the seafood and collard greens were enough to distract me from the creamy thick mustard sauce. It was heavy, but I was smart and didn't eat too much. Portioned, this was a wonderful dish. The other entrees on the table were a mix: the broth of the Sesame Crusted Salmon was too salty, the Fish-N-Chips were good, not special, the Steamed Mussels were what you would expect from a decent American restaurant, and the Pesto Chicken Penne was flavorful, but heavy. For dessert, the house gave us two bread puddings, which were well done, but not exceptional. Overall, the food was good, but it could have been better and I think I was hoping it to be better.

4/5
http://www.gaffneys-restaurant.com/

Mykonos Grill Rockville

When you spend 3 hours having dinner, it tells you two things: 1) the company of your dinner party is fantastic 2) the restaurant staff is incredible. I had an amazing experience at Mykonos. Yes, in fact, it was an experience. You know on TV when you see waiters and hosts recognize their patrons? Well, Mykonos Grill is definitely one of those places. The meal started off with the waiter suggesting a wine to me, instead of the house that I was about to order. The meal continued with a fantastic appetizer of Taramosalta - fish roe with boiled potatoes and pita bread. The pita was amazing and the fish roe and potatoes formed a spread that was so distinct from anything we had ever tried. It was one of those things you are not sure if you like at first, but then just become addicted to. For our entrees, the waiter suggested the specials of halibut fillet and trout stuffed with spinach and feta. Both very tasty, a bit oversalted (rock salt), and tender. The vegetables that came with were also tasty, but overly seasoned. Overall, the entrees were great, but a bit too much. I think by holding back a bit, they would have been superb. For dessert, we ordered the Baklava, but then the waiter also recommended the Galaktobouriko, which we ended up getting on the house. The filo in the Baklava was crisp and flaky, but the dessert as a whole was overly sweet - too much honey! The Galaktobouriko was different. It was like a cannoli, but the cream was unique. As my friend put it, it was "fragrant," not sweet, but definitely flavorful. In my opinion, it kind of tasted like flowers. Not that I know what flowers taste like, but it sure reminded me of flowers. Anyway, I'm not sure what to make of it, but it was definitely worth trying. Our waiter was truly incredible, super nice, not slimy, and definitely willing to offer advice, if asked. We ended up closing shop and I couldn't have had a better celebratory dinner with a great friend.

4.25/5
http://www.mykonosgrill.com/

Good Stuff Eatery DC

This is Chef Spike's (from Top Chef) newest restaurant. Located in southeast, near, the Capitol, Good Stuff Eatery offers burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Talk about feeling fat. I ordered the Asian inspired Blazin Barn burger with mint, cilantro, Thai Basil, and spicy mayo. After watching Top Chef, I discovered one of Chef Spike's specialties is Vietnamese, so I thought this would be a good choice. The burger was interesting, I give it that. I liked the unique flavors and mix of herbs. The mayo also complemented the burger very well. Perhaps if I had ordered the burger alone, I would have enjoyed my dinner, but instead my friend and I shared an order of fries and I got a root beer float. Moral of the story, too much fatty food. The fries were okay, they weren't as good as I expected them to be. Definitely felt like I was eating oil. The float was a standard float, which was really quite disappointing considering the emphasis the restaurant places on handspun cream. You could argue that because I got a float, the soda overpowered the cream, but I also tried my friend's toasted marshmellow shake, which was simply too much. Too sweet, too sickening. After a couple sips, you're done. I don't know if I would go back to Good Stuff Eatery. If I was in the area, maybe. But I won't be making that 1.5 hour trip again anytime soon.

3.75/5
http://www.goodstuffeatery.com/

Yoshida Cupertino

I think I have a perception of California now having portion sizes that are simply too large. I don't know why that would be, especially since Californians tend to be more health-conscious than the rest of the country. Perhaps I have grown accustomed to city style portions. Anyway, Yoshida is good, quality authentic Japanese, with huge portions. Wayyy too much food. Tea, soup, salad, little dishes like Korean appetizers, and large entrees. Once you get your food, the $20 doesn't seem like much at all. Again, it's recommended for those that are hungry.

4/5
No website

Tartini Cupertino

What I wouldn't give for some Tartini right now... I ended up getting Tartini twice in one day and if that's not a testament to frozen yogurt, I don't know what is. Tartini is a frozen yogurt bar with various flavors and toppings to choose from. The froyo is more icey than milky, and had a sweet, slightly tart, taste. Of all the flavors, I liked the lychee and original the most. Although I did try them ALL. That is what I accomplished in the two trips. I disliked the taro the most, but I don't like really like anything taro. All the fruit flavors are pretty decent as well. Mmm now I really want some...

The Counter Palo Alto

So I finally tried The Counter, which seems to be gathering momentum real fast. And you know what? I'm a fan. I had a turkey burger with corn and black bean salsa, grilled pineapple, and grilled onions with carmelized onion marmalade on a honey wheat bun. And mmmm tasty. The meat was horrible, honestly, totally overcooked, which is so important not to do with turkey cus it tastes like a brick. But it was forgiveable because the bread, the sauce, and the toppings were all delicious. The pineapple and corn salsa took the stage and I am going to have a hard time not choosing those same toppings the next time I'm there. The fries and sweet potato fries were also very memorable.

4/5
http://www.thecounterburger.com/

Habana Cuba San Jose

Another restaurant with huge portions for a reasonable price. I had the tamal cubano, my friend had the lechon a la cubana and together we had enough food for a family. The entrees are served with rice, plantains, and a choice of soup or salad. The soup tasted like chicken broth with stuff and the salad was as simple as can be, minus the vinegar dressing. The rice was plain white rice, don't expect any flavorful mexican rice here. The plantains were crisp and tasty. Lastly, the entrees were flavorful, but the dishes became bowls of meat, and fatty meat at that. I think there is something to be said about restaurants that give you a lot of food for your money, but this was a little ridiculous. The portions made me feel incredibly wasteful because I couldn't take it home. Anyway, if you are as hungry as can be and looking for a decent meal, hit up Habana Cuba.

3.75/5
http://www.998cuba.com/

Los Gatos Cafe Los Gatos

Huge huge portions for not a whole lot of money. I ordered the Santa Fe omlette casserole, which was massive. I finished less than half the casserole, which simply became too much egg to digest, and about a quarter of my raspberry coffee cake. The food is great, the atmosphere is cute, and it is just about the perfect place for breakfast with a friend. Highly recommended.

4/5
No website

Village California Bistro & Wine Bar San Jose

If you haven't noticed, I am backed up like woah so these September entries are going to be real short and sweet.

Village in Santana Row boasts an attractive menu of California fare, but the food is far less than attractive. I had the turkey reuben, which was dry - the meat was dry and the sandwich was dry. My friend had the grilled duck club, which was overpowered by the moutarde and left the duck unnoticed. The best part of the sandwiches were the fries, which were thin and crisp. It wasn't all bad though, my other friend had the prawn fettucini, which he liked. But for Santana Row, I was hoping for much more.

3.5/5
http://thevillagebistro.net/