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I’m on Facebook

Posted on October 19, 2011 by bayareafoodie


I bit the bullet and set up a page on Facebook for this blog. Now if you don’t feel like coming to the site everyday (which I know you do) you can keep up to date with my food escapades by finding me here or liking me on the left-hand sidebar <<<<<<<

Why did I do it? I needed a place to post links on the fly to cool upcoming Bay Area food events, news, restaurant openings and deals (groupon/yelp). I read and receive info on these types of things frequently and I rarely have time to create a full blog post about them so now you can find the details on Facebook. Enjoy!

Filed under: VERY RANDOM THOUGHTS | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Homeroom Mac + Cheese

Posted on October 17, 2011 by bayareafoodie

Rolled up for brunch on a brisk Saturday afternoon. Didn’t take much time to figure out what we wanted because the menu is limited to MAC + CHEESE! This is probably the only restaurant in the area where you will find that. I went with the Breakfast mac (only served Sat and Sun, 11am – 3pm) which includes classic mac with bacon bits and an egg on top.
Mike had the Gilroy Mac – gouda, sharp pecorino and just the right amount of roasted garlic plus he added broccoli (I guess to make him feel healthy). As you can see I added toasted breadcrumbs to mine and Mike didn’t. We both agree that you want to add breadcrumbs no matter what! It gives the mac a little extra crunchy dimension. It may look like it’s not creamy but once you break through to the under layer it is ooey gooey. Both were delicious but super rich and filling. We could only eat half but we also wanted to save room for the peanut butter pie which was amazing.

Mike really wanted to try the homemade Root Beer but they said it was not ready yet. Say what? 3pm on a Saturday and you can’t get root beer. Somebody needs to get up earlier and start brewin’.

Note: No, they don’t have a sampler option where you can try a variety of macs. I have requested it but it looks like they want to get you to come back instead of trying it all in one visit. Boo!

Website: http://homeroom510.com/

Homeroom 510 Mac & Cheese on Urbanspoon

Filed under: East Bay, Northern CA, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Billy’s Boston Chowder House

Posted on October 15, 2011 by bayareafoodie

Billy I wanted to fall madly in love with you but I think we are going to just remain friends. I was uber excited to find out that a New England style restaurant had opened less than 10 minutes from my house in Los Gatos. It’s located near Nick’s on Main where the Smoky BBQ joint and 29 Pizza used to be. Yes, this is the 3rd establishment to set up shop in the last 5 years. I hate to say it but I think this spot may be cursed…

Anyways, we came in early last Friday to check out the eats. They’ve only been open for a month so it can get busy with locals wanting to try the new eatery. We started with the fried clams appetizer which was not on the main menu but on a “specials” handout so I’m not sure if they have them all the time. I was very pleased with them although they were served with a tarter sauce and I prefer cocktail so we had to waive someone down to get some.


Mike went with the chowder in a sourdough bowl for his main course which he seemed to enjoy. I only had a spoonful and it was rich, creamy and buttery. Can’t go wrong with that!

For my main I decided to get the lobster roll (surprise) and against my better judgement I had it dressed instead of with just butter. When it arrived it looked great but as I took a bite the lobster had an unpleasant herby flavor and was dry. Also there was lettuce buried underneath the meat which I’m not a fan of, and I did find 3-4 pieces of shell – never a good thing. A plus was that the bun was nice and buttery but I could only finish half.

So overall we will return to try the other offerings (steamed clams, lobster chowder, fish & chips) but I won’t be having a lobster roll. If I’m craving that I’ll head to The Old Port Lobster Shack.

Note: this is not a cheap place to eat but they do have $4.25 pints of Blue Moon which made me happy.

Rating: 

Website: http://www.bostonchowderhouse.com/

Filed under: Los Gatos, Northern CA, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Silicon Valley (all cities) | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Bitter + Sweet Coffee and Dessert Bar

Posted on October 5, 2011 by bayareafoodie


Cool little spot that serves humphry slocombe ice cream and you don’t have to drive to San Fran to get it!!! Nuff said…

You’re Welcome.

2 scoops: Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee & Red Bean Dr. Pepper

Note: they don’t have all flavors just like 4-6. Good coffee too.

Website: http://www.bitter-sweet.com/

Filed under: Northern CA, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, Silicon Valley (all cities) | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Hay Market Willow Glen

Posted on October 4, 2011 by bayareafoodie


We rarely venture to Willow Glen but a new restaurant caught my attention. Picture a space filled with old black and white framed photos (plus one random with Patrick Swayze and some dude with long hair), crates with bottles of wine, stacks of cookbooks and other antique looking stuff cluttered around. Johnny Cash is piped through the sound system as a flick of a guy building a log cabin silently plays on three big HDTVs. Take a seat at one of the long communal tables (be ready to talk to your neighbors) and check out the concise organic menu written on a giant chalk board overhead. Then choose from a few salads, a cheese plate, duck, beef, fowl, pork or fish (1 of each), a burger and a couple sides (menu changes daily/weekly!).

We started with the house salad which was micro greens with a vinaigrette. Very basic and nothing special. I did find it odd that it was served in a big pyrex baking dish. When we walked in and the guy next to us was eating out of one I honestly thought he had brought a salad from home due to the latest lettuce recall. Guess not… Throughout our meal we had 3 glasses of wine (limited choices but good) which were unfortunately served in tumbler glasses. I did see if you order a bottle then you get a real wine glass – I’m sure there is a rational reason for this but I like to swirl.

For our main course I went with the prime rib and Mike had the pork.  Both were delicious. Whoever is in the kitchen knows how to cook some meat. Mine was cooked perfectly pink and didn’t have a lot of fat. Mike’s was fork tender with a bit of a kick – he only wished he had more. The portion size was a lot smaller than my dish so we had to get dessert :).

looks sizable but the porky outside skin was not meant to be eaten

For dessert we went with the plum clafoutis with marscapone whip and the chocolate³ which I think was dark & light chocolate crumbled cookies with chocolate milk poured over it. Coupled with decaf french press it was To Die For.

tastes better than it looks!

my tattoo...i feel so badass

I have no idea what the concept of the restaurant is … Quirky European Country? but I left wanting more. I took my temporary tattoo and fresh baked cookies (which came with the bill) and vowed to return.

Notes: Open seating, no reservations, full by 6pm on a Friday night. Look for the hay bales out front cause the sign is pretty hard to see. Serves lunch too.

Rating:
Website: http://haymarketwillowglen.com/

Filed under: Northern CA, PLACES TO EAT/DRINK, San Jose, Silicon Valley (all cities) | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »