October 2016 Weekend Rundown

Maybe we should have a weekday rundown …

In this thread or a new thread?

I wuz being facetious.

I thought you were serious and was briefly happy.

I never know where to post my weekday meals. I don’t want to start a new thread every time I have a good meal, I’m not good at the very-detailed, lots-of-perfect-photos kind of reviews.

Lunch at Jon & Vinny’s.

I had a lemonade to drink, no picture, but it’s an 8 ounce glass filled with crushed ice and about 5 ounces of lemonade. $4

SHAVED ZUCCHINI, ARUGULA, HAZELNUT, MEYER LEMON VINAIGRETTE, FENNEL, PEPATO 12.25

This was so refreshing and tasty. Except the fennel, that was tasteless and invisible. The lemon vinaigrette was spot-on, perfect balance of lemon and oil. The greens were crisp and super fresh. Looking at the salad, I thought it was over-dressed, but it wasn’t, each leaf was lightly and perfectly coated, no pool of dressing on the plate. I love a well-dressed salad. (Pepato I had to google, FYI, it’s a pecorino cheese. Sounds fancy, huh? :smirk:)

JERSEY MARINARA” 12.75
TOMATO, CRUSHED RED CHILI, GARLIC, OLIVE OIL, OREGANO, BASIL (NO CHEESE)


I really liked this pizza even though it had the thin, crispy crust that’s so trendy right now. The crust edges were chewy and buttery. I can’t imagine why you would need ranch sauce to dip them into. The pizza sauce itself was thick and paste-like, in a good way, and very tomatoey. I’ll ask for more oregano and less chili flakes next time, it was pretty spicy.

Per request, a photo of the underside of the pizza


Love that char.

Wood-burning grill, right between the pizza oven and stove.

How cool is that?! I was sitting at the counter and watching everyone prep for tonight, it was about 3ish, so it was pretty empty. And the music was not loud gangsta rap, it was medium-volume lame eighties pop music. Good vibe, everyone seems to like their job. :slight_smile:

Final note: When the waitress gave me the check, she told me there is an automatic 18% service fee, “so if you want to add anything else, that’s cool for me.” That is a direct quote, and I had no idea how to interpret it.

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[quote=“Bookwich, post:5, topic:4358”]
I thought you were serious and was briefly happy.
[/quote]Thats funny. When I read what ipse wrote I thought of you.

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Really good report. We’ll have to check out the counter during the day. You described my thoughts on the red sauce and that salad, to a tee.

The 18% service charge: I was taught if a restaurant adds a tip, service charge or whatever then you leave no more. Even if you planned on leaving more than they’re charging. I’m not as rigid as my parents. So we still leave a small topper (cash) for the server.

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No kale?!

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@TheCookie It’s so up in the air right now re tipping on service charges because you don’t know how it’s split up, how much the server’s base salary, etc. And this was extra awkward because she was hanging at the hostess stand right behind me and she had specifically said it would be “cool for” her.

@PorkyBelly I usually order kale at more middling restaurants, I like it and it’s hard to mess up. But if I can get a well-made green salad? Mmmmmm, gets me every time. I despise mixed-greens-from-a-plastic-bag salads. I’ll take the kale and dried cranberries with random citrus dressing, please!

[quote=“Bookwich, post:10, topic:4358”]
And this was extra awkward because she was hanging at the hostess stand right behind me and she had specifically said it would be “cool for” her
[/quote]I see they haven’t worked out the awkwardness. We had a similar experience. I think it’s because - like us - people think it’s an included tip and servers haven’t figured out how to explain or justify it. I’m at the point where I don’t care. I love Jon & Vinny’s. But 18% is a lot. We’re willing to tip above the service charge, but not an additional 18%. I want to have a nice evening. Not try to figure out a restaurants employee compensation plan. But as I said before, we do try to give that extra amount in cash. The servers appreciate it.

Okay… Back to running down the weekend :relaxed:.

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#BS taqueria
Pre-game churros before little sister #eatdessertfirst

#Little Sister
grilled prawns, cabbage mix, mango, cucumber, onion, cashews, lemongrass-cilantro dressing
Great balance of flavors, tangy and spicy, really refreshing.

pho banh cuon with beef & tendon, herbs, lettuce, pickled onion

shaky shaky beef, watercress, baby tomatoes, burnt butter soy with tomato garlic fried rice

salt & pepper lobster, butter fried shallots, fried chilies & garlic

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Delicious!!!

How were the other dishes at Little Sister???

12 noon - Siracha chicken cheese bread from 85 degrees and Siracha ice cream (not together!) at the Chili Festival at Huy Fong Foods today.

Yep. I eat at all the fancy places :smile:

But it was fun and tasty!

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The pho banh cuon was delicious, basically pho in a roll. The lobster was cooked perfectly, meat was nice and tender. I would pass on the beef, it was just okay.

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Paella, glorious paella… Chef Ruth Maria Schreber Sánchez & Team Oryza scored big at the 2016 Paella & Wine Festival with my taste buds (and the judges seemed to also agree, awarding this paella “Best in Show”).

The rice was hauntingly flavorful. Fantastic use of sofrito, and that socarrat!

Maybe I’ll submit a pictorial essay about the festival soon.

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#Salt & Straw
Dracula’s blood pudding - pig’s blood and chicken liver ice cream. So bloody dateline is trying to investigate its murder. :pig2: :chicken:

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wow—seriously? how did it taste?
(I’m a big chicken liver fan, but not sure I would be diggin’ that as ice cream)

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:fearful::fearful::fearful::fearful::fearful::fearful:

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No!