alright i know most of the restaurants i have reviewed have been good or great ranging from a score of 3-4. well this restaurant takes the cake on a restaurant i don't think i will frequent. you might ask why i would put a less stellar review on my blog, but i think it's important to have some restaurants that are rewarded for their efforts in making great food, and some that need to improve upon their business and it's important that people know. so here we go:
davis sushi buffet in davis,ca opened in 2008 offering a variety of rolls, sashimi, and other items any sushi lover would love. back in 2008, the campus newspaper the california aggie gave it a great review, remarking on the great quality of the food. however over the next few years i've been there, that seems to have changed dramatically...
food: 2. whatever the aggie believed was good has been soiled by what the restaurant has done in the past two years. the rolls are now just a rendition of the same thing over and over again, using the same mixtures of green and red sauces on EVERY roll, using the same ingredients in every roll, etc; basically you are eating the same thing over and over again. what was once fresh meat skewers and tempura is now put under a heat lamp buffet table, which is SACRILEGE!!! probably what might be the saving grace here is the above average sashimi, which for a sushi buffet, is not bad. also, though this may have been discontinued, davis sushi used to also serve chinese food, which any amateur foodie would INSTANLY know is frozen, making davis sushi buffet fall under the serving-two-styles-of-food-that-are-made-badly-which-makes-the-overall-experience-bad restaurant trap. unless your restaurant can make quality food in both styles, DO NOT SERVE TWO STYLES OF FOOD! overall my experiences of the restaurant in the past year has made me skip this place entirely.
ambiance: 1. a flat screen tv displays an assortment of specials which have ranged from christmas music played by a chinese band (when it wasn't even christmas), to celine dion's past las vegas show. yah, not really what you would expect from a sushi buffet. also, the tables are crowded, making getting up to order food from the sushi bar a challenge in itself. overall, bad.
service: 1. terrible, i have been left wondering when i will ever get my glass of water filled again for a pretty long time. when i did get my water eventually, my disappointment and displeasure has pretty much been peaked.
price: $$. please go to my previous review on sushi nobu to see the difference in price. now where would you want to go now? nobu??? how did you get to that conclusion??? (it's obvious guys, nobu is so much cheaper for better quality. plus, davis has many sushi buffets to choose from so you are DEFINITELY not missing out).
final score: 1. i was thinking of being nice and giving davis sushi buffet a 2. however, i have been there once where i was so disappointed with the food and my overall experience, that i left before my friends could finish; that's how much i disliked it. plus, davis has many sushi restaurants to choose from, so again you're not missing again special. unless davis sushi gets their act together, i don't think i'll go there ever again unless i am told it has improved.
enjoy sushi nobu instead of here,
mike
Showing posts with label restaurant review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restaurant review. Show all posts
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
restaurant review: el sombrero
yep finally my restaurant review is up. still in school guys. so been busy as always. here's my latest review:
recently i was able to dine at a mexican restaurant owned by my friend here in college. located in southern california in el monte, el sombrero offers classic mexican food that is, according to my friend, frequented constantly by the community.
food: 4. delicious and extremely filling. but maybe that's because of the mounds of sour cream and guacamole they put on my crab enchiladas, which pretty much masked a lot of the flavor of the enchiladas itself. portions are large and i was full for the rest of the day.
ambiance: 4. very nice. my friends and i went during some festivities that were taking place in the banquet hall, including a live mariachi band. seems like a very family orientated place including arcade games for the kids and bar area for the adults.
service: 4. good. relatively quick and the service was nice, especially since they were my friend's relatives.
price: $-$$
final score: 4. good atmosphere and good food. just make sure to go easy on the sour cream and guac.
enjoy,
mike
recently i was able to dine at a mexican restaurant owned by my friend here in college. located in southern california in el monte, el sombrero offers classic mexican food that is, according to my friend, frequented constantly by the community.
food: 4. delicious and extremely filling. but maybe that's because of the mounds of sour cream and guacamole they put on my crab enchiladas, which pretty much masked a lot of the flavor of the enchiladas itself. portions are large and i was full for the rest of the day.
ambiance: 4. very nice. my friends and i went during some festivities that were taking place in the banquet hall, including a live mariachi band. seems like a very family orientated place including arcade games for the kids and bar area for the adults.
service: 4. good. relatively quick and the service was nice, especially since they were my friend's relatives.
price: $-$$
final score: 4. good atmosphere and good food. just make sure to go easy on the sour cream and guac.
enjoy,
mike
Saturday, February 27, 2010
restaurant review: iroha restaurant
hey guys. here's another restaurant review. this time a japanese restaurant in japantown in san francisco. was in the city for the annual chinese new year parade. pretty cool but my friends and i left after seeing my college marching band march pass haha. anyways onto the review:
situated in the heart of japantown, iroha sits on top of another restaurant, serving up ramen, sushi, and other japanese favorites. there are also a few lunch specials to choose from.
food: 4. the sushi roll we ordered was delicious. i ordered a katsu (deep fried prok cutlet) curry, while my friends both ordered ramen bowls. my curry was good but nothing beyond that. i also tried my friends ramen which was as equally passable as my curry.
ambiance: 4. pretty good. since the restaurant was situated on the second floor, customers can be treated to nice views of japantown and watch people pass by. unfortunately we weren't given a seat by the window. but the dining area was clean and well kept.
service: 2. bad, though i think they were short staffed. still they took almost forever to get our order, the waitress got my friend's order wrong (he ordered ramen with no green onions but it came with green onions even though the waitress WROTE IT DOWN!), we were left waiting for drinks, and we were handed our utensils without setting them. my friend said she came with a friend a year ago and it was perfectly fine. what happened in that span of time???
price: $$. seriously, not worth it. that's all i'm going to say.
final score: 3. the food is good, but because of the service and price, i don't think i'll be coming back. plus there are many other places to go in japantown (such as tanpopo, which is right next door, and has far better ramen for a far better price), so you really aren't missing much.
enjoy,
mike
situated in the heart of japantown, iroha sits on top of another restaurant, serving up ramen, sushi, and other japanese favorites. there are also a few lunch specials to choose from.
food: 4. the sushi roll we ordered was delicious. i ordered a katsu (deep fried prok cutlet) curry, while my friends both ordered ramen bowls. my curry was good but nothing beyond that. i also tried my friends ramen which was as equally passable as my curry.
ambiance: 4. pretty good. since the restaurant was situated on the second floor, customers can be treated to nice views of japantown and watch people pass by. unfortunately we weren't given a seat by the window. but the dining area was clean and well kept.
service: 2. bad, though i think they were short staffed. still they took almost forever to get our order, the waitress got my friend's order wrong (he ordered ramen with no green onions but it came with green onions even though the waitress WROTE IT DOWN!), we were left waiting for drinks, and we were handed our utensils without setting them. my friend said she came with a friend a year ago and it was perfectly fine. what happened in that span of time???
price: $$. seriously, not worth it. that's all i'm going to say.
final score: 3. the food is good, but because of the service and price, i don't think i'll be coming back. plus there are many other places to go in japantown (such as tanpopo, which is right next door, and has far better ramen for a far better price), so you really aren't missing much.
enjoy,
mike
Saturday, February 13, 2010
restaurant review: ralph brennan's jazz kitchen
here's another restaurant review guys (and just in time for valentine's day if you're in the anaheim area):
ralph brennan's jazz kitchen, located in the downtown disney district, offers a taste of the big easy, serving up delicious new orleans cuisine. the building itself is reminiscent of French Quarter architecture and offers a jazz club and balcony seating.
i came for dinner with a group of friends celebrating a birthday.
food: 4. it's good. the crab cakes i had were passable, the sides i had were for the most part good (i had mashed potatoes, which were ok, and the grits, which i wished i'd made a meal out of; they were THAT GOOD!). i tried a bit of the zinfindel reduction from a friend's dish which blew me away. since it was my friend's birthday, we shared birthday beignets, which were light and excellent.
ambiance: 5! loved it. we sat in the jazz club part of the restaurant so we were treated to low lights and a jazz piano player playing in the background. definitely felt like being in new orleans (though i've never been so i wouldn't know - -;;;).
service: 4. good service, though i do remember waiting for refills on drinks for a bit, but the music helped keep our minds off the waiting.
price: $$ their website states the prices are cheaper for lunch, though we went for dinner. definitely a bit pricey.
final score: 4. i'll go back for the great music and those grits. god they were so good! a bit on the pricey side, but definitely a good place to go for a romantic evening.
enjoy your valentine,
mike
ralph brennan's jazz kitchen, located in the downtown disney district, offers a taste of the big easy, serving up delicious new orleans cuisine. the building itself is reminiscent of French Quarter architecture and offers a jazz club and balcony seating.
i came for dinner with a group of friends celebrating a birthday.
food: 4. it's good. the crab cakes i had were passable, the sides i had were for the most part good (i had mashed potatoes, which were ok, and the grits, which i wished i'd made a meal out of; they were THAT GOOD!). i tried a bit of the zinfindel reduction from a friend's dish which blew me away. since it was my friend's birthday, we shared birthday beignets, which were light and excellent.
ambiance: 5! loved it. we sat in the jazz club part of the restaurant so we were treated to low lights and a jazz piano player playing in the background. definitely felt like being in new orleans (though i've never been so i wouldn't know - -;;;).
service: 4. good service, though i do remember waiting for refills on drinks for a bit, but the music helped keep our minds off the waiting.
price: $$ their website states the prices are cheaper for lunch, though we went for dinner. definitely a bit pricey.
final score: 4. i'll go back for the great music and those grits. god they were so good! a bit on the pricey side, but definitely a good place to go for a romantic evening.
enjoy your valentine,
mike
Thursday, February 11, 2010
restaurant review: choi's kitchen
hey guys. i promised you a restaurant review so here it is:
today's review is a restaurant that i went to over the christmas break which serves korean food called choi's kitchen.
located in santa clara, ca, this restaurant is said by many locals to have the best korean food in town. one of their signature dishes, besides a wide range of lunch specials, is the seafood pancake, which is a pan fried pancake with all kinds of seafood in the batter.
food: 4. the seafood pancake rocks! as did my bulgogi (korean bbq beef)
ambiance: 3. was like eating in a cafeteria but very clean
service: 4. good. my mom was even able to get a side dish from them that wasn't even on the menu
price: $$
final score: 4. it's excellent korean food. hope to go there again!
enjoy,
mike
today's review is a restaurant that i went to over the christmas break which serves korean food called choi's kitchen.
located in santa clara, ca, this restaurant is said by many locals to have the best korean food in town. one of their signature dishes, besides a wide range of lunch specials, is the seafood pancake, which is a pan fried pancake with all kinds of seafood in the batter.
food: 4. the seafood pancake rocks! as did my bulgogi (korean bbq beef)
ambiance: 3. was like eating in a cafeteria but very clean
service: 4. good. my mom was even able to get a side dish from them that wasn't even on the menu
price: $$
final score: 4. it's excellent korean food. hope to go there again!
enjoy,
mike
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
restaurant reviews!
hey guys! i got an awesome idea to add to the blog. since i love food and love trying out different restaurants, i going to start writing restaurant reviews of restaurants i've tried. this will just depend on when i go to those new and exciting restaurants...
anyways, these are my usual criteria in judging restaurants:
1. food: obviously the most important. how is the food? fresh? greasy? is the restaurant using good ingredients? etc.
2. ambiance: what is the restaurant atmosphere? relaxed? how's the lighting? are the premises relatively clean? etc.
3. service: how's the waiting staff? do i need to remind them fill my water glass when it's empty? is the staff nice? etc.
4. price: how much is the food?
here's how each category is judged: i will give points on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest possible and 5, the highest.
price will not be judged per say, but will be given points by price range:
$0-$10: $
$11-$30: $$
$31-$60: $$$
$61+: $$$$
the first three criteria will be added and averaged for the final score, which again will be scored from 1-5 with no 1/2's. whether i average up or down is my decision, and usually will depend on what score i gave in price. in terms of recommendation through scores:
1: not recommended
2: average
3: good
4: excellent
5: extraordinary/ HIGHLY recommended
well then let's try one restaurant i go to all the time with friends while i'm in school:
sushi nobu.
sushi nobu has been regarded as the best sushi buffet in davis. many people tend to agree that nobu serves the freshest sushi out of all the sushi buffets in town, and has been voted best many times. sushi nobu has a large variety, ranging from different kinds of sashimi to many popular rolls, such as california, dragon, etc. they also serve some of the best donuts i have ever tasted.
food: 4. while it is very fresh, some of the rolls come with a little too much sauce on top
ambiance: 3. clean, but a pretty small space. pretty ordinary
service: 3. pretty good; food comes relatively fast, but depends on seating. also sometimes i have to remind them of what i ordered.
price: $ all you can eat for about $11 on weekdays?? sign me up!
final score: 4 the price definitely helps. all you can eat fresh food for cheap? you really can't beat a combo like that.
hopefully you enjoyed my first restaurant review. i'll review more restaurants when i get the chance.
until then...
enjoy,
mike
anyways, these are my usual criteria in judging restaurants:
1. food: obviously the most important. how is the food? fresh? greasy? is the restaurant using good ingredients? etc.
2. ambiance: what is the restaurant atmosphere? relaxed? how's the lighting? are the premises relatively clean? etc.
3. service: how's the waiting staff? do i need to remind them fill my water glass when it's empty? is the staff nice? etc.
4. price: how much is the food?
here's how each category is judged: i will give points on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the lowest possible and 5, the highest.
price will not be judged per say, but will be given points by price range:
$0-$10: $
$11-$30: $$
$31-$60: $$$
$61+: $$$$
the first three criteria will be added and averaged for the final score, which again will be scored from 1-5 with no 1/2's. whether i average up or down is my decision, and usually will depend on what score i gave in price. in terms of recommendation through scores:
1: not recommended
2: average
3: good
4: excellent
5: extraordinary/ HIGHLY recommended
well then let's try one restaurant i go to all the time with friends while i'm in school:
sushi nobu.
sushi nobu has been regarded as the best sushi buffet in davis. many people tend to agree that nobu serves the freshest sushi out of all the sushi buffets in town, and has been voted best many times. sushi nobu has a large variety, ranging from different kinds of sashimi to many popular rolls, such as california, dragon, etc. they also serve some of the best donuts i have ever tasted.
food: 4. while it is very fresh, some of the rolls come with a little too much sauce on top
ambiance: 3. clean, but a pretty small space. pretty ordinary
service: 3. pretty good; food comes relatively fast, but depends on seating. also sometimes i have to remind them of what i ordered.
price: $ all you can eat for about $11 on weekdays?? sign me up!
final score: 4 the price definitely helps. all you can eat fresh food for cheap? you really can't beat a combo like that.
hopefully you enjoyed my first restaurant review. i'll review more restaurants when i get the chance.
until then...
enjoy,
mike
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