'Ono Kine Grindz

Zuni Café - San Francisco, California

I was looking forward to eating here at Zuni Café because I had heard so much about it.  The food, in my opinion, did not live up the hype, and the service?  It sucked and I won't be going back anytime soon.

This hostess is the main reason why I will not be back.

Zuni Café
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, California
Telephone: 415.552.2522

Canteen - San Francisco, California

A jewel box of a restaurant hidden away in a corner of the Commodore Hotel.  The menu here is short, and changes constantly, and the people that work here are cool and fun.

Bread and butter.

Dates+Bacon+Blue Cheese and Endive Salad (US$7.95).

Egg pasta with fresh tomatoes, parmesan and mint (US$9.95).

Roasted pork tenderloin filet, with horseradish, on soft roll (US$10.50).

Want to see what's inside?

Canteen
817 Sutter Street
San Francisco, California
Telephone: 415.928.8870
website (not yet updated)

Mediterranean Garden Café

Looking for somewhere new to eat at for lunch, I walked a little further away from the office than normal.  My intent was to visit somewhere that I haven't been to before.  While walking down Alakea Street, in the direction of Mr. Frypan, I suddenly remembered the Arcade Building.  With one entrance on South King Street and another on Merchant Street, the Arcade Building has a little row of shops and restaurants on the ground floor, many of which I haven't been to in years. 

Upon entering the little row of shops, the first one that really stood out was the Mediterranean Garden Café.  Guess why?  Perhaps it was the awning that was covered with the heads of horses....  I found it rather unusual, especially since I figured it was a Greek restaurant.

Stepping into the shop, the menu was located right above the counter near the front door.  As I reviewed the menu, people were walking in and out of the shop to place their orders.  The shop seemed to be busy, and the food seemed to be prepared quickly.

Following the routine of the others, I made my way into the shop and placed my order at the counter which was flanked by a stainless steel refrigerator and a drink cooler.  I then sat at one of the four tables for two and waited. 

A couple minutes later, my order was ready.  I was called over to the counter to  pick up my food and I returned to my table by the door.  Today, I had the gyro sandwich with feta cheese (US$7.12 with feta cheese, US$6.99 without feta cheese).   

Served open faced on a piece of pita bread, the sandwich consisted of a mountain of chopped iceberg lettuce, a couple of sliced tomatoes, some diced cucumbers, and a lot of sliced rotisserie-cooked (I think) beef and lamb.  It was all topped with some dressing (it tasted like the traditional tzatziki sauce, I'll have to ask next time), and crumbled feta cheese.

My first impression was that the sandwich was huge -- I really didn't think that I could finish it all (I couldn't).  The strips of marinated beef and lamb, were tasty and well seasoned, but just a little too salty for me.  The crumbled feta cheese added just the right amount of "tangy" flavor to this dish and the dressing made a nice accent, even if there was too much of it on the sandwich (in my opinion). 

Although a little more expensive than my usual lunchtime fare, this was a welcome change for me.  And even though the food was a little saltier than I was used to, I am sure to be back to try some of the other Greek dishes on the menu. 

Mediterranean Garden Café
The Arcade Building
212 Merchant Street Suite 6
Telephone:  (808)533-1677

The Pyramids

I have driven by the Pyramids many times and each time I tell myself I'm going to stop.  Well, stop I did.

It was the Friday before New Years' Day and I had the day off.  Lucky Me.  That meant that I could visit the Pyramids for their all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for US$9.95. 

Even though I arrived for a late lunch, at 1:15 pm, the place was crowded.  All of the tables in the front half of the restaurant were occupied.

I was lucky.  I got to sit right next to the buffet.  There were quite a number of items on today's buffet.  From what I understand, Egyptian food is much like other foods from areas around the Mediterranean, such as Greek, so it was no surprise that most of the foods on today's buffet reeked of familiarity.  Here's the rundown:

-beef & lamb shawerma
-chicken shawerma
-bamia
-basamati rice
-falafel
-french fries
-Greek salad
-hommos
-tabouleh
-potato salad
-pita bread
-yogurt sauce
-rice pudding

And here's my first plate...

(Clockwise from the bottom right:  basamati rice, hommos, pita bread, beef & lamb shawerma, potato salad, Greek salad and falafel.)

The hommos, is a dip made from garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.  While it was nice, it didn't have enough flavor for me.  Something was lacking, but I really couldn't put my finger on it.

The beef and lamb shawerma are marinated and cooked on a spit.  Once the meat has been cooked, it is thinly sliced.  These strips of beef and lamb were perfectly seasoned and quite juicy.  Taking the strips of meat from the bottom of the pan helped, they were a lot more juicy than those on top.

The Greek salad was crumbled feta cheese, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, and a few kalamata olives on a bed of romaine lettuce.  Tossed with some of the house dressing this was light and refreshing.  The amount of dressing that the salad was tossed in was just right. 

Next to the shawerma and the Greek salad, the falafel was the next best item here.  It was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.

Didn't realize it was so green on the inside until I took this picture.  Falafel can be made with either fava beans or with chickpeas, and these were made with fava beans which is why they are so green (thanks Jonny for the info!).  It was quite tasty and they actually looked like small meatballs.  I ended up eating about a half dozen of these before I even realized it.

For dessert, there was only one item on the buffet, homemade rice pudding.

It was smooth and creamy with just the right balance of sweet spiciness.  The cinnamon and nutmeg really helped make this delicious.  I also liked the fact that there were quite a few nuts sprinkled on top.  The crunchiness of the nuts provided a great contrast to the smoothness of this dessert.

When I was done eating, the waitress presented me with a little box.

Inside, held the bill for my lunch.  Interesting touch.

After years of driving by, I finally got to try the food here.  I must say that I was quite pleased with the dishes that I had.  I'm actually thinking of returning during dinner time so I can watch the belly dancers while sampling dishes from the à la carte menu. 

The Pyramids
758-B Kapahulu Avenue
Telephone:  808.737.2900

Leo's Taverna

Another day, another lunch.  I normally don't buy lunch, but today is the designated day for it.  A couple of friends from the office suggested Greek food at Leo's Taverna.  Sure why not.

Leo's is located not too far from the office and has become one of my old standbys.  By that I mean, when I can't think of anything else that I'd like to eat, I come here.  Leos' sells all kinds of Greek dishes, but what I was really wanted to have today was the rotisserie chicken.  I ordered the quarter rotisserie chicken with rice (US$4.95).

(Excuse the photos, I didn't bring my camera along and had to resort to using my Sony CLIÉ®, PEG-TH55, to take the photos.)

This plate is served with a quarter rotisserie chicken, rice, lettuce and tomato salad, hummus and pita bread.  The rotisserie chicken is seasoned to perfection.  Crispy skin, juicy meat on the inside...mmmmm!  In fact, I don't think I've had better tasting rotisserie chicken anywhere else.  The hummus, which is a dip made from chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini and other spices, is delicious, although just a little bit on the oily side.

Having tried many of the items here, some of my favorites are the gyros, the moussaka, the Greek salad and the beef kabobs.  Stop by Leo's for some good Greek food or for the rotisserie chicken.  You won't be disappointed. 

Leo's Taverna
1116 Bishop Street
Telephone:  808.550.8443