What you can eat for $20.00 or less

A friend suggested I write about what $20.00 can buy for dinner at restaurants in the Bay Area. I've chosen four restaurants (plus 1) where I've recently dined and here they are......

One of the main draws for dining at Applebee's is their 2 for $20.00 menu which includes two entrées and an appetizer. There are at least 8 entrée choices including a riblet basket, bacon double cheeseburger, fiesta lime chicken, three cheese penne pasta, sirloin steak, two kinds of salads and the double crunch shrimp seen above. The appetizer selections include mozzarella sticks, buffalo chicken wings (or honey chicken wings), spinach and artichoke dip and crunchy onion rings. What I like at Applebee's is that it is easy to ask the staff to substitute vegies with rice or mashed potatoes or french fries. Nothing's too difficult to please you. And they don't skimp on the plate of food they give you. I always go home with leftovers. http://www.applebees.com/

The next restaurant is Shiki's Bistro and they have four branches in the Bay Area. You can choose an entrée, a dinner combo or a sushi and sashimi dinner, all served with miso soup, salad and rice except for the latter which is served over sushi rice. I like saba (mackerel) so I usually order the dinner combo with saba and chicken teriyaki or salmon with tempura. There are quite a few combinations starting at $16.95. The San Carlos location opened recently and it has a nice ambience with modern minimalist decor. http://www.shikirestaurants.com/

I was introduced to So Gong Dong Tofu House only recently and I still have not tried the tofu dishes on their menu. Why? Because they serve bibimbap (their menu calls this popular Korean dish, bibimBob), one of my favorites. It's served sizzling hot so the rice at the bottom of the stoneware dish is literally toasting. On top of the rice is a colorful and healthy array of vegetables and choice of meats. At the center of the dish is the egg yolk. Mix together or eat separately, there's plenty to chow down. Plus you get six side dishes like kimchi, rice noodles, pickled cucumber, potatoes, and two bowls of vegetables. About $12.50. Address is 4127 El Camino Real in Palo Alto.

What I crave at Pasta Pomodoro is their Ravioli di Zucca or butternut squash ravioli with "parmesan, brown butter, sage and crumbled amaretti", this according to the menu. I eat each ravioli slowly to savor the sweet roasted butternut. The small plate is $6.75 and quite filling when eaten with broiled garlic bread with arrabiata sauce (request a mild sauce if you please as arrabiata is spicy). The large plate is $10.50. A cup of tortellini soup is $4.50 and the bread is $2.75. http://www.pastapomodoro.com/

Bon appetit!

* * *

* I like Ozuma Japanese Restaurant in San Carlos. I've been eating there for years and the food is good and the prices quite reasonable. A bento dinner starts at around $12.00.

Images by Charie

The Fairy Tale Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber has been on my travel bucket list for years. And I finally got there last November. It is an enchanting place. With its half-timbered houses, clock towers, colorful façades, schneeballs and beer steins, Rothenburg ODT oozes with medieval charm. It's no surprise that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I was partially filmed in Rothenburg ODT. This is a common dilemma in Rothenburg ODT. Which direction to take? It's hard to choose because every cobblestone street seems to be competing for the best dressed street award. And they are all winners in my book. After walking half a day, an inviting table for two with colorful flowers to warm a cold November day. I love how these two half-timbered buildings anchor a street that leads to another intriguing square. The Plönlein (Little Square) is the most photographed square in Rothenburg ODT. But I found more picturesque neighborhoods than this. That's ...

Midnight in Paris Movie Locations

It's not often I watch a movie but on a long flight home late last year, I had the chance to watch Midnight in Paris and was totally captivated by its plot. Can you imagine time traveling to the era of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Picasso and Dali, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec? It was therefore such a treat to be in Paris and be able to see a couple of the locations from the movie. Had so much fun figuring out where the Peugeot came from to pick up Gil (Owen Wilson) and take him back to the Jazz Age. Rue Galande Rue Galande is a narrow street lined with boutiques with engaging window displays. Notice the giant flea sculpture above one of the shops. This location was shown at the beginning of the film. Interestingly enough, Rue Galande is a stone's throw from the bouquinistes along the Seine and across from the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris. The Steps of St. Etienne du Mont This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Pe...

Casapueblo and Carlos Páez Vilaró

Casapueblo, Punta Ballena Just a few minutes from the popular beach destination of Punta del Este is Casapueblo which sits on the edge of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. If you're staying at the hotel, then you're in for a big treat. Imagine the view of the blue ocean made more dazzling by the sun. But that's not all. There's also an art gallery and museum next door which displays the artistic works of Carlos Páez Vilaró who also designed Casapueblo, his permanent home and studio. Casapueblo reminds one of the Greek isles at first glimpse. But it isn't that simple. Look closely and you'll find the influence of Gaudi in the architecture which Vilaró himself built with no plans. There are no straight lines. The interior has many passages and narrow stairs leading to enchanting rooms, everyone of which is different from the other. Notice the curving lines and the rooftops with their pointed concrete posts. Vilaró liked his house to a hornero's (ovenbird...

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog