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I have always like the pastries at Bijan Bakery & Cafe and I have been to this cafe many times whenever I do oil change at the nearby Leader Auto Repair shop in the past 15 years. But, what I have missed in the past 15 years is their persian ice cream. I never knew they have such great tasting ice cream. For the past two weeks, I have heard two good comments about their ice cream from two different people. I then decide to go there to give it a try. The ice cream is made with saffron and rosewater. It smells like perfume, and taste so strong and good. The good smell will remain in your mouth for a few hours.

Persian Ice Cream Sandwich at Bijan Bakery & Cafe

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

If you want fresh oysters, it would be nice to visit Tomales Bay which is about 42 miles north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The oysters there are way fresher than most restaurant, and cheaper. If you open the shell yourself, it is about $1 per piece. Otherwise, it will be $2 per piece.

Here in Hog Island Oyster Farm menu:

Restaurant Menu:

Takeout Menu:

Two dozens oysters from the dine-in menu:

Hog Island Oyster Farm bar:

We could not finish all the oysters, so we took it home.

They are good for up to three days.

You can eat it raw up to two days:

Or, on the third day, it’s better to cook it instead of eating it raw. I chose to deep fried them, and they still taste fresher than the restaurants:

There are other oyster farms around that area. They should be as good as Hog Island. For example, the Tomales Bay Oyster Company.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

I came to Vino Vino at the San Pedro Market of Downtown San Jose, CA for lunch. Another seafood salad called the Seared Ahi. It’s like a mix of tuna sashimi with vegetables. Compare this dish with what I had at Paesano Ristorante Italiano, I like the one at Paesano more. Besides, this Seared Ahi salad cost USD$13.00, about 30% more than the one at Paesano. What I don’t like about this Seared Ahi is that the sashimi is kind of dry, and those crispy brown thing on the salad makes it dryer. Salad should not be too dry. They should have introduce a special sauce with some orange or lemon flavor for the salad to make it less dry. I give a C- grade for it.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

La Pastaia Ristorante & Enoteca is at Hotel De Anza of Downtown San Jose, CA. I had a heavy lunch there which is the New York Steak. I would say that the steak has the charcoal grilled taste like those at the Original Joe’s. The steak, vegetables and potatoes are not bad at all. But, not the best I have had before. So, I give a B+ grade for this. The total bill comes to around USD$46.00. I would say that we better have pasta from any Italian restaurants which are mostly good at pasta but not steaks or seafood.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

For the whole week last week (Aug 13, 2012), I had a training class at Downtown San Jose, CA. I came here at Paesano Ristorante Italiano, and I had a USD$10.00 seafood salad for lunch. The salad has squid, shrimps, mussels, and vegetables. It is perfectly decorated. The portion is small, but it is the perfect lunch portion. Everything was well marinated. I will definitely re-visit this place, and try other dishes.
I give a B grade for the salad.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

About a month ago, I came here at Sushi Maru for lunch with a few friends. I have been to the old Sushi Maru which was in Sunnyvalue, CA as well as its branch restaurant in Milpitas, CA. If you want to try most of their sashimi without spending too much, you should order their Chirashi which is sashimi over a bowl of rice. I have a B grade for their Chirashi. It is acceptable with the price of about $13. I will come back for their Chirashi again.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

I came here at the Kabab & Curry’s restaurant a few times with my coworkers. This restaurant offers buffet in the afternoon for around $12. The most I like about their food is their Tandoori Chicken. Compare their Tandoori Chicken with Shah at Sunnyvale, CA, Shah is still better, but this Kabab & Curry’s Tandoori Chicken has the BBQ taste and texture that I like. You feel like you are having BBQ at home on a beautiful Saturday afternoon without the need to clean up afterwards. I believe it is more Pakistan-style than Indian. It’s two different styles of cooking. If you like chicken, you must give it a try!

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

A few days ago, my coworkers took me to Kebab House in Milpitas, CA. This restaurant is very similar to Shah in Sunnyvale, CA. So, I can compare between the two. In general, Shah is just a little bit better than Kebab House. The Tandoori chicken in Shah has more flavor, and it was more marinated than Kebab’s. The Chicken Tikka Masala in Shah is still a little bit better. I found that the Chicken Korma at Kebab is pretty good although I have never had Chicken Korma at Shah. We also had the Biryani with chicken. I would have an A grade for their Biryani. I hardly like other Biryani due to its smell, but this Biryani at Kebab House does not have those smell I don’t like, and its spice level is suitable for my taste.

Overall, I have a B or B+ grade for Kebab House.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

I went to Chaat House of Sunnyvale, CA for dinner last Friday. I ordered the House Thali with not much of expectation.

It turns out that this House Thali is very good, an A grade, for the “orange” and “yellow” curry dishes at the left. The Papad is also very good and crispy.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com

I came here for lunch buffet for the first time, and it was surprisingly good compare to other Indian buffet restaurants nearby such as Sneha. Everything seem almost perfect except for the naan bread and the Tandoori chicken. The naan bread is a bit too thin and too dry, while the Tandoori chicken is a bit salty, and it was not marinated as well as Shah Restaurant in Sunnyvale, CA. But, since this is a buffet, my expectation should not be as high as for those non-buffet restaurant. I will still come back for lunch buffet again at Madhuban. I have an overall B+ grade for lunch buffet while a B- for Sneha.

Oscar
Founder of FoodPicky.com