TimeZone 8 Editions 9($$)

Timezone 8 Editions

This restaurant is in the heart of the 798 art district, part restaurant part art book store. We picked Timezone because it was the busiest restaurant on the little strip; as they always say, “follow the locals”. This particular day was so beautiful! We sat outside in the cool weather at a little bistro table and just enjoyed the scenery. Kris ordered a hamburger steak, I ordered a pepperoni pizza and we shared a plate of fries.

The pizza was a tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, fresh cut tomatoes, pepperoni, green peppers and parmesan cheese. The crust was baked perfect, on a real pizza stone. I personally prefer thin crust pizza but this fluffy and evenly baked crust did not fail to impress me. Timezone sure knows how to make a classic just right.

The hamburger steak was not an all beef patty, most likely a pork blend. But it was still thick and juicy and so delicious. It came out with steamed vegetables in vinegar dressing and a wheat bread roll.

For taste I rate Timezone a 9 out of 10. Everything was unusually good, and the vegetables were an especially good touch.

For Price Timezone receives a $$ which is very common in China.

Over all I give Timezone a 9 out of 10. Surrounded by book stores and art galleries, lunch or supper here has that exclusive beatnik art scene feeling. I would say that a lot of the art galleries here are over rated, but dinner here will not disappoint.

Grandma's Kitchen 9($$)

Grandma’s Kitchen

This little restaurant is exactly what you would think; home style American food served piping hot in large American portions without loosing that “made just for you“ taste. Getting to this little gem was a little hard, it was a little further off the beaten path than we thought it would be, and we had an unexpected walk ahead of us getting there. But it was ultimately worth it. The location that we went to had a little living room set up in one corner with comfy couches and arm chairs in front of a fireless mantle and an indoor patio bistro set up in the other corner. The larger dinning room was just beyond the warp around coffee house counter. I would have to say that over all feeling was cute, with the wainscoting and molding you would find in a country kitchen, complete with cherry curtains.

On this occasion Kris and I just wanted that little bit of home. I ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread, and Kris ordered a Philly cheese steak sandwich. My spaghetti was wonderful, it was not the best I have ever had, but it was just what I wanted. The meat sauce was thick with ground pork barely and just enough tomato to keep the traditional color.

Kris’ sandwich, looked amazing, and considering how quickly it disappeared I have to assume that it tasted amazing. Kris remarked that it was the best Philly cheese steak sandwich he has ever had.

For taste I give Grandma’s Kitchen a 9 everything tasted good, was made from scratch and completed to perfection. They had a very extensive menu, including steaks and meatloaf; there were at least five different spaghetti dishes alone. Grandma’s only looses a point because I like to be impressed to give out perfect scores; Grandma’s met all my expectations.

For service I have to rate them, again, at a 9, it met my expectations.

For atmosphere I have to call it a family joint, this should seem obvious. It was very clean, and much larger and open than most little family run restaurants are in China. It would be an ok place to take a date but really only if you knew each other pretty well and were there for the food.

For Price, typical of Beijing, a meal here for two people was about 1 ½ $

Over all I give Grandma’s Kitchen a 9 out of 10. Again Grandma’s met all my expectations, but it did not really surprise me other than the fact I am usually disappointed. I definitely recommend going. They are supposed to have really good home made cheese cake.

Durty Nellie's Beijing Irish Pub 9($$)

Durty Nellie’s Beijing Irish Pub

This place is a lot bigger than you think it will be from the out side. On this night it was raining, and a walk down by the river to get here was not ideal. But I can see where this little pub can be a lot of fun on a summer night. This pub has a decently sized bar, two foose ball tables, a pool table and a dart board, there is a room in the back that can be separated for parties or rowdy game nights and the porch our front has some plastic picnic tables. There is not much a view since is just looks out into parking lot next to the freeway but the river side is nice.

In addition to being a great place to get a drink though, they also have a very good kitchen. Kris and I each ordered a Burger and we shared an appetizer of fried mozzarella sticks and Thai chilly dipping sauce. The cheese was ok, but really it needed to be fried longer so it would be hotter and the cheese would be meltier but it was good. The Burger, was amazing. Large hand formed patty, a fried egg on top, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise all on a sesame seed bun and large salty steak fries. The best burger I have had in a while.

For taste I give Durty Nellie’s a 9 out of 10. That Burger was soo… good. Fresh vine ripened tomato thickly sliced, hand packed juicy beef patty, a sunny side egg on top. The French fries were salty, crisp, and piping hot.

For atmosphere I rate the Irish Pub at a 9. There was pool, and darts, a big screen TV plenty of seating chairs, a nice patio by the river and the good old neighborhood pub feeling.

Each burger cost 65 Yuan so for two people eating, and drinking it’s a little less than $$ for two people.

Overall I give Durty Nellie’s Beijing Irish Pub a 9. It was a fun place with great food and good beer.

The Book Worm 9 (1/2$)

The Book Worm

The book worm is a book store, library club and restaurant. Who could ask for more? The atmosphere here feels very similar to a college town café. Everyone is eating, reading, studying and everyone is on the lookout for a hot hook up. Located a little out of the way in the top story of a little box concrete building the Book Worm doesn’t look like much at first glance. On the inside, all the walls are lined in books the rest of the space is full of couches and arm chairs. There is also a patio on the roof with café tables and umbrellas for those rare blue sky days and those nice summer evenings.

Kris and I came just to read and get a bite to eat. I ordered a turkey leg sandwich and Kris had the lasagna. My sandwich also came with a little salad and some steak fries. The sandwich came out in little grilled triangles the kind you make with a sandwich press. It was really very good and the little pressed triangles were just cute! Kris’ lasagna was really good. Its hard to find real cheese in China and compared to other lasagna in China this one even had the three kinds of cheese ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan.

For taste Book Worn earns a 10 out of 10. Everything was delicious, well prepared, thoughtful and more than I expected.

For price Book Worm receives half a $ for two people in US dollars.

Over all I give Book Worm a 9 out of 10. Book Worm looses points just because there is room for improvement as far as comfort, facilities, and décor. But it was over all a fun place to visit and a great place to eat.

Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q 8($)

Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q

This restaurant was rated to have the best burger in town by This Week Magazine. Kris ordered the Classic Burger plus cheese, and I ordered Pork Ribs and Texas Chile. The burger was very good, just like home. It came on an egg bread bun, with lettuce, onions and tomatoes; cheese was added to make it a cheese burger. My ribs were cooked till they were nearly falling off the bone and drenched in barbecue sauce. The only complain I have about the ribs it that they were a Chinese cut, meaning, extremely fatty. The fat of the pork holds all of the flavor in Chinese cooking, but in this case because the sauce was pored over the ribs after being cooked the fat did not absorb any of the barbecue favors. The Texas Chile was very good. Just the right amount of spice and chilies, it also came with cornbread that was a little dry and denser than it needed to be. I suspect the cornbread batter was not made with two parts wheat flour and one part corn meal which is what makes corn bread fluffy and light. Somehow the ratio was off and it just didn’t taste quite right.

For taste I give Texas Bar-B-Q an 8 out of 10. For the most part everything was enjoyable. The Burger and the Chile were very good and only the cut of rib and the corn bread were disappointing.

For Price Tim’s TBQ receives $ for two people in US dollars including beer.

Overall I give Tim’s Texas Bar-B-Q a 9 out of 10. The food was good, the beer was cold. There is a bar and a dart board in the back and it was just over all fun.

Foreign Cinema 10 ($$$)

Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema is located in the heart of the Castro district of San Francisco. You would not know if from the street but this restaurant is the trendiest and ritziest restaurant in San Francisco. The restaraunt consist of four district features. In the front there is a small oyster bar that seats only about six but they will serve to any table. The main dinning hall has an open view of the kitchen, a bar in the back and a wall of high windows which look out into the covered patio. The patio tent is clean so that on a good night sitting outside you might see the stars shining. On one wall of the open courtyard the restaurant will project a old foreign film, thus the name. On this particular night we watched the Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This restaurant also houses balcony seating, is attached to a bar, club and an art gallery.

All their menus are updated and printed daily to reflect the very best of the market and what is in season. So on any given day you may have a different menu then any other day. On this occasion I had fried chicken on rice and stewed vegetables, my husband had lavender beef, and our friends each had duck in cherry port reduction. But of course we started out with oysters and a 2003 California chardonnay. We finished with Opera cake and North Beach coffee. Everything was wonderful! It was a perfect night!

My fried chicken was very good. Nearly half a bird the chicken looked really imposing on my plate and turned out to be more breast meant than I had expected. It was spiced and breaded but it didn’t feel heavy or oily to eat. It was really very good and I ended up sharing it will everyone because there was so much.

10 taste

10 service

10 atmosphere, romantic location

Price $$$$ for two people eating moderately, wine or champagne will add more to the price.

10 overall. I could eat here over and over I love Foreign Cinema

Goldy's Breakfast Bistro 10 ($)

Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro

Goldy’s is the best breakfast in America, according the Idaho attractions website. I haven’t eaten everywhere in America yet, but I can say that it was the best I have ever had in America.

Located in an unassuming brick building in Boise’s downtown district it would be very easy to miss. In fact my husband and I did walk right past it when we explored downtown the day before. Goldy’s has about 14 tables all together, six tables on the indoor balcony level and about eight more on the fist floor. There is usually at least a ten minute wait because the tables are always full for breakfast. At Goldy’s breakfast is served until 2pm.

I had heard that the salmon hash was excellent so I started with that and then one biscuit and gravy. Kris ordered the A dark forest ham breakfast sandwich.

Everything was exceptional! The salmon hash was made with diced potatoes, red bell peppers, onions and capers and of course salmon smoked to tender perfection and salted before being added to the hash. It was covered in hollandaise sauce and came with an egg. After the salted salmon and the capers the hash was really very salty even for me, a salt lover but eaten with the egg and possibly a piece of toast it was really very good. I give Goldy’s a 10 out of 10 for taste.

Goldy’s also gets a 10 for service. For price Goldy’s rates $ for two people and coffee.

Overall I give Goldy’s a 10 out of 10 for breakfast. Even though I ate a lot of food, I was completely satisfied without being overly full and felt satisfied all day until about seven at night. It was very hearty without being too fried or buttered tasting.

108 S Capitol Blvd
Boise, ID 83702
208-345-4100

Jack's Urban Eats 7 ($$)

Jack’s has two locations one in midtown and the other in Lomman’s Plaza. I have eaten at the one in midtown once and the one in Lomman’s Plaza twice, there isn’t really and difference between the two that I can tell. They are both always busy. The first time that I ate at Jack’s Urban Eats, I have a club sandwich and cheese mashed potatoes. The sandwich was not really that impressive. The bread seemed stale, the lettuce and tomato was really not the ripe or fresh and I over all was not impressed. I was further disappointed by the gritty, plastic cheese flavored potatoes. They were horrible. It tasted like who ever had made them had not first mixed the powdered milk cheese flavor with boiling water but had instead, poured the powder directly into the mashed potatoes. It was atrocious.

I have since tried it twice more, because I always give a place a second change. The second time I took my mother in law out to lunch, she likes a lot of chicken and a lot of American food so this place is perfect for her. All that stands out in my mind about that experience was that it was better than the first time I went.

So today when I Kris and I went for lunch I was not really expecting more than a slightly better than fast food sandwich and a mostly lettuce salad. I am happy to say that my expectations were not met. I ordered the Chicken wings sandwich. I had crispy friend strips of chicken with house wing sauce that was neither too mild nor too tangy, with blue cheese, tomato and lettuce. I also ordered macaroni and cheese as the side. My sandwich was so good. It really hit the spot for a hungry meat eater on a hot summer day.

For taste I give Jack’s Urban Eats a 7 out of 10. It is a great lunch or light meal kind of restaurant. All their dishes are Cali-American, American food taken to the next level. Their meats are carved strait from the bone and put directly on your sandwich or salad. This means that the meat is moist, fresh and slow roasted or cooked in its own fats and juices to retain its favor.

For atmosphere it gets a 7 out of 10. It is cafeteria style to order but your plates are served to you after you pay. Jack’s is more casual than many restaurants, but it has a fun, young attitude and is often full of young professionals, and students.

For the price of two people to eat lunch order a side dish and get a soft drink Jack’s gets a $$. It is possible though to get out of there with just $. The salad plates are large enough to share or you could easily skip the side dishes and still feel full at the end of the meal.

Michael Mina 4 (5x$$$$$)

Michael Mina is a well liked and celebrated chief from the San Francisco. He has opened a number of restaurants in Las Vegas and has published a series of cook books introducing gourmet cooking into the average American home. I however fine his food average.

His restaurant gives the appearance of gourmet food in both atmosphere and price. His menu is sent in two different categories the tasting menu: consisting for five courses, with only one choice with wine parings for $154. Or the three course menu, in which you can choose between seasonal trios or classic single dishes. On this occasion I chose two classical dishes and one themed trio dish.

• Black mussel soufflé, with chardonnay and saffron sauce.

• Lobster pot pie with Brandied lobster and seasonal vegetables in cream sauce

• Squash trio, pumpkin pie, butternut squash cake with parmesan ice-cream and kabocha squash crepe.

The black mussel soufflé was excellent, but it was also ordinary and tasted just like the mussel and clam stuffing that my family makes for thanksgiving. It was very light, but rich in taste, the sauce needed to be poured rather generously to compensate for the dryness of the soufflé but over all it was a good dish. The diced pieces of mussel were a nice detail.

The lobster presentation of the lobster pot pie is excellent. I have never been so initially impressed by the presentation. However my opinion of the dish quickly plummeted when I took my fist bite. The pot pie is brought out in a large copper pot. The pastry crust is golden and flaky and you can smell the warm butter in the air. Your waiter will cut the top of the pie off and assemble the copped lobster on top of the pastry over which he pours the sauce and the seasonal garden vegetables. I actually found the vegetables to be better than the lobster in this case. The lobster was definitely frozen when it was flown from Maine. and was then over cooked giving it a very tough rubber texture. I was actually un able to eat more than a single claw it so disgusted me.

The dessert course, consisting of the squash trio was ordinary and plain. I thought the pumpkin pie tasted like pumpkin pie, but cake was very average and the crepe was like baby food inside a sweet cracker. I actually liked the crepe the best, despite its pureed texture.

For Price I give this restaurant a 5x$$$$$
It was really far to overpriced for the quality of the meal.

The atmosphere receives only a 6 in my opinion. Michael resides in the St. Francis hotel in down town and while surrounded by the best of the city it is unable to break away from the city noise and disturbance.

For taste I give Michael Mina 6 out of 10. I was severely disappointed and I often felt that I could produce better given the resources that this restaurant subscribes. The more exotic ingredients in a dish were often masked by contrasting flavors. There was no balance or flavor story, and the taste was often just homely in all ways.

The service: I prefer to pay for very good food and do without service all together. In Michael Mina’s case, the service did not make up for any dysfunction in the kitchen.

Over all I give Michael Mina a 4, a rating even lower than I would ascribe to another restaurant of the same quality. In this case, I feel that the anticipation and prejudice conceived by Michael’s name is unwarranted. I was so disappointed by the work done in his name; I felt it should only result in a hefty point deduction.

I would not recommend Michael Mina to anyone. Nor will I have very high expectations for his other restaurants when I visit them in the future. Everyone deserves a second chance, I hope he will surprise me in the future.

Ink, eats and drinks (8) $$

Ink is an edgy, modern and contemporary tavern style restaurant. Their ceilings and walls are decorated in classic tattoo motifs and the booth seating keeps it very comfortable and private. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner until 3 am generally and have a full bar. Their regular menu consists of four basic categories, small plates, salads, sandwiches, and large plates. I have only eaten from their small plates menu but I am pretty sure that their other selections are just as good.

On this occasion I had invited a large group of friends to dinner at eight for my husband’s birthday. I called in advance to make reservations for about twenty guests. I figured that I should make a reservation despite it being a Monday, and as it turned out, it was a very good move because Monday night at eight o’clock every table was full. We walked in with just four of us, intending to meet everyone as then came but we actually had to wait for another ten minutes until a table cleared. We then had a booth all to ourselves but were forced to wait another 30 minutes until the other side of the restaurant was empty so that we could move our large party over there. Luckily most of the party was unable to be there until later but I was still very peeved that I had to be kept waiting. I had courteously made a reservation for nothing, but at least I wasn’t the one who looked bad.

For atmosphere they receive a 9 out of 10, its creative, fun, edgy, and would appeal to all people of all ages. The music is upbeat and they have too flat screens to display Family Guy, Kings game high lights or Monday night football.

Prise wise Ink is an ok value. two people would be able to get out of there for under $40 assuming they didn't drink all that much, but for big parties its not that good a deal because they don't serve pitchers of anything. We got out of there for $173 for about 17 people and a few of them didn't eat.

The food gets a 10. I have never had better macaroni and cheese so late at night nor early in the morning. It really is the best, with the home made cheese, penne pasta, and bread crumb and parmesan crust on the top. They also serve decent sliders with caramelized onions, pretty good fries and the meatloaf sandwich looked really good. Also very popular is the shrimp quesadilla.

The service in this instance was a little lacking, just because they were not ready for us despite being warned ahead of time. But they were very quick to apologize and work with us after wards. The waitress came round the table often enough that glasses were rarely left empty and the bar man was very quick despite having so many orders to fill at once.
I am forced to give them a 5 out of 10 in the service category

Over all I would rate Ink a 8. Around 3 0’clock in the morning their food is really really good, but around lunch time its not as good as you thought it was the night before. It has a fun tavern like atmosphere without being dark and low feeling and it would be ok to have lunch there with friends and underage family. It does have that neighborly feel too it, I think a lot of locals are definite regulars but a little later at night and the place nearly empties out.

I would recommend it to anyone and everyone for somewhere to eat. Beats Lyonn’s and Denny’s any day.