Kru 10 ($$$)

Kru is hands down the best sushi in town. We often go here, and we often introduce it to all our friends as "the best".
The head chief at Kru won second place at the regional Sacramento Sushi Masters Competition (it was a lot like the Iron Chief show, accept without the celebrity critics and it took place in a gym). Kru ranges from very traditional rolls, to innovative California fusions.

During dinner, I came up with a simple but telltale test for knowing if a sushi restaurant will be any good. The test proceeds as follows: Does the menu include chirashi? if the aswere is yes, then its good, if the answer is no, then its its likely they smother all their rolls with cream cheese or cream sauces to mask the older, tougher fish taste.

For taste Kru always gets a 10. Fresh, clean, natural, the best cut of fish they can get. I like to sit at the bar and watch them assemble and cut with those razor sharp knifes. The knife is very important, a dull knife will danage the cells of the fish when it is being sliced. A traditional Japanese sushi knife kept very sharp will not contaminate the taste of the fish.

For atmosphere I give Kru a 7 out of 10. Its along the midtown J street. Close to the art galleries, night clubs, bars and midtown itself; it sits on some prime realty. The decor however is less than impressive but does well for just a little neighborhood restaurant. I am curious though, to know what the old Victorian looked like before the first floor was converted into a restaurant.

Price recieves a rating of $$. It can be cheaper than that, because the chirashi alone costs $25, and the typical roll costs $15 but I usually spend a little more and get the really good sushi.
Chirashi, Fried rolls. Green Tea Cheese cake.

Over all, Kru gets a 10. When I think of sushi I think of Kru.
2516 J St
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 551-1559

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.

Oriental Buffet 7 ($$)

Oriental Buffet

There is certainly a time and a place for buffets. For instance, Las Vegas would not be as beloved a vacation destination without its all you can eat buffets. In this instance my husband and I ventured to this restaurant on the recommendation of an acquaintance. This acquaintance of mine is the wife of the local Chinese Restaurant Produce and Meats Supplier. I periodically ask her if there are any new places worth visiting in the area; on one occasion she recommended Oriental Buffet because “they always buy the best”.

The Oriental Buffet, does in fact boast a broad menu, some dim sum, hot and cold rice and noodle dishes, many of the common meat dishes like sweet and sour pork, general chicken, broccoli beef ect. But it also has a sushi bar, and a Mongolian barbeque bar.
The food was as I expected, the more usual fare as far as quality of the cooking, but there were a few more exotic numbers as well.
For instance fried frog legs, thousand year old eggs, and langoustine, which is basically a large shrimp with claws.

Overall I give The Oriental Buffet a 7 out of 10, it neither exceeded my expectations nor did it disappoint me in any way. It was just as I expected.

For taste I give this buffet a 5 for the same reasons as stated above. In general I don’t really believe buffets can ever exceed a rating above a 7 in any category. I mean lets be honest, it’s a buffet, so we are eating there because its a lot of food for a relatively cheap price.

Which does bring me to price. For cost Oriental Buffet receives a $$ for two people. I believe that is very competitive for the buffet market.

Also of note:

this buffet has a very nice banquet room for parties, and large family gatherings, I did not inquire to how many people it would accommodate but I should think a party of 20 or so would be comfortable in there.

They do take out, probably not as good a deal as the all you can eat, call for prices.
located on Broadway, Sacramento

Suzu Noodle House 9 ($)

The best ramen. This little restaurant is very small. It accommodates only six tables inside and another two tables outside in the hall. But because it is so good there is always a wait. This little family operation makes home make noodles, fresh ingredients and traditional fish cakes and tofus.

I have only had better in Hong Kong.

My ramen bowl here was fat rice noodles, sea weed, fishcake, tofu, green onion, carrots, cabbage, tempura shrimp and a hard boiled egg.

I give Suzu a 9 for taste only because I have had better in Asia.

Suzu receives a 9 for atmosphere because they really need to expand to include a few more tables.

the price for any meal for two is $.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in the MGM at Vegas (10) 2X$$$$$$

Archived review 12/22/07

We chose this restaurant because it was rated #1 of all restaurants in Vegas for this year and boasts the “chef of the century”. I am always interested in tasting the best, and in Vegas there sure is a lot of it. This restaurant in particular stands out from all the others, The Mix, Fleur de Lys and all the others by its more casual atmospheres. Reminisant of sitting in mother’s kitchen, small parties of fewer than four sit at the counter while the cooks pass you dish after dish over the black marble top. The kitchen it open and all its mysteries laid bare. Its amazing how clean, organized and mesmerizing sitting at that counter can be.

On this occasion we elected the discovery menu, ten courses featuring the chiefs personal favorites. We started out with a pallet opener, L'AMUSE-BOUCHE. It was amazing you could actually taste the parmesan in the froth top!
Next we hadLA TOMATE: en gaspacho aux croûtons dorés Chilled gazpacho with croutons. It all sounded like it would be very exotic but really it tasted like breakfast. It tasted like a soft boiled egg with a little soy sauce; you basically have what has been the breakfast staple of china for hundreds of years. It did have a new twist on it though with little chopped mushrooms and croutons. It was some how it was green too.

Some thing new! I have never had LA LANGOUSTINE before. The French name didn’t really mean anything to me, so I asked what it was. The chief described it as a shell fish between a crawdad and a shrimp. And it in fact tastes very like raw chilled crab meat, very fresh, very sweet, cool and a little on the slimy side but delicious. I especially liked the sea salt and poppy seed dressing.

One dish we didn’t really like was the Halibut. It was a covered in a caper and vegetable salsa with a lemon thyme sauce, I normally love capers but this combination did not really agree with me. What’s more, I’m not really a fan of this particular fish, because of its gamey texture, indifferent flavor and white color. I didn’t eat more than three bites. My husband had even less. So we tried to skip this course. The chief found this particularly offensive and prepared us another fish dish. This one was much better, and more to my liking because it was a grouper and had a different kind of relish on top.

The Atmosphere gets a 10. I give it a super A++ for romantic atmosphere. Couples who are even a little low on conversation will find the night quietly relaxing and the counter seating becomes very conversationally stimulating.

For taste alone I will give L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon a 10. I can’t really be upset about the Halibut. And I think the chef thought me either very critical or ignorant. I’m not really sure which of the two I would prefer but I appreciate that he took the time to re-impress me.

According to their website, on average people spend about $$$$$$ per person, I believe the two of us managed 3x$$$$$ after the ten courses, and a glass of the champagne at the beginning.

Over all I really loved this place, its simplicity, beauty, sophisticated but not extravagant style. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon reflects taste and class in everything from the décor, the champagne menu, the espresso and dessert at the end. It rates a 10 out of 10. But in the future I will just request something other than Halibut.

Some advice! Always make a reservation, no matter what it says about it being casual seating and not needing to make one, call anyway.

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vega, NV 89109
702-891-7925

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.

Dragonfly (9) $$$

If you are looking for a relaxed downtown evening of good food, classy drinks and engaging conversation, look no further than 18^th and Capitol. Dragonfly specializes in sushi and Asian fusion both modern and innovative.

Yesterday I met some friends there for New Years Eve dinner. We meet here fairly often because most of us like sushi, but if you don’t there is something for everyone, like their dragonfly burger.

On this occasion I ordered a duck bun appetizer, and the Terminator roll.

The appetizer was served traditionally Chinese, with the exception of the cut of duck. This duck was little chopped pieces from off the bone, parts of the duck that are hard to get too and ugly to serve as an entrée, probably the back and neck. It wasn’t fresh duck but it wasn’t tough and old either.

I was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed about the roll. The terminator roll is shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, topped with salmon, ahi, yellow tail and torched scallops. The scallops were particularly good; perfectly seared but left mostly raw, they were fresh, moist, and they left a very clean taste. However the roll did rely heavily on the sauce. I like my fish as pure and fresh tasting as possible, I believe too much mayonnaise sauces or cream cheese hide the taste of the fish.

For atmosphere Dragonfly receives a 10. It has a large open air feeling inside, a large patio for summer, a trendy location and happy hour Monday thru Friday. They also have wine tasting on the second Saturday of the month during the art walk.

Dragonfly usually rates about $ for two people ordering an appetizer and an entrée each, plus a drink. On this occasion we spent about $$$$$$ but that’s just because it was New Years Eve.

I give Dragonfly a 9 for taste even though I didn’t like a lot of sauce on my sushi. The fish was still fresh, and all the elements of the roll were proportioned well. But next time I will have to remember to order my sauce on the side.

It is often hard to find parking in downtown and the midtown areas, but Dragonfly has valet parking. The Valet is shared between all four restaurants on that corner so you can valet from either side of the street.

Over all I have to give Dragonfly a 9 out of 10. It’s a fun trendy place to eat dinner or get lunch. Dragonfly even serves breakfast.

1809 Capital Ave. Sacramento, CA 95814