Joya Restaurant & Lounge - Palo Alto

2/5 stars

Teeter-tottered between 2-3 stars... how about a 2.9?

Truth is, Cascal's is way better than this place. First off, the cocktails were either too sweet or quite plain. The too sweet included the Joya Hibiscus Paloma (milagro silver tequila, hibiscus syrup, grapefruit, aperol, fresh lime) and the Sparkling Pear-rection (grey goose pear vodka, st. germain, rosemary, sparkling rose cava). The paloma was heavy on the hibiscus and there should've been more grapefruit. It was a paloma after all. And the white peach sangria was bland.

Overall, the food was pretty good, but, again, I prefer Cascal's tapas. The paella came with an impressive bunch of seafood, but lacked Cascal's tastiness. I wouldn't order the burgers again, but I'd vouch for the scallops (butternut squash-goat cheese purée, grilled corn, dino kale, pioppini mushrooms, garlic-parsley lemon butter) and the papas bravas (pimenton, garlic aïoli).

The pros: nice place to lounge. It's a lot more spacious than Cascal's. And the service was good. And fried Oreos. Because. Fried Oreos. (I liked them better than the churros. They were light and fluffy, but needed more cinnamon sugar. Disneyland's churros are the best.)

Bravas - Healdsburg

5/5 stars

My mom is one of the most difficult people to take to restaurants. She's really critical of the food, alcohol, service, and value. That said, she loved Bravas! Me, I lovedlovedloved Bravas.

We didn't have reservations so sat at the bar. The bartender and "official iberian jamon carver" were so attentive, nice, and good at their jobs. They took care of us throughout the night which ended up being a LONG night because they misplaced our paella so instead of it taking 30 minutes to make, it took an hour. The paella was delicious so it was worth the wait. Perfectly seasoned.

We ordered a lot!

* Fermin jamon iberico (unadorned, perfect as it is)
* Spanish & local cheese plate w/ fig jam (I heart cheese plates)
* Goat cheese toast with golden onions and white truffle honey (yummy-mouth explosion)
* Roasted red beets with cinnamon, walnuts, and idiazabal (this was the favorite of the night, so flavorful)
* Kale salad with fennel, celery, red onion, and a preserved lemon vinegarette
* Duck meatballs with tomato sofrito and a green olive puree (a hit with my dad)
* Cider braised chorizo and shishito peppers
* Sunnyside up duck egg with chorizo

* Monterey calamari with salsa verde and lemon (calamari was perfectly cooked and represented Monterey's bounty so well! I'd def order this)
* Smothered pork riblets with pickled mustard see BBQ sauce (probably the least favorite of the night)
* Cava sangria
* Levante (Hayman's Old Tom, orange, saffron, cardamom)
* Fig Gulp (fig infused bourbon, alvear PX 1927, grapefruit, orange, and tonic)

Everything was *so* tasty. Def a Healdsburg favorite.

(2015)

La Bodeguita Del Medio - Palo Alto

1/5 stars

So many problems. I don't understand this restaurant.

La Bodeguita had been on my list for awhile. I was very excited to come here for my bday w/ some of my best friends. I made reservations weeks in advance.

1) The waiter surprised me with a bday dessert "compliments of the restaurant." Problem is... we got charged for it. So basically, I got charged for a dessert I didn't order. I didn't ask you to give me something for my birthday. I would have rather been charged for something I picked...

2) There's a 2-hour limit on tables. Um. What? This is pretty much a "family style" restaurant. What's family style? You share food, you talk, you be together as a family. It's not like we were just sitting there. We were eating our dessert (including the one I was charged for and didn't order) and doing the rum flight. We asked the waiter if we could order another round of drinks because it was my birthday. WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU MORE MONEY. But instead of respecting us as patrons, you said our time was up. You said you needed the table. You said you had called to let us know there was a time limit. (A) I did not receive such a call and (B) the French Laundry doesn't even have a time limit.

3) Cascal's paella is better. And I'm not just saying that because of the above.

Don't waste your time. There are restaurants who don't have a 2 hour limit. Who want you to be there.

(2014)

Josselin’s Tapas Bar & Grill - Koloa, HI

4/5 stars

Three words: unique and sangria cart. Make that four words: tableside sangria cart. (order the lychee)

After a long drive and an exhausting hike through Waimea Canyon, we were ready for a feast and a feast Josselin gave us.

I *think* the word tapas means "small plates," but to me, they mean "two bites - make me want more." If you don't make me go, "I could eat a hundred of those," then I think you've failed as a tapas restaurant.

Not every dish at Josselin's was great, but some of them were definitely, "I would order more of that if I didn't already have 10 more plates coming." I wish I could tell you what to eat, but because the menu changes due to what's locally fresh, I can't. I did take a look at the menu and did find some constants that I would recommend:

* the avocado sampler - I didn't know until I was here that Hawaii had such a wide variety of avocados. To a Californian, it was very exciting. I think the avocado tempura was my favorite and the avocado foam confused me, but this sampler was definitely worth a try if you're trying to spread your foodie wings.

* the Kiawe Roasted Asparagus / Apple Smoked Bacon / "61 Degree" Poached Organic Egg was sooo delicious that I tried to replicate it last Christmas dinner. It was such a yummy combination. Seriously. Egg yolk has magical powers.

* If the Schezuan Style Short Ribs Steamed Buns is on the menu - order them. Cheat and order two plates of it. Trust me.

What I'd skip? The Local Corn" Brulee." Because even though I *know* it wasn't vanilla bean brulee, I still *wanted* it to be because it *looked* exactly like dessert creme brulee, but when I ate it and it tasted like corn, my brain was confused and sad.

(2012)

Cascal - Mountain View

5/5 stars

UPDATE :)

My favorite place in the South Bay for Happy Hour. Always a good time!

Met my girls there 2 weeks ago to surprise them with engagement news!

+ The drinks are really well made. I love the orange-vanilla bean caipirinha, the mojito martini, and all the sangrias. The beau is a fan of their pisco sour.

+ Half-off tasty appetizers like chorizo, calamari, queso, black bean dip (my favorite!), and house-made guac. Splurge and get their paella.

+ Our server was awesome! He even surprised me with a molten chocolate cake! When we sit at the bar, the bartenders have always been great, too.

***

For 3 years, I've wanted to try this place. Finally, my fabulous friend Cameron sets up a double date for dinner (spoiler: this place is fantastic for groups). Then, BAM! two weeks later and I get to go again. 3 years, zip. Two weeks, 2x. Isn't that how it goes sometimes?

ATMOSPHERE: chic, too loud, and always busy. seriously always. make reservations whether or not it's a saturday night or a wednesday night. the first time, our waiter was super attentive, friendly, and all around awesome. second time our waiter was aloof, forgot our drinks, not so friendly, and hardly around. so... hit or miss with the service. both times, party of 4... both times, our bill was in the 200s or so. kinda pricey. oh, and did I mention it was too loud?

FOOD: I provide you, fellow Yelpers, with ingredients and review

Queso Fundido (Oaxacan cheese and smoked mushroom fondue, grilled poblano chiles, warm corn tortillas) was kick butt. Hot, gooey cheese with 'shrooms and chilies all wrapped up into your own mexi-melt. Even though this was quite the good food for a cold day, I'd prefer ordering the chips n' dips. Not only do you get the queso fundido, but you also get the best black bean dip I've ever had, and Cascal's house guac + chips. It was the highlight of my second dinner.

Beef Shortrib Adobo (Mexico City style braised beef shortrib, red onion-cilantro salad, fresh corn arepa) was praised by all. Meat was falling off the bone and it had intense flavor.

Mexican "Sopes" (Duo of chicken picadillo and Cuban roast pork with mole verde, fried plantain) is a great order and I'd recommend it, even though it's A) hard to split between 4 people or more, B) messy, C) got a lot going on so the flavors kinda get lost and mingled together

Albondigas (Spicy Moroccan style lamb meatballs, piquillo pepper and smoked paprika sauce) was devoured and loved by the lamb eaters at our table. i, sir, am not a lamb eater.

Beef Kabob (Marinated beef brochette, Rioja wine, smoked paprika, garlic, grilled vegetables) was flavorful beef (though not as tender as the shortribs) and perfectly grilled (read: not soggy) veggies on a stick. A worthy substitution to the lamb.

Shrimp Tostaditos (Crisped corn tortillas topped with fresh Dungeness crab, shrimp, chipotle aioli, guacamole, shredded romaine) is hands down my FAVORITE small plate at Cascal's. The shrimp are cooked perfectly and soo juicy and steamed "crunchy" (not breaded, but not overcooked shrimp). The tostaditos are piled high and all the ingredients are fresh, fresh, fresh. A delight for your mouth.

Brazilian Moqueca (Fresh salmon and rock shrimp in spicy coconut and corn broth, saffron, bell peppers, green rice) is a Thai-like dish. It was pretty.

Spanish tapa sampler included: Serrano ham, eggplant tian, seafood salad, marinated shrimp, Serrano ham wrapped stuffed dates, tuna escabeche, mussels vinaigrette, Spanish tortilla, paella roll, chicken liver mousse, fried almonds, olives, anchovy tapenade, Spanish chorizo, deviled eggs, Manchego cheese & quince. I WOULD NOT ORDER THIS AGAIN. Not a good idea. All the stuff on there was meh. It's A LOT more fun and the small plates are all so much more delicious than anything on this sampler. The sampler was also overpriced, IMO.

Peruvian Ceviche (Fresh halibut marinated, fresh lime juice, red onion, fresh ginger, chili arbol, sea salt) is very, very well made here. I have a friend who would be more than happy to just come to Cascal's, order this, and perhaps, eight Caipirinhas and call it a good night.

Paella Cascal (Saffron rice, chicken, pork, chorizo sausage, shrimp, mussels, clams, smoked paprika sofritto, peas, piquillo peppers) is the BEST paella I've ever had. I think it's because of the chorizo.

Caipirinhas (The national cocktail of Brazil, premium Leblon cachaca, which is distilled juice of sugar canes, muddled fresh limes, sugar) are very strong here. They're like Brazillian mojitos. I like them a lot and can't wait to try the other variations of the Caipirinhas.

House Made Sangria (Sparkling with fresh citrus, apples, brandy, spices, and triple sec) was one of best sangrias I've ever had. I am so super stoked to learn that you can make sangria with sparkling wine! Time to copycat.

Last word of advice, stick with the drinks menu and ignore the bland desserts.

(2008-2010)