The ambiance is not quite fine dining but no bikini, shorts, and flip flops either. The waiters and waitresses are all dressed up, you get nice cloth napkins, two forks, two knives, a butter knife, so it isn’t like some crummy diner.

We got a table next to the window looking out towards Doran Beach State Park, which was nice. Our dinner reservations was for 6 pm, so it was still quite bright out. I think it would be a bit more romantic to have dinner nearing sunset when the sun descends beyond the water, but then dinner would have been a bit too late for our taste.

There is *a lot* of different entree selections, but enough variety to keep most people happy. They have Liberty Farms roast duck breast (their specialty, obviously), garlic & rosemary crusted filet mignon, braised pork shank, roasted corvina, goat cheese souffle, oven roasted quail (mmmm…), short ribs carneros, rack of Sonoma lamb, and seared Ahi.

Andrea had the seared Ahi and I had the roast duck breast, both very, very good. Worth mentioning is we very much like their local baby vegetables. Unlike many other restaurants we’ve been to, The Duck Club actually takes time to cut up the vegetables so they’re like string vegetables versus big pieces of vegetables you have to cut up yourself. The vegetables were very good. The Ahi was very good, they seared it perfectly. The fresh carrort and ginger puree, used as the sauce, was paired very well with the Ahi tuna. My roast duck breast was very good, they roasted it so that the skin was crispy and the meat tasted tender but not oily like Asian prepared roast duck. The sauce/marinade was a bit too sweet for my taste, but overall fine. We also shared the classic Caesar, which was good also.

The bill wasn’t too bad for the both of us (under $90 including my Martini and Andrea’s glass of wine), and we would highly recommend this place.

[rating:4]

General Information

The Carnelian Room is located at 555 California Street (Bank of America bulding and San Francisco’s tallest building) on the 52nd floor. They’re telephone number is 415-433-7500. The dress code is strictly enforced; men are expected to wear a jacket and tie.

Parking is available underground for $12. There is a security guard that checks driver’s license and your trunk upon entering, I’m sure this is post-9/11 security.

Ambiance

The restaurant has a nice upscale semi-cozy feel. It’s dimly lit, very similar to Cheesecake Factory. The noise level is not too loud, we had no problems hearing each other speaking at a normal in door volume. The tables are situated far enough from each other that you don’t feel like you’re going to elbow the person at the table next to you. One particular thing I really like is how the Carnelian Room displays all its wines. They have a setup, not unlike a wine cellar, with nice huge windows so you can see all their wines. The chairs were nicely padded and comfortable.

The Food

They key thing to keep in mind with the Carnelian Room is that the portion sizes are similar to restaurants like 5th Floor Restaurant and Aqua, and like those places, the food is very rich.

Jane had the Sauteed Black Tiger Pawns as a first course, she very much liked it. For her entree, she had the Colorado Lamb Sirloin cooked rare. Jane loves lamb, and found the Colorado Lamb Sirloin to be very, very good. Andrea had the Simple Mixed Green Salad as her first course, nothing particularly special about it. And considering how much she really likes sashimi, for her entree, she had the Dijon Mustard Ahi Tuna with no black rice, which was really, really good. The ahi tuna is lightly breaded with something, we’re not 100% sure if its breadcrumbs or not. Andrea’s grandma and I had the same exact thing: the prix fixe menu. Our first course was the Cream of Cauliflower Soup…which was quite excellent. It was creamy and hearty! Our second course was the Sonoma Duck Muscovy Duck Breast, which was also quite good. The duck was a bit dry and not as tender as I normally like it. Our prix fixe menu also came with desert, Andrea’s grandma had the Pistachio Creme Brulee and I had the Trio of Sorbet. The Trio of Sorbet is actually quite a treat. There are three scoops of sorbet (rasberry, mango, and 1 other flavor I wasn’t sure of) inside this wonderfully hardened honey crafted bowl with blueberries and rasberries scattered around. It was really good. Jane had two scoops of vanilla ice cream with some chocolate sauce (which isn’t listed on the menu, but can be requested) with a B&B (brandy and benedictine). The B&B actually has a very interesting taste. It didn’t taste as bad as I thought brandy would, I guess the benedictine helps, but it definitely warms you right up! Andrea had the Crispy Pumpkin & Apple Bomb which was quite good. It looks like an oversized dumpling when you first get it.

Andrea’s grandmother and aunt had a Manhattan to start out with and then later white and red wine, respectively. Andrea and I started with a Martini with Grey Goose Vodka. I thought the Martini was ok, didn’t seem cold enough.

The View

Another very cool thing besides the windowed wine cellar is the extradionary view of San Francisco from being so high up on the 52nd floor. The side where the Carnelian Room is overlooks the Embarcadero and the Bay Bridge. Quite excellent views! The cocktail room has an excellent view of the TansAmerican building. One thing to note is the fog. When we were seated at 6:30pm, it was an excellent clear view of the bay, by 7:20pm, the fog had started rolling in and begin obstructing the view. By 8:00pm, all you saw was fog. The fog did lift again and it was a great view again.

Our table was close enough to the window to enjoy the view. The closes table to the window is reserved for couples. There is limited window seating, so definitely be sure that when you reserve your table, you specifically ask for window seating.

Price

Price wise, this place wasn’t horribly bad. The prix fixe menu that Andrea’s grandma and I had was $53 each. Considering that everyone but me had a second drink of alcohol, the bill with tip was about half a grand for all four of us.

Conclusion

We would definitely recommend this place. It has a great view, especially at night when San Francisco is all lit up. The Bay Bridge always looks so pretty at night. The staff was helpful and service was quick. Didn’t care too much for the Martini, House of Prime Rib definitely makes better Martinis. We had a great time there, and would definitely come back.

Four out of five stars.

We tried out a new Thai place located inside Milpitas Square (also known as McCarthy Ranch Marketplace). The place seemed to be clean and laid out nicely.

Andrea ordered the basil chicken (stir fried chicken with basil chili garlic) and I had the asparagus with beef (pan fried asparagus, beef with red bell pepper). Because we both don’t eat rice, we got the dinner plates. After we were ordered, the waitress brought out hot and sour soup which was good. The soup had two good size strips of chicken with small mushrooms and sliced onion.

The portion sizes of the two plates was generous, we both had enough to eat, plus enough to take home also. The basil chicken, we thought, was better than the aspargus beef. It had very generous portion of chicken chunks with mint leaves, onions, and of course the chili garlic sauce. It was definitely different when they brought out the basil chicken because we were normally accustomed to sliced strips of chicken, but rather these were little chicken chunks reminiscent of beef chunks they would put into Sloppy Joes. I think it made the basil chicken much easier to eat. The asparagus beef was decent. The beef was a bit dry, but the asparagus was good. We also asked for a side of the peanut sauce (since we both are big fans of Thai peanut sauce) and they gave us a generous helping in a small sauce bowl. The peanut sauce was ok, not spicy, and tasted like it had coconut milk in it.

I didn’t realize until after I had ordered and the waitress had left that they serve quail here. Would love to have tried it, since quail is one of my favorite dishes.

Each of our dinner dishes were $7.50 and with my Diet Coke, the total came out some $17 and odd cents. We left a $20 with their tip included in that.

We definitely would recommend this place to anyone in the area and looking for some Thai food.

General Information:

• 542 Barber Lane, Milpitas, CA 95035
• Mon. – Thurs., and Sun.: 11am to 9pm
• Fri. – Sat.: 11am – 10pm

My rating: 3.5 stars

So the first thing we noticed when we arrived there was that it was packed! Probably has to do with the holiday season and maybe it was Friday also. The place is big and the selection adequate.

When you arrive, depending on how pack the place is, there is a maÎtre d’ will give you a number (written on a small yellow post it) and start calling out numbers to seat people. Despite getting a number of 29 and he was calling out for number 9, we were seated within 20 minutes of arriving.

Their food selection is a mixture of seafood, Chinese, American, Japanese, and grill (raw food you take to a chef to cook). The food was pretty decent, although some of them was a bit greasy. Three dishes we would recommend getting is the chicken on a stick, stuffed mushroom, and better shrimp (I think they meant butter…). Stay away from the roasted chicken because it is waaaayyyyyy too greasy and is dry and bland. The broccoli and chicken was not any better and the Mongolian pork didn’t have much taste. They also have some selections of sushi rolls and seaweed salad. There is also conch for those who like that… The baked mussels were ok, a bit greasy also. The Korean BBQ ribs were way too fatty and greasy and didn’t taste very good at all. Andrea didn’t like the Miso soup they had and I thought the Hot and Sour soup was good. The lunch selection is definitely plentiful: fried rice, chow mien, fried wings, fried fish, pepperoni pizza, lots of desserts, cold shrimp, cold lobster legs, lemon chicken, etc. I’m sure everyone can find something they will like here.

The pricing is decent for the amount of food; lunch is $7.99 per person with $1.59 for beverage per person with free refill and dinner is $14.99. Not sure how the dinner would stack up, but I’m sure they would have lobster and crabs…

The staff is decent, they do clean the used plates off the table, but we didn’t get a single refill the entire time (didn’t ask either). One thing worth noting, their restrooms are extremely filthy, enter the Holiday Inn and use their facilities instead. I won’t bother with the description of the condition of the restroom, but heed my advice and avoid it.

The place is located at 245 S. Airport Blvd., South San Francisco, Ca 94080. They can be reached at 650-837-9068. Business hours are: Mon-Fri (lunch) 10:30am t0 3:30pm and (dinner) 3:30pm to 10pm and on Saturday and Sunday, all day dinner buffet from 10:30am to 10:30pm.

We recommend this place as decent for both value and quality of food. Not the worse buffet we been to and neither the best.

My rating: 3.0 stars

Fortunately this isn’t one of those places. The steaks are excellent bordering on perfect. All the steaks are aged 21 days before being served; giving them a whole different taste and tenderness not achievable with grocery store brought cuts. The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in, a glass display of various raw cuts of their steaks (NY Strip, Rib-eye, Filet Mignon, etc.) for sale. None of the cuts are spiced or sauced. Their prices do seem a bit steep for a raw cut, $19 per pound for the ribeye and $25 per pound for the Filet Mignon, but if its anything like how it tastes at the restaurant, its worth it for an occasional treat.

We started our meal out with Baby Spinach Salad (spinach with apple wood-smoked bacon, pine nuts, mushrooms, soy vinaigrette) as our appetizer. One order is plenty for two people. The Baby Spinach Salad was good, the amount of dressing used (soy vinaigrette) was enough to get the subtle taste and not drenching the spinach. The pine nuts definitely add a little something different to the taste, in a good way.

From there, Andrea ordered a Rib-eye steak cooked medium, it was very tender, juicy, and quite generous of a portion (it looked about a pound). Be warned, the side of vegetables that they serve with the steaks are just peas in a pod with some carrot slices, nothing special. The rib-eye is definitely highly recommended, although I’m a bit bias, since rib-eye is one of my favorite cuts of steak.

I had the Executive Cut on the Bone Prime Rib, which was also excellent. It was very tender, juicy, and flavorful. The portion size of this prime rib is extremely large, bigger than their rib-eye steak cut. It had to definitely be more than a pound. This too was served with the vegetables (ahem, peas in a pod) and a side of creamed spinach (which was good).

The service was good, our waiter was attentive and not intrusive. He came by on occasion and refilled our Roderer Estate Brut champagne when it seemed like it was getting low. Water was refilled without having to be asked. One of the things that Andrea found interesting was that they have a dedicated bread waiter who went periodically table-to-table carrying his basket of various breads to refill patron’s empty bread dish.

The best time to have dinner on a Saturday seems to be about 6ish P.M. as by 7 P.M. and on, it begins getting busier. They also check-in coats and umbrellas, which is a nice touch.

One thing worth mentioning is that they have private rooms. One room that looked particularly nice is the Library room outfitted with four tables, two of which are for couples and the other two for four people, and a fireplace. The room seems a tad bit crowded as the tables are a bit closer than I personally like, not quite elbowing the neighboring table, but close enough to reach out and touch the other party. The other private room is one table for a total of eight or so people. Not too roomy, but not quite cramped either. Also Harris Restaurant has window seating, but the way it is laid out, the window seating are for parties of four or bigger.

Parking can be rather difficult as there is only street parking. They do have valet parking for $7 and there is public parking about a block away down Pacific for $10. There doesn’t seem to be a dress code, but most of the patrons were either in suits or had a dress shirt with slacks. I’m sure a person could come in jeans and a t-shirt, but would probably feel out of place. It is highly recommended that reservations are made (415-673-1888).

We both enjoyed our dishes and was quite pleased with the ambiance and decor. We highly recommend this place for any lovers of fine steaks.

My rating: 4.0 stars

For dinner, I chose the 7 course Chef’s Tasting Menu with a special request that venison (Andrea’s favorite) be included in one of the courses. It is worth nothing that the Chef’s Tasting Menu is changed on a regular basis. What is also unique about Fifth Floor versus Aqua (another high priced restaurant) is when our tasting dishes arrived; we both get to try something different. I like this because we can really share and actually try 14 (actually its less than that) different dishes in what is a 7 course tasting prix fixe meal.

Here are some of the dishes we had: the Lobster Tortellini (did I say this was incredible?), Atlantic Scallops, Warm Spiced Lobster Salad, Bluefin Toro & Osetra Caviar, Peking Duck Breast, Fennel Crusted Venison, Foie Gras, sobert and a few other equally great dishes that I don’t remember. A sample of their menu (PDF file) can be seen by clicking this link. For the champagne, we had Roederer Estate L’Ermitrage, excellent champagne!

And because it was Andrea’s birthday, she was treated to a fruit sobert, quite good. The 7 course meal may not seem like much when you first receive the first few dishes, but you’ll find yourself getting fuller and fuller with each new dish that arrives, this has to do with how rich each of the dishes was.

The place was not too loud, we could carry on a conversation quite easily. The seating arrangements were close, but not quite cramped. When making plans to go to Fifth Floor, keep in mind this isn’t a fancy restaurant, it is a very fancy restaurant, so be ready to shell out some cash. I would highly recommend this place for special birthdays, anniversaries, very special occasions, etc.. It does a romantic appeal, I am always impressed by a place that takes the effort to place fresh and real flowers on the table.

We were treated to an opportunity to see how they prepare a table for another guest. It’s carried out by one person who brings out everything he or she needs on a tray after the table has been completely cleared off, linen and all. They place the first table cover on, taking care to unfold it very neatly and evenly. Then they lay the top table sheet over, making sure there are no creases or uneven edges. Each plate and silverware is set down to a precise position, spaced evenly apart. This shows the attention to detail and it adds to the majestics of Fifth Floor.

It was a memorable night, and we would definitely go back. The cost of enjoying dinner here, having the seven course prix fixe meal with a bottle of champagne would be considered $$$$ out of $$$$$. We give this place a 4.9 out of 5 stars.

The ambiance of the establishment is quick, friendly service. The majority of the staff were Vietnamese. The seating capacity is actually quite good for a Vietnamese restaurant (one with good food anyways), anyone who frequents Vietnamese restaurants will notice that the better the food, the smaller and more cramped the place is. Le Cheval can seat multiple parties of eight and bigger with room to spare. The tables were fairly spaced out, I never felt that I would elbow my neighbor or some stranger at another table. The food comes out rather quickly, tasting good and fresh. The only drawback is that it was loud. I could hardly hear Andrea easily and the waitress either when she took our order which led to a food mixup. Andrea says it is usually quieter at lunch time and the reason is was so loud today is because people are out Christmas shopping.

Andrea had originally wanted the beef with fresh tofu, but we ended up getting the eggplant with tofu because the waitress heard me wrong. I got the pork kebab and we both had hot and sour fish soup. The eggplant with tofu was ok, since we both weren’t much in the mood for eggplant, although the tofu was good. The prok kebab was pretty good and the hot and sour fish soup was actually really good. We both also had a dry martini with Grey Goose vodka and would have been perfect if they used regular sized olives versus really tiny olives. It looked like one of Wayne Szalinski’s (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids) shrinking experiments. The total came out to $37.21, which isn’t too bad for two people. The portion sizes are definitely plentiful, we could have both shared the eggplant and tofu and both have enough to eat. All the prices are quite reasonable.

The next time anyone is in Oakland and looking for Vietnamese food, we both highly recommend it. The food is very authentic Vietnamese. It’s located on 1007 Clay Street near the Federal and State buildings and Ask.com building, open 7 days a week (Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.. We definitely give it a 4 out of 5 stars.