Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Monkey King Pub & Grub

I was attracted to the concept and menu of Monkey King Pub and Grub on Park Street, but actually going inside and having a meal is a different story.  First of all, the restaurant has too many themes going all at once, there are several televisions along the wall to make it a sports bar, there are girlish and modern light fixtures at the bar area, and the Asian themed wall mural of  a Monkey in the country and ice country.  The music they play during dinner hours is top 40 American and if you stay longer, the music gets louder and the lights go dim.

The appetizer and dinner menu were creative and a good selection to choose from. I ordered items that were recommended by the staff of Eggplant Tofu, Beef Chow Fun and Salt and Pepper Prawns.  The prawns were decent and not overcooked, however, I did not get a flavor punch of salt and pepper.  The eggplant tofu was okay, the sauce was a little thick and gooey as the food cooled. The beef chow fun lacked flavor and it was the least favorite. There were plenty of vegetables and beef in the chow fun, but the flavors did not shine.

The positive aspect of this restaurant is that it stays open until 2 am.  Great for late night drinks and snacks to munch on.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Asian Invasion in Alameda Sports Bars

I find it quite amusing that two Alameda sports bars of Scobies and the Fire Den have recently started to serve  Asian BBQ.  Scobies advertises Korean BBQ and the Fire Den hangs a banner in front for Vietnamese BBQ. Both of these bars are very American in marketing and decorum. I wonder why the change in direction of the food or it is because the usual bar food wasn't making any money?  If Great American BBQ wanted to have a second location in either one of those spots, it would increase sales.  The Fernside location of Great American BBQ is a bit of a trek to get to, not to mention the lack of parking around it.  I would love to get great barbecue on Park Street.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Spring Festival ~ This Weekend

I totally forgot about the Spring Festival and I unexpectedly came across it while I was riding my bicycle.  I walked the entire street fair and came across the Aunt Betty's Corn Dog stand.  It was quite a large portion of a corn dog for $4.  The wiener was chicken.  I ate it because I was hungry and I picked food with my eyes and  not with my stomach.  The corn dog was mostly batter.  The corn dog was lackluster. There wasn't a lot of flavor and the meat was minimum. The mustard I used to flavor the dog made it taste better.  Beef dogs are much to use for corn dogs.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Culina is out of The Marketplace

Chef and owner of Pappo who also owned Culina has moved out of The Marketplace.  The chef has consolidated his operations and is cooking all of his catering gigs from the Pappo kitchen.  A new food tenant is renovating the former Culina spot and I cannot wait to see who is coming in next.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Zeytini - Gone, Gone, Gone

Zeytini Restaurant is no longer in business.  I am not sure exactly the reason, but they have closed up the business.  I was in the mall the other day and noticed that the sign said closed and the tables and chairs were stacked up inside.

The only restaurant that continues to do well in the mall is Sushi House. Go figure.

Rio California Cafe No Mas

The Rio California Cafe across the street from the former Navy Yard is no longer in business.  The new tenant is Viva Mexico #2.  For some reason that space in that location has never done well.  Food joints come and go  on a yearly basis and no one has seem to figure it out.  The large housing development across the street doesn't support businesses on that corner.  The only business that has been there through good and bad times is the donut place.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hot Dog Economics

I went to Doggy Style over the weekend when I had a hot dog craving.  I ordered one Dirty South, which is a chili cheese dog and one Doggyzilla which is a bratwurst with Asian toppings of seaweed, wasabi mayo, cole slaw and teriyaki sauce.  The two hot dogs and one can of soda was over $14.00.  The hot dogs were tasty, but the Dirty South didn't have a lot of chili and the dog was overwhelmed with too much bun.

For about the same price of $14, I could have purchased four chili cheese dogs (with more chili) from Der Wienerschnitzel down the street along Park.  Each of their chili cheese dog is $3.25, a bargain in comparison.

I will have to say that Doggy Style must improve their products if they are going to compete with other establishments who have much lower prices and serves about the same quality of food.