Safeway (4495 First Street) - Livermore, CA

Safeway
4495 First St.
Livermore, CA 94551
(925) 455-2520
safeway.com



One thing I learned about Safeway's wine pricing today was that this bottle of wine on the right (with the wolf head) sells for $10.00 at the winery (Kenwood Vineyard) because I bought a couple of bottles just last weekend. So think about that next time you think about buying wine at Safeway! :)



Another "interesting" thing I learned is that I was told by a Caucasian female employee/supervisor of the Safeway Deli (in a very rude manner) that taking photographs of the deli is illegal! Huh??? Apparently, I must have missed the sign out front next to "No Pets Allowed" that said "No Cameras Allowed" - NOT!

Anyway, this rude female employee actually went and got the Hispanic male manager to come out of his office in the front of the store and tell me that I was not allowed to take photographs in the store. Well, if he was going to try to take away my camera, I had already thought of holding it up high above my head...he'd never be able to reach it then!

So...here are my "illegally obtained" photos of the Safeway Deli in this top-security grocery store that I managed to escape from without personal injury or confiscation of personal property:



Anyway, after sharing a sandwich from Tommie's Deli earlier today, we compared the Safeway sandwich we shared (chicken, provolone, olive tapenade, artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers). Tommie's wasn't really hard to beat at all and Safeway did have the better sandwich of the two...but they still get one star for the overpriced wine and camera fiasco...plus all the tables in Safeway's "cafe seating" area were filthy, so we didn't even eat there. So much for this Livermore Safeway being Safeway's "flagship" store...

Tommie's Deli & Sandwiches - Livermore, CA

Tommie's Deli & Sandwiches
2152 Second St.
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 456-3354
tommiesdeli.com



Tommie's Deli & Sandwiches is located in an old brick building on Second Street behind the Livermore Chamber of Commerce. They have a nicely designed website, a very cool exterior facade and a welcoming interior. However, Tommie's popular "Choke & Chicken Sandwich" was one of the worst chicken sandwiches I've ever had! I would have called it "Choke On The Chicken Sandwich" instead. Seriously.



It's really too bad because Tommie's Deli in Livermore has great-tasting meat; we even sampled a little of their deli-sliced chicken and it was delicious. However, their sourdough bread was simply awful...it was super dry and crumbly and very thickly sliced, so the sandwich really didn't stand a chance with it. I basically had a mouthful of dry bread and a little taste of chicken, a couple of sundried tomatoes, but almost no artichoke flavor at all. I ditched the bread and just ate the meat, but that was the last $7.00 I would spend on a Tommie's Deli sandwich.

Nubi Yogurt - Stockton, CA

Nubi Yogurt
5765 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA
(209) 473-8888
nubi.com



Nubi Yogurt is located right past the Sherwood Mall and Weberstown Mall on Pacific Avenue, north of West March Lane in Stockton. It's next to Peet's Coffee & Tea and Juice It Up and they have a few outdoor seating areas. The interior is very nicely done in the typical fro-yo style with curves and glass tiles. Nubi Yogurt in Stockton is self-serve and they charge $0.38 per ounce.



Nubi Yogurt's flavors today were:

1. Cake Batter (just like iced sugar...not good)
2. Raspberry
3. Orange
4. Original
5. Strawberry
6. Pineapple (this was the only good flavor they had)
7. Raspberry-Pomegranate (tastes just like sour raspberry)
8. Pistachio (didn't care for the flavor at all)
9. Kiwi-Strawberry
10. Lychee (sour, sour, SOUR...and not really lychee flavor)
11. Vanilla
12. Chocolate (watery and icy, not creamy chocolate)



I tasted 5 Nubi Yogurt flavors before just deciding to get chocolate, which I should have tasted before dispensing it in the cup because it turned out to be not so good. After I sat down and started eating, I wished that I had gotten pineapple instead!

Nubi Yogurt in Stockton was also the first fro-yo place I've been to where I did not see the employees smile once. At almost every other frozen yogurt place, they're always smiling! :)

Grand Buffet - Stockton, CA

Grand Buffet
4704 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA
(209) 952-8688



Grand Buffet was previously known as Oriental Buffet and is located on the corner of Pacific Avenue and March Lane in the Weberstown Mall in Stockton. It's easy to find with lots of parking and a large dining area with ample space for large groups of people. Buffets are normally a great place for family gatherings because everyone can eat what and how much they want, but the only thing missing from Grand Buffet is good food!

Every single thing I tried at Grand Buffet in Stockton was either old and tough, flavorless or just plain yucky. I think I loaded up my plate 3-4 times with a little bite of this and a little bite of that...but never found a single thing I liked! They didn't even have lychee for me to get full on. :(

Baskin-Robbins - Livermore, CA

Baskin-Robbins
4323 First St.
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 371-7031
baskinrobbins.com



I received a coupon in my e-mail for one free scoop of ice cream at Baskin-Robbins (since I enrolled in their Birthday Club a few days ago) so I decided to visit my local Baskin-Robbins for the first time this afternoon. It's located on First Street in Livermore, in the Safeway Shopping Center next door to Togo's.



My all-time favorite ice cream flavor is Peanut Butter 'N Chocolate, so that's the free scoop I ordered at Baskin-Robbins in Livermore. I also found out it's a "Kid's Scoop" not a regular-size scoop, which is a perfect size, anyway. :)

Eddie Papa's American Hangout - Livermore, CA

Eddie Papa's American Hangout
2417 First St.
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 373-6650
eddiepapas.com



I rarely give out 1-star reviews, but I also rarely am told something on the menu is fresh and it isn't AND have very slow food and bill service AND get served awful food all in the same restaurant. Today, we stopped to eat at the new Eddie Papa's American Hangout in Livermore, across the street from the movie theaters and in the location previously known as Movida (Lounge)...and I predict that one day, Eddie Papa's in Livermore will follow their footsteps and close down, too.

First of all, Eddie Papa's didn't change the decor or furniture when they took over Movida. It doesn't fit the Eddie Papa's image at all...in fact, it's a funky, tasteless combination of upscale, hip, swanky lounge decor and a casual, All-American menu. Secondly, the food at Eddie Papa's in Livermore doesn't live up to the prices they are charging. Instead of paying $10+ dollars for a mediocre burger here, why wouldn't anyone walk down the street to the Riata Diner or First Street Ale House? You get a MUCH better quality burger and WAY better french fries for a few dollars less. As far as the $15-$20 entrees on Eddie Papa's menu, I wouldn't dare try those if they can't even make a decent turkey sandwich. You're better off getting one at Quiznos or Togo's...even Subway makes a better one...jeez!



Our server at Eddie Papa's in Livermore was a tall female with reddish hair and she was friendly when taking our orders and answering a question I had about their New England Turkey sandwich: "Do you use fresh cranberries in the cranberry citrus compote?" However, when she responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes, of COURSE they're fresh cranberries!" I later found out that she lied. They were absolutely NOT fresh cranberries.

It was irritating to sit there at Eddie Papa's in Livermore and wait...and wait...and wait to get our food, especially as we saw that most of the people in the restaurant were also sitting there and waiting...and waiting...and waiting. We saw one table get their food before ours arrived, but there were several tables filled with hungry onlookers.

My New England Turkey sandwich was a complete fail...with its shredded lettuce, canned cranberry sauce that had been pureed and even a sloppy cranberry sauce thumbprint on the top of the bread! Did Eddie Papa's have a 5-year old back in the kitchen making my sandwich? The sweet potato fries, btw...are actually soft-fried yam strips. They weren't very good, either, but even they tasted better than the sandwich.



According to my husband, the only thing good about his New Mexico burger was the meat. The bun was hard, the bacon was soggy, the cheese was barely melted and there were only a couple of jalapenos in the entire burger! Oh, and his comment about the shredded lettuce was, "WTF, I didn't order a Big Mac!"



As if things couldn't get any worse during our first dining experience at Eddie Papa's in Livermore...we also sat there and waited for a long time to get our bill. Our server never came back, so we asked the gentleman who had refilled our drinks previously to please get our bill. He cleared our plates and 5 minutes later, after no one showed up to deliver us the bill, we just left cash on the table and took off...never to return to Eddie Papa's in Livermore again!

Alberto's Cantina - Pleasanton, CA

Alberto's Cantina
435 Main St.
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 462-2316
albertoscantina.com



Alberto's Cantina is Mexican restaurant and tequila bar in the heart of downtown Pleasanton. This is a rare occasion in which I'm reviewing a restaurant that I have not eaten at...but we had some delicious mango margaritas here and felt it worthy of a spot on my blog!

A mango margarita at Alberto's Cantina in Pleasanton normally costs $8 or you can get a whole pitcher for $32, which is what we ordered. We were thirsty and in need of a refreshing beverage! ;) Their chips were pretty good, but their salsa could use a little help. Service was friendly and attentive, so we would definitely go back to Alberto's Cantina in Pleasanton for their margaritas...and perhaps even their food!

Yogofina Frozen Yogurt - Pleasanton, CA

Yogofina Frozen Yogurt
350 Main St.
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 484-9646
yogofina.com



Yogofina Frozen Yogurt is located on W. Angela at Main Street in downtown Pleasanton, next to Panda Mandarin Cuisine. They have a few tables outside and a few inside as well (the indoor capacity says 17) and what I like most about this place is that they have 14 terrific flavors!

Dark Chocolate / Cookies & Cream
Cappuccino / Peanut Butter
Vanilla / Dulce de Leche
Blueberry / Cheesecake
Passion Fruit / Strawberry
Key Lime / Coconut
Mango / Original Plain Tart

Yogofina Frozen Yogurt in Pleasanton was so busy this evening with people of all ages coming through door, one after another...and no wonder, because their yogurt is really fantastic! I tried tropical flavors, a combination of Passion Fruit, Coconut and Mango with fresh Mango topping plus I couldn't resist getting a tiny dabble of sweet red beans (to eat first by itself) and tonight's experience puts Yogofina Frozen Yogurt in Pleasanton on the top of my fro-yo list!

Sticky Rice Chinese Bistro and Bar - Fairfield, CA

Sticky Rice Chinese Bistro and Bar
5030 Business Center Dr. #100
Fairfield, CA 94534
(707) 863-7500
stickyricebistro.com



Sticky Rice Chinese Bistro and Bar is located off I-680 at Green Valley Road in Fairfield, just a couple of minutes off the freeway and next to the public library. The restaurant is not very big, although it has table seating inside and outside. Too bad the outside seating area is not lit, but at least Sticky Rice Chinese Bistro and Bar is a nice spot for lunch.



It was fairly busy at Sticky Rice in Fairfield for a Thursday evening and the bar was almost full, probably due to happy hour. We had a couple of drinks while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, a margarita on the rocks and a Napa Smith Amber Ale.



Here's what we ordered at Sticky Rice in Fairfield for dinner...and btw, I wouldn't order any of these items again (except the lettuce wraps) if we ever decide to eat here a second time. On a more positive note, service at Sticky Rice was wonderful.

Minced Chicken Lettuce Wraps $9 - good

Asian Chicken Salad $9 - meh

Steamed Sea Bass $19 - small portion and overpriced!

Hong Kong Crispy Noodles $10 - salty

Crispy Scallops in a Spicy Garlic Sauce $16 - too much breading

Lemon Chicken $11 - overcooked

Orange Beef $11 - okay (but I've had better...way better!)

Pineapple Coconut Sticky Rice Dessert - yuck

Espetus Churrascaria - San Mateo

Espetus Churrascaria
710 South B St.
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 342-8700
espetus.com



Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo is a rodizio-style Brazilian steak house buffet restaurant. Their original location is in San Francisco and just last year, they opened up another restaurant in downtown San Mateo. We came here for the first time, although we have been to a similar rodizio-style restaurant in Southern California. Dinner prices at Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo are $49.95 per person and I believe weekday lunch prices are about half because they also serve only half of the normal meat selection. Weekend lunches are around $29.95, but they include more meat variety than the weekday lunches.



The most memorable item of our evening at Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo was their grilled pineapple...it's hard to believe how juicy it is because when they serve it on to your plate, it looks a little on the dry side! I also liked their bacon-wrapped chicken breast and filet mignon and my husband loved their chicken hearts, pork sausage and garlic steak. Other than that, we weren't too crazy about any of the other meats served at Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo. As far as the salad bar, my favorite items were the feta cheese, kalamata olives, grilled veggies and mango salsa. I was not impressed with any of the food from their hot buffet, but I did like the large observation window behind it that looked into their grilling kitchen!

Salad Bar I


Salad Bar II


Hot Food Buffet


Grill


Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breast (1)


Pork Tenderloin (2)


Sirloin Steak (3)


Grilled Shrimp (4)


Filet Mignon (5)


Lamb (6)


Chicken Legs (7)


Parmesan-Crusted Pork (8)


Pork Sausage (9)


Flank Steak (10)


Barbecue Ribs (11)


Grilled Pineapple (12)


Chicken Hearts (13)


Garlic Steak (14)


Happy Birthday!

Yogoholic Frozen Yogurt - Pleasanton, CA

yogoholic
3500 Bernal Ave. #145
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 417-2213



Yogoholic is a brand new frozen yogurt shop located on Bernal Avenue at Vineyard Avenue in Pleasanton. I believe they are the only tenant of the shopping center besides a sushi restaurant, but at least that means there is abundant parking! They're open from 10am to 10pm so it's a wonderful after-dinner destination...since many frozen yogurt shops close at 9pm.



I'm impressed with the selection of flavors they have at yogoholic frozen yogurt in Pleasanton:

- Tahitian Vanilla
- Dreamy Dark Chocolate
- California Tart
- Espresso
- Mango Sorbet
- Wild Strawberry
- Peanut Butter
- Cookies & Cream

Since I'm a peanut butter and chocolate fanatic, you can probably guess what I had...yep, peanut butter and just a dollop of chocolate...topped with Reese's peanut butter cups! Pure heaven!

That said, even though I'm perfectly happy with the Reese's topping, yogoholic in Pleasanton doesn't offer as large a variety of dry toppings as other fro-yo places. I'm not sure if that will be a hinderance to some people, if yogoholic doesn't carry their favorite topping(s) but to me it's not an issue. :)

High Tech Burrito - Pleasanton, CA

High Tech Burrito
349 Main St. #120
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 462-2323
hightechburrito.com

High Tech Burrito is located on Main Street in downtown Pleasanton between Cold Stone Creamery and Tully's Coffee. They have the best "fast food Tex-Mex burritos" among their competitors, such as Baja Fresh, Una Mas, etc. Although they have quite an eclectic burrito menu with such ingredients as pineapple salsa (Hawaiian Teriyaki), peanut sauce (Thai Chicken), tomato pesto (Tuscan Pesto), BBQ chicken (Ya-Hoo BBQ), tofu (Braised Tofu) and curry (Yellow Curry Shrimp), they also offer the traditional classics of chicken, steak and pork.



My favorite (actually, it's the only one I've ever ordered!) is their gourmet Surf and Turf "steak and shrimp sauteed in salsa, onions and garlic with black beans and spanish rice in a grilled flour tortilla" because you just can't go wrong with that!



High Tech Burritos can stand up on their own! Their gourmet burritos are all $6.95 and for an extra $1.50 you can get a combo meal that also includes a drink and chips & salsa or guacamole. If you're ordering for two, sharing one combo is perfect unless you're really hungry!

1st Treat Yogurt - Livermore, CA

1st Treat Yogurt
2127 First St.
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 292-4244
1sttreatyogurt.com

1st Treat has pretty good yogurt for $0.40/oz. with a fair selection of dry toppings, but only 5 fruit toppings...and kiwi is the only fresh fruit they have. The strawberries and mixed berries are frozen and peaches and pears looked like they came out of a can. Not good.



The fro-yo flavors they had the times I've been there were: chocolate, vanilla, irish mint, cheesecake, banana, plain tart, mango tart, peach and strawberry. I tried the plain and mango tart, topped with frozen strawberries, frozen mixed berries and whipped cream. It was okay, but I wouldn't have gotten it had I known the fruit wasn't fresh. I do like the banana with just a touch of chocolate (alone, it's too sweet for me) and topped with Reese's peanut butter cups and peanut butter chips.



They also have whipped cream (it weighs nothing so it's easy on the pocketbook, too) in the door of the stainless fridge where the fruit toppings are. They're the only fro-yo in Livermore besides TCBY...and, um...Costco's food court.



Too bad they didn't stay open a little later...they close at 9pm (10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.) Another thing...I just discovered on their website that they offer a "punch card" where you buy 9 and get the 10th one free. We've been there numerous times and no one ever offered us one. Boo.

Me & Cha's Flavor of Vietnam - Livermore, CA

Me & Cha's Flavor of Vietnam
1548 N. Vasco Rd.
Livermore, CA 94551
(925) 606-8889

We stopped in this afternoon for a drink...I had a taro milk tea with pearls and he had a Vietnamese coffee with evaporated milk. If you haven't tried either of these drinks, I highly recommend you do! Service was good and I guess the only negative I have to report is that the place gets very, very hot in the afternoon. You'll practically burn your hand opening the front door and they don't have good ventilation inside...but at least if you're sipping a cold drink, it helps!

Simply Greek - Pleasanton, CA

Simply Greek
4220-C Rosewood Dr
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 463-8801
simply-greek.com

Simply Greek is located on Rosewood Drive behind TGI Friday's near Santa Rita Road and I-580. They have a few outdoor tables, but most of their seating is indoor. We always dine in, but we see people getting to-go orders all the time. Very nice and friendly owner and even though we don't see him there all the time, his staff does a good job in his absence.



We had another gyros at Simply Greek for a late lunch today and as always, they accommodated my request for extra tzatziki sauce and no onions...and they're still the BEST in the Tri-Valley! We've been coming here for almost a year now and there is no other Greek restaurant in the entire East Bay that compares with the quality you get at Simply Greek. Their souvlaki is simply fabulous, as well!



Just remember...Simply Greek is closed on Sundays and they're only open till 8pm Monday to Thursday, 9pm on Friday and Saturday. We have tried two different Greek restaurants in Livermore when Simply Greek was closed and we'd NEVER go back to either one...it's either Simply Greek or nothing from now on!

VJB Vineyards & Cellars - Kenwood, CA

VJB Vineyards & Cellars
9077 Sonoma Hwy
Kenwood, CA 95452
(707) 833-2300
vjbcellars.com

The Sonoma Valley Crush event weekend began and ended with wineries that turned out to be where we bought the most wine! Everyone at VJB Vineyards & Cellars was fantastic and we were glad our wine tasting weekend ended with such an outstanding experience.





The wines we couldn't resist taking home with us were their Rosso Family Blend, 2005 V Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Chardonnay Port. We also purchased a fabulous Caramel Port Sauce from VJB...after trying a sample, there was no way we were leaving without it!