Eric P.

Nopa

Ate at Nopa last night with another couple and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great food and hip setting ( along with a bustling bar) make it a really fun spot for a get together with friends. The bar makes fantastic cocktails - try the Old Cuban or the Hai -Q. Dinner was excellent. Standouts included the flatbread and the calamari for appetizers. Flatbread is a must! For entrees the duck really is extraordinary. It's actually lean, flavorful and juicy unlike a lot of duck dishes. The hamburger definitely gets you the most mileage for your buck - it's great. The pork chop is awesome. Halibut is fine but doesn't shine as much as the others. Dessert options are tasty but not standouts. Had the sopaipillas which are like donuts.

Definitely recommend this restaurants. One of my favorites in SF.

Izzy's Steaks & Chops

It's inauspicious location just off Holly St. and on the other side of Highway 101 from downtown San Carlos can lead you to forget about Izzy's as one of the better dining options in San Carlos. Totally solid steakhouse with a pretty cool atmosphere once inside the restaurant (dark wood, separate bar room, booths etc..). Good service too. Go on the earlier side and there will be plenty of families with Kids. I believe they even include ice cream with kid's entrees. - Other added benefit is that after dining there you can walk across the parking lot to the Burger King where there is an old helicopter that the kids can sit in and pretend to fly.

Foodville Market

The key attraction of Foodville for me is the great meat selection. I highly recommend the marinated tri-tips for the BBQ and the ground lamb for gourmet burgers on the grill. Also have good fresh fruit and veges.

California Sports & Cyclery

My wife and I purchased our bikes here. We were looking for low-end Treks that we could use on rides with the kids - nothing too fancy. They directed us to the right models without trying to upsell us on equipment we don't need. I checked around at several other shops on the peninsula and in SF and found that their prices were the best for the bikes we wanted. Plus we saw one of their coupons in those coupon mailer packets that offered a free helmet with purchase of bike. They sell other sporting goods as well as bikes. Compared to Chain Reaction Bikes in RWC I don't think they have as much expertise on bikes. Several of the bikes on the floor seemed like they were put together without the fine tuning. Definitely test drive your bike before leaving the shop as ours needed several adjustments. Don't be afraid to tell them about anything you see wrong. They will absolutely do it. They also offer a free 2 month tune up which is nice.

Highlands Garden Cafe

Two adjacent, beautiful old homes in the Highlands neighborhood have been connected and repurposed into this upscale restaurant. In nice weather the preferred seating is outdoors in one of the many garden patios or porches - but they keep an equal number of tables indoors in case the weather is not so cooperative. We dined indoors with a couple of friends and loved the ambiance, great service and wonderful food. Standouts included the Gazpacho, the Beef Tenderloin, the scallops, and the bread pudding. Paella was solid but did not shine as bright as the others. Fabulous wine list.

Owners are very friendly and loved chatting with us about the transformation of the homes into this great Denver dining establishment.

Ozuma Restaurant

We do take-out from Ozuma every week and have been going there for the past 10 years. They always have really fresh ingredients and lots of customers (kind of critical in the raw fish business). They consistently put out delicious nigiri and maki. The service is always friendly and quick.
Favorites are the San Carlos power roll & their fresh salmon.

Decent seating inside - and they have the private rooms with the tatami mats, slippers and paper doors (sorry I don't know what the proper term for that is).

The wait staff and owner Chanly always makes much of our kids.

Crespo Jorge Md - Dermatology Associates

Doctor Jorge Crespo has been caring for us for some years now. He is very personable, genuinely interested in his patients and an extremely competent dermatologist. His office is tastefully decorated and his staff make us feel personally cared for. For dermatological problems he is the best.

The Hall at the Palihouse

Had dinner here on Thursday night with friends. Unassuming hotel on Holloway with very cool lower level bar and brasserie with open air seating from the inner courtyard as well as indoor seating.

burger & frites, scallops and tortellini were all really good. restaurant filled up by 8 and bar scene was beginning to pick up too. nice for conversation and a fun time and less pretentious than the sunset scene a few blocks away.

I'd definitely go back with friends or casual business dinner.

Cafe Torre

After reading a few reviews about this place my wife and I tried it before going to the movies just down the street. Really great Italian food and a nice interior (despite being in a strip mall). Nicoise salad was really quite good (we split it and it was plenty) and fresh pasta with chanterelle mushrooms was great. Terrific wines including a proseco and a great Bargetto Chardonnay.

Would definitely go back again.

Waterbar

How Pat Kuleto was able to snag the land along the Embarcadero and right at the foot of the Bay Bridge for his two new restaurants (Waterbar and Epic Roast House) is beyond me - but it sure makes for a nice dinner spot. Views of the bay are featured with the high glass walls of the dining room - accented by the several story water column aquariums. Our waitress was super helpful in describing all the different kinds of oysters and fish and very enthusiastic about the place and the food. Probably some of the best oysters on the half shell I've had and the fish was done beautifully. Just a fun place for a fancy night out. We'll definitely go back.