Chow

Restaurant review, enjoying every bite from dive to five star restaurants to give you the dish.

Spring Rolls Non-Fried (Photo: Heather Cassell)

Veganism Blooms in Northern California’s Tri-Valley Area at Blossom

So, how hard is it to find a good vegetarian or better yet a good vegan restaurant in Dublin, California? Apparently, the pickings have been very slim for a very hungry non-meat eating crowd until recently.

What’s up with that? Isn’t this California? Well yes, but it’s not Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco or Santa Cruz. The usual suspect cities for crunchy granola grass eating herbivores (I can say this I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area). This is the Tri-Valley area, which includes Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon. The region is 33 miles from San Francisco and 18 miles from Oakland, but it might as well be a whole other world called: the rest of America.

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El Siboney's Picadillo, a tasty Cuban comfort food, in Key West, Florida (Photo: Courtesy of RoadFood.com)

Savor the Taste of Cuba at El Siboney

Key West’s El Siboney serves up Cuba on a plate of deliciousness by Super G It was warm when we walked through the door of El Siboney Restaurant (900 Catherine Street; 305-296-4184; ElSiboneyRestaurant.com) in Key West, Florida and it wasn’t from the tropical heat warming the night air outside. It was warm with people, the […]

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Café Flore's Pan Roasted Chicken Salad (Photo: Heather Cassell)

Café Flore is Moving On Up

The next time you hang out at Café Flore (2298 Market Street; 415-621-8579; CafeFlore.com) one of the Castro’s popular spots to meet a date, friends or cruise the foot traffic walking by you’ll notice something different about this popular bohemic spot in San Francisco’s gayborhood.

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A view of Ciera’s impressive wine selection. (Photo: Super G)

Ciera Is Luxury For The Stomach And The Soul In South Lake Tahoe

It might be one of Lake Tahoe’s best kept secrets, a four diamond AAA restaurant for seven consecutive years in the back of a so-so casino and resort, the Mont Bleu, in South Lake Tahoe.

You would never guess from the small dingy casino floor and cheap eateries that circle the crap and poker tables that a sophisticated restaurant calls this place home, but tucked in the back near a nightclub is the Ciera Steak and Chophouse (55 Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe, 775-588-3515).

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Conchiglioni, a Shrimp Lemon Verbena and Asparagus (Photo: Courtesy of Osteria Coppa)

Osteria Coppa Serves Up a Night to Remember

Hanging out at the bar waiting for our group to arrive, I watched the interactions between the bartenders and the patrons as they chatted and mixed drinks at one of San Mateo’s hottest restaurants on B Street, Osteria Coppa (139 South B Street; 650-579-6021; ; OsteriaCoppa.com).

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Cleveland's popular restaurant row East 4th Street (Photo: Jeff Greenberg)

Hot in Cleveland: 3 Sizzling Culinary Delights

Cleveland has become quite the culinary scene in recent years. Sometimes it seems like you can’t throw a chopping knife without hitting a celebrity chef.

It doesn’t hurt that preeminent Chef Michael Symon, owner of Lola Bistro (2058 East 4th Street; 216-621-5652; LolaBistro.com), appears as one of the four culinary hosts weekdays on ABC’s popular “The Chew” touts the gastronomic charms of Cleveland whenever he can.

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Emma Beno, co-owner of the Pork Chop Shop, stands at the ready at the store located at the famed West Side Market. (Photo: Heather Cassell)

The Pork Chop Shop’s Butcher Babes Bring Home the Bacon

It’s tough having good chops and the “Butcher Babes” have got the best to offer at the West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio.

Emma Beno, 24, and Alexia Rodriguez, 32, owners of the Pork Chop Shop (1979 West 25th Street, Stand E4; 216-394-0382; ThePorkChopShopWSM.com) at the market infuse the flavor of the neighborhood and their own tastes into their pork in the Ohio City neighborhood.

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Inside the historic West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo: Heather Cassell)

Go to the Market at West Side Market

Many people oooh and ahhh over San Francisco’s Ferry Building and rightfully so, the public marketplace with its high quality organic shops highlighting some of the best of the San Francisco Bay Area’s small businesses, similar to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, brought this relic public market back to life. It’s even inspired and spawned other public markets in Napa, Anaheim and many more, but it has nothing on Cleveland’s West Side Market.

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Mongo Grubbo Cakes (a.k.a. dessert for breakfast) at Latitude 41n in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo: Courtesy of Latitude 41n)

3 Best Brunch Spots in Cleveland

What’s better than starting out a lazy Sunday? Brunch. It doesn’t matter if you are a breakfast or a lunch person all your gastronomic needs are met with brunch and it’s the perfect excuse to slow down and hang out with friends – new and old.

No matter where you are in the world, brunch makes everything better whether it’s simply to cure a hangover, hang with your favorite people, or refuel after a sporting it up.

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LUC's famous Beef Bourguignon (Photo: Sarah Toce)

LUC Serves Up the Flavor of France in Seattle’s Madison Park

If it’s an upright decadent time you’re expecting to have when you cross fork and knife this fall, LUC (2800 East Madison Street; 206-328.6645; ; TheChefInTheHat.com) in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood should be at the top of your priority list.

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Roen Ako leads Taste Seattle Food Tour’s newest tour Beach, Bikes and Bites. (Photo: Courtesy of Taste Seattle Food Tour)

Taste Seattle Food Tours Goes To The Beach

Alki Beach is where sun-seekers flock to enjoy a summer day at the beach and take advantage of breath taking panoramic views of the Seattle cityscape and the Olympic Mountains. It’s also a vibrant neighborhood with some foodie gems and rich with history and a beach culture all its own.

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Grilling up the skewers of meat at Hawker's Asian Street Fare (Photo: Courtesy of Hawker's Asian Street Fare)

Hawkers Asian Street Fare Gives A Taste of Asia

Last night, I went to Asia. I was in another world as soon as I stepped through the threshold of Hawkers Asian Street Fare (1103 North Mills Avenue, 407-237-0606, , HawkersStreetFare.com), a new Orlando favorite dining spot that serves up the flavors of Asia’s tasty street foods under one roof.

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