Mar 28

Oz Korean BBQ

3343 Bradshaw Rd

Sacramento, CA 95827

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

There was a time when I had my first tasting of Korean BBQ at Oz. Service, food, and ambiance was great 5 years ago. This visit to Oz felt more like a complete 180. Upon entering the restaurant, we were told there was a 20 minute wait. We were seated around 5 minutes later in a table near a large group.

After sitting around for around 15 minutes with no water and no service, I had to flag someone down to find a server in order to begin all you can eat service. Eventually, a server came and took our order for meat. Another 15 minutes goes by with no update, which is uncanny especially since most of the dishes ordered were raw meat that we had to cook anyways. At this point, I walk up to the front desk and ask to speak with the manager. As I was talking to the manager, I found that a server finally delivered food to the table. I expressed my deep dissatisfaction with the organization and speed of service of the restaurant. He only explained that there was a mix-up in the servers and apologized for the inconvenience. As a result, he offered one free dessert item to be comped.

A funny thing happened after complaining to the manager. Service actually improved since we actually were assigned a server who actually brought out food. The server seemed to be coming in a stream of service asking about meat refills and refilling our waters.

Enough about service, the food did taste pretty good. There was enough seasoning and sauce on the meat. I especially enjoyed the high quality beef and tender pork. The appetizers were OK. We opted for the $19.99 Mon/Tue all you can eat that included appetizers instead of the standard $18.99 meat all you can eat. Rice portions were small, but refills did come quickly after complaining.

Overall, if you have a lot of patience or come in a large group, you will enjoy your time here at Oz. Oz really likes large tables because servers continuously stream there asking for help. The types of meat available are pretty good and flavors are definitely balanced, with the exception of the appetizers. After this last visit to Oz, I think I will never come back. I might have come back if the manager would have comped one person’s fee instead of offering a cheap desert. Be wary of Oz.

Mar 28

User Accounts Deleted

In case anyone had created an account on my website, I just wanted to let everyone know that all previous accounts were deleted. There were way too many junk accounts created before I enabled the CAPTCHA requirement. Now would be a good time to re-subscribe if necessary.

FYI, more posts are coming. I’m sorry for the delay.

Mar 06

Laos Kitchen

6227 Franklin Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95824

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Laos Kitchen is a popular Laos restaurant off of Franklin Blvd across from the Campbell soup facility. Limited parking is available in front of the restaurant. Contrary to some photos online, Laos Kitchen is closed on Tuesday, but open the rest of the week.

Today, I ordered sticky rice, stuffed angel wings, and Laos sausage as take out. The sticky rice was plentiful and a good value. The stuffed angel wings were OK, but were a bit small compared to other restaurants. The Laos sausage was a bit salty, but was very soft and flavorful.

Overall, the food at Laos Kitchen was OK. I expected larger portion sizes and better flavors. Considering the limited menu items and dissatisfaction with the dishes, I probably will not come back unless I needed a specialty dish. If you really like Laos food, you may like this place.

Feb 25

Asian Pearl

6821 Stockton Blvd #165

Sacramento, CA 95823

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Authentic Chinese abounds in South Sacramento. Asian Pearl is no exception. The restaurant is huge and can accommodate large banquets. The service was OK, but not exceptional because they were not filling my teapot when it was empty (yes my lid was up). The menu is diverse but lacks many of the Americanized staples.

Today, the food that was ordered included: the soup of the day, appetizer platter, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Queen’s Chicken, Honey Garlic Spareribs, Beef with Mushrooms, Tofu and Fish Filet hot-pot, Greens, Fried Catfish Hot Pot, Short Ribs Hot Pot, and Seafood Fried Rice Stick Noodle. The soup was flavorful and cleansing. The Honey Walnut Shrimp was delicious and had the right amount of sauce coating. The Queen’s Chicken was OK, but was bony. The Honey Garlic Spareribs were flavorful, but a bit salty. The Tofu and Fish Filet Hot Pot was delicious because the fish was cooked to perfection. I did not like the composition and cut of the catfish pot because the fish tasted very fishy and was cut in a weird way. The Short Ribs were OK, but there were quite a few fatty pieces. The Seafood Fried Rice Stick Noodle was OK, but I was not a fan of the flavor.

Overall, Asian Pearl serves up many authentic Chinese dishes. Prices are about right, and service was expected. If you really want authentic food or need to eat in a large banquet hall, then Asian Pearl will fit the bill.

Feb 23

The Cheesecake Factory – Part 2

1771 Arden Way

Sacramento, CA 95815

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

The Cheesecake Factory in Sacramento was pretty busy for a Sunday night, but that was probably because it was Valentine’s Day weekend. After a 25 minutes wait, we were seated in the restaurant among many other couples. The server was friendly and informative, but seemed a bit bogged down by all the tables he was managing.

Today, we ordered a strawberry lemonade, Louisiana Chicken Pasta, Crusted Chicken Romano, and a Snickers Cheesecake. The strawberry lemonade was a bit sour, but flavorful. The Louisiana Chicken Pasta was amazingly delicious. There is a definite kick from the spices, but it was bearable. The dish was not too salty and held a lot of flavor. There were ample amounts of chicken and shrimp. The Crusted Chicken Romano mirrored the flavor and complexity as the one ordered on a previous visit to the Cheesecake Factory in San Francisco. The chicken was juicy and sauce flavorful. However, BJ’s Chicken Parmesan has more flavor and kick while also being cheaper. The Snickers Cheesecake was delicious. The Cheesecake Factory tops the slice with whipped cream as well as more whipped cream on the side. The Snickers flavor is clearly evident in the Cheesecake and had a great texture.

Overall, The Cheesecake Factory continues to serve up delicious food from an array of menu items. I forgot to mention that the complimentary bread tasted good, but they only had the white bread and not the dark bread today. The food tastes great, but the prices are high. The ambiance of the restaurant definitely fulfills the romantic quality, but is quite loud. If you want some great food and free bread, head to the Cheesecake Factory. Don’t forget to order some cheesecake while you’re at it.

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