Itto Sushi

Over the weekend, my family and I ate at a restaurant in San Ramon called, "Itto Sushi."  Usually at Asian restaurants my family and I eat family style.  I enjoy eating family style because you can taste different types of food.

 This Japanese restaurant was a very small and had only fifteen tables including a sushi bar.  It was very modern with hard wood floors and a flat screen television that was playing college basketball.  One of the workers even provided us with the remote, just in case we wanted to change the channel.  Business was slow, so other people did not mind that we changed the channel.  

Together we shared chicken and beef teriyaki, a sushi roll called the so-so roll, hamachi kama broiled and raw, and tempura udon.

I've noticed at many Japanese restaurants that the people working or even own the place are Korean.  Our waitress was very attendant, at times, too much but maybe because it was so slow.  She always wanted to clear our plates as soon as we were finished or refill our drinks when they were half way gone.  It was nice but in a way a little too much.  It was still a pleasant experience and the food was delicious. 

Sutro's Cliff House

(Lindsay, Me, and Pete)

Lindsay and I work together at Applebee's, and Pete is a regular at our job. A couple weeks ago, Pete took us out to dinner in San Francisco at a restaurant called Sutro's in the Cliff House. We had reservations for 7:30, and we were sat as soon as we checked in at the host stand. The restaurant was beautiful. There were large elevated windows towering over you that over looks the ocean and jazz music playing in the background. I enjoyed the ambiance because it created a peaceful environment to appreicate the company I was with.

We were introduced by a young man as our waiter that took care of us all night. He made recomendations of what was most popular on the menu, what wines would work well with our dish, and replenished our drinks as soon as they were empty.

For dinner, Lindsay ordered Wild Mushroom "Farrotto." Originally she wanted the duck but they were fresh out. Pete ordered the Grilled Natural Beef 12 oz. New York Strip Steak with a side of gratin potatoes. I had the Line-Caught Pacific Swordfish that was topped with dungeness crab. I was very pleased with my dish, the fish was incredibly soft and melted in my mouth. All the dishes were presented very nicely in different plates that had garnishes for decoration.

Later in the evening we had three different dishes of dessert. By this time, we were all stuffed and already felt a food coma approaching. We had to cut the night short because we had work and school the next day. After dinner, we waited for the Escalade to pick us up as we were all on our way back to the south bay.

PF Chang's

I walked through the front doors of a modern Chinese bistro guarded with huge stone horses at the entrance.  As soon as I opened the glass doors to PF Chang’s, a unique scent of stir fry or pan fry dishes tickled my nose.  A young lady dressed in black approached me and asked me how many for dinner.  I replied and said, “Just myself tonight.”  She smiled and walked me to my table making small talk. 

(PF Chang's, Oakridge Mall)

I sat alone looking over the menu.   My waiter soon brought a caddy of dipping sauces and introduced himself to me as Justin.  He was very friendly and took my drink order.  As soon as Justin got the signal of a closed menu, he approached me and asked if I was ready to order.  I ordered the Asian marinated New York strip and a side of brown rice. 

I was finished with my meal and set it to the side to hint that I was ready for the bill.  I waited around longer than I thought, because Justin was concentrated on his other tables.  The whole time I was eating, I watched Justin run around back and forth attending to his tables.  He seemed ambushed, although I did notice other servers helping him out. 

Justin moved toward me and asked me if I wanted a box for the rest of my meal.  While he boxed up my remaining portions of steak and mushrooms he handed me the check and told me he would be the cashier when ready.  I went through my wallet, found my Visa, and placed it in the check presenter.  He walked up to me and grabbed the card, and thanked me for coming in. 

Overall, I stayed longer than I thought I would by myself.  I thought I would have been bored but watching others was entertaining.  I walked out of the restaurant as a hostess said goodnight to me and thanked me for coming in.  I don’t know why I was so afraid to eat by myself.