The Gold Star and the X-Factor

So how does a restaurant get a gold star? And what's this x-factor, anyway?

First, a bit about our food philosophy in general. Food is a very subjective thing, and we all have our own opinions.  And Miko and I luckily have pretty similar tastes.  We're fairly adventurous eaters -- we'll try most things, although Miko has a higher tolerance for things like fish guts or gray curly snails, and I have more of an ability (i.e. ANY AT ALL) to handle spicy or bitter foods. 

But we don't consider ourselves hard-core foodies -- for example, we are nowhere near as picky as mmm-yoso (Hi Kirk!), and for us, the experience of dining is almost as important as the food itself. We tend to shy away from fancy/fine restaurants; we prefer a cozy hole-in-the-wall.

The gold star is the Convoy Conquest's highest honor!  These are the restaurants that we truly feel love for.*  Usually, this requires a combination of great food AND x-factor.

We first realized the importance of the x-factor when we found Big Joy Family Bakery -- when you walk inside, you just have this feeling of being loved and taken care of.  Or Chilies Thai Gourmet, where we originally wanted to give it a gold star because the adorable cook made us so happy, even though the food was maybe not that amazing.

Our gold stars so far, with approximate percentages of deliciousness vs. x-factor (I think if it's less than 50% deliciousness, it can't really qualify as a gold star):
 Sage French Cake: 70/30
Wa Dining Okan: 80/20
Yokohama Yakitori Koubou: 50/50
Parsian International Market and Grill: 60/40
Izakaya Sakura 80/20
Phuong Trang 70/30
Big Joy Family Bakery 50/50
Crab Hut 70/30
Tapioca Express 80/20
Jeong Won Korean Buffet 60/40
Yakitori Yakyudori 90/10

This is not to say that, e.g., Big Joy is necessarily less delicious than Sage, but that its x-factor is a larger part of its appeal.  We are measuring the RATIO of deliciousness here, not the AMOUNT of deliciousness.  (Because that would be a giiiiant can of worms to open.)

This is, of course, extremely unscientific, and the numbers are not really quantifying anything specific -- this was the best we could do to explain a concept that is terribly nebulous and subjective. 

 *We decided that we have to go to a restaurant at least twice to give it a gold star, to make sure we aren't being overly influenced by unfair factors like being grouchy or STARVING. 

Convoy Conquest Awards Season! - West Side

We are now done with Convoy's West Side! Since it's Awards Season, we thought it would be a perfect time to recognize the best (and worst) restaurants on Convoy!

THE BEST OF THE WEST: WA DINING OKAN

Why?  Okan has countless outstanding dishes and pays careful attention to detail.  The interior is cozy and their staff is very pleasant.  We feel that Okan has a vision that they are striving to achieve, whereas most restaurants just make food.  (By the way, our affection for Okan does not extend to their lunch menu -- go for dinner!)

Nominees: Sushi Dokoro Shirahama, Big Joy Family Bakery

Best Chinese: China Max

Why?  They have charming service (adorable old men!), and their dim sum dishes are yummy.
Nominees: A Cafe, Spicy House

Best Japanese: Wa Dining Okan

Why?  For all the reasons it won Best Restaurant.
Nominees: Izakaya Sakura, Sushi Dokoro Shirahama, Yakitori Yakyudori

Best Korean: Jeong Won

Why? Jeong Won is such a fun place to eat.  A buffet barbecue where you can decide how much or how little to take of so many kinds of meat, fish, vegetables, and more!  They also have incredible rice and surprisingly good soft-serve.
Nominees: No contenders against Jeong Won, which is the clear winner.  Besides, most of the non-BBQ Korean places are on the east side.  We shall see!

Best Thai: Chilies Thai Gourmet
Why?  There was only one other Thai place so far.  But Chilies Thai Gourmet does have the most charming chef who won our hearts.  And truly delicious coconut ice cream.

Best Non-Asian: Parsian
Why?  Parsian was such a pleasant place to eat.  Lots of natural light, and a little fountain outside.  Their food was perfectly seasoned, and the ice cream sandwich was so good!  (We speak in past tense because Parsian has moved and is no longer a Convoy restaurant.  Sniffle.)
Nominees: Crab Hut

Best Dessert: Sage French Cake

Why?  These cakes are scrumptious.  The fruit tart is like nothing we've had before.
Nominees: Big Joy Family Bakery

Best Date: Crab Hut
Why?  It's so fun and interactive!  Great for a date with someone you really like and get along with.  But if you're going on a fancier, more romantic date with someone you barely know, go with Koon Thai Kitchen, which has low lighting, attractive décor , and a generic menu that's not too intimidating. Nominees: Koon Thai Kitchen

Best Service: Yokohama Yakitori Koubou

Why?  The staff at Yokohama Yakitori Koubou look genuinely happy to see us.  (A quality that is utterly lacking in, say, Yakitori Yakyudori's servers.)  We are also charmed by how they give us a milk shot before drinking alcohol, and green tea to end the meal.

Nominees: China Max, The Original Pancake House, Wa Dining Okan

Hottest Staff: Sage French Cake
Why?  The Handsome Pastry Chef.  So stern and reserved, and he takes genuine pride in his work -- rather Mr. Darcyesque.  His rolled up sleeves!  The way he expertly pours melted chocolate!  How he smiled when we exclaimed over our gorgeous Valentine's Day tart! Dreamy sigh.

Nominees: Koon Thai Kitchen, B.H. Chung

Best X-Factor: Big Joy Family Bakery

Why?  The sweet smell of fresh-baked goodness envelops you as you walk in the door.  The classical music is quiet and soothing.  It's neat, yet cozy, and you get the feeling that you're being taken good care of.  It's like heaven.
Nominees: Parsian

Best for Kids: Phuong Trang

Why?  There's a long menu, so you can probably find something that a picky kid will eat.  They have big tables for large families.  It's a huge place and on the louder side, so you don't have to worry so much about children being on their best behavior -- a little noise isn't going to disrupt your neighbors. Plus, the food is pretty delicious.  
Nominees: A Cafe, Sage French Cake (but take-home only)

WEST SIDE'S WORST: TSURUHASHI

Why?  You know what's more annoying than something that's outright bad?  Something that's just mediocre that gets a lot of hype.  Tsuruhashi has 4 stars on Yelp and was recommended by friends, but it just proved to be disappointing and expensive, especially compared to Korean barbecue places on Convoy.

Nominees: Sunrise Buffet

Worst Service: Shabu World

Why?  There is such a thing as too much service.  We were the only ones there, and the staff kept hovering over us, asking us the same question multiple times.  We need a chance to relax and talk to each other without servers listening in!  

Nominees: Yakitori Yakyudori

 

Most Confusing: Manna Bakery

Why?  We are still terribly puzzled by our experience at Manna Bakery...  Seriously, what?

Nominees: Cafe International

Sunrise Buffet

Some of our guest critics mid-meal.
The orange soda got rave reviews.

Jenne's first round...

Some other people's...

The egg drop soup was popular.

The orange chicken was extremely weird.

Broccoli and...jello?

Dessert was far and away the best part, especially the doughnuts!

Kate said she got a little overexcited with the sprinkles.

Thumbs up on the jello, thumbs down on the chocolate pudding.

Really, Miko?  That is disgusting.

The whole gang!

Halfway Celebration!

Sunrise Buffet is the last stop on Convoy's West Side! We invited lots of friends to celebrate with us! (Too bad it was kind of gross, but hey, still fun!)

Rating: 7 thumbs down, 5 sideways thumbs, 1 thumb up

Date: 2/4/12
Time in: 7:40 PM (Jenne and I were late)
What we ordered: Buffet, tea, Cokes, Diet Cokes, orange sodas.
Number in our party: 13 (Carling, Ryan, Sarah H., Sarah M., Tracie, Elise, Keith, Laura, Gerry, Nick, and Kate as guest critics today)
Final check amount: $15.07 each for the buffet and a soda
Notes: 

• Carling -- Likes: crab puffs.  (Thumb down.) 
• Elise -- Likes: crispy chicken, Brazilian beef.  Dislikes: anything with scallop or shrimp.  (Sideways bordering on down.)
• Gerry -- Likes: jello. Dislikes: everything else.  (Thumb down.)
• Jenne -- Likes: egg drop soup, fried fish, seafood delight.  Dislikes: orange chicken and stuffed shrimp.   (Thumb down.) 
• Kate -- Likes: crispy chicken.  Dislikes: spring rolls.  (Thumb down.)
• Keith -- Likes: fried chicken, crab puff, crispy chicken.  (Thumb up.)
• Laura -- Likes: frog legs, boneless spare rib, salmon.  Dislikes: lots of overly salty dishes.  (Sideways bordering on down.)
• Miko -- Likes: crab puffs, doughnuts, mei fun.  Dislikes: pork bun, orange chicken, crispy chicken, chocolate pudding (it was sour!).  (Thumb down.) 
• Nick -- Likes: coconut shrimp, doughnut.  Dislikes: orange chicken.  (Thumb down.)
• Ryan -- Likes: shrimp on ice, fruit, broccoli.  (Sideways thumb.) 
• Sarah H. -- Likes: crispy chicken, sushi, mussels, oysters.  Dislikes: seaweed salad, stuffed shrimp.  (Sideways thumb.)
• Sarah M. -- Likes: anything fried (crab puffs, egg rolls), dumplings, fish.  Dislikes: orange chicken, green beans.  (Sideways thumb.)
• Tracie -- Likes: hoisin clams "but I might regret these later."  Dislikes: pork bun.  (Thumb down.) 

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 3860 Convoy Street
Phone number: 858.715.1608
Website: http://sunrisebuffet.menutoeat.com/
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Crowded lot with teeny spaces.
Ideal group size: Any 

Available vegetarian options: Salad, doughnuts, soft-serve
Noise level: 3

Shabu World

Lots of condiments.  Ponzu, peanut sauce (too sweet), 
grated daikon, minced garlic, etc. etc.

Lots of vegetables, and more cabbage than even I (Jenne) can eat, and I love cabbage.
 Nobody needs this much cabbage!

Seafood assortment.

Pork and beef.

Simmering nicely, with LOTS of assistance from the staff...they
wanted to be very involved in the meal, apparently.

I asked for sesame sauce because I didn't really like the peanut sauce.
You can also get a raw egg to mix in, which unsurprisingly Miko did.

It becomes udon at the end...but the broth had no flavor whatsoever.

During the grand opening month, they give you free green tea ice cream.

Rating: Two sideways thumbs
Date: 1/20/12

Time in: 1:30 PM
What we ordered: Seafood combo (salmon, scallops, shrimp) + egg, meat combo (beef and pork), 2 teas.

Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: $15.09 + 11.85

Notes: 

• I couldn't write detailed notes while eating because (1) there was no table space for writing at a shabu shabu place, and (2) the staff was constantly hovering over us. There were like 6 of them waiting on just us, and they'd ask us the same questions over and over.  Kind of annoying.
• Also, there was one server who looked incredibly out of place.  She was the only non-Asian, and she had an accent (Russian?  European of some kind?).  Her outfit was straight out of a high-fashion magazine, and her makeup made her look like a creepy marionette doll.  We both wondered why they hired her...
• The salmon was pretty fishy; the scallop was tasteless; and the shrimp tasted a bit like dirt.  Plus...they added the egg into the udon soup when it wasn't hot enough.  So instead of the nice egg-drop I'd have liked, it became raw egg broth.  Ew.
• The sign looks like it says Swab World.  Haha!
• We would give this place a thumbs down, but we felt it might be unfair to a restaurant that just opened.  We would probably never go back though.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Address: 3904 Convoy St, Ste 117
Phone number: 858.715.1188
Website: http://www.shabuworld.net
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Crowded lot, especially when The Original Pancake House is open
Ideal group size: 1-3
Available vegetarian options: Vegetable combo

Noise level: 2

Sage French Cake

First Visit

The latte came like this, about an inch short of full...
but it didn't really matter because it wasn't very good anyway.

Caramel mousse cake.
Miko thought it was unbearably bitter, but I loved it even though I don't usually like cake.

They very Japanesely put sugar on the bottom, so it doesn't stick to the doily.  Because that would be gauche.

Rating: Two thumbs up (but Jenne had to be talked into it)
Date: 1/7/12
Time in: 2:20 PM
Servers' recommendations: (In firm voice) "Everything is good."

What we ordered: Caramel mousse cake, cafe late [sic], English Breakfast tea.
Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: Around $11
Notes:  

• We know that Sage claims to be a French patisserie.  But it gets a Japanese label because the guy who runs the place is old-school Japanese to the core.  You get the impression that the cakes are his art.  He loves to make them.  He takes great pride in every detail.  For him, the inescapable necessity of selling them and interacting daily with customers must be an unfortunate drawback of being a pastry chef.     
• For those customers, he grudgingly makes coffee.  Which is why his "cafe late" blows.  The foam is not creamy.  The cup isn't even full.  "Why even bother?" Jenne asks in exasperation.  
• However, taking home cute little cakes in a box = a special treat for Japanese families.  Even I get all nostalgic when I see the cellophane carefully wrapped around those pastries, and I'm just barely Japanese.  The main purpose of this bakery isn't to act as a cafe.  It's a carryout place.    
• And the cakes are undoubtedly delicious.  I didn't like the caramel mousse cake, but that's because I'm absurdly sensitive to bitterness.  I can tell that it's a well-constructed cake.  To prove it, Jenne doesn't like most cake, and she was full from lunch, but she finished it anyway. The other pastries looked yummy too, especially because the colors are more natural-looking.
• P.S. The chef is very handsome, even though he's so stern.

Second Visit

Cheesecake. Sponge cake on the bottom, not graham cracker crust like all other cheesecakes you've ever had!

Fruit Tart (holy DAMN this was delicious).

This time there was a nice lady working there who very kindly
heated some milk so I could have cafe au lait.

When you order tea, they give you a cute little cup to put the teabag in.
It's the little touches like this that get you a gold star, people.

Rating: Two thumbs up!
Date: 1/20/12

What we ordered: Cheesecake, fruit tart, cafe au lait, English Breakfast tea.

Number in our party: 2

Notes:

• We now have a crush on the Sage Cake pastry chef.  We couldn't stop giggling over him.  Those rolled up sleeves!  The way he expertly pours melted chocolate!  Dreamy sigh.
• Today, there was a lovely assistant working.  She was much more given to smiley customer service.
• A very loud girl came in.  She clearly had a thing for the Handsome Pastry Chef too.  After flirting with him shamelessly ("You've lost weight!  It makes you look younger!"), she chattered on to the assistant.  "I used to be skinny like an Asian girl," she said, "but now I'm fat like a white girl because of his cake!"  (By the way, she was maybe a size 4, tops.)  "I told him he should put signs with calorie information, but you know what he said?  'I don't care about the health of my customers.'  He actually said that!!"  Jenne and I thought this was all hilarious.  
• Holy mother of JESUS, the fruit tart was amazing!  I've never had cream like it!  We think the crust might be made with almond flour.  It was heavenly.
• The cheesecake was very light and a bit tart, not very sweet at all. 
  

A Special Order

We put in an order for a whole fruit tart for a Valentine's Day treat!  Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?

RESTAURANT INFORMATION  

Phone number: 858.571.3484 

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sage-french-cake-san-diego
Accepts credit cards? Yes, but there's a $10 minimum.
Parking: Crowded lot with teeny spaces.
Ideal group size: 1-4.
Available vegetarian options: Everything.
Noise level: 1 (It's definitely quieter than our library, anyway.)

Nam An - CLOSED

Sea snails green mango salad.

Free soup.

Fried rice with beef.

Bean curd stir-fried rice noodle.

Fresh orange juice and lemonade (so it says on the menu, but in Vietnamese restaurants, that seems to always mean limeade).

Rating: Two sideways thumbs

Date: 1/2/12
Time in: 6:45 PM

Server's recommendations: Fried rice with shaking filet mignon beef, sea snails green mango salad, free range chicken pho.
What we ordered: Sea snails mango salad, fried rice with beef, Bean curd stir-fried rice noodle.
Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: $38.74
Notes: 

• We are now nearly finished with the west side of Convoy Street!  Before we go to the last restaurant, we wanted to catch up on any new places that opened after our quest began.  Nam An is a newbie.
• Jenne thought that the sea snail salad tasted good, but the gray curliness of the snails creeped her out.  Miko was okay with the snails but didn't like the herb used to season the salad.  We agreed that the fried onions on top were delicious.
• The fried rice with beef was quite tasty, although Jenne found it a little bland.  The meat was very tender.
• I (Miko) strongly disliked the stir-fried noodles.  I found it tasteless except for a bitter aftertaste that I found terribly unpleasant.  (Jenne suspects that I'm a supertaster, so most people might not find it bitter at all.)  I tried adding soy sauce to it, but the brand of soy sauce they provided was bitter too!  Gaaah.  The bean curd in it was also too fried -- it was hard and chewy.
• The server was nice and attentive.  He had a very pleasing way about him.
• We very much like that they gave us our own jug of water.
• There was a call button at each table, but it was VERY LOUD.
• Overall, we would always choose Phuong Trang over Nam An.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 4690 Convoy Street, Ste 111 (Plaza del Sol)
Phone number: 858.277.7788
Website: http://www.namancuisine.com/
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Private lot shared with rest of plaza -- spaces available.
Ideal group size: 1-4
Available vegetarian options: Vegetarian fried rice, spring rolls.
Noise level: 2