Juban!

Sophia says: Last night we went to Juban with my grandma and grandpa! We call them Humma and Poppy. We made a reservation so we were seated quickly. In the restaurant, the booths have big tables with a hibachi grill built in. That is so you can cook your own food! I ordered a Shirley Temple to drink. The drink menu has a good selection of fun drinks for kids and a nice selection of drinks for adults. When I got my Shirley Temple it tasted good and also, the glass had a cool shape. For dinner, we ordered chicken thighs, prawns and chicken breasts. (Everything was raw) It was really fun to cook it ourselves because we got to use tongs to take the food on and and off the grill.  I also ordered rice. I felt that our waiter did not have a very energetic attitude. He seemed tired. When our food was done cooking, it was really good!  The restaurant got busier during the time we were there. As we ate, our waiter never came to check on us, we had to find someone. The bathroom was really clean and the restaurant was too. They had a dessert menu,  but we did not order anything because Poppy took us for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. I would like to come back to Juban with my mom and dad.

            712 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025  (650) 473-6458

Josh says: Last night we went to dinner with my Humma and Poppy. They took us to Juban! I ordered orange juice and chicken.  The chicken was not cooked because we got to cook it ourselves. It was cool because you can cook your own dinner by using the grill on the table. The grill was safe, but it would burn you if you touched it. We used tongs to put our food on the grill. It took about 1 or 2 minutes to cook anything. I had a fun time and I wish you all a Merry early Christmas!

Humma says: We have been here previously and it's more fun to order a la carte insted of the price fixed dinners because they have a good meat, poultry and vegetarian variety to choose from. The enjoyable experience of cooking and eating your own food together is what makes Juban so fun and different.  For us, the joy was being able to go out with our grandchildren, who have such great manners and are fun to be with.  We'll definitely be back!

Poppy says:  It was an enjoyable dinner. The company was superb! I ordered chicken breasts and mixed vegetables. The best part was being with my family.

Food: ****
Service: **
Atmosphere: ****
Overall:

  3 1/2 Ladybugs!

Los Altos Grill!

Sophia says: Hi Readers - today is 12-12-12! Tonight for dinner we went to Los Altos Grill. It serves American food. When we got there, it was busy. As the hostess led us to a table, we noticed there was a fireplace and a piano. It looked like a nice restaurant. When we sat down, our waiter was REALLY nice. I ordered the ribs off the kids menu and I had fries for a side dish. My food took a little longer, but that was okay because it turned out AMAZING!!!!!! The ribs were really tender and the sauce was just right. Later on when we ordered dessert, a band started playing. There was a person playing the piano, the electric guitar, and the trombone. It was really cool. For dessert we ordered a gigantic oreo cookie with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Now that was good! I had a great time at this restaurant and would DEFINITELY come back.

                233 3rd Street, Los Altos, CA 94022   (650) 948-3524

"famous cornbread in the skillet"

                                  

Oreo cookie dessert

                                                               Two minutes later!

  
Josh says: Tonight we went to Los Altos Grill for dinner! It is a fancy restaurant and when we got inside, it was very pretty and then the hostess came and took us to our table. And then I ordered a cheeseburger and fries and a lemonade. The lemonade was a little bit sour because it was made with real lemons. When my cheeseburger came I said thank you to our waiter.  And then I started to eat. When we were done, we saw a little mini band playing in the front of the restaurant so we watched for a little bit. I loved everything about the restaurant!  And then we went home.

Paul says: I had the steak and enchilada platter. It was delicious. Ambiance was excellent. Our service was excellent also. The cornbread appetizer was great! I would come back every night if I could!

Jodie says: I'm glad we made reservations because even though we went early, it was packed when we got there. We were seated immediately and our waiter was really nice and friendly. We all shared their "famous cornbread in the skillet" and it was hot and fresh out of the oven.  I ordered the ahi tuna salad and I loved it. For dessert, we shared the homemade oreo cookie with ice cream. It was a special night and our dinner was wonderful. I highly recommend Los Alto Grill to anyone looking for great food and great service!

Food: *****
Service: *****
Atmosphere: *****
Overall:
                       5 Ladybugs!

Amarin Thai!

Sophia says:  Today we went to Amarin Thai for lunch! We wanted to try it again because my mom had a gift certificate, and we wanted to give it another chance. The last time we were there the service was horrible. If you want to read about our horrible service please click on this link.  It was much less crowded this time because we went during lunch. When we sat down it took our waiter a long time to come to our table. Finally he came and we ordered pad thai noodles and a fried rice in a pineapple shell.  Our food came quickly and our food was delicious. But when our waters were getting close to empty I had to ask our waitress to please refill them. We had a lot of food so we took some home for my dad. The restaurant was very clean and also decorated very festive for Christmas. I would come back at a less crowded time.

 174 Castro Street  Mountain View, CA 94041, (650) 988-9323

                                          chicken coconut soup

Josh says: Hi Readers! The last time we came here, we had bad service on my mom's birthday. We tried it again and this time it was good. I ordered the pad thai and house special rice. I liked the rice because it was my favorite food and it came in a big pineapple and it tasted good. It also had chicken and shrimp. The service was just a little bit slow. I think they were busy but we still had a good time. When we left we got to have a piece of candy and it was in a little bowl by the front door. And that was the best part.

Jodie says: As you know we came here 2 years ago on my birthday and we were not very impressed. This time around was much better but I still think the service could be better. I ordered the coconut chicken soup and it was really, really good. It is one of my favorite kinds of soup so that was a treat. The restaurant has many holiday decorations up and that contributed to the festive atmosphere. 

Food: ****
Service: **1/2
Atmosphere****
Overall:
 3 Ladybugs!

Crepevine!

Sophia says: Today for lunch/dessert we went to Crepevine! It opened a few weeks ago and has been very crowded. This restaurant also used to be Nicoles, which we reviewed last year.  (please click on the link to see! http://ladybugrestaurantreviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/nicholes.html )
When we got there, we waited in a long line before we could give our order. There was waitstaff bustling around, the chefs cooking fast and everyone was talking. When we finally got to the front of the line, we ordered the Santorini crepe and the Midnight Blues for all of us to share. Then the cashier gave us a number and we sat down. It took a little longer for them to bring us our food but when they did, it looked really good. It tasted DELICIOUS! The Santorini was sweet and also came with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I would come back but not at such a busy time.

                         300 Castro Street, Mountain View (650) 969-6878

                                                                     

                                                                          Santorini

Midnight Blues

Josh says: Today we went to Crepevine. We waited to get our food for a long time. Then when we finally got our food we came to a table and started eating. I had the Santorni crepe and it was good.  And they gave ice cream with whipped cream. I also had some lemonade. The restaurant was too loud but I would love to come back anyway.

Paul says: Crazy busy place. Worth the wait, crepe wise. Reasonable price for downtown.  Great selection of drinks, and the other dishes looked great. I wouldn't want to come back when it is that crazy busy but would come back again when it slows down.

Jodie says: This is a special review because we started this blog when Sophia was only 8 years old and she just turned 10!  Crepevine took over after Nicoles closed down this year. It's a great location in downtown Mountain View. We have been wanting to try it and they have looked very busy.  We stopped by this afternoon and the line was almost out of the door. We waited about 15 minutes to order and then it took another 15 or so minutes to receive our crepes. When the food is up on the counter the servers have to walk around the whole restaurant, inside and outside to look for the correct number on the table.  Paul and I shared the Midnight Blues and it was really good, and very sweet. I would love to try one of their salads next time.

Food: ****1/2
Service: ***

Atmosphere: ***

Overall:

 3 1/2 Ladybugs!

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Sweet Tomatoes!

Sophia says: Hey Readers! Tonight we went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner! We had gotten a coupon in the mail and we finally went to see what it was like. When we got there, we each got a tray and a plate and we moved through the salad bar line. You may think the salad bar is small from the photo but it's actually pretty huge and takes up half of the restaurant. The salad bar has a few base salads, then tons of toppings like croutons, veggies, beets, carrots and so much more! After you are done you pay for your dinner at the end of the line and then you pick a table. After that, it's like an all you can eat buffet. There are different kinds of soups, muffins, biscuits, drinks and a big dessert bar. I got the chicken noodle soup and a blueberry muffin. The food was AMAZING!!!! I also got a pumpkin muffin fresh from the baker who took it out of the oven.  It was delicious! For dessert I had ice cream with sprinkles and butterscotch syrup. That was great also. The only bad thing was while we were eating dinner we heard a screaming baby.  He cried for almost an hour. That's because Sweet Tomatoes is very family friendly. I would come back.

      1040 Grant Rd, Ste 350, Mountain View, CA 94040 (650) 961-2500

 Josh says: Tonight we went to Sweet Tomatoes. When we got there, we got a tray and got to pick our own food. I did not pick the salad but I picked cheese, corn, beets, and carrots. After we sat down, I started to eat and then I got some macaroni and cheese. It was good! And I also had some chicken soup and that was good too. For dessert I had chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and halloween sprinkles. I liked it so much I wanted to have thirds! At one table, we heard a screaming baby. But I also saw a baby that was nice and calm and cute at another table. And I have never seen a baby that quiet before and I have never heard a baby scream so much. And then we left. I would love to come back!

Jodie says: Aside from the screaming baby, we had a fun time! The kids loved serving themselves and were careful to eat what they had before getting something else. We got there at 5:30 and there were already a few people but when we left an hour later it was packed.  Even though it is self serve, there was plenty of staff clearing the tables. I had spinach salad and chicken pot pie soup which was tasty.  It got pretty loud towards the end but everyone seemed to be having a great time.  Highly recommened for a fun and casual dinner out.

Food: ***1/2
Service: ***
Atmosphere: **1/2
Overall:
3 Ladybugs!