Xahn!

Sophia says:   Today is my Dad's birthday! We went to Xahn. It is a Vietnamese and Asian fusion restaurant. There was this rock wall that had water pouring down on it and it was really cool! I ordered  peach juice that was really yummy to drink, and Lucky Egg Noodles. The restaurant is really pretty, and our waitress was so nice! We didn't have to stack any plates which was really good and they kept filling our water glasses. The service was excellent.  If you are vegetarian you can go there because they also have vegetarian food. For dessert we surprised my dad by getting him chocolate pyramid cake and it was really good! I would definitely come back.

       110 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 (650) 964-1888

                                                 waterfall wall!

                                                    

Josh says: Today was my dad's birthday and we went to Xahn. I liked the noodles and my mango juice. The service was pretty fast! My food tasted really good. We got my dad a birthday cake and it tasted like chocolate ice cream. I would come back tomorrow! 

Paul says: We went here for my birthday dinner and the bar was very busy and noisy but fun. We sat near the bar so it was noisy while we ate but the food and service more than made up for it. I had brown rice, string beans with spicy sauce and chicken satay. Everything was delicious.  

Jodie says:  I had been to Xahn for my niece's high school graduation dinner 2 years ago. The decor is very contemporary and they have a huge lounge area in the front. Their food is fantastic. I ordered their tuna tartare which is served in a little bowl on top of a vase filled with dry ice - it's an amazing presentation.  The only drawback was the noise level because we were seated in the room closest to the lounge.  The service  was excellent  and we had a great night out!

Food: ****1/2

Service: *****

Atmosphere: ****

Overall:  4 1/2 Ladybugs!

Napoletana Pizzeria!

Sophia says: Hi Readers! Tonight is a different kind of review. We went to Napoletana Pizzeria but we had to order take out because it was so busy and it would take too long to wait. When we walked in every table was filled. It's a pretty small and cute restaurant. Then we asked how long it would be and our waitress said pretty long.  We looked at the tables and nobody was ready to leave. We ordered prosciutto pizza to go. When we got home we ate it and it was really good. The waitresses were really nice and super busy. I want to come back,eat there and review the service.

                 1910 El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 650-969-4884

Josh says: Tonight our review is a little different. It took an hour to get our pizza. The restaurant was little and there were so many people in it that we could not sit at any of the tables because they were full. We got to watch the guy flip the pizza. It was cool that he did that! We took our pizza home and ate it. And the pizza was so good. I did not like the mushrooms and I did not like the salad so I took that off. And I definitely want to come back there.

Jodie says: We had a reader request from Nancy to review Napoletana Pizzeria. I had never heard of it and was curious to see what it was like. We went at 6:00pm on Friday night and it was completely full. Its a very a small and charming restaurant. We would have waited to eat but it looked like everyone had just sat down and no one was ready to leave so we ordered our pizza to go.  While we waited 4 more couples came in and everyone was turned away. We got to see the chef create all the pizzas from scratch and it was amazing to see the process and watching them cook in the wood burning pizza oven. They had 2 waitresses who were extremely busy but also extremely friendly. Our pizza was fantastic and I would love to come back and eat in the restaurant.

Food: ****
Service: 40 minutes for take out
Atmosphere: ***1/2
Overall: 4 Ladybugs!

Shabuway!

Sophia says: Happy New Year Readers! Tonight we went to Shabuway. It is a Japanese restaurant but not a sushi restaurant.  It is different because you cook your food at the table in a pot of hot broth. First, the chef brings you raw meat and the waitresses bring you vegetables and noodles and they are all raw. You have to cook your food in a pot on the stove in the middle of your table! It's very fun! The service was good when they brought the raw stuff, but we cooked the food ourselves. When we got there, there were people waiting outside for it to open. We were one of the first ones inside and it got so crowded, a lot of people had to wait. I would definitely come back because its a really good restaurant and the food that we cooked ourselves tasted really good.  Also the meat turned out really tender and melted in your mouth. It took about 20 seconds to cook and then it was done. For dessert I had mango mocchi ice cream and it was really good too.

                       180 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041 (650) 961-8880

 Traditional seaweed broth on the left and spicy miso broth on the right.

                    

Josh says: Happy New Year Readers! The restaurant was awesome! I got to cook my own food and my mom helped me cook my food. And I ate rice and meat and salad but I didn't like the salad. But I liked the rice. The service was okay, and they were very busy. And thanks for reading our blog!

Paul says: Love Shabuway! First you pick your sauce, then your pick your kind of Kobe beef or lamb, then you cook it in the boiling pot of brothy sauce and presto! can you say delicious? I mean wowee! Seriously good! The service was decent, we had to ask for things twice a couple of times but then again the place was packed. In fact, there was a line of people waiting to get in. Would I go again? Oh yeah, soon too.

Jodie says: Eating at Shabuway was a really fun way to start the new year! We are lucky to live in an area where there are many great restaurants to choose from, and Shabuway was packed with a line of people waiting to get in. I can see why, it's a lot of fun to cook your own food at the table, and everything tasted delicious. The service could have been better but all of the servers were really busy. I would love to come back.

THANK YOU READERS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT IN 2011-  FEEL FREE TO COMMENT AND SUGGEST RESTAURANTS FOR US TO REVIEW FOR 2012!

Food: ****1/2
Service: **1/2
Atmosphere: ***
Overall:

3 1/2 Ladybugs!

China Cafe!

Sophia says:   Tonight we went to China Cafe. It was special because my Auntie Jill came with us. We ordered chicken chow mein, pot stickers, cherry pork and  chicken & egg soup. We ate family style. The service was very good and our waiter was nice. He came to our table to check on us and always poured us more water. The restaurant is really nice and there were a couple of families there. I would definitely come back because the service was really good and our food was good too. And also Merry Christmas!

              1760 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View, CA (650) 968-2298

                                     2 waiters serving a party of 6

Josh says: Tonight I went to a Chinese restaurant with my Auntie and my mom and my sister. The person who cooked my food made my soup too hot. I had some pot stickers and I really like them because I like pot stickers. Our waiter was always checking on us. I liked the cherry pork and  broccoli too. And I wish you a Merry Christmas even if Christmas already passed.

Auntie Jill says: I loved the chicken and corn soup and the chow mein was delicious. The service was good. I would come back.

Jodie says: My sister recommend China Cafe to us. The restaurant is very small and nicely decorated. There were 2 waiters and we had great service.  I felt the food was more on the mediocre side. I liked our soup and the chow mein but was not crazy about the cherry pork.  It tasted like sweet and sour pork with a thick ketchup sauce.  In fact, I'm pretty sure it was covered in ketchup.  I'm not sure I would go back right away but we had a very nice evening and I would recommend China Cafe as a family friendly restaurant.

Food: **1/2
Service: ****
Atmosphere: ***1/2
Overall:

3 Ladybugs!

Bangkok Spoon!

Sophia says: Tonight we went to Bangkok Spoon. It was really great. It is a Thai restaurant and it looks really nice. I ordered pad thai and it smelled kind of bad but it actually tasted really good! So I learned if a dish smells bad it could still taste good. I also drank lemonade and that was good also. We were the only ones there, and finally someone else came in but he ordered his food to go.  So we were really the only ones there to eat.  Our waiter was nice and the service was good. At the end of our meal he gave us a freebie, it was coconut ice cream!  It was so good, but it made me cold! I would definitely come back, it was a really great restaurant.

                     702 Villa St, Mountain View, 94041 (650) 968-2038

Josh says: Tonight my mom took us to dinner to a Thai restaruant. When we got there, there were no people. I was surprised when I got there because nobody was there. I shared a chicken pad thai and I drank some lemonade and the lemonade was good. The service was kind of slow. I thought  my dinner would be good but instead I only liked the chicken.  The dessert was delicious! It was coconut ice cream with a cashew on top. 

Jodie says: We have driven past Bangkok Spoon during the day many times and it has always been crowded at lunchtime.  We came in for dinner and it was a little strange being the only ones there. It was also so cold in the restaurant that we needed to keep our jackets on. Our waiter was very friendly, but disappeared in the back for long periods of time.  I had the coconut milk soup and it was really delicious. When we were ready to leave, our waiter brought the kids ice cream to share and I thought that was really nice.

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

First Wok!

Sophia says: Tonight we went to First Wok! It is a Chinese restaurant. When we walked in we saw a little Christmas tree and it was really cute! Our table was nice too. I ordered beef chow mein and eggrolls. We didn't order a vegetable because my mom gave us cooked baby carrots before we left our house. My dinner was excellent because the chow mein was really good. I actually did not like the eggroll that much. The service was excellent because our waiter brought our food quickly.  They also gave us fortune cookies and they were good as well. I would love to come back.

                           653 S Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale, CA  (408) 481-9888

Josh says: Tonight I went to a Chinese restaurant and I ordered beef chow mein noodles and eggrolls. And me and my sister got a toy from this toy machine. It is a squeaky parrot. My food was delicious! The noodles tasted amazing because they were so good! I kind of liked my eggroll. For dessert we had fortune cookies.And we got food for my dad because he was working.  I would love to come back!   

Jodie says: First Wok is a very casual sit down & take out Chinese. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. It wasn't super busy but there were a few people getting food to go and a  couple of families sat down to eat.  We ate family style and I really liked the chow mein.  I would recommend First Wok for someone wanting a casual and budget friendly dinner or lunch. I would like to go back and try something different on the menu.

Food: ***1/2
Service : ****
Atmosphere: ***
Overall:

3 1/2 Ladybugs!