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Junnoon Restaurant

Name: Junnoon Restaurant
Address: 150 University Ave, Palo Alto, California 94301
Phone: (650) 329-9644
Web site: junnoon.com
Date & Time visited: Tuesday, November 7, 2006 7:30 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: "Just Junnoon" (passion fruit/apple martini) (Jen), "Manic Masala Mary" (me), Tangy Semolina shells, warm shrimp & arugula salad, Tamarind glazed duck (Jen), Malabar chicken stew (me), rosemary olive naan, snow peas poriyal (me), molten chocolate/ginger cake. Jennifer had a class of Pinot Noir with her dinner, recommended by our server.

This was probably the best first-time restaurant experience we'd had in quite some time. Everything we tried was, without exception, wonderful and unusual. We didn't try each other's drinks, as they would not have meshed well, but Jen liked her "Just Junnoon" martini and my "Manic Masala Mary" was good, spicy and rich. The Semolina shells were slightly crisp and filled with chick-peas, mint and tamarind chutney, and topped with a grated cheese. We both liked them and the portion size of six was more than we expected for an appetizer. We also shared the warm shrimp and arugula salad, which is served with a spicy red pepper vinaigrette; tangy and flavorful.

I don't usually like duck, but I tried a bite of Jen's and it wasn't bad; she loved it. My Malabar chicken stew was perfect; the chicken was tender and the coconut-milk broth was simultaneously sweet and spicy. The rosemary olive naan was nice but not exceptional, but the snow peas Poriyal (mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut) were just superb. Again, the portion size was unexpectedly large (especially since Jennifer didn't want more than one bite) so I took half of this dish home along with half of my chicken stew and some of Jen's duck.

There were no seasonings (salt & pepper) on the table, which is usually an annoyance for me but in this case they just weren't needed.

The molten chocolate/ginger cake was extremely rich and gooey. Our server said it was the most-ordered dessert on the menu.

Service: Varied between slightly overbearing and a little distant, but on the whole better than average. Water was for some reason served without ice unless you asked for it, but a busser brought that quickly.

Would we go back: Yes, wholeheartedly.

French Market

Name: French Market
Address: Disneyland, California, 92802
Phone: 714-781-DINE (3463)
Web site: (on Disneyland Resort Web site; Flash)
Date & Time visited: Monday, November 6, 2006 12:50 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: French Market fried chicken (Jen), Sally's s'creamed chicken (me).

The standard French Market fried chicken is really good. Tons of flavor, juicy, crispy, a winner every time. I wish I'd ordered it. The other chicken dish is a seasonal offering tied to the "Haunted Mansion Holiday" next door, and is served in a "Zero" dog bowl. Unfortunately the dog bowl is the most interesting thing about this dish; the chicken itself was dry and overcooked, and the "s'cream" sauce--what there was of it--was flavorless. The portion was apparently a breast, but it was hard to tell because whatever piece it was had been cut in half with the bone still in. It was served on a bed of "dirty" rice, which was your basic New Orleans-style red beans and rice without the red beans. Wholly unsatisfying.

Service: Not really applicable as it's a "buffeteria" location, but the Cast Members behind the counter were friendly enough and got us our order without a wait.

Would we go back: Yes, but I won't be giving the s'cream a second chance.

Vive Sol

Name: Vive Sol
Address: 2020 El Camino Real, Mountain View, California 94040
Phone: 650-938-2020
Web site: www.vivesol.biz
Date & Time visited: Saturday, October 28, 2006 9:30 PM
Guests: Jennifer and me
What we had: Two house margaritas ("Margarita del Sol"), Pollo Negro (Jen), Pollo Guajillo (me).

The Pollo Negro is a very California-Mexican dish, with chicken breast strips in a creamy wine sauce with spinach and goat cheese. Jen loved it, as did I when I stole a bite. Pollo Guajillo is "Grandma's special", with a guajillo pepper, garlic and sour cream sauce. It was also excellent, with a bit of a kick from the guajillo peppers. The house margaritas were classic and pretty strong.

Service: Good to very good. Actually it was better than "good" but I have to dock a virtual point or two for the time waiting to get our check after we'd finished--a peeve of mine. At the time we were there, there were only a couple of other parties and so our server was more or less around all the time. The manager came over at one point to see how we were doing--always a plus.

Would we go back: Yes, and we might even take friends.

Club 33

Name: Club 33
Address: 33 Rue Royal, Anaheim, CA 92802
Phone: (888) 617-4381
Web site: (no official site, no Google Local page)
Date & Time visited: Sunday, November 5, 2006, 8:30 PM
Guests: 25 MousePlanet staff members including Jennifer and me
What we had: Seared Ahi tuna appetizer, field greens salad with two cheeses, grilled salmon, creme brulee.

We shared the appetizer and each had our own salad, entree and dessert. My only minor complaint was that the field greens salad was a bit dry; the flavor was good and everything else was excellent. The Ahi tuna appetizer was crusted with sesame seeds and served on a bed of creamy risotto that was just perfect. The salmon was very good but did need a bit of salt & pepper seasoning for my taste. I'm not particularly partial to creme brulee but this was good, served in a rather large portion with fresh berries in an unusual square ramekin.

Service: Legendary. Beverage and water refills when the glass is half-empty, re-folding napkins when you get up to use the restroom or check out the merchandise case, ultra-attentive. A somewhat longer than expected wait to receive our main dishes, but then again there were 25 of us and they managed to get each entree out simultaneously and still hot.

The evening was capped off with an impromptu historical tour of the Club, presented by a member of the wait staff who'd been there 25 years.

Would we go back: Oh please oh please.