Jim Schrempp

Restaurants: San Carlos and Surrounding Area

All reviewed by me!

San Francisco Mid Peninsula

BBQ and Blues

Three Pigs - The south end of Laurel, San Carlos. Very good BBQ. Collard greens are great; mac-n-cheese is only so-so. Their fried chicken is also delicious. They stock several kinds of home made sauce for you to apply. I prefer the Memphis style.

Sushi

Shiki Bistro - 825 Laurel, San Carlos. Big and brassy. The food is good. Bacon wrapped shrimp skewers are good for a fat fix. The sushi is good.
650.593.2275

Chinese

 

Italian

Pazzo on Laurel in San Carlos. Took over the old Rumi location. Good wood fired pizza. The deep fried cauliflower appetizer is a must have.

Donato Enoteca in Redwood City. Contemporary Italian with a bit of modernist cuisine! I remember little salty gel squares that came with my salad. The short ribs were meaty and cooked perfectly.
650.701.1000

888 Ristorante Italiano - 888 Laurel, San Carlos. Small place with charming foods. On a warm night take a sidewalk table.
650.591.0920

Mexican

LuLu's 876 Laurel in San Carlos. Casual dining with very good food. 10 kinds of salsa. Rojo and Verde Mole, both were excellent. Drew liked the al pastor enchilada.  650.327.8226

Milagros 1099 Middlefield in Redwood City has good food with outdoor seating. The cevice was very nice, served in champagne flutes. 650.369.4730

Hola! in the Lunardi's shopping center, Belmont. Fun atmosphere and interesting menu. Pollo en Chipotle Crema. A nice mole! Chili rellenos stuffed with meat and a raisin spice sauce. Many things to try.

Seafood

 

Bistro

Mandaloun in Redwood City has outdoor seating and a wonderful menu of unusual things. Thin crust pizza with "cultivated and gathered" mushrooms. Bacon wrapped pork loin on polenta with red chard and a cherry reduction. EVOO gelato. 650.367.7974

Spasso on Laurel in San Carlos took over the old Downtown Cafe. We have had wonderful dinners here. The warm cabbage salad at the bar can be a whole meal. Walnut crusted pork chop was delicious.

Indian

Flavor of India on Broadway in Redwood City. It doesn't seem to be much from outside, but the chicken tika masala was excellent. 2415 Broadway;
(650) 216-7777

With Beer

The Refuge meat and alcohol in San Carlos. Nice interior. A variety of odd Belgian beers on tap, all in their own strange shaped glass. Our cheese and meat plate was very good. The burgers are great. Foie Gras is spectacular, and I don't even like foie gras. 650.598.9813

City Pub in Redwood City has a great beer on tap: Poppy Jasper Amber Ale - worth a trip. Burgers are also good. Drew likes the salads. (If you're in Morgan Hill, the El Toro brewery has good food and beer too.)

Mediterranean

Santorini - Mid Laurel, San Carlos. GREAT meal. Some outdoor seating. Our go-to meal is the Mediterranean plate with falafel, babaganoush, and Greek salad all for about $10. Have a glass of retsina while you're there.

Kabul Afghan Cuisine on El Camino in San Carlos. Very good food; vegetarian dishes too. (The squash dish is an incredible mix of tastes.) Nut-phobics watch out - although they don't say it, there are walnuts in the sauce! 650 594-2840

Other Cuisines

Izzy's Steak House at the San Carlos airport. A nicely decorated interior with comfortable booths. Good menu when you want beef or pork. 650.654.2822

CreoLa New Orleans Bistro on El Camino in San Carlos. Not bad for a fix of Louisiana right here. I had the pork chop, which was very good; the black truffle sauce added a special taste. Hmm, every time we go the pork chop is the special of the day; I'm suspicious.
650 654-0882

Coffee around San Carlos

Doc's Bagels in Belmont Center next to Lunardi's. Please, don't go to the Starbuck's, give Doc's a dime. Good bagels, excellent Napoli coffee,  and nice people.

Plantation Roasting Company in downtown San Carlos is a nice, quiet place to sip. I'm here almost every Saturday and Sunday morning. See you at 8am?