Le Grande Orange Cafe

Pasadena, California

Restaurant: Le Grande Orange Cafe
Cuisine: American/Californian
Last visited: August 9, 09

Area: Pasadena, California
260 S. Raymond Ave
Price Range: $20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 5
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Californian style, rustic contemporary atmosphere, bold flavours
  
• Fusion influence - Mexican, Japanese & Californian mix
• Focused on mostly organic & fresh ingredients
• The only freezer space hold homemade gelato & ice cream
• Hearty comfort food in a contemporary setting
• Familiar to locals and regulars
• Large portions
• Restaurant & Catering
• Serves breakfast, brunch, lunch & dinner
• Opentable.com "Diners' Choice Winner of 2009"
• "Best new restaurant in Pasadena" - Arroyo Parkway News
  
• Complimentary cookies at the door (from the in house bakery)
  
• Children under 12 eat free 4-6pm everyday and all day until 6pm on Sunday
• After 6pm the crowd is age 30+, attracts late night crowd
  

**Recommendation: Gilled Ahi tuna taco platter, English muffins

I came upon this restaurant while I was doing research on excellent Californian restaurants - that wasn't a chain. I'm glad I cam across this one. Its very reasonably priced for what it is, and the portions are again very large. The waiter recommended us to order a taco platter each, which thank goodness we didn't, because it would have been way too much! Mind you we still ordered quite a bit, as I usually do =). I didn't get to try as much as I wanted to, but the food, service, and atmosphere is good enough that I would revisit it. Whether its breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner they offer local favourites no matter what time of day. They also have an in house catering section offering savoury items as well as freshly baked goods. This is a large restaurant that's always busy, with big tables, portions, and flavours!

On the table:

• Deviled Eggs 3/6
• This is a cafe favorite, offered during brunch, lunch and dinner...so I had to order it
• To be honest, I've had better. It was good, but it's just I've had better. Its not like there was some flavour in there that I couldn't put my finger on, it was just a well put together deviled egg, smooth in texture...a classic deviled egg served with rustic presentation. I guess I was just expecting more.
• **Grilled Ahi Tuna Taco platter 5/6
  
• Sushi grade ahi tuna grilled rare with chipotle aioli. Served with black beans, basmati rice, guacamole, charred salsa, and homemade corn tortillas (made-to-order)
• This was the best thing we ordered. The portion or picture may look small, but its actually really big especial when you start eating it. Nice big pieces of ahi tuna that is cut to fit the size of one taco. Seared on the outside and still nice and rare on the inside. The soft corn tortilla shells are made in house and upon order and are absolutely delicious and warm. Definitely a traditional tortilla recipe and experienced chef/cook that's making these. They are miniature and they serve you 4 at a time and they're unlimited.
• We needed about 8 mini tortillas to finish one platter. All the ingredients come separate so you can build your own taco - this is the ideal way to serve a platter becuase then you can actually see the quality and amount of ahi tuna you are getting. You only want to put one piece of ahi tuna in each taco because you want a good ratio of stuffing to tortilla.
• The chipotle aioli was a key ingredient to making this taco platter stand out.
• At $19USD it's well worth it!
• Short Rib Taco platter 3/6
• Served with pico de gallo, black beans, basmati rice, guacamole, charred salsa, and homemade corn tortillas (made-to-order)
• This was enjoyable, but I prefer the ahi tuna tacos. The waiter recommended this one after the ahi tuna tacos so we took his advice.
  
• The short ribs had a nice charred, hickory flavour. It wasn't dry, but if anything it was a tad bit on the drier side for me. But its ok because with the pico de gallo and guacamole it didn't matter.
• Station Cafe Tuna Burger 2/6
  
• Description on menu: "best ever" pan-seared medium rare with avocado
• My description: pan-seared medium rare tuna PATTY...so much filler.
• I was so disappointed because I felt the quality was lost because it was a patty. The tuna was all grinded up, so there were other fillers in there which sucks. It wasn't gross or anything, but it could have been so much better! At least the patty is as big as the bun though, which is really big. You get a generous amount of avocado slices, a big slice of beefsteak tomato, and shredded lettuce. You get the chipotle aoili that comes with the ahi tuna tacos with it as well. I also put some charred tomato salsa on my burger which made it better. On the side it comes with coleslaw, which is just your standard coleslaw. No unique twist to this.
  
• JOEY'S Ahi Tuna burger is MUCH MUCH better.
• Side of Mac n' Cheese 2/6
  
• Fresh, made in house mac and cheese, you get a regular sized bowl for $3USD
  
• Not that cheesy in flavour though because it wasn't a cheddar cheese they used. They used a white cheese, so it didn't taste that cheesy, which is disappointing - again I've had better...when I order a mac and cheese I want it to taste cheesy...wouldn't order this again
• **English Muffins
  
• They're their FAMOUS LGO English Muffins
  
• I saw these in their display case in the bakery corner, but I didn't get to order them
• You can take them to go 1/2 dozen for $9USD
• Will definitely try it next time, I wanted to try them fresh, and I was there for dinner, so I didn't feel like it would be fair to write a review on their famous English muffins from the end of the day.

Drinks

• Sangria

• I saw a lot of tables with pitchers of these. I didn't try it, but I'm not sure if it was good or if its just a good deal. A pitcher is $19USD and it serves 5. A glass is $6USD.
  
• I'm really biased with Sangria though because I lived in Europe for half a year and my Spanish flatmates spoiled us with homemade authentic Sangria

Dessert

• Red Velvet Cake
• Didn't get to try it, but I really really wanted to!! I saw people ordering it and it looks so rich and dense! It came with a big scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream too. This cake looked amazing. Next time!
• Olive Oil Cake
• Didn't see anyone ordering it, but I want to try it, so next time I will try it.
• Complimentary door cookies
• These are fresh from their bakery
• They are mini and you can take them as you wish at the front door.
  
• They had chocolate chip, white chocolate cranberry, peanut, and oatmeal raisin
• All were nice and chewy - the best was white chocolate cranberry.
  

21 Choices

Vanilla frozen yogurt with mochis and pecan pralines

Restaurant: 21 Choices
Cuisine: Frozen Yogurt/Dessert
Last visited: August 9, 09

Area: 4 locations - each location varies in flavour too!
85 W. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
Corner of Colorado & Delacey
504 W. Las Tunas Drive
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 6
Service: 5
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 6
Additional comments:

• Started long before Pinkberry
• The best frozen yogurt place I've tried thus far
• Made fresh daily
  
• The frozen yogurt version of "Marble Slab" and "Cold Stone"
  
• Only 6 flavours at a time, changes weekly
• No powders, syrups or flavourings
• Organic ingredients
• Biodegradable utensils & containers
  
• Choice of fresh fruit also changes weekly
  
• Cultured yogurt
• All fruit flavours are made with fresh organic fruits
• Sign up for their mailing list and have weekly flavours e-mailed to you
• Crowded, line-ups
  
• Free samples
  

**Recommendation: Flavours change weekly. Vanilla is usually a constant and it's delicious! All their flavours are fresh, unique, and tasty.

Ok this place is absolutely AMAZING!!! The frozen yogurt doesn't have that tang and is not as ice creamy as TCBY. It's kind of in between and it's perfect!!! Pinkberry, Qoola...any of these have nothing on 21 Choices. They only offer 6 flavours at a time and they change weekly too. So if you're a big frozen yogurt fan, sign up for their e-mailing list. Some of their flavours are SO unique too! Super fresh! For example: Strawberries & Watermelon made with fresh organic strawberries and watermelon, and they have flavours such as "50/50 Bar": Made with sunkist and vanilla. Yogurt flavours that you can't find just anywhere. You can also choose if you want to mix in the toppings, like they would at Marble Slab or Cold Stone, or you can ask to have the toppings on top like they do at most other frozen yogurt places. At the end they let you sample your creation and you have the option of adding more or changing it before you actually take it. GREAT service! The atmosphere is circus-like so it doesn't have the strong/contemporary/cute branding Pinkberry has. Familiar to locals, this place is NOT the be missed!!

I'm going to add that their frozen yogurt flavours are not just toppings mixed in to create the flavour. The toppings are so finely processed and grinded up into the frozen yogurt that the frozen yogurt is the actual flavour...does that make sense? For example: If you order Oreo it tastes like an actual Oreo cookie in frozen yogurt form.

The ingredients are so fresh that if you leave it out and let it melt (I don't know why you would)...but if you do it just separates into water and milk. No preservatives, all natural and SO GOOD!!!

On the table:

• Vanilla Bean
• Toppings: Mochi, pecan pralines
• I like having the chewiness of mochi and the crunchiness of the pecan pralines. However the pralines were a little too hard, and next time I would just get regular pecans...I am dreaming of the next time. Its just they were so sugared and almost had a toffee like coating on them, which made them really crunchy - brittle like. The frozen yogurt is so good on its own, you really don't even need toppings.
  
• Oreo
• Toppings: Chocolate chip cookies cereal
  
• Ok this is AMAZING! The oreo flavour isn't what you expect. I thought it would be chocolate yogurt with grinded up oreo cookies. I mean it very much could actually be this recipe - but the high quality ingredients they use makes the flavour taste so much more intense and complex.
• Other flavours I've seen, but they change weekly, so don't miss out! I really really wished we had one here!
  
• Orange Cream Cake: Made with organic oranges and vanilla cake
• Twix Sprinkle: Made with Twix, sprinkles, and Scor
• Iced Caramel Latte: Made with coffee and caramel
• Banana Moon Pie: Made with fresh organic bananas, banana moon pies, & marshmallows
• Fresh Summer peach: Made with fresh organic peaches
• Strawberries & Watermelon: Made with fresh organic strawberries & watermelon
  
• Valrhona Chocolate: Made with semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and Valhorna chocolate
  

Pinkberry

Restaurant: Pinkberry
Cuisine: Frozen Yogurt/Desserts
Last visited: August 7, 09

Area: Multiple
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Frozen yogurt franchise originating from Southern California by American Koreans
• Started the recent frozen yogurt craze
• Most popular frozen yogurt chain in the US
• Healthy frozen yogurt, with a tang
• Non-fat, low-fat flavours
• Contains live and active cultures
• Carries seal of approval from National Yogurt Association
  

**Recommendation: I like the original flavour, but it really depends on what you like. The NEW Pinkberry fruit parfait is a deal...and you should try it. $3.95USD same price as a small w/ 2 toppings.

Pinkberry started the frozen yogurt craze. I wouldn't say its the original, because Yogen Fruz, and TCBY and several other family owned and operated yogurt places existed before it. But Pinkberry still remains the most recognized frozen yogurt place in the US, especially in California. It is good, but then I tried 21 Choices - and 21 Choices swallowed Pinkberry in the competition. Pinkberry has great marketing and a cute and contemporary atmosphere, but talking about great frozen yogurt - 21 Choices takes the spot!

On the table:

• Original frozen yogurt
• Toppings: Coconut, granola
• This was my favourite out of the bunch. Nice and crunchy.
• Original frozen yogurt
  
• Toppings: Cap n' Crunch, pineapple
• Great combination. Tart and sweet, as long as the Cap n' Crunch stays crispy its delish! The pineapple is fresh too.
• Coconut frozen yogurt
  
• Toppings: Coconut, almonds
• The coconut and coconut didn't really do much.
• **Pinkberry Fruit Parfait $3.95USD - same price as a small w/ 2 toppings
  
• 7 layers: layers of fresh fruits. honey almond granola and original frozen yogurt
• Fresh fruit includes: blueberries, strawberries, more yogurt, kiwi, pineapple
• Passionfruit frozen yogurt
• Extra tangy and tart...tangier than the original for sure.
  
• Pomegranate frozen yogurt
• Not bad, I liked it a bit more than the passionfruit. Again tangier than the original.
  
• Coconut frozen yogurt
• It was not bad, tangy coconut is kind of odd though.
  

Los Tacos

Restaurant: Los Tacos
Cuisine: Authentic Mexican
Last visited: August 7, 09

Area: San Gabriel, California
504 W. Las Tunas Drive
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3
Service: 2
Ambiance: 1
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Located in San Gabriel, California
• Famous for "The World's Greatest Tacos"
• Cheap, but authentic Mexican
  
• Family owned and operated
• Hole in the wall - local favourite
• Serves big breakfast and lunch platters
• Big portions
• Nothing gourmet, super casual
  
• Offers authentic Mexican drinks and desserts

**Recommendation: Carnitas soft tacos, drink -Horchata. I bet their breakfast burritos are amazing, but I didn't get to order one, I saw some locals order the Tortas too, which looked delicious...and are very big.

The tortilla shells are all made in house and are really fresh. Each taco is double wrapped with these soft tortilla shells. Good tortilla to filling ratio. An authentic Mexican hole in the wall eatery that is familiar to locals. The tacos all come in miniature form - the traditional way - and its great! No sour cream or guacamole in these traditional tacos, just well-marinated and cooked meat. Cheap, good Mexican food - not the best, but it's real Mexican.

On the table:

• ** Carnitas soft taco 5/6
• Pulled pork
• This was my favourite taco out of the bunch. It was flavourful, tender and saucy.
  
• It was the first plate of tacos gone. Each plate comes with 4 miniature soft tacos, and each taco is double wrapped in their homemade tortilla shells. So your tortilla won't break while you're in mid-bite, although the filling might overflow and spill out the top.
• Barria soft taco 4/6
• Marinated beef
• This was my second favourite soft taco.
• Pretty good, but not the best. Nice pieces of marinated beef, its good with their chile verde salsa.
• Chicken Mole soft taco 2/6
  
• Pulled chicken smother with mole sauce and pablanos
• This was a close second. The mole aka sauce, is a rich deep brown colour and it had a smoky cumin flavour. It's made with ground chilies, but the chilies don't add heat, it just added an intense smoky taste.
• Al Pastor soft taco 1/6
  
• Marinated Pork
  
• This taco was my least favourite out of the bunch. It was the only one left over too, if they were good we could have finished them, but it wasn't really worth it. They were a bit dry, and bland and just had no kick.
  
• Quesadillas 1/6
  
• Nothing special here. What you'd expect for a cheap fast food quesadilla. Just a generous amount of melted cheese on tortillas. But they use big tortillas, which are still really fresh.
• Hard Shell Tacos 2/6
  
• I prefer the soft tacos to the hard shell tacos. The soft ones just taste fresher. The shells are the best part and don't need to be deep fried. We had it with thin slices of roast beef aka asada and they top them off with cheese, tomato, and lettuce. Nothing out of the ordinary.
• Nachos with Asada 3/6
  
• A big plate of nachos covered with thin cuts of roasted beef, melted cheese, tomatoes, onions, and topped with heaping scoops of guacamole and sour cream.
  
• Super greasy, but pretty tasty...again not the best. But expected from a place like this.
• **Breakfast Burritos
• Didn't try it, but I will if I go back. They have a whole section just for breakfast burritos so I feel like they would be really good there. They're really really big too. Saw a lot of Mecxican families ordering these for lunch.
  
• ** Tortas
• Didn't try this either. But I saw a few local Mexicans guys ordering the "Torta" as I was leaving. It looked really delicious. It's a grilled roll with your choice of meat, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole.

Authentic homemade Mexican desserts

Drinks

• This place serves up authentic Mexican drinks: Horchata, Tamarindo & Jamaica
• The most authentic and best one is the: Horchata - made of rice milk, and has a nice almond flavour. Nice and sweet, it has a little cinnamon and vanilla flavour to round it all up.
  

Grizzly Manor Cafe

The famous "Grizzly Manor Cafe" located in Big Bear Lake, California
Literally. There are no hours. If it's closed - it's closed. You better hope it's open!

The amazing chef - cooking up my delicious pancakes!


Restaurant: Grizzly Manor Cafe - Restaurant Review
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch/American/Diner
Last visited: August 6, 09

Area: Big Bear Lake, California
41268 Big Bear Blvd
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5, but 6 for pancakes!
Service: 6, funny and extremely sarcastic!
Ambiance: 5, sarcastic bumper stickers cover the walls
Overall: 6
Additional comments:

• Located in Big Bear Lake, California (the mountains)
• Famous for big portion pancakes and breakfasts - HUGE portions!
• Biggest, best, and fluffiest pancakes I've ever had in my life
• Hole in the wall - local and tourist favourite
• Cheesiest grilled cheese sandwich
• Ambiance and service with attitude - extremely sarcastic!
• Business hours are random - open and closes depending on owners mood
• Lunch served after 11am if cook is in the mood, no lunch on weekends
• Line-ups
• Plate fee of $1.00 for if you share.
• Warning: Will suffer from food coma, and meals may clog arteries - but it's so damn good!
  

**Recommendation: Pancakes, waffles, only if you dare - The Polar Bear!! (The Biggest of them all!)

If you are ever in California - head to Big Bear Lake, just to visit the Grizzly Manor Cafe. THE BEST, BIGGEST, AND FLUFFIEST pancakes I've ever had in my life. I still dream about them. Its near impossible to finish one. The service, atmosphere, decor, and menu are extremely sarcastic and casual. Get your own coffee. Write your own name. As the menu says "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason...so if you're hungry, be nice!"...be nice! This place is great!! If you come, you better be prepared!

On the table:

• **One Blueberry Cake (Pancake) 6/6
• Made upon order - this is the best pancake I've ever had. It was the size of a vinyl record and it was sooo fluffy! It's nice and thick, your traditional old fashioned style pancake. THE perfect pancake! Loaded with blueberries, this pancake is enough for 2 people. You can't even see the plate it comes on because it's so big. I still dream about this...you can't stop eating it...but you're so full...and at only $4.00 - a bargain
• They offer buttermilk, chocolate chip, and buckwheat cakes as well - you don't come to Grizzly Manor and order a buckwheat - that would piss off the owner.
  
• Short Stack Blueberry Cakes 6/6
• This is a bigger version of one blueberry cake - it comes with 2 pancakes - and you definitely can't finish this on your own. $6.50
• ** Waffle 6/6
• This was equally as good as the pancake. Its normal size to because its the size of a waffle maker. Again really fluffy - the perfect waffle! $5.99
  
• Two eggs with ham, corned beef hash, hash browns, toast 3/6
  
• Exactly what it is. I wasn't too crazy about the corned beef hash though.
• Sissy Boy - Love the name! 4/6
• 1 pancake, 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon - again, it is what it is.
  
• Farmer's Delight 4/6
• Pork chops, two eggs, hash browns, and toast $11.25
• It comes with 2 pieces of pork chops, and they're not small either
• Kathy Melt 5/6
  
• Hamburger, Swiss cheese and grilled onion on sourdough $8.25
• This was a great burger! They grill the whole burger and the sourdough is all buttered and crispy! Really nice ground beef - 1.25 inch patty and its moist and not dry. The definition of a true American diner burger. It's greasy and good - it has to be to own the name.
• Boring Phil 4/6
  
• You haven't had a grilled cheese sandwich until you've tried this. There is more cheese than there is bread. Double the cheese. Extremely oily - this is what you expect when you order a grilled cheese at an American diner. Delicious if you're a fan of eating melted cheddar cheese on heavily buttered bread. It's a 2-1 cheese to bread ratio. The cheesiest grilled cheese ever.
• ** The Polar Bear
• I did not order this. But more or less tried it with everything on the table. I have to write about it because it's "the biggest of them all". Bacon, 2 eggs, hash browns, and 2 pancakes.
• This is a portion that's big enough to feed a family of 4-6. At only $10.25 this is a major bargain.
• Note: There is an extra plate fee of $1.00 if you want to share
  

Steveston Pizza Co.

Restaurant: Steveston Pizza Co.
Cuisine: Pizza (Gourmet)
Last visited: July 30, 09

Area: Richmond (Steveston Village)
100 – 3400 Moncton Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 1
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Specializes in gourmet pizzas in an unpretentious setting
• Fresh, gourmet & quality ingredients
• Toppings to the edges
• A bit pricier, but you're getting what you paid for
• Owner is Italian and a chef
• Unique pizzas, chef-created
• Take-out, a small bar to eat-in
• Opens at 5pm

**Recommendation: Flame Pizza, Japanese Pizza

It's easy to miss this local pizza joint. Located on the corner of Moncton and 3rd Ave, you wouldn't even notice it unless someone pointed it out. Enough to seat 4 people this pizza place caters to a take-out crowd. Familiar to locals, Steveston Pizza opens at 5pm and draws in a steady evening crowd. I've been here a couple times, and the first time we spent $75 on pizzas between 4 people. You're definitely paying more than usually for pizza, but its quite worth it for the quality of ingredients you're getting. They don't serve single slices and one pizza is a lot for one person, so it's best to go with a group of 4+ so you can order a variety and share them all.

On the table:

• Buffalo Mozzarella Salad 6/6
  
• Fresh ingredients - so you can't go wrong. Nice big chunks of fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes. I had it with a simple balsamic dressing - technically it doesn't even need dressing becuase the quality is there. This is a pretty big salad though, meant to be shared.
• Water 4/6
  
• Shrimp, snow crab & basil pesto.
• A nice amount of baby shrimp on top, they don't skimp! Every bite you get shrimp. The crab is found underneath the cheese though, and it's all flaked. I tasted the texture of it more than the flavour. I wished the pesto drizzle was actually a pesto drizzle though - they mixed it with a mayo type filler which was a bit disappointing.
  
• Earth 3/6
  
• Brie, gouda, camembert, oven-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and enoki mushrooms.
• This is definitely heavy on the cheese, the flavours all meshed together and the tomatoes were a bit on the watery side for me. The tomatoes brought out a tartness rather than a sweetness in the pizza. I think if you're using brie and camembert though you should really match it with something sweet rather than tart. The ingredients are still all really fresh - but the flavours just weren't very complementing. It sounded better than it tasted. The texture was all gooey so I could only eat 2 slices in a row before I needed a switch up - it was easy to get sick of. A bit oily too, becuase of the types of cheeses used - but that's a bit expected.
• **Flame 6/6
• BBQ chicken breast, pineapple, onion, green pepper and jalapenos.
  
• This pizza is less adventurous, and you could probably find any of these ingredients at any pizza chain. But the combination of these toppings is fantastic! The flavour of this pizza stands out amongst the others because its so bold. Savoury and sweet BBQ sauce, with a bit of tartness and another level of sweetness from the pineapple, and a hint of spiciness from the jalapenos - this hits all your taste buds, and in the right way too!
• **Japanese 6/6
  
• Wasabi-scented teriyaki chicken breast, enoki mushrooms, hokkaido camembert and sesame seaweed julienne (no tomato sauce)
• This is a truly creative pizza! Made for pizza eaters looking for a change and something out of the ordinary. Unlike the "Flame" toppings, you can't find these topping at any pizza chain. Definitely distinct in flavour; this is a must try if you're into trying new things.
  
• What would make it more perfect is if they went heavier on the enoki mushrooms and added a wasabi mayo drizzle on top! Enoki mushrooms need to be used liberally - otherwise you can't taste them becuase when they're cooked they just get soft and get overpowered by everything else. That's why they're served in bundles when you get them with noodles and soup. If you break them up from they're bundles and use them in a pizza - they are bound to get overcooked and lost in everything else...and unfortunately that's what happened. If they added more enoki to this pizza and went heavier on the wasabi it would be perfect. I still recommend it though!
  
• Black 4/6
  
• Honey glazed chicken breast, fig, gorgonzola and mascarpone mousse, walnuts and arugula julienne - $21 (Only available in a medium)
• I really enjoyed this pizza. This was close to getting a recommendation, except I felt as though the gorgonzola overpowered the other flavours a bit. I couldn't really taste the marcarpone mousse - which is a waste. The figs were nice and plump and it went well with the crunch of the walnuts. The honey was a great touch. Definitely enjoyable! I would order it again.
  
• Brown 2/6
  
• I tried this pizza the first time I went to Steveston Pizza - several months ago. They don't have it on the menu right now though. I think they might bring it back when the summer is over. Its definitely a hearty pizza, fit for colder months. The main ingredient is duck. The duck is poached in a red wine reduction and there's also tomatoes, caramelized onions and gorgonzola on it I think. A few other toppings of which I don't remember anymore. The duck pieces were a bit of on the fatty side for me - yes that could mean adding more flavour - but it just felt a bit heavy for my liking. Duck is usually fatty, but I could have done with leaner pieces.
• Again this one only comes in medium for $21 - and you should definitely share one becuase after 2 slices you need a switch up. It's filling!
  

The Foundation Lounge

Sesamum Satay Salad

Restaurant: The Foundation Lounge
Cuisine: Vegetarian/Vegan/Healthy
Last visited: Sept. 16, 09
Area: Vancouver - Main Street
2301 Main Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 2...it looks like a dive, but it suits the image, so it's ok!
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Vegetarian/Vegan/Organic/Fresh/Healthy
  
• Famous for their nachos (Small $8) its huge!! - only served for dinner
• Flavourful vegetarian food, nice and hearty
• Crowded, line-ups
• Open late
• Attracts 20-30 age group
• Hipster/Hippie/Skater
• Retro feel, funky, laid back, liberal revolutionary quotes on the walls

** Recommendation: Nachos, Sesame Society, Sesamum Satay Salad

The Foundation has been around forever! I've been here a few times with non-vegetarians, and we have all gone back on our own to try new things. So that's a good thing! It serves all vegetarian food in a casual atmosphere, and most of it is really good! It's filling too because the portions are quite large and the flavours are bold. However they repeat a lot of their ingredients and sauces, so everything kind of tastes the same. It's kind of a variation of the same ingredients - I found things distinctly sweet or distinctly savoury - I'd prefer more of a balance. If it's sweet its mango/papaya based and if its savoury its sesame/peanut based. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy vegetarian food and The Foundation is still a great place to check out. Nothing fancy or gourmet, it is what it is - what it looks like on the outside is what it is in the inside.

On the table:

The infamous nachos - this is only a small, they're huge!

• **Nachos 5/6
  
• The small is big enough for 3-4 people! Its huge, and that's part of the hype.
• Huge plate, hot from the oven with tortilla chips covered in melted cheddar cheese black beans, and corn. Forget all the other toppings, these nachos are simple - yet delicious. To add guacamole is $2, but it's worth it because they give you a lot, but I bet it's from a container. You get a generous amount of sour cream, salsa, and guacamole - you'll have left over.
• The picture, doesn't really show how big it is. (Side note: The size of the condiments are inconsistent because the condiment dishes are all random - so it's kind of luck of the draw) But either way you'll always have enough. What's also great about these nachos is that the chips are well spread out in a nice layer, so each chip is covered with cheese. They don't just mound the tortilla chips so that the bottom layers don't have any toppings. They only serve them during dinner - so don't miss out!

• 

• Sweet Basil Curry Soup 1/6
• Really disappointing, but it looked and smelled so good!!! It had so much potential. It was hearty with potatoes and full of veggies....but not good at all. It was served luke warm from this crock pot set up in the front. It was bland and not flavourful at all. I actually sent it back, and I rarely ever do that.
  

• Mingling Yams 3/6
  
• This is a fluffy yam dip - a yam puree. Again you get a lot! It comes with warm pita which they call "horizontal bread" - it's like a flatbread. It also comes with tortilla chips. The dip is savoury and sweet at the same time - I found it more sweet though, but then again its made up of yams. It was enjoyable, but not a must or something I would crave.

• **Sesamum Salad 6/6
  
• This is a warm sesame satay veggie salad. It's greens topped with sauteed veggies like big chunks of broccoli, firm brown and sticky tofu, and chick peas. You definitely get your needed protein. It's hearty and filling and just tasty. I love the sesame sauce! The cold salad with the warm veggies makes for a perfect meal.
  
• Upper East Side 4/6
• Black beans and mangoes served on rice.
• It's .75 cents to change the rice to quinoa, and I think its worth it. The mangoes are from a can, but its ok because its only $7 with taxes. Again, its on the sweeter side, so I would order it with something savoury to break it up, or the flavour gets a little boring. The mangoes create a natural sauce, and the beans are a great thickening agent so its not runny and your rice or quinoa won't taste dry.
• Molton Tofu 5/6
  
• Broccoli and tofu served on rice.
• They say it's spicy, but I didn't think it was. They kind of showcase it in the appetizer section - but I found it more of an entree. You can order is as part of their appetizer platter - which is weird, because its not finger food. Again it was big and filling. Big pieces of broccoli and they use the firm brown tofu - which makes this dish hearty. I enjoyed this more than the Upper East Side. The sauce is a sesame-like sauce so the flavours and textures are nice and bold.
• Tight Spin 2.5/6
  
• Grain fed spinach, pear, sheep's cheese, sunflower seeds and a lime & mango dressing.
• This salad was ok. I wish they had used a pear that wasn't as ripe. It made the salad a bit mushy, and the crunchiness you want in a salad was lost. The sheep's cheese was also really strong, but went well with the pear. The dressing is a thicker dressing - not a vinaigrette. The dressing is heavy on the mango flavour - I think they puree canned mangoes to make it - so again the salad was a bit sweet for me. The pears have a natural sweetness so I think they could have gone more tart on the dressing to break up the flavours.

  

• Mango Forte 2/6
  
• Broccoli, zucchini, mango, and jalapenos in coco sauce tossed with round pasta aka rotini.
• Again not spicy, more sweet. The mangoes make the sauce again, so you don't taste the coconut very much. It almost tasted like a sweeter version of the mango-lime dressing from the salad. They don't skimp on the ingredients though, but again I needed some savoury to break up the flavours. Texture is there, but it needs something savoury.
• **Sesame Society 5/6
  
• Broccoli, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, firm brown tofu, and maple tahini sauce. Served on quinoa and spinach.
• This had the balance of sweet and salty that I was looking for! It's because it had a maple tahini sauce - this was one of my favs. A great variety of vegetables, and big pieces too, so they don't overcook and get mushy. The spinach kind of wilts underneath the layer of hot veggies and this comes with quinoa so it's a great deal at $9.75. I would go back for this!

Desserts:

• My Sugar Pie 1/6
  
• The say it's their best dessert - originates from Quebec. They offer a vegan version as well.
• This was WAY too sweet - and I have a major sweet tooth!! I need dessert after a meal and this was uber sweet. I'm sure it's how it's supposed to be, but I just didn't enjoy it. A couple bites and your sweet tooth is satisfied...and hurting.