Happy Hound - Los Gatos

I've been on a burger and hot dog kick lately. Must be the approaching summer. This cold weather needs to high-tail it outta here already! One fun place that's just over the hill in Los Gatos is the Happy Hound. It started in 1971, so you know they know what's up.

Happy Hound (Yelp)

There's only a few tables inside and several around the back, so when this place gets busy, to-go is the way to go. We got there at 6pm on a Saturday night and grabbed a couple stools at the counter.

The menu is basic - hot dogs, burgers, chicken sandwich, fries, onion rings and drinks/shakes. You can watch them grill it all up through the glass. So would the food be better than a Boardwalk snack shack or fast food?

Our first order was the Polish Dog ($5.95), which was on a roll with tomato, red onions, mustard and pickles. You get your food in a plastic basket with checkered wax paper. The sausage was grilled perfectly and the roll was toasted. So far, so good!

We got the medium fries ($2.95) instead of the small and the massive size. The massive one would feed an entire little league team since it filled the whole bag. Medium was enough for the two of us, but the fries weren't spectacular.

The onion rings ($3.95) were actually pretty great! They come with either ranch or BBQ sauce and the batter was thick and crispy. They use some sort of seasoning on it and it was a step above the norm.

I was feeling like a burger and got the basic ($4.95) with lettuce, red onion, tomato and pickles. I couldn't get a lot of flavor from the meat, unfortunately, so I'd have to rate it sub-par. A bit too much onion too, so I took off most of it.

I don't know a lot of places in Los Gatos to get a hot dog, so I'd guess this is the place to go. I'd definitely come back for the onion rings, but would stay away from the burgers.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 6 (+1 for onion rings)
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Value for price: 6
Overall: 5.50

Munch Downtown

Sometimes you feel like a five-course meal with soup, salad, steak, veggies and dessert. Sometimes you just want a decent hot dog. Today was a hot dog day and the kid and I headed out downtown. I had found a coupon at Record Store Day (I'm all about the value) for free fries. Good enough to check it out.

Munch (Yelp)

I'm going to guess that the owner who chose the decor was a child of the Eighties. Pac-Man is on the sign and menus (Munch - get it?) and there's bright yellow everywhere. It really stands out on the corner of Pacific and Laurel. This is the second new restaurant to open in this neighborhood in the last few years (KC's Sports Bar the other). Hopefully, it will bring more people to this side of town.

Inside is bright and clean with big video screen menus up above. You can see the cooks grilling up all the food and there are condiments on the counter too. I really liked the record album pictures around all the walls.

Just the basic, plain hot dog for the kiddo! At $4, you would hope it was a decent size and of good quality. Correct on both points. They advertise their "world famous" Philly Cheese Steaks made with 100% Ribeye steak. Also, burgers, corn dogs, chicken strips, Chicken Parm and a Veggie Rice Bowl.

I got the Kraut dog ($5) with the (free) fries on the side. Normally, they are $2 and yes, I shared. There was a generous amount of sauerkraut covering the hot dog and I was fine with the price tag. The fries were crispy and hot.

For dessert, we got the Deep Fried Twinkie ($3). It was on a stick, but we cut off pieces, so we could share. Powered sugar and a chocolate sauce covered the top and the cake inside was soft and fluffly. Quite the treat!

It's good there's another hot dog place downtown - Jack's being the other one. Too bad the Santa Cruz Warriors season is at the end, since I could see stopping here often before games. Definitely grabbing some grub on the way to the Boardwalk concerts this summer.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 7
Overall: 6.5

@Thai Recipe

Sometimes you get busy at work and you need to make plans to go out to lunch. Jim emailed me and asked about the new Thai place on Mission Street. It was a Thai place before, but now had reopened with a new name. Let's check it out!

@Thai Recipe

It's right on the intersection with Mission and Younglove, so be wary driving into or out of the small parking lot. Maybe parking at Safeway and walking across would be better?

It's tiny inside with only a dozen tables. You can see into the kitchen from most seats and I kind of liked that. Made it seem more cozy. The hostess/server showed us a table and gave us menus. All the Thai classics were on there - curry, Phad Thai, Egg Rolls, Satay, Crab Lagoon, soups, salads; even duck  and seafood dishes. We spied the lunch specials - $7.95 for one item with soup or salad or $9.95 for one item, soup/salad and an appetizer. We were hungry, so we got the latter.

Okay, the water glasses were made in 7th grade Home Ec class, but the soup was dynamite. It was Tom Yum, a spicy and sour soup with zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, tomato, green onions and cilantro. We both liked it a lot - full of flavor, not too spicy.

Jim got the Phad Thai with egg rolls. He said it was good, but the noodles were on the mushy side. And the shrimp and chicken was less than abundant. One thing that bugged me was the plastic container for the sauce. I kind of think a sit-down restaurant shouldn't use those, right?

I got the Red Curry with brown rice and Chicken Satay. Again with the plastic cup! Our server didn't ask how hot to make the curry like other places do, so this was sadly without any heat. Not that I want it like lava, but a little kick is welcome. The tofu and veggies were cooked well and the rice was good too. For $2 more, you get like half an appetizer, which I guess is a good deal. Seemed on the small side though.

I am ranking @Thai as the third best Thai place on the Westside, behind Thai Orchid and Sabieng. I seem to remember the Noodle House here before was better. The service was good and the place was clean and cozy, but the food just wasn't doing it for us.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 4
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 5
Overall: 5.50

Ocean City Buffet

So long ago, when the kids were younger, we took them to a Chinese buffet in town. They had fond memories of counters full of french fries, noodles and endless soft-serve ice cream. My daughter was reminiscing about it, so I suggested we try it again. We pulled up to the place on Water Street, but sadly, they had converted to just a Japanese sushi place now. Never fear, I exclaimed, I know of another!

Ocean City Buffet (Yelp)

So, it's not the best decor, but you aren't paying for that. You are paying for many different kinds of food with no limit! I'm not going crazy, like I did in high school (remember King's Table?) or even like I did in my 30s. I prefer quality over quantity these days, but sometimes you do things for the kids.

The buffet was $11.95 for lunch. Sushi, Chinese, soups, noodles, meat and veggies, seafood, fried foods and desserts! The sushi was okay - nothing spectacular, but decent.

My second plate was mostly Chinese food with an errant steam bun on the side. The teriyaki wings and beef and broccoli was good. All very passable, if not amazing. Again, you are going for variety here, not perfection.

The trays of food were clean and appetizing, very important for a buffet. What's the good of abundant amounts if they don't look good? Everything was warm too. Who likes cold Chinese food?

Here's my kid's favorite part - the deep-fried section! Onion rings, french fries, wontons, crab wraps, chicken nuggets, etc. They had tempura veggies too by the sushi section, so that's two kinds of crunchy onion rings!

Okay, here's my favorite thing of the trip - see that little round ball in the middle of the plate? Sesame Ball! It had red bean paste in the middle, which was only slightly sweet, making for a delish dessert! Better than the jello? Yes. Better than the coffee cake? Yup. Cookies too? Affirmative! Next time, I'm sneaking in a large Ziploc bag and making off with two dozen...

Buffets are difficult to review since there are so many different foods. Some are good, some not so much. Overall, Ocean City was a positive experience. The decor leaves a bit to me desired, so don't come looking to be inspired. Just keep going back for those Sesame Balls.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 5 (just water refills)
Atmosphere: 4
Value for price: 7 (bring those Ziplocs!)
Overall: 6

Ambrosia - Aptos

Ok, here's a quick one. Met up with some buddies last week for lunch at Ambrosia in Aptos. This place has the best lunch buffet of Indian food around. Well worth the trip down Highway 1.

Ambrosia

The buffet is $9.99 and starts at 11:30am. We got there when the doors opened and there were a few other customers too. They keep things looking good inside - there's a full bar and a large back room. Even have cloth napkins, so you know you can take your mom. We got seated and then realized we were free to get over to the food asap. The plates are on the buffet table.

All the classics are here: Basmati rice, Butter Chicken, Fish Curry, Chana Masala (chickpeas with ginger and cilantro), Vegan Pakora (veggie fritters), Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) and more!

Here's my plate after the initial visit. They had a new item: Jackfruit in a tomato curry sauce. It didn't have much flavor on its own. The texture was firm, but I could cut it with a fork. It reminded me a bit of very firm tofu. The yellow sauce on the rice was spiced lentils.

For my second trip (hey, who's counting?), they brought out some grilled veggies. Zucchini, red and green peppers, onions and broccoli all in aromatic Indian spices. Does it get any better?

They also had a fresh salad section on the buffet, My buddy Russell, a honest-to-Betsy vegetarian, was happy with all the options. I passed this time since I was getting my veggies from the other awesome dishes. The watermelon is a good contrast to some of the spicier food.

I will always make time for Ambrosia. Great flavors, clean decor, efficient staff. They were spot-on with water and Nan bread refills. I always wonder about tipping at buffet places. I guess if you got your money's worth (and I certainly did), then you give generously.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 8 (buffet!)
Overall: 7.75

Otoro Sushi SV

Howdy folks! It's been a while since my last food blog, but the "Best of" issue from Good Times came out and I was inspired. They claim the best sushi in Scotts Valley/SLV is Otoro Sushi. I was hungry and needed to do some research.

Otoro Sushi (Yelp page)

It's in a strip mall behind Taco Bell on Mt. Hermon road. Maybe not the greatest location for a sushi place, but let's not be picky. Good food goes where good food goes. I met my daughter there for dinner, since she never misses a sushi run.

Determining our appetites, she decided she wanted a full dinner, but I'd be good with a house salad ($4) and some sushi rolls. Maybe an appetizer too. First up, was the soup and salads. Kelly liked the Miso, but took one bite of the salad and pushed it away. I tried mine and it tasted a bit like dirt. It wasn't gritty, it just tasted bad. The dressing was sparse and only coated the top.

Next up with the Mixed Tempura ($6) with veggies and shrimp. Kelly really goes for the yams and I like the shrimp, so it's a good split. Crispy and not greasy, just the way we like it.

We got served two sushi rolls, Crunchy ($10) and California ($7). We had checked off another on the given paper list, but the waitress missed it. As it turns out, the food we ate was plenty. I'm not sold on the "mark the list to order" routine however. The Crunchy roll had shrimp tempura, avocado and crab with Panko crumbs on the outside. We both liked it very much. The California roll was good too, but I missed the cucumber crunch they usually have.

Bam! Look at the amount of food that comes with the Chicken Katsu dinner ($14)! My kid was stoked and quickly gobbled up the lightly-breaded, fried chicken and sauce. The Katsu sauce is like a tangy ketchup, but not very sweet. More salad was not that exciting. There were steamed carrots, mushrooms and broccoli on the plate too and they seemed out of place. Maybe because we were used to tempura veggies? The rice bowl was heaping and the fruit was a nice touch.

Service was good and the staff were friendly. I should have sent back the salad. I did like the decor - modern and spacious. Why was this place rated so high? I'm not convinced it's better than Rumblefish or Yamamori. Especially with the mega-whiff on the salad. They get docked a point on the food score for that.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 6
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 6.75

(Compare with my review of Yamamori)

Little Tampico - Soquel

Aren't birthdays great? Another year older and a celebration for sticking around. In the case of my brother, it also included a lunchtime meal at one of his favorites, Little Tampico in Soquel.

Little Tampico

This place sits right next to the Soquel river and actually has a nice deck in back where you can watch the waters roll by. We were a group of 9 (a gaggle? a pride?) and as soon as the chips and salsa hit the table, they knew they had better keep the food coming! As it turns out, our waitress was wonderful and brought drinks and more chips/salsa the whole time.

Two kinds of salsa - a chunky Fresca and a thinner, spicy red. Both were awesome and we needed "mas" refills. Next came the Nachos Tampico ($11.50).

This was one of the best nachos I have had. The chips were crispy and not too thick. The beans had a good consistency - not runny. The toppings were generous - lots of black olives, jalepenos, cheese, guac and sour cream. And the steak was succulent and juicy!

Kelly got the Chicken Quesadilla ($7.95) and it was huge! Big chunks of chicken inside a well-cooked tortilla with lots of melted cheese. A side of lettuce and tomato finished the dish.

I got the three item plate of Taco, Enchilada and Chile Relleno ($10.95) with rice and beans. Wow, that's a lot of food! After the nachos, I should have ordered smaller, but at least I got a to-go box. The taco was very fresh with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. I would have preferred cabbage to the iceberg lettuce, but that's a minor knock. The enchilada sauce was flavorful with its spices. And the relleno was also buried in it. Yum!

Bro got the Otila's Plate ($11.95), which had mini-versions of all the classics: taco, enchilada, flauta, tostada and relleno. He likes to pretend he's Gulliver, I guess. All the fun that fits on one plate!

Diane got the Killer Quesadilla ($11.95), which adds steak, mushrooms and grilled green onions and a Sombrero salad. She loved the green creamy herb dressing. I think this wins as the most healthiest meal ordered today.

Dad got the Especial ($9.95), which is tortillas, meat (chicken), onions and peppers covered in sauce and cheese. Quite a plateful! He said he liked it, but there was too much chicken, which unbalanced the flavors. Also, another to-go box was needed.

Mom got a Flauta ($7.95) with rice and beans and correctly picked the right size for a good lunch. The flauta is a rolled up, grilled tortilla with chicken and she liked it very much. I would've wanted to wave it around like one of Groucho's cigars, but she's more classier than me.

Abundant portions, great flavors and spicy salsas - no wonder this place is one of my brother's favorites. Next time, I think I will stick with the steak, since it was heads and tails above the chicken. They also have a full bar with TVs, so you can get your margaritas on. I would put Tampico third after Casa Rosita's and Palomar (see my other reviews of them on here).

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7.5 (generous)
Service: 8 (great for a big party)
Atmosphere: 7 (cozy)
Value for price: 7.5
Overall: 7.5