E&O Trading Co.

2231 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur

Back to E&O for dinner this time. My friends are duly impressed with the pan-Asian decor. We got there at 6 pm, fairly early for dinner. We had a table by the window, so we can observe the sun light dimming.
For appetizers, we had Panir ($6.95), a small, very small piece of naan cut into very small wedges. Chutney and sambal came with it but they didn't taste authentic. We also tried Indonesian Corn Fritters ($7.95). It was fried dough with corn, which my friends enjoyed. I thought the corn was too dry and it lacked the characteristic sweet taste of the vegi. Chinese Stir-Fried Greens ($5.95) were ok. I think they were bak choy stir fried with garlic and oyster sauce.
For entree, I had Indonesian Fried Rice ($15.95). I know, it is expensive for fried rice, but I remembered Nasi Goreng I used to have in Stanley, a fishing village, in Hong Kong, and wanted to try that. It was a biggest mistake. It didn't have enough rice in it to call itself fried rice, and had too much other stuff, like shrimp, chunky Chinese BBQed pork, eggs, vegitables, etc. One of my friends ordered the same item and she and I were looking at each other and wondered if this should be called fried rice. It was strangely spicy as well. I mean I love spicy food, but spice was quite unexpected. Fried rice from Panda Express would have been a lot better.
Tandoori Style Chicken ($16.95) was also unauthentic, I was told later. Other three had Ahi Tartar ($12.95), and they were happy with what they got. But there isn't a lot of room to go wrong when you are dealing with raw fish.
For dessert, we shared Fried Banana and Ice Cream speciality of the house, and Tapioca Pudding. I liked Tapioca Pudding; it was smooth and silky in texture, had sweetened azuki (Japanese red beans) at the bottom and was decorated with a strawberry and a mint leaf. The sweetness of azuki was accented by tartness of strawberry, and the red colour of the berry and green mint looked pretty on top of white smoothness in a martini glass.
The total bill for six people was $250. It was a bit much for food that lacked in autenticity by any standards. But at the same time, we stayed till 10 pm, and they provided us comfortable space. The waiting staff never rushed us, and they were courteous. The restaurant has wonderful ambiance, yet the food was not real. Would I go back? It depends. But not for food for sure.

Il Fornaio

Town Centre, Corte Madera

I met a friend in Il Foranio for lunch. It is a convenient spot to meet people, because it is close to the freeway and in the middle of Marin. There is nothing flashy about their food, but it is dependable. I had chicken salad; the chicken was tender and moist. My friend ordered roast beef sandwich. She wanted it red and rare, but they are warmed up before made into a sandwich, so rare was out of question. But she approved it. We had a table at the end of the restaurant by the fireplace. So the service wasn't too good, this time. The waiter didn't check on us periodically like they normally do. Well, I liked the table, because it was quiet.
This is a depedable and convenient restaurant in Marin.

E & O Trading Co

2231 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur
415.925.0303

In the space that used to house Good Earth, late Jim Tasley's natural food restaurant, is a fairly new E & O Trading Co. Over-sized pots of plants surround the restaurant. We pushed open inhumanly large doors with bamboo handles, and were greeted by Indonesian baskets and a pretty hostess in SE Asian inspired costume.
It is a beautifully done place; they have Asian carvings adorning walls, and Thai silk fabric hang from a high ceiling with exposed dark beams. The windows are trimmed with wide and dark flat mouldings and woven rattan Roman shades are used for window coverings. The tables have laminated cork tops, which provided additional texture. It evokes places somewhere in SE Asia, a little bit of Indonesia, Thailand, etc., but no place specific.
We ordered Pepper-Crusted Ahi & Asparagus ($12.95) + Cashew Beef ($13.95). Ahi tuna was great; it was seared outside just to rare and the slices were served over a salad of mizuna, and were surrounded by cucumber slices. The entire dish was dressed with Japanese sushi vinegar. Cashew beef was good; it is a combination of grilled beef, bell peppers, and onions, with one small leaf of Kaffir lime. Onions were little too undone and we only found one leaf of Kaffir lime leaf, which was disappointing. It was served with jasmine rice.
The atmosphere is great. It reminded me of a hotel in Bangkok we stayed in. Food was ok. I will have to try this place for dinner.

Pambiche

2811 NE Glisan St.
Portland, Oregon
503.233.0511

Beef tongues and black beans, Cuban food is wonderfully basic and good. Tongues are cooked until they fall apart, and are served with excellent bread that has a hint of sweetness. Rice is topped with colourful purple onions. The plate has a nice palette of brown, green, white and purple.

Sandwiches come in crusty Cuban bread with tender slices of cooked beef. This is a great spot when you are in Portland, Oregon.

Kitchen

868 Grant Ave. Novato
415.892.6100

Back to Kitchen again. This time for lunch.
Their lunch menu mainly featurs sandwitches and salads. Prices range from $8 to $14, which seem reasonable enough. My friend had Seared Scallops with Arugula Salad ($14), and I had Cobb Salad ($13). My salad came with iceberg lettuce, nice chicken breast, thick slices of bacon cut up, boiled egg, blue cheese, and avocado slices. Scallops were seared to perfection, and my chicken was just tender and moist. I haven't had iceberg lettuce for years; it was really refreshing and "new". For dessert, we ordered chocolate cake. It was a little grainy and dry, but being a chocoholic, we finished it.
The menu is not as creative as dinner mene but it was a good lunch on a warm day.