I've heard about a place called Ming's in Tiburon over the years, but never had actually seen it. Thought it may have closed. But peering through a walkway in the Boardwalk Shopping Center finally scored it!

So Dad & I tried it one recent evening. It seemed to be filled with families with young children. Noisy but happy. We started with Prawns and Asparagus which delightfully included some colorful carrots and was stir fried with a black bean sauce. It was very good.

Nijiya Market was full of tasty bento boxes this morning! I went to San Francisco to see Dr. Arya who is visiting from India. If you have any interest in seeing a REAL Ayurvedic doctor while he's in town (about one more week), please contact me and I'll put you in touch with him (anna AT annalou DOT com). My pulses have improved a lot since last fall, so no more special herbs, but I have to continue my vegetarian diet. So the above "Special Spring Selection", Spring Cherry Blossom Lunchbox, which was vegetarian, fit the bill for having after my session.

A too quick look at the bargain shelf had me bringing back a couple of these cute "Little Honey Bears". HA! I didn't notice the word 'blend'. Blend of what? CORN SYRUP and honey, and naturally the corn syrup took first billing in the ingredient list. Not in my tea! I'm supposing it'll do for a pancake topping, barely (pun intended)!

Not your ordinary breakfast. But yet, it came out of a box, and not a cereal box. It's basically a savory pancake which is particularly popular in the Kansai area of Japan. This version is an Osaka-style okonomiyaki where all the ingredients are mixed together, rather than the crepe like Hiroshima version where ingredients are layered, which was my first exposure to this dish. It's one of my favorite Japanese dishes. Any number of my Japanese friends of the male gender have told me that in Japan it's considered 'women's' food, or snack food.

A noodle kind of day. Paul and I enjoyed a quick lunch at Tha Siam in Larkspur the other day, a place I reviewed first last February.

Wise Chinese. I stopped in at Confucius Restaurant in San Rafael the other day when it was blustery but not raining. It's exterior may be drab, but it's clean and cheery inside.

I discovered a nice variety for a reasonable price in their lunch special. A small green salad and hot and sour soup start you off. Yes, these are not 'wow' items, but they are fresh and just fine.

Dessert First. Well I didn't have this Chocolate Lava Cake with Blood Orange Sorbet first, but if I'd have known, I would have been tempted. Lucky for me, Sachiko and I had just enough room after our feast at Betelnut to share this.

Surfing's a theme. Wipeout Bar & Grill recently opened in Greenbrae, in the Bon Aire Shopping Center taking over the old Chevy's space. There are large screens everywhere with movies of surfers and BIG waves.

And what do you suppose this is? I couldn't resist it when I was in Japantown last. I've wanted one for some time, but there was always the question of whether I would use it... well I did. This is a Japanese pickle maker particularly for shio-zuke (salt pickles). The screwlid is to put pressure on the vegetables you are pickling.

What's growing? Well, not the mushrooms, but more about that later. Dad thought we ought to have a real tree this year, so we picked up a live tree at Whole Foods, which is on the back deck happily shining its lights.

It displaced the arugula that actually seems to enjoy the climate of the front deck better.

Hidden around a corner. Where Ming's used to be, Mikado Sushi has set up shop in the Northgate area of San Rafael. I stopped in a few days ago to try their offerings out.

The meal started with a very rich tasting miso soup. The soy sauce containers were so cute I had to get one in the photo too.

Anna does the drive-thru. It was a very rainy afternoon, the kind that makes you just want to curl up in a blanket in front of a fire and not go out. But out I was, at an afternoon class on the CPI (California Psychological Inventory) related to my graduate studies. So it seemed just the time to grab & go.

Having experienced Panda Express as unusually good for 'fast food', I took the drive through option in this nasty weather. I ordered two of the same "Panda Bowls" for Dad & I. Half & half fried rice/chow mein with a topping of stir fried eggplant and tofu.

Pleasant lunch. Amici's East Coast Pizzeria was cheerful and welcoming. I was planning to come by at some point, but the smiling staff just beckoned me in.

I started with a broccoli half-salad. It was steamed crisp and chilled with some flavorful olive oil. With a squeeze of lemon, it was just the perfect crunchy and tender combo.

Neighborhood Italian. Dad & I stopped in Fairfax for lunch the other day, finding a sweet neighborhood place which was cozy, tasty and had attentive service. Fradelizio's Ristorante Italiano is in an old home which has been remodeled into a warm and inviting place, a little like a visit to your grandma's.

Dad had a generously portioned fresh chicken breast sandwich with a colorful side salad.

Happy New Year, Chinese style. I met Sachiko for dinner tonight, and we tried a small restaurant favorite of hers on the edge of Chinatown, New Hong Kong Menu. I apologize for the blurry photos, the lighting and camera were just not in sync.

This seafood based soup had everything but the kitchen sink in it, and it tasted good!

New Chinese on the block. P.F. Chang's (yes, a chain) opened a new location in Corte Madera on Monday. Having enjoyed their food when in other parts of the country, I decided to stop in and see how this location measures up.

Nice Touches. I stopped by Caffe DiVino for lunch last week; the last time I was there was for a very nice breakfast with Dad back in 2005. This Italian-inspired cafe bakes its focaccia fresh every day, along with its soup of the day.

Sunny breakfast. Don't know how I missed this one. Dad & I had a leisurely breakfast at the West End Cafe Deli & Market after one of his appointments. Aside the deli area there is a large, narrow and very sunny dine-in room.

Japanese at the Mall. There's a bright clean place at Northgate Mall in San Rafael which proclaims "Freshly Cooked Right Before Your Eyes", and it's true! At Oedo Grill the grill is right up front, and you can watch your meal be deftly grilled as you wait.

Staying power with good food fresh and fast. My friend Jo-Ann introduced me a year or so ago to a good Chinese place in San Rafael, Ping's Mandarin Restaurant which as been around since 1993. Since we were in the neighborhood, Dad and I stopped in for lunch the other day.

Don't judge a book. Hidden away in a strip mall in Larkspur near Fukuzuke is a new casual Italian eatery that opens early for breakfast every day! Cafe Lucano is so unassuming, but when you step inside the staff is friendly and the place is well cared for and you can just tell...

I was tempted by a watermelon Italian Soda. Each table had a clean, folded and squared up Examiner for your reading enjoyment. Everything was so orderly and inviting!

I went with family (while ago now, time flies!) to have some lunch one weekend at the Pelican Inn, near Muir Beach. It was a gorgeous day, and we were all primed for some English pub fare, which is what this place excels at, besides beautiful surroundings of course.

I enjoyed their Fish & Chips, and always love the peas they serve with it.

And one of the men enjoyed Bangers & Mash, and offered up bits of bangers to others who all agreed it was great.

Sicilian, tucked around a corner. My friends Jo-Ann & Michael met me for dinner the other night at Mezzo Mezzo, a place that is a little out of the way in downtown San Rafael, but it would be a shame to overlook. It was actually a birthday dinner for me that we decided to do after all the holiday hecticness was over, and it was perfect!

I had no idea that San Francisco was the center of a freedom movement for Indian Independence starting before the non-violent movement of Gandhi was popularized. There is a very innocuous building at 5 Wood Street in San Francisco simply bearing the name "Gadar Memorial" and written in Hindi as well. In the early 1900's a group of Indian expatriates inspired by freedom and democracy banded together in San Francisco plan to overthrow British rule in India, and thus have true democratic freedom.

One day I enjoyed a walk over to Fish for lunch. It seems that it matters not when I go, there is always a line outside.

On that sunny day, I tried clam linguine and discovered that not only were the clams abundant, fresh and delicious, but that the pasta is made on site fresh. It was some of the best fresh pasta I've ever eaten. And the big galvanized bucket for the shells was a off-beat touch that added another touch of fun.

Family by the seaside. My host sister from Hiroshima days is visiting with her husband, and our younger brother now lives in Marin, so the family got together for some local fun yesterday. After a refreshing walk breathing in the redwood scent at Muir Woods we decided to go to Stinson Beach for a drink and rest before the next round of activities.

After a quick survey of the scene, we decided to try the Stinson Beach Grill for some of the famous local BBQ oysters. Delectable! And we were seated promptly and given friendly and timely service. This is a place I'll come back to sometime to try a full meal.