Taco Trail, Addendum

Mezcal (not pictured), Dinner, San Jose
July 3, 2016

After finishing up our Taco Trail in Fresno, we decided to grab dinner in San Jose on the way back home.  I was craving a margarita, so we ended up at a place that was somehow known for making a good one.  Oh, and they make guacamole to order!

I'm not sure how much I want to say about this place; it was a remarkably disappointing finish to our fabulous 2-day taco excursion.  Watery, underwhelming moles (their specialty!) were served with chips in lieu of salsa (bad idea).  The margaritas tasted of sub-par sweet and sour mix.  The guacamole, the best part of the meal, was unhappily prepared tableside by a disgruntled server.  And our sampler of "Oaxacan Appetizers" turned out to be a sad platter of fried assorted things (this was not well-described on the menu - we would generally never order such a thing to begin with) served over browned, wilted lettuce.  Yuck!

We would never in a million years go back to this place.


Krispy Kreme, Snack, Daly City

What better way to erase the memory of a terrible meal than a Krispy Kreme donut.  As luck would have it, the "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign was aglow when we arrived.  Two Original Glazed, please.  It doesn't get much better than that.

We don't frequent Krispy Kreme, but sometimes it's called for.

Eagle Cafe

photo - Yelp, Audrey P.

Eagle Cafe, Lunch, Fisherman's Wharf
May 8, 2106

We stopped here after quick bite at The Codmother.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, we (6 of us) were on the wharf, the day called for oysters and cold beer, and since The Codmother had neither, we had to find another spot.

Before I go any further, I must tell you that I don't have many good things to say about the food in and around Fisherman's Wharf.  Most of it just isn't very good.*  This area is the quintessential tourist trap, in that there is little more to do here than peruse the endless array of souvenir shops and wax museums.  I'm oversimplifying of course; I'm sure Fisherman's Wharf is perfectly lovely for some.  But anyway, there we were, in Fisherman's Wharf with a group of people in need of oysters and cold beer, and the best spot we could find was on Pier 39, the mothership of the Wharf.

Aaannd there was a 45 minute wait for that best spot.  Sooo, we went next door to a place called Eagle Cafe, and had some of the most mediocre seafood you could ever have while practically sitting on the ocean.  It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good and it was expensive.  Patrick liked his lobster bisque okay, though thought it tasted more of cream than lobster.  The fried calamari was fine.  The oysters were average.  The crab cocktail was...actually, that one was decidedly not good.  The crab tasted watered down, I highly doubt it was local (based on its placement on the menu and since crab has had a tough season around here lately), and I'm not even sure it was fresh (vs frozen).  The cocktail sauce was pretty much ketchup, and hard, stale water crackers were served alongside with a sad, slimy little lemon.  Yuck.  Overall, I've had fresher, more flavorful seafood in Austin.  That's in Texas, people, and it's landlocked.  What's wrong with this picture?


*Patrick disagrees with this statement.  There is one place worth going to, he says, but since he hasn't taken me there I can not corroborate this claim.

*(part II) I am a sucker for the clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at Boudin, though.

*(part III) Okay, and The Codmother; that place is good.