Mode Bay Area Dining

Mode Bay Area’s staff and friends recently hosted a birthday bash at what we like to think of as Westfield Valley Fair’s best kept secret: Oryza.  Not too long ago on this very site we shared with you the menu and dining experience you might expect should you grace the Oryza resturaunt, which included excellent …

We recently had the chance to check out one of the newest Restaurants to hit the Bay Area–ORYZA Bistro Asiana at Westfield Valley Fair. ORYZA is a contemporary Thai & Pan Asian Restaurante. Oryza Bistro Asiana serves delicious, beautiful, Southeast Asian cuisine in a hip, modern setting perfect for a date, a girls or guys night out, or …

Grégoire 2109 Cedar St Berkeley, CA 94709Grégoire www.gregoirerestaurant.com Everyone craves fast food once in while. When we think of fast food we don’t really think of fancy places or top notch ingredients. But who says it can’t be gourmet? A quaint take-out spot in Berkeley says it can be! This past weekend me and my boyfriend took …

1626 Taraval St San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 682-4578 gcubecafe.com It’s that time of year again when the fog rolls in and we all start craving all things warm and comforting. And it is agreeable that instant ramen bowls get old, very fast. Most of us are definitely looking for a healthier option that is reasonable. That’s …

There’s a new addition at Four Seasons East Palo Alto. The aptly named, “Intermezzo” now occupies the space between the bar scene and full-on dinning experience at Quattro (the Four Seasons restaurant). Last Friday, MODE had the chance to celebrate the grand opening. Italian for “in between,” Intermezzo serves up a wildly diverse selection of …

I love everything s’mores, you might remember my S’mores Cupcakes recipe I shared with you last year, well here’s a new spin on it. I think of it as campfire elegance otherwise known as  S’mores Truffles. So hard to resist, and so easy to make, your friends and family will be blown away by the …

I’ve been gluten free for a little over 2 years now. It all started when I was telling a friend about reoccurring eczema that I couldn’t get to go away, and a constant feeling of being bloated no matter how little I ate. She told me that bloating was one the main symptoms of a gluten intolerance and advised that I …

Ramen Doraku 1042 Taraval St San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 592-8801 The seasons are changing and it’s starting to get chilly! So what sounds better than piping hot ramen on a foggy Bay day for under 10 bucks? I had a serious craving for some comfort food and found my way to a relatively new ramen joint …

The Taco Shop @ Underdogs 1824 Irving St San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 566-8700 www.tacoshopsf.com Looking for cheap, huge tacos served with ice cold beers and a side of ESPN? Then I’m sure you’ve heard through the grapevine about The Taco Shop at Underdogs. At what seems to be a typical sports bar, Nick Fasanella whips up his …

A stones throw from the 101, the best kept secret in bay area food and fashion are the events at The Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto’s own restaurant, Quattro. Starting with the food. The meals feature local ingredients, so fresh that the were picked or foraged while you were still swapping shoes with …

Morton’s The Steakhouse San Francisco is adding a little bling to the holidays this year with its Holiday libation, the Sparkling Cinnamon Apple cocktail. Full of apple and spice and everything nice, the Sparkling Cinnamon Apple is a delicious complement to any memorable meal!  Available for $14, the festive libation is made with Lunetta Prosecco, Lindemans Pomme …

Woodhouse Fish Co. 2073 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94114 http://woodhousefish.com/ It’s no secret the Bay Area is home to high-quality seafood and numerous restaurants that serve it. The only thing is that most of the time they can be pretty pricey or not have those simple dishes you crave. However, a little bustling seafood …

Hukilau 5 Masonic Ave San Francisco, CA 94118 www.dahukilau.com/sanfrancisco/ Just because I’m two thousand miles away from home doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy local Hawaiian dishes! Lucky for us Hawaiians, San Francisco has quite a few Hawaiian BBQ joints. Local (Hawaiian) flavors have seemed to find their way into the Bay Area, yay! I no longer have …

Yum Yum Fish 2181 Irving St San Francisco, CA 94122 This past week I’ve stumbled upon a restaurant that has become a monumental part of my life in San Francisco. I’ve found it guys. I have found that sushi restaurant that leaves behind all that fancy stuff and takes good ingredients back to the basics. Yum Yum …

A new dessert shop opening? You know I’m there. Frost Cupcake Factory recently held their grand opening in downtown Campbell—and let me tell you their name explains everything. For some cupcake lovers its all about the cake, others its all about the frosting. If you tend to lean towards the frosting side of the spectrum …

We are halfway though July, but the summer is far from over. There are still plenty of parties to attend and camping trips to be had. Camping got me thinking, the ultimate camping treat is…you got it: s’mores! You may not have a fire pit in the middle of your apartment, so the graham cracker, …

[like url=www.facebook.com/modebayarea action=like] We recently started wondering who serves the best steak in the Bay Area? We Yelped, we asked, and we saw that one name was on top of most lists so we decided to check it out for ourselves and let you know what we thought. Just to warn you—we ate a lot. …

Dinosaurs 16th Street at Prosper San Francisco, CA 94114 When you think of enjoying a Vietnamese sandwich in San Francisco, more often than not you would think of heading to the pleasantly fierce streets of the Tenderloin. It’s a well known fact that the TL treats us to the best that Vietnamese cuisine has to offer. However …

Giordano Bros. http://giordanobros.com/ 303 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94133 Welcome to Steeler nation! Within seconds of stepping into this homey neighborhood spot, you’ll get the hint that Steelers are number one here. The place is covered in Steelers memorabilia, to the last inch. They’ve got bobble-heads, framed photos, and one of their logos is actually the …

Sushiritto 59 New Montgomery St San Francisco, CA 94106 www.sushirrito.com For the past few months I’ve been constantly been hearing about these amazing sushi rolls the size of burritos! Sushi the size of burritos pretty much sounds like heaven. Burrito sized means endless flavorful bites of sushi. You should be excited. Just off of Montgomery station, this …

The week is almost over, and there’s a lot of events on the rise of this first weekend of June. In case you don’t have any dinner plans yet, or even if you do and need an excuse to get out of them, here’s whats on the menu. National Donut Day: Wine and Donut Pairing …

{EAV_BLOG_VER:4c4c244f29c96732} Local Mission Eatery (Mission) 3111 24th St. and Shotwell St. http://www.localmissioneatery.com After committing myself to discovering the amazing restaurants I know exist in the Mission, this was the first place I stumbled upon(via the much better site Yelp). What really attracted me to making this the first place I tried was their constantly changing …

La Oaxaqueña Bakery & Restaurant 2128 Mission St (between 17th St & Clarion Aly) San Francisco, CA 94110(415) 621-5446 www.oaxaquena.com Home to gigantic burritos, tamales the size of your face, and grasshopper tacos, La Oaxaqueña brings unique cooking to the Mission district. Right off of 17th street, this hole-in-the-wall serves up legit Mexican cooking you’ve got to …

Shin Toe Bul Yi 2001 Taraval St. For the most part, pretty much everyone enjoys Korean food. Sure some things smell weird and definitely don’t look as though they should be eaten, but it’s pretty amazing. People don’t always love all of it, but surely don’t mind most of it. As for me, I grew …

This is not one of your Yogurtland, Tutti Frutti, or Orange Leaf self-serve yogurt dessert places.  You know the fast food yogurts that you pour into your Big Gulp sized cup and pay by the ounce… winding up with more yogurt than intended and too many toppings and suddenly you’re at a register paying $5-something …

Toast www.toasteatery.com 3991 24th Street San Francisco, CA This week I had a friend visiting from SoCal and she wanted me to take her to an awesome breakfast place. Of course Toast was the first place that popped into my head! I work a couple shop fronts down from the one in Noe Valley, so …

After stumbling around Japantown and finding Cako 2, these cupcakes were calling my name. I’ve had Cako’s little treats at the downtown location and was pleasantly surprised they had another one! First off, I LOVE this location much more than the one downtown. It’s much cuter and better set up. The larger-than-life ceramic cupcakes are über …

1740 Buchanan St. (Between Post St and Sutter St) Holy Ramen! Growing up in Honolulu spoiled me when it comes to amazing Japanese cuisine. Probably about forty to fifty percent of the people living on Oahu are Japanese, or part Japanese. This meant I could find a huge range of different styles of Japanese cooking. …

This past Friday, MODE Bay Area was invited to the VIP and Media night preview party at Santana Row’s newest spot for drinks and eats, Yard House. This sneak peak included samples and tasting of many things that will be on the menu of over 100 food items. I also had to try the drinks …

These are not your ordinary pancakes. I was catching up on my cooking blogs and came across red velvet week (genius idea) and thought I should take a shot at making these. I’ve heard a lot of talk about red velvet pancakes, seen them pop on a few menus, and I figured I should be …

I couldn’t cook AT ALL when I got married. I literally made food that was inedible. The meal that really made me realize I needed help was when I put shrimp and zucchini on the same dry skewer, with no spices or sauces, on a broken Bar-B-Q and attempted to cook. It was charred, raw …

My wife and I recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and wishing to go somewhere new and special, we took the advice of some friends and booked reservations at McCormick & Kuleto’s Restaurant in San Francisco, CA.  Located in the heart of Ghirradelli Square, with beautiful views of the bay and harbor, we soon came to …

My wife and I recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and wishing to go somewhere new and special, we took the advice of some friends and booked reservations at McCormick & Kuleto’s Restaurant in San Francisco, CA.  Located in the heart of Ghirradelli Square, with beautiful views of the bay and harbor, we soon came to …

We were feeling a bit, adventuresome and devil-may-take-the-calories-if-he-cares-to and it was worth it! We audaciously ordered oysters on the half shell with a tarragon mignonette and horseradish. They were light as air; cool and full of a sweet flavor that is can only be described as romantic. I truly understand why they are an aphrodisiac …

Oh sushi, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways! I’ve worked all over the San Jose area and eaten all over the Bay Area. I can safely say that by now I’ve pretty much become a sushi connoisseur. I did hair for 10 years in the Bay Area and I’ve had many …

Blowfish Sushi has completely and utterly ruined me for other, lesser sushi places. Our waitress suggested we start off with the garlic soy edamame and I wondered, Ok? Edamame, really? And then I took a bite and my life changed course, flashed before my eyes and will never be the same! How many more cliché’s …

Who knew there was a good burger place in San Jose where you can get grass fed free range beef at a trendy upscale joint? Apparently everyone else in San Jose, because The Counter is always packed! The format is simple. You pick your burger type, toppings and bun and hand in your order. You …

I didn’t know this until I went to sino but crab cakes can actually melt in your mouth if they are made right. And ohmygoodness do they make them right at sino!!!  I’ve been to sino before and have tried their dim sum but I’ve never had what I got this last time and I …

Well I’ve discovered what eggs Benedict has been missing all these years and it’s carnitas!!! Oh my goodness my life will never be the same!! We went to Consuelos at Santana row for brunch on Sunday and they basically knocked our socks off. They start you off with three kinds of salsa and warm homemade …

My daily life is quite hectic. Between my two little kids, my husband, and work I rarely have any extra time. While the fashion industry is many fabulous things, calm and low key aren’t one of them. So for my 30th I didn’t want to be in Vegas, a club, or anywhere that was fast …