http://www.ravenousrob.com A New In-Your-Face Extreme Approach to Dining Assessment Sat, 18 Oct 2008 19:38:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 735 Denman St Vancouver, BC V6G2L6 (Map) 604-685-9399 (Web Site) Price: $$$$$ Cuisine: Japanese Toratatsu is the one and only truly good izakaya that Ravenous Rob has been able to find outside of Japan.  Although the menu shows some West Coast influence, fusion cuisine has become standard fare for modern izakaya, and the inventive touches are ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=72 518 Tenth Street NW Washington, DC 20004 (Map) 202-393-5444 (Web Site) Price: $$$$$$$ Cuisine: French Good French restaurants are somewhat of a rarity in the United States, so it was with considerable pleasure that Ravenous Rob was able to confirm that the food served here is indeed up to his standards.  Everything Ravenous Rob tried here ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=68 12924 Sherman Way North Hollywood, CA 91605 (Map) 818-765-8395 Price: $$ Cuisine: Thai The San Fernando Valley isn't exactly good eating territory, but Bua Siam is a pleasant exception to that rule.  This small, plain shop tucked away in one the innumerable strip malls that line Sherman Way has the Thai food credentials to go ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=67 (Web Site) Price: $$$$$$$$$$$$ Cuisine: American If considered only on the basis of the quality of food and service, Patina Catering deserves a recommendation.  At a recent event that Ravenous Rob and the lovely Lady Ravenous Rob had the honour of hosting, Patina Catering did a fine job.  Although there was some fall ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=66 230 E 9th St New York, NY 10079 (Map) 212-228-8030 Price: $$$ Cuisine: Japanese (Tea, Snacks, and Dessert) This little tea house in the East Village really is like a bit of Japan stuck in New York. Which, considering how cosmopolitan New York pretends to be, shouldn't be so rare, but in fact is. The ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=61 21 W Victoria St Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (Map) 805-564-7100 (Web Site) Price: $$$$$$$$$ Cuisine: American Ravenous Rob never really liked the idea of California cuisine. It was pretty much a term without meaning, translating in  effect to "whatever the chef decides to throw together."  But specific incidences can be very tasty, and such is the ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=60 8660 Banker's St Florence, KY 41042 (Map) 859-525-6564 (Web Site) Price: $$$$ Cuisine: Japanese Authentic, high-quality Japanese food in Kentucky, of all places? It seems a mystery until one learns that Northern Kentucky is host to Toyota's USA headquarters. Ravenous Rob is filled with a newfound appreciation for the automaker for allowing this ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=59 52-54 High St Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2PF (Map) 01722 341333 Price: $$$$$$ Cuisine: Italian It's really amazing how much food in Britain has improved in the last ten years. London has gotten most of the attention in this regard, but even in smaller towns there is now a chance of finding not just decent, but genuinely ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=58 88 W Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91105 (Map) 626-396-0956 (Web Site) Price: $$$ Cuisine: Bakery/Soup and Sandwich Ravenous Rob finally got around to trying this Belgian chain and was pleasantly suprised. The food here is simple, and primarily shines because of the freshness and quality of its ingredients, not because of any particular ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=57 545 Lighthouse Ave Pacific Grove, CA 93950 (Map) 831-373-8523 Price: $$$$$$ Cuisine: Italian No longer recommended due to a mediocre experience. Step past the rather silly name and inside you'll find one of the best Italian food experiences Ravenous Rob has had in years. Although nothing here is fancy, the ingredients here are high-quality ... http://www.ravenousrob.com/?p=56