Tantilizing Thursday: Tacolicious

Lunch at Phnom Penh House

When we first moved to Oakland, we had some pretty bad food luck. As much as we have grown to love Oakland over the years, the food booming happening now still can't quite touch the amount of bad food that the Town has settled for.

Lucky for us, we discovered Phnom Penh House early on and we love the consistently good food as well as the wonderful family that runs it.

I actually didn't realize the flash was on....

Acme makes a pretty good beer

I know, I know, eggrolls? But majority rules

The snapper had a gorgeous sauce. The mushrooms were lovely.

They just added this to then menu. Its been a hidden extra for years! Chicken soup with pineapple and thinly sliced baby coconut. Its so incredibly good.

Hands down, the best fried bananas I have ever had. Anywhere.

Chez Papa's for late lunch

It's raining. I've been coughing and cooped up all week, which has been super annoying. The remedy as it turns out was Chez Papa. It was quiet, meaning I hit at the right time. The music was lovely, my server was welcoming and the host was singing in a baritone to the French songs playing. It was, just what I needed.

I'd love to have some black chandeliers. Much cooler than the ones at my grandmother's when I was growing up.

The bread was still warm when my lovely server brought it me. Butter on warm, crusty bread? Heaven.

caramelized onion soup with cheese was perfect for the weather and perfectly seasoned

When I asked if she would choose the nicoise or the chicken, there was no hesitation. The chicken and polenta were homey and worth savoring. So I did.

This plate belies the combination.it looks so innocent yet it was sublime. The rich creamy chocolate followed by the green tea ice cream was quite an experience for the mouth.

 I thanked my server when I left, and I spoke to her about the food as I was trying each course. I put myself in her hands and I am so glad I did, because her choices were dead on. 

I also hugged the host and told him he should sing with every song. This is one of those times when I didn't want to use a lot of words, yet wanted to share such a wonderful dining moment with you.

I will most certainly be visiting again!

What makes a restaurant great? Ask Traca Savadago!

What makes a restaurant great? Lighting, location, service, food? YES!

Think of why you love your favorite restaurant, what keeps you as a regular or what makes you stop going to a beloved spot.

The delightful Traca Savadogo is my guest for a two part show on what makes a restaurant great and so much more! It was a fun and exciting conversation, so make sure to listen to the show!

Luna's Kitchen Magic airs at 4 pm PST and 7 pm EST!

podcast

side note: it was mentioned that @humphryslocombe has 300,000 followers, it was mistakenly quoted as a million+.