Lao Thai Kitchen

Restaurant Information

1406 Solano Avenue
(between San Carlos Ave & Santa Fe Ave)
Albany, CA 94706

(510) 559-3276


Rita: I was pretty excited to try out this place because I've never been to a place that allegedly serves Lao, Thai AND Soul food. Well, I tried the Thai and they've got that down. I definitely want to try their soul food at a later time. This restaurant was cute, complete with trinkets and a wannabe half-hut inside that serves as a booth for the waitress. Speaking of the waitress, I thought she was very accomodating and this could be attributed to the fact that there were only 2 tables of customers during lunchtime. The food took a little while to come out, but was worth the wait. I believe the restaurant is run by a Thai/Lao wife(the waitress) and a Black husband(the cook). A word of warning, this restaurant has two doors that you have to push through to get in. It has the usual wooden door outside and a screen door inside. I guess they open the wooden door in the summer and use the screen door to protect the customers from insects? Anyways, just be careful not to walk into the screen door...it's kind of painful.

Menu

Food Pictures

Pumpkin Curry with Chicken, Fried Tofu and Vegetable Soup

Rita: WHOOHOO! This is the only Thai Restaurant I know that serves pumpkin curry and is not all the way in Richmond. There were pieces of pumpkin IN the curry! The flavor was excellent and the texture was perfect. I had asked for my dish to be medium spicy, but was slightly disappointed to find that the dish wasn't very spicy at all. I don't completely regret it though, too much spiciness could have masked the flavors of the pumpkin and chicken and I certainly don't want any of those tastes diminished. My dish was originally supposed to have the vegetable egg rolls, but I wanted try the fried tofu. The waitress allowed me to make this change at no extra cost and the fried tofu was average tasting. The sweet and sour sauce definitely made the fried tofu taste better, but not by much. The vegetable soup was also just ok, the vegetables were on the soggy side and the soup was too sour.

Fried Bananas and Ice Cream

Rita: Just looking at this picture makes me want to go back to the restaurant. If you think this dish is just two fried blobs and vanilla ice cream, you are seriously mistaken. The ice cream was vanilla flavored with coconut chunks mixed in AND honey drizzled on top. The fried bananas were made so perfectly warm, with a crunchy outside and creamy center. Mmmmm. Delish.

Sushi Solano

Restaurant Information

1373 Solano Ave

Albany, CA 94530

(510)528-5800

Rita: The spacious, clean and nicely adorned restaurant was empty when all 6 of us arrived. So naturally, I made everyone sit at the sushi bar. The sushi chefs were affable and talked about where we worked,why the heckness was I taking pictures of the dishes, were we going to report our findings to the USDA headquarters regarding food sanitation, and patiently giving Humpho his 14th lesson in chopstick handling. Poor Humpho, he tries so hard. By the way, methinks theythink I was some crazy Japanese lady who likes to docu

ment every miniscule moment in her life with pictures. That is only partially true - I'm not Japanese.

Mike: A friend of mine judges restaurants by the quality of their bathroom, and if that is the rule, then this one fares pretty well. Sushi Solano not only did boasts immaculately clean facilities, but also treats its patrons to some nice elevator-type music, adding an auditory experience to any restroom visit.

Menu

Food

Chicken Teriyaki

kitzie: This security dish is just as safe and sacred at Sushi Solano as any other halfway decent sushi place. "What made it unique?" you ask... Well, let me tell you: Sushi Solano used good chicken. Also, whatever orange-y, tangy dressing they used on the salad was FREAKING AWESOME. (At first I didn't know what it was- I was thinking they put some kind of fish eggs on my salad and was a bit cautious - like poking it with a chop stick - which, if they noticed it, probably gave the employees a good laugh.) And finally, the service was great - the owner (?) was chatty and informative and the food was quick. All in all, I liked it a lot. Don't listen to Yelp, these people are great.

Chicken Katsu and Chicken Teriyaki

Mike:This lunch special was a good amount of food for the price. The staff were great in steering me toward the best non-fishy items on the menu, plus super friendly and helpful. I'd come back to this place purely based on my experience with the employees, but the fact that the food was better than any other Japanese restaurant I've been to makes that decision a no-brainer. However, my review can only extend to non-sushi items, as my tongue hates me for eating fishy foods, and rewards me with a bad taste.

Soft Shell Crab

Amy: I came here very hungry and left very full. First I ordered a large Sapporo beer with the Soft Shell Crab appetizer. I didn't really like the crab; I was expecting more meat and less crispiness. I don't think I'll order it again.

Rainbow Roll

Amy: I ordered the Rainbow Rolls next. They were tasty but I prefer my sushi to be bite-size, and these were way too large for my mouth. I may be biased, but I like how Happy Sushi in Logan, Utah makes their Rainbow Rolls. Therefore, I judge Rainbow Rolls on how they compare to Happy Sushi. Those were very yummy and I never had to order another dish to satisfy me, but here I had to order another dish.

Spicy Tuna Rolls

Amy: The third dish was the Spicy Tuna Rolls. This was my favorite out of the three meals and the cheapest. The tuna was spicy, (I can always go spicier) and the rolls were bite-size pieces (6 pieces per plate) that fit perfect in my mouth. I liked the atmosphere of the place and the sushi chiefs were very entertaining, but I think I'll keep searching for my favorite sushi restaurant.

Chirashi

Rita: I always rate the quality of a Japanese restaurant by their chirashi. My first thought when I saw this was, "Wow! So pretty!" then, "The tamago makes my maguro look like a rabbit." There is a lot of variety in this dish - ranging from hamachi to cooked mackerel. Even though I was pleased by the quantity, I wasn't impressed by the quality. I think the sashimi might have been sitting out on the sushi bar for a bit too long, making it uncomfortably warm and gummy. The only tasty items were the cooked mushrooms and ebi. Sad.

Rita: So I swiped a bite of the sea bass teriyaki and my tongue was hit with a plethora of flavors, first with the sweet taste of teriyaki down to the grilled aftertaste. You know what I'm talking about? That fabulous carcinogenic taste where you learn that pan fried is never the same as flame kissed? Mcdonald's vs Burger King? Am I making sense here? Anyways, apparently this Japanese restaurant is good for their cooked items, even though their name is SUSHI Solano. Go figure.

Pretty Oranges

Rita: Oranges can be funny. Scenario 1: I got shafted and only got 3 pieces of oranges whilst everyone else got 4 pieces and Sam got 8. The person in charge of oranges must have a crush on Sam and hate me with a passion. Scenario 2: Sam picks up parsley and askes Amy what it was for. Amy says, "You can eat it to get rid of your bad breath." Sam takes this statement personally and asks, "MY bad breath?" Both start giggling for 5 straight minutes. I kid you not.

Britt Marie

Restaurant Information

1369 Solano Avenue (between Carmel Ave & Ramona Ave)
Albany, CA 94706

(510) 527-1314
http://www.brittmariesrestaurant.com/

Rita: This restaurant was a little hard to find. From the outside, the place looks dark and closed. Once you open the very ancient-looking wooden door, you are hit with an antique-tavern vibe. I was surprised by the size of the restaurant; It's actually pretty big and we were quickly seated. Word of warning, come eat here when you are not hungry unless you are willing to pay an exorbitant amount of money. I found this restaurant to be slightly on the pretentious side, the waiter didn't frequent our table and service was a little slow. This place could be summed up as: overpriced dwarf-sized portions of Eastern European cuisine.

Mike: The food, while pretty good-tasting, was served in portions for either five-year olds or elves - and not the tall kind in Lord of the Rings, but those Keebler elves who live in trees and make cookies and crackers in their spare time.

Menu

Food

Shrimp Gyro

Amy: I had the shrimp gyro, it wasn't bad, but I've definitely had better. I would say the taste of the food is in between fast food and gourmet, but the prices would say gourmet. Even though there was only one other table occupied, the waiter rarely came by to see how we were doing. When it came to ordering desert, we had ask the waiter for it as he was handing us our bill. It was as though he wanted us to leave. I would recommend this place if you're craving a gyro and don't care about service or what price you pay.

Rita: This gyro almost made me cry, and not in a good way. It was so small and I ate this thing in 5 bites. The beef and lamb were marinated well, but the white sauce was a little too overwhelming. I felt like I was eating a taco with too much sour cream.

kitzie: I've had better gyro's - that cost less money. How do you not offer side dishes with something like this??? I kind of liked the too much sour cream stuff though. Oh, and it was wicked small, so make sure you order some extra if you need to have a miniature, unremarkable gyro.

Mike: While this gyro was pretty awesome as far as taste goes,(extra sauce a big plus in my book) the size was utterly depressing. Within a few minutes, I had downed this thing, eaten some of Rita's Spanakopita and was still hungry. Way overpriced for the amount of food, unless they are going by the belief that the more food costs the less you should get, but in that case the usually quality improves much more. I won't be back unless I bring an elf-sized appetite or win the lotto.

Spanakopita

Rita: This spinach dish was quite the tasty. I've never had one of these before and was very pleased by the taste. I'd still like to bring up the fact that I was still hungry even with the spanakopita and gyro already digesting in my stomach. I was forced to loosen my wallet and purchase the much needed dessert portion of the meal.

Tiramisu

Rita: I had to get dessert. My stomach was unhappily unsatisfied. Apparently you get free dessert if you pay your bill with cash. I did not have cash (who carries cash anyways? It's all about the plastic cards), so I had to pay MORE money for this subpar tiramisu. It just tasted like very soggy chocolate cake with lady fingers stuck in the middle. No taste of expresso, no hint of rum, just mushy globs of sugar. Immediate regret. I should have waited and gone to get gelato from Eunice's Gourmet Cafe.

Seared pear in Brandy sauce (I think)Mike: I almost never order dessert in a restaurant because I feel that generally they are overpriced. However, after an unsatisfying meal, I decided to splurge and go for something else to whet my appetite. Unfortunately I got this- a dish that essentially was a cold, peeled pear with a cinammony syrup poured over it. Not much more to say than that, except that I regret my purchase.

Jodie's Restaurant

Restaurant Information:
902 Masonic Avenue (just off Solano Avenue)
Albany, CA

Phone: 510-526-1109
Open Wednesday through Sunday
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mike: One of the first things one notices when entering Jodie's Restaurant, a small diner-style eatery, is that the wall plastered with photos of past patrons and fliers for cleverly-named dishes not found in the menu. (see below) While there is not much seating room in the actual building (just 6 seats), the staff and other patrons were happy to help accomodate our group and eventually we got to sit down. During a second visit, during which I got a ticket for parking on a street duing the two hours a month it's scheduled for a sweepcleaning (what are the odds?!), both Jodie and the waitress remembered us from our first visit, adding a touch of familiarity that was nice to find.
Rita: "It's better to serve one person 10 times than to serve ten people 1 time." is seen handwritten on an endearing poster right when you walk in. This place follows this mantra to the letter from the way they practice customer service to the quality of food. In fact, we were so impressed by Jodie's that we came back a week later. Now, this restaurant technically doesn't reside on Solano Ave, but we've decided to add this gem onto the blog because of the way it made us so attached to it.
Sam: Because of the unique interior decoration, entering the restaurant (which is more like a diner) felt like intruding someone's private space. I spent some time trying to decide on what to get because the wall menu was not particularly descriptive. I decided to get a "Bird of Paradise" (see below). Jodie and his assistant cooked the food behind the counter, so we got to see all the action. For the rest of the afternoon, my clothes smelled like food. From my brief experience, I can see why a loyal customer would keep coming back while new customers might feel claustrophobic.

Food Pictures

Wall O' Deliciousness

Jodie's Special

Humpho: I had Jodie's special the first time i went to this tiny restuarant. The sausage looked alittle bit over cooked but it was yummy! The pancake and the eggs were great! The customer service is excellent too. Way to go Jodie, keep it up! I will certainly eat at this place again.

Bird of Paradise

Sam: The Bird of Paradise is a grilled chicken sandwich with special sauce (delicious) and spiced fries (yummy, not greasy). Different condiments are available on the counter (jam, ketchup, hot sauce...).

The Nothing With Something

Mike: Any restaurant that has the sense to put a mystery dish on the menu is alright in my book, especially an item that turns out to be so tasty. With only the knowledge that our orders would be either vegetarian or of the carnivore variety, Rita and I took the leap of faith and chose the mystery dish that Jodie guarantees is never the same twice. What we got this time around were hash browns and eggs covered in a mix of Pork, mushroom, bell pepper and other veggies in a homemade BBQ sauce. An English muffin came on the side as well. While not a fan of the mushrooms myself, they were large enough to pick out (yes, I do that) with no problem. The vegetables were all fresh, and you could tell that Jodie was proud of the meal, talking to us afterward about some of the various components. A truly enjoyable meal.

Rita: Nothing with Something sounded like a dare to me. Luckily for me, this dare turned out to have a happier ending than any of my previous dare taking in my dare career. I wiped this plate clean. If I didn't care so much about appearances, I would have asked Jodie if I could lick the pans he used to cook this dish so that he wouldn't have to wash them. (Hey, I'm being eco-conscience here! Save water!) Also, try the plum jam - it is superb. Anyone who walks into this place must try the nothing with something. I triple dog dare you.

Geromino

Amy: The Geromino was a delicious meal with a spicy hot dog cut length-wise covered in Jodie's homemade chili, topped with fresh onions, and various peppers. I also loved the different sauces and jams tha Jodie has out for your meal. This cozy hole in the wall is a great place to get homemade breakfast with friendly service. The countless pictures of family and friends that adorn the walls, give you plenty to look at while you wait for your meal. On my second return, I felt even more welcomed since the server and Jodie remembered us. I felt like taking a chance and ordered the Nothing with Something, of course it was delicious. I plan on making many more trips to this place not only for the great food but the very friendly service.

Solano Grill & Bar

Restaurant Information

1133 Solano Avenue
Albany, CA, 94706
(510) 525-8686
http://www.solanogrillandbar.com/welcome.html

Food Pictures

Peach Bellini

Rita: This literally was a mixture of one pint sparkling water to one shot Kern's peach juice. I can't believe I paid $7 for a sparkling water and Kern's peach juice. I wasn't a big fan of it either because it wasn't sweet enough for me. In the end, I gave the drink to Mike, who downed that thing like an Irish car bomb. Apparently, he likes unsweetened peach sparkling water. The warmed sourdough bread they supplied plus a generous dab of butter equaled bliss on a winter day.

Mike: If you order this drink expecting a sweet beverage, you've got the wrong idea and the menu is somewhat misleading. Rather than a powerful peach flavor, the syrup just adds a small hint of flavor to the sparkling water, which is something I would normally never order at a restaurant. Still, this was free since Rita didn't want it and therefore was still pretty tasty.

Grilled Ahi Tuna Sandwich

Rita: Memo to Solano Grill & Bar: Searing is a grilling technique where only the surface of the food is cooked, not half of the tuna fillet. I was extremely disappointed to find only half of the ahi tuna was seared correctly, the other portion was cooked too long. There was also too much onion in the sandwich. My first two bites had filled my mouth with the pugent taste of red onion and I couldn't taste the avacado, tomato, or wasabi. After taking out the offending culprit, I was able to actually distinguish the different ingredients. The avocado was fresh and the foccocia bread complemented the tuna. However, the wasabi was lacking - there was only a hint of it. From the menu, the fries are said to be "shoe string". I was expecting long, skinny strips of fried potato but given regular Burger King style fries instead. The fries weren't bad tasting at all, in fact they were quite delicious and cripsy, but please correctly advertise what you are serving.

Fish and Chips

kitzie: The Solano Bar and Grill seems like the kind of place my great-grandma would hang out, and, uhhh, I still think she would, but I would hope she would bring me along and pay for me to eat their expensive, but really-freaking-tasty, fish and chips. Now, I suppose I'm not really in the habit of ordering such a plebeian dish when I'm at nice places, so maybe all fancy places use fish that's not chewy and give you - get this - TWO sauces, but this is the best place I've been. The fish was very tender with just the right amount of fall-apartyness. The fries were average. Don't pay $7 for the drink Rita ordered, and you'll be happy.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Mike: This was a pretty good meal, as the portions were of decent size and had the right amount of ingredients to raise this standard sandwich to a new level. First of all, the cheese was melted, and I was given a good portion of what I believe was spinach, with pesto olive oil on top of that. The bread had a nice and crunchy crust, the kind that just adds more texture to the meal without being rock-hard. The only complaint that I have with this dish is that it also had sun-dried tomatoes, which unfortunately stuck to my teeth like the inside of a Butterfinger candy bar does, making the actual eating part a bit difficult to enjoy. My tip on how to make this better: fresh tomatoes instead, or you can just pick them out like I did. The french fries were pretty good, but nothing earth-shattering. I've since returned to this faux-pretentious restaurant for "brunch" at 1 p.m. and was treated to french toast with - and wait for it - cinnamon butter!? I felt like I was royalty, but my wallet didn't really notice the difference between this and a meal at Denny's.

Sophia Cafe

Restaurant Information
1247 Solano Ave (between Evelyn Ave & Masonic Ave)
Albany, CA 94706
(510) 526-8663

Waiting Time

Rita: I was impressed by how many people could fit in this smallish restaurant - and it was packed during lunch hour. This place was designed so that the 10 or so 2-person tables were organized in the front, and an open view of the kitchen in the back. It was very refreshing to be able to watch the chefs/cooks prepare the food in plain sight so there wouldn't be any concern for shady back-kitchen shenanigans. We were lucky in that we didn't have to wait very long for a table, but people who came later than us had to wait ~15 minutes. Some people even opted to order take out because there were no tables available. Even though the waitress of the restaurant (there was only one) was clearly swamped, she was able to serve our entrees out right when they were ready. We did have to refill our own water a couple of times though. There were three people who were working in the kitchen and it seemed like they did an adequate job in cooking their orders in a timely and presentable manner.

Food Pictures

Menu

Mini Mezza Plate with Chicken Shwarma

Rita: OMG. YUM. I don't even know where to start praising this dish. Every flavor of each creamy delight was carefully prepared and concocted well. The chicken was tender and spiced/grilled to perfection. Ok- before I get any further with this glorification schpel, I have a confession to make. As a Middle Eastern cuisine noob, I didn't (and still don't) know which dish was which. Even with the menu sitting in front of me, I couldn't distinguish between the babaganoush, tahini, and grilled eggplant. I did, however, immediately know which one was the hummus. Just know that I loved each dollop equally, from the smokey fusion of one whatchamacallit to the well spiced thingamajig. Even though we were given one huge pita bread per dish, we quickly ran out of the nicely toasted fluffy goodness. 60 more cents for another pita? Bring it! By the way, the pitas pictured below are only 1/2 portions of the whole thing. The hummus was deliciously garlicky, and I had to resort to chewing two pieces of gum in a vain attempt to get rid of the bad breath. Oh well- totally worth it.

kitzie: I appear not to have a picture, but that's okay, 'cuz I had almost the same thing as Rita, just with lamb. And, I have to say, I can't agree with her more here. Awesome food! These were especially good dishes for lunch because of the "appetizer sampler" feel to them. Go to Sophia's and enjoy their delicious food!

Humus with Chicken Shwarma

Mike : This dish was nice because it provided a good meat to humus ratio that was also pretty filling. The humus was a nice blend of spices, with plenty of garlic, so it gets an A. The chicken was a little greasy, but not enough to really detract from my enjoyment of the meal. And since I was feeling especially daring that day, I even tried the super spicy, make-you-want-to-cry-if-you-can't-handle-hot-foods sauce, which had a great kick. Thankfully, we were seated near the water jug so I could easily get more as needed without waiting for the waitress to come back- especially since that would have been an eternity given the amount of patrons. The only real issue I took with the meal was that one pita bread was really not enough for this amount of food, but that was quickly solved with a second order, for jus 60 cents. All in all, a pretty satisfying Mediterranean dish.

Bua Luang Thai Cuisine

Restaurant Info

1166 Solano Ave
(between Cornell Ave & Stannage Ave)

Albany, CA, 94706

(510) 527-8288

Waiting Time

The restaurant wasn't full when we came in, there were about 3 other tables of patrons. We were quickly seated, given menus and served water. The waitress seemed very friendly with her regular cliente as she was chatting with a mom and her baby like they were friends. The food didn't take long to come out when we ordered, and the waitress would come over to our table a few times to ask if everything was ok.

Food Pictures

Menu

Lunch Specials (not listed in menu)

Thai Iced Tea and Salad

Rita: Eh. I've had better Thai Iced Tea. This one wasn't very sweet and didn't have a lot of tea flavor. The salad was just a dish with vegetables and a thousand islandish type dressing.

Mango Red Curry (bottom right) and Tom Yum Kai(top left) Lunch Combo

Rita: As you can see, this restaurant excels in food presentation. However, this lunch special didn't taste very...well, special. The Tom Yum Kai soup was average and it had these weird leftover specs of something in the bottom of the bowl. I had ordered the Mango Red Curry because I've never heard of a thai dish with mango in curry. Now I know why. The combination of this fruit and the spices of the curry didn't mesh well at all. Also, the chicken was tasteless and dry. I got to take the leftovers home and ate this the next day. I don't know if I was especially hungry, or because the curry and basil spices had soaked into the chicken and vegetables, but the curry definitely tasted better as a leftover - minus the mangos of course. Bleh. Note to future thai food enthusiasts: microwaved mangos, not good.

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Curry Dumplings*

kitzie says:
*It's been a long time since I ate here, so I'm not entirely sure what their names were, but that's what the food was. I stand by my memory so don't worry. I retain many, many very useless bits of info, so have confidence in my impressions of this dish!

This place had very pretty dishes, but the taste was mediocre. Just look above, what a feast for the eyes! My food was okay. I had very high hopes for the dumplings, but they were kind of bland. Okay, and I'll admit that it was a mistake to order sweet and sour anything from a Thai restaurant, but that too was only eh. (I can only defend myself by saying: What? I'm white! I can't help myself when I see a new sweet and sour dish.) I'd go to a less fancy, better tasting Thai restaurant in the future. (Like Ruen Pair, I LOVE that place!)