Patricia Unterman braves the boisterous Russian Hill crowds to have a taste of Mitteleuropa at Leopold’s, She says the dirndl-clad and “abundantly cleaved” waitresses “offer a lot more than decollotage” — they’re smarter than Hooters girls, in other words — and she says she was offered some good guidance around the rather filling menu. She likes the wiener schnitzel, calling it “workmanlike and satisfying,” but she especially loves the goulash with its “airy spatzle, corn-kernel sized noodle dumplings dusted with parsley and a whisper of lemon zest,” and the “fabulous choucroute platter,” with its “engaging” bratwurst. Also, she recommends saving room, if feasible, for the apple strudel. [Examiner]
Mr. Bauer meanwhile makes a return trip to Greek restaurant Dio Deka in Los Gatos, where chef Marty Cattaneo, an alum of the kitchens at Manresa and Ubuntu, has recently taken over. He calls out the ouzo-steamed mussels (“They’re taken out of the shell, and the broth is poured on tableside, moistening the mix, which includes whole fried green olives, crisp croutons and little fava leaves that resemble lily pads floating in a fragrant pond.”), the lamb meatballs, and the mesquite-grilled octopus, but he says most of the main courses “pale next to the starters.” As for the desserts, he writes, “I still can’t figure out why the yogurt was $12.” And he likes the Greek beignets dipped in thyme honey, but he could only eat two of them, and there were seven on the plate. All told, the place sticks at two and a half stars, the same rating it had in 2007. [Chron]
