The Other Critics

Las Camelias Still Fresh After 32 Years, Says Bauer; Patti U. Slurps Up Ramen Dojo

Michael Bauer filed an updated review of former Top 100 fave Las Camelias in San Rafael, which still has the same chef-owner as when opened in 1978 (!), Gabriel Fregoso. He last reviewed the place in 1996 to the tune of two and a half stars, and he says that to this day the Mexican menu feels “fresh” and the service is warm and inviting. He especially recommends the enchiladas diablo, the whole Cornish hen (marinated in ginger and garlic, deep fried and then steamed in a tomato sauce with mushroom, cilantro and chile), and the chicken mole. [Chron]

Patricia Unterman admits she’s “not immune to the fever” currently sweeping the Bay for good ramen, and she falls in love with the “bitter pork broth ramen” at Ramen Dojo in San Mateo (805 South B Street), “a creamy, full-bodied, actually not the least bitter pork broth with deep roasted garlic flavor that caresses all the other stuff in the bowl.” Also, she loves the ramen itself, “thickish, squarish, elastic noodles that are excitingly chewy at first, less so as they continue cooking in the hot, rich broth, which is why I like to wolf the whole bowl down as fast as I can.” [Examiner]

Carol Ness visits Ohgane Korean BBQ in Oakland, where she got excited by the sixteen-dish assortment of pickles and condiments laid out for her, but was shocked to find that you can’t expect to share one order of beef and get the tabletop grill going — the meat arrived already cooked. “It turns out that it takes two [$20+] meat orders at a table to get the grill going. Good to know. Unfortunately, neither the menu nor our server mentioned it, and it mattered.” But still, she gives the place two stars, and recommends the “lunctime bargain” of the bibimbap, an eight-dollar bowl of rice piled with beef, and egg, and vegetables. [Chron]

Las Camelias Still Fresh After 32 Years, Says Bauer; Patti U. Slurps Up Ramen