Blog Archives - Cute Diner

Star @ Novato, CA

4/30/2014

Open from morning to night, Star will always be there to serve you mouth-watering food. A dish I love is the Novato favorite. It is a sandwich with avocado, chicken, bacon, tomato, and cheese. This sandwich also comes with a side and in this case, I chose their mashed potatoes. Both the sandwich and the mashed potatoes are really scrumptious. In addition to that, whenever I visit Star, I often like to order a brunch item. The ham and cheese omelet was a flavor explosion in my mouth. Also, you have to try the giant Belgian waffle. To sum it up, Star is an excellent American styled restaurant that serves savory food.

The ham and cheese omelet is one of Star's amazing brunch items.

Yum, Star's mashed potatoes go well with any of their dishes.

The chicken alfredo with mushrooms is a flavorful sensation for your taste buds.

Monday again? That means Monday Punday!

4/28/2014

My friend's bakery burned down last night. Now her business is toast. :(

How to Make Pecan Coffee Cake

4/27/2014

With a cinnamon pecan topping and a moist cake, the pecan coffee cake is a sure crowd pleaser. If you follow this recipe correctly, it could taste like a professional cake. That's one of the reasons I choose to share this recipe with you today. Before anything, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the cake, you'll need:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of sour cream
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla

Now, follow these steps to prepare the cake:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then put it aside. Cream the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. After that, add in the sour cream and beat in the sugar. Gradually, mix in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla. Make sure all the ingredient are incorporated. Pour the batter into a 9x13 inch pan, lined with buttered or oiled foil.

And for the pecan topping that goes on top:

1/2 a cup of brown sugar
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

As for the directions:
Mix the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Combine the butter and stir until crumbly. Then, sprinkle the topping over the cake batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Pecan coffee cake isn't a full treat without whipped cream and a strawberry on top!

Wheezy's @ Terra Linda, CA

4/26/2014

" Eat more beef." That's this restaurant's slogan, which is said by a chicken. They certainly live up to it by serving burgers to customers. What's the name of this seemingly delicious place? It's Wheezy's. Wheezy's has a variety of burgers and fries for a side. To begin with, a burger that I'm a fan of is the Contiki. It's made up of a beef patty, grilled pineapple, and teriyaki glaze. One of Wheezy's specialty burgers is the B-Rad, composed of a beef patty, apple cured bacon, and cheddar cheese. If you feel like getting six burgers or more, try the big picture. You can get 6 burgers for $25 or 12 for $50. This great deal also comes with fries! All in all, come on down to Wheezy's, the 4.7 star restaurant, and grab a bite.

Cattlemens @ Petaluma, CA

4/25/2014

When you're in the area of Petaluma, you might catch the smell of steak and a various of other mouth-watering food. Food that seems this good only appears in your wildest fantasies, but not anymore! Just go to Cattlemens to eat dishes your heart desires. The first dish I want to talk about is the prime rib. Cattlemens' prime rib is world-renowned(yes, it's that good). With amazing sides, like tumbleweed onions and mashed potatoes, this prime rib dish is unforgettable. In addition to that, I would recommend the lobster tail. A great deal Cattlemens has is the dinner for two. You get to choose one appetizer, two entrees, and two desserts, all of which are listed on their menu, so you can select carefully. Last but never least, this western themed restaurant serves outrageous desserts, including the Cowpie Brownie Sundae, Pete's Pan Cookie, and Chocolate Outlaw Cake. The Cowpie Brownie Sundae is a combination of brownies, vanilla ice cream, and topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry on top! Plus, Pete's Pan Cookie is a chocolate cookie with a scoop of ice cream. Overall, Cattlemens, with their fantastic steaks and desserts, earned 4.8 stars from me.

Sol Food @ San Rafael, CA

4/23/2014

The bistec is a magnificent steak sandwich that everyonne must try.

This shrimp dish, camarones criollos, has a killer sauce made of tomatoey kind of sauce.

Costillas are pork ribs served with rice, salad, and much more.

My favorite dish Sol Food serves, the Pollo Al Horno.

With all this delicious food, Sol Food is definitely close to my heart and soul. They have heartwarming dishes that are certainly one of a kind. First, the Pollo Al Horno is one of Sol Food's specialties. This dish is made of chicken, rice, beans, salad, and fried plantains(bananas). This perfectly baked chicken is a crowd pleaser. Another dish I would recommend is the camarones criollos, which is a shrimp dish. I especially am a fan of shrimp and this dish is one of my favorite seafood plates. Plus, Sol Food even has drinks like the mango iced tea. All in all, Sol Food is a 4.2 star restaurant that has delicious, hearty food.

You can Depend on Monday Punday to Brighten up your Day!

4/21/2014

Yesterday, I swallowed some food coloring. The doctor said I was okay, but I feel like I dyed a little on the inside.
Don't worry Monday Punday will be back next week.

Tuxedo Brownie Recipe

4/20/2014

With this cream cheese topping, the tuxedo brownies are irresistible.

Brownies+ cream cheese= the amazing tuxedo brownies!

This scrumptious dessert is my favorite(really it is). However, be careful because these tuxedo brownies will be gone in a minute. These treats are composed of a chocolate brownie and a cream cheese topping. I know what you're thinking and don't worry, I'm going to tell you. Before anything, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now for the ingredients for the brownie itself: (Ingredients in parentheses are what I used instead of the actual measuring to cut back)

1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup of butter
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar (1 cup)
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla

And the directions are:
Combine the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until it's melted. Combine 6 eggs and the sugar, mixing with an electric mixer until light yellow. In another bowl, put together the flour, baking powder, and salt. After that, pour in the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Then stir in the chocolate mix and one tablespoon of vanilla. Mix well. Prepare a 13x9x2 inch pan lined with buttered foil and pour the brownie batter in.

As for the cream cheese:

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons of softened butter(4-5 tablespoons)
3/4 cup of sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla

After all that, the directions you need to follow are:
Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer(medium-high speed) until light and fluffy. Add in the sugar. After that, beat well. Put in the rest of the ingredients and mix once again. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter and bake for 35-45 minutes.

Bubble Loca @ Richmond, CA

4/19/2014

Milk tea, ice cream, smoothies, and more are all served at this really popular store. This store is called Bubble Loca, conveniently located near other restaurants. So if you're like me and save room for a sweet treat to finish off the meal, visit this amazing store. To begin with, Bubble Loca serves a variety of drinks. Something I am really fond of is the peach iced tea, with some tapioca pearls mixed in. Not only can you order drinks, but also ice cream and packed lunches. Well, that's about all I'm going to tell you. To find out more, I suggest you go down to the mouth-watering Bubble Loca and see for yourself.

Champa Garden @ Oakland, CA

4/18/2014

At this Asian and Laotian themed restaurant, anything and everything is good, from the fried rice to the wonton soup. Also, it's family friendly and serve amazing drinks, such as their Thai coffee. You're probably wondering what this place is. Don't worry, that's what I'm here for. Champa Garden is this restaurant with many specialty dishes. To start off, a truly memorable appetizer I tried was the Champa Sampler. It included spicy meat, their famous fried rice ball salad, and more. Onto entrees, I'm always a fan of fried rice and Champa Garden's pineapple fried rice totally changed my view of my favorite dish(in a good way!). In addition to that, you should also order the Pad Thai and the Mango Paradise. With all these good dishes, Champa Garden is the place to be when you visit Oakland.