Finally Get into Buck's Restaurant
By Jian Shuo Wang on 2008-09-17 05:27 · San JoseTina took me to the Buck’s Restaurant at Woodside by I-280 before, but the line was very long and we gave up. I only saw the “Google car plate” on the war, with a tagline - something like this: “we are so fool that we missed Google stock, but we got the plate.”
I went there the next trip, but still, too many people. Again, I gave up.
Today, I finally entered the restaurant. It is not empty but still have several seats - BTW, is this another sign of US economy slow down (if not recession)?
But as almost every coffee or restaurants in the Palo Alto area, out of the busy conversation from other tables beside me, I heard some words: “Series-A, investment, term sheets”
My Miserable Lunch
I ordered something worth of 10 USD with a very long name. I thought it is something big. I was given a salad with eggs, and green leaf plant (remember that I said I am like a rabbit? I feel the same thing again). I ate it, and waited for my main course.
Later, when the waitress took my empty dish, she asked:
“Do you need any dessert, sir?”
What? I was completely lost. I was still starving. If I had known it is salad, I should have avoided it. Then I ordered a pie, and that is really good.
After the lunch, my stomach is half full, and completely cold.
“Hey, where is the nearby Chinese restaurant, or at least Pho?” I really wanted to grasp someone and ask.
15 Comments
http://www.buckswoodside.com/food/index.html
A side note on food... Chinese or otherwise. A friend of mine, an american, said something after his 2nd visits to China I thought it was interesting. He said he noticed that when he was in China a lot of people kept asking him if he likes, "accept" was the word used, Chinese food and culture. Then when he had some Chinese friends came to visit in US, they kept looking for Chinese food... and the undertone is that "we are Chinese, we can't live without rice". So he thought it was a bit strange that he was expected, in general, to try and love Chinese food and culture when he was in China, and his Chinese friends seems lack of interest in trying and liking other people's stuff when they were outside of China. What he said was it is about Chinese in China, and it is also about Chinese... outside of China. I guess what I sense is that of course we are entitled to love what we are use to... but it seems that we are more "fixed".
Also on Starbucks. A lot of people in US don't really like Starbucks. For one, coffee shops are supposed to be local spots where there are some personality... each stores are different. Yes, you may not get the exact taste of coffee everytime... well, that is the point. 2nd, pay for a cup of coffee for more than a buck and quarter is insane... and the notion of "main stream" and white collar "class" is strange anyway. 3rd, for many years Starbucks practiced a pretty dirt business trick by opening too many stores in order to kill mom and pap coffee shops all over the states. I saw how they did it in my own eyes some years ago... they opened two stores in about 10 blocks away from each other on the same street in Santa Moinca. They blocked two small coffee shops in between... yes, in one year both of the small shops closed the doors. Then the year after, Starbucks closed one of its own shops... frankly two shops on the same street wouldn't generate money for them. It was simply a way to get rid of others. Although, I do know the fact that there is really no place to go for a cup of drinkable coffee except Starbucks when I was in China.
Anyway, this may sound a bit unfriendly but I think it's good to know... get out of the IT world (sorry, IT folks)... there are a lot fun in this place... good food too... if, you are open to different things. Especially in S. Cal. Take a look at the local Weekly or Citysearch or something like that... they are normally free. You just have to find the goodies. Good luck!
On Starbucks.... It is all about corporate culture vs. small business culture, the same thing like Craigslist vs eBay, or Microsoft vs Google...
Spinach salad 10.00
with blue cheese, crumbled bacon,
hard-boiled egg in a creamy vinaigrette dressing
I'd like to help you out on this... if it's possible.
Use the linked menu above...
... guess you can stay away with anything listed under Salad. Sometimes Soup and Salad are listed together... that should be easy to tell the difference. Most places have very few soups... 2 to 3 the most.
... Steak dishes are normally "hot dishes"... sometimes when people say "hot" they mean spicy
... Pork Chops, 猪排， warm
... Ribs are 排骨, warm dishes
... Pasta dishes are normally warm... unless it's under "Salad"
A lot of sandwiches are cold... even if there are words like "grilled" it still could be cold... you'll have to ask if it's warm or cold
... Burgers are warm
... Omelette (fried stuffed eggs), warm (most places fried them with butter)
Vegan, means no meat
Garden Burger, no meat
Chili, I never can describe what it is... a bowl of mixed sauce like stuff... comes with crackers.
p.s. It took me five years to be able to eat salad too... don't feel cold after eating it.