20116 Wed Jun 05 13:21:04 -0700 2002 5 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 68885 favorite new rest. ofarrell near jones. 2x/week and still crave it. Wed Jun 05 13:21:04 -0700 2002 0 raldo 1 68898 I'm lovin' it, too!! Tried the Tamarind beef last time...yum. What other dishes do you recommend? Wed Jun 05 14:56:38 -0700 2002 68885 0 bigface 2 68953 "beef" and broccoli is great. the potstickers are also yummy. i like the rice crepe appetizer. some things arent perfect but most are step above any thing else. later Thu Jun 06 00:02:58 -0700 2002 68898 0 raldo 1 68948 Dear raldo, Once again I am cast in the role of naysayer, and unlike my rip on the un-Peruvian Fresca I cannot suggest useful alternatives to Golden Era for the lover of Vietnamese veterinarian fare (those crazy veterinarians!). However, in the interest of balanced opinion, here is what the Limster and I felt about Golden Era: - We ordered an unusual special rice dish (Royal? Regal?) with pinenuts and other odd ingredients. More of a mishmash than an inspired combination. - Imperial rolls not made with the blistery, thin wrappers favoured at spots such as PPQ or the controversial Tu Lan. My understanding is that the standard eggroll wrappers are not classically Vietnamese. Red, sweet sauce - not good when colour is the #1 descriptor. Overall, a novel use of familiar Chinese Buddhist ingredients with Vietnamese sauces and preparations (note that there are many plain Cantonese dishes on the menu that we avoided). Execution merely alright, as is often the case in Chinese Buddhist restaurants. So, points for originality but one will find more toothsome non-vegetarian Vietnamese at Tenderloin joints such as Vietnam II and Pacific Noodle House (both on Larkin I think). As for Chinese Buddhist vegetarian places, I have yet to find one in San Francisco that I like a lot, Lucky Creation and Bamboo Garden come closest and Long Life in Berkeley has sentimental value. The usual flaw is over-greasiness, so much of the ersatz meat is fried to create a life-like texture. Nothing matches the tamarind fish I ate in a Sydney restaurant cooking Singaporean Buddhist fare. I would love to hear of a better Bay Area alternative from a more enlightened chowhound. Happy eating, Low End Theory Wed Jun 05 22:11:29 -0700 2002 68885 0 Low End Theory 2 68969 Low End Theory noted: "As for Chinese Buddhist vegetarian places, I have yet to find one in San Francisco that I like a lot, Lucky Creation and Bamboo Garden come closest and Long Life in Berkeley has sentimental value. The usual flaw is over-greasiness, [...]" Have you tried Golden Lotus in downtown Oakland? Nothing I've gotten there has been overly greasy. Some dishes were a tad salty for me, but I have a low salt tolerance. String bean dishes and soups are quite good there. Err, it's on Franklin, around 13th, if I recall. Just a block or two off BART. 510/893-0383. (link(s) attached) Link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22golden+lotus%22+oakland&btnG=Google+Search Thu Jun 06 13:04:45 -0700 2002 68948 0 Marc Wallace 2 69102 "one will find more toothsome non-vegetarian Vietnamese at Tenderloin joints such as Vietnam II and Pacific Noodle House (both on Larkin I think)" LET - could you please expound on these two more? Vietnam II in particular seems to be pretty busy. Any favorite dishes? Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/23/cat23.htm?842 Fri Jun 07 23:23:18 -0700 2002 68948 0 Melanie Wong