Joy, Gimanelli's and Red Robin: Fast, easy, fun!

It's been a bit of a whirlwind past couple of months. We've had the ball and breakfast, last games of lacrosse and baseball, conferences and parties, graduation, more parties, road trips and even more parties! We've been going to lunch, on occasion, and thought we'd sort of cheat a bit and review these 3 places all together. Time to catch up and get back on track!

Joy China Cuisine (30 W. Angela; site of the old "Panda's"): Decent location (close to downtown) and décor typical as expected in a Chinese-American restaurant (but did applaud the linen table cloths). We only saw the lunch specials, but were impressed by the selection and combinations. All were severed with an egg roll, salad (basically greens with sesame-ginger dressing), hot and sour soup and rice. The portion size was impressive and the food was O.K.—not too greasy, but a bit on the bland side. The service was also what you'd expect: very quick to bring out the food (which was served nice and hot), but then you can never find a server again. Overall good value at $7.50 a plate. Mom said: "If you want to go for Chinese food, I'd say 'here'!" It was a step up from the other's we had tried in the typical Chinese-American category. Not Uncle Yu's , but a reasonable deal for lunch with plenty of left-overs to please Mom! Overall score for Joy: 3.6 points.

Mom excited to use chop-stix at "JOY"

Gimanelli's "sidewalk"dining

 Gimanelli's Delicatessen and Catering (915 Main St.): One of the most popular deli's in all of Pleasanton. We've had Gimanelli's sandwiches many, many times…but interesting to give the place a sort of "review". Location is OK—at that very northern end of downtown in a shopping center that never has enough parking. Not really any ambiance-very basic deli-style décor with a few metal tables and some not-so-comfortable chairs out front. Service: not too friendly or helpful. I was trying to get a good understanding of how the special sandwich of the day, beef brisket, differed from their usual roast-beef sandwich. Never did get an answer, so decided to order to figure out myself! Good selection of salads and excellent sandwich buns (which I was surprised to find, they do not make, but do purchase fresh daily—I had always thought those were "their" fresh rolls!). Vienna Brisket sandwich was basically a French-dip style warm roast beef sandwich. It was good, but not as tender or as juicy as Kinder's Ball-tip! I do appreciate the anatomic difference between brisket and ball tip, but quite honestly would have appreciated a better description. Value for the special was good at $6.99, but the regular sandwich prices are not a great deal. Probably the most difficult part of our lunch experience: it wasn't too crowded, our sandwiches were made and were sitting as we waited to check out. No one else was waiting: and yet still, the cashier acted like we needed to wait longer. She stared at us as if we didn't know what we were doing-just paying for a sandwich shouldn't be such a difficult experience. Overall score for Gimanelli's: 3.1 points. A lot of their success is their reputation: they need to improve the rest of the experience to go with it!

Red Robin (4503 Rosewood Drive, by Walmart): We were in search of a quick burger, so on our way to In-N-Out (we weren't planning to review that day). Passing by Red Robin, Mom said she had never been in there—quick U-turn and there we were. Seated in the bar (open seating, same menu) because there was a 15 minute wait for the dining room (despite a plethora of open tables). Mom thought the place cute and the server was very kind. Great burger selection-thought Mom would be excited, but then she ordered the basic cheeseburger. I had fun trying some with mushrooms and a different style of cheese, at least. Overall we were pretty impressed. Burgers were cooked thoroughly (thank you), and were still juicy and served promptly. Prices were OK and portion sizes large, similar to that expected at Chili's, definitely more than In-N-Out, but a very different type of experience. We are glad we tried it! Overall score: 3.5 points.

Dining experiences upcoming: Soon to report some great lunches downtown for special occasions.

Alberto's Cantina: Only "media"!

Lunch date #36, March 29, 2013

Wow, behind in our postings once again. It has been a busy couple of months, and while we have been getting out for a few lunches here and there, I think Mom is worried that our project is dwindling. Must put this back on top priority! Remembering back to the end of March when the weather was so unseasonably warm, we wanted a restaurant with outdoor seating. Since Mom loves Mexican food, I thought—where else but Alberto's Cantina (435 Main Street; www.albertoscantinapleasanton.com). I've had many opportunities to try the food there-always seems just so-so to me, but I wanted Mom's expert opinion!

Location: back to our beloved downtown for the full 5 point score!

Ambiance 3 points. I definitely prefer the outdoor seating rather than the dining room, but upon closer inspection found that even the outdoor décor was rather "old" looking. It seems time to replace the old woody-spindly plants in cheap plastic hangers. The bar area is pretty, and as Mom pointed out, the two color table linen scheme is festive. They definitely attempt to create a cantina-type of atmosphere.

Menu 3.5 points: All the usual Americanized-Mexican style entrees that you'd expect to see. Mom commented that it "covers everything I'd be interested in ordering." Nothing exceptional that stands out, but definitely can find a good assortment. There are good pairings and plate-size options. Mom ordered the chili relleno. I went with the most "popular" tostada on the menu-to really give the place a chance to "wow" me this time.

Food 3 points: Mom was happy that her food was nice and hot (temperature wise, that is). I tasted her chili relleno and thought it was decidedly lacking in flavor. She was quite happy, though and promptly ate everything-no left overs that day! My "popular" tostada was just fair. The shell was too heavy and the rest of the dish was too soggy. The chicken was not seasoned and for once I only ate half of my meal! Not worth taking the rest home, however.  

Service: 3 points. Prompt in the beginning and the food was served very quickly. But then we never saw a waiter again. I would have liked more water, but didn't get a refill until presented with the check.

Value: 2.5 points. Great location and nice outdoor ambiance, however the food is not a great deal. $12-13 for very bland food. Rather on the high end from our experience, without the quality of the food to justify the price.

Overall score for Alberto's Cantina: 3.3 points. The best part of this dining experience is the location. But otherwise, as I said from the start, the place continues to be so-so. Nothing great, but not horrible. Definitely not my favorite.