Azaria

We've been sampling a bunch of nearby restaurants during the holiday shutdown, courtesy of a dramatic discount at Restaurant.com (it's still going on until the end of the year -- get your 80% discount by entering the coupon code CELEBRATE when it's time to checkout).

Today, we visited the very yummy (though pricey) Astaria in San Mateo where the old Lark Creek Inn used to be (attached to the Ben Franklin Hotel on East 3rd). I think those were the best French fries I ever had. And certainly the most intruiging bread pudding. Go get a gift certificate and try it out for yourself.

Here's their very California take on fish and chips: a raw marinated tuna served with house-made yam (or some other exotic vegetable) chips. Tasty. Very friendly service and upscale ambiance as well: great for a special occassion.

Sorry about the photo quality: I didn't drag my Nikon DSLR in with me, so this is from the Canon point and shoot.