But….. we are now getting 10,000 prox. monthly of those legitimate “visits” or 6 times what we were getting when we last did a review of A&W. Our computerized statistics program shows that our readership has been increasing at a rate of better than 50% each year. For which we thank all of you for telling your friends.

But it also means that over 80% of you have not seen our review of A&W. Thus… here is a current review of Dim Sum dining at A&W and others.

Dim Sum originally was considered a group of “Tea Cakes” or dumplings that are offered as a sort of Chinese brunch or an early tea.

However they are not cakes at all but more like advanced raviolis filled with a wide range of meats, fish and vegetables. The most popular dumplings by far are:  left to right  Tsu Mai (pork) and Cha Shu Bao ( a large steamed bun stuffed with bbqed meat) often referred to as a Chinese Hamburger and Har Gao (shrimp),.In front are delicious custard tarts. A  fifth great choice isSticky Rice steamed in Lotus Leaves. It’s a lot more than just some rice. It is wonderful and exotic.  I don’t know the Chinese term for this.

All of the above and other tempting Dim Sum dishes are served off those carts in their own stainless steel covered containers which keep the food remarkably hot by very friendly and helpful Chinese ladies. . There are usually 4 dumplings in each container and the cost of each container is about $1.75 to $2.75 prox.

The concept then moved further with the addition of vegetables out of a steamer and a great delicacy for the Chinese, boiled chicken feet. The Chinese ladies will help you with additional choices such as Egg Rolls and some  wonderful other desserts.

Dim Sum dining by serious Chinese food addicted Westerners has recently become a great luncheon adventure. It is available only midday, every day. Saturday and Sunday, the restaurant is jammed by mostly Chinese families. I mean jammed.

Our suggestion when you go for the first time is that if you go with another person, you order one container of each the first four suggested and then if you are still hungry, reorder those that you liked best.  Or take your chances on anything else you see. As always, with Chinese food, the more the merrier. Just use a multiplication table.

When the bill arrives, you will be shocked that this wonderful luncheon for two including tea will be about $10 plus tax and tip. Cheaper than a Subway or a Quizno.

A&W is a good start since it is, remarkably the only serious Dim Sum provider between Los Angeles Chinatown and Palo Alto in the Bay area. The restaurant in Camarillo is not a serious choice.

If you want to progress beyond or bypass the “dreaded” Valley, try the Empress Pavilion in Chinatown, 5 minutes on the freeway from Dodger Stadium. You will be shocked when you enter that room.

If you want to be shocked even more, make the additional 15 minute trek on the 10 Freeway to Atlantic Blvd and visit Ocean Star or NBC in Monterey Park. In either case you will enter a gigantic room where you see the largest collection of happy, talkative diners in the world. You also will probably be the only Caucasians in the room (unless of course you are of Asian descent). Then there will be none 

You would have to go to Guangzhou or Hong Kong for a similar visual or dining experience. Both of those cities are famous for their Dim Sum palaces. A&W is a much shorter trip and almost as much fun.

A&W Seafood                     9306 Reseda Blvd, Northridge                          818-882- 6668   Free Parking in the rear           Open Every Day and Night.          Most credit cards                        Great Choice for Fun Takeout                                          Reservations only for large parties.

Frankly Noted

Lots happening in the Conejo Right Now  

Most diners that visit the popular Gino's Tratorria on Thousand Oaks Blvd West of  the 23 think that owner Gino provides more than enough entertainment on his own. In fact some think he performs too much. But Gino apparently   fears no one.  He has announced that as of right now he is offering  live jockeyed Karaoke every Sunday evening. One will wonder whether he can resist joining in the singing. Let's hope that "Dat's Amore" is not on the play list.

Gino's serves the best classic Napolitano crisp thin crust Pizza in the county along with authentic Italian entrees at friendly neighborhood family prices. Gino's is a real place with down to earth atmosphere compared to the corporate cookie cutters that recently opened at The Lakes or is it The Puddles?

Serge Bonnet, the perpetual motion machine at Cafe Provencal reports that a new menu has now started with exciting takes on his always creative and well executed Bistro style French food at continually remarkable prices.  He is also now doing serious and upscale catering. His personality alone is worth the money.

Serge also reports that the Lakes has had an effect upon his shopping center as people who can't find parking across the street now park near his Cafe. That would be OK with him if they were real diners who would realize that they could have a wonderful lunch or dinner without a 2 hour wait at Cafe Provencal for pennies more than at the Lakes.

But most of them seem to be parents with youngsters licking ice cream cones that drip on the parking lot or they are in need of a glass of water or the bathroom.

Le Cafe appears to have completed the remodel of their facility that is part of the Westlake Inn complex. The weather is perfect right now for either a relaxed  afternoon lunch among the fountains and the ducks or a romantic evening under the stars. The menu is also being revamped after a recent change in the kitchen.

John Gress, formerly general manager of Le Cafe continues to work hard at bringing Le Rendezvous of Newbury Park into the 21st century. Calling it Tryst at Le Rendezvous is a provocative  start. He has done a limited amount of remodeling and is offering a new luncheon menu created by his chef from Hawaii who trained in Japan although she is neither Hawaiian nor Japanese. He has also replaced most of the servers with young ladies who won't need a cane to get the food to your table on time.

Most Wednesdays he has a fine jazz group playing in the bar and often combines that with interesting wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres  for $10. it is a great value and attracts a sophisticated young group who may have never before been inside Le Rendezvous.

As noted “The Lakes” finally opened with its latest Caruso inspired tribute to semi- fast food chain mediocrity. It is incredible to me that people would be willing to wait 1 ½ hours prox to eat PF Chang style Chinese food cooked and served by people that may not even know where China is located. The restaurant has nice statues of horses but the food is just a cut above the steam tables of Panda Express or the cans of La Choy. Barely.

ALL great and authentic Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese Asian foods are served by the people of those countries. Period. There are many authentic family restaurants located in the Conejo that serve wonderful food with short or no waits. They deserve your support.  

What do your children learn about reality or authenticity in the world when they are served Asian food by young round eyed blonde girls and boys. Further it is cooked by some guy that didn’t know what a hot wok was 6 months ago? Your children  thus learn that anything can be faked........or frozen.

With all the great family Italian restaurants in the area, also actually owned by Italians,  why would one want to eat a mass produced pizza from a California Pizza that was started by 2  Beverly Hills(??) lawyers with no tastebuds? And wait an hour to get it? I don't get it!!!

I am not even going to comment on the advent of yet another cookie cutter steak house that offers a  grilled steak of suspect origin (certainly not Black Angus or Kobe) that requires no skills in a harried and annoying atmosphere that you can easily avoid  at home with a Martini or a beer in the relaxed environment of your patio.  How long do you have to wait there?

Of course the real laugher is that The Lakes management is currently shocked, I mean shocked to discover that some clever diners at these above joints who may also be going to a Civic Plaza event that evening leave their cars in the parking lot for most of the night  to avoid a $7 parking tab and 30 minutes inhaling the fumes while trying to escape the Plaza parking structure. A parking problem is already in existence at The Lakes and they are now talking about a multi story parking lot. Otherwise, I guess they will have to start towing the cars. Yikes!!!!

If aged prime steak is your real need, you will soon be able to dine at trendy Mastro’s of Beverly Hills (???)  in the old 2087 location across the street…. and safely leave your car parked free. It will, however  be interesting to see the looks of Conejoites when they see $40 price tags (or more) on most of the steaks with $8-10 tabs for any spinach, potato or onion ring side dish . Of course, they will be saving that $7 parking fee. . 

P-6 kept constantly touting itself as an upscale dining location in an exotic environment. It turned out to be a pickup joint for the tight leather pants crowd with lots of noise plus suspect food and service.

Now they announce that they will in fact redo themselves as that oft promised upscale dining facility but with a brand new serving and culinary team… all done instantaneously. This is certainly the century of “Instant Gratification”.

But the P-6 swingers can now do their seam busting strut and dancing at the sister Chapter 8 in Agoura in the remodeled Hamburger Hamlet location. So far at least they have made no claims about upscale dining.

It is amazing to me that in the Ventura County Star letters to the Editor as well as in various conversations, all our citizens constantly decry the loss of the reality of those relaxed good old traffic free uncrowded days in Thousand Oaks.

Yet given any opportunity, they flock to all  these  local crowded, noisy,  phony joints of the "dreaded" big city, wait an hour to get 35 minutes of food thrown at them by servers that don’t know the difference between a fork and a spoon. It's like dining at Wal-Mart.

Why not support your local and authentic neighborhood restaurants?. We have an abundance of every authentic ethnic spot in the Conejo. You’ll feel better about yourself when you do.  Prices are about the same. None of the wait people will have name tags telling you that their name is Tiffany and that they are at  your service.