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 Post subject: Tin Jo Pan-Asian cuisine
PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 7:59 pm 
I can do CR without a wingman!

Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:39 pm
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Another nice find in the center, this place is a baseball's throw from the Del Rey and despite its plain exterior amid a bunch of other concrete blocks, the decor is elegant and neat.

The menu has a variety of Asian specialties, including a limited Japanese and Vietnamese menu and more extensive Chinese and Thai selections.

As you would expect, everything is freshly prepared. The Vietnamese dishes are light and refreshing, the Thai dishes are just a bit heavier with flavor to spare and the Chinese fare is hardly Panda Express. I had a Chinese shrimp dish with cashew nuts and assorted veggies. Very tasty and they did not skimp on the shrimp. Also sampled a sushi roll there, it featured shrimp, avocado and crispy rice, also quite good. Also had a chance to snag a little nosh of a Vietnamese spring roll (very fresh and you assemble it yourself like a fajita), a salmon roll (also tasty) and a bit of a Thai beef dish which had a delightful combination of spices and vegetables.

The service here was excellent, even though the place was packed they were very attentive to orders, special requests and, above all, they kept a watchful eye on every table to make sure customers had what they needed and were not overwhelmed by more than one course at a time. If only Asian restaurants in the States could coordinate their service like this all the time.

The prices vary but the best bet is to go with a large group and sample a wide array of dishes. I'd say $20 a person is a fair estimate.

All in all, nice variety on the menu, tasty food and excellent service, would recommend.


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 8:21 pm 
PHD From Del Rey University!

Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 4:25 pm
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Nice place....but I found the portions to be small and the price high. :(


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:40 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!
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Location: NFM--Geezers, cowpokes and the working poor--yeeha!
This restaurant has been covered before I think but not recently nor so well. Keep on keepin' on Brother WtS.

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PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:26 am 
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Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:25 am
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Location: Escazu, Costa Rica
Pleasant place to eat...BUT I agree that the dishes are small and the prices are high. For a Chinese dinner I recommend Wongs (NOT Dan Wang which is also pretty good). The dishes are larger and the prices are much less and it's closer to the Gultch. (Just past the Mas/Manos on Central)


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:56 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:07 pm
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Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
$20 bucks per person. You must be kidding.... I better get a handjob with my food for that price.


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:55 pm 
I can do CR without a wingman!

Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:06 pm
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Actually one of the better and more constant spots in San Jose. I recommend it to everyone. I like the asian fusion, decent service, and selection of food is good. The decor is nice too.


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:56 pm 
I can do CR without a wingman!

Joined: Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:06 pm
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Galloper wrote:
$20 bucks per person. You must be kidding.... I better get a handjob with my food for that price.


LOL, galloper your funny! LOL


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:36 pm 
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Location: The limbo of semi-retirement
$20 for lunch is high for CR, but, I remember a $300 per person lunch in Tokyo where I was fed bite by bite by a real Geisha in a old castle. It is all relative.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:29 am 
I can do CR without a wingman!

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Some of the items are clearly overpriced, others I thought were kind of fair. Overall, yes, it's more expensive than a little soda spot by a long shot (which I love as well but don't really lend themselves to reviews), but not terrible.

If you're complaining about the portions, I am wondering what Asian places you are eating at. It's not a continent known for large portions, and the places that do Americanize and offer them usually give you a mountain of rice and a morsel of dark meat chicken buried in a pound of batter.


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:27 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!

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I haven't had much luck at any Asian restaurants in San Jose, other than the rotisserie chicken places run by the Chinese, who will also give you a big portion of Chinese food at a very reasonable price.

As for the place that Vegas Bob had mentioned [Wongs].....The only Chinese place that I can think of in the vicinity that he mentioned, is a Chinese place where I had eaten lunch about 3 years ago. It was ridicuously cheap, but the food was horrible. It was a buffet. Of course, for such a low price, one should not expect too much. I'm wondering if this is the same place that Vegas Bob is talking about. :?


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:22 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!
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Location: Escazu, Costa Rica
They do have a buffet at lunchtime.I've heard that it is not very good. Stick to the menu items and I think you will like it. Their soups (hot and sour and wanton) are very good. I also like their sweet and sour fish and shrimp fried rice. These items plus a large soup are enough for two people for dinner,at a total price of UNDER $20 with a beer.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:15 am 
PHD From Del Rey University!

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Sounds good, VB. I'll definitely try the menu items at Wong's when I arrive in February. I do like Chinese food.

After giving it a little more thought, I remember a working girl bringing some fried rice into the Hotel Castillo, one time. It looked good, very much like what I am used to seeing in the states. I asked her where she got it, and she said "JO JO," a Chinese restaurant across from the Holiday Inn [on the side street]. The next evening, I went there and ordered the pork fried rice.......wasn't too bad, and they even had soy sauce [which seems to be a rarity in CR] but I was getting negative vibes due to the lack of customers in the place, as I was the ONLY customer in this huge restaurant at dinnertime. :?


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:20 pm 
PHD From Del Rey University!

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Hmmm :? .....salsa chino. I'll remember that.

Soda Peru also does a pretty good job with their fried rice...a huge plateful, and cheap.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:20 pm 
Just Learning The Gulch!

Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:20 pm
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Location: santa ana
tin jo is good, i have found a new spot though in la sabana by pollo camperos, an izakaya asian japanese restaurant lounge, great food, seafood spring rolls with a great dipping sauce, great innovative take on sushi and fresh and unique ceviches and meats. prices are a bit like tin jo, but if you think 20 bucks a head is pricey i guess youve never been to ichiban, samurai fusion, sakura or fuji. its called tonico604 and the kitchjen is open till midnight with live djs at night as well


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