There is now DIM SUM at UC DAVIS!

After being in Davis for over 20 years, I don't think I'd ever thought there would be a traditional dim sum place there. But you know what... it happened! Push carts and all are rolling around the former Applebee's location. Well Season has taken over and is brining this authentic Cantonese style of restaurant to cow town.

Food -
Dim sum is very specific. If you're going to get dim sum, you're going to be looking for things like pork buns, har gow, shu mai, and the ever popular chicken legs. And yes! Well Season has all those items and more. Coming on a weekend, the dim sum ladies were rolling their carts around the restaurant and serving a packed dining room.

The dim sum at Well Season is good - not the best ever - but definitely good enough to frequent. It's a lot better than I thought Davis would ever get! The dim sum in general has less of a greasy sheen than most other places. It may be a little less flavorful and authentic, but I think people who don't want to feel really lethargic after the meal will appreciate Well Season's light on the grease approach.

As always, we enjoy ordering a few noodle dishes from the kitchen to round out the dim sum meal. The Hong Kong style noodles were great. It had the right taste, and if you're into seafood, you'll enjoy their version of it. The wet chow fun was excellent as well. The sauce was well-balanced and complimented the noodles nicely. The chow fun dish was one of my favorite things from our meal.

My only disappointment from the meal were the rolled noodles with beef. I thought the texture of the noodle in that dish wasn't as velvety as most places have them. But that's just a small gripe, the overall meal was above my expectation.

Service/Atmosphere - 
Weekends will always provide for a festive atmosphere with many people. At around 12:30, the restaurant was packed with a crowd outside waiting to be seated! The interior of the restaurant is decently spacious as the owners of well season basically just hollowed out the entire Applebee's restaurant so they could put in as many tables as possible. You can hardly tell it was once the place that you'd eat good in the neighborhood.

Service is ok for a dim sum restaurant. The ladies that push the carts do their jobs just fine. Flagging down someone for menu items or getting the final check can be tricky as everyone is running around, but that's just like any other dim sum place on the face of the planet.

Price -
Well Season comes in moderately priced for dim sum. It's always great to go with a large party so that you can split the cost of the meal between everyone. For our party of six, everyone came out to be about twelve bucks each. That's nice for a group of our size, and we all left pretty full.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
Don't overlook the sweet dim sum plates. One of the best items that I had was the 'egg yolk' bun. This is a medium sized bun filled with this runny yellow filling. When you open it up it just starts oozing out. The yellow filling is sweet and oh-so-good! Make sure you try some if you come to Well Season!

Bottom Line - 
If you're in Davis and enjoy dim sum, your prayers have been answered! It's awesome to have a local dim sum place that serves up good dim sum and is close.

Letter Grade

A

Beef with soft noodles.

The ever popular pork buns.

Wet chow fun.

Hong Kong style noodles.

Crispy taro dish.

El Patio comes to Davis

A few Woodland restaurants have ventured into the Davis food scene, but not many. El Patio travels down the 113 to give the folks in Davis a taste of their Mexican cuisine. The menu is full of favorites such as burritos, enchiladas, and tacos as well as tortas, Mexican style burgers, and salads. El Patio occupies a prime location in downtown that is hard to miss. Stop in if you'd like to have try what the people of Woodland have been enjoying for years!

Food -
The menu at El Patio is traditional Mexican food with a few special treats thrown into the mix. On my visit to El Patio I really enjoyed the enchiladas. I was able to get one beef and one cheese and they were heavenly. The wrap was soft and the enchilada sauce was perfect. I probably could have eaten double what I got as they were that easy to eat!

The super nachos were also very enjoyable. They come loaded with cheese, guac, sour cream, and the meat of your choice. All this topped a crispy bed of corn chips. The order was perfect for sharing - the entire family went to town on these.

A surprise for me were the fish tacos. The fish inside comes fried to golden perfection in a portion that was a little larger than I expected. The flavor was on point. I also had the shrimp taco, but given the choice I'd go with the fish all day long.

Overall the food at El Patio is quite good - it certainly has a cleaner, less greasy feeling than many other places. If you're into that style of Mexican food I think you'd enjoy El Patio.

Service/Atmosphere - 
Both the service and the atmosphere were top notch at El Patio. My interaction with the staff was excellent and they were very attentive and friendly. I felt that the staff was excited to be in Davis and that they wanted to give great customer service. In terms of atmosphere, I enjoyed the actual 'patio' inside of the restaurant. It's almost as if you're sitting in a neighbor's yard - excellent concept that works well. I found the inside of the restaurant to be very clean - something that I really look for in a place that I eat at.

Price -
Pricing is moderate at El Patio. I would say that the food prices are that of a mid-priced sit down restaurant (which it is). I believe the quality of the food pairs well with the price. Look to pay between nine and twelve dollars per person when enjoying a meal here.

Special Tips and Recommendations -
Not a lot of places have taco salad anymore, but El Patio does. I know of only one other place in Davis where you can get this famed 'salad'. I wouldn't say it's the healthiest option out there, but the fact that it is on the menu is pretty cool. Every so often I really want a taco salad.

Bottom Line - 
El Patio makes a superb addition to the restaurants in Davis. The food there tastes clean and fresh, and the atmosphere in the restaurant matches that as well.

Letter Grade

A-

You'll know you're there when you see this big window decal.

Salsa and condiments for you to partake of.

Super nachos smothered with cheese, guac, and cream cheese.

A duo of fish tacos.

The enchiladas here are legit.

The massive California burrito.

Churros.