I don't know how many times over the years we've driven past Good Friend Chinese Restaurant while…read moreen route to the foothills and high country, and nearly every time we'll make a comment. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's pithy, sometimes it's out of curiosity, but usually it's in the context of "who would come to Valley Springs to find good Chinese food?" Well, recently we were returning from yet another trip in the Sierras and were kind of hangry, so we decided to settle it once and for all, and give Good Friend a try. We arrived relatively late - it was only 7:30pm, but they close at 8:30pm, so their dinner rush was well past and they were winding down. This is important. Throughout our meal, the staff could not have been friendlier or more efficient. They were not annoyingly so, but they didn't miss a beat. The food in the buffet stations was starting to run out. The sushi selection had dwindled down from what was probably a much larger offering, although what remained still looked pretty fresh, not old and tired, and in fact, the few pieces we had were much better than typical Chinese buffet sushi. (I know that sounds like faint praise, but the sushi was actually decent.) The green mussels that were next to the sushi did look a little dry around the edges so we gave those a pass, but in fairness, mussels start to look that way pretty quickly, so they may not have been out very long. The hot and sour soup was much better than expected. If I hadn't crammed so much food into my pie hole already, I would have had another bowl of it. It does seem kind of weird to eat a Chinese soup with a Western soup spoon, but when in Rome, I guess. Also surprisingly good was the beef & broccoli, jalapeno pork, and the ribs, keeping in mind again that it was close to closing time and most of the ribs in the tray didn't look that great, but I managed to find enough that were meaty and moist to satisfy my jones for them. Next time - and there will probably be a next time - I'll pass on the stuff that is battered and fried: chicken, frog legs, tempura-style veggies. The battering was soft, not crisp. I don't know if that's because they'd been sitting and cooling in the steam table or if it's the batter mix. They weren't bad, just not how I like my fried stuff. The fried chicken actually tasted pretty good other than the soft coating, but I was reminded after eating the frog leg that frog's legs don't excite me to eat as much as the idea of eating frog's legs. Too much work for too little payback, and frog's legs can sometimes taste a little fishy. That's ok if you're eating fish, but when the meat is more like chicken, fishy taste is just odd. There were a few items that, earlier in dinner service, were probably much better. The dry fried string beans (labelled as "sauteed string beans") were really in need of replacing although we managed to pluck half a dozen of them out that looked ok, and there were a couple of other mixed veg trays that were past their prime as well. We also gave a pass to the crab legs, but not on account of their appearance. We just didn't feel like working that hard to get at the meat. All in all, we were pleasantly surprised. It was not the best Chinese food we've ever had. OTOH, it was FAR from the worst. Even more important, we agreed that we would have no problem going back. Is it a destination place? Absolutely not. But we definitely added it to our list of places to eat while we're on the road and want something we know will be good enough. Again, that sounds like it could be faint praise, but there's a ton of places out there for which we would not say the same. I'll add for context that the 4-star rating is relative to what I'd expect in Valley Springs. If Good Friend Chinese Restaurant were in, say, Richmond or San Francisco or San Gabriel, for instance, there's no way I'd rate them at 4 stars. More likely it'd be in the 2-3 star range in those areas. But considering the location and expectation, Good Friend is not a bad option. All the cars lined up in the Taco Bell drive-through should have gone across the highway to Good Friend! It also gave the "divorced dads with kids for the weekend" vibe.

Enjoyed the food while there, but suffered extreme stomachs problems 45 minutes laterread more

Found this little gem on our way home from an adventure in the foothills…read more We weren't expecting such amazing service from this little locally owned place. We weren't expecting such immediately greeted with a "welcome" and a smile. Cute little bar/restaurant. They have decorated for Halloween with cobwebs & signs...love it! And the burgers were WAY better than I had hoped for! Juicy, giant, flavorful, and creative is how I would describe them. I was so full by the time we were done! Abbie treated us like family as she served us with a smile! We will definitely make our way this way again!

Passing thru on the way to Twain Harte. Split the tritip dip with my girlfriend. Delicious. Service…read morewas excellent Great ambience.

Honestly not a lot of options in Valley Springs, but tried this place for the first time. Pizza was…read morereally good and you could tell everything was made in house. I especially enjoyed the red sauce on our pepperoni/ sausage. Ordered for pick up and only took 30 min. We will be back 5/5

We just had a margherita with sausage delivery at $35.00 cash! It was too dry and cold and the…read morecheese is not melty. The delivery time was 45 minutes. $9.00 delivery fee all paid in cash. NOT HAPPY! WHY TAKE 45 MINUTES TO FUCK IT THE FUCK UP! NEVER AGAIN! We've ordered from them since they moved from Burson to valley springs! Normally they are amazing! This was fucked the fuck up! Ya'll need to listen up!

Man oh man. When you find a love for cigars, you need to really invest your time, money and energy…read moreinto the game. I've done that over the years and that's exactly how I found this shop. I recently moved to Sutter Creek and it's pretty much next door to the middle of nowhere. They do not have cigar shops in the area, despite the simple fact that they should! Maybe I can scrape together enough cash to make that happen? And I can host Yelp Elite events there and social hours for dating app peeps to meet and greet and fuc... hang out. Anyway, I was writing a review for Wild Bill's Smoke Shop and got sidetracked. So yeah, this spot is super chill and they have a lot of leather chairs to lounge in and burn a heater. TV had Nascar on when I was there, on a Sundee afternoon. I met Jim and he helped me figure out what to buy. In essence, I needed equipment for my DIY humidor and he helped me figure out the correct Boveda pouches to buy and I snagged a few. I also dove into the selection of cigars they have and was quite impressed. I walked out of there with a 7 year, aged, Rocky Patel. I also grabbed a few sticks at his recommendation and felt pretty good spending less than $60 on 4 cigars and some Boveda pouches. I am a bit too far to visit regularly, but I also anticipate needing to get out of the house and drive out for a cigar when the UFC is on ABC or ESPN. I really love LOVE being able to support local businesses, because without local folks making money, we don't really have a legit opportunity to give back what they put into our community. I would strongly suggest, that if you need some sticks, you find your way down here to Wild Bill's. See y'all soon!!

Yesterday I tried this place for the first time. Gun-dealer down the road recommended him. There…read morewas "Bill" immersed in a domino battle. I have to say he was less "Wild" than advertised. And yet, the place had a friendly vibe. Then His Wildness got talking cigars. Then I knew this place is a gold mine. How many people do you know, Wild or otherwise, who are both supremely knowledgable and at the same time excellent and patient listeners? This place would make a fortune on the Evil Peninsula. Bill dialed me in skillfully to a fist full of cigars that are playing out far better than I hoped. One would be a "Gueguense" to let Wild Bill question you in his zero-pressure way. He knows what he is doing. Be patient. Talk and listen. Listen and talk. Then buy.

Went the other night before closing and when we got to the window the young lady inside was having…read morea full on tantrum talking about "wtf are these crack heads doing? Go to bed!" Sorry those of us in law enforcement don't get to pick our hours. Sorry when we get stuck after hours we end up with little to no options to get a meal. Disappointed to say the least. The young man at the window was one of the usual employees we deal with and he was pleasant as always but the girl inside was acting truly embarrassing to the company.

Service was good. Cinnamon twists and coffee just alright. Counter person needs to cover his…read moretattoos as they are offensive. Breasts and nipples popping out not good to see when ordering in a family fast food place. Also women's restroom needs plastic covers so you are not watching the person next to you using the toilet. Open views.

This supermarket has pretty much everything you could need, and it's all top quality. It's just a…read morereally nice market overall. They've got a great selection of stuff for outdoor grilling, like I picked up some nice strawberries, good fruit, and tons of fresh vegetables. They even have fresh juices, and sometimes you can toss your own oranges into this machine that squeezes them right there super fresh and tasty. The people working here are always so friendly, and the deli is fantastic. I love getting their sliced turkey it's from a real turkey they roast fresh every day, and it's absolutely delicious. If you're looking for a solid spot to shop, this place is it!

Came in to grab a couple of donuts but they were out of those so I got a few pastries which were…read moregood and reasonable priced. I got 2 bear claws one was partially dipped in chocolate which it doesn't need and it was pretty melty. The other was good a little skimpy on the Frangipane though. The apple strudel was very good. They could improve their coffee it was very weak and barley Luke warm. The other things in their bakery looked good I'll come back to try those.

Food is good. Worth giving them try. Service Staff makes…read moreeffort to meet everyone's needs.Even with large parties of ten or more. Plus views of Golf Course are relaxing . Casual dress to Prom dinner dates are welcome.

My favorite spot at La Catenta golf course for breakfast and lunch where the food and service is…read moreawesome. Great view of the course and excellent conversation with golfers. Today taco Tuesday I had nachos. They make their own chips!

We had set up with the restaurant in advance to have a LARGE group (47 people) eat lunch at El…read moreTorero yesterday. I didn't look at my watch, but I believe they opened a little early to accommodate our group. They got us seated and they quickly jumped into action. Our chips and salsa came out immediately and someone was taking our drink orders right away. So let me just say, their tortilla chips are my new favorite of any restaurant, anywhere. They are obviously made from flour tortillas and between the 4 people at our table, we ate 3 baskets of them! My wife and I both ordered the combination plate #19 which is a chimichanga and a burrito with rice and beans. She ordered hers with the sauce on the side because she's not a fan of overly spicy sauce. The sauce was actually perfect, and she ended up putting the sauce on her chimichanga. Neither of us could finish our food, possibly because we ate so many chips, but trust me, the food was just as amazing when we heated it up at home for lunch today. This restaurant is over 50 miles away for our group and I can 100% guarantee we will make the trip again next year. By the way, I love how the restaurant is decorated. It has a very authentic vibe.

I have passed this place a couple of times, but today I decided to check this place out. First of…read moreall, the chips were very delicious and crunchy. The salsa was yummy and quite mild. The chips were crunchy and warm. The servers were very nice and attentive. Everything tasted good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The restaurant was clean and had a nice traditional environment.

Just visited this place for the first time and I must say I'm very impressed. I was clean and…read morecozy.. staff is amazing very kind and attentive. They had an all you can eat buffet. The food is not cooked. You put it in a bowl. They put it on a grill and you can watch them cook it. You can pick whatever you want and whatever combination you want and apply any sauces that you want this was very fun. The food was great. We'll definitely be back. Took my dad for his 80th birthday we had a blast thank you fusion and grill for making it a great dinner. They also have items on their menu that you can order. If you don't want the all you can eat buffet. I saw others around us ordering different types of foods and it all looked wonderful. Can hardly wait to try something else and will definitely be back for the buffet!

Good food a nice array of Asian cuisine. Primarily Chinese style but all very delicious. Fresh…read moreingredients and they even put on a show for you!! Thank you fusion for being part of our community. Next time you're driving through Valley springs, Calaveras County stop on in. In fact if you're from the San Francisco Bay Area and you're going to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe, South shore, it's actually quicker to drive through our area then it is to go elsewhere. Plus the views are much better. Cheers

Shout out to Kyle for taking such good care of his customers. Last time I came through, they messed…read moreup my order, but after calling, Kyle agreed to replace it all the next time I came in. He honored that today and assured everything was made correctly. Thank you!

By far the best pizza joint in Valley Springs. Always fresh, always what we expect. We prefer to…read moreorder from here over any other pizza place because We have given local pizza joints numerous chances and the quality just isn't as good and they continuously get orders incorrect or don't cook pizza all the way through! -This excludes the take and bake place in town, they have great pizza and customer service if u have time to cook it!