majordanby's Profile
Off the Grid is Off the HOOK!
now you can get them over the weekend for lunch!
https://www.facebook.com/events/240168449420797/
Off the Grid is Off the HOOK!
curry up rarely ever goes to the east bay - but, i believe they are heading in your direction. Off the Grid is setting up a weekly event in Alameda - and Curry up Now is listed as one of the recurring trucks.
Plum or Wood Tavern?
i like tavern's sea scallops - but, that's not on the spring menu. of the things on their menu right now (from their website) that i have tried and liked - lamb shanks.
>>Any other similar restaurant recommendations we might be missing?
maybe À Côté or hawker fare,
Authentic Bagel Company - only 90 perfect bagels made daily
bought a bagel a few weeks ago from the cafe zoe location. It was $1.95 just for the bagel. not as expensive as schmendricks, but a few dimes more than beauty's. i think mochimunchie's description is apt - crisp chewy crust wih soft interior. I got the everything bagel - tasty.
Addie's Pizza Pie, South Berkeley (NY-style pizza & Frozen Custard) - Now Open, anyone try it?
looks like this place closed. went here only once and thought it was good, but not great.
Foods you dislike buying—but sometimes need to
re: junk food. that's the worst - some markets have bins that sell items by the pound - e.g. nuts, rice, flour, etc. they also sell confectioneries, chocolates, cookies, etc. if i have a craving for something sweet and dont want to buy a chocolate bar or a box of cookies, i just go fill up a bag to however much i want. of course, if you have a craving for something specific - like pop tarts - that are only sold in packaged form, then you're out of luck. however, if i just have a general craving for something sweet, ive learned from many wasted packages of trail mix and just go to the bins - just make sure you dont fill it up too much!
of course, it's always nice to have kids, a spouse/partner, friends where you can divide said items. ive been in relationships where my female partner would order desert or buy a package of cookies - eat a spoonful or one cookie- and then saiy "it's all yours!" if i complain, she starts talking about how i want her to be fat. and she knows i hate wasting food - so, she can have her spoonful and know that it wont go to waste because i'll eat it all because of principle (and guilt induced by her)
Foods you dislike buying—but sometimes need to
thanks for the advice, everyone! tabouli, freeze, put in water, grow!
Why do no national burger chains have veggie burgers?
they should explore putting veggie burgers in areas with relatively large concentrations of vegetarians/vegans (e.g. CA Bay Area). however, no way it would go nationwide - the demand is not there.
Foods you dislike buying—but sometimes need to
a bunch of fresh parsley - recipe calls for 1 or 2 tablespoons - but, im left wondering what to do with the rest (and usually it's A LOT). and it doesnt last - so, youve got to use it soon. i tell myself that i'll do something with it, but often i find that i forget about it. nowadays, i use dried parsley - but, sometimes a dish isnt the same without it being fresh.
Just moved to Mountain View from New York. Help an east coast hound find his new favorite haunts!
"As is jaywalking..."
depends on the bay area city. south bay - yes. berkeley, oakland - rampant.
What are you baking these days? May 2012
made banana bread - been doing this monthly to perfect it. im not the greatest baker, but damn you think even i could get a banana bread down after so many tries. i think it's really all about the bananas - simple as that. ive tested different ratios of flour to sugar to eggs to nuts to whatever. but, the determining factor between a great loaf and a good loaf was the banana - the amount and how ripe. 2 to 1 banana to flour ratio - and the bananas have to be RIPE - im not talking about semi ripe - a few brown spots here ripe - but, damn ripe. also, ive learned either to not put any nuts or put just a few - too many weighs the batter down and you get uneven baking.
Filipino empanadas-- favorites?
i go to valerios to get mine. cant say ive tried them all here in the bay area, but i have tried the following: red ribbon (located in daly city. goldilock's standard empanada), bread basket (located in daly city. didnt really wow me, but did have more filling relative to crust), starbread (located in south sf. OK, probably the one worth trying out of my suggestions), and DJ Bibingkahan (located in vallejo - so, imagine too far for you. when i was near enough to go there frequently, it wasnt a regular item. fairly oily). if you do end of finding one that's better than valerios, let us know...nothing beats my mother's, but im still trying to find one that comes close.
Acme Edible Schoolyard loaf
must agree that this is pretty good bread and might take my top spot amongst Acmes loaves. bought a loaf a few days ago - on the dense side, not airy. flavorful - really deep grain taste. i know for sure they sell it at the Berkeley bakery and have seen it once at the Ferry Plaza store. Dont think you can find them at farmers markets or regular markets.
My Hunt for a California Burrito in the Bay Area.
let me be clear: many food trucks are making burritos with ingredients not traditionally found in a burrito (e.g. korean burrito, filipino burrito, curry burrito). now, ive seen a few of these trucks provide the option of stuffing fries in them (or, draping fries with ingredients like tikka masala, sisig, etc).
My Hunt for a California Burrito in the Bay Area.
several food trucks are doing these ethnic burritos and including fries in them. Ditto for draping fries with various ingredients (e.g. curry up now has tikka masala fries).
Breads of India- why is this place so empty? [Oakland]
been to indus and vik's. did a tour of solano avenue - ajanta's, cafe raj, house of curries, khana peena, everest cafe. and taste of himilayas in gourmet ghetto.
Indus village stands out to me in overall quality and value. However, perhaps not relevant to your question, everest cafe had the best service.
i wont comment too much on which of those listed above i would not recommend because my sample sizes for some of those restaurants are fairly small..but, i personally would try the other restaurants again except for house of curries.
Best Clam chowder and Best Cioppino
agree that chowder is not a local specialty, but i do like spud point's up in bodega bay - which may be quite a trek if you're limited to the city. here's a useful review
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/765410
For quick take out fried ckn in Berkeley - TC or Popeyes?
and what's your take on church's? ive never had it before, but am always tempted whenever i bike by it.
Best East Bay Bakery
Acme bakery - I live a few blocks from the Berkeley location. Even if I wasnt that close, I would still buy from them - consistently good.
La Farine - Morning bun, croissants, hot cross buns, challah, sourdough baguettes. I go to their Solano store when im nearby.
Cheeseboard/Arizmendi - I think they're hit or miss. But, I live nearby and they have several good breads/pastries.
Vital Vittles - I really like three of their breads - seed/nut, sesame millet, and their apple/nut. They also make this banana/chocolate cake that is deadly but delicious.
I put hopkins street bakery, virginia bakery, octoberfeast (whose bakery is located in SF, but they sell their breads at their Univ store), feel good bakery (get their focaccia), the bread workshop, semi freddies (i like their challah and cinnamon bread), and the bread garden a tier below (but, they have certain items i do like). im fortunate enough to live within walking/biking distance to all these bakeries except feel good in alameda...and i still can get most of their breads and pastries from their stand at the JLS farmers market on Sunday.
I guess my main answer is that if i want sliced bread, i go to vital vittles. if i want baguettes/whole loaves/artisan breads, i go to acme. pastries i go to farine and arizmendi/cheeseboard. and i go to the others if 1.) im nearby and/or 2.) im dying for one of their specialty items.
RIP Trattoria Corso [Restaurant is not closed; this is about service issues - CH Team]
is corso solo dining friendly?
Cheapest store to buy wild caught fish in Oakland/Berkeley area?
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/805872
Cheapest store to buy wild caught fish in Oakland/Berkeley area?
this might help
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/781902
Wrap n' Roll--Berkeley sandwiches and wraps--EXCELLENT
i had the the kathi roll for lunch recently. i went there a few months ago to try to grab one for dinner, but they ran out. i agree that the roll was quite tasty. my only complaint was how oily it was. not sure if this is typical. i got it to go and they wrapped it in both a parchment type paper and foil...and the oil still managed to leak out.
Where to buy mini-cannolis or bulk mini-cannoli shells? (mid peninsula preferred)
try la biscotteria in redwood city.
http://www.labiscotteria.com/
NY hound visiting San Francisco. Must Try Foods?
"You should not leave SF without at least strolling around the Ferry Building for a few minutes."
Even better during a farmers market....specifically, Sat.
Berkeley - Best Burrito/Tacos?
interested in your opinion on la mission. i too believe that mexican in berkeley is fairly mediocre, although i still go to cancun for a few of their items. i put la mission as probably the best of the bunch...specifically for their burritos (fish tacos...i'm picky, and i dont find them good here). they are organic...and most of the stuff ive had here is tasty even without salsa (which is a good barometer). i think picante should be below cancun (Although their tostadas are not bad). and im not sure if you've tried juan's place...if not, dont. and i think taq la familia is hit or miss....their fish tacos that yelpers rave about...no good, in my opinion.
So WHY were we forced to sit at the table till the food was gone??
i agree with this. my mom simply didnt just order up some KFC or Dominos pizza and dumped it on a plate in front of me (of course, as a kid, i probably would have loved that). she took the time to make what she thought was a well balanced meal. not only does it *teach* you to know what a well balanced, nourishing meal is supposed to be (taste) like, it also teaches you to respect and show gratitude towards the people that are there to support you. now, if your mom took a bat out and started beating you with it until you ate your food - or, if your mom threatened you with a machete and all you had left was 5 or 6 peas left on the plate....then that may be too extreme. additionally, if the issue is simply too much salt, too less salt, too rare, or too well done - then i think the parent should attempt to figure out the problem as it may not simply just be the case of hard headedness.
it's a lesson not just in food nutrition - but manners, respect, gratitude for your parents time, resources - and gratitude that you have food in your plate three meals a day in the first place. if food was merely just for fuel - my mom could have made as many shortcuts as possible to create a maximally nutritious meal - in this day in age, that's possible. but, food isnt just about fuel - it's about culture, sharing, family, gratitude, understanding - things i think people dont inherently have, at last through the medium/lens of food, but is developed growing up.
Visiting Berkeley for the First Time - Need Critique's
ive done solo dining tours of cities and it can be tough because there is so much you can try - with an SO, a friend, coworker, etc you can do a division by labor plan and eat a little of everything - share a slice of pizza, half a pastry, split a burger. i think if you can stomach it all alone, you're a better person than i am...otherwise, dont over extend yourself - you want to make those meals at CP, Commis, etc worthwhile - maybe not on an empty stomach, but definitely not on a full one.
Im not sure you can fit it in with your reservation at Plum...but,if you can fit it in, i would try to do a quick roll through the Berkeley farmers market on Tuesday combined with the Berkeley Bowl. I think one of the best aspects about the bay area is the quantity and quality of our produce - which consumers can find through markets like Berkeley Bowl, but more directly from farmers markets like the one held in Berkeley on Tuesday. The grandaddy market is in SF at the ferry plaza building on Sat - however, you can get a similar, albeit much more low key vibe at a market like Berkeley. You can gawk at the produce - but, you can also chat it up with the purveyors and farmers. With that said, this time of the year isnt as bountiful, especially with regards to fruit, as compared to Spring, Summer, and Fall. However, Im not sure what Iowa markets are like, but if gawking at fresh produce and visiting local markets are your thing, combining the Bowl with the farmers market may be a worthwhile experience.
Mexican Restaurant Suggestions in Oakland/Berkeley..
any specific recs from the menu?
