chocolatetartguy's Profile
Fire at Great China?
Don't know if there is a connection, but I believe they have been in Berkeley for quite some time. A Chinatown born co-worker goes there for lunch all the time. I went with him a few times, but it is a little outside my lunchtime range. I recall the food as being good, but not great. It may have been a different restaurant, but I 1st had twice fried pork and garlic green beans at a restaurant on that site in the mid 70's.
I did notice today that they had several different rock cod lunch specials for around 6.95. I plan to go back and have fish with black bean sauce. The curry chicken was 5.44 plus tax and came with lettuce with ranch? dressing and a fried wonton skin to go. They offered and I accepted extra rice.
Fire at Great China?
Funny how things happen. I was only at the north end of downtown to buy some Sundance Film Festival catalogs at a Half Price Books sale. My office mate was out sick, so it was an opportunity for me to have curry chicken in the office (she objects to the pungent aroma).
I ran into Mandarin Garden to order it and mentioned the fires at Great China and China Village. The very friendly guy at the register mentioned that one of the GC cooks (for last 3 years) was cooking there and that he could make my chicken curry more spicy in the same style as Great China. They also have the double skin dish that many adore and the same kim chi. I had always thought that the kim chi in that huge jar in the refrigerated unit on the dining floor was commercially bought. Not so, this cook makes it Korean style.
The chicken curry was almost exactly the same as at Great China with great golden color and incendiary spicing (more spicy means that they slice green chilis into it). I had to drink 2.5 glasses of water, my nose was perspiring and I had that capsicum high/feeling of well being.
So if you are jonesing for Great China, get thee to Mandarin Garden and do it Great China style.
Fire at China Village (Albany)
"But in late February of last year, an employee accidentally locked himself inside the restaurant's walk-in freezer after he'd put a pot of oil on the stove. The subsequent fire destroyed the kitchen and shut L & L down indefinitely, according to El Cerrito Patch."
I guess if you have to be in a fire, the walk-in freezer is the place to be.
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
I think I heard that they have/had the original KFC equipment.
"Patricia Unterman, Examiner Food Critic, Dismissed"
I think you hit the nail on the head. Unterman is a food writer, Bauer a food critic. Unterman, like Kael, writes good prose that stands on its own regardless of the subject.
Chicken fried steak with white gravy, fried okra, and buttermilk biscuits around the Bay Area?
Is that the place off of 880 near Fruitvale?
What did you have for lunch today?
Yes that one. It was fun at first, until the chili nazis took over.
I like my Skyline without beans, but my Texas chili with. Skyline has the best oyster crackers.
Chicken fried steak with white gravy, fried okra, and buttermilk biscuits around the Bay Area?
What about Brown Sugar Kitchen? I had a so so version at Carrows.
What did you have for lunch today?
A Skyline 3 way is about a good a lunch as I can imagine. Why, oh why, don't they expand to California?
Are they still having that discussion about whether Skyline is chili or is that topic kaput?
What did you have for lunch today?
Damn, pork tenderloin sandwich strikes again.
I think I am going to Nation's to have a cheese/tomato/onion omelet with a bowl of chili dumped over it. I need to go to the bank but I have exactly enough cash to pay for my heartburn.
What did you have for lunch today?
No, it is a large pan-Asian Buddhist church in Alameda on the same street as Jim's and several thrift stores near Park. They have huge long stone bbq pits on which they cook half chickens and some sort of Korean bbq (galbi?) Inside they have all manner of Japanese sweets and since it is pan-Asian samosa, lumpia, etc.
What is the bbq at Sacramento/Oregon St? I went to one around there 1-2 blocks above Sacramento once but not sure they had teriyaki. I remember having curry rice and it is a smallish event.
The regular, huge brunch is Thai and is above MLK just north of Ashby. I forget the name, but it is at a temple of some sort.
What did you have for lunch today?
The Caspar dog is a "ghost" dog, nothing but veggies on the bun. :)
Just kidding. Caspar's is a long time hot dog chain in Northern? California. The Caspar dog is their basic $3.25 dog. I was attending an auction all afternoon. Caspar's is just 2 blocks away and on a break between the lots I wanted I went to the Berkeley Farmers' market to have a healthier lunch and to check to see if boysenberries and white peaches had arrived..
The weekend of that rib bbq is one of my favorites of the year. Great food and great jazz from the BHS jazz combos and big band. And all withing walking distance of my house if you don't mind stepping over the spent cartridges and used syringes. Such is the life in West Berkeley. The toniest shopping area and my sketchy neighborhood are within 5 blocks of each other. IThe ribs make up for missing my friend's Buddhist church bazaar 2 weeks ago. They have the best chicken teriyaki bbq that I have ever had, but not really in the same league as Cafe Rouge.
What did you have for lunch today?
Holy hog, you mean.
I know, I was wondering how they could do it so cheaply. I guess the answer is volume. They were still serving after the last band played close to 5. How many ribs do they give you on the lunch menu? Not only did they have the best food there, but they had the best value too. Zut charged $7 for a tasty skewer with 3 cubes of sirloin and some veggies. I ate 2 rib plates while watching the Heat/Pacers. I was full but they were so damn charred and tasty. One plate alone would have been a satisfying lunch.
The ribs were truly delicious and I would bet that they get a number of new customers out of the day. As a loss leader and a goodwill gesture, it does make sense. Lose a little, gain a lot.
The steamed fish and shitake imperial rolls were from Andy and Cindy's Thai Food at the Berkeley Farmers' Market, where Spring has sprung. Kashiwase Farms is back and the 1st little white peaches were sweet and juicy.
What did you have for lunch today?
No, despite what my aunt said there was no birthday party that day, so I had 2 lunches wrapped around an auction: a Caspar dog (tomato and white onion slices, mustard, catsup, relish) before and the steamed fish during a 200 lot break. The veggie imperial rolls were chock full of mild chopped shitakes. As I told my friend, I don't much like Thai food and I don't like shitakes but I do like his food.
Best lunch of the week was Sunday: Cafe Rouge charred baby back ribs (Berkshire?) with their adult, tomato puree sauce and slightly vinegared cole slaw at an outdoor jazz festival benefitting the Berkeley High Jazz program. The meaty, sweet ribs were especially good this year and I have four more plates waiting for me in the frig. $6 for a plate of 5 ribs from arguably the best place in the East Bay for red meat.
Hamburger Steak in the Bay Area
Tough to find canned peas anyplace except for a humble, little diner.
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
I'm actually a fan of their pork. I think I have only had steak from there once.
It's my neighborhood restaurant, following Chez Panisse in North Berkeley and Oliveto in Rockridge. Where I live in West Berkeley (halfway between the drug house that is subject to eviction that has made the news this week and the apartment building where there was a shootout a few weeks ago), it's either Cafe Rouge or Popeye's.
What did you have for lunch today?
I have. For some reason I initially read tasty-sounding as trashy-sounding! It was both tasty and trashy. Since I am their most loyal customer, they save me crispy pork chops so I was eating them lukewarm at best. Sometimes they are crispier that way than right out of the cooker. Also had garlic broccoli (not as good as green beans) and got black bean sauce beef to go. I usually eat off of their steam table(!) because the flavors and variety are so good and the value fabulous.
Just to get a jump on you, tomorrow I will either eat lunch at my 2nd cousin's bday party or have Thai-style rock fish steamed in banana leaves with asparagus or zucchini and a touch of curry, brown rice and a chicken or tofu imperial roll prepared by my friend Andy, the Polish Thai food cook.
What did you have for lunch today?
Yes, especially when you are travelling by bus and are supposed to pick up for a friend too. The consolation prize was my favorite NY style pizza with prosciutto cotta, red onion, provolone, red chili flakes.
Yes, it was Lockerbie Pub. I hadn't realized that it was so close to the antique warehouse until I rode by in a cab. That day for lunch I ended up eating bread and cheese brought from home and then later returned to Shapiros.
I was was very happy with my dining choices in Indy in no small part thanks to you.
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
As a less expensive alternative, you could buy steaks at the Cafe Rouge meat counter and cook them at home. That should get you down in the $30 range.
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
Yes Cafe Rouge. I think that the last dinner I had there was around $50 for an entree and a dessert. No wine, no steak, but that is the place to go for red meat. Their menu is on-line.
Has anyone ever dried their own scallops before for conpoy?
If it was practical, I am pretty sure that my grandmother would have made her own. She just bought the dried in Chinatown. This from a woman who made her own hom don and jung and dried citrus peels on the the top of her floor heaters.
Restaurants near Julia Morgan Theater in Berkeley
Actually, no I don't think you are in the minority. Ici doesn't seem get much love here.
I can see that we are in different ice cream camps. I recently brought pints of Bi-Rite to a dinner party and was not impressed. Possibly due to the gorgeous 2 layer strawberry shortcake the hostess made.
You say potayto, I say potahto. You say Bi-Rite, I say Ici. :)
But you are right that Ici might not work out when you have to meet a curtain time. They are too crowded. If there is a long line I usually just walk on by.
What did you have for lunch today?
You score again! I'm going back to my little Vietnamese place to have the Friday special of crispy pork chops plus a vegetable, hopefully garlic green beans, and white rice.
Best Indian Restaurant-Lunch-East Bay
Actually, my memory served me poorly. It's been a while, but I believe it was a spicy yogurt drink, not salty. I enjoyed it whatever it was.
Restaurants near Julia Morgan Theater in Berkeley
$3 is too much for a large scoop of crafted ice cream and multiple tastes beforehand? Cheap thrill in my book.
What did you have for lunch today?
Ca va. Don't underestimate the Pacers, they can beat the Boshless Heat.
Still don't know how I failed to eat a pork tenderloin sandwich in Indy. I was actually quite close to a bar that was recommended. It was near an antique warehouse and has a rep of being very smoky. Probably due to my getting sick. Also missed out on the roast pork/broccoli rabe/provolone sandwich from DeNic's when I was in Philly because I was focused on cheesesteaks and Amish food. At least my favorite Berkeley pizza place Gioia has opened a restaurant in SF and they have it on the menu. Went over Saturday but they stop serving it at 3 and I got there at 3:20.
It's impossible to find anything on this site
As we say in IT, random sequence is an sequence :)
Hospital Food----My how it's changed>>>For the better
I suspect that the food served to patients is about the same as ever. However, I have found that you can get a decent meal at my local (Berkeley) hospital cafeteria, named by a friend Chez Bates (Alta Bates Hospital and Norman Bates).
The consistently good thing there are the soups. They make a very good beef root vegetable soup. They have Filippino chefs who make a tasty chicken adobo. They also roast turkey breasts whole one day a week and you can get a big sandwich with a side of cole slaw for a pittance. Since everyone else seems to be health conscious, I usually score a big piece of turkey skin too. And they have a sandwich bar where you can make your own tuna sandwich just like you would at home. For some reason lots of the local sandwich places no longer have green pickle relish. Chez Bates does and I like my tuna with onion and pickle relish. It's a great convenience to have a good cafeteria if you spend any time at the hospital visiting an ailing family member.
I recall reading on this list once about a New Orleans hospital that had great gumbo!
Root beer barrels
Good question. I've had rb barrels from my friend's boutique candy store and out of the bargain bags at CVS and they all taste pretty much the same. You are right that there must be some better ones out there somewhere. Hope you find some and clue us in.
