cfarivar's Profile
Bonn Germany: Farmer's Markets and More
I tried emailing you to this address and it got returned. Email me: cfarivar [at] cfarivar.org
Let's chow soon!
Hot and Fresh Sangak at Yeganeh Bakery in Super Sunnyvale
Great! I look forward to trying it later this week!
Bonn Germany: Farmer's Markets and More
What did you find in terms of Bonn markets besides the one at the Rathaus? Also, how can I contact you directly by email?
Does Bonn have any local/regional specialities? Any truly amazing bakeries/cafes and the like?
Middle eastern grocery in SF?
Also, does anyone have any intel on the new Middle Eastern grocery on San Pablo south of University in West Berkeley?
Where to buy Syrian bread in Bay Area?
Not sure, but I do know that a new Middle Eastern Market opened up on San Pablo south of University recently. They might know?
Ethiopean - Berkeley/Oakland?
I third a vote for Colucci. Get the fried potatoes as an appetizer and the shrimp tibs. :-)
Bonn Germany: Farmer's Markets and More
I may be moving to Bonn next year and have food/living questions. Email me? cfarivar [at] cfarivar [dot] org
Chowdown Invitation: Taco Truck Bike Tour #2: Foothill Blvd. Edition (Nov. 22, 2009)
http://californiatacotrucks.com/blog/2009/11/23/wrap-up-taco-truck-tour-numero-dos-foothill-blvd-edition/
Rockridge BART: what not to miss?
I'm not denying the Tavern's quality -- but for me, a $20-$25 dinner main is expensive.
Chowdown Invitation: Taco Truck Bike Tour #2: Foothill Blvd. Edition (Nov. 22, 2009)
After the success of October’s taco truck tour, it’s time for another!
Taco Truck Tour Numéro Dos:
When: Sunday, November 22, 2009
Meet: 12:30 pm, Lake Merritt BART station (9th and Oak St., Oakland).
Start: ~ 12:45 pm
End: ~ 3:30 pm ish, Fruitvale BART station
Twitter: @catacotrucks / #tacotrucktour
Itinerary:
1) Tacos Alonzo at Foothill Blvd./27th Ave.
2) Tacos El Mazatlan at Foothill Blvd./Fruitvale Ave.
3) Tamales Mi Lupita at Foothill Blvd./34th Ave.
4) Tacos El Tio Juan at Foothill Blvd./41st Ave.
5) Nieves Cinco de Mayo (ice cream) at 3340 E 12th St.
When it’s all said and done, feel free to bike or BART home. Anyone is welcome to join up or leave at anytime, obviously.
Afterwards, I might even be up for a beer at The Trappist (8th/B’way, downtown Oakland).
Bring: bike, helmet, $10-$15 for tacos+ice cream, camera if you want to document the deliciousness
RSVP: Email me cyrus [at] californiatacotrucks [dot] com. Put “Fruitvale taco truck bike tour” in the subject line.
All are welcome!
Nieves Cinco de Mayo (artisan ice cream) update
Love the Pitaya. I had mine with a scoop of rompope (egg nog) !
Rockridge BART: what not to miss?
This is my hood:
My wife and I love Uzen, Cole Coffee, La Farine (also poke your head into Ver Brugge's butchery next door). Wood Tavern is great, but expensive.
Alternatively, walk a little farther down and get sandwiches at Bakesale Betty on 51st/Telegraph or sandwiches at Genova Deli.
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Bakesale Betty
5098 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
Wood Tavern
6317 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618
La Farine
6323 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618
Cole Coffee
3179 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94705
Best lunch trucks/roach coaches/mobile catering trucks in the Bay Area?
Please refrain from the term "roach coach."
Taco trucks, when done right (as most of them are here in the Bay Area) have high health standards:
http://twitpic.com/afp94
Bread Garden (Berkeley) to close by year's end?
At least that's what the Oakland Tribune is reporting (http://www.mercurynews.com/foodheadlines/ci_12939627):
"The Bread Garden's 30-year lease expires next year. Morris, 62, has an option to renew, but because of declining business, this isn't his intention at the moment.
The problem is competition. When Morris founded the Bread Garden 36 years ago, there were three bakeries within a two-mile distance of his; now there are nine, with a 10th on the way. He explains it best with a baking metaphor.
"The size of the pie has stayed the same; there's as many customers in the area as there ever was," he said. "But the number of slices being
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taken out of it has increased, so that the Bread Garden's slice of the pie has been getting progressively smaller year by year."
Thus the bakery's business has been declining for 15 years, but never more precipitously than now, with fewer customers and its lowest sales in 30 years.
If business doesn't improve the last half of this year, Morris will inform the landlord he's not renewing, then sell his house and move out of Berkeley to a spot on or near the Marin coast, where he'll relocate the Bread Garden.
He ends his statement with this bread-or-bust plea: "Help us get more customers in the door. Ask your friends and neighbors to shop here. Buy your pastries here rather than at Peet's, and your bread here rather than at a supermarket.""
Vallejo At $1.25 per Taco - TheTaco Truck Crawl
Some friends and I sampled two of these and hit another in Sonoma. Check out our adventures here:
http://californiatacotrucks.com/blog/?p=96
New Temescal Café? 4316 Telegraph
I was walking down Telegraph yesterday and took this photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cfarivar/3586645612/
Any idea what's going in here?
Cake Ladies in Temescal (Oakland)
En route to my local farmers' market, we came across the friendly signs leading us towards "Cupcakes + Coffee". After following the mysterious arrows we arrived at 438 Avon Street at Miles in Oakland.
Myself, my fiancée, and two friends and fellow 'hounds noshed on a cookies and cream cupcake, a strawberry and a delicious strawberry scone. The scone was on the softer side, which I definitely enjoyed and the fresh 'berry on top of the cupcake was a pleasant surprise as well.
Cupcakes and scones ranged from $3 to $3.25. Seemed a little high, but I'm always happy to support local (and startup!) businesses!
Celeste was super friendly and offered us a free sticker which I proudly have put on my little notebook.
http://cakeladyshop.blogspot.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cake-ladies-oakland
Egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, nut-free cupcakes?
You might try Mariposa Bakery in Oakland that specializes in gluten-free productss:
http://www.mariposabaking.com/
http://www.chow.com/places/9325
Map of Oakland Taco Trucks and Street Carts
I recognize that there are different tastes for different folks, but I was a bit disappointed with this piece -- largely for disparaging El Ojo de Agua, which is among my local favs.
Three Brothers Taco Truck - Bay and Las Pulgas (Palo Alto)
I went to this truck today and enjoyed a fantastic carnitas and pastor taco with a so-so asada taco as well. The carnitas and pastor were very crispy and were served on grilled tortillas. Fantastic!
Senegalese:Taxi Brousse revisited--weekly specials
I heard Taxi Brousse is gone now? Is this true?
Berkeley: Moolicious + Beard Papa = Crazy Delicious
The corner of Telegraph Ave. and Channing has just gotten a little more interesting with the addition of Moolicious (now open) and Beard Papa (coming soon).
Moolicious is a new cereal bar for the college student set. Daily Cal says it should be open from 7 am to 7 pm, and that if the store does well, it could expand to Seattle and LA.
Links:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/moolicious-berkeley
http://www.dailycal.org/article/101193
http://www.collegeotr.com/university_of_california_berkeley/cereality_the_pet_rock_of_restaurants_opens_at_berkeley_8233
Also, next door, Beard Papa is coming soon, taking over the old Ms. Field's spot. Yay!
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Moolicious
2395 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA
Lam-Toro (Senegalese) in Oakland. Who's been?
Ok, who is your Senegalese colleague -- I need some authentic ceebujen. (I lived in Senegal from 2002-2003.) I have a few Senegalo-philes in the Bay who would be very interested as well.
Dak Kalbi in Oakland's Mini Koreatown? (Temescal)
Does anyone know which place does Dak Kalbi? I had it all over Korea in April 2007 and have been jonesing for it ever since.
Our LA hounds have found a place in West LA:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/341009
Any spots that are more local?
Happy Hour at T-REX
I do like the cheap beer (and beertails), but I'm generally unimpressed with the happy hour menu. I still think that the spareribs and the short rib are the best things on the full menu.
Chowing in Firebaugh and Huron
(See the full version with photos here: http://cyrusfarivar.com/blog/?p=1462#more-1462)
So on Wednesday, when I drove from Oakland to Santa Monica — a drive that I’ve made since I was a kid easily over 100 times — I decided to spice things up a little bit. I-5, as most people know, is California’s most boring section of highway, and it serves exactly one purpose: getting people from the north to the south and vice versa as fast as possible.
However, some research on Chowhound turned up the presence of a taco truck just a few miles due east of I-5. I was *so* there.
There I found what may be the loneliest taco truck in the state on the dusty corner of Nees Ave. and Russell St., just west of the town of Firebaugh, CA.
As I pulled up sometime around 2:30 pm, a Mi Rancho tortilla delivery truck driver was chatting away with the owner. I arrived and ordered an asada and pastor taco.
The asada was a bit dry and boring, but the pastor was decent — not a whole lot of zing to it. The “picante” salsa wasn’t all that “picante” and was a bit more on the sweet side than I would have liked. I’ve had better in Oakland, but it was a nice welcome change from the dearth of options along I-5. But when the most expensive thing on your menu is a $3 burrito, I really can’t complain. On my drive back tomorrow, I’m going to swing by and order the burrito — that is, assuming the truck is there on the weekends.
From Firebaugh, I headed due south to the town of Huron, CA.
Along the way I was greeted with dirt fields that seemingly had recently been freshly picked of their cotton.
I drove through town and the abandoned Ritz Theater caught my eye.
Fortunately, there was a taqueria next door:
La Esquinita Mi Pueblo Taqueria
36905 S Lassen Ave
Huron, CA 93234
(559) 945-9608
Given that I’d just eaten two tacos (and a really disappointing chile verde burger previously in Huron and a worse horchata), I figured I’d try another taco — this time, chorizo. As I sat down to eat one man told me that the mustachioed man behind the counter makes the best tacos in town. It was pretty good, not to overpowering, but respectable.
eating on the way from LA to SF on the 5
I had a great pair of tacos on Russell St and Nees Ave a few miles due east of I-5, just outside of Firebaugh, CA
What to order at China Village?
My favorite is the 10,000 chili fish soup, and the sesame bread. Both are amazing.
Ice Cream Sodas (East Bay)
I would have sent you to Ozzie's on College Ave., but sadly it's closed now. But I'll be curious to know what you find.
