lacerise's Profile
Cafe at 5600 College Ave., Oakland in late 70's
Thanks so much! Some friends and I were reminiscing and we'd all been there, but none of us could recall the name.
Cafe at 5600 College Ave., Oakland in late 70's
Can anyone tell me the name of the bagel and dessert cafe that used to be where Crepevine is now? They had a balcony overlooking the ground level and served salads and desserts and coffe drinks as well as bagels.
T-Rex's Wednesday BBQ Buffets
I'm guessing it's every Wednesday as long as it brings in business. The K2 group seems to be very savvy about dealing with the economic downturn.
T-Rex's Wednesday BBQ Buffets
I've now gone to two Wednesday BBQ nites at T-Rex and am ready to opine about their offerings. I've dined with three others in these 2 visits and we've all felt similarly about the food. On the first visit, there were delicious biscuits and the ribs and beans were pretty good. The other sides were not very tasty and we all deemed them mediocre. Last night's ribs were very good, meaty, juicy, cooked beautifully and the sauce was just right, vinegary and tomatoey. The only other really tasty offering was the cheesy corn dish which had discernible corn and was well-seasoned as well as cheesy. The beans, slaw and sweet potato salad were underseasoned and uninteresting. The chicken was dry and rather tasteless and the burnt ends were mediocre as well. T-Rex can do good food; I know it. Their fried chicken w/mashed potatoes and kale is delicious; their mac and cheese is good, and they do ribs pretty well. I'm surprised at how boring they're able to make a multitude of sides. Are they not caring about the food b/c it's only a $19 buffet? Come on, K2. I like your ideas, but, in terms of taste, you can do better.
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T-Rex Barbeque
1300 10th St, Berkeley, CA 94710
Birthday coming up
and Vietnamese is my favorite. Anything to tell me about Le Colonial?
Looking for Best Yogurt in the Bay Area
I concur with bgbc; the high protein content yogurt (recommended to me by a nutritionist) keeps me satiated for many hours. I buy the highest protein content stuff I can find and that's been Voskos nonfat or Brown Cow greek style nonfat. A half cup of yogurt with fruit and walnuts or almonds is my go-to weekday breakfast. The fruit and nuts cut the pasty/chalkiness of this type of yogurt. When I want yogurt with a taste that I love I go for Pavel's organic lowfat or St. Benoit, but the latter is quite expensive.
Been there before...
visited Chicago last fall for the first time, stayed in the E. Lakeview/Lincoln Park area and loved it. I found a number of small, inexpensive places to eat that made me really happy. I also dined at The Girl and the Goat, Frontera Grill, and Mercat a la Planxa. They were all good in their own ways, but, to be honest, the really high end fare didn't knock me out enough to warrant having spent that much money. So I'll be in Chicago again over Memorial Day weekend with my daughter and would love to hear what Chicagoans have to say about where I should take her to eat. She's a huge Rick Bayless fan so we will probably hit up Xoco or one of the other two. What else do you recommend?
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Frontera Grill
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Girl and the Goat
809 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60661
Ex-NYer West Coast Foodie would like some opinions
I grew up in NY and have been on the west coast for 39 years. I get back to the city about once/year and walk till I drop, always on the lookout for hidden gems and places I haven't tried before. This next week I've got 4 days and 4 evenings to fill with breathing in NY and eating great food. I'll go to any neighborhood if the incentive is strong enough. I've got a reservation one night at Jane and can't decide on the next night btw Artisanal, Buddakan, and Gradisca. Would love some opinions. I'm not into swank and ridiculously high end places. I want to enjoy some fantastic food and that could be from a truck or great pizza, ethnic fare, burgers, anything.
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Buddakan
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Artisanal
2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Gradisca
126 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011
Southie by Wood Tavern
Stopped in today b/c I was in the neighborhood picking up a cake at La Farine. I can't say enough about how pleasant, friendly and accommodating everyone on staff was at Southie. THIS is the kind of treatment that makes me want to return to a restaurant and support their business. They could teach the rest of the Bay Area a few lessons. Got the piggie sandwich to go and it was delicious. That said, I could only eat half of it and put the other half away for dinner. It is SO rich and fat-laden. This isn't a condemnation b/c I loved it. Just think I'll share it with someone next time. The chips were a refreshing break from the fat in the sandwich!
Southie's menu changes daily and they don't have their website up yet so going there will entail surprises for awhile. Looks like the pork is a constant, however.
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La Farine
6323 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618
Need a Restaurant to Cater Co. Holiday Party in Albany
only requirement is that it be REALLY GOOD. I appreciate your suggestions, but Zaki and Zand don't fit that bill for me.
Need a Restaurant to Cater Co. Holiday Party in Albany
I don't care much for Zand's. Thanks, though.
Desperately Looking For Good Chinese Restaurants in East Bay
some people like Renee's on Solano. I find that the ingredients are very fresh, but the preparation is lacking in flavor. Little Shin Shin on Piedmont Ave. has had a loyal following for decades. Their food is very flavorful and they've got an extensive menu. Great China is also good and has some dishes not found elsewhere.
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Great China Restaurant
2115 Kittredge St, Berkeley, CA 94704
Little Shin Shin
4258 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
Need a Restaurant to Cater Co. Holiday Party in Albany
My company is hosting its annual holiday party on 12/14 at a home in Albany. We're looking for a restaurant that would provide catering (we'd pick up the food) for the event. Requirement: really good food! It's not a big job....about 20 people. We've used Ajanta in the past and they did a fabulous job, but I'm looking for something new. Suggestions??
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Ajanta Restaurant
1888 Solano Ave, Berkeley, CA 94707
Pizza for Very Discerning Visitors
Little Star now has an outpost in Albany and, I have to admit, their Little Star deep dish is delish. It bears little resemblance to pizza, however.
Foods that are better made in SF than NYC?
the mussel pizza at Gather trumps the squid pizza at Pizziaolo IMHO.
Foods that are better made in SF than NYC?
Katz and Carnegie don't hold a candle to the Second Ave. Deli.
Pizza for Very Discerning Visitors
I'll be making my fourth trip in recent years to Seattle over Thanksgiving. I'm a big fan of Serious Pie and we usually hit it up for lunch as soon as we've checked into our hotel. But I've been reading a lot about Delancey. What's the feeling about how these two places compare? I don't want to travel to Delancey to wait on line for a pie just because the owners of the place are young, hip and beloved. Tom Douglas may be a big corporate mucky-muck now, but he knows how to make pie. Please post your views. Thanks.
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Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101
Delancey
1415 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA 98117
Visiting Chicago for a Week
Later this month, I'll be coming to Chicago for a week, meeting a friend from NY. I'm much more of a foodie/cook than she, but she's sent me some recommendations from friends in NY who know Chicago. They've recommended we go to Salvatore's and/or Tarantino's. I don't find anything about these restaurants here and am wondering what the Chicago food community can provide in terms of info about these two places. Thanks!
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Tarantino's
1112 West Armitage, Chicago, IL 60614
SR24 in Temescal - Any reports?
Had an impromptu dinner there a week ago Friday. Strange layout and decor in this place. Tables laid like in an old Steak Pub from the 60's. Specials board on the wall in a very dark corner??? Waitress with a major attitude. The couple next to us was trying to get her attention b/c they needed spoons in order to eat the broth under the fish (came in a bowl, should have been given spoons to begin with). They couldn't get her to look at them no matter what they did so I finally caught her eye and told her they needed assistance. She sneered at all of us! My partner and I ordered the mussel chowder. It was tasty, but very one note. I liked that it wasn't thick or gloppy like some chowders, but it had no depth of flavor. We got a salad with pickled fennel that was good, but not special in any way. We also ordered the fried green tomatoes and found them inedible. They were breaded in a pebbly coating that was tasteless and the tomatoes themselves were hard and tasteless. What was the point? And, lastly, the chicken pot pie - one of the worst I've ever had at a restaurant. Absolutely nothing to recommend it. It didn't have a lovely crust, although the crust was decent. The filling was BORING. The chef doesn't appear to be knowledgeable about layering seasoning in food. We were looking forward to finding a new and interesting dining venue, but SR24 sure isn't it.
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SR24
5179 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
SF Virgin w/ 4 days & 15 restaurants help!!!
I'd add Slanted Door. And Ton Kiang rather than Yank Sing. Also, weekend brunch at Namu on Balboa and 6th after you've checked out the De Young and its roof deck.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105
Ton Kiang
5821 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121
Namu
439 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94118
Lush Gelato: Best gelato shop in the Bay opens new location in Berkeley (near Cheeseboard)
so has Ciao Bella gone out of business? or did they change their name to Lush?
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Ciao Bella
1 Ferry Bldg # 8, San Francisco, CA
ISO Best Cupcake recommendations for cupcake-off in East Bay
I'll second Jasmine's comment. CupKate's is wonderful. I've tried the red velvet, caramel w/fleur de sel and the vanilla and they're all terrific. I think my favorite is the vanilla w/vanilla bean frosting. It's not too sweet, as Jasmine said, and the vanilla is pronounced and luscious.
Friday foodie tour in Berkeley
by "aesthetically-pleasing" you must mean kept in cold storage. i don't buy fruit at berkeley bowl because i want it to have flavor.
Friday foodie tour in Berkeley
you forgot another couple of CONS to Pizzaiolo:
blasting music
if you're seated up front, lack of breathable air
poor service
other than that, i like the place. good food, but that's about IT.
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Pizzaiolo
5008 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
Thinking of Leaving SF for Berkeley or Oakland. Crazy?
Andronico's on University stopped being a passable supermarket some time ago. They've given up on the place and it appears to be hanging on by the skin of its teeth. It never catered to the actual neighborhood and, as such, has probably been quite the money pit. Unfortunately, it is my neighborhood supermarket. I admit to only going there for milk and the occasional (!) snack item. But on my last two or three trips, there's been a dearth of most items in which I'm interested; the store smells strongly and disagreeably of disinfectant; and the checkers are, with a few exceptions, not a happy bunch. I've given it up for the new Bowl and a different ATM, but I'm no fan of the new Bowl either. I go across town to do my shopping at Monterey Market, Magnani's, Tokyo Fish, Acme, Country Cheese, etc. and use the new Bowl for dairy products. I, too, think their meat/poultry/particularly fish mongers are unknowledgable and unhelpful for the most part. And the people on the floor elsewhere in the store are largely untrained and unfriendly with the exception of a few who've been around for a long time (2 produce managers, etc.). Our farmers' markets are nothing like the Ferry Bldg., but you'll find things and purveyors you like over time and will see the difference in the customer base at each.
Good luck with your move.
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Country Cheese
415 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA
Emeryville: This was my dawning at the Cafe Aquarius - lemon ricotta pancakes, Palio coffee, excellent eclairs and baked goods
SOOOO disagree. 900 Grayson is good stuff. Aquarius - feh! My office is around the corner and we've had morning meetings and had Aquarius supply the "pastries". Let's just say no one rushes to eat them. And they're left to dry out and get tossed. They put powdered sugar over practically everything they bake. Do they think this dresses it up? It's like a pink stretchie headband with rosettes on a bald baby girl!
Gone there for lunch a number of times. Came back twice with the wrong order. They were very nice about taking care of me after I'd pointed out their error....but, come on! Some of their lunch offerings have been tasty, but nothing that would bring me back.
And the decor! Could it be weirder? Fake greenery!? and wrought iron??
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900 Grayson
900 Grayson St, Berkeley, CA 94710
ISO fruit pie in Berkeley
mondays could be difficult; many places closed. try la farine. or virginia bakery. or crixa cakes. DO NOT go to toot's sweets (awful). ladyfingers in oakland is kind of funky, too. there's a new, tiny, authentic french bakery on solano (can't remember the name) and they might have a tarte tatin or something.
Manzanita Resturat
Manzanita is a favorite eating spot for many of my colleagues. The food is so good. It makes you FEEL good to eat it. I'm surprised there aren't more postings here about it. It's one of a kind. They have simple, moderate, and full lunches and dinners, and on weekends there's an all-you-can-eat buffet. A moderate dinner is about $13.50 and includes soup and a nice sized plate of green salad, steamed kale with a sauce, a mound of grains (could be brown rice w/quinoa or sweet rice, etc.), very tasty, perfectly cooked vegetables, and some type of bean or legume. It is 100% vegan, organic, macrobiotic.
The ambience leaves something to be desired; I'd love it if they decorated the place a bit. But the seats are comfortable, the staff is lovely, and the food is the star of the show.
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Manzanita Bakery
4001 Linden St, Oakland, CA 94608
Recs needed for this Saturday in Oakland
Tried Camino this past Saturday and it was perfect. From the engaging, well-trained, friendly but unimposing staff to the ambience/decor to the food, this place knocked me out. The duck appetizer, the lamb three ways entree, the fiskalini cheddar and the quince dessert were all stellar. The wines were good. I enjoyed the warmth of the wood and the fireplace. It was the best restaurant experience I've had in a long time.
