nomadfromcincy's Profile
meringue cookies in the east bay
Thanks all. I am looking for the simple stuff - just egg whites and sugar. Bette's has them but a little pricier than I was hoping (I need quantity for a dessert).
meringue cookies in the east bay
Does anyone know of a bakery that makes good meringue cookies, ideally in Berkeley?
Buying beef/pork/lamb direct from a farm
I have been reaching out to local ranchers that I found on the EatWild website (http://www.eatwild.com/products/washington.html).
I was wondering if anyone had experience buying whole animals from any of these farms. We bought a quarter cow from Zion Acres last summer and it was tasty.
Would love to hear about positive or negative experiences. Thanks.
Aziza with a baby - will it work?
I wouldn't mind as long as the parents of the baby were aware of people around them.
Russian River Wine Road - Barrel Tasting Event
Another piece of advice to avoid crowds - go to the small wineries. For example, check out Moshin, Benovia, or Inman Family -- they are all in the Russian River area and the focus on Pinot Noir. If you like Zinfandel, drive up to the Dry Creek Valley and try Nalle, Quivira, or Unti.
Michael Mina, La Folie, or other options?
I would like to try Ame, but this crew is not into sushi and I have heard mixed reviews of the non-sushi items (from "okay for the price" to "delicious").
Thanks to everyone for the input. Didn't seem to be a clear favorite, so I went to Michael Mina. The winelist is huge, with a big focus on Burgundy, and silly mark-ups. We'll bring a couple bottles (you can BYO 2 bottles, corkage is $35, and they cannot be on the list) and buy a couple more to match with food. Will report back.
rtmonty, The Dining Room was my first choice but it is closed the night we want to go.
Michael Mina, La Folie, or other options?
I am looking for your recommendation for a fussy, inventive meal. The Dining Room, Masa's, and Fleur de Lys are all closed on the day I would like to go. Already been to Gary Danko.
So the options seem to be Michael Mina or La Folie. Fifth Floor, Campton Place, Aqua would be the other options but they don't seem to garner the same praise.
Has anyone been to both restaurants? I have read the board and I am leaning towards Michael Mina... but I would like to hear from someone that can compare the two spots.
Other qualifications:
-no cost issue, though we will be ordering wine and I like restaurants with reasonable mark-ups (100% is reasonable IMO)
-fussiness is not an issue
-eat everything and a well-executed foie dish is a big plus
Where to find good yellow corn on the cob? [moved from General Topics board]
Ask the farmers at the Berkeley Farmer's Market -- I think they sometimes have stuff they don't bring to the market (because they don't think it will sell). They can probably bring it for you if they have it and know you are a buyer.
Challah in the East Bay
Ideally, I'd like to find a bakery/grocery in North Berkeley. I am aware of Nabolom's in Elmwood. I am sure Cheeseboard has challah, but looking for other favorites.
Ici n'était pas mémorable
Thanks R-Dub. I was actually a pretty regular poster in Boston, so looking forward to participating on the boards here... when I have the time. Definitely will try Cafe Fanny too, thanks.
As for Bette's, I had a great experience. The service was really great, which I didn't expect. Kept the water glass filled and the server was friendly, despite the hurried atmosphere. Didn't have the souffle pancakes (I tried a daily special which I am now blanking on), but will be back for them.
Ici n'était pas mémorable
Morton:
Great response -- much appreciated. I have been to Sketch and definitely preferred it to Ici. I find 4th Street to be more of a destination, whereas I am driving through Elmwood (and thus Ici) more often. Looking forward to trying the other options in the area.
I have been to Cheeseboard, both the store and the pizza counter. The pizzas are great. In Boston, I actually lived in Cambridge about a block from Formaggio Kitchen. While I love the cheese selection at Cheeseboard, I have not found someone that has the same knowledge level as my old pals from Formaggio. I have only been twice, so I will give it more opportunities of course.
I am a farmer's market whore... In the past month I've probably been 8-9 times. One of the reasons for returning to the Bay Area. Love the Dapple Dandy pluots that are in season, but been a little disappointed with most of the peaches I have tried. Any suggestions? The Fatted Calf is great, but I struggle with the sticker shock -- again, any suggestions on specific items to grab.
Thanks for all of the other suggestions. I will have to try Pizzaiolo -- I am a big fan of Dopo personally.
Ici n'était pas mémorable
I am new to these boards, having just moved back to the Bay Area from Boston. When I last lived in the Bay Area, I was a San Francisco denizen and Craigslist food forum devotee. Anyway, I am now hiking the Hills of Berkeley... exploring the East Bay. A few highlights to date and then a commentary on Ici, which was what prompted me to post.
China Village - one of my first meals (when I was still getting plates unpacked)... great flavors though not as spicy as I expected. Yes, I did order from the mostly szechuan section of the menu. I'll be going back and would appreciate hearing about anyone's favorites.
Gregoire - this place is excellent. They chose a new model and they ran with it. I've only been to the Cedar Street location, but I would eat there all the time if I could afford to. It would be cool if they offered some of the entrees for 2+ people at a discounted price. The boxes are a little too precious, but the food holds up and the chefs are very friendly. For dog owners, this place is very dog-friendly.
DaNang KrungThep Thai-Vietnamese Southeast Asian confusing place -- so I have read the history and I still don't understand why they didn't just choose one name. Anyway, I went with one of my Thai classmates and he did all of the ordering. I seem to remember an excellent eggplant dish and a curry that I liked. I'll pay more attention next time.
Cha Am Thai (corner of Shattuck and Vine) -- I went here because it is close to home. Since then I have read strong reviews on other websites... it is fine. We had a delicious appetizer that was like like Thai style fried crabcakes. The pad thai was what I call Americanized Pad Thai - meaning it was on the sweet side of the spectrum. I would go back because the prices are reasonable -- it might be a good take out option.
Cafe Rouge - we went there last night and I was actually impressed. I won't be rushing back, but mainly because I think there are lots of restaurants at the same price point with more to offer. We had a couple oysters - good and fresh, well-shucked (at least better than I can do -- the juices were still surrounding the meat). I had an onglet steak (hanger steak) - perfectly cooked and great flavor. It needed a little more salt, but fortunately that was on the table. The watermelon ricotta salad was pretty, but hard to eat. My wife said her lamb needed a little salt as well. As I said, I actually liked my meal but I won't go back immediately. The wine list was not that great, which is usually something that can bring me back.
Okay, so finally onto Ici. I was excited about this place because of the pedigreed owners/ice cream makers... but I don't get it. I paid $2.50 for a tiny scoop of ice cream. Good ice cream, but not a decadent flavor explosion in my mouth. If you are going to charge a lot for small portions, than you want the consumers to linger over every bite. I won't go back until I hear really strong reports from people I trust.
I have also been to Soi4 in Rockridge, Bette's Ocean View on 4th Street, and an inevitable late night meal at Zuni (you can count me among the Zuni lovers). All great meals, but nothing new to report. I do want to discuss Zuni at some point, but I'll save it for another rant. One quick point -- I am willing to pay a small premium to be able to order my burger medium rare and to know it will actually come out medium rare. I don't particularly like paying $7 for a mixed greens salad that is missing the garlic parmesan croutons... but I enjoyed the burger.
menus for Audobon Circle and Beacon Street Tavern
Beacon Street Tavern -- bunch of platters between $13-$17, that come with a choice of fries (shoestring, regular, or sweet potato). This includes steak tips, turkey tips, burger, and a couple other options.
The entrees start around $15 and go up to about $23. The eggplant napoleon is one of the less expensive options and is delicious.
The best part of the BST is the wine list. Good values up and down the list. Lots of unique options between $45-$65.
Audubon Circle -- a variety of appetizers and sandwiches under $12. The reuben is tasty and the apps are easy to share (though not huge portions). Good margaritas and decent beer selection. Never really got tried the entrees, but I think most of them are under $20.
menus for Audobon Circle and Beacon Street Tavern
Paul:
I can't find the menus, but maybe we can answer some questions for you. In general, Audubon is a little more casual (the menu and the atmosphere).
Polls
Limster, I guess I should have flushed out my rationale more clearly. You have been on these boards longer, so I value any additional historical perspective... but in my three years participating on the Boston board I have seen the quality go downhill. And I know other knowledgeable folks feel the same way. I think the board has been diluted by the constant questions, "NYC hound in town for just one night" or "best dim sum in Boston" type requests from non-regulars. I actually don't mind these questions, but I don't enjoy responding to them. My feeling is that while you and I prefer reading about the experiences of fellow eaters... there are others who just want a quick answer.
I don't want polls to become a major part of the site, but based on my experience on other websites... people do not use polls as an excuse not to write out opinions. If anything it usually provokes more spirited discussion because it asks people to make a real choice.
In short, I think real "hounds" will continue to use the boards in the same way. Polls could help eliminate the noise for people who aren't viewing the world the same way we do.
Thanks for responding!
Polls
Dear Chowhound team:
Thank you for your hard work updating the site. While change is always difficult, I am sure we will all look back in a year, and see the benefits. As a product manager type person, I particularly like that you launched with a minimal feature set... but room to grow. I hope you are looking at the various requests and talking to your customers. I am sure many are (overly) eager to help.
A couple of features on my wishlist (in priority order):
1) Information about the last post, on the boards' frontpage. I want to know who started the thread, but I also want to know who last posted and when.
2) Some type of email feed that says "send me updates to threads I have subscribed to". And yes, I want to automatically be subscribed to threads I have posted in.
3) A way to subscribe to threads without posting in them. The reason - I may want to bookmark a post that was particularly useful.
4) Polls! Allow posters to have polls within a thread. So there would still be responses, but polls as well. I.e. The topic could be "what is your favorite dim sum place in Boston and why?" Posters could vote and/or post why they voted the way they did.
That is just the list off the top of my head. Good luck.
5 Days in Boston
BJK, that is a great list! I will have to ponder it.
Some of my favorites that I could add:
Over $100 - Troquet is my favorite, especially if you are into wine
$50-$100 - the tasting menu at EVOO and the chef's whim menu at Craigie Street Bistrot, the No. 9 Park bar menu
under $50 - West Side Lounge, dinner at the Chez Henri bar, Grotto, Franklin Cafe, B-Side Lounge, La Morra for wine and cicchetti
Bargains - Santarpio's for the lamb and sausage, Tacos Lupita if you need to satisfy the taco/burrito craving, Peach Farm Seafood for Chinese seafood, Audubon Circle for good bar food
If you need a snack, I recommend Formaggio Kitchen in either Cambridge or South End to get some cheese/bread.
5 Days in Boston
Eddie, welcome to the board. Since I haven't seen any of your recommendations... I would love to hear more about your preferences.
5 Days in Boston
I am just looking for details. If it is that awful, it should be an easy question.
I don't even like the Summer Shack that much... I just think this board's value is tied to details, not absolutes.
5 Days in Boston
What dishes do you find to be awful? Let's be specific to help folks as much as possible.
Personally, I find that they do lobster pretty well all-around. The fried seafood is fine -- not North Shore quality, but good enough. I would stick with fish blackened or grilled.
5 Days in Boston
Sorry, the Summer Shack is not awful.
It may not be chow-worthy due to the high prices and inconsistency across the menu... but I have had some good food there. Just go in with measured expectations and go with the basics.
Beacon St. Tavern
Had dinner at BST last night.
Comments in order of importance:
1) The wine list is superb. Along the lines of the Franklin Cafe, Silvertone, and Washington Square Tavern... but even better. If you are into wine, you must check this place out.
2) There are still service kinks to work out. I think it would help if Gerry hired a very professional front-of-house person to manage the crowds that are sure to come. He is a great host and very wine knowledgeable -- he should focus. I am sure he is just trying to get the ship in order, so I withhold any judgments.
3) The food was 90% there. Highlights were the eggplant napoleon, lobster chowder, quail appetizer, and goat cheese appetizer. The carpaccio and sirloin were serviceable. The steak tips I would not order again... but I was eating with someone who had already tried the steak tips twice before and declared mine were not up to par... next time, I will either order the eggplant or try the burger.
4) Did I mention the wine?
Good luck to them.
Fish Market Arlington / Cambridge Line
Never heard of it, but Fresh Pond Seafood isn't far from there.
sage tonight - longish review
How much of the $400 was spent on wine? While I understand your feeling in general and I actually agree Sage is on the pricy side, I don't think I have ever spent $80 per person.
In general, my general advice is to stick to the pasta dishes at Sage.
