Martin Strell's Profile
Vietnam House Chowdown Report [San Francisco]
Not much to add myself. Everything goes by in such a blur. Overall, I enjoyed almost all of the food. Though I've been to Vietnam, I'm far from expect on the cuisine. Agree with others that the spring rolls had a thick skin which was hard to chew. Banh Khot were the most memorable part of the meal. Would not describe them as "crisp". Had a nice, soft egg tarty consistency.
Gajalee - the real deal for Goan food [SF Bay Area board]
We went yesterday with the kids and tried the fish and clam thalis. We particularly liked the clams. We also had the curry leaf calamari appetizer, which was calamari fried with spices. I would have this again. Next time would maybe order one thali and one main dish and appetizer. Would like to try more of the menu next time. We had a mango drink which was thicker than a lassi - I don't remember what it was called, but I liked this too.
I know Chowhound frowns on nostalgia, but it is in the same space where Cafe Istanbul used to be - this was one of my favorite spots in the city.
Cafe Fanny closing tomorrow 3/9
I arrived as Melanie was leaving, and I ate the very last beignet. I wonder what time they actually closed their doors. I left around 2:30, and if they closed at 3:00, the people at the end of the line when I left would not have been served.
Cafe Fanny closing tomorrow 3/9
i asked the young woman who served me on the last day, and she did not know herself.
CSA recommendations for 2012?
Thanks for the tip off on the Oakland delivery. I got my first box yesterday. Far better than any CSA I've gotten, both in terms of quantity and quality. It was a little bit of a challenge to get it all home on my bicycle, a problem I've never had with a CSA.
So, Wise Sons Deli is open ... who's been? Beauty's Bagels? [San Francisco]
Ordinarily, they won't be open Mondays, but they were open today. I know because we ate lunch there today. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who knew - there was about a 20 minute line to get food. We were lucky enough to get a table. We had the pastrami (fabulous), the tuna (not to my taste), the pastrami cheese fries (very good, but I didn't think they were quite as good as they sounded, and the kugel (very good - like a noodle pudding). Unfortunately, they ran out of the matzoh ball soup before we ordered. Considering they hadn't really opened yet (the official opening is tomorrow), I think everything operated as smoothly as could be expected. The staff was super nice.
You, Me and Ugyhur: Omar's Xinjiang Halal (SGV, Pics/Review)
Okay, so we were in LA again almost exactly a year later, and we decided to give them another shot. We went for lunch on the Monday after Christmas and got there shortly after they opened. This time, they had everything we wanted, except the rice pilaf, which they said is only available on weekends. I enjoyed the big plate chicken very much for the sauce and the wide, hand cut noodles, though perhaps not as much for the chicken itself. Make sure to order the noodles with the chicken. Jing spoke to the owner/cook a bit, and she seems a bit temperamental and stressed. She'd mentioned that she'd closed early the day before because it got too busy and she was overwhelmed. (I suspect this is similar to what had happened to us the year prior). We were able to get the lamb kebabs, but some people who arrived shortly after we did were told they were out. I enjoyed the food a lot (again). It seems like arriving early is the best strategy for getting the dishes you want here.
Cupola @ The Westfield Shopping Center
I went on Sunday. Was in the neighborhood and had just read the Bauer review. I had the more expensive of the two Margarita options (I forgot what they called it). I, too, enjoyed it and found it to have a nice char.
new Oakland lunch place - Uncle Dougie's
Oakland location seems to have closed. I don't know the story. I noticed it wasn't open today when I passed by at lunch time. I looked in, and it looks like it's being dismantled.
Crema, West Berkeley
Not sure where you saw the "Mint Leaf" sign. The Alameda location that was supposed to become Crema is now Happy Feet Children's Shoes.
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Crema
411 13th St, Oakland, CA 94612
Food trucks: which ones are really good and which ones are just fads
I had the chicken apple biscuit from Nick's Wheely Good Breakfast. I was similarly unimpressed. On my first bite, a barely cooked egg yoke shattered and dripped all over my hand. I had to scrub down after eating. The biscuit was too flakey and the sausage too fatty and without much flavor. Won't try this truck again.
Food Trucks at 21st and Webster in Oakland
I had the Goan shrimp curry. I haven't had a chance to try anything else yet.
Food Trucks at 21st and Webster in Oakland
Recently, they have started having food trucks come every weekday for lunch at the lot at the corner of 21st St. and Webster, right near where I work. A different truck every day. Some of the rotations are weekly and some are every two weeks. So far, my favorite is the Munch India truck which comes every Monday.
NEW: Kamdesh Afghan Kabab House (Downtown Oakland) - Anyone?
We went today. Good, not great. I had a ground chicken kebab, which came with cumin flavored rice. Jing had a lamb shank which came with rice and raisins. The chicken was nicely cooked and flavored. Lamb was a little stringy and not as good as I've had elsewhere. The yogurt drink with mint was very good. The Afghan nan was re-heated and barely edible. I work fairly close, and I'll probably give them another shot, but I don't think it's woth going out of your way for.
Fire closes Bouchon Bakery
We passed by today. Lots of activity inside, but still closed.
Addendum (Thomas Keller casual place for fried chicken) & Bouchon Bakery - Pizza, Yountville -Anyone?
We got there at 11:15 today (Saturday). There was a bit of a line by the time we got there, but it moved quickly and we got our food within about 10 minutes, as promised. The garden was nice, with tomatoes and pepper and other plants growing. Nice picnic tables. However, I'd have to add my voice to the "not quite worth it" contingent. We drove about 1 1/2 hours to get there, and the fried chicken, while good, was not drive 1 1/2 hours out of your way good. I found it a little over salted to my taste and not very remarkable - perhaps after the long drive, my expectations were too high.
We'd also planned to go to Bouchon Bakery afterwards, only to find out that they are closed until further notice because of a fire. I don't blame really them, but it was a fact that the server at Addendum, whom I'd asked for directions to the bakery, didn't seem to know.
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Bouchon Bakery
6528 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
Hatch Chiles back
I just got back with my hatch chiles (first time for me) from the Alameda Nob Hill. They were talking about taking new orders after yesterday's orders are filled, but it looks like yesterday's orders will take them through late afternoon at least. l also heard a manager say that there's a larger roaster, but they stopped using it because it breaks down too often. He said that next year, they would use two of the small roasters instead of one. I feel bad for the guy doing the roasting. He's a nice guy, but he seems to get a lot of the customer anger directed at him.
Hatch Chiles back
I just went to the Alameda store. The guy there with the one roaster was nice, but obviously stressed out. He put me on a wait list and told me I MIGHT be able to get a box tomorrow. Sounds like the thing to do is to get there when they open at 8AM.
No Worries - Downtown Oakland
I was in here for the first time in a long time. I stopped going when they took the Adobo "Chicken" off the lunch menu. They had a notice up that their last day is this coming Sunday, Aug. 28. They are going to continue as a food truck, but the restaurant is no more. Incidentally, I was not very impressed with my meal today. Salty and not very flavorful.
Santa Clara/Sunnyvale/mountain view recs - good stuff at low prices
Not on your list, but we recently went to Kunjip for Korean ox tail soup and were very impressed.
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Kunjip
1066 Kiely Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95051
Flavor King Pluot Season
I never made the connection between Lady Gaga and the Flavor King Pluot, but, now that you mention it, I love the comparison! Both are anything but subtle, and both of them, the first time you encounter them, leave you thinking "wow - that wasn't what I was expecting!".
Over on the main discussion board, I found a wonderful old post where the OP gives an over-the-top paean to Frog Hollow's Flavor King. "Amazing doesn't even begin to capture it. This damn pluot was transcendent..." http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/298063#1646915 . Unfortunately, the thread degrades quickly, but the original post was great, in the over-the-top Chowhound obsession kind of way.
Flavor King Pluot Season
Today at the Berkeley Farmer's Market, both Frog Hollow and Kashiwase had Flavor Kings. Kashiwase was $3.50/lb and Frog Hollow was $3.90. They both had samples, and I thought Frog Hollow's were better, so I bought a bag full. I asked about a flat, and the price was $30. I decided that that was too much Flavor King, even for me. They were having a special deal where they were giving away a T-Shirt to anyone who bought a flat of fruit, but the shirts were not very nice.
Flavor King Pluot Season
The Scream Sorbet flavor is the Flavorosa Pluot, not the Flavor King. We tried it today. It was very good, but I'm still loyal to the King.
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Scream Sorbet
5030 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA
Flavor King Pluot Season
Kashiwase did not have Flavor Kings at the market last Saturday. They said they were waiting until they were at the peak of their flavor before selling them. They said they would possibly have them this coming weekend and for sure the following weekend. I was a little reluctant to buy at Frog Hollow because of the comment from Kashiwase that the Flavor Kings were not quite ready. I only bought one huge pluot, but it turned out to be fantastic.
Flavor King Pluot Season
$1.50? Wow - that's cheap!
Interestingly, I got an email today from a well known East Bay Italian restaurant in which their pastry chef waxes poetic on my favorite stone fruit:
'Only once or twice a year does a fruit come along that I feel is featured best by serving on its own, without setting it in a composed dessert context. That time has come with the wonderful Flavor King pluots from Brookside Farm in Brentwood, CA.
Upon their arrival, these pluots perfumed the kitchen, drawing Sous Chef Brian Murphy to the three cases I ordered from farmer Welling Tom. Burying his face in the box, Brian came up for air and said "it's like putting your face in a bag of mixed Jelly Beans!" He and I also agreed the pluots tasted like bubblegum, vanilla, and Hello Kitty erasers. If all of those things sound bad to you, consider Brian's analogy: marvelous tropical flowers that seem to have been copied from overblown, tacky plastic flowers. "It's like Nature copying bad Art...except when Nature does it, it's wonderful." '
Juicy, sweet, their golden flesh veined with fuchsia... these pluots are so delightful, I feel compelled only to peel off the tart skin and serve them sliced in a bowl to make for a sublime eating experience.
-Pastry Chef Jenny Raven '
Flavor King Pluot Season
Looks like it's the beginning of the short Flavor King pluot season at the Farmer's Markets. I got mine at Frog Hollow at the Berkeley Farmer's Market on Saturday. If you've never had a Flavor King, they're a deep red color with a full, sweet, fruit punch taste. I look forward to the Flavor King's every year. For me, none of the other pluots quite measure up.
Montreal-style bagels in Bay area?
I stopped by Saul's today at 9AM for some bagels. They had Beauty's from today and Spot from yesterday. They were both $1.15 each. I didn't try the Spot's, but I enjoyed the Beauty's as much as I did at Wise Sons last month. The Beauty's were still warm. They had plenty, but they said they expected to run out by the end of the day. They will accept advanced orders and set them aside for you if you can't get there so early. They said that the advanced orders should be made 48 hours in advance.
Montreal-style bagels in Bay area?
A recent post on Beauty's Facebook page implies both that they are making bagels for Saul's and that their bagels can be purchased from Wise Sons:
"We made almost 400 bagels this week and they turned out better than ever. Thanks to Mike and Jonah for helping us hand roll all of them. We started doing different toppings for Saul's, so you can try all dressed (canadian for everything), sesame, poppy, onion or plain. Thanks to everyone for their support! xoxoxo"
In response to a comment that says "where can we get them?"
"Beast and the Hare-22nd and Guerrero-Saturdays from 9-2. Please come!!"
Alameda Taqueria to become Bonnie's BBQ
Bonnie's is gone. Sign says "Island Taqueria Coming Soon".
