abstractpoet's Profile
Fun group dinner in Berkeley?
Skates just did a big remodel and updated their menu a little bit ... but yeah, it still doesn't look particularly interesting, certainly not for someone coming from out of town.
http://www.skatesonthebay.com/menu.php?id=dinner
Authentic Bagel Company - only 90 perfect bagels made daily
Huh. Well, that pricing difference leads me to believe they must not be ABC bagels at Coffee Mill. But it's weird that they're still listed on the ABC website.
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
No, never mentioned it! But that online menu is outdated by about a month -- it seems like they change things up at least once a month, so many of those items (including the zeppole) weren't on the menu any of the times I went. (If zeppole are on the menu, I'll order them -- always.)
Affordable steakhouse in East Bay for tonight
Another option to consider for the future would be American Oak, in Alameda. They do a ribeye on Fridays and Saturdays only, I believe for $25. Anyone tried it? I haven't, but just about everything else I've had at that restaurant has been stellar. I think they sear it on the grill and finish it in their wood oven.
Authentic Bagel Company - only 90 perfect bagels made daily
I went into Coffee Mill today, and the lady at the counter said she didn't think their bagels were from Authentic Bagel Company, though I mentioned how the cafe was listed on the ABC website. She said she thought it was from some other place, and that they were organic. Maybe she just misremembered?
Anyway, I gave a buttered sesame bagel a shot anyway ($1.75 -- would have been $1.25 just for the bagel). It was too late in the day to risk it untoasted, as would have been my preference, but it was fine toasted.
Flavor was very good, as moto noted, but definitely NOT what I think of as a traditional East Coast bagel. Not very dense at all and only a little bit chewy. It grew on me, though. Like I said, the flavor was great. I'd certainly buy one again, but fear the untoasted version might not be up to snuff.
Oakland Chinatown takeout snacks/dim sum recs?
I'll vouch for the old man cakes -- "lao gong bing." They're not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but they're my favorite little pastry snack, a little savory, a little sweet. Reports of the versions at other bakeries haven't been positive, so make sure you get them at Wonder. I've found most of the buns at Wonder Food to be solid.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/818950
For egg tarts, I like Ruby King. Sun Sing for the *baked* roast pork buns. Cafe 88 (in the plaza) also has good roast pig. And I'm a fan of the taro pearl smoothie at Sweet Booth (in the same plaza). At Shan Dong the item to get is the pork and vegetable bun.
For something more adventurous, try the fried stinky tofu at Spices!3 -- it's decent, if not the best version, and not for everyone, obviously. Don't get it as a takeout item!
Snacks galore in Chinatown.
Berkeley: Alfonso's Cafe - Holy mole ... CREPES !!!
Just to be clear, Alfonso's and Gallego's don't have anything to do with each other, right? Besides the one being located in the former location of the other.
Berkeley: Alfonso's Cafe - Holy mole ... CREPES !!!
Finally got around to trying this place. It is tiny, but they set up some outdoor seating in the parking lot. On a Saturday morning, it was only the owner working -- the "dad," I guess. Nice guy.
The chicken mole crepe was good, but the mole was too sweet for my taste, and next time I'd ask him to hold the raw onions. On the sweet side of the menu, the banana-nutella was decent enough, if not exactly conjuring memories of Paris. Portions are big! Cafe au lait was basically undrinkable, though.
House of Curries [Oakland; Split from Old Place Seafood Teahouse thread]
Yeah, I guess they probably signed up for the "lite" option to avoid the full burden of fees...
House of Curries [Oakland; Split from Old Place Seafood Teahouse thread]
Interesting that it's on OpenTable -- that's my nabe, and the few times I've been to pick up a takeout order, there's only ever a couple tables occupied. Seems like they do mostly takeout business, so OpenTable's fee structure would seem like a losing proposition for them. It's not a place I would ever think about making a reservation for.
Food is OK. I like their mango lassi and their kinda-chewy veggie samosas. The main dishes are hit-or-miss.
Crispy Chinese roast pork
Cool. So that'd be "ban4 fei2 shou4" in Mandarin, then. Literally "half fatty, half lean." That's good to know.
Anyway, I'm not SO particular -- I just really hate it when I get the extremely lean/dry section, which, at least in my experience, seems to be the default if I don't say anything at all.
I've not found the folks taking my order to be resistant when I request "close to the belly," though admittedly it's often when ordering at a restaurant or calling in a takeout order. So I'm not actually watching where they're cutting from. But I've been happier with what I end up getting.
Crispy Chinese roast pork
Hey Melanie, sorry to bump up this old thread, but I was wondering -- how exactly do you ask for the section you're referring to when ordering a portion of roast pig from your standard Chinatown BBQ place, whether it be in English or Chinese? (Besides just pointing to the part you want, I guess.)
I've had decent luck just asking for them to cut from "close to the belly." Then today the server at Oakland's Cafe 88 came back and asked me if I wanted it on the bone/rib or not. I said yes, and it ended up being a decently fatty and crisp section, just a little bit of bone.
Looking for cafe near BART, Oakland, quiet for mid-afternoon meeting
How's the "Lane-e" Kefa Coffee location that's near the Lake Merritt BART, on 8th? Anyone been? I really like the food and coffee and the lowkey vibe at the original location, but don't know what the seating situation is like at this outpost.
Voluminous report from grayelf's spring 2012 trip to Bay Area
Glad you made it over to Lush! Today they had some interesting Cinco de Mayo themed flavors: a rum-horchata and a tequila with spicy chocolate chunks. Always something new to try -- the only drawback is you can never count on your favorites being available. It's like the opposite of Bi-Rite Creamery, where I'll pretty much order the same two or three flavors every time.
You remind me that I need to try Vientiane Cafe and get over to the Mission Bowling Club for that burger. No bowling for your party? =)
So, Wise Sons Deli is open ... who's been? Beauty's Bagels? [San Francisco]
They had both the egg cream and the phosphate (listed separately) when I was there last weekend. So the one has milk instead of seltzer? I believe they did mention that it was Fox's U-Bet.
So, Wise Sons Deli is open ... who's been? Beauty's Bagels? [San Francisco]
The chicken schnitzel sandwich they had as a special the other day was very good — the chicken was breaded with rye bread crumbs, which gave it a nice crunch. They get a lot of mileage out of that rye, huh?
I actually thought the pastrami, while good, was not as amazing as I remembered it being when I first had it several months ago. A bit drier and less fatty — maybe just the part they cut for us.
Also tried a chocolate phosphate for the first time ever. Anyone grow up on the stuff? I thought it was interesting. Like carbonated Yoo-hoo.
Kitchen 388, Oakland
Back (for dinner only) starting next week.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/WhatTheFork/archives/2012/04/24/kitchen-388-ready-for-reboot
Fire at Great China?
Huh. Answering machine at Great China seems dead. Anyone confirm that they're open?
Brasa - Peruvian chicken (and more) in Berkeley
Finally got around to trying Brasa and thought the food was fine but a notch below the better traditional Peruvian places in the area. We got a half-chicken, and it was pretty good but quite salty -- way saltier than it needed to be, given that you have the sauces as well. Anyway, I like the chicken at Inkas better, and while Brasa's sauces were all tasty enough, none of them were as addictive as Inkas' magical yellow sauce, which I like so much that I bought a tub of it one year to serve with Thanksgiving turkey.
Meanwhile, I thought the anticuchos were one of the worst versions I've had -- overcooked and very very tough. I did like having them over french fries, but as far as the beef heart is concerned, La Furia Chalaca, in JLS, makes a far superior version. Inkas' is good too.
The highlight of the meal was the lucuma soft serve sundae, served with coffee caramel and toasted walnuts. Nice combination of flavors and textures, and a fairly generous portion for $4.
Anyway, everything we tried was good but not great...but we'd probably still go back. It's a pleasant place for a quick, relatively inexpensive meal -- quite a big step up from fast food without breaking the bank.
Boniere Bakery - hot cross buns and malasadas from heaven [Oakland]
No more malasadas until Fat Tuesday of next year, apparently. They said Saturday was the last day for them.
Best restaurant desserts?
Yeah, clearly some people are digging these desserts, but...not for me.
Best restaurant desserts?
I have to say, I thought Haven's Baked California was a nice idea, but the overly salty almond cookie base just killed it for me. I happen to like a little hint of salt in desserts, especially chocolate desserts, but it seems to me there's an unfortunate trend of pastry chefs going WAY over the top with the salt levels. The salted caramel gelato at Perbacco is another (much raved about) example where I felt like the salty-sweet balance was totally out of whack.
Anyone ever tried Stinky Tofu?
The stinky tofu at Spices!3 really is quite mild. As noted in the thread that wolfe linked (which has my reports on all the stinky tofu I've tried in the Bay Area -- also written up, more formally, here: https://nomadeditions.com/real-eats/2011-08-12/main-course.html ), real purists go for the steamed version, served in a simple sauce made from the tofu's own stinky juices -- the idea is to highlight the stinkiness rather than mask it.
I believe this preparation originates in Shanghai, but maybe others could illuminate. Anyway, I haven't found a great version in the Bay Area. That said, Joy (in Foster City) has a passable steamed version, and a fried version that's as good as any I had in Taiwan.
My sense is that restaurants here aren't willing to go whole hog on the fermentation process -- if they did it on site at the restaurant, they'd stink the whole place up; if they prepare it off site (like in their own home, which I know a few places do) and then bring it in to serve at the restaurant, they're technically in violation of health code.
Dio Mio San Giuseppe
Probably not traditional, but my favorite lemon ricotta zeppole are from the Go Streatery food truck. $3 for a pretty generous portion. http://gostreatery.com/
Dopo also makes an excellent version. But these are both in the East Bay (Go Streatery may stop elsewhere, but it's mostly in Oakland, Emeryville, etc.)
Are bambolini the same thing? Both of the versions I mentioned don't have a filling, though their interiors are slightly custardy from the ricotta.
Burgers and coffee, that's elf food, apparently -- your thoughts solicited
Not mentioned yet is the Fivetenburger truck, which makes my current favorite burger. Nothing fancy about it at all (though they do have a grass-fed version for a couple bucks more), but every component is excellent: a great bun that's nicely toasted, a well-seasoned and nicely charred beef patty, housemade pickles, etc., etc. I order it medium-rare (hold the off-season tomatoes) and eat it standing up.
They make garlic fries, which I haven't tried yet so can't vouch for them...
If you're not coming to the East Bay this time, I believe Fivetenburger is in the regular rotation at the UN Plaza Off the Grid.
Visiting Berkeley for the First Time - Need Critique's
Sounds great. Gregoire, mentioned by another poster, would make for a good pre-Chez Panisse snack. Many are partial to their potato puffs. I'd suggest grabbing a slice of pizza at the Cheeseboard, but they're closed on Mondays. To me, the best thing on that block is Lush Gelato, inside a fancy food court type place called The Epicurious Garden. For my money, it's the best frozen confections in the Bay Area. (Alternatively, their original location is down the street from Commis on Piedmont Ave.)
And yes, if I were you, I'd cab it to Commis -- walking/taking a bus from the BART station is possible, but I don't think worth the hassle. Most definitely call for a cab on the way back.
My favorite coffee in Berkeley is at Local 123, which is a longish walk from the North Berkeley BART station...but it's probably too far out of your way if you just want a quick cup after yoga.
Not sure how long your classes run, but note that there's a small but good farmers market in Berkeley on Tuesday afternoons if you're interested in checking that out. And if you're the kind of person who likes to visit noteworthy supermarkets when traveling (I am), Berkeley Bowl is pretty amazing.
Visiting Berkeley for the First Time - Need Critique's
It is my favorite high-end restaurant in the Bay Area, and the price point is actually quite reasonable for what you get. Reserve a seat at the chef's counter if you can (you have to request it specifically) -- watching the chefs put the dishes together is half the fun, especially if you're dining solo.
Visiting Berkeley for the First Time - Need Critique's
2nd on Commis.
For what it's worth, I was a bit underwhelmed by my one meal at Gather (didn't even particularly care for the much-vaunted vegan charcuterie) -- I would certainly consider subbing that out for something more "ethnic." And while I think Corso is a nice little restaurant, I wouldn't put it anywhere near the top of the list for Italian in the East Bay. I'd rather eat at Dopo or Pizzaiolo; Oliveto for a splurge.
Wood Tavern is the other obvious BART-accessible pick.
Kitchen 388, Oakland
Unfortunately, there's a new sign up (and a notice on their website) informing customers that, due to an illness in the family, the future of Kitchen 388 is uncertain. They'll remain closed indefinitely.
Wishing whoever's sick a speedy and complete recovery. Meanwhile, I'll miss the pop tarts and the friendly neighborhood vibe.
http://kitchen388.virb.com/
One year of date night dinners
Glad to hear that your experience at Commis was similar to my own. I haven't been back for over a year now, but reading your report reminded me of how much I loved each of the meals I had there. It's good to hear that they're still going strong.
Every once in a while, I'll hear someone describe the atmosphere there as "sterile," but we never found that to be the case.
In fact, I like Commis so much that every time I spend more than X dollars at a restaurant, I invariably find myself saying, "Well, we might as well have eaten at Commis then."
