bunky's Profile
Great Value Reds... ($10 - $20 range)
thanks VVvindaloo! husband and I just fell in love with Colosi Sicilian blend (Nero d'Avola) 2008. Know of any winships East Bay or 'City that have this?
If not, I'll pull out yellow pages. thanks again!
Best Locally Available Hot Chocolate Powder?
is that something I could just improv on while working with my perfect mixture? today was cold... tomorrow may be also and with a big bar of Sharffen Berger Extra Dark, I could be set. I prefer it under sugared and over-chocolated... So I'd grate some chocolate (2 oz) into a mix of say, water and whole milk, (for a total of 8 oz liquid) or even 1/2 and 1/2, then whisk, then pull a bit out for cornstarching? hot chocolate pudding-ish is very tempting thought right now.
dining dilemma - kokkari or town hall?
Okay, thank you much for the weigh-ins. Think I'll head to Kokkari, and maybe have 2 orders of octopus and see what I can talk my companion into ordering. lamb, yes, lamb would be good! thanks again 'Hounds!and ...if bar at Slanted Door ends up winning, I'll report back.
dining dilemma - kokkari or town hall?
hmm, okay thanks... shows you my map skills stink. what say you about food choices Robert?
Any recent visits to Da Lian in Berkeley?
Another hand waving here to check on recent visits. I also saw the thingy on Check Please and went, but neglected to ask for long menu. Sauteed Three Ingredients was okay (prawns, scallop and squid), but sauce was not really spicy, and kind of sweet. want to try lamb and pickled cabbage soup next time for sure. Anyone else eaten there lately?
dining dilemma - kokkari or town hall?
Friend coming to town, we're meeting at Slanted Door for drinks at 7:30pm. We could eat at the bar, but I be that'd noisy for catching up - I think. (no res. avail. except at 5:30pm). We have reservations at Kokkari and Town Hall. Need to decide. We love everything, and i love seafood. octopus at Kokkari is pulling me. but it's a cab ride. do cabs linger front of ferry building at all? So 'hounds - ideas and opinions dearly welcomed.
Best Locally Available Hot Chocolate Powder?
Ummm, hold on please. Pardon my ignorance, but how do you make hot chocolate w/ just The Stuff and milk? is it really just grating chocolate and heating with milk on the stove? let me know and i will fly to get a Scharffenberger Extra Dark! my complaint about most hot chocolate is that I can never get it chocolatey enough, with low enough sugar. Have tried. Have failed.
Cheap Eats for family South Lake Tahoe/Christmas Valley
Hi, me and my Berkeley posse, spouse and 2 small boys are headed to Tahoe for a few days and staying at a friends house in Christmas Valley. Where are good, cheap and tasty places we should visit for burgers, pizza, anything? Tolerant of small persons. Don't want to face long nights with boxes of mac n' cheese over and over. Thanks!
Gourmet Ghetto: not so much any more?
And Monterey Market, yes? I am reading this thread, nodding my head to rw's post above, but saddened that no one's mentioned the Monterey Market. Not exactly in the GG neighborhood, but surely, an arm's length away. It's my Mecca. the reason we added onto our house, 'cause it's w/in walking distance of MM, and I want to be like my neighbor Joe, walking to the market each day with white hair, bringing home a bag of oranges, a bag of shelling peas, a bag of somethin'.
My mom calls it "the food museum" because it has many of the foods she remembers from her childhood in Panama and Lima.
I know many people think the Berkeley Bowl is bigger, better. But the Monterey Market has heart. And crowded, scruffly floors and great people.
...little plug for a big market.
Oakland - Beef patty and ginger beer at Art's Jamaican Market on Broadway
I just drove home from Art's. Lip-smacking, orange-napkin stained heaven. These are the same patties I tasted every vacation in St. Thomas, at a small beach we went to every single day. Coki Beach. My brother and I saved our quarters, and for $1.00 each we watched a lady roll out orange dough with an old vodka bottle, pat some stuff into it and then fry it in a pan filled with oil. These are the exact same color, and textrue and taste. I even have the exact same heartburn. I am thrilled that they are greasy and meaty so I can hide the 6 remaining in the back of the freezer and assure husband that he would not care for them. They were always called by locals and tourists alike, "Jamaican Meat Patty", which the proprietress pronounced "pate", so years later when offered pate at some catered thingy, I was crushed to get, you know, pate and not patty. Ruined me for pate ever since. Other than Proustian gushing, I am voting that this is the same spicing: slightly, ever so hot, but mostly it's the texture of the meat, it's like refried black beans with funky chewy bits. Puzzled that it's beef, since it has a funk of goat. That's what I thought it was back then too. Must be specialized spices. Anyway, I was a young girl again when I gobbled it up, remembering sunburns before they were toxic, snorkeling every day before the reef was stripped, and walking barefoot with my brother up the road to Coki beach, quarters in our hands.
De Afghanan from Fremont - now in San Francisco and Berkeley
I got the potato chickpea (mostly chickpea) sidedish on our second visit, this past weekend. I liked it a lot and thought it was a special treat! Think he musta forgotten it last time. Wonder what I'll think next time? Will keep you in mind.
Sorry the below poster didn't like the soup or pumpkin bolani, bummer. My husband got the soup again, and yup there was oil on it, but the flavor was so rich he can't wait to order it again. And he's NOT a grease monkey like I am. Flavor and quality need to win out over oil in his book. He flatly informed me that I must get my own soup next time, and not be encouraged by our waiter/chef/cashier who brought me an extra bowl and spoon.
Also to below poster - I asked for a spicy pumpkin bolani when we went last time - did you? I think this really set off the flavor of the sweet, and freshly cooked pumpkin. If I'm going to have a burgeoning plate of carbs, they better be loaded with flavor.
We also had the last kebab dish on the menu, the lamb kabobs, which weren't so much kabobs as lamb chops. Sot and tender and so melting in the mouth I was moaning. HIghest ticket item at $13.50, but totally worth it. Almost looked charred, but oh so soft and medium rare inside. Much as I love my husband I deeply resented sharing.
We also had the lamb and rice dish on back side of menu. It's a whole lamb shank surrounded by the rice that comes with most of the items, but currants and cardamon (?), were added.
We're going to hit the whole menu one visit at a time and then get our favorites.
Hot Sandwich Hunt
Okey doke, so after reading down through the whole post so far my mouth is watering and I want to take BART into SF and hit Ted's, then Saigon, and then back to Berkeley for Bongo Burger.
But I wonder, she said piteously, is there any great Italian American hot sandwich places in the East Bay? And by that I mean Berkeley/Oakland. Chicken parm, eggplant parm, or a meatball to bring a tear to a girl's eye? I see Genova has some, but... would they make an old East Coaster tear up?
I'm looking for good, hot, tomato-ey, cheesy delight. Saul's has great deli, but that is not this. Gregoire has amazing sandwiches as well, but they are chamber music and I'm searching for Wagner,
De Afghanan from Fremont - now in San Francisco and Berkeley
10foot,
Finally made it with husband last week, and man - we had what you had and we were TWO so I feel your pain. But only in portions because we left with smiles on our faces, a very slow gait, and had only broth for supper. Planning our next visit as soon as possible. may pass on Berkeley Rep so we can get friends to babysit during the day and hit Afghanan for lunch. We had:
The soup - name escapes me sorry, but there's only one, that had my husband moaning. Noodles, peas, a red broth with a meaty flavor, long lasting tongue succulence.
Chapli Kabob - not too dry but a huuge portion. i am the big meat eater, not spouse, so i chowed, and found it excellent. He nibbled and agreed. It was not a traditional kabob as y'all have said, but 2 flat, very flat patties of chopped beef. Deep meaty flavors. I'd order it again if I wasn't so anxious to try the lamb kabobs - the big $$ on the menu at $13.50.
Pumpkin bohlani - excellent. And huge portion as well. We asked for it spicy and it was - and the flavors were amazing, but quiet. I added green table hot sauce and then went back to eating it plain. Would have it again.
The tea - we got it too, it's a green tea, the chef and server told us, but there was strong cardamon that made it stand out. a big flavor.
Yogurt drink - durgh? - Salty and piquant, not sweet. Small cubes of cucumber, teeny black spheres that could be black mustard seed but I wasn't certain - that size though.
A big bill for us for lunch, $25 at the end, but totally worth it. Will report back more as we eat more. We got a flyer on the way out with the 10% off.
De Afghanan from Fremont - now in San Francisco and Berkeley
10foot, I didn't make it in. Time: 11:30am. Squinted across the street from Foster's Freeze and saw no open curtains, and one person in an unstained kitchen apron wandering up Uni., relieving a guy of what looked like some big plastic container of food... Not a good sign, thinks I... he's still setting up! needed grub faster so went to Turkish Kitchen - yum! but that's another post. I did talk to a guy cooking in the kitchen around 2:30pm (I'm like, stalking the joint), but I had kindergarteners in the car who don't cotton to Mom's foodie research stops. He said they open around 11:30am for lunch. You get lucky?
De Afghanan from Fremont - now in San Francisco and Berkeley
I did a drive by on University on Tuesday and hopped out, and didn't see any movement - will try lunch time today - anxious for a new place, new foods, all your comments are making me darn hungry! will report back.
Berkeley: Lagosia – Stylish, modern, upscale British and Nigerian cuisine … go, please, go
Peeked at the case on the way out and didn't see anything there. It's Tuesday again and spousal is grousling about where to get lunch (time without small kids is golden time), so maybe I'll remind him about Lagosia and check case again. Hello little Scotch egg...
Berkeley: Lagosia – Stylish, modern, upscale British and Nigerian cuisine … go, please, go
I've always liked rworange's posts, and this Tuesday, went to Lagosia with spouse for lunch. It was great, and goat is on the menu now for those who have been waiting.
What I liked:
*Really knock out food. Spouse thought so too, and he is hard to please at a restaurant.
*Nice interior, as mentioned above, but no white tablecloths at lunch which would have been off-putting; I like great food in a dive atmosphere. This was great food, but not a dive by any means.
*Wait staff and hostess/manager were just as polite and friendly to the middle-aged couple in teeshirts and baggy pants as they were to the party of six professionals in nice dress 2 tables over. (Hint: we were not six.)
*Hostess (don't know if it was Abby) checked on us several times and took a lot of care to make sure we enjoyed our meal. Very friendly as we left as well.
Now to Food.
We asked for everything a bit hotter than standard. (I worry that if too much chile/spicy seasoning is added only at the end you can hide some of the built up flavors, but I like things hot so it's always a dilemma.) We enjoyed:
* Complimentary bowl of chin-chin.
* Pepper pot soup ($1.50 added for goat)
* Egusi Stew (with chicken and spinach; $2.50 added for spinach)
* House Stew ($1.50 added for goat)
So it came to about $29 for both of us at the end, higher than our usual lunch budget, but so worth it!
Pepper pot soup was outstanding. We asked the manager what was in it, and she said it was a blend of several very rich beef and goat stocks. It was a thin soup, but the richness of the broth made it taste so thick you could stand a fork up in it. A rich, meaty broth worth every darn slurp. I'm only calling it broth because it was thin, but only in texture. The goat meat was the only added texture, and there wasn't a lot of it, but it was exactly right. Also caught tastes of ginger, basil, mint, and some other warm flavorings. Just the right amount of heat, left the mouth very warm, but all the flavors were right there.
Egusi Stew: Egusi is a melon seed, quite small, and its taste was too quiet for me to catch, but overall I liked it a great deal. This was spouse's favorite. If it didn't have spinach added (and it was a huge amount), I might not have liked it as much. Would be interesting to try it without spinach to see if egusi flavor/texture came out more. It had tomato base notes, but leaned more heavily on ground nut side.
House Stew: Rich tomato based puree with goat. Complex flavors, some of the same heat flavors as in Egusi (we did ask for all dishes to be spicier so kitchen might have added same dried chile to all that was also brought to table - not certain, maybe bird's eye?) but the mouth-feel of puree was heavier. Goat was perfect there, and I'd have liked more, but there was waaaay too much food on table already.
Sides of iyan (pounded yam) and eba (cassava) that we split. Iyan tasted like a more glutinous mashed potato; it rolled up into little egg-like shapes on the spoon like gnocchi, and great with both dishes. Eba was both more grainy and glutinous; on its own it wasn't my thing, but dipped into the thick red gravy of the house stew it was great. Ate too much of both and felt extremely full for whole afternoon. Fault of greed, not Lagosia. We'd planned on taking leftovers home for later, but, err, the best laid plans often travel home under a teeshirt, not in a paper sack.
Definitely going back for the scotch eggs - and I'd like to try each stew on the menu to see how they differ.
No puff puffs until my middle is less puff puff.
Please go!
I Hate the Noah's Bagels in Berkeley, Telegraph & Durant
Manhattan Bagel on 4th street is the closest in the east bay to well, a real bagel.
Best Ethnic and Dive eats in Berkeley?
I'd love to try all the stylish places I read raves about here but wallet and small children keep me on a short leash. What're great dives for great food in Berkeley/El Cerrito/N. Oakland for lunch and dinner? Breakfast too if you can find new places for us to try? We always end up at: Saul's for wkend b-fast (the hash, the hash); Picante for the fish and asada tacos (Fruitvale's better but it's hard w/ sm. feral kids in the car out of their 'hood); Gregoire's for sandwiches (burgers and the lamb, always the lamb); Gioa's pies (mushroom and the ham/roasted onion), and a few others... Ba Le on San Pablo is great too, but what should I order besides the bbq pork? Indus Village, but I feel I don't have a real handle on what to order. What do they do awesomely there with lamb? Rick and Ann's you need to be cutthroat early w/ a paper for the breakfast wait. Sans kids waiting time can pass much more peacefully. Hmmm, clearly none of the above are dives. Parenthood has turned me into yuppie scum. I miss dives, and great ethnic food, that's one of the things the Bay Area, and specifically Berkeley/Oakland is great for. and spicy too. So, what's worth putting on old jeans and a Violent Femmes teeshirt for?
Ethnic Dives near(ish) Hyatt McCormick Place?
Hi 'Hounders. My husband and I live in Berkeley and are faithful 'Hounds there, and we need some help. Spousal is in Chicago next week for a conference and doesn't know the area. He's staying at the Hyatt McCormick and would love some great ethnic food, not hotel food. Recs on nearby neighborhoods, streets, restaurants, etc? What is cheap and amazing and funky there? (I worry that ethnic and yummy is hard to find near a Hyatt...) Thanks in advance!
Bread sticks/Breadsticks
Miss Otis or anyone,
Gott any solid leads on Berkeley breadsticks? I'm dialing around, looking for breadsticks i can pick up fresh on Sunday for a party. Yummy skinny ones I can wrap jamon around. ...packing up to move back down the hill into our old house in the flats, yay. don't want to drive all over the Everywhere to get stuff, but you know, I want it to be fresh and amazing. what can i say? I live in Berkeley - it's The Law! thanks.
Searching for Spanish/Portugese reds - cheap and light
I think oak is not the best word, since to most wine drinkers that means barreled in oak. I meant woody, smoky, with a touch of leather. Don't know how it was aged, presumably not much since most of it we bought in small corner groceries, the most memorable we decanted from a small wooden barrel into thoughtfully provided used, but washed plastic soda bottles. I think a 2 liter bottle was about $1.50. ahhhhhhhhh...
Hole in the wall Mexican?
Tacos al pastor at San Jose are the best. in. the. world. everytime i go to SF i try to plan for a quick greasy run. i craved them when pregnant with both my boys. also the green table salsa at Picante in Berkeley. used to buy that by the quart.
Searching for Spanish/Portugese reds - cheap and light
Thanks everyone, I feel well informed and ready to do some searching. Spousal and I are gearing up to paint the whole inside of our house to save some $$ from a long remodel. Some affordable reds may help us churn through it all - not to mention benefit other friends who gamely and over-enthusiastically volunteered to pitch in. Will report back findings as they occur. I have a 2 and 4 year old to boot so the writing urge comes in lurches these days. Thanks again, and cheers!
Searching for Spanish/Portugese reds - cheap and light
thanks Robert! I'll check it out for sure, as well as Vintage above, per zin1953. I have friends who only buy from Odd Lots, and I thought it was only French, but then mayhap I'm going by my friends cellar and drinking choices, not the store. I'm relatively new to reds - so there's a beginners fear of stores that seem highbrow. Like eating - I'll take dive with amazing food _any_ day of the week over a place where people rave about the service. It's all about the food. Or what's under the label. (Calvin Trillin had a wonderful essay a few years back about only buying wine with labels that featured "a mountain, preferably in the middle distance". yep.) thanks.
Searching for Spanish/Portugese reds - cheap and light
Thanks zin, I didn't know that about wines essentially remaining the same when exported, and it was sloppy thinking about the USDA. Appreciate the tip - I'll def. try Vintage Berkeley, that's my 'hood. Will let you know what I find.
Jayakarta - Help on Ordering Please!
Okey dokey, but where do these recs fall on the sweetness scale?
thanks!
Searching for Spanish/Portugese reds - cheap and light
The article on reds from the Priorat region of Spain by Jordan Mackay
http://www.chow.com/stories/10431
read like a very tasty dream, but sent me spinning off into my own. I started spieling in a comment after the article, but realized I'd be better off posting here.
Where are recs for cheap, really cheap and lovely Spanish and Portugese wines? With raisiny tones and oak. When I traveled around the Iberian peninsula for a month or so, I _really_ liked how I never got a migraine from any red, never got too looped after quite a few glasses, and yeah, it cost next to nothing. I know with USDA they have to add preservatives and junk that all adds to potential for migraine, but where oh where is that great raisin wine we had in the hill town of Arcos de la Frontera? (near Cadiz, Andalucia)...
I did a search at a local BevMo near my hometown of Berkeley. We tried all the Spanish and Portugese reds (okay, not all but MANY) that were $6 and under. We did find a Portugese red that was close, but the more recent vintage, out now, is too tight and puckery. I think, what we used to love is Alianca Foral Reserva '00...
Anyone got good ideas? I'm cheap. I don't need a five star wine. I want a light drinkable red I can have a glass or two of 3-4x/week. I'd even up it to $8 if it was glorious.
Jayakarta - Help on Ordering Please!
Dear 'Hounds -
Spousal and I went to Jayakarta this aft. for lunch with much anticipation from all the great posts I've read. Overall it was amazing! We had Roti Prata and Otak-Otak Panaggang (fishcake in banan leaf) to start, my 2 favorite things form the whole meal - then Sayur Asam, the sour soup w/ jackfruit and tamarind and other flavors; then Acar Kuning, pickled veg; and finally the Ikan Pepes, fish wrapped in banana leaf. Needless to say some containers came home with us and we're already planning our next trip but here's the thing - many of the dishes were too sweet for me. I have pre-diabetes and really weaned myself from most sweet flavors (save for a regular and necessary dipping into Sharffenberger Extra Dark for sanity while being a stay at home mom), so the soup, pickled veg, and even the banana leaf wrapped fish were pretty high on the sugars - I kept worrying how I'd spike my sugar count - not a fun way to spend lunch.
The roti, with it's dipping sauce was so amazing it was totally worth the carbs. I do still eat carbs and sugars, but I want to have a better sense of how to spend the carbs I can afford. The fish cake appetizer was so great I'd advise other 'hounds to bypass the peanut sauce. It's too strong and sweet and you miss the subtlety of the fishcake. Save the peanut sauce for something else down the line.
So, my question is, what on the menu is also amazing and great but not as sugary? I keep coming back to that sauce on the roti. Deep, muddy, a lotta lemongrass and further murkiness.
Peruvian food in East Bay?
Hi, my family is visiting over the holidays and I'd love to take them out for some Peruvian food, my mom's home country. She loved Fresca in SF, but that's a haul from Berkeley and jacks the babysitting $$ way up. Any recs for Berkeley/Oakland?
