Little Plearn, Berkeley

It's about time for a negative review...Andy had never had Thai food before, and Zoey and I were in the mood so we decided to take him out. This was before the days of my distrust in Yelp, so we decided to go to Little Plearn, "the best Thai food in Berkeley!" Little did we know what was in store for us.

I don't care if it was an off-night for their cook, the food that we had was inexcusable, as was the service. The girl who served us seemed to not be able to care less as to what we ordered, and didn't give us any suggestions for food when we asked. Eventually, we went with chicken satay, pad thai, and a chicken curry dish.

After waiting forever, Zoey and I got our Thai iced tea, which was thicker than usual and also sweeter. I was only able to drink about half of it before already starting to feel full.

Then, our underwhelming chicken satay came. Ignoring the annoyingly and borderline retarded couple behind us who kept saying, "oh my god I can't believe how authentic this place is," we dug in.

The chicken was dry and burned on the edges, and totally flavorless. The peanut sauce, which I usually look forward to, was thick and tasted like it had sweet cream in it. Not good. The creamy flavor took over the entire sauce so it didn't even taste like it had peanuts in it. Maybe there was peanut extract, if that exists?

Despite ordering our pad thai "spicy," it was overwhelmingly sweet and had no chili flavor in the slightest. I realize that pad thai is probably the most westernized dish of them all, but the waitress was no help in that area. The noodles stuck together, and there were about a pound of green onions in the dish. Plus, the limes that were served with them were dried up and when squeezed produced nothing.

The last dish that we ordered was a yellow curry with chicken. I've made a similar dish according to what my mom told me to do over the phone ("just throw some curry in a pot with oil and veggies"), and it came out better than this. Again, the sauce was overly sweet and had no spice to it. Aside from a few pieces of chicken, there were maybe three carrots and two bites of potato.

If the sauce had been delicious, that would have been okay, but it wasn't. Even the rice was terrible--it was mushy and stuck together. Yep, we were still hungry, and no, we didn't want to try dessert. Not that we were asked.

The most entertaining part of the night was the fact that we ended up having about three bags of leftovers because none of us could eat the food. Zoey and I felt bad putting it to waste so we thought we'd bag it up and give it to a homeless person. Apparently the homeless in Berkeley aren't hungry--we walked around for about thirty minutes and NO ONE wanted the food.

Thank you, Little Plearn, for a terrible dinner, overpriced food, a little bit of exercise in downtown Berkeley, starting my distrust of Yelp, and a reality check as to the eating habits of the Berkeley homeless.

Left Bank, Larkspur

It was my birthday a while ago. I made time to go to dinner with Andy but never enough to write about it. Chez Panisse was booked, so Andy asked around work for a good date place and came up with Left Bank, in Larkspur. I was a bit apprehensive because it's a chain restaurant...in Marin...but we went anyway.

The restaurant itself is adorable. It looks like a giant living room with a fireplace and has decorations of cute pigs everywhere. Mmm, bacon. It being in Marin, the bar was packed with bleached blonde 50-somethings with designer bags and botoxed lips, all of them drinking cosmos and lemon drops.

I myself preferred to have a diet coke with grenadine (I know, I know) while we waited for our table. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait for about ten minutes for our table. The hostess wasn't very friendly, but considering how busy the place was, we got seated relatively fast.

Being the good boyfriend to a high maintenance foodie girlfriend, Andy told me to order up. I started out with the Salade Lyonnaise, which had frisee lettuce, a poached egg, croutons, and bacon, and was dressed with a mustard vinaigrette ($8.50). Andy had the Salade Verte, which had butter lettuce, herbs, and a dijon mustard vinaigrette ($7.50).

My salad was delicious but also a recipe for a heart attack. Overall, it was a little bit greasier than I would have liked. I think that the thick-cut bacon could have been drained a little bit before being put in the salad. Because of the excess of fat, the croutons which were otherwise great, got a bit soft. But other than that, the egg was perfectly cooked and wilted the frisee just enough. Andy's salad was good; it was very basic but that's how he likes his food so it was perfect for him.

We also split Moules Florentines, which were steamed mussels in a white wine sauce with spinach ($11.75). By split, I mean that I ate all the mussels, dumped some of the shells onto Andy's plate, and he mopped up the sauce with bread. The mussels were very nicely cooked, but I think that the sauce could have had a bit thicker.

I think our server was new, too, because I had already eaten about half of the dish before he came by with those tiny little forks and plates to put our shells on. I had no problem just using my fingers, and the bread thickened up the sauce and made for another great side dish.

While not overly-impressed with my appetizers and the service, I am going to rave about my entree. Two months later, I still want to go back just to have it. While Andy ordered...wait...take a guess...steak and frites ($18.50), cooked medium-well (of course), I ordered the duck with lentils ($20.50). That duck was worth every penny.

It was cooked just enough so that the meat was juicy and the skin crispy. I got an entire half of the bird, so it was a struggle to finish everything. Even Andy liked it. The skin had a bit of a sweetness to it, almost like it had been cooked with dried cherries, but the sweetness didn't take away from the overall delicious, fatty flavor of the duck.

The lentils were just as delicious. They were cooked a bit al dente, and seemed like they had just been soaked in bacon juice. While they weren't greasy in the slightest, they contained the full flavor of smoked bacon.

I was so full at that point that I couldn't even try Andy's fries or get dessert. This is one of the best ducks I have ever had, and apparently it will only be on the restaurant's fall menu, so I need to get back there soon. Left Bank isn't a cheap place, but it's definitely worth it every once and a while.

Left Bank is located at 507 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur. To make reservations (which I would recommend), call (415) 927-3331. I believe that the restaurant is a chain, so there are a few other locations that can be found on their website: http://www.leftbank.com/.

They are open on Sundays and Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Pho Saigon Restaurant II, Richmond

I'm on a Vietnamese food kick right now. Not only is it cheap but the food I've had has been some of the most flavorful. I'm in deep need of flavor right now after spending an entire semester stuck in between the cement walls that SF State calls its "student lounge" while eating bagel after bagel because I don't like nacho cheese.

Pho Saigon Restaurant II is located in the Ranch 99 Mall. Unlike the jerks at Daimo, they serve me quickly, act like they understand my order, and give me what I like to eat. I've never had anything else besides Pho from there, because I'm a creature of habit and it's hard to say no to such a great deal. I usually order a medium bowl of Pho with thinly sliced rare steak, well-done brisket, veggies, noodles, and tripe ($4.60!!!). I know, most of you probably don't like tripe (I love it). You can also order it with meatballs or extra steak, depending on what you like.

It takes them about 3 minutes to get my order together and then I am out the door. Even after getting home, the broth is still piping hot (I know because I made it overflow onto my pants one time...It's hot.). In addition to the meat, they give me a big container of hot/sweet chili sauce, Asian basil, bean sprouts, lime, fresh sliced jalapenos, and parsley.

My recommendation is to first put the noodles into the soup so that they can separate. Also, that way one can avoid making the hot soup overflow. I usually put about half of the jalapenos into the soup. Despite looking juicy and delicious, putting all of them can make the soup almost unbearably hot.

Then, I put in the steak one piece at a time--as you have probably figured out by now I hate overcooked meat, and by cooking each piece individually, one can avoid doing so. Eventually, everything gets mixed in, and the flavors meld together perfectly. This is the ultimate comfort food.

Don't go to Daimo! Go here! The food is much better, the people are nicer, and the prices are cheaper! Pho Saigon Restaurant II is located at the Ranch 99 Market off of Highway 80 in Richmond (on the border of El Cerrito). The exact address is 3288 Pierce Street, and the phone number is (510) 528-6388.

They are open Sunday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The Great China, Berkeley

And...I'm BACK! After a long hiatus due to the magical mystery that is Organic Chemistry, I am almost done with finals and ready to eat.

After our last lecture of the semester at San Francisco State, my East Bay friend Greg and I decided to go to lunch in Berkeley. We had heard that The Great China had good food, so after some walking around we decided to check it out.

The place was really busy, and there was a sign-in sheet for a table, so we just added our names and stood around. Then, a huge group of people came up behind us, motioned to a waiter that they had five people, and he showed them to a table. We tried waving to him that we were first, but to no avail. I love great service.

Both of us were really hungry at that point, so I ignored growing doubts after some woman on her way out reached into the basket of fortune cookies and said "Gonna get my money's worth," took a few handfuls and shoved them into her purse. That, and I got increasingly concerned after seeing a whole lot of lemon chicken being passed out. At that point, though, we were in way too deep and got a table.

Finally, when we were seated, a waitress just came up to us and said, "Go to the back." Fortunately, the restaurant is pretty small, so it was relatively easy to figure out what she meant. After we sat down, the waiters were pretty quick to bring us a menu and take our order. Both of us went with the lunch special, because it was pretty cheap and seemed to be what everyone else was getting.

I ordered Ma Po Tofu ($6.75) and Greg ordered Bean Curd with Mushrooms and Broccoli($6.75). Service aside, I loved the food. My tofu was spicy and delicious, and both meals came with a huge plate of rice, a side salad, fruit, an egg roll, and a bowl of hot and sour soup. We did have to ask for our waters and attempt to ignore the waiters standing over us while we ate (hoping we'd hurry up--the check was delivered to us with the food), but for a grand total of $13.50 for two, I really feel bad complaining.

Maybe it was because we were in Berkeley that I expected better service. Not that Berkeley is known for having great service, but that I had the assumption it would be better service than that in Chinatown. The Great China is much cleaner than anywhere else in Chinatown, though, and I am always a huge fan of restaurants where I can get cheap food that tastes great. I even had leftovers.

Anytime you are in Berkeley for lunch, I highly recommend coming here. It's a great deal, and the food is delicious. Just imagine that you are going to Chinatown for lunch, but wanted to go somewhere with a usable bathroom. The Great China is located at 2115 Kittredge Street at Oxford Street in Berkeley. For reservations, call (510) 843-7996.

I can't find their hours posted anywhere, but I'd imagine that like most Chinese restaurants they are pretty much open all the time.

Banh Mi Ba Le Vietnamese Sandwich Deli, El Cerrito

I am officially a student again, and I need more cheap food recommendations, pronto. After reading my latest Bourdain book on BART this afternoon, all I could think about were his vibrant descriptions of Vietnamese food. Knowing there was no way I could afford to even drive to Pho84 not to mention buy food, I headed around the corner to a Vietnamese sandwich shop that I had found on Yelp! (sorry, AP, Civic Center days are Thursdays).

Banh Mi Ba Le has some amazing reviews on Yelp!, and while Yelpers are not always trustworthy, I thought I'd at least give this place a try. It's so hot today that I even walked, not wanting to get into my scorching car. Fortunately, this place is even closer than I thought--2 short blocks away from my apartment!

The sandwich deli is pretty much a hole in the wall of a worn down strip mall on San Pablo at Central. There were three older Vietnamese women standing behind the counter and a bunch of Asian people standing in front of the store, so I assumed it had to be good despite its appearance and headed in.

They serve about ten different types of sandwiches, including BBQ chicken, BBQ pork, vegetables, etc. I decided to order a Cha Siu Sandwich. Scared that it wouldn't be enough food for me after seeing the price ($2.25!), I also ordered a green papaya salad ($3, no seriously).

In about 30 seconds, I was handed a plastic bag containing all of my food, and I quickly headed home to start chomping away. After turning on Oprah, I opened up my lightly toasted sandwich. The baguette was crusty on the outside but oh-so soft on the inside; it was clearly fresh. Inside, a bit of the bread had been scooped away to make room for fresh, brightly colored carrot slivers, daikon, cucumber, jalapenos, cilantro, and of course, sweet BBQ pork.

Despite being full after my ridiculously cheap sandwich, I decided that I wanted to eat more anyway and dug into my salad. The papaya salad had raw papaya slivers, carrots, a little bit of flat leaf parsley, and was topped with shrimp. The dressing tasted of a million flavors at the same time--citrus, vinegar, spice (jalapeno, I think), and sweet. The salad on its own was filling enough, so now I sit here typing this, about to go into a food coma instead of trying to remember how the hybridization of carbon and hydrogen molecules works.

Now I haven't been to the Vietnamese sandwich shop at the Civic Center, but the sandwich I had today has got to be up there. I also unfortunately have not had the green papaya salad from Out the Door, but to be honest, at Banh Mi Ba Le I can walk around the corner, not have to worry about annoying mall patrons, and pay a fraction of the price. I'm sure that the salad at Out the Door is better but if you are a student on a budget, or just feeling like having the cheapest meal of your life, go here.

Banh Mi Ba Le Vietnamese Sandwich Deli is located at 10174 San Pablo Avenue at Central in El Cerrito (near the Pacific East Mall and the El Cerrito Plaza). Here is the Yelp! article that led me to them: http://www.yelp.com/biz/fOBypmZMEJ3GoulOSH-Zxg#hrid:Mc8Ab1le53MzAScYuM3GNg/query:vietnamese

Mangia Mangia, Albany (Part II)

While my seafood pasta was far from my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about my gorgonzola salad and the souffle. Yes...the souffle. I grabbed Andy and we drove over so I could satisfy my craving.

Mangia Mangia was a lot busier on Friday night. We got one of the last tables available. In addition to my salad and the souffle, I ordered one of the specials, which was a mushroom risotto topped with a filet mignon kebab, shrimp, and garnished with garden vegetables ($16). Andy ordered pasta bolognese (big surprise), for $12.

Let me tell you, my entree made up big time for the disaster I had previously. The vegetables were colorful, crunchy, and tasty on the side. The kebab had a wonderful smoky flavor to it and even though the meat was very thinly cut, it still had a bit of pink inside. Therefore it was juicy, full of flavor, and tender.

The risotto was also very flavorful. It was full of mushrooms and they also put fresh green peas in it. The rice was cooked al dente but still had a very creamy texture (and no, Howie from Top Chef, it didn't need cream to make it good).

So. My new recommendation is to go here and get an entire meal, just don't get the seafood pasta. Go with whatever the waiter/waitress recommends, and hopefully you will be as ecstatic about your meal as I was (Andy will tell you, I couldn't stop raving about my entree).

Now I know you've all read the other review of the souffle but let me tell you, Andy even ate it. "It's like getting a fresh chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven but having no cookie!" It got to the point where we were fighting over bites because it was so good. Get the souffle. Get it now.

Scott Spencer's House, Piedmont

I have probably bragged to most of you that my buddy Scott catered my BBQ a little while ago for only $2.50 per person, and that the food was amazing. Well, he is now currently working at Town Hall in San Francisco and decided to spend some of his newly earned money on his friends, cooking a five course meal for eight of us.

As I told Scott, I wouldn't be writing him up in my blog if I wasn't impressed with his food. Instead, I'd just continue reviewing some of the other restaurants I've eaten at and not mention him. Scott really is that good.

In exchange for all of us bringing wine, the occasion being for our friend Kranzthor's last night living in the East Bay, Patton and I showed up at Scott's house in Piedmont at around 7:15. He had already been hard at work all day, planning, prepping, and re-planning our menu. The focus was going to be on using the highest quality ingredients, cooking them perfectly, and arranging them beautifully. I am getting increasingly angry at myself for not bringing a camera to this meal.

All eight of us sat down and took turns playing waiter, bringing in food from the kitchen while Scott cooked. Our first course was two mini-courses. The first that I will describe was an heirloom tomato and watermelon salad with honey champagne vinaigrette. When Scott first told me about this combination, I was really, really skeptical. And wrongly so.

Two ripe heirloom tomato slices, fresh from Scott's garden, were cut into squares and stacked with two slices of sweet, crunchy watermelon of identical size and shape. The green vinaigrette was drizzled lightly on top. Again, reading this you might be doubtful, but somehow the two textures and flavors melded perfectly; the sweetness of the watermelon enhanced the tomato's flavor, and the crunchy watermelon texture contrasted with the tomato's firmness. I couldn't stop eating it, despite the fresh hamachi tuna that sat next to it on my plate.

The hamachi tuna, flown in fresh from Japan that morning, was cut sashimi-style and topped with a smoked salmon beurre blanc flambe. It was my turn to play waiter during that course, so I got to see Scott take a torch and lightly brown the top of the sauce.

The tuna was melt-in-your-mouth good. It had a smooth, sweet but savory taste that one can only understand after having ridiculously fresh fish. The sauce was smooth and tasted strongly of smoked salmon. My only critique on this dish is that I would have liked to have had less sauce on the fish. The two flavors worked together nicely, so I wouldn't want to get rid of all of the sauce, but I would have liked to have had just a dot of it. That way, the salmon flavor would have enhanced the fish and allowed us to really taste the tuna.

Next on the menu was salt and pepper calamari with a fresh tomato and kaffir lime leaf cocktail sauce. My only complaint was that this was on the menu. I do like calamari, but it didn't exactly fit in with the whole feel of the meal. Fresh grilled squid would have fit in fine, but unfortunately, fried calamari was a request by our guest of honor. Needless to say, Scott was up to the challenge of cooking Kranzthor's favorite food. The calamari was lightly dusted in flour and nicely seasoned with salt and pepper. The tomato cocktail sauce had a great kick to it and a really unique flavor from the kaffir lime leaves.

Our third course was one of my favorites: a roasted heirloom tomato tart with caramelized onions, garlic confit, and basil sauce. The tart was very buttery and flaky, one of my favorite textures. Scott said he had been roasting the tomatoes all day, and it showed. They were rich, garlicky, and delicious. Patton doesn't even like onions, but I noticed that she scarfed down her tart just like the rest of us!

My favorite course, however, was the main course--the duck. I've said many times how the only duck I will eat is the Chinese-style roast duck. On Thursday night I added a second duck to my list. The duck breast was seared and served on a bed of baby carrots, artichokes, and green beans with a port and dried cherry mustardo.

Since the duck breast was seared, it stayed very moist. The meat was tender and the skin kept crunchy with just the right amount of fat on it. I thought that the vegetables that Scott chose to prepare it with were also cooked perfectly, and I liked the selection. In many restaurants, I have seen duck served on a bed of spinach, which completely ruins the flavor of the duck and makes the skin soggy.

In this case, the vegetables were lightly cooked, still crunchy, and very colorful. The thing that pulled everything together was the sauce. At first it tasted a lot like hoisin (Chinese plum sauce) sauce, which I have always loved on duck. But then, after another bite, I tasted the tartness of the dried cherries, which just added even more to the flavor. I liked the sauce so much that I even took my vegetables and started dipping them into it.

Our last course was dessert, which was a nilla wafer bread pudding with root beer syrup (homemade!) and homemade vanilla ice cream. This, as with all of the other courses, was delicious. I usually don't even like bread pudding, but this was great! As I shoveled mine into my mouth at record pace I began to get a little embarrassed until I looked around and noticed that everyone else was doing the same thing.

Now here comes the fun part. You can get Scott to cater for you, too! He's the self-proclaimed cheapest caterer/chef in the Bay Area (I can attest to that), who cares more about the integrity of the food and honing his skills than taking your money.

Scott is great at discussing menus and figuring out what works for his client (i.e., "I don't want to spend a lot of money but I want gourmet food." --me). He can be reached via email: mrspencer@gmail.com, but it's probably easier just to call him at (510) 301-2130.

Out the Door, San Francisco (Westfield Mall)

Yes, AP, I finally went. And they were OUT OF THE GREEN PAPAYA SALAD!

Disappointed, I began frantically looking at the menu trying to figure out what to order. My waiter suggested that I try the steak salad; it's his favorite on the menu. Clueless as to anything else on it, I trusted him and ordered an iced tea as well.

Fortunately, the waiter didn't lie. AP, if you get the chance and the green papaya salad is sold out, try the steak salad. It's delicious.

The base of the salad ($13) is a bed of mixed greens covered in a slightly spicy dressing that tastes of ginger and jalapenos. The lettuce is surrounded by sweet orange slices, and the salad is topped with fried taro slivers and thinly cut, rare steak.

While I thought that the dressing was a bit heavy on the salad (as in there was too much), everything else, including the actual flavor of the dressing, was perfect. The steak was tender and just melted in my mouth. It had been seared with some type of sugar on it because the outer crust tasted a bit sweet. The inside, which was still nice and rare, was juicy and tender.

I also loved how the taro chips stayed crispy the entire time it took me to eat the salad. While the slivers were deep fried, they managed not to get soggy or taste greasy.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about my meal at Out the Door. It was a nice escape from the mall, where I was able to be waited on, not rushed out of my seat, and relax after school and shopping.

There are two Out the Doors in addition to the Slanted Door restaurant. The one I went to is in the food court at the Westfield Mall, on the new side. They don't have a website, so I'll link to Yelp!: http://www.yelp.com/biz/fcy_cuoUXrXdcWgQvY4jaw#hrid:WDtWwI6Q58Lhpp28Tm7qFw/query:out%20the%20door

Mangia Mangia, Albany

Have you ever had one of those days where you are craving pasta but don't feel like cooking it? I know, it's the easiest thing in the world to make but for some reason I just wanted to relax, sit down, and have a gigantic bowl of pasta made for me.

After a long day at school on Tuesday, I decided to go check out Mangia Mangia on San Pablo at Solano. I used to drive by it everyday on my way home from work and had always been curious. In an angry mood from rude, line-cutting commuters, I walked into the nearly empty restaurant. I was greeted by two very friendly waiters and led to a seat facing the door so that I could people watch.

As I sat down, I was brought ice water, a basket of bread, and two different dipping sauces. The first was a tart marinara-like sauce which was okay. The other was a mix of fresh minced garlic, salt, and dried red Italian pepper. By itself on the bread it was very strong, but I soon caught on that the olive oil on the table was there for a reason. Mixed with the good quality olive oil, the garlic mixture took on an entirely new flavor and texture; this time it was a bit softer, lighter, but still had great flavor and heat.

I first ordered a mixed green salad with gorgonzola, pear, and walnuts ($8). It's a somewhat tired salad on most menus, but I still order it frequently, and this was the best version I've ever had. The baby greens (mostly peppery arugula) truly were baby greens--sweet, crunchy, and so small that I didn't even have to use my knife. The pears were soft with just enough crunch and extremely sweet.

One problem that I often have with these salads is that the walnuts are overly sweet and they overpower all of the other ingredients. These walnuts were still sweet, but they weren't caked in sugar and had a very good, natural, but crispy texture to them. I also liked that the chef crumbled up the gorgonzola into smaller pieces and didn't overwhelm the salad with too much of it. Finally, the dressing is very light, and doesn't smother the greens. Instead, it just allows the ingredients to work together and make a great, tasty salad.

Next, I had linguini with seafood in a white wine cream sauce ($13). Unfortunately, even though I came for the pasta, I wasn't thrilled with it. While the pasta itself was cooked nicely, the sauce wasn't very good. It was supposed to be a white wine cream sauce, but the proportions seemed to be a bit off. Wine or cream sauces need to either have a majority of cream or a majority of wine in the sauce. This was about fifty fifty, which led to a watery cream flavored sauce.

On the good side, the seafood was cooked well. I was given a variety of shrimp, scallops, salmon, and mussles. All of it was perfectly cooked, but the salmon flavor took over everything else. Plus, they put some fresh veggies on top which actually made it worse! The problem wasn't with the fresh red and yellow peppers, but with the fact that they put shredded carrot on top. The carrot and the salmon ruined what already was a not very good sauce.

Saddened, I picked out the noodles and seafood and ate them individually. When I was about halfway finished with my meal, the waiter came up and asked if I would be interested in having their famous chocolate souffle. Since they make it to order (and it's entirely worth it, said my waiter), the souffle should be ordered about 15 minutes prior to the end of a meal. I gave in, and it was worth it.

The souffle ($8) comes to the table in a little ramekin on a plate, drizzled with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It is delicious. Please ignore my review of the pasta, and just go to get the souffle (and the salad if you are feeling healthy). It will be worth it for you, too.

The chocolate flavor isn't too sweet or too rich so as to make the souffle impossible to eat. Instead, it is just perfect. It has about five different textures to it as well. On top, it has a little bit of crunch where the cake has had a chance to harden a bit. In the middle, there is molten chocolate which I kept burning my tongue on because I wanted to eat it fast. Just outside of the liquid center is gooey, sticky batter. Lastly, on the outermost section on the bottom is spongy, light, chocolate cake. Seriously, get the souffle.

Mangia Mangia is located at 755 San Pablo Avenue in Albany. They take reservations at (510) 526-9700.

Their website isn't working, but to see a photo of the souffle and read reviews that aren't nearly as well written as mine, see Yelp!: http://www.yelp.com/biz/mmU8dN3D6TWCesGPdxC1gg#hrid:B0opWjwtw-nbOJvhxUK_1g/query:mangia

Noodle Theory, Oakland

Noodle Theory is a relatively new place on College Avenue that my dad (who is THE best dad ever and just brought his ailing daughter--me--soup!) pointed out to me one day. Being the food critic that I am, he asked if I had been there. Of course the answer was "no," but it did peak my interest. So, the other night I was out with two rather adventurous, food-snob buddies of mine (Margaret and Misha), and we had no idea what to eat. As we drove by, I suggested we at least take a look at the menu.

The menu for Noodle Theory is probably what a food critic would call "Asian Fusion." There seems to be an emphasis on using Japanese style noodles with Chinese flavors. In typical Berkeley fashion all of the meat seems to be organically and sustainably raised, which is something we don't see in Chinatown every day. Everything is under $10, which is fair for the noodle dishes, but a bit over-priced for the appetizers, which ranged from about $6 to $8 for only six dumplings.

It's a pretty small restaurant, with only about six tables, and an open kitchen. We were seated right away, which seemed to be lucky because about halfway through our meal there was a crowd hanging out at the door.

The waitstaff was casual but very friendly, and immediately brought us a small appetizer of edamame with oyster sauce-like stuff drizzled on top. Since Margaret was there, we had no choice but to order potstickers. Misha doesn't eat pork, so we went with the steamed shrimp and Chinese chive dumplings with Chinese black vinegar ($8.50).

The dumplings were good, but a bit too heavy on the chives instead of shrimp. It was actually very similar to that one dim sum dish with the onions and garlic inside a translucent noodle. Good, but not my favorite, especially since I know I can get basically the same thing only bigger and for a quarter of the price.

As for our entrees, Misha ordered the grilled salmon over mixed greens with thin soft wheat noodles in a wasabi miso vinaigrette. I was in food critic mode that night so I actually tried it, and quite enjoyed the dish. Everything melded together really nicely and the fish was perfectly cooked. Misha seemed to suffer a bit from entree envy later on, though, so I'd recommend getting it as an appetizer.

I ordered spicy braised pork belly over ramen noodles ($8). Since coming back from Japan I have found the coveted eringii mushrooms (available in the mushroom aisle at Berkeley Bowl), but have yet to find a good bowl of Japanese-style noodles. Unfortunately, this was still not the place, but they made the best effort that I've tried so far. The broth was relatively spicy and had lots of flavor, and the pork was cooked nicely and not dried out.

The reason I want to go back to Noodle Theory is because of Margaret's dish. Though it was on the specials list, I am under the impression that it's served rather frequently. She got duck breast over flat rice noodles (fun noodles) with a yellow coconut curry sauce ($9.50). The duck was cooked just like Chinese duck, so it had a nice crispy skin and a good amount of fat on it.

Duck aside, it was the sauce that stood out--it was amazingly flavorful, enough so that I wanted to trade with Margaret (hence, I suffered from entree envy as well). It was a lot similar to the curry sauce that we get at Pho84 with the fried snapper.

My only complaint was that the noodles weren't cooked quite right. In Chinatown, they seem to have mastered the ability to cook fun noodles without making too many of the noodles stick together. I'd imagine that this feat involves using quite a bit of grease, which these noodles didn't have, so it was probably for the best.

As we were finishing up our meals, our server began to take away our dishes as we finished them. Originally when I came into the restaurant I just thought that there were a lot of couples going out to eat where only one of them was hungry. No, it turns out that while the waitstaff is very friendly and quick, they happen to practice one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to service: taking away plates from diners before they the rest of their party is finished. That aside, I had a very nice experience at Noodle Theory, and I am eventually planning on going again, just to get the duck.

Noodle Theory is located on the corner of College and Claremont, at 6099 Claremont Avenue, in Oakland. They are open every day except Tuesday, for both lunch and dinner.

Lunch hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., except on Sunday when they are 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

To order out, call (510) 595-6988.

Chow, San Francisco

For those of you who don't know the reason I was so MIA last week, it was because I was attending an HIV Counselor Training Course in San Francisco. Not knowing the area, I was at the mercy of my training group during lunch when it came to finding a good restaurant. Fortunately, most of them knew the area pretty well and suggested that we eat at Chow.

Chow has a pretty eclectic menu that includes linguini with pesto, fennel and sausage pizza, hamburgers, salads, and ribs. My eyes, as well as three others' were immediately drawn to the daily sandwich: Crispy Soft Shell Crab. For only $9.95, I got an entire soft shell crab, battered in cornmeal, fried, and put on a buttered roll. Not exactly the healthiest lunch, but it was delicious.

The sandwich was garnished with tomato, lettuce, avocado, and lemon-herb mayo. I was given a choice of fries, salad, or soup. Supposedly the fries are amazing, but since I was at a health-related function, I optioned for a side salad.

My sandwich was very tasty, but I would probably get it without the avocado and mayo next time. The roll is heavily buttered, and in addition to the mayo, it takes too much away from the soft shell crab. However, overall it was a very tasty and affordable sandwich.

In addition to the food, the atmosphere is really laid back and the servers are friendly. If you are ever in the Castro, I'd definitely recommend this place as a fun, affordable, and good place to eat!

Chow is located at 215 Church Street at Market.

Zatar, Berkeley

Apologies, living without an income is harder than I thought--I think my mother's influence is forcing me to not eat out as much as I can afford to. Fortunately, Margaret realized last week that she owed me money, and what better way to repay me than taking me out to her favorite Mediterranean restaurant?

Zatar is a very very small family-owned restaurant in Berkeley. When I say family, I'm not kidding, someone even had their baby sitting in the kitchen while they cooked. Despite occasional crying from the back of the restaurant, it was still a very enjoyable meal.

They focus on providing fresh, authentic, organic food with sustainably raised meat and vegetables. There are rumors that all of their vegetables are grown in the family's garden ("or just a really high quality purveyor and they let the rumors run wild" --Margaret). Zatar is continually busy as they are only open Wednesday through Saturday.

Since we got there right at 5:30, there wasn't a wait, but by the time we finished our meal, there was a rather large group waiting outside. Margaret said that they only take reservations for parties of six or more, so our strategy was to just show up early. Plus we were hungry.

One nice thing about showing up early was that we were able to get one of the best tables in the entire restaurant. In the front, there are two tiny booths that only fit two people. They are well cushioned with pillows everywhere. Also, since the restaurant is family-owned and family-run, the service seemed like it could be a bit slow when it gets busy. I never saw more than two waitresses the entire night, so just for the purpose of getting good service, I'd recommend showing up as early as possible.

Every meal starts out with their signature dish, which is also called "Zatar." We were served a basket of warm whole wheat pita bread along with a plate with a pinch of herbs in the middle of it. After putting it on our table, the waitress poured olive oil over the herbs and explained that we were to use it as a dip. The pita was great, the seasoning mild but it definitely got my appetite going.

Margaret ordered a mint lemonade to start, which was absolutely delicious. As I sit here writing this, I am reminded of how much I regret not getting one. It was icy, refreshing, and not too sweet. We also split a calamari appetizer.

For the first time in a long time, we ordered calamari and it was not battered and fried! A miracle! Fresh squid was served on top of a bed of peppery arugula with huge white beans, and drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing.

Next came our entree. Originally we were drooling over all of the meat dishes and eventually decided to try everything by getting the "Kebab Feast for Two." We were served a huge dish of rice that had a slight lavender flavor to it. On top of that was an array of grilled vegetables, including cauliflower, squash, green beans, and carrots. Surrounding the rice were hunks of grilled chicken, steak, and lamb patties. There was a yogurt-dill sauce on the side for dipping.

My favorite meat was probably the lamb patties, although every single piece of meat that I ate was perfectly cut. The lamb was ground up, and then put into a patty with fennel seeds, which really enhanced the flavor. I liked that they used ground meat as well because it made the meat leaner without losing much flavor. Even the chicken, which has a tendency to dry out, was beautifully cooked and still moist.

Next was Margaret's favorite part of the meal. Unfortunately they were out of creme fraiche gelato that night, so we had to change our choices ("You're on your own for this one, I'm getting an entire dessert to myself." --Margaret).

I ended up going with a date and toasted walnut ice cream. Unfortunately, the ice cream was already really sweet, so the added sugar from the date made it overpoweringly so. Margaret fared much, much better. She had an apricot tart made from phyllo dough with mascarpone cheese on the bottom. As scared as I was to try the cheese, it was delicious.

To top things off, we had hot water infused with mint and lemon. It wasn't too sweet or overpowering, so it was a nice way to finish off our meal.

I learned a few things at Zatar: 1) Chicken breast does not always have to be dry; 2) I have the capability of liking cheese in a dessert, but no that does not mean I'm going to try cheesecake anytime soon; 3) It's a great idea to have Margaret owe you money--she pays back in the most wondrous ways.

Zatar is located on the northwest corner of University and Shattuck (1981 Shattuck). To make a reservation for a party of 6 or more, call (510) 841-1981. They also have a website: http://www.zatarrestaurant.com.

The restaurant is open for lunch from Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and for dinner from Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Please help the WCC!!!

I normally don't do this, and I'm sure that PAP smears are the last thing you want to think about when looking at a food blog. However, desperate times call for desperate measures.

At one point in my life I was a huge advocate for Gavin Newsom. Mostly because he is hot but also because he spoke at the UCSF Young Women's Health Conference and consistently donated money to the Women's Community Clinic. Unfortunately, his hotness does not trump the fact that he cut the Women's Community Clinic out of his budget this year!

In one fell swoop, the clinic that I volunteer at, the WCC, lost 20% of its funding. We are all actively writing and emailing the San Francisco Budget Committee members.

Before I go into how I would LOVE you all to help, let me tell you a bit about the clinic that Mayor Newsom so heartlessly cut the funding for.

The Women's Community Clinic, known well in my family for creating the uterus sweatshirt that I wear everyday, is a FREE reproductive health clinic in San Francisco that provides personal, client-centered, informative care to all uninsured women who walk through our door (or younger women who do not want to go through their insurance for confidentiality reasons).

Not only is everyone at the WCC committed to providing exceptional care to our patients, they also put an extraordinary amount of effort into the training of their volunteers. I, as a volunteer at the clinic, have undergone over 40 hours of reproductive health training, which allows me to do client intake, teach women about birth control options, and provide information regarding sexually transmitted infections. Soon, they will be paying for me to go to a week long training in San Francisco that will get me state certified to counsel for and administer HIV tests.

During my training with the WCC, I learned a lot about meeting clients "where they are at" and about providing information to clients in a non-judgmental way. Our passion for our clients' health even seems to rub off on them, just take a look at our Yelp! page:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/CojgU6g_ApTlfgPmkwWmqw

We also have a website:

http://www.womenscommunityclinic.org/

Now, on to what you can do to help:

If you live in San Francisco, find out who your supervisor is by visiting http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4385 or Google: San Francisco Board of Supervisors District Information. Then, please write them a letter and send it via snail mail AND email. Please see below for a sample letter.

Even if you don't live in San Francisco (I don't but I'm writing anyway!), please write a letter and send it via snail mail AND email, to Supervisors Chris Daly, Tom Ammiano, Bevan Dufty, Ross Mirkarimi, and Sean Elsbernd. These supervisors are all members of the Budget Committee. If you write to Ross, please start by thanking him for all of his support of the Women’s Community Clinic.

And now, a sample letter. Please feel free to just copy this, or add whatever you like. When sending emails, please copy all emails to our Clinic Director, Carlina Hansen, at carlina@womenscommunityclinic.org. If you need stamps, please contact me and I will gladly set you up with a set of envelopes and stamps:

[Date]
[Supervisor Name]
1 Carlton B Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Supervisor,

I am writing to urge you to restore funding to the Women’s Community Clinic in the amount of $202,785. I am a (supporter, patient, volunteer, board member, staff person) at the Women’s Community Clinic. This funding was approved by the Health Commission to be awarded every year for 4.5 years starting in 2006. Despite this approval, this funding has been cut after one year. [Information about your relationship to the Clinic here and why the City should support us]. The loss of these funds will seriously endanger the 4709 health care visits we provide with this funding to women who would otherwise lack access to care.

The Clinic is providing a vital service to the community by providing free health care services to approximately 2000 women per year and harm reduction based street outreach services to approximately 500 women each year. The Women’s Community Clinic has provided these services to the community since 1999. Each year the Clinic has grown in the number of women they see and in the services that they offer. The Clinic serves women who lack health insurance, 60% of whom fall below 100% of the federal poverty level and the remainder of whom fall below 200% of federal poverty level. The majority of these women fall between the ages 20-35 and their only access point for health care is the care they receive for their sexual and reproductive health needs. The Clinic provides 5000 appointments per year to 2000 women – for many of our clients, the Clinic is their primary care provider. The Clinic is a vital access point for these women to receive much needed care – care that would otherwise be deferred and fall on the City to provide. In many cases, the Clinic is saving women from costly visits to the SFGH emergency department.

The Clinic prides itself on its resourcefulness and peer based, client centered model of care. It relies on over 100 volunteers to provide health care services. Volunteers come from all over the community and are health care providers; RNs, NPs, MDs and acupuncturists in addition to lay volunteers who provide outreach services, health education and act as medical assistants and medical office administrators. They donate more than $300,000 in time each year! Clients consistently comment on how amazing these women are and over 97% of our clients rate their experience at the Clinic as “Excellent” or “Very Good.”

While the Women’s Community Clinic has been successful in fundraising from private sources and leveraging volunteer support, they would NOT be able to do what they do without the support of the City. They receive NO other City funding; the City should support agencies that are efficiently run and who can maximize the return on the City’s investment. They rely heavily on these funds to provide direct health care services to women. I urge you to support this funding being added back to the City’s budget. This is a time that the City is sending a clear statement to the public that health care for the uninsured and underinsured is a priority, it is NOT the time to de-stabilize our provider network. I urge you to continue to manifest this commitment and to support the Women’s Community Clinic in its provision of health care services to women in need.

Sincerely,

[Your Name and affiliation, if appropriate]

Cocina Poblana, Emeryville

Cocina Poblana is a relatively new restaurant in Emeryville, on the corner of 65th and Hollis. I had passed it a bunch of times while driving from Nolo to the Women's Community Clinic. When they started advertising a happy hour, my friends Anna, Heather, and I decided we'd continue on with my unemployment celebration.

We were seated almost immediately, but it took about fifteen minutes for us to be able to order our food. To add to the wait, the hostess was unable to tell us anything about the drink selection, and when my margarita came it had a hair in it!

When we finally were able to order, Heather got the Ensalada Poblana ($7), with Romaine lettuce, a full serving of grilled chicken, avocado, Mexican cheese and black beans. Not the most exciting order ever, but Heather seemed to really like it. Plus, the portion was huge. I wasn't totally in wannabe food critic mode, so no, I did not try it. Sorry.

I ordered two appetizers, the ceviche ($8) and taquitos poblanos with beef ($6). The ceviche was made with shrimp, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and cilantro. This wasn't my favorite dish because it lacked a ton of flavor. Plus, the veggies were kind of overwhelming; when I get ceviche I want there to be a ton of seafood in it.

The taquitos, however, were out of this world. I ordered them "crispy with beef" and got three mini corn tortillas filled with stewed beef, Mexican cheese, cabbage, and salsa. The beef practically melted in my mouth and had amazing flavor. While not enough food for an entire meal, I was totally full after eating about half of the ceviche and my taquitos.

Anna also had trouble finishing her food--she got a gigantic serving of steak fajitas ($12); enough for two meals. The steak was seasoned with garlic, and garnished with all of the regular fajita fixings.

All in all, I want to go back to this place just to have that stewed beef again. The service and the ceviche leave something to be desired, but the prices and the food, overall, were great. Cocina Poblana has only been open for about a year, so I want to give them the benefit of a doubt.

Do give it a try and let me know what you think!

Cocina Poblana is conveniently located at 1320 65th Street in Emeryville. They even have breakfast, and are open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and until 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Happy hour is from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

They also have a website: http://www.cocinapoblana.com/.

Cafe Gratitude, Berkeley

Guest Wannabe Food Critic (I actually conned her into writing this): Zoey! Zoey is my younger sister who is currently a student at Cal. I think she's becoming a better writer than I am.

“We invite you to step inside and enjoy being someone who chooses: loving your life, adoring yourself, accepting the world, being generous and grateful everyday, and experiencing being provided for. Have fun and enjoy being nourished. Welcome to Café Gratitude.”

In commemoration of my friend Theo’s 20th birthday, a group of us shared a table at Café Gratitude in Berkeley for a “celebration of aliveness.” The restaurant boasts organic ingredients that “honor the earth and ourselves” and food that “is prepared with love.” When invited, I had no idea what kind of restaurant it was. Running late, with double chocolate cake in hand (from Virginia Bakery), I bolted through the door to find a half-dressed pregnant woman swinging her blonde dreadlocks to the music, the overwhelming scent of wheatgrass being grinded, and Theo adorned with all his friends sitting around a shared table.

Café Gratitude is a vegetarian restaurant that specializes in organic, vegan (no animal products – this includes eggs and milk), and live foods (food, drinks, and supplements that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit). However, the young coconut is not always organic; you must ask – how dare they? The soups are served warm, the pizza not baked, and the coffee cold pressed.

They encourage you to share tables and to read through their very extensive menu. Everything is labeled with a clever and yet embarrassing titles of gratitude: “I am Heroic” gets you a quinoa salad tossed with parsley, mint, and cucumbers served with a lemon dressing ($8). “I am Fabulous” is a faux pad thai made of kale noodles (thinly sliced raw kale), cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, teriyaki almonds, and almond butter thai sauce ($12). “I am Rich” provides you with a mixture of orange, carrot, beet, and lemon juice ($7).

To order, the server asked me a pleasant “how are you feeling today?” to which I responded an embarrassing “I am sensational and beautiful.” For those of you who have not memorized the entire six page menu, I ordered a live pesto pizza ($10) with fresh basil hemp seed pesto sauce and olive tapenade served on a buckwheat and sunflower seed flatbread (raw toast) sprinkled with cashew ricotta and brazil nut parmesan (grated nuts). I also had a creamsicle milkshake ($7.50) with orange juice and vanilla soft serve (made of organic nut milk, dates, and vanilla bean).

The food took an incredible amount of time to prepare considering there was no cooking, baking, or steaming involved. When my server returned she looked at me and announced in an overly enthusiastic voice, “you are sensational and beautiful!” and set down my pizza and milkshake in front of me. The pizza resembled two slices of hearty bread sprinkled with chopped tomatoes, sprouts, and grated nuts. The mixes of “cheeses” and bitter sprouts combined with stiff bread made it incredibly hard for me to enjoy ingredients that I usually find so decent on their own--cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and brazil nuts. It was hard to chew and even harder to swallow. The milkshake seemed to be a refreshing break from my jaw workout of a pizza, but I was left with an uncomfortable, unpleasant nutty and gritty aftertaste.

In honor of Theo’s birthday the host, servers, and “cooks” sang an enthusiastic “happy birthday” – taken from the Beatles’s rendition – and presented him with a free slice of raw cake. Although we had prepared to eat the chocolate cake from Virginia Bakery, it was cooked and therefore not kosher to eat on Café Gratitude’s untarnished plates and flatware. Sad.
After wiping my mouth on my 100% recycled hemp napkin I left Café Gratitude having survived my dining experience somewhat unscathed. I felt ripped off having spent $17.50 for an uncooked meal that resembled rabbit food and left me with my stomach grumbling, but happy with myself for being able to plug my nose and down my entire smoothie.

If I am to recommend something, maybe a salad is a safe bet. Although I entered the restaurant with “I am Sensational” and “I am Beautiful,” I left with the following feelings:

I am not satisfied.
I am not fulfilled.
I am not celebrating.
I am not as “Berkeley” as I thought.
But, I am beautiful.

Café Gratitude is located at 1730 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley (one block from the not so certified organic Virginia Bakery). It is open 10 AM to 10 PM everyday.

Fonda, Berkeley

Back by popular demand (yes, that means you, Andy McClary and Enghin Atalay!). Oh yeah, I'm also unemployed (by choice) for the next 3 months, have a ton of money saved up (thank you Aaron), and Margaret is coming back into town--which means that there are many more food reviews to come.

To celebrate my last day of work, I went out with my friend Heather (also a former Noloid). We had no idea where to eat but we wanted to feel somewhat healthy. Though not the healthiest choice in the world, I do feel better about myself when I eat small plates as opposed to a big honking hamburger; hence, we chose Fonda.

Fonda is a restaurant owned by the same group that runs Jimmy Beans (no! don't do it!), Sea Salt, Lalime's, and T-Rex. It's a "Berkeley Upscale" restaurant with a full bar that serves tapas, or small plates. I had eaten at Fonda once before when I started at Nolo and I was really impressed with their drinks and seafood. So, amping up for a new month of reviews, we headed in.

We started out with some chips, salsa, and guacamole ($6). It's simple, but the salsa is very good and the guacamole looked and tasted very fresh. The chips are even cooked up in the restaurant, and came to the table hot, crispy and salty. They make the chips out of thick corn tortillas so they have a really satisfying crunch.

To accompany our appetizers, we each got Mojitos ($9)--Heather got a ginger Mojito and mine was classic. Fonda was actually written up in the Chronicle for their cocktails, and for once I'm not arguing with them on an opinion. My Mojito was perfectly mixed, not too strong, and had a ton of fresh mint.

Next we ordered a salad, trying to be somewhat healthy. The salad was basically a Latinized Caesar, with crisp romaine, crunchy asparagus and Manchego cheese with a garlic lemon dressing ($7). It was very tasty and rather filling despite the dressing being light and citrus-based (no creamy dressing here!).

We had trouble deciding between the two seafood dishes ($13). On the lunch menu, there is a tuna tartare with avocado, or a halibut dish. Since the tuna tartare is a staple on both the menu at Fonda and at Sea Salt, we decided to go with the halibut, which is more seasonal. The halibut is served cooked with corn tortillas and grilled green onion so that we were able to make little tacos out of it. The fish looked like it would be too heavily spiced, because it was a really dark red, but it turned out to be spiced perfectly. There was a really hot salsa on the side that was too much for Heather, but I thought it added a lot to the taco.

My biggest pet peeve with fish is that it is often overcooked. Believe me, I know overcooked (boyfriend Andy!). This halibut was cooked wonderfully and flaked apart in my mouth. Because the onion was grilled, it also lent a really smokey flavor to everything.

The last dish that we ordered was the Torta Alambre ($12). My Spanish being incredibly weak I completely flubbed and didn't realize that this was a sandwich, but it ended up being pretty good. Inside a toasted and pressed roll, they had grilled skirt steak with bacon, black beans, rajas, and cheese. For tapas, it was huge, and served with more chips.

While it was good, I would say that it was my least favorite out of all the things we ordered. The steak could have been a bit more rare and sliced into smaller pieces. There could have also been a little more bacon in the sandwich. It wasn't a bad course, I just think it sounded better on the menu than it actually tasted.

Very very full at this point, Heather and I took a dive and decided to order dessert as well. I ordered the sliced mango with lime ($6) and Heather ordered the tamarind creme brulee ($7). I'm usually very nervous about ordering fruit at upscale restaurants because I pretty much know that I'm going to get ripped off. However, yesterday it was hot outside and I had already drank two Mojitos, so I was game for anything. Fortunately, they did anything but rip me off with the mango. We received an entire pint glass that was overfilled with juicy, sweet strips of mango with a hint of lime. Considering how expensive mangoes were the other day when I went to the grocery store, I'd say we got our money's worth. There were at least two to three mangoes stuffed into the glass.

The creme brulee was also great. It had a really nice orange rind flavor to it and a beautiful, thick sugar crust on top. The custard inside was not overly sweet which is a common issue with creme brulee. It was served with pie-crust cookies.

Heather and I both had to roll out of our booth because we were so full. The grand total was $90. Keeping in mind that $40 of that was for drinks, I think that we got a great value for our lunch. Plus, I didn't need to eat dinner after such a huge meal.

I'd definitely recommend this place for a good night out. The atmosphere is really nice, the service is relaxed and the food is tasty.

If you want to try Fonda, they are located at 1501 Solano Avenue in Albany. For reservations, call (510) 559-9006. They also have a website: www.fondasolana.com.

O Chame, Berkeley

There was a long wait at Bette's and my friend Rachel and I were anxious to try something new. Feeling like traitors, we walked across the street from our weekly brunch spot and looked at the menu for O Chame. O Chame is consistently ranked in the Chronicle's Top 100 list, and everyone online seems to rave about their udon noodle soup. I should have known better than to trust the Yelpers, but I figured that of all people, Michael Bauer had to have decent taste when it came to restaurants.

The restaurant is very cute. They use very unique, thick, beautiful pottery for every dish. Everything is very well thought out when it comes to aesthetics. Rachel and I decided to go big and have a tuna sashimi appetizer. For the main course, she went with udon noodles with shrimp, seaweed and sprouts, and I ordered soba with pork tenderloin, radishes and spinach (I'm not a big udon fan, I prefer soba. Good soba. Katsumi said it's an Asian thing.)

The tuna appetizer was not only presented well, but tasted amazing. The tuna was actually lightly seared and cut into thin, but not too thin, bite size pieces. It was served on a bed of braised leeks with a horseradish/mayo sauce. I loved this dish. The tuna was so soft it almost melted in my mouth. It was obvious that the chef knew how to properly cut fish. Often in the U.S. when I go out for sashimi, the pieces are so big that I have to bite them in half, and then sometimes the fish isn't cut properly/isn't totally fresh so it's more chewy than it should be. This fish was not only fresh but it was cut perfectly.

I think I would have enjoyed that dish even more if it had a bit less of the horseradish sauce. While I really enjoyed it, it overwhelmed the fish and made me concentrate solely on the burning sensation in my nose. Still, this is definitely a recommended dish. The main courses, however...

Let me tell you about the soba and udon that I had in Japan. I had it served two different ways. At the upscale restaurant that we went to with Katsumi, I had cold soba noodles, where the soba (made fresh at the restaurant, daily) was lightly cooked, then drained on a basket, served cold with a bowl of salty, hot, highly seasoned soup. The noodles, which still have a bite to them since they haven't been sitting all day in soup, get dunked into the soup one bite at a time. Same with the udon--the noodles might be thick and almost work like but even they have a tiny firmness to the middle of them.

In Japan I tried hot soba. At the airport. For about ten U.S. dollars, including tempura, rice, tea, radishes, and soup side dishes, I got hot soba noodles in soup. They weren't bad. They weren't mushy but they didn't have much bite to them, and the flavor of the noodle wasn't as distinct as it was at the upscale place. Not bad, but considering I got tempura and rice along with everything else, I wasn't going to complain. Besides, it was better than anything we'd get at a U.S. airport.

Flash forward to O Chame. My soba came hot. It was beautifully presented, with the bright green spinach all on one side, the perfect round slices of pork tenderloin in the middle and radiant yellow radishes on the other side. Rachel's was also gorgeous. The noodles looked more like linguini noodles, but they were all nestled in the bottom, covered with pink shrimps floating on top, surrounded by dark green seaweed.

Now keep in mind that my expectations were already kind of low, considering the waitress said that they don't even make their noodles fresh at the restaurant (what restaurant, known for noodles, doesn't make them??), but both of us were extremely disappointed in our dishes.

First of all, my noodles were practically soggy, as if they had been sitting in the soup for fifteen minutes. Either that, or maybe the noodles just weren't quite the proper consistency when they were made. Or, they may have been over boiled since they were most likely pre-made and dried instead of cooked fresh. Rachel said that her udon noodles were also soggy, and that she didn't like the texture. Though she hasn't gone to Japan before, the udon that she is accustomed to is what I know--fat. These linguini-like atrocities practically broke as she applied pressure on them with her chopsticks.

The accompanying veggies and meat in my soup didn't help either. The radishes weren't bad, but didn't do much for me in the flavor department. They were rather bland. The spinach was...boiled spinach. The pork tenderloin was edible but not the Japanese style that I was expecting.

Every time that I ordered pork in noodle soup at a Japanese restaurant, it would come in very thin, bite sized pieces, with a small section of fat on the end for flavor. It was grilled first, to get the juices flowing and then put on top of the soup.

Maybe it's the California influence, but this pork tenderloin had no fat on it, it was about a half inch thick, and needed to be eaten in about two bites. It also tasted like it had just been boiled instead of grilled, because it was pretty dry and didn't have any flavor. When I tried dunking it for long periods of time into the soup, it didn't really do anything since the soup was so delicate in flavor (but tasty-probably the best thing about the whole dish), and the meat was so thick that the soup couldn't permeate it to make it juicier.

This stupid noodle dish cost me $12 alone.

Everyone who recommends this place is crazy. Were you thinking about recommending this place to me? If so, you are crazy too. The noodles that they are known for aren't even fresh and they don't cook them well. If I had to go back, I wouldn't be upset about ordering from the appetizer section and maybe relaxing and admiring the pottery, but I would be upset if I had to foot the bill for anything on their soup list. Perhaps Bette's Diner was sending us bad traitor vibes from afar, but I'm skeptical.

Doubting me? Try it yourself. I'll be across the street enjoying my Maryland Breakfast with crispy potatoes, nicely seasoned corned beef and runny eggs:

O Chame is located in the 4th Street area, at 1830 4th Street in Berkeley, CA.
Phone reservations can be made by calling (510) 841-8783

The restaurant is open for lunch, Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

They also have a website: http://www.themenupage.com/ochame.html

Bucci's, Emeryville

One of the great things about working at Nolo is that they constantly feed us. Once a month, there is a randomly selected group called "The Lunch Bunch" that goes out to eat on Nolo's dollar. I was one of the lucky selectees this month. I voted that we go to Cafe Rouge or Eccolo, two restaurants that I have always wanted to try, but unfortunately was out-voted by the group. We went to Bucci's in Emeryville instead.

The place came highly recommended by everyone who was going, so I had some hope that it would be good. The decor was really nice, so that got my hopes even higher. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there.

First of all, they served us a plate of bread and olives, but didn't even give us bread plates. I wanted to eat the bread with what the Yelpers say is the best olive oil in town, but there was no way to really do so. Everyone at our table basically just stared at the bread until our food came. To add to the madness, the CEO of our company came. He's a really great guy and very laid-back, but the fact that he's the CEO made it kind of difficult, as we all had to play the food ordering game (figuring out how he's ordering so we can figure out how much we can all get).

The service was okay. They were good at remembering to refill my water glass, but our waitress was very short and abrupt, as if she just wanted to turn over the table. When David (the CEO) started going over a practice presentation, she kept staring at us as if we were over staying our welcome. As if? We were, I guess.

I took the queue from everyone else and just ordered a main course. The menu itself is really simple, and not in a good way. I was very unimpressed. They had basic Italian style food that you can get at any run of the mill restaurant (i.e. spaghetti with sausage, linguini with clams, etc.), but in tiny portions, for no less than $15 a plate. Supposedly they did fish well, so I ordered the Alaskan halibut with aioli.

The fish itself was okay, but everything else around it was a nightmare. The fish was put on a bed of sliced mushrooms, halved cherry tomatoes, spinach, and sliced red potatoes. The combination of all of them together was okay, but nothing new or exciting. Plus, the potatoes were raw! I ate all of them because I was starving and the servings were so small, but never have I been to an upscale restaurant where they didn't know how to cook a potato. Since they were sliced pretty thinly, I almost feel like they didn't cook them at all, because it doesn't take much to cook a potato slice that is only 1/4 inch thick. The aioli was also terrible--too thick and too much mayo. It also didn't have any flavor aside from the mayo. The great aiolis that I have had have some sort of flavor infused, such as lemon or garlic, but this had nothing to it.

I looked around at everyone else's food, and they ate everything on their plate, but no one was raving about how good it was, which usually happens at these things when no one knows what to say to one another. Two of the women in the group ordered the linguini with clams, and the linguini looked almost mushy it was so overcooked (it fell apart on their forks). Plus, it looked like it was cooked in a simple tomato sauce, so nothing too exciting. If they can't even cook pasta and potatoes properly, I don't even want to know what happens when they try to cook something unique.

Our waitress was also very good at snatching our plates away when we were finished, even interrupting one of our lunch bunch members as she was talking to see if she could take her plate. Needless to say, I would not recommend this place to anyone. I still love the company that I work for, but I would have been annoyed if I had had to pay for this meal. If you feel like defying my anti-recommendation, here is the information for Bucci's:

6121 Hollis Street, Emeryville 94608
(510) 547-4725

http://www.buccis.com

Bakesale Betty, Oakland

My mom always raves about this place's pies, but I never knew that they serve regular food, too! Paw Paw had cut out an article from the newspaper on Bakesale Betty the last time I was at her house, and it mentioned that they serve the best chicken pot pies and fried chicken sandwiches. I had to try it out.

As fate would have it, one of the girls I work with had to go pick up a friend who lived near Lake Merritt for lunch. So, we headed off to pick him up and they asked for a recommendation as to where to eat. Conveniently, her friend needed a ride to Berkeley, and Bakesale Betty was on the way there.

The place itself would be very hard to find if it weren't for the huge line of people outside during lunch time. Even the firefighters from next door were lined up, so we knew it must be good. There isn't even a sign on the door, and there is no menu--the only reason we knew we found the right place was that there was a piece of butcher paper taped to the wall that said "Fried Chicken Sandwich...Chicken Pot Pie...Egg Salad Sandwich."

Being the amateur food critic I am, I allowed everyone to get the same thing (a fried chicken sandwich) and didn't try anything else. A gigantic sandwich (packed with 3 huge pieces of fried chicken) and a water bottle cost $8.00. Sounds expensive, but I was full after only half of my sandwich, so split two ways, it is only a $4.00 lunch.

The sandwiches are made on soft, fresh rolls, piled high with a cabbage, fresh jalapeno, and vinegar slaw, along with three pieces of juicy, crispy, slightly spicy fried chicken. Leilani had a little bit of trouble with the jalapenos, but since they were fresh I didn't think that the spiciness was overpowering. In fact, it was just about perfect. My biggest problem was that the seating provided by Bakesale Betty is limited to stools and milk crates, so I had cabbage pieces and napkins flying everywhere.

Despite the huge line that consistently stood outside the cafe, the turnover is fast. We stood in line for about two minutes before we were helped, and the employees were very efficient. They even take credit cards!

Lunch was delicious (everyone complimented me on my recommendation even though I'd never eaten there before). I didn't get hungry until about 5:30 that evening, and the chicken was still crispy then, which is one of my tests for fried things. Still crispy and still delicious. I highly recommend trying their sandwiches! I promise next entry will not be something fried (I hope).

Bakesale Betty is located right on the corner of 51st and Telegraph. Parking may look daunting but actually isn't bad at all if you go around the corner.

5098 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA
(510) 985-1213

They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Alley Cafe, Pinole

"I told you." --Andy

Andy is the pickiest eater on the planet. This is his favorite breakfast place on earth. I hate to admit it, but I love The Alley too. This is the perfect place to go when you're in the mood for a no-nonsense, no frills greasy spoon breakfast. Don't expect any rosemary potatoes or eggs benedict here...They only accept cash and you will leave with arteries slightly more clogged than usual.

They serve hash browns, not home fries, and the toast comes pre-buttered. According to Andy these are the two signs of a great restaurant. While I'm not sure I agree with that, I do agree with paying $4.50 for two sunny side up eggs, four slices of sourdough toast, two entire hot links, and about five potatoes worth of hash browns.

The service here is very nice, sometimes slow when it's busy (there's usually only one waitress and one cook), and they are really big Giants fans. This is the only negative aspect of the place as far as I can tell. There is an old lady who comes in every day wearing an A's jacket, though, and they seem to treat her fine so I'm not too worried about it.

Living in El Cerrito, this place is close enough that it's not a bad trip. If you are in the area and in the mood for a classic greasy spoon diner with charm, check this place out! I try to go later in the morning on Saturdays because it can get packed early on and after church on Sundays. It's a balancing act because they close at 2pm, but if you can, give this place a shot.

The Alley Cafe is located at 2265 Pear Street in Pinole.

Louisiana Fried Chicken, El Cerrito

No, THIS is the place where you are supposed to get fried chicken. The service isn't anything to write home about (don't expect anyone to multi-task or work fast or be very friendly), but the chicken has always been consistently great!

The fried chicken has a great, thick, crunchy skin that actually isn't greasy; the meat itself is always hot and juicy, even the breast meat. Plus, it's spicy. The first time that Andy and I ate their chicken, we weren't prepared enough. It's a really slow spice that gradually gets hotter and hotter, but we couldn't stop eating the food to be bothered to notice that our mouths were slowly beginning to burn. Andy eventually had to run to the store and get us lemonade while I continued to pick up and eat every single crumb of the leftover fried bits.

We have always gotten the food to go. Normally, I would say that fried chicken to go is a bad idea, but this chicken is so crunchy that it doesn't get soggy, even after it's been in the refrigerator for 2 days (not that it makes it that long without being eaten). When we've ordered a family pack for $15 (I swear not for just the two of us...), we've gotten 8 pieces of chicken, 4 rolls, and one large side, so the food is also very affordable.

My favorite side by far is the greens. They too are spicy, and have slices of pork thrown in to help flavor them. I haven't been impressed by any of the other sides. Andy and I have tried the dirty rice (too dry), the rolls (taste store bought), and the cole slaw (actually pretty good, because I like mine with light mayo and theirs has hardly any). But, my recommendation would be to make some mashed potatoes and rolls at home and then get everything else from Louisiana Fried Chicken. Go here it's so good.

This restaurant is a chain, but I can only speak for the El Cerrito Plaza location. They have a website: http://www.louisianachickenbayarea.com.

They are located at the El Cerrito Plaza, if you are facing Albertson's, it is on your right in the corner. Their phone number is (510) 524-9633.

I have no idea what their hours, are, but I think they close kind of early (around 8). GO!

Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen, Berkeley

Just as I was getting ready to move out of Berkeley, Andy and I noticed advertisements for a New Orleans-style restaurant moving into that graveyard of a building on Shattuck that used to have Eddie Bauer and Gateway. I'm pretty skeptical of anything in that building, but I still looked at the menu online...They have beignets!! How could I resist?!

I've been to Angeline's twice now...The first time I went with my friend Nnekay before going to see Stranger than Fiction (very cute movie!). It was pretty empty when we arrived, since it was only about 5:00 p.m., but the wait staff was very friendly and accommodating. We chose to sit next to the window. Surprisingly, the interior of the restaurant was very cute, but elegant. Pay attention to the gigantic alligator/crocodile thing on the wall, it's made entirely of buttons.

Nnekay ended up ordering the BBQ shrimp and I ordered the jambalaya (both about $12.95). Both of our meals were really filling and incredibly tasty. The shrimp comes with a thick, sweet, brown "BBQ" sauce on it, which is delicious. It is served over rice with veggies on the side. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and was served with just the right amount of sauce. The waitress told us that it was originally just an appetizer but since the shrimp ended up being so popular, they decided to make an entree out of it. If you can, try this shrimp--I was skeptical at first but it really was delicious. My jambalaya was nice and spicy but there wasn't too much heat. It is packed with chicken and andouille sausage, so when I brought my leftovers home to Andy he was super happy and ate them all in one sitting. That's another great thing--the servings are huge! They don't look all that big, but because they are so dense and packed with flavor, I only ate about half of my jambalaya.

For dessert, we each got an order of beinets. They were listed at $3.50, so we figured that we should each get a serving and then sneak them into the theater. Fortunately and unfortunately, the servings are huge. We each got a box that had about six or seven nicely sized hot, non-greasy but fried goodness covered in pounds of powdered sugar. I'd like to say that we didn't eat all of our boxes because we were too full but neither of us could stop eating.

When I went with Andy, we were also going to see a movie, so we again went early. Since we got there around 4:45 p.m., we got the lunch menu. I found that the dinner was pretty affordable for what we got, but the lunch menu is a great deal. The only issue was that the jambalaya wasn't ready yet (jambalaya gets served after 5:30 p.m.). Andy was very sad, but decided to order the hamburger with a side of hushpuppies. The great deal was my oyster po'boy with a side of gumbo for only $11.

I got a full-size sandwich packed with fried oysters, lettuce, and tomatoes. The oysters were breaded with a little bit of cornmeal, which made them extra crispy on the outside, but really tender on the inside. The gumbo was also awesome. Unlike most gumbo that I've had in the past, which has usually been sitting around for a few hours, this tasted fresh. Nothing was overcooked, even the shrimp, which were tender and still juicy. The okra was also cooked just right so that it wasn't too slimy.

Andy was pleased with his hamburger and said for the first time ever that he was really pleased with my blind selection of a restaurant. I had never had hushpuppies before, but Andy said that they were a bit different from the ones he's used to--these had more flavor. They were served really hot with a crunchy outer texture, but the cornmeal on the inside was sweet and soft.

Too bad we didn't have time for dessert. The food was so good that we ate everything on our plates. Oh, and the movie we saw was decent too (The Departed).

Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen is located on Shattuck near Bancroft in Berkeley.
2261 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 548-6900

They are open Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday.
Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday,
and 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

They also have a website: http://angelineskitchen.com/

Japan, Day 13

Friday, November 24,2006

On our last morning we decided to have breakfast at our hotel again. I think the people at the hotel kept laughing at us because it was so hard for us to figure out how to eat at the tables. Plus, we didn't know what to do with half the stuff. But, they were nice enough to take a picture of us. We had the entire room all to ourselves!

Here's the entire meal. We were served rice, soup, noodle soup, dried fish, seaweed, eggs with ham, pickles, salad, and agedashi tofu. And they say the Japanese don't eat a lot.

And that was our trip! Hope you enjoyed reading about it and seeing our pictures!

Japan, Day 12 (Part II)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

So I thought that the Buddha in Kamakura was big but I was wrong. After leaving Himeji castle, we rushed back onto the train and headed over to Nara, which is the home of Todai-ji, home of I believe the largest Buddha in all of Japan. The building itself measures 188 feet on the front and rear, 166 feet on the sidewalls, and 157 feet top to bottom.

As we walked (and sort of ran), we passed a ton of deer. So many that it was actually kind of scary because you don't want them to get too close to you but it's hard to pay attention when you're trying to run and dodge all of their crap, too. Plus, there are street vendors everywhere, but they aren't selling food for the people to buy, they are selling food for the deer! I know, the deer are sacred, but they are getting a bit out of control.

I don't really recommend doing both Himeji and Todai-ji in the same day, we had to run to the gate to be let in on time. Fortunately, we made it. Here is the wood building that holds the Buddha.

And the Buddha itself, created out of bronze. The photo doesn't really do it's size justice. It stands at 14.98 meters...It's face alone is 5.33 meters, so you can kind of get an idea as to how gigantic it is. I can't even comprehend the weight--500 metric tonnes.

This is one of the two smaller bronze statues that are on either side of the giant Buddha. By smaller I mean maybe 8 meters high.

This guy is a guard who stands behind and to the right of the Buddha to protect him.

We then left and tried to find this 5 tiered pagoda. We got lost, it kind of sucked. We kept walking in the wrong direction through this really creepy forest. I was really scared that we were going to get attacked by a rabid deer but it never ended up happening. When we finally figured out which way that we were going, we walked by a lady who was selling baked yams from a tiny little cart. I was starving, so it really hit the spot. It was so simple, just a yam, baked until soft, served in a paper bag.

Finally, we got to the pagoda. In person it's really impressive.

This is a temple that is next to the pagoda.

Lots of places were closed at this point, so we didn't explore it. Plus, I was starving. Margaret had told us that we should go out for Shabu-Shabu (meat cooked in hot oil at the table), so we tried to find a place that served that. It's hard to find stuff like that when you can't read any of the signs, but one place had a sign in English. Plus, they had some good looking fake food in the window.

The place was set up so that the table we sat at had a huge, hot grill in the middle. We both ordered beef with vegetables. The food came to our table partially cooked, and then it got finished off on our table grill. We got thinly sliced beef with cabbage, Japanese sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. It was a perfect meal. In fact, ever since eating there I've been praying that I'll run into a place in the U.S. with something similar.

The perfect last dinner in Japan...