Cafe 15 (Part II), Oakland

I'm having a love affair with Downtown Oakland and Cafe 15 is what started it. This is my new favorite lunch spot--so much so that I've gone back 3 times in the past 4 days and still want to go back again tomorrow.

Every time the food has been consistently fresh, tasty, creative, affordable, and filling. I'm usually hesitant to give out rave reviews to any restaurant, so it's the service that truly puts Cafe 15 over the top. Everyone who works there is so nice despite how crowded it gets, and they seem to truly appreciate their customers.

So far the best things on the menu in my opinion are the oyster po' boy and the rustic potato hash with eggs. The spicy pulled pork sandwich with a green tangy salsa served with a fresh slaw and Cafe 15 burger (with mixed in bacon and onions!), though, are also delicious, as is the fried chicken sandwich. The fried chicken sandwich is *different* from Bette's, so I'm not even going to compare them.

I'm always too full to order dessert, but today I was offered a free sample of their chocolate eclairs. I'll make room for dessert tomorrow.

Cafe 15, Oakland

Wow, what a find!

I haven't been so excited about a new restaurant in a while. Cafe 15 is a super cute little spot behind the courthouse in downtown Oakland. There is very limited seating but the space is cozy and gets plenty of sunlight. Despite it being crowded, we were immediately greeted by the woman at the register who was happy to chat and answer any questions we had. She also offered us a frequent buyer card. They give you a stamp for every $5 you spend, and after 15 stamps you get a free meal.

In addition to a very tempting menu (think Bakesale Betty type food with a lot more options--yes, I just made that comparison), there are a bunch of daily specials written on the board. I went with the blood orange lemonade and the oyster po' boy with cabbage slaw. My friend had the eggs and potato/fennel sausage hash with toast. While the lemonade was a little too tart for our taste, the food was spectacular.

The potatoes in the hash were soft and perfectly cooked. The fennel sausage was flavorful and melded everything together into a filling, delicious meal. My oyster po-boy had three gigantic fried oysters on a soft, buttery roll and came with a crunchy, fresh cabbage slaw.

It's obvious that the people at Cafe 15 truly care about the food they are serving. The service is impeccable, and when you dine in the cooks will actually bring you your food. I loved everything about my dining experience here and cannot wait to go back.

Cafe 15 is located at 597 15th Street in Downtown Oakland, between Clay and Jefferson.

They are open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland

Have you ever gotten to a restaurant and instantly loved it the second you entered? That's what happened to Greg and me when we got to Brown Sugar Kitchen. The space is friendly, gets plenty of light, and has a very sleek yet homey decor. While I do feel like ultimately the service can be improved upon, I was overall very happy with my experience and cannot wait to go back to try more of the delicious California-inspired Soul Food menu.

We started with coffee and a sticky bun, which was not my favorite, though it made waiting for the main attractions a little easier. Maybe I just have a misconception as to how sticky buns should be but I keep imagining and getting excited for a soft, chewy, sweet pastry and am constantly disappointed (this time was no different) when it's dry and crunchy.

Our main dishes, however, were phenomenal. I had the cheesy grits with poached eggs and a side of bacon. The grits were deliciously creamy, very nicely seasoned, and my poached eggs were cooked perfectly. Greg's egg tart was stuffed with fresh asparagus and a wonderful mix of flavorful cheeses; the accompanying potatoes were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and had great flavor.

My only negative was the service. I don't mind slow service, because all of the dishes are made to order, but I thought that the waitstaff was rather inattentive. They were friendly when we could wave them over, but it was difficult to track down the hostess to get our names on the wait list, and our server never checked in with us during our meal except to bring the check. Just a lesson, don't stand in between two pre-health students and a refill on their morning coffee.

When it comes down to it, though, the blips in service were completely overshadowed by the food. Both Greg and I were very impressed and already have plans to go back.

Brown Sugar Kitchen is located at 2534 Mandela Parkway (yes, you read that correctly, it's in the middle of a bunch of warehouses behind the Home Depot strip mall in Emeryville), between 26th Street and Campbell Street.

They are open Tuesday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m, Friday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sundays 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Website: www.brownsugarkitchen.com

Sidebar, Oakland

Margaret was a huge fan of Zax Tavern, so she was really excited to hear that Sidebar opened. Excited from all the rave reviews we ate dinner at Sidebar this evening.

I instantly liked the atmosphere, and the prominently displayed bar is going to be amazing when they get their hard liquor license. Our server was nice, didn't rush us, and was overly willing to make recommendations. Overall, though, I wasn't wowed.

We started with the grilled calamari salad with bacon vinaigrette ($9) and duck liver crostini ($7.50). While the duck liver crostini was fatty, rich, and delicious, the accompanying salad and calamari salad were overdressed. The squid, which was grilled, was undercooked and kind of slimy. I'm not sure we were given enough it also to justify the $9 price tag.

That said, I really appreciated the portion sizes and prices for the mains. While a fair amount smaller than the entrees at my "boyfriend's" (Wood Tavern), all mains at Sidebar are around $5-10 cheaper but still filling.

Margaret had the brined/grilled double cut pork chop ($17). While nicely cooked, the butchering wasn't superb and she got a bunch of funky bony bites. The cannelloni bean ragout was good but unevenly cooked and could have used some form of veg or color. My heavily recommended atlantic cod stew ($19) was very flavorful and my fish was cooked perfectly. The clams, however, weren't cleaned properly and I got a lot of grit. Overall that issue was trumped by the fact that I ate all of our bread just to mop up the delicious sauce.

For dessert, Margaret had the "Almond Joy" ($6.50) which is basically a fudge brownie with ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. I had the angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream ($6.50). Both were very simple yet good, and my latte reminded me of how much I dearly miss having good coffee.

I had a good time here, I just think they need to work out some kinks, especially in the prep kitchen. I'm looking forward to going back in a few months to see what happens. While the menu was nicely sized, it seemed like it suffered from a little imagination. Sidebar has a ton of potential but I'm not sure it's quite there yet. Seeing as they just opened, I hope other people give it a try; I'm wishing this place the best.

Sidebar is located at 542 Grand Avenue in Oakland.
For reservations, call (510) 452-9500.

Cafe Panini, Berkeley

I'm instantly annoyed and judgmental about places that have the word "panini" in their menu or restaurant name because 99% of the time they're butchering the Italian language. It's an issue I'm not planning to come to terms with anytime soon. If you're going to use a word from another language, use it properly.

For the record, "panini" means sandwiches (yes, plural) in Italian. It doesn't necessarily mean "meat and cheese squished in a grill-mark toaster with bread" and to say "paninis" is just plain wrong. While we're at it, "bruschetta" is pronounced with a hard "c" sound, not "sh" (take that, Jamie Lauren from Top Chef). Rant aside, Cafe Panini manages to not butcher the language on their menu and has great food.

Who knew?! I always walked by this place but never thought to actually try it. Thank you Aimee for the suggestion!!

I got the special roast beef sandwich which was delicious. It came on a seeded baguette with roasted onions, tomato, lettuce, and a horseradish sauce. For a sandwich, it was a little pricey, but I thought worth it for the quality bread and meat. The roast beef was really juicy, hot, and cooked medium rare (which I LOVE).

Service was also very friendly. I was pretty decided on my sandwich but Aimee was having trouble deciding between the chickpea soup and a salmon salad sandwich. The cashier ended up recommending that she get the sandwich but gave us a small cup of soup to split so we could try it.

The soup wasn't our favorite (it needed some seasoning), but it was a really nice gesture, especially given the cold rainy weather. I imagine on a sunny day that this place is also a great study destination. A lot of the other things on the menu looked fabulous, so I'm very excited to go back.

Cafe Panini is tucked behind Jupiter in Berkeley at 2115 Allston Way at Shattuck.
Website: www.cafe-panini.net

Camino, Oakland

Wow. To begin with, Camino has one of the most beautiful kitchens I've ever seen. The gorgeous wood burning oven is open to the entire dining room, and they hang herbs from all of the chandeliers so there is always a really nice aroma floating around.

There have been a few complaints that the menu is too limited, but I think it's perfect. There's just enough to cover most palates, yet still just a few dishes so each can be perfected and be comprised of the freshest, most seasonal ingredients.

Cocktails were nothing to write home about (bitters overload!); then again Scotty and I are coming off dinner at Flora. But everything else? Wow.

We started with the crab toast and frisee salad with goose confit/persimmons. The toast was covered in a lump crab meat salad that put Flora's to shame. It was obvious that the crab was fresh and picked from a crab that day because it was so sweet and tender. No canned crab here! The goose confit had great flavor, and melded really well with the bitterness of the frisee and sweet, crunchy persimmons. The salad was also put together nicely...the frisee was already cut into manageable bites and everything was dressed perfectly.

Next we had the wood oven-roasted black trumpet and hedgehog mushrooms with leeks and garlic toast. I loved everything about this course. The broth was delectable, the toast crunchy and chewy, and the mushrooms were packed with flavor.

For mains, we split the grilled rockfish with tepary beans/wild nettles (pea sprouts)/chiles/saffron broth and the grilled/braised pork with sauerkraut, potatoes and mustard. I made the mistake of digging into the pork first. Everything about it was wonderful. The meat practically fell apart on my fork it was so tender and juicy. The potatoes were soft and perfectly cooked (lightly pan fried), and the sauerkraut added a great punch to the flavors. One thing that this kitchen seems to have mastered is seasoning the food. Everything is really nicely salted, almost to the brink of saltiness but never goes overboard. I couldn't stop eating it.

Unfortunately, the strong flavors from the pork made it hard for me to love the fish as much as Scott did. Everything in the fish dish was so delicate that no matter how many swigs of my wine I took, I just didn't get it. I can say though that the fish was really nicely cooked--it flaked apart and practically melted in my mouth. Just take Scott's word for it that the fish was awesome.

Dessert was also impeccable. Scotty couldn't stop eating the persimmon pudding with fresh whip, which is a true accomplishment because he is never a dessert person. It was nicely spiced without being too sweet, and had a rich, thick texture. My favorite dessert was the penko covered ricotta that was then deep fried and drizzled with honey. I don't even really like cheese that much, but these were little bites of heaven. The outside had a really great crunch to it, and the inside was sweet, almost molten ricotta.

Our server was friendly, prompt, and seemed to know a lot about the dishes, which we appreciated. The only thing I'd nitpick about is that the long benches that run down the center of the restaurant are slanted in a way that make it a little uncomfortable to eat. The grand total was also a little higher than I'm used to (about $35 higher than at Wood Tavern, Flora and Corso but maybe we were ultra fattys last night). But, I was distracted from the discomfort pretty quickly due to my amazement at the bathroom hand dryers (no seriously, they are awesome!), and an Elizabeth Falkner sighting that left me pretty star-struck!

Flora, Oakland

"You're scared you're going to cheat on your boyfriend and love it, aren't you?" --Scotty

I came close to loving Flora and ditching my BF Wood Tavern but unfortunately the entrees fell way short. Aside from the entrees, though, eating at Flora was one of the best restaurant experiences I've had in a while.

The cocktails, as everyone has said, are great. There's an extensive menu with lots of classics and new drinks, all of which are delicious. Scotty's a huge fan of the Trailer Smash but I preferred the Salt and Pepper (gin, fresh grapefruit juice, black salted rim). Service, also, was fabulous--friendly, prompt, and helpful. Plus, how can I find any fault in a bartender wearing suspenders? The suspenders go along with the very cool Art-Deco facade and homage to classic Americana vibe.

Scott had the crab salad over arugula to start and I had seared scallops over braised oxtail and risotto. The crab salad had a nice big portion of crab and was very tasty. My scallops were perfectly cooked and the flavors melded nicely. It was one of my favorite dishes of the evening.

The entrees were a different story. Scott had the chicken pot pie with seasonal lettuce. Sorry Flora, but even Marie Calendars makes a flakey bottom crust. The sauce was decent, but the chicken was dry and the crust didn't have enough butter to make fatty happy. The salad was also very unappealing. The lettuce was gorgeous but the dressing was underwhelming and relied too much on the parm grated on top.

I had the steak with kale, potatoes gratin, house made Worcestershire Sauce and horseradish cream. For $30, my steak was way too small (only about 3/4 of an inch thick!) and not properly cooked. I ordered medium rare but half of it was well-done, the other half was medium. Also the house made Worcestershire Sauce tasted like...the stuff from the bottle. Awesome. The potatoes were good, so was the kale, but nothing to really rave about.

Flora's saving grace (I was really unhappy with my steak) was the dessert. Unfortunately for me, Flora is located within a block of my new gym. I already know that I'll be canceling out every single work out with one of their caramel pudding desserts. It's basically a caramel creme brulee but instead of burnt sugar on top there is a thin layer of sea salt, topped with fresh whipped cream. Definitely one of my top five desserts of all time.

Overall, the menu seemed to lack some focus, but I'm definitely going back, and will most likely skip the entrees.

Flora is located at 1900 Telegraph Avenue at 19th Street in Oakland. Reservations can be made by calling (510) 286-0100.

They don't have a website, so here's a link to their Yelp! page: www.yelp.com/biz/flora-oakland

Wood Tavern, Oakland

I think the only people who read this are family members but I'm going to tell you for the thousandth time: GO HERE! It's the best restaurant EVER!

This is by far the best restaurant in the East Bay, and it's my favorite restaurant of all time. Real talk. Every time I have gone, the service has been friendly, helpful, and attentive. They pace the courses properly, don't rush the patrons, and the bartender gives generous pours. I can highly recommend any of the cocktails on the menu (they change daily but are always delicious and strong).

The food is always perfectly prepared (I can't stress enough how much I care about properly cooked meat), flavorful, and has lots of depth. Despite the fact that I don't have a paycheck I continue to come back for more. My personal favorites on the menu:

-Butcher Block Sampler: Acme toast with a variety of terrines or smoked meats; the chicken liver pate is to die for, as is the prosciutto-wrapped beer-infused pork terrine.
-Roasted Balsamic Beef Marrow: "meat butter" --Scotty
-Tuna and Fennel Salad with Lemon: refreshing, tasty, with the perfect amount of acid
-Roasted Pork Belly Salad: crispy, melt-in-your-mouth tender
-Chocolate Cake: enough to split between two but you won't want to
-Southie Affogatto: Jameson with espresso ice cream and a shot of espresso
-Polenta Encrusted Halibut: it was served on a bed of sweet white corn cooked with bacon; if it's still on the menu, you must order this

Things that are great but not as good as most things on the menu:

-Seafood stew
-Salmon with leeks
-Get the burger and I will punch you in the face--I'm not kidding, I know where all of my blog readers live. This restaurant has so much to offer; don't insult it by getting a freaking burger.

I've eaten here 5 times now and each time the service has been impeccable; friendly, not intrusive, polite, and attentive with a great sense of humor. The room can get a little loud, but the ambiance is nice and the food has been consistently mind-blowingly good.

Wood Tavern is located at 6317 College Avenue in Oakland, across from the Safeway on College and Claremont.

They are open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. They take reservations but are very accommodating to parties of two on a walk-in basis.

Phone: (510) 654-6607
Website: www.woodtavern.net

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.

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.

Rivoli, Berkeley

I am wayyyy behind. Sorry, things have been *kinda* hectic at work, but now that things have calmed down I'm ready to start blogging again.

My family went to Rivoli for my birthday dinner. Everyone that I told we were going there said, "Oh, I remember going to that place a really long time ago. Good food." It seemed from talking to my friends and family that Rivoli is one of those well-loved places that people just start to forget about sometimes. I'm on a mission to make people stop forgetting.

The appetizers at Rivoli are to die for. There were five of us, so we ordered three appetizers and split them. The first one that I tried was a crab souffle. It was really light and airy, with a slightly crispy outside. The flavor, though, was amazing. It tasted truly of the essence of crab--as if they had used the good parts to make the souffle (this is my Chinese side talking-by good parts I mean the body and that gushy yummy stuff from the back). The second appetizer I tried had slices of roast duck over blinis, garnished with fresh grapes and currants. This also was amazing. Andy even ate the currants along with everything else. Usually, I try not to order duck if I'm not out for Chinese food, because I often find that it can be too dry. This duck, though, was flavored magnificently and was still moist. The last appetizer we ordered was the portabella mushroom fritters with aioli. We originally chose them because I had read online that it's one of the only dishes that's kept on the menu year-round. The mushrooms were meaty and not greasy despite being fried, and were complemented perfectly with the aioli. Unfortunately, since Rivoli changes their menu every three weeks, it's going to be hard to find these same dishes, but if you see any one of them on the menu, I highly recommend them all.

For the main course, I ordered a chicken with prosciutto and kale dish. I remembered the last time I went to Rivoli with my friend Margaret that they did a great job with the chicken. This time, I wasn't as impressed. The chicken was still moist, which was a plus, but I didn't feel that the flavors went too well together. The prosciutto was overcooked, so I missed out on that flavor, and the bitterness of the kale made everything taste funny. They had cooked the kale with pomegranate seeds, which was interesting, but I think it just needed a lot more butter. A lot.

Andy was very happy with his dish--he got a steak with scalloped potatoes and spinach. He ended up eating everything except for the decorative tomato on the side, which is very impressive. I laughed because he said that it was presented in a way that he would think the meal would be "gross", but that as soon as he tasted it, he really liked it (This means the plate looked gorgeous and appetizing).

My dad had the salmon, no complaints there, and my sister had a risotto cake. I was too full to try either one, but they seemed to enjoy their meals a lot. My mom got scallops, which were really good. They were cooked well and what I really liked was that the restaurant wasn't stingy on the scallops--there were at least seven to nine on her plate.

Dessert also was great. Rivoli always has a hot fudge sundae on their menu, which is a classic. Definitely when ordering, I recommend splitting it between two people because it's huge. The nuts are really well toasted and seasoned, which is the best part, but I'd still probably go to Fenton's in the end for some really good hot fudge. We also ordered the sorbet--that day they had made raspberry and mango with mini shortbread cookies. The sorbets were very refreshing and tasty, and truly tasted like the actual fruit.

I really love this place--the atmosphere of the restaurant, too, is really great. They have a beautiful garden behind the restaurant, that is viewable from all of the tables. Since the place is so small, the service is friendly and quick. My only hold up with not eating at Rivoli all the time is the price--this place is not cheap, but when you do go for an all-out eating experience, it is well worth it.

Rivoli is located at 1539 Solano Avenue in Berkeley.
To make reservations, call (510) 526-2542 or 1(866) 496-2489.

They are open Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Friday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

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

Gregoire, Berkeley

I'm pissed. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS PLACE BEFORE?!?!

Today is my birthday--yay me I have now been able to drink for exactly one year. Catherine had been raving about their potato puffs for a while now, so we got some takeout from Gregoire to bring back for a mini party at work (if you could call sitting in a circle between our cubicle partitions a party).

My choice for lunch was the lamb patty sandwich with a side of potato puffs. Others in the group got a shrimp and cucumber sandwich, a salami sandwich, or a mushroom cheese steak sandwich--all with a side of potato puffs.

Before I get into describing these tiny little bites of potato heaven, I'm going to talk a bit about the place itself. Gregoire is primarily a take-out sandwich/salad place. It is a tiny hole in the wall (though it's a pretty cute hole in the wall) across the street from the Elephant Pharmacy on Cedar at Shattuck. When you walk inside, there is a small bar with room for about two people to sit and eat, while watching the cooks toll away. The rest of the standing space has room for I'd say three people to stand in line. There are a few seats outside, but that's it. On the website, they describe themselves as a take-out joint, so I suppose it makes sense. Everyone who worked there was friendly, and considering everything was made fresh for me, I didn't mind the long wait (plus we had seven orders which seemed to throw them a bit).

Enough with the atmosphere. My sandwich was delightful. The lamb was flavored really well, and it was on a fresh toasted bread roll with tomatoes, mayo and arugula. The prices on the menu online seem a bit high until you actually taste the sandwiches...They are about on par, price-wise, with Cafe Fanny, but taste-wise blow Cafe Fanny out of the water. Everything is cooked fresh with fresh ingredients. Even the tomatoes on my sandwich stood out as being exceptional.

I also have to mention something about the packaging. The sandwiches and sides are all put in a very cute cardboard box with a sheet of checkered paper and a "Gregoire" sticker on them. They are cute but also functional, and really were good at keeping the heat in.

Finally, saving the best for last--the potato puffs are a tiny bite of heaven. Basically they are little balls of mashed potatoes that are deep fried and garnished with a bit of salt. They come with a bit of roasted pepper aioli. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. Deep fried mashed potatoes? Yum! If anything, go here just to get the potatoes, but I have to say that I loved every aspect of my meal here. Others who walked by our cubicle area also seemed to enjoy the puffs...I'm definitely going again, and you should too. About the portions; we discovered that between two people, splitting a sandwich and one order of potato puffs is probably enough.

Thanks again to everyone who has been sticking with my blog and reading/writing comments. You make my day so much more interesting!

Gregoire has a lovely website with a menu that you can preview: www.gregoirerestaurant.com

Gregoire is located at 2109 Cedar Street (at Shattuck) in Berkeley.
Phone: (510) 883-1893

They have another location (which I heard through the grapevine isn't as good) at 4001 Piedmont Avenue at 40th.
Phone: (510) 547-3444

Both locations are open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.