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/.