06.25.08
Posted in GoodEats, GoodLife, The Temescal, Downtown, News, Old Oakland, Events at 10:46 am by OaklandGoods
Good news: Some Oakland businesses are thriving: I popped into now-veteran Tamarindo the other evening for drinks with a friend and ended up weaving through waiting people to stumble out full of poblano chiles and handmade corn tortillas. The new Mixing Bowl, which took the place of the Temescal Cafe, seems to be going gangbusters, too.
Bad News: DeLauer’s is closing. After a hundred and one years, the 24-hour newsstand at Broadway and 13th will close its doors because of flagging business. This comes immediately on the heels of the Cody’s closure yesterday in Berkeley, which just makes me sad. Anyone have news of the current status of Neldams?
Party News: In comparison to the city’s venerable businesses, Mignonne is a relative newbie. It’s celebrating its second birthday Thursday from 5-9 p.m. with a d.j., a raffle, and a huge sale. 1000 Jefferson St. BART: 12th St Oakland.
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06.20.08
Posted in GoodEats, GoodLife, The Temescal, Downtown, Jack London Square at 3:52 pm by OaklandGoods
No, it’s not ice cream. It’s not even gelato. Scream is the East Bay’s latest frozen delight - and it’s sorbet. Before I go into the delicious, bursting-with-fruit flavors, I need to acknowledge that Scream isn’t technically made in Oakland. However, it’s made on Oakland’s edge, and it’s carried at our farmers markets. On a hot day like today, that’s good enough for me! In fact, Scream’s sorbet makers Nate and Ari buy their fruit and other ingredients at local farmers markets, then process it into the yummy sorbets they bring back to the markets to sell. It’s full circle.
Last weekend I had the good fortune to sample, um, all of Scream’s weekly flavors (they have six each time). I was bowled over by how real they tasted. There’s some indication in the deep colors of the sorbet, but you really have to try it to understand just how much taste can be packed into each tiny spoonful. My favorite was the cherry lime, which was pleasantly tart. I also enjoyed the novelty of the carrot-ginger flavor, which is made without water, so it’s very dense.
Vegans and the lactose averse will love the nut-based flavors, which are rich and fulfilling. In fact, most of the flavors are vegan. Beth, part of the Scream crew, told me that there will be more nut flavors as summer ebbs. For now, grab some strawberry-rhubarb and eat it before it melts!
Find Scream this at Friday’s Old Oakland farmers market or Sunday’s Jack London or Temescal farmers markets.
photos snagged with Beth’s permission from Scream’s flickr stream
http://www.screamsorbet.com
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06.15.08
Posted in Uncategorized, GoodEats, Downtown, Old Oakland, Events at 10:28 am by OaklandGoods
Dad’s first beer is free at the Trappist (if you buy one for yourself), 2 p.m.-midnight. 460 8th St.
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06.12.08
Posted in GoodEats, Jack London Square at 12:52 pm by OaklandGoods
A while back, I promised you a post about the amazing delight that is chicken and waffles (but then my friend Mark totally failed to send me the pictures he took of our amazing meal).
For those who are not in the know, chicken and waffles is just what it professes to be - fried chicken and fresh waffles. It sounds pretty good, right? But does it deserve its cult-like following? Probably.
The combination of crispy, savory chicken with syrupy waffles makes for a delightful combination of both interesting textures and salty sweet. My powers of description aren’t really at their best right now, but suffice it to say that the result is delicious.
I ended up eating Oakland’s House of Chicken and Waffles after one of my housemates became obsessed with trying the dish. She rallied about ten people to come over from San Francisco (and you know how hard it is to get people to cross the bridge!) and we headed down to Jack London Square to try this culinary delight. The hype was worth it. HCW is a former Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, and while I’m not sure how and when the transition to family-owned business was made, I’m not sure I really care. The current incarnation is friendly and personal, family run and decorated with murals and quilts.
And the food was great, too. After all the hype, and after spending a half hour on the Web site considering my order in advance, I was a little worried my meal wouldn’t live up to expectations. But it totally did. But the last bite of chicken, I was happily stuffed and pleased to have had the opportunity to try something new.
House of Chicken and Waffles
444 Embarcadero W.
866.421.1482
*Check the Web site for coupons and special offers.*
image from House of Chicken and Waffles
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05.21.08
Posted in GoodEats, GoodLife, Grand Lake, News at 4:20 pm by OaklandGoods
You know I like to dine at new venues before writing them up extensively, so I’ll keep it short: The long-awaited Camino is open. I hear it’s wood-fired heaven.
3917 grand ave
510.547.5035
www.caminorestaurant.com
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05.13.08
Posted in GoodEats, GoodLife, Uptown at 6:21 pm by OaklandGoods
Yes, I know I’m talking about this incessantly. It’s just so pretty!
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05.11.08
Posted in GoodEats, Piedmont Ave. at 10:51 pm by OaklandGoods
Apparently, it takes two to pay rent at Tango Gelato’s Piedmont Ave. location. Rockridge’s LuLu Rae Confections has moved in with the purveyor of icy treats, bringing their special sweets. Locally produced goodies include XOX truffles. Get your sugar fixes all under one roof at 4184 Piedmont Ave.
www.lulurae.com
www.tangogelato.com
image from lulurae.com
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04.25.08
Posted in GoodEats, Downtown, Uptown at 1:58 am by OaklandGoods
According to Living in the O, greenie gallery and espresso bar Awaken Cafe has finally opened its doors, on 14th between Franklin and Broadway.
Also, Ozumo has signs up in the Broadway Grand that say “coming soon,” (which I take to mean sometime in 2008)!
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04.18.08
Posted in GoodEats, Jack London Square, Neighborhood at 11:44 am by OaklandGoods
Looks pretty, right? Looks even prettier full of people and brimming with food and wine. I wrote of Mono’s opening a few weeks back for another Web site I write for, but aside from sampling a spicy dessert, I hadn’t had the privilege of actually having the food. What a privilege it is!
We started our meal with the signature ahi with sesame, shallots, jalapeno granita, and soba noodles. It was fantastic. Generally, I find soba dull and hard to punch up, but the meyer lemon and tuna made the noodles fresh and flavorful. The jalapeno granita added delightful texture and flavor to the cold dish.
We followed the ahi with prawns a la plancha, which were served along a crostini with white bean puree. The garlicky prawns mixed well with cherry tomatoes and an Italian prosecco. I am a prawn snob, and these were the best-cooked I’ve had in a long while.
Next, we tried the clam chowder, a creamy New England variety that wasn’t too fishy. While tasty, it felt a little heavy for the warm night, and while the presentation in an oversized shot glass is lovely, it was hard to sip out the chunky potatoes. If you order this, ask for a spoon.
The soup was followed by a goat cheese and beet salad which was bright and fresh, if a little underdressed.
Next we had the steak special paired with a buttery Rutherford cabernet. The steak was cooked to perfection, deep pink on the inside but a with a hint of char on the outside. My dining companion, Todd, remarked that it was the best steak he’d had in years and I totally agree. Alongside the steak was the most delightful surprise of the meal - a modern chile relleno, stuffed with mashed potatoes and topped with fontina cheese. It was fabulous, with the mild chile flavor bringing out the earthiness of the potatoes.
Finally, we shared the lamb, which was also tender and cooked just right. It’s miso sauce with apples, carrots, and baby bok choy complemented the meat with a pleasing sweetness, that contrasted nicely with our previous meat and potatoes. The lamb was paired with an Argentinian merlot.
A dense butterscotch pot de creme was shared for dessert. It was a perfect, lightly sweet treat to finish off the meal. Todd had a cafe au lait, which was stunning in its presentation.
Mono absolutely exceeded my expectations. They’ve only been serviing dinner for a few weeks, yet the service was smooth and we felt well-cared for. Even more, we noticed that every patron seemed to be receiving personal, friendly attention. The food was a revelation - absolutely the most interesting, best-executed take on global fusion I’ve had for a long time. The fish was fresh, the meat was flavorful, and everything was beautifully presented. All night, diners seemed to be watching the other patrons just to see what pretty plates would be delivered to their neighbors’ tables. I know I did - how else would I know what to order next time?
mono
247 4th st.
510.834.0260
www.monorestaurant.com
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04.08.08
Posted in OaklandGoods, GoodEats, Grand Lake at 9:10 pm by OaklandGoods
If I write about delicious frozen treats, I can will warm weather into existence, right? Last summer, when the weather was perfect, I waited and waited for this little Lake Park storefront to open its doors. And then I waited some more. Some time in the fall it happened, but I was disenchanted and, frankly, too cold for gelato.
But now, ’tis the season to scream for ice cream. (And yes, I’m aware that gelato is different, but you know what I mean). Or rather, ’tis the season for warm weather to be so close you can almost taste it.
At Firenze, I tasted a variety of the offerings before settling on a half strawberry sorbetto, half chai tea gelato cup. It was delicious. And it’s made on site, (unlike Naia and Tango, neither of which are Oakland companies). Soy offerings are also available for the vegan and the lactose intolerant - I sampled some and can vouch for its deliciousness.
If you don’t want to eat in, pints are available to take home. Firenze has one of those customer loyalty cards, too, so buy 10 and get one free. You should be able to do that by the end of summer, right?
gelato firenze
478 lake park ave.
510.414.9997
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