EAT REAL 2012 - Oakland’s Jack London hosts Food-a-Palooza! Sept 21-23, 2012

WHETHER DINING WITH THE “STARS”

I met a reader recently who told me she wished she had my life.  While reading my blog I suppose one could be led to believe that I lead this idyllic existence, blithely roaming from restaurant to restaurant, meal to meal, cocktail to cocktail. It certainly seemed to her that my world was one of constant fine dining and never-empty glasses of champagne.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But since it isn’t the first time I’ve left folks with this impression, I have to assume its something about the way I recite my adventures that convinces others that my life is an effortless one of food and fun times.  That’s not to say I don’t eat out more than most, though my eldest daughter’s recent nuptials have me brown bagging it more often than not.  Not that I’m complaining.  I find a meal of home-cooked succotash or soup as enjoyable (well okay almost) as a meal prepared by an artiste like David Kinch, whose Michelin-starred Manresa provided the backdrop for a recent triple birthday celebration.  (That details of that particular adventure, however, will have to wait for another blog).

I think it’s because I believe in thoughtful eating.  If a meal is experienced and savored, even a meal prepared at home from fresh but simple ingredients has as much opportunity to spread the love as a more formal repast.  Eating well is less about spending money or dining out, than it is about eating attentively.  Be present in the experience.  Take a breath.  Sit down.  Savor each and every bite.  Lastly, share your meals with someone whose company you truly enjoy.  That’s my recipe for great dining.  If I can pass on anything worthwhile, it is that our lives are too short to pine away for whatever it is you think yours may be missing.  Enjoy what you do have with those who love you, be it over a flute of French champagne and a plate of foie gras — or a glass of Two Buck Chuck and a burger.

OR DINING WITH THE MASSES

The perception that dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant is the only way to enjoy a brilliant bite of food is something of a fallacy.  Though I hope I am fortunate enough to continue to dine with the best Chefs this country has to offer, I am no food snob.  One of my readers who owns a food truck once remarked “You eat so well, I’m jealous” I had to laugh a little at this.  I replied to her “But I am eating well because I am eating this” and pointed to the sandwich she had just handed me.  I was actually jealous of her, up in her truck window, handing out the tasty magic.  To me that is a charmed life indeed.  But that’s my point.

Senor Sisig's magic is well worth
the wait.  In the long, long,
long long line...

The fact is, I like to eat much too much to confine my culinary entertainment to something I can only enjoy three or four times a year.  Fortunately for me, there are many levels of fine food, and not all come at Michelin prices.



ENTER, EAT REAL FESTIVAL, OAKLAND.  September 21, 22, 23, 2012

The staff at Tamarindo will
serve up nothing less than perfection

Held at Jack London Square in Oakland every September Eat Real is a celebration of so much of what it is I enjoy about the Oakland dining scene these days.  All that is vibrant and vital and good about my little home town.  Oakland may be San Francisco’s under-appreciated baby sibling, but these days she’s got as much to offer as her Big Sister City, especially when it comes to less expensive establishments, and that includes the proliferation of food trucks (although she still needs a giant clue when it comes to allowing the trucks a bit more leeway to serve up their wares).

A Chef doesn’t have to have a Michelin-star to rock my world, or even my tastebuds.  All he or she needs is good ingredients, imagination, and most importantly --- skills.  Like any other art form, cooking with enough inventiveness to create a point-of-view is a skill that can’t completely be taught, so not every culinary school graduate can make the magic happen.

Eat Real has vetted its participants the best way possible, happy customers.  This food festival is jam-packed with the best-of-the-best of all the aforementioned food trucks, local brewers, as well as representatives from some heavy-hitters in Oakland’s bustling restaurant scene.  Every participant brings their A-game in eats, many offer classes in all manner of food-related curiosities.  Cheese-making, bread-baking, you name it.  This array of talented culinary artisans coupled with California’s gorgeous Indian Summer weather all comes together to create that which is at the heart Eat Real—  a three day journey to a heavenly food-centric Mecca.

I suggest you make time to experience it.  Chop Bar of Oakland will be serving up some (whole roasted) pig; there will be crepes from Brittany Crepes and Galettes, roasted corn and yams by Ear-Good Corn Roast, Indian street food from Curry Up Now! and, if memory serves me right, Little Green Cyclo and Senor Sisig will be serving up the longest lines (and some of the most amazing grub) ever to be experienced.

Admission is free.  Food is inexpensive (though it does add up) and cash is best.

For a full schedule of participants visit www.eatrealfest.com

Check it out.  Make a memory, and learn to make a loaf of bread.  Or make a memory about making a loaf of bread with a loved one!

T-REX BARBEQUE - Smoke gets in Your Eyes

Several weeks ago, we were dying for Barbeque, and in the mood for another food adventure. We also needed a place to watch the soccer semifinals. So, a restaurant with good food and limitless television screens was in order. After a little research, our soon to be out-on-his-own Partner in Food Crimes, had the solution. T-Rex Barbeque in Berkeley. We were off.

T-Rex is an intriguing space. Large, open and fairly “loft-like” the place is all about its use of negative space, and it’s well done. According to the website, the restaurant was designed by Kava Massih, constructed by Sassoon Construction with the help of Kathy Farley/ It is such a remarkable achievement in interior design. One enters into a expansive lower area that holds a spacious open bar, and is surrounded by swirling banquettes and tables surrounding the walled areas. The center of the room holds a staircase to the upper area, which surrounds the open stairway with tables lining the outer walls. There are televisions everywhere. This is a big sweeping, classy, man-cave of a place, yet completely suitable for wives and children. Neat.

Cocktails anyone?

Once seated, we decided on cocktails, because it was Friday, as well as a huge soccer match with everyone in the joint a-drinkin’ and a-screamin.’ Now that’s what I call good clean fun! I’m not entirely sure what I ordered cocktail wise, guess I was thirsty. I’m fairly sure it was called a Ginger Press. Looking at their drink menu on the web, that drink is a combination of Ketel One vodka, muddled lemon, ginger syrup, and ginger beer. I do think I remember the ginger beer, which I really like as a companion to an alcoholic drink.

I do remember it was delicious. The BH had this fun little two-step concoction that required he pour in a shot of soda. I think his was called a Billie Jean. Their menu says it is composed of Cazadores Reposado tequila, muddled blackberries, Chambord, lime juice and simple syrup topped off with soda. It has to be that, since he got this cute little mini shooter of bubbly meant to be poured into the concoction. Interesting, fizzy. Fanciful.

Now for the fun part. The food. Have you all figured out I love talking about food yet? Yeah, I know, right? Anyway, I ordered the Pulled Pork because when I’m in a barbeque joint it’s one of the markers for me. Can they do a good pork? Well, uh, yeah. T-Rex can throw down with the best, and I know, because I’ve had the best. The meat was tangy, smoky, buttery — every bit of it tender as possible and simply melting in the mouth. Each bite was heaven, after two bites I was weeping with joy. But I told everyone around me it was just the smoke in the air...

Pulled BBQ Pork!!!!

And then there was Macaroni & Cheese w/Bacon. They do their macaroni with oricchiete. Oricchiete with sharp cheddar and parmesan. Simple. Perfect. The white cheddar is baked into a nice crisp top layer that clings to the bacon. These ingredients all come together to result in a delectable combination of exquisitely baked pasta, held together with a blissfully gluey layer of oozing cheese, full of cubed chunks of bacon (one can get it without the bacon, but for me that would be blasphemy) — all of this is topped with a lacy layer of fricco— the bits of cheese that has melted, reformed and turned into delicate cheese-chip goodness. This is quite simply the best macaroni and cheese dish on the planet, and I can say that with authority. I’ve had at least a dozen varieties. The Mac & Cheese at T-Rex is just sheer, cheese-tastic ambrosia. I know this because we all looked at each other simultaneously and went “Oh, YEAH” at the same time. It was as transcendant as a food experience can be. If you don’t agree when you try it, yours is on me.

Another item we sampled was one they title Belma Bucket’s Cornbread, which is, as it's name might imply, cornbread. I liked the bread itself immensely. It was a very dense concoction, chewy and grainy in that good ground-meal way cornbread can be. But they serve it in a pile of honey, which I found distracting and too sweet. I far prefer a smidge of butter, or perhaps the honey butter they use to perfection at Brown Sugar Kitchen.  So bottom line, love the cornbread, will probably ask them next time to leave the honey on the side.

Macaroni & Cheese Ambrosia
- YOU MUST HAVE THIS!

The BH ordered the Bone-in Chicken Breast which was moist, smoked, perfection. The skin crisp and resistant, the meat buttery and soft beneath it, both thoroughly imbued with the flavors of the smoky pit. It doesn’t get better than this. Our PFC had a Pulled Pork Sandwich. It was chock full of the same fantastic meat I was enjoying, and he did love the accompanying sides. But seeing the mountain of delectable porky goodness I had been served up, he decided next time he’d skip the bread and get the bigger helping of the straight stuff. They served his sandwich with beautiful housemade BBQ chips. I will remark that housemade chips are never quite as brittle and light as store bought. They all tend to be a little chewy, but I believe that is a lack of preservatives and artificial processes that are better not consumed anyway. The flavors and spices of the home made are so much better, that the slightly less crispy result is preferred, at least by me. Lastly his coleslaw was bright on the palate. A nice tangy pile of cabbage to balance the smoke in the meat..

BBQ Pork Sandwich
w/House Made BBQ Chips

Loved their barbeque sauces as well. PFC and I are spice hounds, we both prefer the hot. Though we’ve been working on him for years, so that he can handle a bit of heat, my Better Half can only manage the mild BBQ sauce at T-Rex. But they’ve got a range of heat, just for that reason.

Out of curiousity we ordered a Firelit “Blue Bottle Coffee” liquer, with our dessert. Rather than being as exotic as it’s name, it was merely a small espresso cup of a cold coffee-flavored alcohol. Tasting a bit like a homemade kalua, but a lot less sweet. None of us enjoyed it much. Too bad, cause I hate when I encounter any wasted potential for success. Suppose it can’t be helped when every place is striving to set itself apart. At least they tried.

Strawberry Shortcake
w/ poppy seed cake

We finished off the meal by sharing a dessert of Strawberry Shortcake. Theirs was made with poppy seed bread, which were actually these tiny little scone-textured cakes slathered in whipped cream and generously topped with the freshest spring strawberries. I do love the simplicity of a good strawberry shortcake, and T-Rex doesn’t confuse that blend of sweet cake, fresh fruit and cream that is at the heart of this delightful country classic. Scrumptious.

So I guess you can tel by now that I would highly recommend a visit to T-Rex if one is fond of smoky-licious barbeque and/or macaroni and cheese done well. Great place to watch any sporting event, plenty of room and all the TV’s are easily visible.

Check it out, and Bon Appetit!

T-Rex Barbeque (& Sports Bar)
1300 10th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 527-0099
http://www.t-rex-bbq.com/

BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN - Southern Cooking Comes to West Oakland

Beignets @ Brown Sugar Kitchen

Oakland’s bad girl reputation was something I spent much of my youth refuting. Even now, I can hear myself explaining my hometown to others who pictured her a squalid, dangerous crime-ridden blight on San Francisco’s shiny image. An image that could be envied, apparently from a nice, safe distance across the Bay. Travelers felt San Francisco was the place to be, not Oakland. Yet I insisted they were wrong. Oakland had her charms. She was pretty, with a lovely natural lake in the center of town, she had verdant green hills. She was a nice place to live, with her sleepy streets and homes rich in architectural history, including Art Deco, Victorian, Beaux Arts, — period revivals of Italian Renaissance, Spanish Eclectic, and English cottage. Oakland wasn’t at all how they pictured her, I insisted. They should just give her a chance.

For years my hometown’s image remained eclipsed by that Glittering City by the Bay that lay just over the Bay Bridge, the one where all the tourists would leave their hearts. Oakland’s grimy reputation as its slattern little step-sister grew, strengthened by her struggling economy and waning business districts. Oakland sat on the wrong and dangerous side of that big bridge waiting like a wallflower at a dance waits for attention, her questionable reputation keeping suitors at a distance. Low expectations kept too many from exploring her streets, experiencing her landscapes, or exposing themselves to her wealth of cultures and vibrant history. But that was then. Brown Sugar Kitchen is now.

The 1989 quake took down the Cypress Structure that ran through West Oakland, leveling the freeway and ending lives. It was horrific. But that quake opened a door. The citizens of the neighborhood stood up and demanded that Oakland acknowledge them, allowing the area around Cypress Street to be re-imagined and renamed Mandela Parkway. Out of the ugly, the depressing, the smothered— came something new and alive and very, very Oakland.

Bar-be-Que Shrimp
Mouthwatering!

In fact, the times they are more than “a changing.” Now Oakland herself stands erect and head held high she too demands acknowledgment. She is a City on the verge of a serious rebirth. She’s got game. Her foodie scene is impressive and varied, rivaling that of her Big Sister. New restaurants pop up everywhere, and these eateries offer fare that easily matches what can be had in that “other” city on the water, and while some of them may seem to have appeared out of nowhere — they didn’t. Oakland has been working for quite some time to redefine herself. City leaders have courted new businesses, and her restauranteurs not only have a point of view, they have attitude. Be they saloon, bistro, café or white-table-clothed restaurant, these eateries are all young and hip and spirited, possessing a sense of artistry and passion unique to the city of my birth. One among the best of these is the Brown Sugar Kitchen, a lively breakfast and lunch spot located right there along Mandela Parkway in West Oakland. Yeah, you heard me.

Cornbread
Brown Sugar Kitchen

When she arrived in Oakland, BSK’s owner/chef Tanya Holland brought with her an “imagination de cuisine” that is uniquely her own. Informed by her African-American heritage, a lifetime of exposure to a broad variety of foods and her classical training in France, she has seen the inside of many of the world’s best kitchens, resulting in food with a deeply inspired background that goes well beyond “Soul Food” into something transformative.

Her menu is essentially Southern, her dishes all prepared with that incomparable hospitality of spirit that is the defining component of Southern cooking and Soul Food. There is a deep tradition in African-American kitchens to express love with food and Tanya speaks this language fluently, in simple flavors and without pretense. Her cooking is authentic, and it is delicious. I swear I could taste the love in every bite. Those who line up on any given day to compete for a table and a meal apparently agree.

Fried Chicken & Cornmeal Waffle

We began our meal with an order of beignets, on the menu as a lunch special on the day we were there. Now I know beignets, having just returned from a lovely junket to New Orleans, where they can be found in abundance and variety. Brown Sugar’s were lighter than a traditional beignet, fluffy and airy as little fried sugar clouds. Fresh and hot from the fryer, they melted on the tongue almost as readily as cotton candy. The powdered sugar sprinkled generously over the square donuts, blending nicely with the traces of hot grease from the fryer. Hallelujah!

Brown Sugar Kitchen's
Gumbo

I then experienced a gumbo unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. Gumbos I’ve tried elsewhere are generally fatty, with a heavy broth. Not so at BSK. The broth was light, not at all greasy and much to my delight not overly laden with okra. What fat it contained was flavorful, adding to the richness of the tastes. Its flavors were abundant and complimentary, each ingredient working with the others to make a perfection of a whole. The vegetables within had lovely textures, with an unanticipated happy little crunch in every bite, nothing overcooked here. Delightfully spiced, there was just enough pepper to get my attention, but not so much as to overwhelm anyone less spice-happy than I. Savory, strong — perfection.

Cornbread is one of my biggest weaknesses. I cannot resist good cornbread, and Brown Sugar’s cornbread is buttery and savory, with a nice, grainy texture against the tongue. Half the pleasure of cornbread is that texture, the unmistakable coarseness that is the character of the grain itself. I prefer a hearty cornmeal, one that hasn’t been ground so much that it is almost flour. This bread still had personality, and lent itself well to enhance the other dishes. But I will get to that in a moment.

Macaroni & Cheese

The Better Half tried their Cornbread Waffle & Fried Chicken combo. BSK’s Cornbread Waffle is an extremely popular dish. It’s reputation was one of the reasons we tried the restaurant. Having heard many positive advance reviews from patrons, we were assuming it would be tasty, but once I tasted it, I realized the reviews had not done it justice. The cornbread waffle at Brown Sugar may quite simply be the best waffle I have ever tasted. It had a lovely primitive texture to it, there was something comforting and earthy about this hearty chew of a waffle. A welcome departure from the soft, doughy version one might get elsewhere, these were an adventure. I am always impressed at human ingenuity in all of its forms, and imagination in cooking will stop me in my tracks every time.

I had Bar-B-Que Shrimp. The seafood itself was moist, they were fairly big crustaceans, all languishing in a traditional black butter sauce. The sauce itself was peppery hot, herbs and spices swimming in a pool of butter, with a bit of fried spinach laid over fluffy basmati rice.  The airy basmati was a nice departure from a heavier, more traditional rice, and it allowed the butter to be absorbed and eaten while taking a back seat to the flavor of the shrimp. Smart choice. And that cornbread came in handy here for soaking up the lip-smacking sauce.  Each shrimp was easily peeled, the thin shell rolling back neatly to reveal the fluffy pink meat beneath— moist and juicy, each mouthful covered in tangy, spicy sauce. Biting into these mounds of tender butter-coated shrimp was like experiencing the cheery pop of a cherry tomato, as the flavors inside explode right into your mouth. In my mind Bar-B-Que Shrimp are the crown jewel of southern cooking.

Blackened Catfish

Our dining companion sampled Brown Sugar’s Blackened Catfish, which he was extremely pleased with. He found the fish well-cooked, it’s exterior coated with a nice spice-laden heat, the inside of the fish fillet smoky and soft. The Better Half ordered the Fried Chicken as his main, and he reported it a good solid fried chicken. Not as remarkable as the waffles perhaps, but moist and crunchy in all the right places. Overall a definite success.

As a side to my meal I also had the Mac & Cheese, which was creamy and mild. Given the complexity of the Bar-be-Qued Shrimp, I felt it may have been a deliberate choice to allow the macaroni and cheese to remain such a simple dish, that it might serve as almost a palate cleanser between bites of the spicier items on the menu.

The food here is cooked with ample care and creativity, as well as an abundance of skill. I say make it a point to get there and check it out. As always ~ bon appetit!

Open from 7 - 3pm, they serve a menu that is a breakfast lunch combo all day.

Brown Sugar Kitchen

2534 Mandela Parkway
Oakland, CA 94607-1727

(510) 839-7685

http://www.brownsugarkitchen.com/

http://www.tanyaholland.com/

EVERETT & JONES - Classic BBQ in an Oakland Institution

Or maybe anwhere else. But you all already knew that. So I won't do the sell you on the BBQ speech. What I will do is let you know that I've discovered a nice little treat there. Something a bit healthier than straight BBQ ribs or chicken, with all the flavor and heat of the original.



The ribs are amazing, and so is the BBQ chicken, but with all the potato salad and the cornbread, they're not exactly diet food. But a friend of mine (our PFC) showed me a little trick. They've got something here they call the BBQ chicken salad and if one orders a bit of hot sauce, along with the standard bit of dressing (I like Ranch with the BBQ sauce) it's a hot, tasty, treat without the calories of a full plate of Bar-b-que. So that's my little tip. It's become a lunchtime staple.



However, if you would prefer the standard fare, E&J still serves up the most amazing, well-cooked and delicious ribs anywhere on the planet. They may not be the only style, and some prefer the dryer kind of ribs, but none are better, and their hot sauce is HOT!

As always, Bon Appetit!

Everett & Jones
126 Broadway (2nd Street)
Oakland, CA 94617
510-663-2350
http://www.eandjbbq.com/

Price: Inexpensive - Reasonable
Dining time: this totally depends on service, which while really friendly can be slow, probably because ribs take such a long time to prepare, and if they run out right after you arrive, the next batch can be awhile. Still a great place for lunch, so if you care, ask before being seated.
Table size: More than adequate for food served.