TRUE BURGER, True Love



Nuff Said.

It was a cold and windy December day. The BH and I were hungry, but the weather outside was horrible, and work was busy. (Have I mentioned we work together?) The idea of driving anywhere in the rain and chill simply did not outweigh the lost time. We fretted. What would we do for lunch (both quite hungry now, and getting hungrier). Then the proverbial lightbulb came on. A solution made itself known. We recalled that which lay just outside the back door of our office, beckoning with it’s easy goodness — True Burger!

True Burger is a newish hamburger joint on Grand Avenue in Oakland, right across from the massive glass Cathedral. It used to be a Mom & Pop Café, the sort of place that serves, breakfast, BLT’s and burgers, but one day it was just closed. Vanished. Gone. The windows gone dark and the furnishings missing or stacked forlornly against the wall. Then about two weeks later it reopened as True Burger to much buzz. Rumors that it was a West Coast version of Manhattan’s Shake Shack abounded. Talk was that the purveyors of these fine burgers had made their way to Grand via Baywolf on Piedmont. The new(ish) Oakland restauranteur dance. Noone these days who opens a restaurant doesn’t come from another one, seems like they spawn one another.

Now if you’ve never been to Shake Shack in Manhattan (a gem that is well worth the long wait in lines around the block for the cheesy fries alone) you can’t compare. But I have and I do. True Burger is definitely the real deal.

There is something universally appealing about a hamburger. Quintessentially American, the burger has been reinvented and reimagined almost to death, and yet it prevails in it’s beefy simplicity, beckoning us to partake. We all know how we like ours. Some of us have to have cheese. Others prefer none. Some like catsup, some only mustard. However you like yours, it is, for most of us at least, a ritual preference as consistent as or names. We Americans are kinda OCD about our burgers. I like mine with cheese and bacon (of course), and when the hips allow, french fries (skinny ones).

True Burger’s burgers are simple perfection. Moist beefy patties, my cheese melted like a hug over the beef and the bacon a crispy winter coat. If one desires, TB offers a plethora of side dishes like chili and (but of course) cheesy fries.

I don’t eat a lot of beef, but there are days when nothing else will satisfy. On those days, True Burger is just the ticket. Completely American, perfectly delicious. With all the trimmings imaginable, including marvelously flavored shakes. I had the toasted marshmallow, a creamy caramelized perfection. My full belly was happy for hours.



Burnt Marshmallow & Chocolate Shakes!



Check it out for yourself, if you are in the mood for a juicy slice of American history, a True Burger will definitely hit the spot.  As always, Bon Appetit!

True Burger
146 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA  94612
(510) 208-5678
http://www.trueburgeroakland.com/

900 GRAYSON - Yesterday's Diner, Today's Food.

Deep into Berkeley, running perpendicular to the waterway that forms the edge of the Estuary between Berkeley and the Bay, is where one will find Grayson Street. From the time I was old enough to swim I spent almost every Wednesday of every summer at the Sacramento River Delta, boating and waterskiing with my father. When I was fifteen, he began to bring along a young student of his, who also happened to be an apprentice pizza-maker. The student, whose name was Carl, worked for my uncle Frank at his pizzeria. After these long days on the water, we would spend many a night at Ninth & Grayson, concluding our day of recreation with pizzas and drinks at my Uncle Frank’s Pizzeria. It was called Granata’s.

As we drove to check out 900 Grayson — the scenery becoming more and more familiar — it was these old memories that were flooding my consciousness. They flew through my head as though the streets themselves were rushing me back in time, back to Granata’s and scenes of my youth.  I suddenly remembered vividly the glass-encased viewing window between the bar and the restaurant where Carl and Uncle Frank would show off their dough-tossing skills for me and my little sister; the big circular leather booth in the corner of the bar where my father held court with my sister and I, yelling “Hey Paisan” at passing Italian brethren; the crunch of the crust and the flavor of lovely green peppers and mushrooms melted into hot, gooey cheese. Being out with my father was an amazing feeling for a kid. Eating at Granata’s always felt like home. Mostly because it was.

It was with these overwhelming feelings of nostalgia swirling around in my brain, that I arrived at 900 Grayson. Unlike Granata’s it was certainly not a pizzeria, nor did it possess an oppressively dark interior and sixties-evoking red leather booths. Instead the restaurant that is 900 Grayson was a lovely little unassuming structure, like a tiny gingerbread house, sitting on the corner of Seventh and Grayson Streets in Berkeley. The interior was also light, airy, very Berkeley, with loads of clean simple wood and a very casual, but well thought out design scheme. It looked like we’d stepped right into grandma’s kitchen. Or a homey fifties diner, absent much of the chrome and with more bleached wooden tables. Either way, I was hungry and ready to make new memories with food.

The place is very, very small. So if you are going in for lunch, get there early or be prepared to wait. If you’ve got the time, it’s worth the journey. The fare is simple, fresh and well prepared.

I began by ordering a Chai latte, non fat. It was cold and I was in need of some warming up. They brought this lovely big homey cup of tea, with that wonderful cinnamon-laced taste of Chai and oodles of foam. It was perfect.

One of us ordered a cocktail, the Tequila Aquatic Sunburst (ironically named after the water, which is where my mind was). They do not have a full liquor license, so this drink is made with a grape based tequila. I couldn’t tell the difference, it had an agave taste to it. I found the cocktail really fresh and I loved the citrus tang.

Before they brought our mains we ordered some Shoestring Onions as an app of sorts. They were something delectable. Thin, perfectly fried, crunchy with a well-cooked onion in the center of the batter that was melty goodness. Sometimes the onions in fried onion rings can be stringy, and if not cooked well enough, they’re tough. This can make a filling that is out of sync with the fried outer shells, so they can’t really be eaten as one tasty bite. This was not the case here. These fried onion strings were out of this world. They had a nice Sri Racha dipping aioli along side them that was likewise delicious.

The grad student had the Stone Soup, (a clever little touch, from the book of the same name, which at 900 Grayson means soup that changes daily). Today it was squash. She found it to her liking, not too sweet, the savory seasonings melting into the sweetness of the pureed squash.

I ordered a Lady Boy Salad, with Prawns. It was a lovely fresh concoction of Lemongrass-Kaffir Lime Prawns, Mango, Daikon, Carrots, English Cucumber & Rice Noodles Fresh Basil & Mint, Sambal Vinaigrette Dressing, Toasted Rice Powder, Micro Tatsoi Greens. The colors all blended on the plate to give a sense of attractive lightness to the dish. The mango and citrus-tart leafy greens all went well together, and the dressing on the prawns had a nice Asian flair to it. Tasty

The grad student and our PFC shared the Pulled Pork and the Burger, which they ordered rare. The pork was good, but they felt it might have been stewed rather than smoked. Not a huge deal, but smoked does give it a more robust flavor, forcing more seasoning down into the meat itself.

The Burger was rare, having been cooked correctly. The bacon on the burger was chewy and rendered properly, the entire affair had plenty of cheese melted all over it. They enjoyed both.

The piece de resistance at this place is a dish called the Demon Lover, which is essentially fried chicken & waffles. One is given a choice of sweet syrup or a thick country gravy. The BH is a savory meat kinda guy, so he went with the gravy.

The food here is fresh. Can’t use the word enough, because it’s obviously an emphasis of the management. The food sources are purchased locally, and everything, or almost everything here, will gladly be rendered vegan or vegetarian upon request. Many dishes have versions that will easily accommodate the vegan/vegetarian appetite already listed on the menu.

It’s a nice place. Cozy. Welcoming. Intimate. A lovely little diner for the new age of food. Check it out for yourself. Bon Appetit!
 
900 Grayson

900 Grayson Street
Berkeley, CA 94710-2618
(510) 704-9900
http://www.900grayson.com/

Dining time: except for any wait, service was plenty swift
Noise Level: TWO BELLS - Can talk easily

SIDEBAR Oakland ~ Lawyers who Lunch

Another day finds me on yet another search for food adventure.  Always on the hunt for new Oakland eateries (particularly those near my office that offer lunch) I came across today's target, Sidebar.

Sidebar is a relatively new Gastropub currently occupying the site that formerly housed Trio Bistro and Grill, on Grand Avenue, right between Coach Sushi and Zza's Pizzeria.    More interesting to me on this venturing out, was the history of the site.  Before it was Trio, it was an amazing French Bistro called La Brasserie.  Both restaurants had essentially the same ownership.  I never went to Trio, but I spent a lot of time at La Brasserie.  Roger Martin was a delightful and handsome Frenchman who hosted the guests.  In the years I frequented his establishment, I grew exceedingly fond of him.  His wife, Kim, was the chef, and always in the kitchen.  She was however, perhaps one of the best chefs I had ever come across.  This was 1978, a time when more restaurants had fry cooks than chefs, never mind female chefs, and Kim could easily hold her own against many chefs of today.  She was just that good.  I can still taste the  perfection her Coquilles St. Jaques. I have yet to taste its equal.  So hats off to the Martin family.  Wherever you are, know you made an lasting and wonderful impression on those of us who appreciate the ritual fo dining.

This is what is on my mind when we arrive at Sidebar.  The amazing food-karma history of the place smacks me in the face when we enter.  It is of course, different now.  Nice different, with a large open almost circular bar filling the center of the space.  Modern different, with hipster decorations and a youngish vibe.  But nothing off-putting.  This is what happens when you live in one place for a long time.  Things change.  It's the way.  But I'm here and I'm hungry.  So I shake off the Ghosts of Restaurants Past, sit down at a table an give the menu my undivided attention. 

First up, the drinks menu.  They have a nice cocktail menu, most offerings varieties of standards from different decades around the country, recipes from different bartenders.  This menu has a lovely little twist: they have a "Classicist" version of each drink, with what one might call the more 'expected' ingredients, and a "Locavore" version, which is a spin on those ingredients that is all found locally or made in-house.  I ordered the Clover Club which came in two 'flavors' as well.  I requested the Locovore version, intrigued by the idea of House-made Grenadine.  Next time I'll try the raspberry syrup. [Classicist:  Gin, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, and egg white. Old Waldorf Bar Days, Albert Stevens Crockett (1931); Locavore: No. 209 Gin, House-made Grenadine, Meyer lemon juice, and egg white.]   I loved the presentation.  The drink was fluffy, light, and gently sweet, (a bit like a traditional Ramos Fizz), but with a strong kick of gin to keep it from being overly saccharine.  It was splendid.  My Better Half had a Castle Harbor Special, he had the Locovore version as well, which was billed as Charbay Rum, Small Hands Pineapple Gum, and House-made Grenadine, and lime juice. [Classicist: White Rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine. The Gentlemen's Companion, Charles H. Baker (1946)]

At Sidebar, the bread served is Acme.  They offer those big sourdough twists, that can be taken apart into separate mini-rolls.  This is my favorite sourdough --- I first had them at Luka's Taproom.  The crust is crunchy perfection without being dry, with that soft aerated center that can be peeled away to reveal even more crust. Gotta say we could have used a  bread plate though, but we were given nothing but the bare tables.  Not a critical flaw, just odd and a bit messy.

I think we all ordered the Potato Leek Soup it was cold out, and we were chilled to the bone.  It was served piping hot, a velvety cream of potato that tasted like French Onion Soup. It's consistency was good, it had body and a hint of texture, but remained creamy and satisfying.  The flavor was excellent, an oniony blend of caramelized leek and potato.

I shared two dishes with our PFC.  We had the Jambalaya a blend of Andouille sausage, shrimp, mussels, clams & basmati rice.  Being a fan of true New Orleans food, particularly authentic Jambalaya, I was at the same time apprehensive and excited to try what might be a find.  Real Jambalaya closer to home!  When it arrived it was in no way a letdown.  A spicy, seafood-laden dish, perfectly seasoned, rice awash in a  flavorful sauce.

PFC & I also shared the Roast Pork Sandwich, which was described as seasoned and sliced pork with gruyere and ham. It came with a side of jicama slaw, a well-pickled vinegary affair that when layered onto the sandwich with the jalapeno relish, made it all somewhat similar to a Banh Mi. The soft warm bread over the tender pork meat, , the salty ham blanketed in a thin layer of cheese.  The final perfect touch the sweet, hot kiss of the jalapeno relish.

The Better Half enjoyed his Monte Cristo Sandwich, a lovely concoction of  Niman Ranch applewood smoked ham, smoked turkey, and gruyere which was essentially a "just like mom used to make" grilled cheese, but with a flair all their own.  It had a nice little seasonal compote on the side and he seemed to love it. 

Since we were so pleased with the food at this point, we opted to order a dessert.  There were several choices that appealed, but I was drawn to the Cornmeal Pound Cake.  I won, and noone was sorry I did.  The cake was absolutely stellar.  Now, I must preface this with my love of sweet corn. I love cornbread.  I love sweet white summer corn. Really really love it.  So, that said, this dish was amazing.  It had the texture of a medium rough cornbread, moist and dense like a pound cake on the inside and a touch crunchy on the outer, all imbued with the taste of butter.  Really an inspired take on an old standard.  Add mascarpone whipped cream and voila!

We will most definitely return, and soon.  If you find yourself in the neighborhood, you should check it out, and as always Bon appetit!

Sidebar
542 Grand Avenue

Oakland, CA

(510) 452-9500

http://www.sidebar-oakland.com/

Dining time: easily back in an hour

Table size: adequate, maybe just a tad small

Noise level: was okay for us, but with all that wood and windows, it might possibly be too loud for some

Cost: Moderate

LUKA's TAPROOM & PUB - an Oakland Tradition re-imagined

When I was a kid, the corner of West Grand Avenue and Broadway contained an old Hofbrau. It was one of those places that seemed to have been there forever. Serving timeless things like turkey with gravy and jello. Okay, maybe jello isn't so timeless, but still. I remember there was a full bar and people smoked inside, including my father. Yeah, see, now you're getting just how old this place was. Anyone still remember when patrons would smoke inside a restaurant? It was an Oakland fixture, but like so many things in Oakland, it went the way of the DoDo. Extinct. Closed. Gone.

So a number of years ago (around 2003) Rick Mitchell opened Luka's Taproom where the Hofbrau used to be. It retained a lot of the feel of the space, and many of the fifties-era style fixtures still adorn the large salon / pool room in the back of the restaurant. But the jello was definitely gone. Rick is also the owner of Franklin Square Wine Bar and he is a master of his game. All of his establishments have both an identity and an attention to detail that I find extremely impressive. He's also a really nice guy.

Luka's was well-received on its opening, greeted with excellent reviews and rapidly full of returning patrons. Now, almost seven years later, it is going strong, without having lost a step. An Oakland fixture, it's the place to go for concerts, and a fun and happening place during happy hour (or so I'm told). Actually, the BH and I had to drop by one night while waiting for a flat tire to be repaired and we had a few drinks. Luka's was full and lively and the drinks were really amazing. They have a full bar at Luka's (as opposed to Franklin Square's Wine & Beer only setup) and the bartenders are good! I'm a big fan of the new "mixology" and they mixed up some delicious libations on the evening in question. Even their non-alcoholic beverages are special. Pictured are a Raspberry Lime Spritzer and a Pomegranate Lemonade, which are offered at lunch daily. Yum!

As for the food, we eat there a lot. (They serve ACME bread!) Last week we had lunch there and I decided it was time to include them in the blog. I sort of forgot them because they are such an obvious inclusion. But their number finally came up, so to speak.

We started with an order of their fries. When they first opened, Luka's rapidly got a name for their French Fries with a trio of sauces. They are served in a milkshake tin, with three dipping sauces. The first is a paprika ketchup, spicy and subtle. The next is an herb aioli, sort of a rich herby mayo, but not oily at all. The last is a chipotle aioli. Smoky and rich. All are tasty, but the herb aioli is usually gone long before the other two in my group.

I usually order a salad here and they are great. The beet salad with goat cheese is one of my faves. But today I ordered the Mac N' Cheese as a special treat. It is among the best I have ever had. It's a combination of four cheeses melted perfectly over pasta prepared al dente. Just enough chewiness to counteract the liquidity of the cheese. The top of the macaroni has a baked on crunchy 'crust' of breadcrumbs ~ the dish can be ordered with (or without) bacon, but I highly recommend adding the pig. They serve the dish with side of the most perfectly cooked green beans. Crunchy and layered with garlic. Yum! Seriously, if you like a good mac n' cheese, I dare you not to find theirs perfect. Just like mom used to make, only WAY better!!

My BH ordered Bourride, which was a special on that day's menu. He loved it. I'm not a big shellfish eater (other than scallops or lobster. Does lobster even count?) but I can tell a good sauce when I taste one. They do mussels here daily, and they do them well. Fresh seafood in a lovely clear broth flavored with garlic or onion or herbs or a mixture of several. Delish! The Bourride was chock-full of mussels, shrimp, all of his favorite crustacean goodies. I just gotta say they should invent a full body suit for some folks when they eat a good fish soup, ya know?

Our Partner in Food Crimes was not as lucky. He ordered a steak medium rare. It came medium well. I'm pretty sure the waitress put the order in wrong, they can sound the same, and I think she misheard the order to begin with. I would be just about anything it wasn't the kitchen. She was new, and a little cranky. Not rude or anything, but a bit defensive. I know most of the help and they know me. Usually my order is placed before I can sit down. I like that about a place, when you can feel like part of the family.

Rick came by and asked how the meal was, and our PFC let him know politely that his steak was over-cooked. Rick offered to bring out another steak done more to his liking, but we were out of time for lunch. So he offered us an apple tart with some cheddar melted into it, on the house. We gratefully took it back to the office with us, where we had a nice post-meal sweet bite.

While it's important for a restaurant to serve food well, I have to say it's just as important to be classy about making up for mistakes. Unless you are the French Laundry, no one is on their game every day, so when wires get crossed, the best a patron can hope for is that the establishment will take responsibility for their mistakes, as naturally as they take credit for their successes. I like an owner that's vested, and who tends to the clientele like extended family. Attentive, but honest, and willing to ride out the bumps. Rick is just such a guy.

Luka's serves great pub food and they do it really well. Hamburgers, Salads, Shellfood Soups of every kind. A side of fries. If you enjoy these things washed down by a beer or a great cocktail, then check it out. As always, Bon Appetit!

Luka's Taproom and Lounge

2221 Broadway

Oakland, CA 94612

510.451.4677

http://www.lukasoakland.com/

Table size: Adequate

Dining Time: If you let the wait staff know, easily out in a lunch hour.

Price: Moderate to Expensive (but worth it)

Noise level: really really hard to hear in the main room. If you want to have a conversation, see if they'll seat you in the lounge over lunch.

CAFE 15 - "Fast Food Redefined"

In my ever-widening search for new places to write about, I am trying to broaden my experiences when it comes to restaurant offerings. That should, it seemed to me, include diners and other niche establishments that don't necessarily have a full bar and plush fancy seating. Great food often comes with a great big price tag that can be hard on a family budget in this down down down economy.

People don't always need to eat high end, but food should always be fresh and healthy. I haven't had a McDonald's burger in over a year, maybe even two. My BH and I are of an age where junk food is just an all around bad idea. With the kid's grown we have time to choose our food with a little more thought to its ultimate effect on our health. If I am honest, I have to say I don't miss the Big Macs and Happy Meals, but I do miss the low prices.

So while scouring the web for a new place to take our fussy and increasingly health-conscious youngest daughter, our Partner in Food Crimes found Cafe 15, a tiny hole-in-the-wall situated between Clay Street and Jefferson, which touts itself as serving food with an emphasis on being local, organic and fresh. The on-line reviews were pretty favorable and the pictures of the food was appetizing as well. So we checked it out. My daughter ended up not being able to join us, but we headed there for lunch in the middle of last week to check it out anyway. The weather was nice, and since the place is tiny, with most of its seating outside, we figured a sunny day was the best time to risk it, just in case the crowd forced us outside into the open air.

The menu is overwhelming. Quite literally. It's huge, the whole front of the ceiling over the counter is covered with choices of delicious sandwiches, soups and salads, all of which were appealing. In addition, they had a pretty extensive list of daily specials. Burgers, Cold Sandwiches, and Salads of all sorts. It was a cacophony of food combinations. Even goat cheese abounded. Yum!

We really lucked out when the party in front of us decided to move outside, allowing us to nabbed one of the few tables indoors. We struggled with the menu for a moment, in that good way when one is presented with just too many options and the decider in your brain just won't quite settle on one thing. We finally settled on what we would choose and put in our order. While we were struggling with the menu, we had let a party go ahead of us, and I have to say the cashier/hostess really handled the situation politely and with patience. We appreciated the gesture. It was nice to be assisted by such a pleasant young woman. It's hard to always be in a hurry.

My better half and our PFC both had the Lamb Burger, and an Orange Juice. My BH also treated himself to a steaming bowl of their French Onion Soup. I ordered off the specials menu, requesting an Organic Pomegranate Salad (a blend of mixed greens, goat cheese, pears and pomegranate). The waiter brought us our meals pretty rapidly. Waiting was not a problem, it came in under five minutes. Seemed immediate.

The OJ was fresh-squeezed (although prepared and packaged before our arrival) and amazing. When an orange is perfect, its juice is too, so clearly they were using high quality fruit. Good sign. The lamb burgers were moist, having been grilled on an open flame to sear in the juices. Both my BH and our PFC commented on the meat's being done exactly as-ordered. They had both requested medium rare, and the burgers arrived perfectly tinged with pink in the middle, rather than gray all the way through as so often happens with incorrectly cooked meat.

On another note, the bread they serve here is exclusively Acme bread. Acme is one of my favorite bread vendors ever. The company is an off-shoot of the Chez Panisse legacy (Acme was the brainchild of one of their dishwashers) and is now considered to be world class. If you love good bread, you'll love Acme. The French Onion Soup was good, ingredients tasty. The BH enjoyed it, but had no specific flavor notes to add. Oddly enough, while he loves French Onion Soup, he is not a fan of onions, so ....

I think my Organic Pomegranate Salad was one of the best salads I have ever had. A big problem with many salads can be in the dressing. The greens are all too often under- or over-dressed. There does seem to be a skill for hand mixing salad that is keeping this from being a problem in current dining experiences, but I have never seen a trick such as the one employed by Cafe 15. The salad was presented almost like a calzone, with the lettuce wrapped gently around and over a beautifully-dressed thick slice of brown bread, layered with warm goat cheese and pears in the center, and dressed with a light fruity vinaigrette. Eating this salad was like working to the chocolate in the center of a tootsie-roll pop. Delicious! It took me awhile to discover that all the goodness was coming from beneath the lettuce, but the experience had this nice reverse-effect from eating most salads. Usually one eats all the goodies from the top of a salad leaving the naked lettuce to pick at for the balance of the meal. That presentation can cause me, at least, not to finish much of my lettuce. But Cafe 15's version has the lettuce come first, and each bite taken catches a bit of the goodies underneath, causing the meal to build to a crescendo, rather than bringing the diner to a disappointing finish. I ate every bite. It was really a masterpiece of a dish. And incredibly inexpensive. Brava.

This tiny little hold-in-the-wall is a must-try. The food is great, and extremely inexpensive for food of this quality. Our meals were about $10 for lunch per person. Their motto is "Fast Food Redefined" and I believe they live up to it. The servers and staff were all very polite and professional, and put up with our temporary ordering chaos with aplomb. It is really small, and tables are at a premium. I recommend you either come early, or get your food to go!

Bon Appetit!

Cafe 15

Downtown Oakland

597 - 15th Street

Oakland, CA 94612

510-891-3990

Table size: Adequate

Noise level: Tolerable

Dining time: in and out under an hour, no problem!

Cost: Inexpensive to Reasonable. Approx $10 person

WOOD TAVERN - A Home Away from Home

This is a place I've visited on a number of occasions. Every time I leave it I come away pleased. A sense of overall satisfaction. I find it a pleasing place to look at, a pleasant place to eat, a place where once the locale has charmed me, they feed me really well. I like that it's called Wood Tavern, and that the decor is like an upscale secret cabin getaway with a groovy bar. Don't get me wrong. It's not perfect. I don't mean to suggest that, it just has a sensibility I find particularly charming. Something about the design aesthetic and the presentation, that works on me on some vaguely personal level. Like I'm coming home.

So let's talk about the food, and maybe even some of the imperfections. My BH and I went with our daughter (she loves a good free meal) a week or so ago. It's convenient, since she's in grad school at Berkeley and we work in downtown Oakland. We can meet just about halfway, if we meet up just about anywhere along College Avenue. So on this occasion we met there. We began with drinks. It was a work day, but some just don't begin well, and by lunchtime I can be up for a cocktail. This was just such an occasion. The BH ordered the Cool Breeze, but I didn't find anything on the cocktail menu calling to me, so I asked the bartender if he could make me a Ramos Fizz. He did and it was amazing. It made me happy, it was a drink that actually tasted like a good mood.

We were pretty hungry so we ordered a cheese plate with drinks. The cheeseboard choices were a Fourme D'Ambert (French Cow Blue) ~ a Fleur Vert (herb encrusted goat's milk) ~ a Robiola Bosina (Italian Cow/Sheep's Milk mix) ~ Zamorano (Spanish Cow). I found the cheese delicious, particularly the Fleur Vert which was creamy and flavorful. I also found the portions a bit on the skimpy side. I'm really turned off by tiny cheese portions. When the slices are too small for a table of three to tast a mouthful of each, that's just not enough cheese. Doesn't have to be a big mouthful, but there should be sufficient cheese to go around. So that's one of the not so perfect things about Wood Tavern.

For our mains, we ordered for my BH Surf & Turf (Oregon Bay Shrimp, Proscuitto and Avocado with Romaine and a Smoked Paprika Aioli) ~ I had a Chili Ribbed Pork Roast Sandwich (with Roast Poblano Chiles, Grilled Scallion Salsa Verde, Avocado and a Romaine Aioli). Our daughter had the Duck with Wild Rice Soup and the Tomato and Arugula Salad.

I tasted the duck soup and it had an amazing broth. It was the perfect consistency, flavored with sweet corn and carrot. This soup definitely showed a master's hand. I really enjoyed my sandwich. It wasn't too spicy, the meat was moist (pork can tend towards the dry and cardboardy, this was neither). The flavors of the chiles and the onion all blended perfectly. Subtle and delicious. My husband really loved his sandwich as well, but he's never seen a shrimp or an avocado he didnt' want to make passionate love to. The addition of the prosciutto pretty much made it officially the other woman. The grad student also enjoyed her lunch, calling her salad fresh and raving about the tomatoes. So I doubt the tastiness was just the liquor talking, but hey, like I said, this place really makes me feel at home.

My family has a sweet tooth, and on this occasion although we had already lingered over drinks, they wanted dessert so I capitulated against my will. They wanted the blueberry crisp, which was ironically titled the "15-Minute Peach Blueberry Crisp" which of course prolonged the conversation about how much longer lunch was going to take. It turned up in rapid fire time, maybe five minutes after ordering and it was absolutely worth any delay. So crispy on the outside, fresh fruity goodness on the inside, that I didn't resent at all that I would have to put in an extra hour on my computer at home that night to make up the time spent over a long lunch. The ice cream gave it the perfect cold compliment to the just-out-of-the-oven warmth of the crumbling crisp. This was delicious.

Overall the food here is solidly above average to really artful. It's not perfect ~ some dishes really rock while others are just good. They know how to do fish, and they definitely know soup. Sauces are thoughtful and overall the menu offers selections for any palate. The place is welcoming, the food is well presented, and its' tasty with some really good surprises.

Bon Appetit!

Wood Tavern
6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 654-6607
http://www.woodtavern.net/

Table Size: Adequate!

Dining Time: It really depends on where you work. College is not near downtown, so there's the drive time, and the parking (which on College can be a challenge). The service is reasonably prompt & attentive, so they can get you in and out in approximately an hour unless you order something with extraordinary cooking time, but for me this place is reserved for the lengthier lunch breaks.

Price: Moderately Expensive

HENRY'S BERKELEY - Upscale Bar Food

We needed to meet my youngest at school the other day (she's in her third year at Boalt School of Law, so you know she needed a break!) and Henry's was close to campus so we thought we'd give it a try. Neither my BH nor I had been there before, and so it's facelift was lost on us, but what the heck, the menu looked interesting.

Since Henry's is an actual bar, we ordered drinks. I have become a huge fan of mixology, and am most always game to try a new concoction. So I ordered the Hot Flash which was a blend of Heiradura Reposado with muddled cilantro, mint and lime juice. The rim of the glass was covered with a jalapeno sugar that made for a serious kick when mixed with the drink, which was itself a twist on a mojito, but much much better. My BH had the Gossip Girl (I know I know) a pleasant blending of Bacardi light & dark with coconut, cranberry, orange juice & pineapple. It was pretty good, but in my opinion not as incredibly unique as mine.

The waiter was really busy, seemed to be the only staff there for lunch. I was a tad annoyed that he failed to let me know in advance they were out of the quesadillas. I had my heart set on the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Quesadillas, and would have preferred not to get in that mindset only to be disappointed. That said, I soon settled on what seemed an even better choice, a dish called the Angry Mac & Cheese which was a macaroni and cheese, with sambal olek (which if you were completely in the dark as I was, is an Indonesian chile sauce) tomato, and scallions. When it came, the macaroni was covered in a spicy, creamy, tomato sauce that had a really well blended flavoring. It was hot, and even after the jalapeno drink, I loved this dish. I love my spices and this hit that hot-wanting-spot!

We also ordered their sweet potato fries, which I found really well seasoned. I've tried this new "fry" varietal at several different restaurants and this one was the best I've had by far. Moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, they were a real treat.

My BH had the Seafood Corn Soup and a Burger, both were satisfactory, but nothing special. He's had better burgers elsewhere, but the patty was cooked properly and it wasn't drowned in bun. Our daughter had the Orriechiete Pasta which she enjoyed. I'd say the food is mostly good, but it is still a sports bar. I would definitely choose to eat here again, but I wouldn't go out of my way for the food. The drinks, however, were another story indeed....

Henry's Berkeley

2600 Durant Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94704

510-809-4132

http://www.henrysberkeley.com/

Price: Reasonable - Moderately Expensive

Dining time: probably could get out in an hour, service was overwhelmed when I was there last.

Table size: Adequate for food served

PACIFIC COAST BREWING CO. - simple food done well

As an Oakland native, I spent a lot of my formative years in what was the area adjacent to the old jail at 7th and Broadway. There was a pub there, known as Dahlke's, that my father long swore made the best French Dip sandwich on the planet. Well, Dahlke's has been a vacant building for years, our family business next to it, also no longer remains.

But that doesn't mean one can't find great pub food in downtown Oakland. Established in October of 1988, this modest establishment has long provided quality home-made beer (made in the basement of the brewery) and simple, delicious food.


My BH and I started the week off eating lunch at the pub. I ordered a new personal favorite, a dish the pub has titled the "Ploughman's Platter." It is a simple selection of two healthy slices of cheese sliced and accompanied by a choice of grilled sausage, add grilled onions and sliced apple and "voila." I like it because I'm trying to avoid a lot of starchy food, and the only carbs it offers are those found in the apple. The sausage I prefer is a spicy mango variety which is delicious. The onions are grilled perfectly in this dish, uniformly and consistently caramelized, yet still with some body and chew to them.

BH had the open-faced crab melt, which is also yummy. He ordered a side of fresh fruit, (rather than the fries pictured below) and the waiter accidentally brough fries instead, but was very speedy in rectifying the situation. (and very apologetic.) Pacific Coast offers a huge variety of beer, a warm and homey atmosphere and ---of a particularly hot summer day --- the indoor open courtyard is a welcoming place to eat.



The Pacific Coast Brewing Company also offers such treats as an authentic Shephard's Pie and a hot turkey lunch with all the trimmings on a regular basis.

If you are looking for comfort food in a nice environment, it can't be beat.

Pacific Coast Brewing Company
906 Washington Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510.836.2739

http://www.pacificcoastbrewing.com/

Price: Inexpensive
Dining Time: Easily lunchable
Table Size: More than adequate