Cafe Biere (Emeryville)

Saturday Date Night: March 19, 2011 @ 6:30 PM

Cafe Biere can be best described a sweet neighborhood gastropub.

The stormy weather and plan to see a movie down the street at Emery Bay brought us to Cafe Biere.

Faced with the possibility that our Saturday Date Night might be at one of the chain restaurants like PF Chang, Elephant Bar and California Pizza Kitchen, I consulted Yelp and found Cafe Biere.

DECOR:
And what a sweet find! The outside was charming and looked like a cute little French bistro. When we walked in, I went "Oh!" The interior was very small, probably 500 sq ft small. Dark with low ceilings. 3 bar type high tables and booth and few more battered tables for seating. On a beautiful day, you can dine al fresco under the heatlamps.

SERVICE:
I was expecting a classy French bistro but there was nothing fancy about Cafe Biere but instead it was cozy, homey and relaxed. Our server was probably the owner. He was very friendly and joked with me, "No beer, no food" when I told him no beer for us. We had a friendly banter when I told him, "Okay, give me San Miguel, then." He was confused for a little bit until I told him that San Miguel is a Filipino beer. They have a huge beer selection on tap but no San Miguel which I will be very surprised if they have it.

SOCIAL SCENE:
The place was packed with groups of beer-drinking friends, couples and even family with a small kid. It was bustling for being a small place. Most people were drinking beer, having fun and playing board games which were provided by the restaurant. The people were planted on the spot imbibing and playing board games without ever being rushed.

APPETIZER:
For starters, Enrique and I shared the FRITO MISTO (Fried calamari with house made beer butter, bell pepper, fennel, and red onions) $10
* Well-seasoned and yummy but very greasy! It came with deep-fried veggies, spinach and battered calamari.

MAINS:
OYSTER PO BOY (Fried oyster, coleslaw and fries) $13
* I was afraid that my po boy would be as greasy and thinking about it made feel sick. Surprisingly, it was not. It was very flavorful with nice-tasting coleslaw.

HAMBURGER for Enrique with extra order of mozzarella on ciabatta.
* And surprisingly, he loved this non-traditional hamburger in a non-traditional bun. He said his hamburger was actually juicy and very good!

Our orders came with REGULAR FRIES/SWEET POTATO FRIES.
* Enrique who is a big carnivore hates fried food but he told me "I can just eat these fries all day!" That's a huge compliment. The fries were not greasy at all, perfectly seasoned without being salty and crispy without being dry. Very nice! I could not stop eating mine either.

Tab: $49 including 1 Diet Coke and 20% tip.

OVERALL;
1. Great friendly unpretentious service.
2. Good selection of bar bites (fish and chips, burgers, potato cheese balls, etc.) and big plates like Chilaquiles Rojas, Fish Stew, Steak and Eggs, etc.
3. GINORMOUS PORTIONS! I ordered sweet potato fries as apps but the server told me not to and gave them to me as sides to my po boy. He was not kidding! The portions were huge and a doggy bag was inevitable!
4. GOOD FOOD! For a tiny bar, this place serves amazingly good food that can compete with the fancier restaurants in the Bay Area

Cafe Biere is going to be our pre-movie dinner spot in Emeryville. And I wil definitely order beer or mimosa next time.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 3 Stars
Definitely worth checking out again.
                                                                          

 Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Luna Park

Saturday Date Night: March 12, 2011 @ 5:30 PM

How to describe Luna Park:

CUISINE: American Comfort Food

MUSIC: Loud alternative rock/hip hop "Gorrilaz"

AMBIANCE:
* Hip, chic and dark
* Date night or gal-bonding worthy

DECOR:
* Red Burgundy Walls
* Cute teardrop chandeliers
* Long contemporary bar
* Dark hardwood tables and bences
* Soft comfy booths

SERVICE: Friendly, relaxed and efficient server and busboy

VALUE:
* One of the most affordable dinners in town
* $20 or less per plate

We had the following:

Anchor Steam MUSSELS with Kielbasa, Fresno Chiles, Basil, and French Fries $13.50:
* The mussels were okay. It could have been more garlicky. The chilies added a layer of extra flavors. The broth were too salty even when I tried to eat it with bread. (Crusty bread would have been the perfect match but theirs is more of the soft kind.)

BRAISED SHORT RIBS with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Horseradish Sauce 19.50:
* Enrique really liked his short ribs. He said it was good although not as good as my braised short ribs. (I slow-cook my short ribs for 10 hours or more.) He said his were tender and flavorful.

FRESH PARPADELLE, House-Made Pomodoro, Buffalo Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Grilled Bread $13.50 ($4 more for prawns).
* For a simple dish, it was not bad! The house-made pomodoro stood apart from its canned version. Fresh and tasty but once again on the salty side. The prawns were overly-charred to the point they were dry and burnt. It ruined the taste of what could have been a nice pasta.

Chocolate Chip BREAD PUDDING with Chocolate Chip Ice Cream $7.95
* Generous portion of gooey and dense comfort goodness. Yummy!

TAB: $80 including tax, 20% tip and an iced tea.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 3.5 Stars


A sweet neighborhood spot for dinner and drinks. Luna Park serves dishes that are familiar and comforting but on the more gourmet level. But just like many restaurants, they committed the mortal sin of being too heavy-handed with the salt grinder. Salt does not equal flavors, guys.

Luna Park still offers one of the best values in town in a chic, hip and classy atmosphere. It has been around for over a decade and I am sending Luna Park my best wishes for few decades more.

I would not hesitate to go back in a heartbeat.

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Brazen Head

Saturday Date Night: February 26, 2011 @ 6:30 PM

Entering The Brazen Head is like entering Harry Potter's world. To me it resembled The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, and I almost expected Hagrid to burst in through the door any minute, and for the portraits on the wall to start talking to one another.


On a more mature level, The Brazen Head is speakeasy-ish, intimate and romantic. It is very dark, mysterious with an air of old-world charm to it. It is nestled among the residential part and few blocks away from the upscale shopping strip of the Marina district.

The place is only lit by a table lamp on each table. You could barely see the people around you. Dark but not perfect enough for clandestine affairs--so do not get any ideas! The place is loud and the tables are placed so close together.

The bar was packed more than the dining area. The place was classy but has more of a down to earth feel to it. The servers were friendly and very efficient.

We saw people having drinks and ordering few appetizers than eating dinner. Some just had few rounds of cocktails and/or lingering around over few bottles of wine.

Enrique and I went for dinner.

DARK AND STORMY: I thought it was only appropriate to choose this drink because the room was dark.  It had rum and ginger, I think. All I remember was that it was strong and not  very sweet. Well-made and I liked it!

1/2 DZ CHILLED OYSTERS $12: Very sweet and fresh. The only complaint I have is they gave us one oyster that almost had no meat in it. They could have discarded that one. We felt like they gypped us one $2 oyster.

BONELESS RIBEYE STEAK $29: 14oz. Certified Angus Beef, Herb Beurre Compose.
Enrique is very happy with his dish, and he is very picky when it comes to his steak. He enjoyed every bit and said the meat was tender and flavorful.

COLOSSAL PRAWN SCAMPI $19: Sauteed lemon, white wine and cream. Oh so deliscious! 4 big plump prawns in nice well-balanced sauce. I wish there were 6 prawns instead of 4 then it would have been a perfect portion for me.

CHEESE CAKE: It was okay and a good way to end a wonderful dinner!

Tab: About $90 including 20 % tip and Diet Coke.

PARKING: Very difficult but we found parking after driving around the block twice.

MIDNITE NOSH: Open until 1 am. Perfect for a romantic late night dinner or nightcap.


FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 4.5 STARS
A sweet neighborhood spot. A great place to grab a drink or two or even have dinner after a day of shopping at the Marina. Unique and classy ambiance. Perfect for a fun and romantic dinner. If we are in the area, we will definitely return.

Key:
0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)

Mariscos La Costa

Saturday Date Night: March 4, 2011 @ 5PM

We were too cold and too lazy to drive to the City. The weather was making me crave huge servings of Mexican comfort food of rice, beans, fish and tortilla. So Enrique and I decided to explore the funky and fun Fruitvale Avenue/International Boulevard in East Oakland.

Being the date night planner, Mariscos La Costa was my venue of choice for this date night.

Not a food truck. Not quite a restaurant.

At first glance, Mariscos La Costa resembles a fastfood takeout joint. Instead of burger and fries, you'll get cocktail seafood in a cup, burritos, tortas and tacos.

Mariscos is as authentic as it gets. The customers consist of immigrant Latino folks and families. Being the only Asian at that moment, I got some curious but friendly glances.

Ordering consists of walking up to the window of this brick building in East Oakland after parking our car in the private parking lot. I am very thankful for my un poquito español, we were able to comfortably order from the Spanish only menu board.

There was really no dining room except for a tarp-covered seating area with the school cafeteria style tables.

There were no big dinner plates on the menu that I was craving but they have a good selection of COCTELES (cocktails). They have all kinds of cocteles: coctel de camarones (shrimp), pescado (fish), pulpo (octopus) or combination of all these. Being a seafoodtarian, I felt like I hit the jackpot!

Except for the cocktails which were $7.50 for regular and $13 for large, everything else on the menu was priced at $1 to $4. Enrique and I were so thrilled to look at the prices and we went crazy!

He went for the meat and I went for the seafood.

FIRST ROUND: ($13 including a Diet Coke and Horchata)
Taco Carne Asada + Quesadilla de Carne Asada + Tostada Ceviche de Camaron+ Tostada Ceviche de Pescado + Horchata

SECOND ROUND: ($15 before tip)
(We were on a mission to stuff our faces. Plus hey, it's super-cheap!)
Coctel de Camaron + Quesadilla de Camaron + Lengua Tacos

VERY DELICIOUS:
COCTEL DE CAMARON: Came with a couple of crunchy tostadas, it was full of plump good-sized shrimp in complex room-temperature broth of tomatoes and chili; came with avocado, chopped onions and cucumber. We shared this dish and we both agreed that this dish is a winner! Cocktail is a simple easy dish but when not done right, it tends to be watered-down. This one is very flavorful with the right spices!

TOSTADAS (CAMARON/PESCADO): The tostadas were packed on top and spilling over with seafood and full of nice spices. I honestly could not tell apart which was which. They tasted the same and I covered mine with hot sauces (my bad!) Yummy and without the fishy taste.

LENGUA TACO/CARNE ASADA TACOS: These tongue and beef tacos were tender and delicious according to my guy.

GOOD:
QUESADILLA DE CAMARON: This was not on the menu. The quesadillas offered are all meat but my guy asked the server to make me this for me and they happily obliged. A hefty quesadilla loaded with shrimp and falling out of the flour tortilla in every bite! Just like what my guy thought about his quesadilla, it was delicious but this resembled a burrito more than a quesadila. Not "tightly" fried, not much cheese but more crema, the fillings were loose. Yummy but I wanted my cheesy, slightly greasy, packed quesadilla.

OKAY:
HORCHATA: I washed my spicy meal down with this traditional Mexican rice drink with cinnamon. Cold with nice hint of cinnamon, it was too sweet for my taste.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 4.75 STARS
1. Super-cheap and the best value in town with free parking.
2. The seafood cocktails are the "MUST ORDER" at Mariscos La Costa.
3. You can go to a restaurant with solid walls and roof but sitting at the tarp-covered dining area adds fun and uniqueness to the dining experience. Some folks ate their food in their car. Now, isn't that romantic?!

Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)