Everett and Jones

SUNDAY FUN DATE: 08.26.12 @ 7 PM

EAT:
Under the umbrella.
At checkered  picnic table.
Sit on a long bench.
And feel like you are at a backyard barbecue indoors.

DRINK:
Water with lemon or Iced Tea out of a MASON JAR.
Or get the Saucey Sistah Ale.

SHARE:
The FOUR WAY COMBO for two.
You will get brisket, hot links, ribs and chicken.
Plus sides of candied yams, mac&cheese, collard greens, baked beansAnd cornbread with butter.

ENJOY:
The meats were flavorful inside while heavily slathered with mild, medium or hot barbecue sauce (your choice). I only wanted to eat the chicken but I ate the pork ribs by mistake  thinking it was chicken. It was good, though. Our chicken arrived not a minute later because they forgot.

I usually do not like chicken but E&J barbecue chicken was delicious! Very flavorful and not dry! Enrique ate and enjoyed all the meat.

 SKIP:
The candied yams were runny. I was disappointed.
The collard greens with pork was not as flavorful but still good.
Enrique finished the mac&cheese and cornbreads which I did not touch. Must be good.


PAY:
$29.99 for the 4-way combo
Paid $36 before tip with 1 Iced Tea

TAKE HOME:
A big thing of leftover links and brisket to enjoy again the next day.

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe (Oakland)

DATE NIGHT: JULY 4, 2012 @ 5:30 PM

Dinner Fail?  Hardly!

On a Sunday afternoon, Enrique and I just wanted a lazy, casual and tasty dinner that is also not far from the hood. Gotta support Oaktown!

Rudy's seems to be the perfect spot. At the very least, Rudy's is fun! It is a diner in the trendier-by-the-minute Uptown Oakland.

Rudy's is spacious, airy, metallic with high ceilings.

 The spinning Rudy's flat "statue" indoors is a unique work of art. Rows and rows of  Kens and Barbies sporting "I am Rudy" nametags; with some random doll morped into Joker/Zombie wannabe made Rudy unique and funky, and slightly creepy.

Think 50s diner that got lost and time travelled to 2012 and decided to stay instead of finding its way back to be-bop era.

Oh, if only! The big IF! If only I were not watching the scale I would park my behind at Rudy's for few hours and go through its sinful list of cocktails. Or at least have the ALCOHOLIC CHOCOLATE SHAKE.

So, for the sake of the waistline, I opted for BLOODY RUDY ($7.25).This drink was okay and not the best Bloody Mary that I've had and a little bit on the bitter side. But it was also strong and almost knocked the fat girl out of me.





The Carnivore  ordered ONION RINGS $5.95 and CHEESE BURGER $9.25: The onion rings were enough to feed the planet. Enrique devoured the whole thing and had the mind to leave 2 onion rings and then declared "Everything's good!"

Being an occasional pescetarian, I ordered the BUFFALO TOFU $6.95: Vegetarian version of Buffalo Wings. Instead of chicken I got a generous plate of thick-cut tofu doused with savory buffalo sauce, a side of Ranch and celery sticks. I passed up on the dressing but devoured the medium-soft tofu. I loved it and it could have been a meal in itself.

I had the CAJUN CATFISH (BLACKENED CATFISH W/ BLACK BEANS, RICE,  MANGO SALSA and AVOCADO) $12.95 as my main dish.  I usually stay away from "blackened" because what I have gotten instead in the past was "burnt." Not RDCF's version of this dish. The catfish was sweet and fresh. The crust was well-seasoned providing a nice crispy outside but juicy fish on the inside. The mango salsa was sweet but complimented the fish. The black beans were tasty but slightly oily that I did not eat it. Instead of rice, I asked for steamed veggies which were simple but crisp. A delighful meal with leftover for lunch the next day.




TOTAL: $56 including Arnold Palmer and tip

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe is a fun modern diner. A great place for not-so-greasy diner food with inventive booze to quench your thirst. Generously portioned and reasonably priced.  Service was friendly and attentive. Our drinks were refilled like clockwork. A great place to grab a pre-show meal at the Fox Theatre next door.

Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe is a new Oakland resident but with its fun and funky atmosphere, it fits right in and should be allowed to stay.

It was not such a shabby ending for me and Enrique but I will return for my Happy Endings. All I have to do is go back for the BOOZE-IN-IT, SHAKE AND FLOATS. Here are some of the items:

- Shakin' Jesse: Guinness Stout, Chocolate Ice Cream & Espresso Milkshake
- Jesse James: Our signature Shakin' Jesse Milkshake with a shot of Jameson
- The Malt Liquor: Makers Mark, Bailey's, Vanilla Ice Cream & Malt Powder
- Dr. Zenzero: Fernet, Vanilla Ice Cream & Ginger Ale Float

(Otherwise, I will just be dreaming of Rudy's until then.........)

B-Dama (Oakland)

DINNER DATE: March 3, 2012 @ 7PM

Japan is one country in Asia I have not been to yet eventhough my Filipino-Japanese loveones have been calling Japan "home" for decades. For years they have been inviting me to come and visit. They have regaled me with stories of fun drunken nights at many izakaya in their hometown of Nagoya.

An izakaya is a type of Japanese drinking establishment  which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.

Despite my very limited experience with authentic izakaya, B-Dama gave me a sense that it is the real thing. The chefs are Japanese.  Being housed in a newly built commercial building does not diminish its feel of authenticity. As soon as you walk in you will be facing a "messy" kitchen where the grilling is being done. A step down is a the tiny dining room with sushi counter that seats about 10. Dining tables are tightly packed. B-Dama is how I imagine the izakaya in Japan to be like--casual, unpretentious, homey and relaxed. Little hand-made cutout menus are pinned on the wall  in addition to separate grill, sushi, soup and drink menus at the table.  Even the sign was crudely spelled and pasted on the glass window.



Honestly, Enrique and I felt "lost" while perusing the menu.  This is not a typical sushi place which we can navigate without having to look at the menu.

I am more familiar with the concept of izakaya than Enrique so I took care of ordering the yakitori (grilled items). Most of these grilled items can be ordered  prepared with sauce or salted. He took care of the sushi/sashimi part.

We were welcomed with complimentary pickled cucumber and radishes which were very nice palate cleansers:

For the YAKITORI, we had the:

SHORT RIB AND QUAIL EGG $3.5
*Very nice and flavorful. Slightly chewy but tasty. The beef and quail complimented each other texture-wise.

CHICKEN HEART $2.5
*I tried one and it was fresh, not chewy and with just the right amount of gaminess. However, now I remember that I really do not like chicken heart even when I used to eat them as street food when I was a kid in the Philippines.

SOFT-SHELL SHRIMP $3.5
*3 fresh shrimp with shell and head still attached. You bet I ate the whole thing--head, shell and "feet" and all!

CHEF'S CHOICE 10 DEEP FRIED SKEWERS $10
*Enrique was slightly disappointed because he said it was mostly veggies with some seafood. I tasted what seemed to be "fake" crab leg. It was good but I was really there for the yakitori.

We also ordered nabemono (soup), sushi and sashimi:

TARA NABE  (Black Cod Soup)  $12: Arrived in a traditional cast iron pot, this soup was one of the best fish soups I have ever had in a while. The soup came with generous slices of very fresh black cod, tofu and veggies. The broth was not salty at all. I did not suffer from temporary dehydration whenever I eat MSG-laden Asian soups. This soup at B-Dama was so delicate and divine. The pot looked small compared to the big bowls of ramen we are used to but it was more than enough to truly satisfy me for the evening. A wonderful soup that I will definitely get again and again!

SASHIMI PLATE $17: Enrique was still slightly hungry (Surprise! Surprise!) and decided to order a sashimi plate. It came with about 10 pieces of assorted fish. We did not pay attention to what kind they were but we recognized tuna, salmon, halibut, etc. They were fresh but not melt in your mouth sashimi that I have experienced at other Japanese restaurants before. It came with a pile of grated radish which speaks to the authentic presentation of a traditional sashimi.

TAKO SUSHI $4.5: This is how we test the freshness of the sushi at a Japanese restaurant. We order tako or tuna sushi. The tako has to taste fresh, not rubbery or previously frozen.  B-Dama's was definitely the fresh kind!

CHECK: $65 including tax before tip and 1 Japanese soda.

VERDICT:
I love the casual, non-pretentious vibe of B-Dama while feasting on delicious small grilled dishes. It is a fun place to bring your friends and order everything on the menu.  Overall quality is remarkably high. The black cod soup was exceptional. Even the green tea (another factor I used in judging the quality of a Japanese restaurant) was very nice--not bitter and appropriately hot.

Service was friendly but hurried. We absolutely loved our server that Enrique tipped generously. She was nice and very attentive. Be ready to patiently wait for drink refills as the staff are very busy.

Now that we are familiar with the menu, we will have a better time navigating and enjoying the dishes. B-Dama is a neighborhood gem. Enrique and I took advantage of the beautiful evening to walk here from our home.  A sense of adventure is a big part of izakaya dining.

And lastly, izakaya are sometimes called akachōchin (red lantern) in daily conversation, because these paper lanterns are traditionally found in front of an izakaya. B-Dama has one which further convinced me of the authenticity and integrity of its owners:

GOOD TO KNOW:
1. B-Dama tends to get packed. Get a reservation.
2. Prices of yakitori are reasonable between $2.5 to $3.5 each small plate.
3. Fenton's is directly right across the street if you want ice cream for dessert after dinner. (Which you bet was what we did!)

Souley Vegan

October 22, 2011

Thanks to Living Social, Enrique and I were introduced to Souley Vegan at Jack London Square in Oakland.  I bought the deal thinking I would go by myself. I never thought that my carnivore foodie partner will ever eat vegan food. He surprised me by mentioning that he has heard good things about Souley Vegan and would love to try it.

Souley Vegan is very 70's -- from the oldies music, the Soul Train playing on the old-fashioned non-flat screen TV, B&W pictures and paintings of blues musicians. The tables are communal. And the place has no air-conditioning. It is homey, casual and  Southern with a diverse group of patrons. As we were finishing our early dinner at around 6pm, the DJ was setting up at the full bar and disco lights started swirling on the walls and the ceiling. 

SERVICE:
The staff was very friendly. You order and pay at the counter as soon as check in and your food will be brought to your table. 

FOOD:
Just like its namesake, Souley Vegan serves vegan soul food. It is possible to order a la carte but for first time diners, I would recommend the "everything plate" at $19 or $25. The only difference between the two was the $25 included a black bean/rice and fried okra.

EVERYTHING PLATE:
Here is the breakdown of what we had on our "EVERYTHING PLATES"

1. BARBECUE TOFU: Marinated tofu with garlic and spices topped with barbecue sauce. The barbecue sauce was delish that I did not care that I was not eating ribs. Very good!

2. POTATO SALAD: They were very proud of their salad. See the description on their menu and I can see why. It tasted pretty nice and was so creamy you would forget that it was non-dairy.

3. MAC AND CHEESE: You would not mistake this for dairy mac and cheese but pretty close. SV uses nutritional yeast-based cheese (still vegan) . The result is a creamy mac and cheese without the dairy. Also very good.

4. CORN BREAD: Sweet, soft, nicely textured without the milk and butter.

5. SOUTHERN FRIED TOFU: Instead of catfish, it's silky tofu. The crust was crispy, nice and well-seasoned but I felt like it was missing something.

6. YAMS: Sweet yams still sweetened by agave.

7. FRIED OKRA: Perfectly fried with crisp outside and soft inside but needed more seasonings.

8, 9, & 10 LENTILS, BLACK EYE PEAS, RED BEANS AND RICE: As much as I love any type of beans and really love red beans & rice, these were bland and just plain salty. Even after the next day, I thought the flavors might improve but did not.

11. KALE: The menu says fried kale but we just got steamed kale with the beans. Bland just like the above. Would have loved to try the fried kale on fresh baby spinach, fresh tomatoes and lemon dressing as stated on the menu.

DRINKS ($4 each)

- STRAWBERRY GINGER:  Refreshing spicy-sweet freshly made  drink. A "must get" for ginger lovers.

- LEMONADE: Also freshly squeezed. I did not try this but Enrique ordered another one to go so he really liked it as well.

CHECK: $58 including 2 Everthing Plates ($19 & $25), 3 non-alc drinks and tax before tip.

PORTIONS:
The best value in town. Each plate could easily feed 2-3 (except for Enrique who finished his plate in one sitting.) With my leftovers including the red beans/rice and fried okra, I had enough leftovers for 2 more meals.

OVERALL:
Some of Souley Vegan's dishes are really worth coming back for. Delicious healthier vegan food minus the lard. Even my carnivore foodie partner did not complain and was satisfied with his meal.

I often do a little soul-searching after eating soul food.  Although some of SV's dishes failed to touch my soul as much as I wanted them to, it is still a good dining adventure and experience that is highly recommended.

REMEMBER BEFORE YOU GO:
1. Bring plenty of quarters for difficult street parking or park at Jack London Square Garage.
2. If you go during peak dinner hours, the wait could be up to an hour. We left the first time and went back the following week at around 4:30 pm. No wait but the line started forming.

 

 

Marc 49

Saturday Date Night: May 21, 2011 @ 10:20 PM aka "END OF THE WORLD"

Some people probably chose to hide in their basement awaiting the end of the world but I was sipping a very nice bubbly at Marc 49 with  Enrique.

HOW TO FIND:
If you blink you will miss this tiny wine bar on 51st and Telegraph but the fairy lights outside will beckon you to come in to quench your thirst. 

DECOR:
The decor is mixed nostalgic, gothic and speakeasy-ish. Black and white pictures of the generations before us (including the young Elizabeth Taylor) cover most of the wall on the the side. Red velvet curtains framing a huge mirror cover the opposite wall gave Marc 49 the feel that you are in dracula's lair. (There is also back patio that looked like a steam wooden sauna but I did not check it out during this visit.)

SOCIAL SCENE:

The patrons that night were hip 20s to 40s friends and lovers lazily lounging on the low leather benches sipping glasses of vino.

Enrique and I chose the low table and chairs by the window. We were there for the food!

BUBBLY: Reasonably priced at $8 a glass, this champagne was nice, fresh and with a generous taste of honey.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS $6: Greens with blue cheese, candied nuts, strawberry slices and sweet strawberry dressing. A light sweet delicious salad!

BROADWAY PANINI $7: Chicken breast and pesto panini. He added a Monterey Salad (lettuce, pear, candied walnuts, blue cheese) for just $3 more!

SOLOIST BRUSCHETTA $6: 3 generous slices of nicely toasted baguette, crispy but not hard, topped with goat cheese, proscuitto and melon. Eventhough I had to take out the proscuitto slices that were fresh and not even a hint of dry edges, I really enjoyed these toasts sans the meat. Delicious with my salad!

BROWNIE: It looked prettier than it tasted. It was sweet with mounds of whipped cream and a little bit on dry side but it completed the meal.

SERVICE:
The food and drinks at Marc 49 deserve 4 stars. The staff deserves 6 Stars. Only at a neighborhood place can you get the kind of accomodation we received last night. When we walked in at 10:20 at night, the kitchen was already closed. Our server said that it was a bizarrely slow Saturday. She joked "maybe because it's the end of the world but wouldn't you want to just drink wine and run up your credit card instead of hiding?" They decided to close the otherwise open until 11pm kitchen early. Seeing our disappointed faces, they reopened, told us not to apologize and order whatever we wanted on the menu and served us kindly and ungrudgingly!

LOWDOWN:
We wanted a light dinner and a night cap after a family party then watching "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" at the Kabuki before calling it a night. Marc 49 is the perfect spot for either late night dinner and drinks in Temescal, catching up with your friend, a quick weekday date night dinner or going solo.

They also serve tapas aside from what I mentioned above. Extensive offerings of wine reasonably priced at $8 per glass or $26 per bottle.

Marc 49 is a real neighborhood gem and is now added to my short list of favorites!

$40 including tax before tip. With $20 Groupon, this very enjoyable meal was only $27 including a Diet Pepsi, tax and 20% tip.

Foodie Girl's Rating: 4 Stars

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!)

Camino

SATURDAY DATE NIGHT: May 7, 2011 @ 8PM

Imagine tumbleweeds rolling in front of Camino and it could easily be a venue for the wild, wild West.

However, instead of cowboys slinging pistols and sitting at a rowdy bar where a misunderstandings were often settled by a duel, and women of ill-repute serving the above, Camino is a fine-dining restaurant.

On the list for Top 100 Bay Area Restaurant..........Camino's decor is meant to trick you that you are not having dinner in Oakland anymore but you have been transported to New Mexico. Heavy cast-iron chandeliers are suspended on the high-ceilings. The place is dimmed and lit by Nacho Libre candles lining the brick walls.

The heavy dark wood tables are long and communal-each comfortably sits about 24. Even the chairs were the heavy, mission-style ones. The open brick kitchen with big open fire added to the allure of the place. In other words, Camino is attractive, rugged yet elegant.

A tip-off that you did not time-travel to the 1800s or took a flight to the Southwest in fugue state is Camino's cuisine. Camino (from the Spanish word camino meaning "path"), which by just looking at the name, made me think that I will be feasting on Latin, Tex-Mex or Spanish cuisine but it is anything but. Camino boasts of the fresh and organic New American fare. The menu was the shortest one I have seen: just 3 main entree selections. Our server explained to us that their aim is to magnify the flavors of the food, therefore, focusing all their energies on ingredients that are available at the moment.

After seducing our sense of sight, what came next was shocking our sense of taste and smell with the wonderful dishes placed before us:

DRINKS:
FREEDOM $6: A cold non-alcoholic oolong tea with lemon, sorrel and gum syrup: Tangy, light and refreshing.

APPLE BRANDY $9: Sweet, strong but still feminine. No hairgrowth on my back after sipping on this drink. :)

APPS:

RICOTTA & ANCHOVY TOASTS $4: 2 generous slices of crispy toasts. The ricotta was light but complimented the nicely salty anchovies. I will try to copy this at home.

OYSTERS ON 1/2 SHELL W/ CHILI AND LIME ($6.50): Refreshing, multi-flavored and fresh.

BLOOD ORANGE SALAD W/ PUREED WHITE BEANS AND CRISP $10: A tiny plate but packed with multi-dimensional flavors and textures. Meant to refresh your palate for the main meal.

MAIN:
GRILLED PORK LOIN AND SHOULDER braised with milk, sage and lemon; with peas and polenta $26: My fiance described this like eating carnitas--very tender and moist. I tasted the polenta. The freshness of the corn just wowed my palate. Def freshly house-made!

WOOD-ROASTED ARTICHOKES & TRUMPET MUSHROOMS
with Belgian endive and an egg cooked by the fire $ 22; One bite and the flavors exploded in my mouth! The earthiness of the mushrooms were magnified a 100 times! The salt brought out the flavors of the veggies and the perfectly cooked runny egg.

DESSERT:
HAZELNUT TORTE W/ ORANGE & WHIPPED CREAM: I was comfortably happy and full, and wanting to continue to savor my meal but my fiance insisted. The torte was a nice choice to end the meal on a sweet note. Not too sweet, not dry, just right.

VALUE:
What prevented me from giving Camino 5 stars despite the almost amazing dining experience was the value. Somehow Camio's cuisine reminds me of Wayfare Tavern in SF in terms of the cuisine and ambiance. However, price-wise the two are competitive but Wayfare Tavern's portions are a lot bigger than Camino's. Case in point, I had the mushrooms at WF for $8 as a side dish. At Camino, as a main dish and almost exact portion, $22! And not to mention on that evening Chef Tyler Florence cooked my mushrooms at Wayfare Tavern!

BOTTOMLINE:
Dining at Camino is a feast for the eyes and the palate. It will awaken your senses. The attention to details was evident from the crusty bread with butter and seasalt to the friendly attentive service. The portions were small but adequate enough and delicious! Definitely a sexy dinner!

TAB: $122 including tax and 20% tip

Foodie Girl's Rating: 4.5 Stars


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!)