Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen

DATE NIGHT: June 9, 2012 @ 4:30 PM

As seen on  "Check, Please! Bay Area"  

Angeline's is BIGGER.

The last time we tried to have dinner at Angeline's in April, there was an hour wait. We tried again yesterday for date night and at 4:30 PM on a hot Saturday afternoon, Angeline's had plenty of space and no wait at all. By the time we finished dinner at 7:30 there were still plenty of tables. We secured a reservation just to be on the safe side.

Not only Angeline's has expanded its space through renovation, they are now open all day on weekends as well from 11:30 AM to 9 PM -10 PM.

DECOR/AMBIANCE:
Angeline's decor can be best appreciated at night where the chandeliers on the high ceilings, "antique" window grills on the brick walls, Mardi Gras artwork and tealight candles give Angeline's an exciting but eerie/gothic atmosphere. I try to imagine that the other customers as vampires having dinner. ;)

In the day time, it is a spacious and casual place to have lunch or early dinner. A long bar graces the back of the restaurant.

PAST EATS:
Enrique and I have been to Angeline's many times throughout the years and have almost eaten through their menu. My faves are the CREOLE-STYLE BARBECUE SHRIMP and VOODOO SHRIMP. He always comes back for the HONEY-BRAISED BARBECUE RIBS. They were always very tender and flavorful. 

WHAT WE ORDERED:
~OYSTER BORDELAISE $12.95
                      Cornmeal-crusted fried oysters w/ garlic butter

* The batter was crispy, perfectly fried and was so light without  the slightest hint of grease. However, it was also very bland. It almost tasted like the chef forgot to put in the seasonings!  Even Enrique who does not use hot sauce and salt doused his with Tabasco, salt and pepper. I drowned mine in Tabasco as well. The oysters were huge and tasted fresh but breading was very bland. The GARLIC BUTTER had no hint of garlic and did not compliment the oysters.

~ VOODOO SHRIMP $14.95
                      Signature barbecue shrimp over rice with beans



*I just love this comfort food of plump shrimp in tasty sauce that is not a traditional barbecue sauce (more like gravy) over rice. I end up always ordering this dish at Angeline's.

~ BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN $15.95
                    Boneless breast w/ mashed sweet potato, gravy & green beans



*Enrique who would rather eat and enjoy his food than describe it states "really good!"

~ MASHED SWEET POTATO WITH GINGER AND VANILLA $4.95
*Enrique does not like sweet potatoes in general and did not enjoy his but I love mashed sweet potatoes and I love Angeline's!!!! This mashed sweet potato so comforting good, sweet and lovely. The ginger and vanilla made this side dish more special than others that I've had in the past.

~ CAYENNE CHOCOLATE CAKE $ 6.95
                  Warm flourless chocolate cake with hint of cayenne and orange

*My first thoughts upon opening this cake that we took to go was, "this is too small." However, this cake was so dense and decadent that I could only eat a 1/4 each time. The cayenne pepper was pronounced but provided a nice naughty spicy bite to this cake that slowly sneaks into your palate.

~ BEIGNETS $4.95

*Just like what I had at Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. I ate those fried delicious French pastries 7 days in a row every single day while vacationing! I found Angeline's beignets to be the closest in taste/texture to the ones I've had in New Orleans. Of course these fried French donuts came in a bowl of powdered sugar!

TOTAL: $80 including tip and 1 Iced Tea

VERDICT:
Angeline's is bigger and better. A solid New Orleans-style cuisine in the Bay Area. A place to indulge in a comfortable, interesting and non-pretentious venue. Great value and friendly service. This was not our first visit and it will not be our last. We love Angeline's!

Gosh, I just got myself hungry for everything we had at Angeline's just writing and re-reading this review! Darn!

BOXING ROOM

BIRTHDAY LUNCH: 03.05.12 @ 11:45 AM

Boxing Room is New Orleans in San Francisco.

For a mere lunch hour, Heather and I found ourselves dining on New Orleans' signature dishes without having to pay an airfare or deal with luggage hassles.

I have been to New Orleans just few months prior to Katrina on a week-long food adventure. I have found Boxing Room's classics to be on par with what I had feasted on the touristy Bourbon Street and beyond.

DECOR/AMBIANCE:
Boxing Room is housed in the former original Citizen Cake but transformed into a lovely breath-taking bright space. Floor to ceiling wall blackboard menu and high ceilings with exposed beams.  The dining room  was airy and spacious. It was elegant yet rustic  at the same time with plenty of leather-seated wood chairs, counter seatings and booths.

SERVICE:It was obvious that staff was trained to focus on professionalism and efficiency. Service was friendly but a little too rehearsed.

FOOD:
As soon as we sat down we were given the complimentary complimentary BUTTERY FLATBREAD and DIP. Our main entrees came soon after that we did not get to really indulge in the flatbread and dip.

Our eyes got big when the mouthwatering Po Boys were placed in front of us.

Ginormous mouthwatering OYSTER PO BOY $18 for Heather with plump cornmeal  battered fried oyster in soft roll  and more oysters on the plate for munching and popping in your mouth.

Ginormous SHRIMP PO BOY $15  for me, just like the Oyster Po Boy, plump prawns were piled high. Both were delicious!

Both Po-Boys came with  yummy savory-sweet light HUSHPUPPIES  (included).

For dessert, we had the  BEIGNETS W/ MAPLE CHOCOLATE SAUCE $7. An order comes with just 3 beignets but an extra beignet was  thrown-in for free so  Heather and I could have 2 each.  Nice gesture! They were the fluffiest cloud-like beignets I have had so far in the Bay Area but  they were unlike the ones I had at New Orlean's famed Cafe Du Monde. Cafe Du Monde's beignets are the best beignets that I have ever had and will have to compare every beignet thereafter to the ones I had at CDM.  Boxing Room's beignets were airy, light and fluffy like CDM's but  they did not come with the  3 inch thick powdered sugar in the bowl which is Cafe Du Monde's trademark.

CHECK:  $45 before tip (with plenty of leftovers)

VERDICT:
  * Portions are humungous. I recommend the share the po boys if you cannot finish one by yourself. Heather and I ate only half of our sandwiches each. The leftover got soggy right away. The Po Boys are lighter than the ones I have had even in New Orleans.

  *  Everything was good! Will definitely be back for date night!

Thanks, Heather, for the super-lovely and delicious lunch, beautiful company as always and pretty presents!And for being transformed to New Orleans for an hour of friendship in San Francisco. This Happy Birthday Girl truly felt special! X0X0

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.

 

 

Farmerbrown

September 9, 2011 @ 12:30 PM

Eating at Farmerbrown was like taking a trip to New Orleans.



Farmerbrown definitely has the Southern vibe. The place is decorated with urban arts and graffitis on the rusty corrugated walls.  It has the gritty urban look but definitely clean.   Both the ambiance and service are relaxed and friendly.  During brunch, Farmerbrown treats the brunchers to a lively jazz band. Farmerbrown's fried chicken and the works are worth trekking the dirty and coarse Tenderloin.

Live Jazz during brunch

When Enrique and I arrived at half past noon on a Saturday, the place was packed and there was a 40 minute wait for a table. We opted to sit at the comfortable long bar and got a very attentive and friendly service from the bartender.

Brunch is AYCE for $16.50 and quite a good deal! The buffet menu was short but each dish was done well. And unlike at many buffets where the food end up sitting under the heatlamp and become dry, there is high turnover of the buffet food at Farmerbrown.  The FRIED CHICKEN is the star of the show with the following:

*Stoneground grits
*Biscuits and gravy
*Pancakes and syrup
*Bacon, Scrambled eggs and Fried potatoes
*Yogurt and granola
*Melons and Banana Bread for dessert

FRIED CHICKEN:  Big chicken breast pieces along with occasional thighs and wings. They were piping hot. The skin was crispy while the meat was moist and tender without the greasiness. The best part, there was no trace of grease.  They were cooked welll and tasted really good but lacking in spices.



Enrique's "pretty" plate of biscuits and gravy, eggs and fried chicken.



My plate of fried chicken breast, pancake with syrup (lots) and a bowl of grits.

You can spice them up with Tabasco or Farmerbrown's Honey Jalapeno Sauce.

STONEGROUND GRITS: These grits at FB were creamy and so flavorful. I even tasted cheese but I was not sure.  I loved it and could eat a few bowls of these grits!

YOGURT AND GRANOLA: Served individually in mason jars. Nice healthy option.

Yogurt and granola, banana bread and another chicken wing for me!

BANANA BREAD: True to the Southern tradition,  these bread slices were  moist, full of nice spices and just tasted lovely! They were actually addicting. Enrique blurted out after our meal, "It's good! Let's go back again!" Unfortunately, I only had room for 2 mini-pancakes, yogurt-granola and banana bread after a big chicken breast and wing. I did not get to taste the biscuit and gravy and the rest of the buffet food. Enrique tried everything, except the yogurt.

Our tab was $41 including 1 non-alc drink before tip.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

*Farmerbrown is  just a block away from the Powell station. It is best to take BART than drive
* Bring plenty of change for the meter and park as close as possible to FB.
* There is a parking lot behind FB for $15 which is almost as much as the cost of brunch per person.
* FB is located in the Tenderloin which can get quite intimidating for tourists or even locals. Best to not go alone at night.

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!)

Bay Leaf

Saturday Date Night: February 5, 2011 @ 6PM

Bay Leaf is a modest family-owned Soul Food Restaurant in East Oakland.
Bay Leaf's Soul Food is grandma's own recipes from Mississipi. Passed down to her daughter who went to Oakland High and now does the cooking, Bay Leaf was born. Bay Leaf is also a family -run business. And we got this trivia from our very friendly young server who is the granddaughter of granny from Mississipi.

Bay Leaf looked like a social hall. However, it was very neat and clean. The decor was tasteful. The huge brick fireplace added cozyness to the place. The open kitchen is very visible as soon as you walk-in. African-American artwork adorn the walls. R&B was jamming on the background. The setting is complete for down-home food that feeds that soul.

At Bay Leaf, I had the yummiest SWEET TEA. For $2, it was unlimited refill. I wished my bladder was bigger than the size of a lima bean because I could imbibe 5 gallons of this nectar in one seating. Enrique who had his share of sweet teas in the South during his travels cited that the Sweet Tea at Bay Leaf tasted exactly what he had in Alabama, Georgia, etc. So he abandoned his Diet Coke and ordered his own Sweet Tea.

SOUP AND APPETIZER:

*CRAWFISH BISQUE $5: With nice chunks of crawfish floating around, this soup was full of flavors but not salty. It was creamy and delicious served over grits.

*FRIED OKRA $3: I love fried okra but the ones I had in the past were tough and dry that they could chip a tooth. The ones at Bay Leaf were nicely battered, crispy, not dry and the okra was still very moist.

MAINS: (All mains come with a choice of two sides and cornbread.)

*FRIED CHICKEN WITH MACARONI AND POTATO SALAD $15: This was Enrique's order. For someone who does not like fried stuff and has a love-hate relationship with fried chicken, he ordered it, loved it and raved about it. He said that the chicken was nicely battered crisp, not greasy and still very moisty.

*SHRIMP AND CHEESY GRITS WITH YAMS AND COLLARD GREENS $15: 4 big, plump, fresh and deliciously seasoned shrimps over cheesy silky grits. Need I say more? Except "More, please!!!!!!"

Collard greens were flavored with pork(?), delicious and not yummy. And the yams made me go "WOW!" It was sweet and nice. I think it was flavored with honey.

*CORNBREAD $0: Buttery and moist that I saved my little cornbread and ate it later that night as dessert.

DESSERT:

*ICE BOX PIE $5: Lemony, sweet, smooth, tangy piece of pie heaven! This completed our divinely satisfying comforting meal.



OVERALL:

The Bay Area is teeming with countless places to eat that Enrique and I go to different new ones each week. However, Bay Leaf will be included among our favorite go-to places. The prices and portions are right. The service was genuinely friendly, efficient and unpretentious. The place was low-key and down-to-earth.

Whenever I eat at a Soul Food place, I always ask myself this question, " Did the food fill my tummy and comfort my soul?"

My answer is a resounding, "HECK, YEAH!" Mamas can cook!

TAB: $61.03 including 2 Sweet Teas, 1 Diet Coke, tax and 20% tip.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATING: 5.5 Stars
*I just cannot stop dreaming about the food at Bay Leaf even just hours after our dinner!!!


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!)