i like to eat.

After most of the festivities for Ray and Aki's wedding, we finally had the time to have dinner with them before they left. We went to Dona Tomas in Oakland because Mexican food options are minimal in Japan.

The restaurant is cute, dark and intimate (as you can see from my poor pictures). They also have a romantic outdoor patio area with lights.

We ordered guacamole that came with house made chips. Pretty good, nothing too special.

Jason and I split our entrees - carnitas and carne asada, so we could share. The carnitas was a slow-roasted shredded pork with Mexican spices and served with tortillas, rice and pinto beans. The meat was a little dry and salty, but not bad. The carne asada on the other hand, was very salty. The dish was thinly sliced grilled beef with a hot chile sauce, served with pinto beans and a corn and zucchini pudding. I don't remember what the pudding tasted like, I just couldn't get over the saltiness of the entree.

The ambiance of Dona Tomas is cute, but I wouldn't go back. The food lacked depth and flavor, it was just too salty for my taste buds.

   

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Dona_Tomas_tag_food_mexican_oa.zip (475 KB)

Jason was randomly craving for some chicken and waffles on a Sunday night. My previous experience of this popular combination wasn't that great. We didn't know any other restaurants that served this, so he Yelped and found Merritt Bakery.

Upon stepping into the restaurant, I was amazed by its massive size. There's a take out counter, full bakery, dine in seating and even lotto machines. It's your one stop shop!

Jason, Mike and I went to Merritt Bakery with a mission - we were all to order chicken and waffles. My order of chicken breast and waffles was pretty darn good. The chicken wasn't dry. It had a light, crispy batter and the waffles were fresh and thick - none of that Eggo stuff.

But.....I don't get the whole chicken and waffles combination. I mean, they're both good on its own. I just don't understand how eating them together makes it better. Someone please explain?

                     

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083009_merritt.zip (3053 KB)

Oakland's highly anticipated Eat Real Festival was in full swing. I arrived with Kate around 2 and we were ready to roam and try some food trucks.

Except, it was ridiculously hot.

So hot that we felt lazy and became indecisive about what to eat.

But, one thing we did know for sure was to get into the building with AC. The building was filled with a ton of different vendors that sold fresh produce, garden kits, yogurt, flowers, baked goods and other foodie related stuff.

After we cooled down a bit, we were ready to eat. There was so much to choose from - bbq, tacos, Mexican, cupcakes, pizza, Korean, chowder, Southern, baked goods, desserts..the food trucks were endless!

Our first stop was Tapas To Go, a truck from Whole Foods. We ordered garlic chili shrimp that was hot, but not super spicy, garlicky and delicious. The shrimp were large and fresh. The best part? Only $5. All the food at the festival was $5 or less!

It was still really hot and I didn't feel like waiting forever in a line (I know, I know, the good trucks have the longest lines, but still, it was way too hot!) I saw Pizza Politana had a short line and I was intrigued that they had their own little brick oven - definitely fresh! I ordered a slice of Market that had cheese, greens, onion and bacon. My favorite part was how amazingly thin the crust was. It was sooooo good. I love thin pizza and this was one of the thinnest I've ever had. The crust was crispy and held the toppings well, no soggy crusts here! So good.

Kate ordered a hot link from Phat Matt's BBQ that came with some sort of cheese dip and saltine crackers - interesting combination. Not bad.

I saw some ladies making fresh pupusas at Los Angeles de Pueblas Frutas, so I had to give it a try. Yummy and filled with beans and cheese.

Seoul on Wheels had a long line, but I was determined to try their version of the Korean taco. They unfortunately were sold out of the rib eye taco, so we got chicken and spicy pork. LAME. Tacos were cold, meat was chewy and there was nothing special to it. No special sauce or toppings. I can make this at home! I don't get their hype.

As soon as the boys came, we had to leave, but we tried some of their food before we left - falafals from Liba (not bad and not dry) and also pork ramen from Poleng (decent, you can see the hair on the pork!).

The festival was a lot of fun and exciting to try all the different trucks. I wonder if this truck craze will last... Either way, I'm enjoying it and so happy that I was able to try so many in one place.

EDIT: The hot link was actually from Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q. Sorry for the mixup. Thanks to Charlotte for the catch! :)

                                                   

Click here to download:

082909_eatReal.zip (7004 KB)

When I was young and underage, I'd go to a Korean restaurant in Oakland nicknamed "Porno." The place got its nickname because the interior walls were decorated with x-rated movie posters. I'd frequent this restaurant with Jason and his friends in high school to enjoy pitchers of watered down Miller and Kimchi Fried Rice.

After many numerous visits, Porno became old and we stopped going there. I don't remember exactly when we stopped, but all of a sudden, we didn't go there anymore.

It's been years since I've last gone, but the boys decided to reminisce and go after Eat Real's Ice Cream Friday event (see previous post).

The place looked the same, except there weren't as many x-rated posters. They were replaced with American and Korean movie posters. What's surprising is seeing the place almost empty. It was once a popular spot for kids and now it is dead on a late Friday night.

Jeff ordered an array of dishes for all of us that included kim chi fried rice, gizzards, fried chicken and spicy "everything (noodles, dumpling, vegetables, etc)." We also got a special on-the-house fruit platter because the boss remembered Jason (wow, 8+ years and she still remembers!).

The food was mediocre, nothing special and not as good as I remembered. I happily enjoyed a pitcher of soju cocktail. Don't worry, it wasn't completely by myself. Although, I wouldn't mind since it's so good. haha.

It felt lame hanging out there and just not the same as how it was years ago, so we left soon after we finished eating.

I doubt I would go back anytime soon. I'd like to tuck this restaurant with all my other high school memories and keep it there.

By the way, I finally found out the name of the restaurant that night - Dan Sung Sa. But, it'd always be Porno in my heart.

                 

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082809_porno.zip (2494 KB)

My friends and I didn't watch the screening of Ratatouille (see previous post), but left immediately to check out the first night of the Eat Real Festival in Oakland.

The first night was Ice Cream Friday, a celebration of ice cream and gelato booths from well known creameries. I walked back and forth, checking out each booth and wanting to try a new flavor of ice cream. I didn't want something plain or normal, but something different and tasty.

I ended up with Coconut Thai Basil from Scream Sorbet. A tiny scoop cost $4, but it definitely met my qualifications. It was nothing like I've ever tasted before. The basil flavor was strong and had a subtle coconut flavor. It was yummy. I was kind of glad the scoop was small because the flavor can be a little overwhelming. It was just the right amount to satisfy my tastebuds.

I couldn't wait until the next day, a full day to experience the Eat Real Festival and even more street food.

       

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Eat_Real_Festival_Part_1_tag_f.zip (786 KB)

Double date with Michele and AJ led us to Pizzaiolo in Oakland. I was excited to try Pizzaiolo because I've heard great reviews and it sounded like my favorite place, A16 (see post) and also another highly recognized restaurant, Pizzeria Delfina (see post).

We started with steamed mussels that came drenched in a creamy sauce. The Prince Edward mussels were large, meaty and full of flavor. The four of us also split an avocado, tomato and fennel salad with a sweet dressing. Both of these appetizers were delicious, but nothing out of this world.

For pizza, we ordered a house made sausage with marinara sauce. I horribly added A LOT of salt onto my first slice, thinking it was grated cheese (it was dark!). Needless to say, it was extremely salty and I couldn't wait to finish it. I had to gulp water after each bite - dummy! The second slice was yummy, a good ratio of sauce, cheese and sausage.

And my favorite part, dessert. A creamy and soft panna cotta with nectarines, strawberries and shortbread cookie. The panna cotta was so good, maybe even better than A16's (oh!).

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Pizzaiolo. It was like the love child of both A16 and Delfina. A16 seems more sophisticated than the two (it IS in the Marina), while Delfina is like your regular pizza joint filled with hipster employees (in the Mission - hmm, location could be the reason for these ambiances). Pizzaiolo had the balance of casualness and some sophistication with its very own set of hipsters.

Out of the three, who would I choose? Still have to go with A16. You never forget your first love, no?

         

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Love_Child_tag_italian_food_oa.zip (1207 KB)

Somehow, the boys and I ended up at Coach Sushi, a place known for their all you can drink sake for a measly $3.50.

The sake is served in a traditional cedar box and it'd always be filled to the top by the friendly Japanese server. He never lets your box go empty, even if you decline. One new thing I learned was to drink the sake with a small pinch of salt - like a margarita. I didn't know they did this with sake, but it was a nice flavor of saltiness and the alcohol melding together.

You can also "save" or "claim" your box by purchasing and decorating it to your liking. They'll save the box at the restaurant for you to use the next time you visit. They have walls and walls filled with people's boxes - pretty cool artwork.

After ordering, we each got a little dish of pickled vegetable. I have no idea what it was, but it was so good. The vegetable was some sort of root (lotus?) with sweet and crunchy textures. I asked the waitress what it was and she said tomato. Uhhh..no way was that a tomato!

For dinner, I ordered tempura udon. Not bad, but not the best udon noodles I've had. The shrimp tempura was the smallest size I've ever seen. It's OK though, I was already happy from the flowing sake.

I love tempura ice cream, so I was excited to see Coach Sushi serving it. I ordered one and it suspiciously came out too quickly (pre-made, I suppose). Oh well, it was a satisfying sweet finish of cold green tea ice cream wrapped in a warm tempura batter.

I think it'd be awhile before I go back to Coach Sushi. It's definitely not a mellow place. I felt like I had to continually drink the sake so I wouldn't "waste" it, but it was never ending (good and bad)! Food's only mediocre and the fish is not the freshest, but go there for a good time. :)

               

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All_You_Can_Drink...Sake_tag_c.zip (1806 KB)

I love Korean "soon du boo," also known as soft tofu soup.

My ultimate go-to place is My Tofu House in San Francisco on Geary x 10th (see post). I swear, everything there is so good, from the side dishes to the boiling hot soup in an iron pot. But be ready to wait, there's frequently a 20-30 minute wait during peak hours.

I haven't had soon du boo in a long time and was craving it. We decided to try somewhere else and ended up in Pyung Chan.

The side dishes were definitely very different from My Tofu House's. Pyung Chan's was mediocre, it all tasted the same - pickled and spicy. But, one thing I've never had before was a "stewed" version of kim chi. Instead of spicy, crisp kim chi, the cabbage was much softer. Decent, but too salty to eat alone.

Besides our individual soup orders, we also got a plate of bulgolgi (barbecued beef) to share. Don't know why the boys did this, their eyes were bigger than their stomach!

The soup had the same ingredients as My Tofu House's (I ordered the combination) - chunks of soft tofu, shrimp, beef, clams and scallions. At first, I enjoyed the flavors very much, but the broth quickly became too salty. I felt like I was drinking cubes of sodium. It just did not surpass My Tofu House.

After the waitress serves you rice, she puts hot water into the iron pots to make a "rice soup." She didn't put water into one of the three pots and scooped out the layer of rice that turned crispy from the iron pot. I liked this crispy rice a lot. It was yummy to dunk it into my soup.

Another thing that Pyung Chan does differently compared to My Tofu House is they serve beer. The boys like this, but I don't care for it. Although, after eating all that salty food, you do want an ice cold beer...

My Tofu House still wins my heart. Pyung Chan is a close winner, although, their service really sucks (it took the waitress forever to take our order - I feel like it's the non-Korean syndrome).

             

Click here to download:

Seeking_Soft_Tofu_Soup_tag_foo.zip (1576 KB)

Spontaneous Monday night dinner ended up at Everett & Jones in Oakland.

My previous experience was pretty good (see post), but this second time, not so good.

My boyfriend and I split some ribs, brisket and sausage links (it was a combo plate) that came with a variety of sides - cornbread, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans and collard greens.

The ribs weren't as good as the the first time. It did not fall off the bone and if there's a bone involved, the meat has to fall of the bone. The brisket (my meat choice at barbecue places) was too dry and the sausage links weren't bad, just nothing that outstanding.

In terms of the sides, the cornbread was my favorite, but all the other sides were mediocre. We had plenty of leftovers, but I didn't even eat much of it the next day because it was extremely dry.

Everett & Jones out. Time to find another barbecue place. Do you know any good places?

   

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Meat_Fest_tag_bbq_everett_jone.zip (527 KB)

When I posted Fentons a few weeks ago (see post), Jeff started craving it and that immediately made me start to want it too. Even now, as I type this, I'm questioning whether I should pay Fentons another visit.

That same night I posted about Fentons, we went and satisfied our cravings.

Jason and I decided to share a "create your own" sundae with coffee cookie dream and cream caramel almond crunch ice cream. The sundae was topped with hot fudge and caramel, strawberries, nuts, whipped cream and of course, a cherry on top.

We were debating on whether we should get a regular (1-2 flavors with 1-2 toppings) or large sundae (1-3 flavors with 1-3 toppings) to share. I claimed the large was too much and too gut-busting for us, but I lost and as you can see.....we wiped the dish clean. :P

So good. The hot fudge and caramel had the right consistency and was a perfect compliment to the cold ice cream. The "fresh" strawberries were nice, but I could have done without it.

All this talk is making me want Fentons again. Must. Stop. Craving. It's too late for ice cream!

     

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Off_to_Fentons_tag_desserts_fe.zip (649 KB)