i like to eat.

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! :)

                                                   

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082909_eatReal.zip (7004 KB)

After three and half hours at Antiques by the Bay in Alameda, the largest antique and collectibles show in Northern California, my friends and I were a little hungry so we headed to Oakland's Jack London Square.

Jack London Square was unfortunately kind of dead. I wanted to take them to The Fat Lady (see post), but they were closed. So, we randomly picked Home of Chicken and Waffles.

The place reminded me of Waffle House in the South, a Denny's-like diner with artificial food. The chicken was not bad at first, but after several bites, the chicken was too dry. Although, drenching maple syrup on it was quite good. :) I've had better waffles and grits.

All mediocre food and place. Maybe I went on a bad day, considering Yelp rated them 4.5 stars out of 374 reviews. Whenever I hear about chicken and waffles, it instantly reminds me of Roscoe's, a famous place in Los Angeles. My friend told me their chicken and waffles are delicious and I was so close to going, but never made it. Maybe I'll go the next time I visit LA.

   

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Chicken_Waffles_tag_american_f.zip (462 KB)

Last week, my friends and I went to try Pican, a new restaurant in Oakland’s resurgent “Uptown” cultural district (which is the same idea of lower Filllmore in SF). I wasn't expecting too much, but had heard some talk about it being really good.

We were seated right in front of the kitchen (always my favorite spot in the dining room) and to kick the night off, I ordered a basil berry refresher. It was exactly as it claimed to be - refreshing. The drink contained vodka, lemon juice, basil, strawberries and syrup. There could have been a little more vodka, but I loved the fresh strawberries.

For appetizer or "small plates," we split an order of Southern "foie gras" and smoked Berkshire pork belly. The "foie gras" was actually chicken liver (as stated on the menu) and was full of rich flavor. I tend to not like chicken liver, but this dish was cooked with bacon (how can you not love anything with bacon?), scallions, shallots and topped with gravy.

The pork belly was extra crispy, maple glazed and had just the right amount of fat. It was served with a poached egg, black eyed peas and pea shoots. We popped the egg and let the yolk smother the entire dish that made the entire dish lovely.

Compared to the "foie gras," the pork belly's dish was much lighter. Our palettes were already filled with richness that it hid the true flavors of the second dish. To avoid this, we should have ate the pork belly one first and then tried the deeper, richer flavors of the chicken liver.

Before arriving, I was determined that I'd order the buttermilk Southern fried chicken. It's a Southern tradition, so I figured I had to try what the South is known for. But, the waiter mentioned the duck is also good and the bass.

I was craving for some fish, so when he mentioned the bass, I listened to the waiter's suggestion. My entree was a pan seared Corvina bass that was served with blue crab and roasted garlic grits, a grilled asparagus salad and citrus vinaigrette. The bass was perfectly cooked with a delicious crust. I nearly melted when I had the first bite. It was so darn good. And the grits? Oh my.

Side track - the first time I had grits was in Tenneesee at a place called Waffle House. It's the equivalent to Denny's in California. The grits were awful. It tasted like cardboard and I knew it was one of those instant types. I just knew grits are good and my Waffle House experience was uncomparable to authentic grits.

Fast forward two years later, I found true grits at Pican. They were delicous. I could taste the crab and garlic in it - amazing.

Other entrees I tried were the ribs that had meat literally falling off the bone. No need for a knife! And of course, someone at our table HAD to try the fried chicken. The batter was perfectly crisp while the meat was still tender and moist. It was an added bonus that the chefs deboned the breast for you. Kudos for that special touch.

Portions were great and didn't leave me stuffed, so we ordered sticky bun bread pudding and a root beer float to share. The bread pudding was good, but didn't leave me screaming for more. The root beer float was interesting. It came with sassafrass (what was used back in the day to make the flavor root beer) ice cream and bourbon praline. I loved the ice cream, but disliked the pralines. It tasted like a chalk-ful of sugar and was too gritty.

It was a very lovely meal and I'd definitely go back. Not anytime soon, since there are too many other restaurants to try, but highly recommended.

Sorry for the long post. So much to talk about!

             

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051309_pican.zip (1902 KB)