Photo: ronpenndorf.com
We missed a round-up of bargain bites in the East Bay in last Thursday’s Chronicle.
For those of us focused on Berkeley, the recommendations were as follows:
InBerkeley was out of milk — as per usual — so we went to check out Ashby Marketplace, which has just opened near the corner of Ashby and College in the Elmwood.
First impressions are good. It’s a very nicely designed space — airy, with good lighting and well displayed goods. The emphasis is on healthy, natural food and organic produce. There’s a significant dairy section, fresh produce and baked pastries from the Paris Baker. We leaped to a verdict: it’s Star Grocery meets Market Hall.
Owner Ramiz Hasan (pictured, bottom right) is happy with both comparisons, but says he sees himself as friend rather than competition to both these venerable institutions. This is his family’s 18th store — most are around Haight Ashbury in the city — but it’s the first one he has got to run and he is brimming with ambition for the new venture.
“I have been a Bay Area native for 28 years and I’ve always wanted to own my own store — and I knew I wanted it to be in Berkeley,” he says.
Hasan says he’s bringing in lots of locally produced goodies to his “100% green” shop, such as olive oils and cheeses. He also guarantees that his cheeses cost on average $3 per pound less than at any other independently run vendors in the area — even though he is using many of the same suppliers. “I want to bring my prices down as much as possible and be a real old-school store,” he says
He mentions his niche specialty last: ” I have the largest selection of natural and organic pet supplies among independent stores, possibly in the whole of California,” he says.
Knowing how berserk Berkeley is about dogs, that should make a lot of people very happy.
According to Slice (subtitle: “Crusty, Saucy Cheesy”) Emilia’s Pizzeria on Shattuck had its soft opening on Monday. Owner and pizzaiolo Keith Freilich says he’s taking it slow with just dinner and three types of pies to begin with, but will gradually increase capacity, hours and offerings.
From the photo above, it looks like people like what they’re getting so far.
[Photo: slice.seriouseats.com]
I hesitate to suggest you go to hear Michael Pollan speak tonight in Berkeley, not because he isn’t smart and entertaining, but because last time I went up to the campus to hear him hold forth, the place was so packed many of us were relegated to an ante-room and had to settle for watching him on small screens.
Still, that was a free shindig and tonight’s event requires one to buy a ticket, so Pollan’s enormous fan-base may not come out in such full force — even if he is on home turf.
“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” author and J-School prof will be talking about his philosophy—“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” — in Cal Performances’ Strickly Speaking Series, tonight at 8pm at Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley. Tickets cost $16–$30, (510) 642-9988, www.calperformances.org.
[Photo: Ken Light.]
Bill Fujimoto, who left Berkeley’s Monterey Market earlier this year, has been hired as a consultant by Lafayette grocer Diablo Foods according to a report in Diablo Magazine:
Since Fujimoto’s arrival in July, Diablo Foods has begun offering more seasonal fare from such farms as Full Belly in Capay Valley and Goldbud in Placerville.
Fujimoto, shown above with his wife Judy, says he may open his own store, possibly in Contra Costa county.
Bill Fujimoto: what’s fresh now, June 24 2009
Monterey Market Mystery, June 12 2009
We try not to stray into neighboring cities, but the video of the protest at Whole Foods Oakland is just too wonderful to miss (hat tip Lisa). It’s a strong, performance-art-like response to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey’s opposition to healthcare reform.
It doesn’t reach the extraordinary brilliance of the Sound of Music performance in Antwerp (below), but I would have liked to have been in Whole Foods when it happened.
Sylvan Mishima Brackett runs Peko-Peko, a Japanese catering company in Oakland that specializes in the robust, tapas-style food of the izakaya (Japanese tavern). On Thursday, October 1, for one night only, Peko-Peko will transform the Guerrilla Cafe on Shattuck Ave. into a “pop-up” izakaya, serving tasty food, sake and beer.
Brackett worked at Chez Panisse for six years as Alice Waters’ assistant, and then as the restaurant’s first creative director, in charge of special dinners and events. He then left for Japan to eat and cook, and worked at a locally famous soba restaurant in the countryside north of Tokyo. Brackett’s izakaya-style menus combine local seafood, meats and other seasonal, sustainable ingredients.
When I spoke to Sylvan this afternoon, he told me he hopes to someday open a real izakaya, and thinks that opening this pop-up izakaya will be a fun way to try out some things he’s been thinking about. Sylvan is still developing the menu for this event, but he said there will definitely be sardines simmered with some dashi, soy sauce, mirin and ginger. Other possibilities include karoke (potato croquettes), gyoza (pot stickers), tsukemono (Japanese pickles), kakuni (braised pork belly with hot mustard and daikon) and dashimaki tamago (classic rolled omelet).
The pop-up izakaya will be open from 5:00 p.m. until late on October 1. Izakaya crowds can sometimes be large and boisterous, but because seating at the Guerilla Cafe is limited, small parties are definitely encouraged. Onaka peko-peko is Japanese for “I’m starving,” so bring your appetite.
(Photo: Aya Brackett)
Sometimes InBerkeley has to confront contentious issues. So I decided to venture forth and try the Cupkates Truck’s cupcakes.
I’ve been following Cupkates’ tweets since I wrote about her venture a few weeks ago on InBerkeley. But the timing was never right, or her location was inconvenient for me. Today, even though she had strayed into Emeryville, I made the leap.
I tried both the Twinkie and the Double Vanilla. The marshmallow frosting of the Twinkie was very good, but I thought the mix of cream filling with the marshmallow frosting was a bit too much for a humble cupcake. The Double Vanilla, on the other hand, was excellent: a nicely moist but still firm cake, with a delicious buttercream frosting. I’ve had cupcakes that pretend to be gourmet offerings (at gourmet prices), but I prefer the simple honesty of Kate’s Double Vanilla.
The eponymous Kate (photo above), who served me my cupcakes, says her fledgling business is doing pretty well. A welcome sign of entrepreneurship in Berkeley.
Despite today’s fog and cold, the weather report for the next several days is hot, hot, hot. Cool off with this 2-for-1 special on iced drinks at your local Berkeley (or other) Peet’s.
Just download and print this coupon, bring it with you when you buy yourself an iced drink and get a second one of equal of lesser value free. I happen to like their mocha freddo. Good through Tuesday, September 22, only one coupon per visit and only at Peet’s retail locations.
(Photo: OakleyOriginals via Flickr.)
When she’s not eating at her mom’s place, Fanny Singer, daughter of Alice Waters, likes Vik’s Chaat Corner in Berkeley and Bakesale Betty’s in Oakland, among others (well, who doesn’t?)
In a contribution to Gourmet, Singer says she gravitates towards low-key restaurants that serve ethnic dishes and lists her 10 favorite food spots in the Bay Area.
Waters named Cafe Fanny after her daughter whose father is Stephen Singer, a former wine buyer for Chez Panisse.
[Source and photo: Eater SF.]
The Guardian has a surprisingly convincing list of the 50 best things to eat in the world. It ranges from oysters at Strangfor Lough in Northern Ireland to ramen at Ramen Jiro in Tokyo. But Berkeley isn’t neglected:
Number 27 is the best place to eat California cuisine. Any guesses?
Chez Panisse doesn’t just do the world’s best Californian food: it is quite simply the best restaurant in the world. Superb.
Incidentally, San Francisco has zero out of 50. Not that we’re gloating. (See comments below to explain that strikethrough.)
Photo by Slightlynorth from Flickr
When I read the ecstatic review of Emilia’s Pizzeria on Slice, I thought I should take a look, if only to stop salivating at the description of “undeniably great pizza”. The review and Emilia’s own website say the pizzeria is coming soon. That may be true, but at lunchtime today its opening didn’t seem particularly imminent.
Emilia’s is on Shattuck, near the corner with Ashby, which is a slightly forlorn retail area. The space is as small as can be: there are only two three-seat tables. But founder Keith Freilich has the right pedigree. He worked at Charlie Hallowell’s non pareil Pizzaiolo on Telegraph in Oakland and at San Francisco’s Flour & Water before coming to Berkeley to open his own place.
Slice’s preview has tons of detail. I’m looking forward to Emilia’s opening.
I don’t usually associate museums with beer, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen next month at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the U.C. Berkeley campus. All in the name of education, of course.
On October 10, the museum will be presenting 99 Bottles of Beer, Global Brewing Traditions 2500 B.C. — Present, the third installment of its annual series exploring the anthropology of food.
99 Bottles of Beer will include a moderated discussion on beer and brewing led by distinguished professors and renowned beer experts, including Fritz Maytag, President and Brewmaster of Anchor Steam Brewery. Held in the Pacific Film Archive Theater, the symposium’s topics include the history of beer and its rituals, the process of beer brewing and the traditions of beer consumption. Also, a workshop on how packaging affects beer flavor will be held by speakers from 21st Amendment Brewery in Kroeber Hall.
A beer tasting fair on the Hearst Museum’s patio and portico will be ongoing throughout the day. Beer vendors include Trumer Brauerei, 21st Amendment Brewery, Anchor Steam Brewery, Hoppy Brewing Co., Eel River Brewing Co., Butte Creek Brewing Co. and Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, among others. Food will be provided by Henry’s, featuring creations by Chef Eddie Blyden.
The event accompanies the new exhibition (free admission) on view in the museum gallery. Curated by Dr. Ira Jacknis, the Museum’s Research Anthropologist, the exhibition presents 130 beer-related objects from many eras and broad geography, in a breadth of media.
Tickets cost $30 for the full program (Symposium, Beer Fair and Workshop), or $20 for the Symposium only or Beer Fair and Workshop only. Museum members and UCB students receive discounts, and an additional $5 early-bird ticket discount is available to those purchasing tickets before September 12.
Whole Foods has been making the news recently, and not in a way that its publicity department will be happy about.
Meanwhile, the upmarket grocery store continues to address criticism leveled a few years ago by Berkeley’s resident uber-foodie Michael Pollan (who, by the way, does not approve of the current Whole Foods boycott) with an advertising campaign that highlights its commitment to local suppliers.
Open the current issue of Edible East Bay and take a look at the inside front cover.
There you will find a map indicating where Whole Foods’ East Bay outposts — including Berkeley — source items such as dairy free ice cream (Maggie Mudd in San Francisco), baby chiogga beets (Marin Roots Farm) and sea kraut (Cultured in Berkeley).
It’s a nice map and, I think, a good marketing move. Click on the map to see it full size.
The locally all-powerful Michael Bauer, food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, reviews the new Five restaurant in the Hotel Shattuck Plaza (introduced on InBerkeley here). He rates it at two-and-a-half stars, which is midway between good and excellent, and pretty high praise from Bauer.
It’s clear Bauer likes chef Scott Howard’s work, but has some hesitations about the quality of the service. It’s worth reading the whole review.
An insider’s account of the demise of Eccolo on Fourth Street:
Fifty hardworking people lost their jobs when Eccolo closed on Berkeley’s Fourth Street strip last week, released into a vast ocean of unemployed restaurant workers. But the ripple effect is even more discouraging. Farmers, handymen, our cleaning crew and the neighborhood preschool we made lunch for daily are only a few of the dozens of local small businesses affected.
Ultimately, it was the piddling state of the economy that made us decide to close. Most restaurants never make much money, and Eccolo was no exception.
via SFGate.
I have to admit that there are times when the ubiquity of Alice Waters irritates me. I think it must be a rule at The New York Times, for example, to mention her at least once a week in either the Dining & Wine section or the Home & Garden section. But the truth is Berkeley should count its lucky stars for Waters and the movement she spawned from Chez Panisse.
Fortune Small Business tells the tale (which has been told before, not least in Thomas McNamee’s recent biography) in a feature about “superstar entrepreneurs”. Sharing the spotlight with Waters are the stories of Costco, Kiss My Face, Re/Max and Viking Range.
Here’s a nice snippet from Fortune’s conversation with Waters:
Part of my philosophy is to try to give employees a great quality of life. My guiding principle is to put myself in their place and ask what I would find desirable in a job. That’s why the waiters’ changing room is just as beautiful as the Chez Panisse kitchen and bathrooms. I also feel that it’s impossible for a chef to work productively six days a week. Chez Panisse chefs work three and are paid for five. This way they have a day to go to the market and get inspired to cook. It also gives them time to have dinners at home with their families.
I never tell the chefs what to cook. That’s up to them. I’m here to taste. I love walking into the restaurant and being surprised. They work within certain parameters, of course. For example, we’re driven by fresh, seasonal food that we buy at farmers’ markets. From the very beginning we have worked to develop relationships with farmers. And we’re Mediterranean in spirit in that Chez Panisse was inspired by my travels throughout that region. But you will also find Indian and Middle Eastern dishes on our menu because we love those cuisines as well.
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