Instead of updating our legal docs, I spent a couple of hours summarizing our dining out during first half of 2023 (procrastination rules again, LOL).
In our regular EBay “rotation”, we usually stop in once a month at:
- Waki Sushi/Alameda – very good sashimi if you stick to the high-turnover fish (toro, sake, hamachi). Doing some interesting fusion nigiri and rolls, too.
- East Ocean Seafood/Alameda – good dim sum and have recently added a Portuguese egg tart variant that is outstanding.
- Asmara Eritrean/Oakland – the Assa Tibs (fish) is Spouse’s favorite.
- Mama’s Royal Café – Love their corned beef hash with poached eggs.
- Sichuan Fusion – The XLB are frozen but a good quality and properly small, rather than the getting-bigger-all-the-time housemade XLB some other restaurants are making. Stir-fried rice cakes, steamed fish with soft tofu, and dan dan mein are standards for us.
- The Fat Lady/Oakland – Fried zucchini here is better than any fries elsewhere. Also the best steakhouse in Alameda County, and we seriously love steak.
We now have three excellent Indian restaurants we like:
- Guru Curry/El Cerrito – branch of the Oakland one, but bigger and easy to park (where Sasa Kitchen used to be). Tibetan/Indian. Note the momos are gigantic and more an entrée, not an appetizer at all (but yummy). Loved the lamb and cauliflower curry.
- Namastey Patio/Oakland – Outstanding Nepalese/Indian. They are wary of chili levels for Americans, but medium here can be darn hot (and we love hot food). Don’t miss the one fusion dish, the grilled spiced portobello – it’s amazing. Both goat curries are excellent; khasi has a bit more gravy than the karahi.
- Indian Grill/SLeandro – Sikh/Indian, note parking lot is NOT free (pay via app). Uses slightly more sugar than Guru or Namastey, but their kheer (rice pudding with almonds) is my favorite. Thick with crushed almonds; I always get one to bring home.
We enjoyed:
Belotti/Oakland – still like a lot but it’s given in to the American demands for bigger portions and more cheese/sauce, which is antithetical to what the pasta course is supposed to be (and what it was originally, here).
Paradiso/SLeandro – New chef executes same menu a little differently. Not quite at the level it was before, but still one of the better places for dining with friends in this area.
Ikaros/Oakland – The best saganaki of any EBay restaurant, even if they do use brandy rather than ouzo. Their toasted Semifreddi baguette slices are divine with it. Our Greek restaurant of choice. Excellent Greek coffee, as well.
Pyeong Chang Tofu/Berkeley – Plainer but more comfortable than the Oakland PCT, easier to park. Basic Korean comfort food, limited menu, but entrées include spicy tofu soup and the wonderful toasted rice crust to break up and add.
Belmo Café/Berkeley – Turkish/French, we stop in regularly for pastries and outstanding espresso drinks.
Left Bank Bistro/Oakland – Don’t love it, but like it pretty well. The steak tartare, bouillabaisse, salmon, cassoulet, and grilled sausage are worth repeats. Best dessert always the lemon tart. Service usually good, but noisier inside than we like.
Lita/Walnut Creek – Enjoyed our lunch here and looking forward to a return.
Khyber Pass/Dublin – Love their chapli kabob which is unlike anyone else’s version. Mantoo and sautéed pumpkin are excellent.
Saul’s Deli/Berkeley – Pastrami Reubens, and the new chef braises the sauerkraut which we consider an essential step. Solbar/Calistoga makes the best Reubens, but the chef only has them on the menu once a year. FYI, not being a NYer, I don’t claim they’re ‘authentic’, whatever that implies. These are what we like, and my Spouse detests fatty meat no matter what kind.
LiMA/Concord – Followed chef/owner John Marquez from his Artisan Bistro to here, where he does excellent, consistent, well-executed Peruvian. Don’t miss his pineapple-coconut bread pudding; John makes outstanding desserts.
Market Tavern/Dublin – If you’re out here with friends and need a place where everybody can pick something different, this is one of the best bets. Reservations a necessity because everybody agrees. Don’t miss the crispy Brussels sprouts with lime (don’t get it mixed up with the standard Brussels sprouts dish), which is wonderful and unique to MT. Excellent polenta and housemade desserts.
Brenda’s Soul Food/Oakland – Up and down, but did like the unusual crust on fried chicken, the biscuit, the grits, and those fried oysters. The rest of it, not so much. We prefer Creole jambalaya, not Cajun; and the collards were too California-style to be truly good Southern cooking.
Places we visited but didn’t rate high enough to return to. Note: YMMV!
Canasta Kitchen/Oakland
Daimo/Berkeley
Juanita & Maude/Berkeley
Lois the Pie Queen/Oakland
Persian Nights/Oakland
Taqueria La Mejor/Oakland
Tigrai Eritrean/Oakland
Tomsa Sushi/Oakland
Top Hatters/SLeandro
++++
FYI, this list does not include the restaurants we visited during our periodic driving trips around the region. That’ll be separate, if I ever get it done [grin]!
