Blue Bottle

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With their new funding, Blue Bottle is slowly taking over the world (at least California).  With its new location in Oakland, Blue Bottle has graced the East Bay not just with their coffee, but with some of their delicious liege waffle as well.  I've been hoping that with every new location, they would bring some of cooked brunch items I enjoy so much at their Mint Plaza location and finally, there is another location that serves this besides just that one.  True to Blue Bottle's design, the space is large, open, and airy.  One odd standout at this location is a large number of people with laptops, which is sort of rare to see at the other locations.

Besides the usual drip coffee, mochas, and New Orleans iced coffee, this location serves an oji style coffee, which is served black and with one ice cube.  Simple, strong, and smooth.  Another awesome thing about this location is they offer a flight of iced coffees so you can sample their New Orleans iced coffee, oja, and single origin in one shot, literally.

As always, Blue Bottle mochas are beautifully done.  Frothy, creamy with just the right amounts of mocha flavors.

I'm a little dismayed that they don't serve the toast or the Belgian waffle here, but they do serve up the liege waffle, which is A okay in my book.  Its pressed and made to order so you get the warm crispy edges with crunchy bits of sugar to enjoy with your coffee.

     

Address:                 Blue Bottle
                                4270 Broadway 
                                Oakland, CA
 

Type:                       coffee

Popular chomps:     liege waffle
                                New Orleans iced coffee
 

Chomp worthy:       liege waffle         

Genova Delicatessen

Pin It Now! In the East Bay, Genova Delicatessen is legendary.  Long lines are the norm here all day, every day.  After pulling a ticket at the counter expect to wait at least an hour.  Anything under 30 minutes, consider yourself lucky!

Fresh made raviolis with the option of meat or cheese (I chose meat) are lovely pillows of pasta and meat.  Make sure you use the garlic bread to sop up all the delicious meat sauce.

A side of salad comes with the combo, which I find an afterthought and rather save room in my tummy for the sandwich.

In an Italian deli, you can never go wrong with the Italian combo.  Lots of thinly sliced meats (sliced upon ordering) between two slices of dutch crunch bread.  Loved the flavorful sandwich, but the dutch crunch was missing its crunchy top.   

Address:                  Genova Delicatessen
                                 5095 Telegraph Ave.
                                 Oakland, CA
 

Type:                        deli

Popular chomps:       pastrami sandwich
                                  Italian combo
                                  ravioli  

Chomp worthy:         Italian combo
                                   ravioli   

Zachary's Chicago Pizza

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Zachary's is an East Bay institution.  Even after all these years, its still get crowded and you can barely fit though the door.  The trick is to order to go otherwise the wait for a table could take over a hour.

This pizzeria actually has thin crust, but the crowd favorite is the stuffed pizza (deep dish).  Zachary's special (sausage, green pepper, onion, and mushroom) and carne (Italian sausage, bacon, salami, pepperoni, and mozzarella) are popular choices, but my favorite is the spinach and mushroom.

The crust at Little Star (see post HERE) is definitely better.  Its ultra buttery and crispy.  Call it nostalgia, but I prefer the taste of Zachary's pizza, especially the spinach and mushroom.  The tomato sauce is on the sweeter, tangier side, but I love the juicy chunks of tomatoes.

      

Address:                      Zachary's Chicago Pizza
                                     5801 College Ave.
                                     Oakland, CA 
 

Type:                            pizza

Popular chomps:          spinach and mushroom
                                      carne
                                      zachary's special

Chomp worthy:             spinach and mushroom
                                       carne
                                       zachary's special   

Nick's Pizza

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Nick's Pizza seems to be a well loved pizza place in the East Bay area.  Oddly, I've never seen it driving along Shattuck.

The slices here are more on the greasy side, which isn't a bad thing, but I found the flavors to just be a little better than the average chain pizza.  Especially compared to all the amazing pizza in the area, both the cheese and the pepperoni slice fell a little short of expectations.

The mushroom was probably the best of the three, but even so the taste of the crust here is nothing special.  Its probably a decent spot if you are in the area and needing of a slice, but other than that its not raveworthy.

 

Address:                 Nick's Pizza
                                6211 Shattuck Ave.
                                Oakland, CA
 

Type:                       pizza

Popular chomps:     dino kale pizza
                                 sopresetta
                                 mushroom
                                 pepperoni

Chomp worthy:        nothing       

Slicer Pizzeria

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It feels like the East Bay is always opening another pizza place.  Slicer is brought to us by the same owners of Pizzaiolo and Boot and Shoe (see post HERE).

A yummy selection of slices with super fresh ingredients.  The slices are different than Pizzaiolo with a flatter, but still flavorful crust.

There a lot of fresh watermelons and melons on the counter when you walk in so its a no brainer to order an aqua fresca here.  The watermelon is refreshing and sweet. 

A good nibble on the crust showed that this slice is definitely noshable.  A good combination of crispiness along with the right amount of chewiness made this crust delicious.  The sausage slice was topped with housemade sausage, peppers, and red onions.  Yum!

The eggplant slice had a small sprinkling of mint.  I would have never thought to put mint on a pizza, but it was welcome fresh taste.  You can never go wrong with a plain slice of cheese pizza.  At Slicer, its pretty delicious and satisfying.

    

Address:                    Slicer Pizzeria
                                   4395 Piedmont Ave
                                   Unit A
                                   Oakland, CA
 

Type:                          pizza

Popular chomps:        panna cotta
                                   agua fresca 

                                   cheese pizza

Chomp worthy:          agua fresca
                                   cheese pizza
                                   sausage pizza
                                   eggplant pizza       

Donut Savant

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Donut Savant has been open just over a year and I finally got the chance to check it out.  This cute little donut shop churns out flavor from the standard (vanilla, chocolate bar, etc) and the more unique (maple bacon, oreo, etc).  Although the donuts are the obvious selling point at this shop, the coffee is amazing!

These small donut bites are about $1 and they are just the perfect size to try a handful of flavors. 

The apple fritter is fluffy with pieces of apple.  Its no Bob's SF version (see post HERE), but its mini size makes it perfect for when you want an apple fritter AND something else.

The salted maple donut was probably my second favorite (after the maple pecan). Every donut here is fluffy on the inside.

The mini sized donuts are just so cute, I can't stop raving about their size.  The mini chocolate bar is no exception.  The chocolate is thick, rich, and very chocolatey in flavor.

The vanilla glaze donuts are slightly bigger than a regular donut hole.  These cake donuts are covered with vanilla glaze.  For some reason, I thought it would be more of a regular glaze, but this heavy layer of vanilla frosting was a little too sweet for me.

The maple pecan was a last minute decision, but it ended up being one of the favorites of the bunch.  With its nutty, toasted pecans and the sweet maple frosting, its a pairing that just worked.

The s'more donut is so cute with its giant marshmallow slightly toasted on top of a chocolate frosting donut.

Address:                 Donut Savant
                                1934 Broadway
                                Oakland,CA
   

Type:                       donuts

Popular chomps:     apple fritter
                                 maple bacon
                                 maple pecan

Chomp worthy:        maple pecan   

Sacred Wheel

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Although its says Cheese Shop on the building, its actually called Sacred Wheel.  Sometimes the best dishes need to come straight from the source!

Tons of cheeses to buy and look at while you wait for your food to be made.

Lots of cheesy stuff to choose from!  From mac and cheese to grilled cheese!

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is just one of those natural combinations.  I've never really found tomato soup very interesting or special until I slurp up this one.  Seriously, the best tomato soup I have ever had.  Not sure if it has to do with the random fact that they make it with Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer.  It looks so simple, but its slightly chunky with a strong tomato flavor, but best of all its spicy.  The grilled cheese is perfectly toasted with gooey cheese with made it great for dipping into the tomato soup.

I've had a good amount of mac and cheese recently, but nothing like this one.  Usually I've found that mac and cheese when layered with multiple components are rarely all hits.  Homeroom's whimsical mac and cheese (see post HERE) left me a little unsatisfied unsatisfied.  However, this one was full of flavor.  Not only was the mac and cheese delicious so was the sloppy joe and even the runny egg.  The sloppy joe had a sweeter taste, but it was fantastic.  Surprisingly, even after devouring this and the grilled cheese, I didn't leave with a heavy filling. 

   

Address:                 Sacred Wheel
                                4935 Shattuck Ave.
                                Oakland, CA

   

Type:                       American/sandwiches

Popular chomps:     tomato soup
                                 grilled cheese

Chomp worthy:       tomato soup
                                grilled cheese
                                sleazy mac         

Seoul Gomtang

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Seoul Gomtang is another example of why its a must to cross the bridge into Oakland for some good food.  Most people know Korean food as just grilled meats, but crossing the Bay (also venturing into the South Bay) will get you so much more.  Seoul Gomtang offers a couple dishes that I've never really been able to locate in the city, one being gomtang. 

The kimchee here is scarce, but all quality.  From the green onion and cucumber, pickled daikon, and traditional cabbage, each were soaked in spicy flavors and crunchy.

Seoul Gomtang has several types of gomtangs.  The suk uh gom tang is the mixed beef  version with thin noodles.  Almost like a pho dac biet (combination #1), this soup has beef tongue, tripe, brisket, essentially the works.  The broth is very, very plain and you will need to add something to do, whether it be kimchee, green onions, or salt.  The salt actually brings out the subtle beef flavor in the broth.

The gori gomtang is a milky broth with ox tail pieces.  Compared to the suk uh gom tang broth, this one is a little more flavorful, but no noodles.  Simple, but homey, I can see why this place is packed with people sipping this soup.  It's also a popular hangover soup, in the same category as pho.

Unlike most soups that I'm used to eating, these soups are meant to be flavored.  Usually with a sprinkle of green onions and ....

SALT!  I don't even know when the last time it was that I added salt to a finished food product, especially at a restaurant, but salt is a must for this soup.  I'd say anywhere from 1 to 2 spoonfuls is good enough, anything more makes the last couple drops too salty.

The pickled jalapenos in spicy soy sauce is used for dipping the pieces of meat.  Its the perfect sauce with just the right amount of spicy and saltiness.

No Korean meal is complete without a bowl of rice in a metal bowl.  I like to scoop the rice into the soup to soak up any last bits of flavor.

The mandu (dumplings) here are huge!  They are almost the size of fists.  Being Chinese, I'm used to small dumplings with delicate skins, these are quite opposite.  The wrappers are thick and chewy.  Each dumpling is stuffed with egg, chicken, and tofu.  They aren't super flavorful, but they do grow on you after the first one.

A peek inside the dumpling.

       

Address:                   Seoul Gomtang
                                  3801 Telegraph Ave.
                                  Oakland, CA
 

Type:                         Korean

Popular chomps:       hae mool pa jun (seafood pancake)
                                   gomtang (oxtail soup)
                                   jin man doo (dumplings)
                                   soon doo bu  (tofu soup)
                                   samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup)
                                   

Chomp worthy:         gomtang (oxtail soup)

Tribune Tavern

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Right below the historic Tribune tower lies the Tribune Tavern.  Dark and mysterious, but with some awesome outside and window seating, Tribune Tavern is great place to enjoy the upcoming warm summer nights.  Its best to come hungry with no plans to do anything after.  The food is heavy and filling, but exactly the type of menu when you think of a tavern.

Possibly the most generous amount of spreadable meats I've ever had.  The potted rabbit was creamy and delicious.  Even with a generous coating on each piece of toast, there was quite a bit of rabbit leftover.  A couple more slices of toast would have been perfect.

The grilled ox tongue was so tender it could melt in your mouth.  The sliced radishes brought some freshness and crunch to each bite.

The pork trotter and cheek fritter was kinda delicious.  Tender shreds of meat encased in a fried shell.   Its hard not to love anything fried.  The sprinkle of fava beans made you feel less guilty about eating something fried.

Chuck and brisket make this burger flavorful, but oddly it lacked any juiciness.  $2 extra for bacon, but at this point it was meat overload for me.  The fries were nice and crisp with a good amount of salt.

Its hard to find sheperd's pie in the Bay Area and Cheesecake Factory doesn't count.  Usually, I find that most are too salty or oily, but Tribune Tavern's was quite tasty.  Double meat filling made with lamb and braised beef .  I only wished the Parmesan mash had little more flavor and texture. 

Its a shame that TCHO chocolate was made into this pot de creme.  The marshmallow topping made it all too sweet and hard to enjoy the lovely TCHO chocolate. 

Address:                 Tribune Tavern
                                401 13th St.
                                Oakland, CA
 

Type:                       American/British/gastropub

Popular chomps:      guilty fries
                                  bangers and mash
                                  shepard's pie
                                  burger

Chomp worthy:         potted rabbit
                                  grilled ox tongue
                                  pork trotter and cheek fritter

Jules Thin Crust

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Zachery's a household name and institution in all East Bay homes.  Its thick deep dish pizza has had deep rooted food memories for many people so in a way in makes me chuckle that Jules Thin Crust made its home across the street from Zachery's.  It's literally everything opposite of Zachery's - modern atmosphere, ultra fresh ingredients, and very thin crust.  In a town where pizza is literally everywhere from Cheeseboard (see post HERE) to Arinell's (see post HERE), its hard to see where a place like Jules Thin Crust.  Pizza is often thought of only having two categories: thin crust and deep dish, but Jules Thin Crust puts itself in a category of its own - the very thin crust.

Its hard to choose which slice to eat, but I suggest those with the fresh vegetables.  This veggie pizza was a special that was topped with ricotta cheese, spring peas, and mushrooms.  Crazy delicious, it tasted as if every vegetable was just picked straight out of the garden.

The "01" (left) was topped with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, organic tomato sauce, and mozzarella.  All the ingredients were fresh and flavorful.  While each slice was delicious, the meat ingredients tend to be a little on the oily side and weighed down the lovely thinness of the pizza.  The "06" was a thin crust with buffalo hormone free roasted chicken, gorgonzola, buffalo dressing, celery, arugula, mozzarella.  Loved the little slices of celery that gave the slice a fresh crunch.

   

Address:                 Jules Thin Crust
                                5804 College Ave.
                                Oakland, CA
 

Type:                       pizza

Popular chomps:     thin crust pizzas        

Chomp worthy:       vegetable thin crust pizzas