America's Cup Is Coming

Alamedans get ready for America's Cup.  The first trials are at the Marina Green in San Francisco from August 21 through 26. The racing will be amazing, exciting and prepping the teams for the main event coming in 2013.  Rumors say the Swedish racing team is training and staying in Alameda. How cool is that.  For now, I haven't seen them or their boats, but I guess I should go hunting for large Swedes.  My first place of interest is Marti's Place on Encinal.

Angela's Catering

The catering arm of Angela's use to be in the Rock Wall Winery. Well for some reason, Angela's has pulled out of Rock Wall about two months ago and has moved its operations to the restaurant.  I wonder what is going on?  John Thiel of Pappo did the same exact move last year with Culina and pulled it out of the Marketplace.   I am sure both of these establishments are making money with their catering, however, can business be that great to pull out of a second location?

Warm Nights...Long Lines at Tucker's

Thank goodness summer is here. Who doesn't love summer.  The days are longer, it's warmer weather (with the exception of San Francisco) and people are more ready to have a good time during the work week.  Warm weather invites people outside and to downtown Alameda where all of the action is.  One night I waited in one of the longest lines that I have experienced at Tucker's Ice Cream. The line was by the bathrooms.  Of course an ice cream joint will be busy on a warm night, but that night especially was jumping. The room was full of busy energy, lots of people coming and going, and watching people eat ice cream with happy and satisfied faces.   It was after 9 pm by the time I placed my order after a twenty minute or so wait. I have come to realize the best flavors for me at Tucker's are the chocolate flavors such as rocky road, health toffee crunch, mocha chip, chocolate chip and mint n chip.  There have been too many times I deviated away from chocolate and was not content.  I know what I like.

Alameda Vintner's Club

If you are into wine and want to join a club, well step right up to the newest wine club in town, Alameda Vintner's Club at Angela's Restaurant.  Five wineries are part of the club: Carica Wines, Ehrenberg Cellars, JC Cellars, R & B Cellars, and Urbano Cellars.  This new club just opened this past weekend (July 28) and it appears to drawing interest. I don't know anything about prices or how many bottles you have to agree upon to join. I am certain that it will impact Karen's business at Alameda Wine Bar.  Karen will not be happy and I hope she doesn't paint her face blue again.


In case you haven't heard or tasted, John Thiel of Pappo has also created his own wines at his restaurant.  His wine labels are water drops that matches the photos at the bar.  It took me a few times to finally get it and then I figured it out with the wine branding.  The message is indirect and clever.  Prices for his wines are less compared to other options on the menu.


Cheers!

Art & Wine Festival

As I strolled through the Art & Wine Festival this past weekend, I realized the vendors and the food were pretty much the same each year. I didn't see any new features, but luckily the weather was warm and everyone was enjoying the weather.  Lockeford Sausages had the lock down on best street food.  People waited in long lines for their products. The smell alone from their grills was quite inviting.  I also noticed the high number of corn dog vendors.  I am a sucker for a corn dog, but the there were too many of them.  Also a good number of the vendors were selling chicken wieners and not beef, which seems sacrilegious.

I ended up eating at The Hob Nob for lunch and had the fish and chips. The fish batter was light, fluffy and amazing and didn't mask the true flavors of the fish. The restaurant always serves decent food and I wanted to sit down and rest my legs instead of standing up and gobbling down food in a hastily manner.

Of course I will return next year and I do each year.  I wonder if I will write the identical blog entry next year?

Best of Alameda 2012

The votes are in and this month's issue of Alameda Magazine has the winners for the Best Of Alameda.

Did your favorite restaurant get nominated and win?  Do you agree with the winners of each category? Check out the link of the article and see if you agree with the magazine.

http://www.alamedamagazine.com/Alameda-Magazine/July-August-2012/Best-of-Alameda-2012/

Some of the categories were a little too obscure for me such as Best Savory Scone, Best Breakfast Sandwich or Best Thin or Thick Crust Pizza.  By the way, only two of the winners were based at the west end, whereas all the other winners were located along Park Street or east of Park.  This is a true indicator of how economic development will continue in Alameda.  I also think some of the winners were slam dunks since they had no competitors in their category.

Bastille Day Celebration

The Bastille Day celebration was in full swing this past Saturday at Cafe Jolie.  The cafe had lots of decorations and the staff got customers excited.  I bought lots of croissants and macaroons, but I forgot to wear my beret.  The plain croissants were flaky and delicious, just like buying one in Paris. The chocolate croissants were unfortunately dry and they did not have enough chocolate inside for my liking.  Nonetheless I  still ate it because I love chocolate.  The colorful macaroons were packaged so nicely in a set of six.  The cookies were tasty, lots of different flavors, slightly chewy texture and bite size.  


It is such a blessing that there is a French cafe on the island. Alameda is in dire need of varied food establishments, especially since Le Bouc closed down about a decade ago.   

American Oak

The newly renovated space is comfortable and casual with an Americana look and feel.  There is a lot of wood in the bar area and paneling along the wall where is the front door is. I however, cannot determine if the wood used is actually oak since the lighting is so dim inside the restaurant.

What is amazing is the Whiskey menu.  One can taste a variety of over 100 different whiskeys. Yee haw!  If you are not that adventurous or if your liver cannot filter that much alcohol, a whiskey flight of four selections will cost anywhere from $8 to $22.

As for the food, the ribs and french fries on the appetizer menu are tasty, I highly recommend these dishes.  The ribs are juicy and tender. The children's pepperoni pizza which is too large for any child to eat and at a price of $7, can feed two adults. FYI - if your kid can eat the whole pie, the child is overeating. The pizza is a kick ass price; one cannot beat the value of this item.  The pizza is palatable and decent, but it's no where near the high quality standards of East End Pizza Co.  Nonetheless, customers continue to order the pizzas because of the value and the portion sizes.  Fortunately, the owner kept macaroni and cheese on the menu from the Barceluna days.

I firmly believe the kitchen will continue to improve and work out the kinks of the food. Wait and see, this establishment will be fantastic in a few months.

4th of July Parade

Get your blankets and folding chairs ready for the 4th of July parade in Alameda.  What's awesome about the parade is seeing families spending time with each other and grilling hot dogs and hamburgers in front of their homes. The parade route runs basically from Park Street to Webster, so food and beverages are not in far reach.   The parade is also a great indicator of what new businesses or restaurants are in Alameda and are invested in the community. I really love the small town feel that the parade exudes.


Take advantage of the food specials that the restaurants will have along the parade route.  Happy 4th of July!

Three Times the Charm

If you pass by the Kabob Central place across the street from the Alameda Theatre, you will notice it is closed for remodeling.  In restaurant terms, remodeling usually implies the owner went out of business. That restaurant has been through two different owners in a short amount of time.  The location is great and I am hoping the next food establishment will have a more long lasting business model.

I think Alamedans enjoy kabobs and mediterrean food in general, but for some reason that place has a difficult time staying afloat. However, when I think about Zeytini, they too recently closed and they served kabobs besides the standard Italian dishes. Is there a pattern here?

Off the Grid Comes to Alameda...Finally!

Last Saturday was the first time ever Off the Grid came to Alameda.  About seven food trucks made an appearance at the Alameda South Shore Parking Lot by PetCo.  When I finally came to the scene at 2 pm, most of the food from over half of the trucks were sold out.  The crowd was still there and the lines were long.  I would definitely come back at an earlier time to taste the curious food options. The event will be every Saturday at the same place from 11 am to 3 pm throughout the entire summer.   I am excited.  At least Alamedans will finally have an opportunity to taste creative, bold, and  not your standard food with fresh ingredients.

Monkey King Pub & Grub

I was attracted to the concept and menu of Monkey King Pub and Grub on Park Street, but actually going inside and having a meal is a different story.  First of all, the restaurant has too many themes going all at once, there are several televisions along the wall to make it a sports bar, there are girlish and modern light fixtures at the bar area, and the Asian themed wall mural of  a Monkey in the country and ice country.  The music they play during dinner hours is top 40 American and if you stay longer, the music gets louder and the lights go dim.

The appetizer and dinner menu were creative and a good selection to choose from. I ordered items that were recommended by the staff of Eggplant Tofu, Beef Chow Fun and Salt and Pepper Prawns.  The prawns were decent and not overcooked, however, I did not get a flavor punch of salt and pepper.  The eggplant tofu was okay, the sauce was a little thick and gooey as the food cooled. The beef chow fun lacked flavor and it was the least favorite. There were plenty of vegetables and beef in the chow fun, but the flavors did not shine.

The positive aspect of this restaurant is that it stays open until 2 am.  Great for late night drinks and snacks to munch on.

Asian Invasion in Alameda Sports Bars

I find it quite amusing that two Alameda sports bars of Scobies and the Fire Den have recently started to serve  Asian BBQ.  Scobies advertises Korean BBQ and the Fire Den hangs a banner in front for Vietnamese BBQ. Both of these bars are very American in marketing and decorum. I wonder why the change in direction of the food or it is because the usual bar food wasn't making any money?  If Great American BBQ wanted to have a second location in either one of those spots, it would increase sales.  The Fernside location of Great American BBQ is a bit of a trek to get to, not to mention the lack of parking around it.  I would love to get great barbecue on Park Street.

Spring Festival ~ This Weekend

I totally forgot about the Spring Festival and I unexpectedly came across it while I was riding my bicycle.  I walked the entire street fair and came across the Aunt Betty's Corn Dog stand.  It was quite a large portion of a corn dog for $4.  The wiener was chicken.  I ate it because I was hungry and I picked food with my eyes and  not with my stomach.  The corn dog was mostly batter.  The corn dog was lackluster. There wasn't a lot of flavor and the meat was minimum. The mustard I used to flavor the dog made it taste better.  Beef dogs are much to use for corn dogs.

Culina is out of The Marketplace

Chef and owner of Pappo who also owned Culina has moved out of The Marketplace.  The chef has consolidated his operations and is cooking all of his catering gigs from the Pappo kitchen.  A new food tenant is renovating the former Culina spot and I cannot wait to see who is coming in next.

Zeytini - Gone, Gone, Gone

Zeytini Restaurant is no longer in business.  I am not sure exactly the reason, but they have closed up the business.  I was in the mall the other day and noticed that the sign said closed and the tables and chairs were stacked up inside.

The only restaurant that continues to do well in the mall is Sushi House. Go figure.

Rio California Cafe No Mas

The Rio California Cafe across the street from the former Navy Yard is no longer in business.  The new tenant is Viva Mexico #2.  For some reason that space in that location has never done well.  Food joints come and go  on a yearly basis and no one has seem to figure it out.  The large housing development across the street doesn't support businesses on that corner.  The only business that has been there through good and bad times is the donut place.

Hot Dog Economics

I went to Doggy Style over the weekend when I had a hot dog craving.  I ordered one Dirty South, which is a chili cheese dog and one Doggyzilla which is a bratwurst with Asian toppings of seaweed, wasabi mayo, cole slaw and teriyaki sauce.  The two hot dogs and one can of soda was over $14.00.  The hot dogs were tasty, but the Dirty South didn't have a lot of chili and the dog was overwhelmed with too much bun.

For about the same price of $14, I could have purchased four chili cheese dogs (with more chili) from Der Wienerschnitzel down the street along Park.  Each of their chili cheese dog is $3.25, a bargain in comparison.

I will have to say that Doggy Style must improve their products if they are going to compete with other establishments who have much lower prices and serves about the same quality of food.

American Oak

Barceluna basically rebranded itself to the new name of American Oak.  It just re-opened not too long ago. I am not sure if Alamedans have caught on yet.  The new tag line of the restaurant is a Whiskey Bar with Rad Food specializing in wood oven pizzas.  I know that great pizzas can be produced from the wood oven because I use to buy pizzas all the time from Lucien when he owned Luciano's.   I am sure East End Pizza Co. is watching and waiting.

Poutine

I love poutine.  Poutine is a fancy French Canadian word for french fries with cheese curds and gravy on top.  The caveat is that the gravy must be a beef based brown gravy.  Americans have picked up on this Canadian dish and is now selling it in different places around the bay area.  My first notice of poutine was at the Salt House in San Francisco.  Their version was a little too heavy on the salt for me (hence the name of the restaurant).  However, I was blown away when I saw it on the menu board at Scolari's.  Initially they called it fries with cheese and gravy and somewhere down the line they picked up the Canadian term and now use it.
Scolari's does a decent job on the poutine even though they technically don't use the cheese curds.