The old Pop Inn on Park Street had a makeover and a new owner! The new bar is now called The Churchward. The grand opening date is the last weekend of September. I looked inside the renovated space and it is so much better in every way. The room is now open and not closed in as it was before. The bar looks clean and refreshed. I now feel safe in having a drink here, before I always wondered if I was current on my tetanus shot and hoped to not get a disease.
The new owner claimed that drug dealers and drug addicts were no longer allowed at the bar. The seedy element of the Pop Inn has been exterminated. Hooray!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Planet Crepes is Removed from the Galaxy
Planet Crepes closed its doors. I am not shocked to find out about this when I drove around the neighborhood the other day. The times I have come to the establishment, high school kids were cooking in the kitchen and I am not sure if there was sufficient adult supervision present. The food was palatable, but definitely not gourmet crepes by any means. The owner should have realized that its neighbors had better quality food items and competition is high. Families have less disposable dollars to spend outside the home during these uncertain economic times, and when they choose to dine out, the food has to be decent.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Peanut Butter & Jam Festival
If one had a chance to attend the Peanut Butter and Jam Festival on Webster Street in between the rain spurts, one major factor was missing, the Skippy Peanut Butter. What happened to the peanut butter, where did it go? The entire intent of the festival was to pay tribute to the first homogenized peanut butter that was created in Alameda AKA Skippy. The Peanut Butter and Jam Festival years ago, had wonderful Skippy company history and use to give away free peanut butter by the jarfuls. This year's event had no trace of Alameda's history and its significance in the American diet. It is a sad and disappointing moment where the moniker of a street festival had no connection with the visitors of the event. I am sure that most attendees did not even know that there is a plaque in front of Walgreens on Webster Street that signifies the original Skippy Peanut Butter plant.
This was a missed opportunity of informing children on local Alameda history.
This was a missed opportunity of informing children on local Alameda history.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Monday Night Picks
With Monday Night Football coming upon us, where does one go to get food and enjoy the game? Does one buy food and bring it home, or should one have a beer and watch the game at a bar?
There are a few places around the island that you can watch the game and have a decent meal at the same time. McGee's Bar and Grill is a happening place to be at for a popular team. Of course this is not a good place if you are vegetarian, but nonetheless the atmosphere is exciting. Another popular spot is Scobies on game night. They don't have HDTVs, but they have large screened televisions. This is a great place for a wide selection of beer on tap.
If you are watching the game in the comfort of your own home, sushi is an easy take-home choice. The only Japanese restaurant that is open on Mondays is Kamakura. The food is fresh and tasty, however slightly expensive. The restaurant does have a flat screen television behind the sushi bar, but the atmosphere lacks camaraderie. BBQ is also a good option for football food. Ribs and football are almost parallel in the action of the game. While one watches 300 pound men beat each other to a pulp on the field, the rib eater is attacking a piece of meat with the same ferocity and with delicious sides dishes. Everett and Jones on Webster is a decent take-out joint and so is Great American BBQ. Eating BBQ is truly Americana food, just like football.
The low-brow NFL night is watching the game with a bucket of KFC and rooting for the Tennessee Titans.
There are a few places around the island that you can watch the game and have a decent meal at the same time. McGee's Bar and Grill is a happening place to be at for a popular team. Of course this is not a good place if you are vegetarian, but nonetheless the atmosphere is exciting. Another popular spot is Scobies on game night. They don't have HDTVs, but they have large screened televisions. This is a great place for a wide selection of beer on tap.
If you are watching the game in the comfort of your own home, sushi is an easy take-home choice. The only Japanese restaurant that is open on Mondays is Kamakura. The food is fresh and tasty, however slightly expensive. The restaurant does have a flat screen television behind the sushi bar, but the atmosphere lacks camaraderie. BBQ is also a good option for football food. Ribs and football are almost parallel in the action of the game. While one watches 300 pound men beat each other to a pulp on the field, the rib eater is attacking a piece of meat with the same ferocity and with delicious sides dishes. Everett and Jones on Webster is a decent take-out joint and so is Great American BBQ. Eating BBQ is truly Americana food, just like football.
The low-brow NFL night is watching the game with a bucket of KFC and rooting for the Tennessee Titans.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Still Cruising for Desserts
While cruising up and down Park Street a few hundred times, Alameda still lacks a great place for desserts. Even though there are several yogurt places, yogurt sometimes just does not hit the spot. Moreover, dessert places around Alameda close early with the exception of Tucker's and the yogurt joints, if you think 11 PM is late. What happened to options? Most restaurants in town serve desserts, but they don't specialize in them. That is one reason why the dessert options are lacking. There has got to be someone in Alameda that serves a great dessert that is not ice-cream! I wish Alameda had a local pie shop that was not Nation's Hamburgers. This is peak season for fruit pies. Oh by the way, I am still waiting for a souffle in this town.
By surprise, I recently came across a great dessert at an unexpected spot. I went to C'era Una Volta on a weekday night. The room was empty. After dinner, the server came to the table and inquired about dessert. This restaurant is usually off my radar for desserts because of the several times I have been disappointed on previous encounters. The server then said they have a warm chocolate cake with vanilla gelato. I love chocolate and so I had to order the warm chocolate cake. The cake was really good and had great flavors. The gelato was also delicious. I would come to this restaurant for the dessert and a glass of wine to accompany it.
Feel Good Bakery does not stay open late, plus you can't really enjoy a good dessert since there is no atmosphere inside the Marketplace. Having dessert here would be an afternoon snack. This bakery has good desserts, but it's not a date kind of place.
The same situation occurs for Boniere Bakery, the interiors does not invite customers to sit down and have a dessert. You pay and leave. However, the desserts at Boniere are palatable, but not fabulous. The fruit tarts are decent.
The Alameda Wine Company sells desserts, but they have a very limited selection. Karen, the owner of the shop, envisioned a pleasant little retail store, but much to her chagrin, the business turned into a bar. She is basically a bartender. Nonetheless, the desserts she buys for the store, are items that accompany wine like truffles, cheese and fruit platter and at times a chocolate pie or brownies.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Where does one go on a Friday or Saturday night?
By surprise, I recently came across a great dessert at an unexpected spot. I went to C'era Una Volta on a weekday night. The room was empty. After dinner, the server came to the table and inquired about dessert. This restaurant is usually off my radar for desserts because of the several times I have been disappointed on previous encounters. The server then said they have a warm chocolate cake with vanilla gelato. I love chocolate and so I had to order the warm chocolate cake. The cake was really good and had great flavors. The gelato was also delicious. I would come to this restaurant for the dessert and a glass of wine to accompany it.
Feel Good Bakery does not stay open late, plus you can't really enjoy a good dessert since there is no atmosphere inside the Marketplace. Having dessert here would be an afternoon snack. This bakery has good desserts, but it's not a date kind of place.
The same situation occurs for Boniere Bakery, the interiors does not invite customers to sit down and have a dessert. You pay and leave. However, the desserts at Boniere are palatable, but not fabulous. The fruit tarts are decent.
The Alameda Wine Company sells desserts, but they have a very limited selection. Karen, the owner of the shop, envisioned a pleasant little retail store, but much to her chagrin, the business turned into a bar. She is basically a bartender. Nonetheless, the desserts she buys for the store, are items that accompany wine like truffles, cheese and fruit platter and at times a chocolate pie or brownies.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Where does one go on a Friday or Saturday night?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ah, the glorious pig. Pork is so versatile and can be prepared in several different ways. Pulled pork sandwiches are a great example of pig satisfaction. Pulled pork sandwiches are tender, tasty, full of flavor with a tangy BBQ sauce. A few places around Alameda make a Pulled Pork Sandwich.
A restaurant that should be able to knock out a pulled pork sandwich and does not deliver is Everett and Jones. Everett and Jones has been around the block a few times and has many years of experience of preparing smoked, cooked meat. Unfortunately their pulled pork sandwich is a miss. The meat is poorly sliced and not pulled away from the bone as it should be. The pieces of pork are chunky, and the meat is not that tender when you bite into the sandwich. The only part of the sandwich that makes up for some of the deficiencies is the sauce. The BBQ sauce comes in different varieties of mild, medium and spicy. The sauces taste complex, have depth and have a pleasant, smokey flavor. I would pass on this sandwich at this establishment.
Great American BBQ has better quality BBQ food compared to Everett and Jones. The only problem is the difficulty in getting to the restaurant. With the High Street Bridge closed and the parking lot minimal, it's not easy access to pick up food. The positive aspect of the food is that the meat of the pulled pork sandwich is tender and cooked well. The meat was in long strips and may not be from the rib area, but another part of the pig. The sauce is tangy and slightly sweet. I would recommend in coming to Great American BBQ and having a sandwich.
Rooster's the rock and roll hang out joint makes a surprisingly tasty pulled pork sandwich. The meat was tender, smokey and full of flavor. The sauce was delicious, but there wasn't enough of it on the meat. I guess they were conservative on the sauce so the bun would not get soggy. I also had the opportunity to eat my sandwich when a rock band was performing. A memorable time while listening to a song that was titled Devil. Rooster's was the least expensive sandwich out of the three restaurants at $4.95. The meal came with french fries. If you don't enjoy loud, rock music, go to Rooster's before the party starts.
A restaurant that should be able to knock out a pulled pork sandwich and does not deliver is Everett and Jones. Everett and Jones has been around the block a few times and has many years of experience of preparing smoked, cooked meat. Unfortunately their pulled pork sandwich is a miss. The meat is poorly sliced and not pulled away from the bone as it should be. The pieces of pork are chunky, and the meat is not that tender when you bite into the sandwich. The only part of the sandwich that makes up for some of the deficiencies is the sauce. The BBQ sauce comes in different varieties of mild, medium and spicy. The sauces taste complex, have depth and have a pleasant, smokey flavor. I would pass on this sandwich at this establishment.
Great American BBQ has better quality BBQ food compared to Everett and Jones. The only problem is the difficulty in getting to the restaurant. With the High Street Bridge closed and the parking lot minimal, it's not easy access to pick up food. The positive aspect of the food is that the meat of the pulled pork sandwich is tender and cooked well. The meat was in long strips and may not be from the rib area, but another part of the pig. The sauce is tangy and slightly sweet. I would recommend in coming to Great American BBQ and having a sandwich.
Rooster's the rock and roll hang out joint makes a surprisingly tasty pulled pork sandwich. The meat was tender, smokey and full of flavor. The sauce was delicious, but there wasn't enough of it on the meat. I guess they were conservative on the sauce so the bun would not get soggy. I also had the opportunity to eat my sandwich when a rock band was performing. A memorable time while listening to a song that was titled Devil. Rooster's was the least expensive sandwich out of the three restaurants at $4.95. The meal came with french fries. If you don't enjoy loud, rock music, go to Rooster's before the party starts.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Best Food
People always ask me what is the best restaurant in Alameda. To be perfectly honest, I don't believe there is one specific place on the Island that holds that title. Alameda is not home to haute cuisine, there are no five-star establishments or Michelin Star chefs. Instead of searching for the best food in the City, your hunger should lead the way. Here are some of my picks around town:
Best Ambiance - Pappo
Best Bakery - Feel Good Bakery
Best Bar - Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge
Best BBQ - Roosters
Best Cafe - Julie's or Wescafe
Best Chinese - Hong Kong East Ocean
Best Deli - Culina
Best Dessert - C'era Una Volta
Best Diner - Marti's Place
Best Fusion - Zen
Best Hamburger - McGee's Bar and Grill
Best Italian - C'era Una Volta
Best Japanese - Angelfish
Best Mediterranean - Asena Restaurant
Best Mexican - Calafia Tacqueria
Best Sushi - Yume
Best Thai - Amarin Restaurant
Best Vietnamese - Dragon Rouge
What are your favorite places?
Best Ambiance - Pappo
Best Bakery - Feel Good Bakery
Best Bar - Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge
Best BBQ - Roosters
Best Cafe - Julie's or Wescafe
Best Chinese - Hong Kong East Ocean
Best Deli - Culina
Best Dessert - C'era Una Volta
Best Diner - Marti's Place
Best Fusion - Zen
Best Hamburger - McGee's Bar and Grill
Best Italian - C'era Una Volta
Best Japanese - Angelfish
Best Mediterranean - Asena Restaurant
Best Mexican - Calafia Tacqueria
Best Sushi - Yume
Best Thai - Amarin Restaurant
Best Vietnamese - Dragon Rouge
What are your favorite places?
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