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.