I've used bulgur, a processed wheat product, to make kibbeh for years, but not until a couple of days ago I decided to serve it on its own. I was making chicken marsala and wanted a starch to serve with the sauce. I didn't have any couscous and I've pretty much given up on rice (its glycemic index is too high and it takes too long to cook) so I took a look at what I could find on the cupboard and came across the burgul. Happy I did. This cereal is very easy and fast to prepare (simmer it in water for 12-15 minutes) and it has a nice nutty taste, that's not overwhelming. It went great with the marsala (and a cognac sauce I made tonight) and Camila just LOVED eating it by herself. Indeed, all she had tonight for dinner was burgul and peas (no meat for the lady).

Nutritionally, burgul is OK. Though it's processed (pre-cooked to remove the outer shell of the grain), most of the grain is left and it's a great source of fiber and high in protein. It's caloric, of course, but much better for you than white rice. Probably the biggest problem with it is that it's not easy to find. They don't have it at our local Safeway - it's available at Lucky's, but in the exotic grains section which means it's pretty expensive. They have it in bulk at the Berkeley Bowl, though, so it may give me an excuse to go shopping there.

Harley's Burgers has changed ownership and concept and is now a Burger & Mexican food joint. It sort of changed names, it's menu claims it's now "JDs Burgers & Mexican Food" but the Harley sign still remains. So does the modest building, and small dining room, though it seems to have been brightened up. Still, this is as modest and divish a restaurant as you can get in San Leandro, and that is its "charm".

In its previous incantation, Harley's served OK food at relatively low prices - we went once and though we live a block away, we never felt the need to return. Still, it served the worker and customers of nearby auto shops well. That can no longer be said. We went there for lunch today and I can honestly say that my 8-yo would eat a head of broccoli before eating one of their burgers again. The plain cheeseburger had a small, dry, tasteless beef (we presume) patty, covered in some weird cheese sauce and smothered in some kind of Thousand Islands type dressing. It tasted of nothing but the dressing and the weird cheese, it was just disgusting. The accompanying fries were fine, cooked in oil that was just about to go stale, but steal edible. Camila had a cheese & bean burrito ($3) which she did like, so perhaps their Mexican offerings are better. I still wouldn't trust them.

To add insult to injury, Harley/JD's prices are pretty high. A cheeseburger is $7, $8 if you want it with bacon. You can get something a hundred times better at Boulevard Burger for less. Our lunch (well, I did not eat, but Mike and the girls did) of two burgers w/ fries, one bean & cheese burrito, two sodas and one orange juice came to about $20.

Needless to say we will not go back, at least until a new owner chef takes over.

JDs (Harley's) Burgers & Mexican Food
2170 Washington Ave.
San Leandro, CA
510-667-9040
M-F 7 AM - 7:30 PM

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

La Bella Italia, the restaurant that took over the old Prings' space, is back under a new name: Tuscany. After years of trying to make a go at it, including multiple renovations and the addition of an Indian food menu, the Indian-American Italian-food loving family who owns the place had finally said "enough" and leased out the facilities to a couple of wanna-be restauranteurs who opened up an Italian restaurant they called Bardelli's in the location. Apparently Bardelli's didn't do so well - I never tried it, so the food might have been a problem, though I suspect highish prices and a lack of promotion figured into the equation - so they closed and returned the restaurant to the Bella Italia owners, who have apparently decided to have a new go at it under a new name. Unfortunately, that's all they seem to have changed from their previous incarnation.

My friend Aamani, Camila and I decided to go there for lunch yesterday. We got there around noon and we were one of two parties. Their lunch menu consists of a handful of cold sandwiches, pizzas, pastas and soup/salad (the same stuff they had before). If I well remember they are mostly in the $7-9 range. Lunch is served with a nice warm dinner bun and butter and a small bowl of soup. Yesterday it was some bean and pasta soup, tasty but not too interesting.

We had about an hour for lunch, not enough time to order the pizzas, so Aamani went for the Prosciutto sandwich (fresh mozzarella, parma prosciutto roasted peppers and artichokes). She thought it was pretty good. She liked the bread and was happy with the ingredients, though she wished the prosciutto had been warmed. Still, she wasn't doing handstands over it. I had their lasagna bolognese and was disappointed by the lack of seasoning. The whole dish was very bland, some salt would have surely helped, perhaps a cheese beyond ricotta.

On the plus side, lunch was pretty cheap and the waiter was gorgeous (albeit very young). Still, I don't imagine I'll be back anytime soon.

La Bella Italian Inn
15015 E. 14th St.
San Leandro, CA

Marga's San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Sunday before Valentine's Day a few girlfriends and I got together at this latest reincarnation of Viva Portofino for a "Galentine's" day brunch (apparently still owned by Francisco). I had heard from others than Viva Portofino (the name it finally settled on) had improved so I wanted to give it a try. The verdict is mixed, at least for breakfast, while none of the dishes stood out, none of them were particularly bad either. Overall it's an improvement over other local breakfast joints, but only because the competition on that front is so poor. I wouldn't be raising there for breakfast again.

There were six of us and two (including me) had the strawberry crepes (~$6.50). The thin crepes were "stuffed" with a very thin layer of sweet cream cheese and were topped with sliced fresh strawberries and cream. It was good but nothing too exciting. I probably would have preferred a little bit more cream cheese.

Cynthia had the eggs benedict ($8) and while she enjoyed the flavor, she was unhappy that they were served lukewarm. I can understand their difficulties getting 6 dishes out at the same time, but other restaurants manage to send warm food to the tables and Viva Portofino should as well. Katrina was also disappointed with her vegetarian crepe. She felt it was the sort of thing that she could have tossed together very quickly, and the vegetables weren't tasty enough to make up for the simplicity of the dish. She wouldn't order it again. Both Parker and Eloise had omelets, and they were much happier with their choices. They thought they were tasty and well made.

One other "minus" for Viva Portofino is that they don't have much on the way of coffee drinks to go with breakfast (they do have plain tea & coffee and lackluster mimosas, $6). This is not necessarily a problem if you remember to stop by Zocalo on the way, as Katrina wisely did, and getting your caffeine of choice.

On the plus side, service was good and professional and prices weren't unreasonable - we ended up paying $14 each after tax & tip. Still, I'm left hoping someone else will open a better place for brunch.

Viva Portofino
599 Dutton Ave.
San Leandro, CA
(510) 553-1343
http://www.vivaportofino.com

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Bay Area Restaurant Reviews

I made this recipe a few days ago to go with some leftover top sirloin I had. While I'm usually the type of person who does not like sauces with my red meat - I'd never dream of using anything besides salt with a NY steak or a ribeye - I don't find top sirloin to be that tasty by itself. This sauce was quick to make and delicious. As usual, I got the recipe at epicurious.com

My main adaptation was using "Better than Bouillon" bases and reducing the amount of water. You can use broth cubes/granules in the same proportions. This sauce is enough for two steaks plus whatever starch you are serving with them.

-2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
-2 shallots, chopped
-1 tsp. brown sugar
-3/4 cup water
-1 tsp. Chicken broth base
-1/2 tsp. Beef broth base
-1/2 cup Cognac or Brandy
-1/4 cup whipping cream

-2 steaks
-salt & pepper

Sauté shallots until tender on 1 Tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add the broths, the broth bases and the cognac. Mix well and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Mix in the whipping cream and set aside.

Sprinkle steaks with salt. Melt 1 Tbsp. of butter on a heavy skillet or frying pan. Add the steaks and cook over medium-heat, about 4 minutes per side. Remove. Add the sauce to the skillet and warm up, scrapping any browned bits. Season with salt and pepper.

Marga's Best Recipes

I got this recipe for Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream from, where else?, epicurious.com and quite enjoyed it. This is comfort food at its best, nothing out of this world or fancy but it can really hit the spot.

-2 Tbsp. olive oil
-1 lb sweet Italian sausage, loose
-1 onion, chopped
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
-1/2 cup whipping cream
-salt & pepper

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute until it's no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft and the sausage has browned, about 3 more minutes. Mix in the tomato and cream, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve on pasta with Parmesan cheese.

Marga's Best Recipes