Last week, I threw a reception for Brian Copeland at Zocalo. The reception itself doesn’t deserve bear much writing about in a food blog, other than to say that we served delicious Zocalo coffee, cookies and a very nice lemon cake donated by Marita’s Sweet Potato Pie Co.
Before the reception, however, Mike Weisner, the owner of Paradiso, threw a pre-reception for Brian and some of his friends. They served fried calamari and a variety of their oven fired pizzas which were delicious. I’d certainly recommend it as a place to have a casual-elegant reception 🙂
Category: Restaurants (Page 41 of 52)
My friend Desiree, who loves food more than anyone I know (with the possible exception of my friend Charlotte, Lotty’s tastes are broader), loves Ratto’s, so when we found ourselves in downtown Oakland a couple of weeks ago, we of course headed there.
Ratto’s has been around for a century in an old, high-ceiling building that gives the deli tons of atmosphere. Still, this is a very informal sort of place – the main function of the deli is as a take-out place, though tables and utensils are provided for those who want to eat there.
Their main fare are sandwiches, and you can either get one of their predetermined choices or make your own. I decided to make my own and it wasn’t that good a decision. I started with their Jam
This fast food pizzeria is probably the kind of place I shouldn’t even bother bloging about, much less putting it on my restaurant review page. It’s basically a place serving slices of re-heated pizza or pasta with a generic tomato sauce, for nearby office workers in a hurry. It’s definitely not the sort of place you’d make a point of heading towards, but if you, like us, are in the way to Children’s Fairyland on Lake Merrit, and wait to the last moment to commit to a place to go eat, you may very well end up there.
Mika and I both got cheese slices ($3 each). They were thick and large, a little bland but nothing that couldn’t be helped with some parmessan cheese. They reminded me of Blondie’s or Fatslice’s pizza. And at $1.60 ($2.25 for pepperoni, $2.50 for combos) it was a steal. The spaghetti at $4.25 was less of one, and I thought it was too generic (but what else can you expect?) but the kids ate it (not up, though).
The restaurant has a bathroom in a nearby building, which can be a hassle if you are alone with two kids.
In all, it’s a good place to stop for a quick/cheap bite.
Theo’s
1956 Webster St.
Oakland, CA
510.834.4902
Once again I’m putting a bunch of restaurant reviews up:
C’era una Volta has pleasant, friendly service, but an unexciting brunch in Alameda.
In San Leandro:
El Torito offers mediocre chain restaurant food and a less than spectacular views at its Marina location.
Tito’s offers competent Tex-Mex food in an interesting atmosphere.
Taqueria is the fourth taqueria to open within walking distance of my house (and the sixth Mexican restaurant!). We didn’t need it and it doesn’t do a particularly good job at it – but as it’s always empty, it’s a good place to go with the kids.
And after many visits during this world cup, I updated my review of The Englander
and in San Francisco:
The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel has the most beautiful and impressive room in town and a delicious tea service – too bad that the service is rushed and dedicated to getting you out of there fast.
BTW, I’ve now made a special page for all the tea rooms I review: http://www.marga.org/food/rest/tea.html
2013 Update
Over the years we’ve gone to Los Pericos #5 and the original Los Pericos pretty indiscriminately. Unfortunately, they removed all the nice tables and chairs from #5 and replaced them with the same formica booths that theyhave at the man restaurant. They definitely don’t encourage lingering. But they still have a couple of high tables with chairs and the one large booth in the corner.
Personally I prefer to go to this Los Pericos because it’s still a bit nicer/more intimate but also because they have s “small super quesadilla” which is twice the size than the small quesadilla at the regular Los Pericos, but still smaller than the giant one. It’s the perfect size for lunch.
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2005 Review
When we first moved to San Leandro, Pedro’s was our taqueria of choice. We liked their burritos, the small surroundings and leather backed chairs by the window. Alas, they got our orders wrong too many times, so we stopped going there and started going to Taqueria Los Pericos instead. Los Pericos offers a special quesadilla, which is just like a burrito but with cheese instead of rice and beans, just how I like them.
Apparently other people preferred Los Pericos too, as Pedro’s has now become Taqueria Los Pericos #5. Their menu is the same than at Los Pericos, including burritos ($2.50 for a bean & cheese to $7.25 for a “shrimp super”), tacos, nachos and quesadillas in addition to Tex-Mex dinner plates ($7-11). The food is all taqueria style, however, don’t come here for regional specialties. Meat selections, however, are wide and they include beef tongue, chitlins and intestines, in addition to more common meats.
As we discovered in our visit to Los Pericos #5, the quality of the food and the service are also like those of its parent restaurant. We ordered a small grilled chicken super quesadilla for Mika ($3.50). This consisted of a tortilla covered with melted cheese, grilled chicken and sour cream (guacamole also available, but Mika doesn’t like it) and topped by another tortilla. The whole thing was very good, but the grilled chicken is particularly tasty and a favorite of mine.
Mike and I both ordered the giant special quesadillas ($5), which are rolled like a large burrito and include melted cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, salsa and the meat of your choice (Mike went for the carne asada and I for the pastor -a saucy BBQ pork). Once again they were both quite good, the carne asada, cut into very small slices, is flavorful and juicy, though it can be fatty at times. The pastor was somewhat spicy, but tamed by the sour cream and guacamole. I’d order it again if I didn’t like the grilled chicken so much. The special quesadillas are large enough that you can easily take half home for later.
Los Pericos is known for its fast and friendly service, this tradition continues at Los Pericos #5. Indeed, we recognized some of the workers from the parent restaurant. As in the other restaurant, you order your food, you are given a number that you then put at your table. The waiter then delivers the food to you. You can find complimentary chips under a heat lamp at the counter, and a tray table offers different kinds of salsas, pico de gallo, beets (don’t ask me why), pickles and lime wedges. The chips are crispy, thick and not too oily, good though a bit tasteless by themselves.
The restaurant itself has not changed much since its Pedro’s days. The Mexican murals are still there, as are the dark wood chairs and tables (the leather back chairs had disappeared years before). There are TVs at two corners and a jukebox, but the music and sound weren’t as loud as in the parent restaurant. In all, it’s a more “elegant” atmosphere than that at the super-casual parent restaurant. It’s also considerably smaller. I think that if I was going to eat there with another adult, I’d chose the #5 location, while I’d go for the main location if I had the kids alone. The space and the video games gives them stuff to do while we eat.
Note that its hours are briefer than the main location.
Taqueria Los Pericos #5
1389 E 14th St.
San Leandro, CA
510-895-0660
Daily 8AM – 10 PM
There is a new trend at Bay Area Museums (at least) to have restaurants or cafeterias that offer “gourmet” sandwiches, made with organic and/or high quality ingredients, in new and interesting convinations. Among these the cafeteria at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, the restaurant the the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Grow Cafe at the California Academy of Sciences come to mind. The Oakland Museum could not be less, and its restaurant could actually be the best of the bunch.
Its menu includes soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as a “daily special” for each day of the week. Thursday is meatloaf, Sunday is the “curry of the day,” and other offerings include a vegetarian tart and an herbed chicken. They also have a soup, sandwich and quesadilla special each day. For kids, you have your choice of a hotdog or a mini-pizza ($4). They also have cookies, bars and slices of cake, as well as fruit salad and bottled and fountain drinks. The prices are on the high side, a small fountain coke is $1.70 (I think) and most entrees are in the $7-9 range. They are quite generous, however.
Today I had the Southwestern Tri-tip sandwich, a cold sandwich with roasted tri-tip (which is really not that different than roast beef), lettuce, tomato, beans and corn and some tasty mayo. It came with a small mixed-green salad with a simple, not too tasty vinaigrette. I exchanged the greens for the lettuce in the salad, and that worked well. The sandwich itself was quite good. Desiree had a turkey sandwich, which she liked. They also had a couscous salad and a fruit salad, which again they enjoyed. My kids ate up the cheese pizza – it’s good enough for an adult – and we all enjoyed the soft chocolate chip cookie, the melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate chips were excellent. A lemon bar was too runny, but still very good.
You can enjoy lunch in their large dining room, while listening to live jazz – or eat in the outside veranda, a particularly nice option in summer (though, with little kids prone to running away, not one we can enjoy).
In all, we love this place and always make a point of eating there when we visit the Oakland Museum.
P., my faithful reader of restaurant reviews, sends me two recommendations for restaurants to try.
I’ve actually been to Makiyaki, a Japanese restaurant in the Pelton Center. The small restaurant has inside dining as well as a couple of tables in the sidewalk. I remember liking it, though I’ve never gotten around to reviewing it.
P. says she likes Makiyaki better than Ozeki, because it’s cheaper and cleaner, while offering the same menu options. The Lion King roll is particularly good.
Makiyaki
134 Pelton Center Way (in Pelton Plaza)
San Leandro
Tel: 510-895-0488
P. also recommends Mayflower in Union City for dim sum. She says it’s brighter, cleaner and more popular than her previous recommendation, Hong Kong in Hayward. The dim sum and other Chinese food are excellent. It has two additional locations in San Francisco and Milpitas.
Mayflower
34348 Alvarado Niles Road (in Marina shopping center)
Union City
Tel: 510-489-8386
Thanks P. for your recommendations!
The Blue Dish is closed, at least for now. Rumor has it that the owners have stretched themselves thin between the restaurant and their catering business, and they’ve decided to concentrate in the latter, as it’s more profitable. That’s too bad as I find myself in that area for lunch often and the choices are very limited: Paradiso, which is good but expensive, Cornerstone Cafe, which was disappointing last time I ate there, Viva Pancho Villa!, which is a bit too casual and unexciting for “lunching” and Zocalo, which serves sandwiches catered by The Blue Dish (which I don’t really like).
Plus all my friends like The Blue Dish, and it was the sort of place where you would always run into someone you knew, so I am quite disappointed that it’s closed. I hope they’ll reopen and I’ll keep you posted.
Today Desiree, the kids (sans Camila, thanks God) and I, stopped at Joaquin Deli for lunch. The new owners were there, they’ve taken over and nothing has changed. Indeed, the sandwiches we had were excellent, and the stock seemed to be the same as usual. They greeted the kids with some fruit gummies, which of course they loved.
I talked to them for a little bit and they seem very excited about the place, they also seem to not have anticipated how busy it gets. Still, they are planning to extend the opening hours to 6 PM, and they may change the minimun for delivery from the $25 it’s now. That would be good as we rarely order that much – though given how delicious their pork shoulder is, I probably should just order a couple of pounds and have them bring it over with some sandwiches 🙂
I spent a few days in Belgium a couple of days ago, mostly visiting friends and eating at their home – but we did get out one day, had lunch in Brugge and then dinner in Brussels. We went to restaurants catering to the tourist trade, both offering Belgian specialties with prix-fix menus giving limited choices.
At Brugge we went to the ‘T Oud Kanthuys restaurant, somewhere near a canal – I can’t be more specific. Adriana had some cheese croquettes which were quite nice and I had a pate paysanne (sp?) which tasted like a million others of those. Then she had the carbonnade a la Flamande, which was quite good – just like the one I made for my Belgian dinner. I had rabbit in a wine sauce (I think), which was also surprisingly tasty. For dessert I had an apple tart, and I don’t remember what Adriana had. Lunch with a coke and a beer came up to about $40 euros (service charge not included) – about $50. Not bad for a multi-course lunch of such quality.
Dinner in Brussells was at the “Aux Arcades” at Rue des Bouchers. I had the “cheese fondue”, which actually was very much like the cheese croquettes Adriana had had for lunch: thick chunks of cheese, breaded and deep fried. Good but not what I was expecting – though this seems to be what they mean by “fondue” in Belgium. I can’t remember what Adriana had as an appetizer. As her entree Adriana had their moules, not fried but in some sort of sauce. She was less than impressed by them. I had the carbonnade, which once again was good but I felt the beef was tougher than it had been that morning for lunch. Dessert was some sort of tart, not very impressive. In all, we felt the meal had not been as good and for E58 ($73), including two beers, it wasn’t nearly as good a deal.
That was it, no other Belgian food for me. I may have to go again.
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