Bakesale Betty's

I tend to read up on places before we try them out, and I have a long list going of places that I want to try. This had been on the list almost since we arrived and heard people talking about it. So, one lovely not too cold day, we hopped on the bus to take a straight shot down Telegraph to grab some lunch at Bakesale Betty's. I had heard that the place wasn't overly identifiable, no signs or anything, so I was wondering how we were going to find it (outside of having the address). Of course, when we got off the bus and saw a line around the corner, I was reminded again that sometimes I'm not too bright.


So we got in the line that stretched out the door and past the doorways of the next two stores (which were lovely - looking forward to going back to browse through them again) and hunkered down for what I assumed would be a long wait. And, wrong again. Not only did the line move incredibly fast, but about halfway through a lovely gentleman came outside with a tray of freshly baked cookies and gave one to everyone standing in line. Just because.


Word of advice: When you get inside, be prepared to tell your order to the next person who looks even slightly free of tasks. This was a time I was glad I did some research and knew what I wanted when I arrived, because I had missed the handwritten menu taped up on the window. Luckily, I knew I wanted the fried chicken sandwich, and then I kind of fumbled around just pointing at some baked goods that looked appetizing (there are no labels or lists of what the cookies and brownies are). The man helping me was obviously used to people being flustered because he took my order, put the cookies I pointed to in a bag and then threw a couple more in for free that he said were also good. Then he took my cash, ran down the counter to the register and brought me the sandwiches, drinks and change. The whole interaction took less than two minutes.


And then we were back on the sidewalk, trying to find some seating at the stools and ironing boards-cum-tables that are available. Luckily, we found one and proceeded to unashamedly dig in. The fried chicken sandwich is great. The roll is soft, the fried chicken is warm and moist without being overly breaded and there is little else to get in your way of the taste. There was a lot of cabbage on my sandwich, most of which I removed, but leaving some on gave the whole thing a nice crunch and a little tang, for me at least. The cookies were good - not mindblowing, but I wouldn't turn them down either. If you are there on a warm day, do get the frozen lemonade. It's tart and sweet, and perfectly slushy. (Also - I've heard raves about the strawberry shortcake, which we did not try even though it was available. They are HUGE, definitely enough for two people to share).


Things to remember:
1 - Don't be intimidated by the line.



2 - Know what you want before you get in the door. They clearly have done this "We have a huge line!" thing before.

3 - Enjoy.

Venus

That last post about us catching up soon was just a big fat lie. But here we are again.

We visited Venus for dinner because we always walk by and find ourselves saying "We should really try that place" and then we discovered that we had a 25% off coupon for our entire meal, and that pretty much settled the matter.

When we arrived, there were only a couple of tables free on a Thursday night, but not surprising because the restaurant is pretty small - around 15 tables, most of them for two. Having never have been inside, I was surprised that even though the walls are brick, and the kitchen dominates a lot of the space, it feels very warm and cozy. Lots of art on the walls and low light. We never knew that they focused on using local, organic products, or that their menu changes seasonally (and so is relatively small) but all those things are true. Made us feel even better about our dinner choice.

We opted to skip the cocktails, which is unusual for us, and started instead with their special salad of the day. It was a pear salad, which neither of us can remember any other specific ingredients of (I know there were nuts and cheese...but talk about vague...) I do remember that it was a large portion for a starter salad, and that it was very good. We actually asked why it isn't part of the daily menu.

For entrees, I had the beef short ribs, which were slow roasted, and served in a cabernet reduction. They were extremely, ridiculously tender, and the meat on them was very good. They didn't make me want to stand up and applaud, however, because I was put off by how much fat I cut away. While I know that short ribs can be naturally fatty pieces of meat, it seemed like I definitely got the fatty end of the slab. Dan veered in the other direction and ordered the butternut squash gnocchi with spinach and mushrooms. They offer this dish in both appetizer and entree size and Dan, having to show off, ordered the big boy size. The gnocchi was incredibly good, but very sweet. Of course, you might be thinking "Way to go, captain obvious! Who would of thought such a dish would be sweet?" and you would be right to respond with such sarcasm. But hey, it lived up to expectations. He ended up taking about half of it home and recommends ordering the appetizer size.

After his entree, Dan was in no mood for dessert, but I was really excited because I had heard raves about their sticky toffee pudding. Deliciousness. It completely lived up to expectations. I wanted to actually order a second one (!) but Dan I think would have been mortified. So, we'll have to come back another time. Seriously, go for just this dish if you've never been.

We were one of the last tables in the restaurant and one group had walked in about 5 minutes before closing time (which I'm sure annoyed the hell out of everyone working, but they didn't show it at all - I was impressed). One of the other lingering diners was a gentlemen who had been there before us, but was still seated. He was unusual - ordering dishes very far apart, asking for menus frequently and trying to order food that wasn't on the menu. Something about him seemed not quite right. I'm not sure if he was a regular, or if this was his first time in the place, but all the different staff who interacted with him (and it was a few by the end of the night) were extremely gracious and kind. Chalk up a point for service.

We left pretty pleased and knowing that we would return in the future. We won't be regulars, but are happy to have it close by and excited to see the menu next season. We've also heard good things about their brunch, and we love some brunch, so it's on the "To Try" list.

A couple of general points to know - they are closed for dinner on Mondays and also offer a pre-theater menu of two courses and a glass of wine for $28.

No really this time...

Reviews to come...

Venus and La Note (Berkeley), Nopa (SF), and two places Dan doesn't know about yet because they're surprises.

Berkeley take out joints - India Palace and Tuk Tuk Thai

So, we occasionally like to not cook, but not get all dressed up for a multi course meal. Enter the takeout meal.

India Palace
So, this place is a pretty large restaurant on the corner of University and Oxford in Berkeley, that we order delivery from probably about once a month. We have also gone to the restaurant and ordered food to go. And in so doing, were the only people in this huge place! We've also had friends who report the same thing. Now normally, this would send up a huge red flag for me - why is no one eating there?!? However, I think (I hope!) they do a rockin' delivery business, because otherwise, I'm sensing their closing will be near.

Anyway, we started ordering from them because...Indian food? Delivery? Areyoukiddingme? We can get Indian food about two blocks away, but that's closer to Indian fast food, kind of McDonalds quality (it'll do in a pinch though, don't get me wrong!) India Palace is a definite step up from that, but it also isn't the best Indian food to be had around here. However, for some decent food that comes to my door in about thirty minutes, I do not complain.

We enjoy their Chicken Pasanda, the Lamb Vindaloo, the Prawn Curry, and the Shahi Korma (avoid the Tikka Masala - butter anyone?) Honestly, the meat in the dishes is usually tender but isn't the best quality in the world BUT the sauces and curries that the meat comes swimming in outshines everything else. When we're done with the meat in the dishes, we save the sauces and put them on meat we make, or simply pour them over rice to eat plain. They're that good.

With delivery, you can buy three entrees, and get one free or get two free naan with $20 purchase. For us, we prefer the free entree deal because we don't love their breads. Plus, with four entrees (getting one free), usually one naan and some rice, the bill usually comes out to about $45, which sounds steep for delivery. But, Dan and I can easily have at least 6 meals from that one order! Not too shabby.

By and large, I feel like you just have to have realistic expectations. Best Indian food ever? Nope. Worst Indian food ever? Absolutely not. Good solution to a weekday night when we're exhausted and want to watch movies and eat in our PJs? Not only good, but perfect.

Tuk Tuk Thai
We have both eaten in the restaurant and ordered food to go from Tuk Tuk and have greatly enjoyed both of the meals we've had. Honestly, I don't really remember everything we had when we ate in because we had a TON of food - appetizers, soups, salad, entrees, desserts, oh my. But I do remember leaving stuffed and feeling like I had just had quite the delicious meal. My friend got their duck curry - the meat was tender, the vegetables were fresh, and the curry was savory and creamy. I recall stealing several bites. Someone else got pineapple friend rice which came as a heaping mound of rice actually in half a pineapple. I also had their mango and sticky rice which was good, but I could have used a little bit more coconut milk on top. The restuarant is pretty big, but does have the feel of a cafeteria - high ceilings, TVs, chrome, open kitchen (which I prefer) but there is an old rickshaw right in the entrance, which makes for fun pictures for some. Quick note - avoid the bathrooms. So, if you're looking for ambiance, this might not be the place. However, they are open late (1:30/2 AM) and it's relatively cheap.

When we went back for takeout, I ordered the pumpkin curry. It comes in the same sauce as the duck curry, but with lots of veggies and big chunks of pumpkin. I've been trying to get Dan to go back with me simply for this dish. It's going to happen soon, don't you worry.

Again with the realistic expectations - is it truly authentic Thai food? Probably not, although I am not the best judge, and some friends and peers have told me that it's not totally lacking. Is it better than some other Thai places around Berkeley (i.e. Thai House, Thai Basil)? Oh my, yes. Will I be back again for the curry? Repeatedly.

Fringale

This was our last Dine About Town meal out, again based on some recommendations from people we know. The first two meals were quite the rollercoaster of experiences, so I wasn't really sure how this would go, but I was hoping that overall, these meals would end on a good note. I was a little worried when I called the restaurant when we were on our way to tell them that we would be about 10 minutes late for our reservation because we were stuck in traffic. The gentleman who answered the phone with a French accent (translation = snooty) kind of brushed me off in a pretty rude way and abruptly hung up on me. Maybe some training on telephone skills?

When we finally arrived, we had another kind of awkward entrance...it was raining, so we kind of came through the door with some wind and rain, rushing to get inside...right into a tiny entranceway. And some other customers. The restaurant as a whole is actually pretty tiny, with no overbearing decorations or attempts to be the cool, hip place to eat. It's simply a nice, romantic, intimate atmosphere. When we were seated, we got both of their menus right off the bat. Excellent. We actually were seated next to a window (booo, chilly) but right on top of a heating vent as well. One would think that it would balance out...but it actually got kind of uncomfortable later on.

The two menus had some different options, so we ordered off both the Dine About Town menu and the regular menu. Our waiter clearly knew that we were switching some courses around (ie I ordered an appetizer that wasn't on the other menu for Dan, and he ordered mine, etc.) but he never batted an eye about it, which was nice. Throughout the meal, service was efficient, unobtrusive and still accomodating. A+

So, appetizers - Dan had the mussels which were done nicely, if a little plain in white wine and garlic. But, he had no complaints -- the portion was enough for an entree. I'd say there were easily 30 mussels on his plate, and he had no problems putting them all away. I started with the frisee salad with bacon dressing, poached egg, and some toasted levain bread and it was delicious. The bacon and egg were nice and salty, and the crostini soaked up all the leftover flavors when I was done with the salad.

Our entrees were also well executed. I had the hangar steak with pommes frites - the steak was tender and juicy, and the fries were great. It all came with a red wine sauce to soak up. It's not an original dish, but their rendition reminded me of why it's a staple on a lot of menus. Dan had almond crusted seabass, which just sounds scrumptious. I enjoyed the two or three bites I got, but it didn't seem to blow Dan away. He seems to think he could replicate it at home, so it may have left something to be desired (please note that I have not had any homemade almond crusted sea bass as of this writing). "It was good enough to make me want to come back, but I would definitely try something else."

Anddd we've come to desserts. I ordered the chocolate gourmand, which is a flourless chocolate cake, that came with sorbet. Sounds lovely, yes? Sadly, it basically came off as a gooey mess of chocolate-ness. I definitely could have done better. Dan, however, did do better. He had the apple tartin, and it was fantastic. It came out warm, with the apple sitting on top of a lovely flaky pastry and topped off with ice cream. The sauce on the plate was fantastic as well. I could have had a dish of just that.

One last note about the great service -- as we sat waiting for our check, the table next to us ordered dessert (which you overhear pretty clearly, as it's such a small place) and when two of the desserts came out, the third was missing. The waiter immediately apologized, recognized his mistake and hustled back to the kitchen. The third plate came out just a couple of minutes later, but the waiter apologized again and told them that the third dessert had already been taken off the bill. They continued to impress me right up until they opened the door for us as we were leaving.

Overall, yum. Great French bistro feel, great service, great food. Hope to be back soon.

Bacar

So, about 4 nights after our lovely meal at Aziza, we ventured out again for Dine About Town. I had read about, and gotten recommendations for Bacar, but even so, I was worried that our experience at Aziza might overshadow the rest of our Dine About Town meals. But I wasn't going to NOT go, I mean, come on. Have we met?

Walking into Bacar, the space seems like an old loft - brick walls and high ceilings. You're immediately greeted by a three story wall o' wine on your left, and the bar, up a short flight of stairs to your right. We completely missed the hostess stand, which is directly to your left when you walk in, and we ended up walking directly into the dining area...awkward. Luckily the overdressed, incredibly snooty hostess chased us down (and by chased, I mean practiced her runway walk) and directed us to our table right away. When we were seated, we got their regular menu, but had to wait for our server to come to get the DAT menu. This rubs me the wrong way sometimes, as then your server has time to decide if you'll get a little less attention, as you're ordering from the DAT menu. Anyway. Our waiter turned out to be decent, and earned major points as he agreed to sub in a dessert for me from the regular menu (more on that later).

Drinks: We both ordered cocktails and I remember thinking that they were creative, although I can't remember what they were. I do remember Dan's being a bright color and him reporting that it was a little sweet for his tastes. I also remember them taking a long time to arrive. Also worth mentioning is that while we didn't have any wine, the wine list is insane. It has a table of contents, and is 38 pages long. If you have the attention span to read through it, I'm sure you could find something terrific that you would enjoy.

Appetizers: Dan ordered the tuna carpaccio, which was smooth and creamy, but it wasn't overly flavorful and probably could be replicated at many other restaurants in the area. I had the potato gnocchi and it was tasty. Gnocchi always reminds me of soft little pillows, and these were no exception. They were, again, good but not great.

Entrees: I had the wood roasted chicken, which came on a potato puree with a side of greens. I remember being really unimpressed when our server put the dish down in front of me. It looked like a chicken that we could have made at home. But, as I started eating it, it did surprise me. The meat was moist, and the skin was crispy and the right amount of salty. The potatoes with it were terrific as well. Dan got the grilled calamari entree, which came as three large pieces of squid. He was pretty excited about it, because while fried calamari is pretty ubiquitous at restaurants now, it being prepared without all the breading was a nice change. Additionally, neither of us had ever seen it offered as an entree, so we were looking forward to trying it. However, Dan didn't rave about it afterwards, and seemed to be disappointed in the taste. It seemed the overall impression we were getting was "It's not bad, but it's not good either"

Dessert: However, tides were about to turn. The dessert that I had substituted is called the Milky Way and is something I had read about in other people's reviews of the restaurant. If it isn't the best dessert I've ever had, it is easily in the top five. Wow. It's the chef's rendition of the Milky Way bar, on a larger scale. It comes out with a dense fudge bottom layer, topped with two small scoops of malt vanilla ice cream and another, thinner, disc of fudge on top. Sounds unimpressive, until the server pours a creamer full of warm bourbon caramel on top of everything. The top chocolate layer completely melts away and the ice cream melts slightly and it all combines to become quite the food-gasm. I think Dan got a chocolate mousse cake thing, light mousse on top, crispy bottom layer that was good as I recall. But as I was spending this portion of my evening in a euphoric state, I wasn't really concentrating on his dessert.

The bad news: Leaving Bacar directly after dessert, I thought it was the most fantastic place on earth. However, the next day, reality set in and I realized that overall, our experience wasn't that great. We probably won't be returning for a meal off their regular menu, as nothing really was that impressive. And $40 for a pork chop entree is a little higher than I would pay for not impressed.

The good news: I do forsee Bacar and I having a long committed relationship for late night dessert and drinks if/when Dan and I are in the area.

Aziza

Well, I'm going to spoil the surprise and suspense of reading through this whole post and say that Aziza was (for us) a fantastic experience and we are unashamedly trying to find the appropriate time to go back. Dan went so far as to state that it was one of his favorite meals ever.

So, a little background. Coming from DC, we are used to taking advantage of Restaurant Week. It's a creation designed to increase tourism and get people into restaurants in the DC area. Restaurants provide 3 course prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner at a fraction of the price of what a 3 course meal would normally cost ($20 for lunch, $30 for dinner). Of course, with busier restaurants, and lower prices equalling lower tips, I don't think that this is a favorite time of year with restaurant staff. (Read - sometimes the service sucks) But, I love it anyway.

I was excited to find the SF equivalent of Restaurant Week called Dine About Town. It may even be better than Restaurant Week, as it lasts half a month, rather than a week (I've heard that in the past, it's been the entire month of January) When the list of prticipating restaurants were first posted, every food blog I read mentioned Aziza. I'm so excited to be going back...the reservations will go fast...etc. etc. I booked ours in early December for January 23.

By the time the 23rd rolled around, I was pretty darn worked up about it. Usually, the high expectations thing goes really badly. But, I'm happy to say that Aziza lived up to every one. When we arrived, our reservation was honored right away, which I really appreciate. They gave us Dine About Town menus along with the regular menus, which also earned them points. I was really excited to see that their DAT menu had about 8 options for appetizers, maybe 6 options for entree, and 4 for dessert. We've been places that give you no options at all, or only offer the least exciting or least expensive items off the menu. Aziza, however, really offered their best dishes. Oh, also, the inside of the restaurant is Moroccan themed - lots of deep rich colors, lots of fabric, lots of "stereotypical" decor. But it wasn't tacky, and there were certainly no belly dancers...thank goodness.

So...the food.
Appetizers: I ordered the meatball and grape skewers, and Dan ordered mushroom and cheese stuffed phyllo. Yum. For serious. The skewers may sound like a strange combo but it came together perfectly. The meatballs were tender and spicy and flavorful and mouthfuls of deliciousness. Combined with tart, cool grapes = wow. They came on a nice pile of jicama, which I couldn't get enough of. Also, I enjoyed saying jicama for the rest of the meal (hick-a-mah). Dan's stuffed phyllo came out warm and flaky, but wasn't what we expected when we bit into them. The mushrooms were chopped really fine, and the cheese wasn't overly flavorful - but when we got over ourselves, and our assumptions, they were very good. We also ordered a small side of flatbread which came out with the appetizer.

Entrees: I selfishly ordered the lamb. (Selfish because we have a policy to never order the same thing at a meal, and Dan loves lamb) The lamb was friggin amazing. Falling off the bone as it should be, marinated and cooked just right. It was so rich and delicious. It came with a side of barley which was a great compliment, bland enough to not overwhelm but still took on the overall flavor of the lamb, and three or four big spiced prunes. Immediately made me think of elderly folks and prune juice, but wow. Clearly the chef knows some things. Dan originally ordered the beef stew, which I had heard was divine, but they were out :( He ordered the chicken couscous which he didn't get a chance to regret at all, as he devoured it. The chicken was moist and tender, and the couscous was great. Portions were pretty big - we both had small amounts to take home for a small lunch treat the next day.

Desserts: If our two desserts would have had a fistfight, mine wouldn't even have gotten in a punch. He ordered the Orange blossom honey mousse, which was a pretty interesting looking creation of a mousse, with a foam on top, surrounded by fresh oranges and tiny little gelatin cubes. It sounds really strange, but honestly, it was amazing. We kept trying to describe it and coming up short until Dan realized that it tasted EXACTLY how honeysuckle smells. It was a "holy crap, how did the chef do this?!?" kind of moment. I had a chocolate custard, which was good, but not something I couldn't get anywhere else.

Drinks: They had a really creative cocktail list, many of which were based on fresh fruit. I had a gin, lime and cloves yumminess, and Dan had a kiwi, grapefruit and tequila concoction. Both were great, but I would definitely keep trying new things off their list when I go back.

Service: Really great. Lots of small touches that make you feel like they're trying to give you a good experience. Water (flavored with cucumbers) always topped off. Any food that is boxed up is held for you until the end of the meal. The only misstep of the meal with service was a really long wait between appetizers and entrees. While we did linger over appetizers because they were so good, which probably threw off some timing,the wait did get to be a little awkward.

They also get points for: "aziza showcases the abundance of organic produce & free-range meat, game & poultry from local farms & ranches that practice ecologically sound, slow & sustainable agriculture"

Summary: I ramble a lot. Aziza is really, really good.