Oliveto Oceanic Dinner 2011 July 21, 2011

This year Oliveto did two Oceanic dinners one sourced from California and the other from the Mid-Atlantic.  At each dinner we had the majority of the menu.  Here were the highlights: California Coast Oyster Shooter nice and briny though bitter finish I still liked the texture. Halibut crudo great balance texture perfectly seasoned. Sea Urchin [...]

Farewell to Mario’s La Fiesta March 27, 2011

After reading an article that the original owners of Mario’s La Fiesta were retiring after 52 years of running the restaurant, J and I headed back for a bit of nostalgia. As we searched for the address we discovered that they were no longer at their original Telegraph location, but across the street nearer to [...]

Souley Vegan* March 13, 2011

We had a sampling of various items, mostly traditional soul food side dishes. Everything had a lot of flavor, though not necessarily to my tastes. One thing I really enjoyed was the toastie. It’s a burger of sorts with a fried tofu patty crunchy exterior with a creamy interior and a sweet tart and spicy [...]

Oliveto Whole Hog 2011 **** March 11, 2011

Highlights were the terrine of pork trotters with spiced fruit compote, the proscuitti and the alla reuben preparation. Last night they were preparing the reuben with shoulder instead of tongue. We also enjoyed the polenta with ragu of pork heart and the chocolate caramel tart. The presentation of the zampone was fitting for the occasion, [...]

BOOT & SHOE SERVICE *** February 13, 2011

This place was packed on a Saturday night but cleared up by around 8, I guess folks in Oakland eat early.  Excellent pizza – Margherita buffala w/ calabrian peppers.  A NY Neapolitan style, thin, soft and chewy crust with some char and light crispness on the edges, not soggy in the center.  Delicious bright tomato [...]

PLUM – January 2011 January 29, 2011

The food keeps getting better and better.  I’m becoming a fan of Chef Charlie Parker. We had the whole menu.  Many of the dishes we had had before though the names sound the same they are all tweaked a bit.  The chicharrones had an added bit of flavoring. The oyster stew was very creamy (the [...]

Bay Area Pizza Taste Off January 2, 2011

The cooking club decided to do a little series of pizza tastings, one in the East Bay and another in SF. In order to taste pizzas from a variety of places we had to do take out pizza only. Each of us were assigned to pick up pizzas with no specification on toppings. In other [...]

Holiday Eating December 30, 2010

Plum – Dinner at Plum and we ordered the whole menu again.  It’s getting better and better.  I can’t think of any misses.  Highlights were the: Wild Greens Panisse, Leeks in Vinaigrette, Braised Cauliflower, Oyster and Potato Stew.   Desserts took a while to come and were good under the new pastry chef, though the parfait [...]

PLUM ***’ December 4, 2010

A very nice dinner at Plum in honor of J&A’s birthdays. We tried most of the menu and were impressed.  Starting with the snacks, I liked the crunchy texture of the “chicharrones” a nice way to start the meal though it could’ve used some acid or other seasoning, though I couldn’t stop eating them for [...]

Oliveto Whole Hog Dinner 2010 **** February 7, 2010

Nothing beats the special dinners at Oliveto. Even with my high expectations, I have never had a disappointing meal at this restaurant and I’m in good company. In order of most to least favorite dishes of the night:Antipasto of pork tongue, artichokes, and black truffles – tender pork tongue and quartered artichokes in a earthy [...]