Alameda, CA Restaurants

French Fries

2012-01-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

When I want decent french fries, a few restaurants come to mind instead of fast food joints. Pappo has delicious, thin cut fries that are crispy and flavorful. The Pappo fries are my favorite. The Hob Nob has tasty truffle fries that have melted cheese and truffle oil on top with a two sauces on the side, one is ketchup and the other is mayo with truffle oil and other herbs. Yummy! 1400 has dutch cut fries that are huge! They are basically wedge fries cut in halves or fourths. 1400 has a tendency to over cook them and they are hard to bite into once they get cool. If you are in a hurry, Nation's Burgers has the best fries going. The fries are soft and tender in the middle and mid-sized, not too skinny and not too thick.

Another trend that I found interesting that is coming back are the curly fries with a spicy coating. Both Angela's and The Hob Nob have their pepper spiced curly fries. The curly fry was made popular two decades ago by Jack in the Box. I guess fashion and food can always make a come back.

Weekend Brunch

2012-01-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

Weekend breakfasts/brunches in Alameda is the only meal that is bountiful in supply. The long lines in front of the diners are a signal that there is still life in this small town. Downtown Alameda favorites are: Jim's Place, Ole's Waffles, La Penca Azul and Pappo. Central Alameda has Marti's Place and Blue Dot, whereas the West End has Wescafe, East Ocean, Pier 29, Rio's and 1400. Even though there are plenty of places to eat, my all time favorite is Mona's Table in Fernside. The menu changes on a monthly basis and the dishes are creative, innovative and not your typical pancakes, eggs and waffles. I am not sure if a lot of people know about Mona's because they don't have the long lines. I have waited for 20 to 30 minutes for a table at Ole's or Jim's.

The Hob Nob

2012-01-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

My new late night hang out place is the Hob Nob. I usually go there after a movie or hanging out on Park Street. What I enjoy about this place is that you can order small plates or entrees - dependent upon my mood and appetite. My favorites are the fish and chips, the truffle fries, the wedge salad, spaghetti and meatballs and their soups. The food is decent and I am happy that the chef actually cares about the food that comes out of her kitchen.

My old default was the BBQ place from the Frog and the Fiddle, but the chef left the premise. I don't know what happened to him?

Adios Barceluna

2012-01-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

Again, the weak economy has struck another local restaurant. This time it is Barceluna. The sign is down and the building is sparse. This is not a good sign for the city or for the citizens of Alameda. The closing is the first of the year and I hope this is not a trend that will continue for 2012.

Open, Open, Open

2012-01-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

Still waiting for Cafe Jolie on Webster Street to open. The signs are up and the iron work is around the building, but I don't see any clear indication of when this place will open for business. I was jazzed about having a specialty coffee house on the island.

The Thai Place down the street is transferring ownership. I wonder if the cooks in the kitchen will change?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

I was strolling down Park Street yesterday evening looking for a restaurant to eat at. Even though most offices were closed due to the holiday, I noticed most restaurants were also closed. Of course the Chinese restaurants and fast food joints were open, but I was not hungry for these types of foods. After going back and forth two times along Park, the most decent place was Angela's and decided to have dinner there. If you go between 4 pm to 6 pm on weekdays, the Early Bird Menu is a steal for $15 per person for a three course meal. I had a Caesar salad, grilled salmon and chocolate mousse. The courses were of decent portions and I was full by the time dessert came around. As always, the food at Angela's is palatable. The food is simple and safe.

Island City Cafe

2011-12-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

Watch out Pampered Pup and Doggy Style, the Island City Cafe is gunning to be the best hot dog establishment in Alameda. The cafe serves sandwiches, dogs and salads. It's a new business and across the street from Nob Hill Grocery. The prices of the food items are decent and not expensive. This place is worth checking out.

Red Velvet Cake

2011-12-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

One morning I was at Wescafe after riding my bicycle and decided to drop in. I was looking for a snack and nothing too heavy. I saw one slice of the red velvet cake that was inside the cake display. I asked the staff person if the owners made the cake, which they do not, but the manufacturer delivers it daily.

The cake looked good, but once I took the first bite, it was disappointing. The cake was dry. The cream cheese frosting was too sweet. The benefit was that it added moisture to the cake, but it made the cake overwhelmingly too sweet. The cake was not enjoyable. I will pass on it the next time I see it.

Even Nob Hill Grocery has a better Red Velvet Cake in the bakery department.

No More Aroma

2011-12-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

My neighbor use to have a favorite place of all time...Aroma Restaurant at the foot of the Park Street Bridge. He knew all of the staff and bartenders and that place was his second home. Unfortunately, Aroma closed down about a month ago for unknown reasons. I thought they were doing okay financially and was able to weather the downturn, but I guess not. I hope it wasn't a forced shutdown due to serving underage minors. Does anyone know what happened?

I think Alameda businesses are suffering and I don't think City Hall is taking the downturn seriously for food establishments or business owners. They are focusing all of their energies on the budget deficient instead of giving themselves a 10% pay cut just like everyone else had to take due to the weak economy.

Grand Opening on Webster Street

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

The owner of The Frog and the Fiddle removed their shingle and posted a Grand Opening sign. I thought they were only changing the food vendor in the kitchen, and now I don't know what they are doing. The sample menu from the web site has your basic pub food with french fries, chicken wings, burgers and lasagna. The menu is limited with not a lot of selection, however, if they can make a home run on each dish, than let it roll.

I sure hope The Frog and the Fiddle can survive the lack of business on Webster Street.

Reflection of Alameda Food Scene

2011-11-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

As each year passes, I have to analyze the food scene in Alameda. I would have to say that not much progress has been made in the last year or so. The most exciting new food establishment would be Doggy Style with non-traditional hot dogs with Asian fusion ingredients. Beyond this, the restaurants play it pretty safe and are not very adventurous with ingredients.

The most stylish restaurant in town is Spice I Am. The dining room is slick, modern with clean lines.

Again, I have to re-iterate the fact that a stone's throw away in Oakland where all of the action is. Plum is still red hot with delicious and innovative dishes. Daniel Patterson pushes the limits on food and creates not so apparent food combinations and makes them work. The Side Bar by Lake Merritt has wonderful, home style cooking that I love, and Commis Restaurant is a one star Michelin rated establishment. To me this is insanity!

Why can't Alamedans embrace great food. What is wrong with people on this island? Decent restaurants come and go on this island, but the mediocre and lower priced places are here to stay.

Cannot Resist 2 for 1

2011-11-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker! I went to buy my favorite pizza at East End Pizza Co. and ordered the Cheese Please pizza with pepperoni. While I waited, I did my usual routine and walked down to Culina to buy a salad for the pizza since East End will not make sides. I bought a tossed green salad and a roasted beet salad for a small fortune. I then continued to walk down the aisle and noticed a new sign at the Feel Good Bakery. There was a 2 for 1 sign for croissants, danishes and muffins. I was shocked to see it and did a double take. I then asked the counter person and asked about the 2 for 1 special. She affirmed that if you buy a baked item, the second item is free. For this great offer, I could not resist and bought two chocolate croissants. Yummy! This is the first time that I did not get robbed from buying treats at the bakery.

Fish Tacos

2011-11-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

1400 has fish tacos on their menu. The waiter claimed the tacos were delicious and I decided to go with the recommendation. The order came with two fish tacos with lots of sliced cabbage and deep fried jalapeno pepper coins. The fish was grilled and delicate in flavor. The tacos came with a green sauce on the side and fresh lime wedges. I am a fan of fresh lime so I squeezed out as much juice as I could. I then added a few teaspoons of sauce on top. The tacos looked great, but the taste was uneventful. The condiments overwhelmed the taste of the fish. The pepper coins were also overcooked and were hard to chew on. The light meal did not satisfy my appetite. I will not order the tacos again.

Luckily for Calafia Taqueria, they have no worries or competition from 1400.

Wedge Salad

2011-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

I love blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese salad dressing. When I go to The Hob Nob, I am always checking the menu to see if the wedge salad is listed. This salad has been a bit inconsistent the last few times that I have ordered it. The portion sizes were at times, huge and monstrous. Most of the time the wedge was 1/8 or 1/4 of a head of iceberg lettuce. This makes sense since the salad was an appetizer and not an entree. However the last time I ordered this salad, the portion was one-half of a head of lettuce. There was plenty of blue cheese crumbles, walnuts and blue cheese dressing on top. I wonder if the restaurant was trying to get rid of the lettuce? Of course I didn't complain since I got value out of the salad. Who knows what portion size I will get the next time.

Sweetie Station Cafe on Webster Street

2011-11-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

While we are all waiting for Cafe Jolie to open, we can hang out at the Sweetie Station Cafe down the street. This new place on Webster is somewhat hilarious because the cafe is very girlie. I am not sure if teen aged boys or men would step foot inside. The decor is pink, need I say more...

Asian tapioca drinks are quite popular here, but I don't think you can drink many of these in one week due to the high sugar levels. The restaurant also serves savory food items. The food menu is quick and easy Asian items such as noodles and chicken wings. I am not sure if the savory food comes out of a frozen bag or do they make the food fresh on demand? I do know the quick stir frys are done on demand, so this could be the safer way to go when purchasing food here.

I also recommend taking the food home instead of eating it there. The ambiance is least to be desired, unless you are hosting a Hello Kitty party. Meow!

Boo! Beware of Witches and Monsters

2011-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

As Halloween falls upon the last Monday of October, there will be lots of little ghosts, goblins, witches and monsters walking around the Gold Coast and Fernside areas. Regardless of what age you are, we are all seeking decent candy from trick or treating. Decent candy is anything chocolate in a pre-packaged wrapper. I would be hesitant in taking or eating candy that was packaged from the home owner unless you directly know the person. You never know what people do in their kitchens or their food handling practices.

Halloween in Alameda is such a wonderful family experience. It's a riot seeing all of the adults get into costumes and character when passing out candy. The grave yards and haunted houses in the Gold Coast are also spectacular and uplifts the children's imaginations. Please be careful when driving around high traffic areas of little ones. We want safe and enjoyable activities for all.

What is the Attraction?

2011-10-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

I have failed to understand what the attraction is to Sushi House Restaurant in the mall. The dining room is a large scaled cafeteria and the lighting in the space is less than pleasant or romantic. I then decided to give this restaurant another chance because I was hungry and it was late. My friend and I ordered a wide variety of rolls and sushi.

From the get go, the hostess placed us at at a dirty table. There was spilled soy sauce all other the table, which was not acceptable to me. Strike #1. I then moved over to another table and sat down. The waitress then came over to our table and took our order. When she gave us our plates, there was food remnants on the plate from the previous customer. Of course we returned the plate and asked for a new and clean plate. Strike #2.

When the food was delivered to the table, the food came out of order.   The sushi came out before the appetizer. The gyoza tasted alright, but I had to double check to see if the pork meat inside the dumpling was properly cooked. The color of the won ton skin was very light and the temperature inside the dumpling wasn't exactly hot. Strike #3. My friend and I took our chances and hoped for the best. The sushi of unagi and the hamachi was palatable and it tasted okay. The rolls however, were another story. The rolls were quite difficult to eat. You could not bite into the roll and have a clean break. You literally had to eat the entire piece and shove the food into your mouth. Otherwise the rolls would crumble apart since they were not rolled properly. The flavors of the rolls were also somewhat bland which was a disappointment since the cost of the rolls ranged from $8 to $11. Strike #4.

With four strikes into the meal, we decided to end our dining experience at the Sushi House and move on. Even though both of us were still hunger, we were agitated enough with the service and the quality of the food. I have to wonder why the large groups of Asians always keep on coming back for more. The prices are not cheap and the noise inside the restaurant can be quite loud during peak times.   What am I missing?

East Buffet Closed on Webster

2011-10-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

The Days Inn hotel on Webster Street is now called The Rodeway Inn. I am hoping the new owner will do a complete renovation since the hotel was tired and sad looking. The all you can eat buffet restaurant is also closed. I was wondering how long the East Buffet could stay in business because who was going to that place? I had a meal there and the food was horrible. I understand that the buffet was all you can, which implies that if you are on a tight budget than one is loading up in that meal. The food however, was not exactly healthy, most of the food was deep fried.

Style at Last...Spice I Am

2011-10-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Walking around Park Street on a warm evening, I stumbled over to the new Spice I Am Restaurant in the former Rolling Pin Donuts space. The new space was gorgeous with modern lines and fixtures. The restaurant can hold up to 47 people. The art work was abstract Asian calligraphy with wide brush strokes. The original canvas was one large piece that was cut into five works and spread out along one long wall. The flooring was dark gray rectangular stones. The lighting fixtures were large scaled hanging circular fixtures that balanced the room with the high ceilings. There was a small bar with four chairs towards the back of the room. The kitchen was closed when I had my visit, but the manager gave me free drink coupons for the next time I have a meal. The restaurant has a wonderful vibe to the room with panache. This place is the most sexy establishment going.

I will definitely be back.

Hot Dawg for Hot Dogs

2011-10-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

I can't resist eating hot dogs.  In the long run, consuming hot dogs over a lifetime, may not be healthy, but there is something magical about them. A delicious hot dog will bring smiles. That said, I finally went over to Doggy Style and had a hot dog.
The space was clean, neat and with a new coat of paint. As I looked over the menu, my first gut reaction was that the menu was similar to a hot dog place in Hawaii. I was experiencing deja vu from an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The menu had a decent selection of Asian inspired hot dogs of nori, kim chi and banh mi. The hot dog I really wanted was the chili cheese dog with grilled onions. The hot dog came with raw onions and the cook wouldn't grill the onions.  Grilled onions is something they just won't do. I then opted for the plain beef hot dog.

I went for the plain hot dog because I wanted to be able to taste a delicious hot dog instead of consuming a large pile of condiments that is all fluff.  The hot dog came in a warm french roll and I only added mustard and ketchup.   The hot dog was tasty on its own. I was pleasantly surprised. I know the owners ate several dozens of varied hot dogs before they chose the dogs they are now selling. They made a good choice.

I would definitely come back to have another hot dog. I am not sure if I am adventurous enough to have the Dogzilla with bratwurst, asian slaw, wasabi mayo, teriyaki sauce and nori.

Autumn is Here

2011-10-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Even though the weather may say Indian Summer, Autumn is here. The leaves are changing color and the days are getting shorter. Halloween is coming in a few weeks, which means lots of bite sized chocolates. Yummy. I love Halloween, so I am hoping lots of restaurant get into the spirit and show us the mischievous side of food. Am I asking for too much?

I am still looking for inspiration from Alameda establishments.

Not Much Luck at Fortune Cookie

2011-09-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Fortune Cookie on Webster Street is extremely sparse with no ambiance. I was in a jam and wanted food to take home. Because the kitchen at The Frog and the Fiddle was closed, I got desperate and ordered food at the Chinese food take out two doors down. Even though the menu is decent and had lots of items to select from, I picked the Mongolian Beef and steamed white rice. The dish was quite spicy and slightly burned my mouth. I was so hungry that I didn't bother that the beef was chewy and over cooked. The price was decent at $9.00 for one entree and one white rice. I am on the fence on whether to return to this fast food take out.

Copy Cat

2011-09-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

It was a busy Friday night at 1400. The room was packed with customers and a live band set up at 10 pm. The food at the new establishment was typical pub food. What was interesting about the menu was that it reminded me of The Hob Nob. They served the same exact menu items such as the Fish & Chips, Spaghetti & Meatballs, sandwiches and sliders.

I ordered four different dishes based upon recommendations of the wait staff. I started off with the Clam Chowder. The soup tasted good, but it was runny and had very little clams and potatoes. The soup had more bacon in it than any other ingredient. The flavors were overwhelmed by the bacon. It's a good thing that I love bacon. The second course was the Pulled Pork Sliders with slaw. The slider was not successful because the potato bun was too mushy and the texture was off. There also wasn't enough pork in the sandwich, the kitchen skimped on the meat. Lastly, the cole slaw was limp, and I had to question if it was fresh. The third course was the Fish and Chips. The batter on the fish was light and delicate. The cod fish was fresh and delicious. The fish tasted great with the malt vinegar and the home made tartar sauce. The potatoes that came with the fish however, were a problem. The potatoes were wedge cut and Dutch style meaning the portions were large cut fries. The dish came with only four huge slices of potatoes. Unfortunately, the potatoes were over cooked. It was difficult to eat them because the texture was hard. For dessert, I had to ask the wait staff because she did not mention anything. The dessert I selected was Oreo Cheesecake. The menu was quite deceiving because when the cheesecake came to the table, it was basically a slice of New York cheesecake with Oreo cookie crumbles and chocolate sauce on the side. The dessert was a miss.

I would come back to 1400 and order the Poblano Hamburger. I was told that this burger is spectacular.

What is the holdup?

2011-09-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Do construction workers take holidays while working on projects in Alameda? It seems that renovation in a few spots are taking a life time to get completed. Two places on Webster Street that are taking forever are Cafe Jolie and Greek Meze. The other places on Park Street is Doggy Style and the new Thai restaurant in the former Rolling Pin Donut space. I hope these long pauses are not indicative of the economy or the city trying to intervene and holding up economic commerce. A good example is Crema Bakery, I waited and waited for this place to open and the business never came to fruition. Such a bummer.

Shocking News!

2011-09-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Quintero Family has sold the Acapulco Restaurant and the business is now closed. The family has owned the restaurant for such a long time and I have to wonder what was the catalyst that caused the family to sell? I thought they had a loyal following because many of the Mexican restaurants around Alameda are busy.

Ben who was barbecuing at The Frog and the Fiddle is now gone. The kitchen is closed and a new business will move in next week. I was informed by the bartender that the menu will be pub style food.

Can you believe that Boniere Bakery moved to Oakland. After reading yesterday's article in the Alameda Journal, it seemed depressing since the bakery was the oldest running business in Alameda. Their former space is still empty.