Daily Feed Archives:

Today's blog

November 2006

October 2006

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

June 2006

May 2006

April 2006

March 2006

February 2006

January 2006

December 2005

November 2005

October 2005

September 2005

August 2005

July 2005

June 2005


Gutenberg's favorite blogs:


 

Becks and Posh

Meathenge

Chez Pim

David Lebovitz

Amateur Gourmet

Bay Area Bites

Restaurant Whore

The Food Whore

Cooking with Amy

Gastronomie

Food Blog S’cool

Eggbeater

Vinography

Blue Bottle Clown College

Slice

Tasting Menu

101 Cookbooks

Dessert First

Albion Cooks

In Praise of Sardines

A Full Belly

I'm Mad and I Eat

Life Begins at 30

SF Gourmet

Amuse Bouche

Pengrin Eats

Find individual postings:

or by area:



Check out our other stuff:   Yummy Chow   |   Photo Hutch  |  Home


 
 
 

ABOUT ME:

Name: Gutenberg

Location: Somewhere near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.)

 
the BUNRAB blog spot
 

Do you need to answer back? You can send me comments if you want to.

If I want to, I'll post 'em in this very blog.

-Gutenberg



 

December 1-7 , 2006

 

go to next week's blogs

 

 

Thursday, December 7, 2006
permalink

Sketchy details

It was insanely congested on Berkeley’s Fourth Street today. Holiday shoppers were getting a jump on boosting the economy by snapping up goods at The Gardener and Sur la Table. Little did they know that the best stocking stuffers are tucked away across the street at Sketch. No, I am not suggesting that hosiery filled with melting crème anglaise is a pleasant Christmas greeting, but their little bags of candies are perfect for horning into Hanes.

Candied popcorn, chocolate caramels and house made, choco-dipped marshmallows:

... are lined up in little packets. You really can’t go wrong.

But whatever you do, do not exit this establishment without a bag of their delicate, crisp, buttery, salty, chocolaty, pecan toffee ($5.50):

They spread this enriched brittle ultra-thin so it snaps apart like a glass ampule filled with the antidote to culinary boredom. A veneer of dark chocolate is showered with enough sodium to alchemize this over-the-counter sounding item into a prescription strength anti-depressant.  This is the best candy ever.

Sketch Ice Cream
1809A Fourth St.
Berkeley, CA
510.665.5650

 

 


 

 

 

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Pink is the new lunch

If a cosmo were a lunch plate, this would be it - definitely not the most macho dish that I have ever ordered at the Slow Club. While my table mates ordered the always delish S.C. burgers, I got the seared tuna and beet risotto ($13.50):

The fish was respectfully left in its most tasty state of rawness (after being shown a photo of some flame to seal the exterior) and served with a dollop of aioli. The girly-colored rice was creamy and punctuated with capers to keep it perky and some rocket to add a leafy-relief. Although it was all tasty, I needed more caloric reinforcement than this dish could offer. Another reason to go with the top-o-the-grail burger next time.

The Slow Club
2501 Mariposa
San Francisco, CA
415.241.9390


 


 

 

 

Tuesday, December 5, 2006


On a Lark
, I went inn to the creek for lunch. The dining room was almost empty. There was a table of priests eating Acme’s body of Christ, and a birthday lunch that was finishing up at the booth near the window.

I ordered the meatloaf sandwich ($11.50):

...which took for-freaking-ever to arrive. I don’t know if it was meat and human loafing in the kitchen, but I received an unsolicited apology for the wait, “they are scampering around getting it ready.” Scampering? Maybe they should try cooking. Luckily, my internal monologue remained just that and my loaf materialized.

At first I wondered why there was a limp bacon strip adorning the side of the plate, but I realized that it must have been draped over the oat filled beef loaf as it cooked. It’s fatty contribution had been completed in the kitchen and it did not succeed as a garnish. On more appetizing notes, the BBQ sauce was fine with it’s balance of sweet and tang and the levain held up well as a foundation for this open faced sandwich.

I should have requested my fries extra crispy. They were a little too blonde and soft for my taste.

I thought that the single slice of tomato, pickle and lettuce had a hambugerizing influence that didn’t fit (especially in those quantities.) It was fine, but sort of a half idea. The meat loaf would have been better without the bread and with a pile of mashed spuds since they already have a burger on the menu.

Service has improved since my last visit when I was yelled at from across the room, “How did you say you wanted your meat cooked?!!”

To be fair, the better food that I’ve had here has been in the darker hours. I guess I should scamper back after the sun sets…

The Lark Creek Inn
234 Magnolia Ave.
Larkspur, CA
415.924.7766


 


 

 

 

Monday, December 4, 2006


Memphis Minnie’s is always a good standby for a meaty lunch. You can go for the Wednesday’s only Pastrami (which is always tasty, but don’t expect it to be all New Yorky) or you can get their daily offerings. If you want to mix it up, you can order a combo.

The Southen Star ($8.25):

...is a good choice for when you can’t decide between beef and pig.

Both sandwich sides were loaded into a hollowed roll to create a good ratio of bread to meat. You adorn it with your choice of the house made sauces on the table.

Texas Brisket was a beefy sleeping pill torpedo. This nap inducing lunch was worth it’s weight in Ambien. 

I was concerned that the pig portion of the meal would fit the first word of it’s descriptionThe “sweet smoked pork sandwich” didn’t overdo the sucrose. The juicy chunks of pig were both smoky and sweet in the best senses of the words.

I selected coleslaw for my side which is my default order among the mac and cheese, baked beans and other choices. 

Memphis Minnie’s BBQ
576 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA
415.864.PORK

 

 


 

 

 

Sunday, December 3, 2006

Bubba-licious

Our stomachs started rumbling after the brunch crowds have gone home. Luckily for us, Bubba’s doesn’t close between conventional meal times so we headed to our favorite San Anselmo diner to fill our bellies.

Chubby got some flapjacks ($7.95):

... which hit his carbo spot. The scoop of whipped butter melted into these golden brown disks and streaked the maple syrup with blonde, fatty highlights. Chubby was toying with the idea of getting sausage, but opted for a slice of ham ($1.95) which melded with the maple runoff in a more complimentary fashion than the meat tube would have.

I went with the BBQ chicken ($15.95):


Half "a Rocky" insurgence comes with a slathering of BBQ sauce. The white meat was on the dry side, but the dark meat was tasty and satisfying. You get to pick two sides with this entrée and I selected a double dose of spinach.

The biscuit tasted better than it had in the past and I asked the server if the recipe had changed. She returned and said that the recipe is the same but they had started using an organic flour. It makes sense that this switch in the main doughy component would alter the flavor. 

The house-made pies looked good today, but we were too full to find out.

Bubba’s is a solid, local diner. It had a great neighborhood vibe with nice people with simple, honest chow (and they use Elle’s rice oil.) It’s not destination dining; it’s casual comfort food refueling.


Bubba’s Diner

566 San Anselmo Ave.
San Anselmo, CA
415.459.6862


 


 

 

 

Saturday, December 2, 2006


Going to our neighbors for din is always a treat. They cooked up a storm with a homemade pate with a peck of pickled peppers, duck confit and pomegranate salad with a pinot,  butternut squash soup paired with a sherry, perfectly grilled steak with a potato cake complimented with a cabernet, and a decadent chocolate hazelnut cake with home made marmalade over vanilla ice cream tamped down with  a glass of Muscat.

Their artistry extends beyond the kitchen with their gorgeously dressed table.


An added benefit to this evening filled with lively discussion, delicious food and wine is that no designated driver was needed.

-G

 


 

 

 

Friday, December 1, 2006


I was in a know-it-all mood today and decided to nip over to Om for some potent nourishment.

My spinach masala dosa ($8.49):

... was a equilaterally tasty.  They spread this thin Indian crepe with a spinach mixture and tucked it around a nicely seasoned potato filling. The light and crispy edges feathered into the moist center of this fermented-battered pancake. A tomato-ginger and a coconut chutney came in little ramekins next to a lentil sambar. I ate every last mustard seed of this tasty lunch.

The service was friendly and efficient. I’m glad I came back (after my previous, under-spiced visit) to have such a satisfying meal. I will have to return to triangulate my experience further…

 

Om South Indian Cuisine
1518 Fourth St.
San Rafael, CA
415.458.1779

 

 


 

 

 


back to last week - November 23-30, 2006

 




 

 
BUNRABS Home | Contact Gutenberg | Yummy Chow | Photo Hutch
 
 
Entire contents copyright © 2006 by BunRabCo. All rights reserved.