Camino & World Champion Latte Artist at The Proxy Project

The report on the last 20 hours of food prowling.

Latte art by Hiroshi Sawada. Baked goods in background from Sandbox Bakery and Black Jet Bakery.

• 7:00pm Friday - It started Friday night at Oakland's Camino, which is easily among the best restaurants I have been to in years. Communal tables, open-flame cooking, unpretentious service, first-rate Californian cuisine. More at the end of this post.

• 10:00am Saturday - Ferry Building farmers' market for beans and eggs at Primavera's booth.  Then, a visit to the Farmhouse Culture stand, where I tried three kinds of sauerkraut: horseradish leek, apple fennel, and garlic dill pickle.  I took back a container filled with the first.  The salty-tartness and crunch of the sauerkraut pairs superbly with roasted beets!   

• 11:00am Saturday - Ritual Coffee at the The Proxy Project to see Hiroshi Sawada, THE master of latte art--the man who literally wrote the book on the subject.  He is also featured in this NY Times article from yesterday about Tokyo coffee.  

Hiroshi-san creating one of his ephemeral masterpieces.

As soon as I arrived at Ritual on this sun-drenched Saturday I began to envy everyone living in Hayes Valley (all the tail-wagging dogs and toddlers included).  Why? On the other side of Ritual is liquid nitrogen fueled Smitten Ice Cream; in front of it are two fashionable food trucks; and a stone's throw away are Blue Bottle, Absinthe, Miette, and probably many other awesome places that I would rather not know about. 

As I said, the day was bathing in sunshine and mildness for a winter day.

Smitten Ice Cream just upon opening. The Santa hat tells you it's December.

Attention carnivores!

Wha??  "Brighter Faster" is what the Proxy Project landmark says. Below is Casey's pizza truck,

This is why I sing "I left My Heart in San Francisco."

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More on Camino

Here is what three of us ordered (verbatim from the menu). My favorites are asterisked.

• Avocado, orange and rutabaga salad with pomegranate and walnuts *
• Wood oven-baked local oysters with absinthe, breadcrumbs and carrot salad
• Wood oven-roasted chanterelle mushrooms with pounded wild nettles and grilled flatbread
• Half a Dungeness crab grilled in the fireplace with radicchio salad and aioli*
• Grilled local ling cod, rockfish and artichokes with new onions, Yukon Gold potatoes and chile broth*
• For dessert: persimmon pudding (tasted like a milder version of pumpkin pie).  

Every dish had a "WOW!" factor. This means that every time I took a bite of a new dish, I interupted the table conversation or chewing silence to repeat (yet again that night), "Wow! That is good!"  Camino uses fireplaces and wood ovens rather than stoves to cook its food.  Also unlike the majority of kitchens, theirs is not made of stainless steel or plastic, but stone. The resulting look and feel of Camino is warmth--chestnuts-on-an-open fire lighting. (This is truer the closer you are to the kitchen, which we were.)

This gorgeous hearthy kitchen is also an open kitchen.   The colorful mis en place preens for onlookers.   Last week's Good Food show featured an interview with the chef, Russ Moore, a/k/a the "Gentle Griller." His kitchen is decidedly anti-macho--he said it himself! Here's to you Chef Russ!

My trip to Camino should have taken 45 minutes from Palo Alto, where I was coming from.  Instead, it took two dreadful hours, much of which was spent muttering obscenities, along with: I should have left earlier. Why am I doing this? I should have stayed home tonight!  Nothing like a good Friday evening traffic jam to soothe your nerves following an intense day at work.

But when I sat down and took my first taste of the avocado, orange and rutabaga salad,  all cares went POOF!  

Simple Pleasures in Oakland

Three reasons why I am crazy for Temescal:

1. Breakfast at Pizzaiolo.

Doughnut hole and morning bun at Pizzaiolo. 

These deadly delights, along with Blue Bottle cappuccino mend all.  (OMG--the morning bun.)

So far, I have every reason to believe that the Pizzaiolo folks really mean it with their hearts.

2. Bakesale Betty's, on the corner.  

At 10:00 AM on a recent Saturday, this place was preparing for the lunchtime invasion of customers   who line up for their fried chicken sandwich.

Fried chicken sandwiches  on tap at Bakeale Betty's.

 I wasn't quite in the mood at 10-in-the-morning so I bought cookies instead: oatmeal raisin and molasses. 

Oatmeal raisin cookie with bits of walnuts.

These are extremely recommended for those who love a soft cookie.  They are pliable in your hands, like a firm dough.  This was especially true of the molasses' cookie.  I found the sweetness of both cookies, and the spiciness of the molasses cookie, to be very pleasant.

Molasses cookie. (Not all of it made it to the photo shoot.)

The service here on this day was as sweet as the cookies. Makes me really want to come back. Very, very soon.

3. La Calaca Loca (no website available at this writing).
La Calaca Loca--is that a kick to say or what. It's the stylish-looking Mexican place on the other side of Pizzaiolo. I haven't been there yet, but it is on my list, especially as I love a Mexican breakfast and this place is open from 9am on weekends. There is a nice outdoor patio in the back, says my knowledgeable foodie insider friend. 

There are plenty more social, political,  cultural and sun-drenched reasons to love this irresistible section of Temescal...as if one needed any more reasons.

Blue Bottle: Baked Treats that Speak for Themselves

Review of three baked treats from Blue Bottle in Oakland.

Holy Pumpernickel!

This coffee cake has the perfect ratio of cake to crumbs. Because the cake is only about a centimeter high, you don't have to have a mouth as wide as an alligator's to taste all the flavors at once.  This moist cake also has a sense of humor.  It's speckled with oats and nuts...and--surprise--pumpernickel seeds! I'd have never thought to combine pumpernickel with a sweet cake, but man my life is better having experienced this.

Talk about a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing.  Shy and diminutive looking--plain, even.  But it's flavored with a touch of rum, bits of almond, and dried fruit.  Truly an adult cake. I can imagine what a divine pairing it must make with coffee.

Now this cookie.

This cookie does not look very dark, but it has a distinct dark chocolate flavor. It is sweet but not too sweet.  It is cripsy on the outside and soft on the inside.  I don't taste any coffee in it, which is a good thing since it is to be enjoyed with coffee.  

Blue Bottle knows how to make rabid followers out of people. As if the coffee weren't enough to travel for...watch out also for the baked goods!

Real People's Doughnuts, and the Real Person Behind it

Pepple's Donuts
6037 San Pablo Ave
(between 60th St & 61st St)
Oakland, CA 94608

Last week at the Ferry Building, I tried some unforgettably scrumptious doughnuts.  So on Sunday I went to the Donut Farm, in North Oakland to see where they are raised.

Donut Farm offers a variety of doughnuts, brunch on Sundays, and tasty coffee that is made from beans  roasted over a wok.  Everything is vegan and all ingredients are sourced locally. This is not just a bragging point, but a philosophical belief of founder Josh Levine.  "Our business is more about politics," said Josh, over a cup of coffee at the Donut Farm counter.  "If I had a cause, it's that people should be aware of what they're voting on with their dollar."

Josh Levine, updating the brunch menu on a Sunday morning.

As a kid in San Francisco, Josh grew up watching his lawyer-father give Chinese cooking lessons in the family's kitchen.  He then spent time working in restaurants as a cook, and making vegan dishes for fun, such as custom-style Top Ramen, loaded with fresh veggies.  Before starting Pepple's in 2007, he worked in real estate, which he continues to dabble in, on the side.

When asked what inspired him to start the business, he said,  "I wanted to make a lot of people happy."  Once the idea took hold, he "just decided to do it," and was determined to pursue it, no matter what the outcome.

He began to study the coffee and organic doughnut businesses, modeling Pepple's after Stumptown Coffee, based in Portland, and organic Mighty O Donuts in Seattle. But unlike at these places, you will not find a drop of milk anywhere at Pepple's.  It is 100% vegan, no ifs, ands, or buts. 

Within a few years Josh has put up two stores (the doughnut shop-that-serves-brunch, and the kiosk at the Ferry Building) and wholesale to several dozen local businesses from Santa Cruz to San Jose to San Francisco.

As for how he comes up with his ecletic flavors, Orange Creamsicle came to him in a dream, and Chili Mango is an inspiration from the fresh organic mango he'd noticed at markets (he said to himself: "I gotta do something!").  Other flavors on display today, ranging from $2.00 to $3.00 each, included: Plain 'n' Good, Vanilla Glazed, Chocolate, Chocolate Coconut and Blueberry.  

Of these, I tried Caramel Apple, Chocolate Cookie, Lemon Poppy and Cinnamon Sugar. They were handpicked by Jake, the tall, friendly dude behind the counter. At first I thought that $3.00 was much to pay for a doughnut. But when I thought about the purity of ingredients,  where these ingredients come from (across town), who I am supporting in buying them (locals rather than corporations), I not only think that the prices are reasonable, but that buying them is the right thing to do!

"Chocolate Cookie" - Delicate, subtly sweet.

"Cinnamon Sugar" - The sugar crystals are like glitter.  This is a gorgeous, shimmery doughnut!

"Lemon Poppyseed" - I am finding that the doughnuts with heavier glaze are sweeter. This one has a refreshing tang.

"Caramel Apple" - You can see the little chunks of apple in the icing.

I cannot say I have a "favorite" yet because every last doughnut I try--no matter which--seems to be that moment's favorite. Alas, not only are they all organic and all vegan, but they are all good at Pepple's Donuts!

The inconspicuous farm on San Pablo Avenue that is bursting with flavor inside.

Eat Real Festival - Truck Pageant

Best Looking Truck?

Trucks at the Eat Real Festival 2010- A Sampling

Ritual Coffee Roasters - always a long line, and one of the the few coffee specialists I could find.

Vamos Primos

Chairman Bao. Saw the line. Said FORGET IT. The longest line I saw:

And the picture doesn't show how the line bends--it's longer than it looks!

Kung Fu Tacos. Not much a of a line.

Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q

Curry Up Now from the side. Wanted to try it but I was too full of bhel poori.

Curry Up Now's side view.

Filipino eats

Eat Real Festival: Review & Tips

Imagine a waterfront parking lot filled with trendy and popular San Francisco area food trucks and farm products. That's Eat Real for you. Scroll down for tips and what to expect, including photos from the farmers' market there.

Proselytizing "sustainable," "local," and "organic," these trucks feature everything from Indian burritos to Pan-African vegetarian food to empanadas to lumpia to steamed dumplings. Reflecting the LA Korean food scene, there were also many Korean eateries featuring fusion.

Soleil's African Kitchen

Tips:

1) Go early.
2) Check out the farmers' market, located inside one of the buildings.
3) (Assuming you hate lines like I do), make a list of the trucks you'd like to try by checking them out on the web beforehand and go to them first. Very likely they are on other people's lists.
4) Parking is available on the streets when you go early.

All-grass fed dogs from Let's be Frank - Been wanting to try this LA-based truck (a stand here) since I heard about it on Good Food a few years ago!

Argentine Asado at Primo's Parrilla

Pros:

• Trendiest trucks, including the crazily-mobbed Roli Roti, all in one place.
  
• Can try lots of samples. People--vendors and customers are friendly.

Bhel Poori from Soul Cucina. Sanitized version of Indian Street food.

Soul Cucina stand

Tried the dulce du leche. Flakey and buttery...delicioso!

This is what happens when you wait too long.

Cons:

• Lots of people.
  
• Long lines for the popular trucks.
  
• Portion size could be smaller and prices cheaper. Most entrees were $5 and large enough for a meal (for a petite person or child). Hard to try everything you want without risking being gurney-ed out.
  

Tried this last year. Fun to see the gargantuan-sized pans. But I didn't find the paella to be flavorful though not bad for having been made in such a ginormous quantity. But I wasn't going to wait in line for this again.

Drink tickets are obtained in a separate booth, centrally located. I found out the hard way, but it was easy enough to purchase my drink ticket.

Pomegranate kombucha. I am not enough of a connoisseur to know if it was high quality kombucha or not (I have only had GT's before)...it reminded me of beer without the alcoholic kick, flavored with pomegranate essence... Not unlike GT's.

Barlovento Chocolates from Oakland

Fresh, hot noodles

Organic Mexican

Vesta Flatbread

"Seasonal, local, sustainable"

Straus Farms - the dairy that lots of high-end restaurants seem to use.

If only I had more stomach space...

The Farmers' Market at the Eat Real Festival

The farmers' market at Eat Real is "inside" and features produce, olive oil, baked goods, and prepared foods.

Gorgeous colors, as are typical of Bay Area farmers' markets in summer.

These swirly "Spicy Veggie Wraps" from Tofu Yu, new to the food scene and local, are light and appetizing, making for a great summer snack. The veggies inside taste crispy fresh.

Bolani (flatbread) from Bolani (company)--my new obsession. The spinach bolani is their best seller and man! It is no wonder why. I bought a package that day and then went to Andronicos that week and bought three more packages. I had it for dinner four times that week. Will be writing more about this place in a coming blog.

Quesero Salazar

How could I not photograph these blue beauties. I have no idea how they taste but they make for great camera candy.

For the drive home, at 300 Webster Street, a quick walk away.