It’s been awhile since I was able to head out and dine at a restaurant that I hadn’t visited before. I’ve been mainly sticking to local restaurants around Fremont or cooking at home. I still had that strong urge to go out and eat somewhere new. I was out in San Francisco last Friday and I thought about checking out Delfina. It’s a restaurant that I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time. But, then I remembered my cousin talking about a superb dinner he had at Wood Tavern in Oakland. Wood Tavern also was a spot that I wanted to try after hearing all the positive feedback about it. I really wanted to do something new, and since I rarely check out restaurants in Oakland, it was an easy decision. It was also good to know that Wood Tavern continues to gain praise from local diners and critics, so I expected that I was not going to leave Wood Tavern disappointed.

It was a busy Friday night at the restaurant with tables available to those with reservations. The only option left was bar seating which I didn’t mind. I mainly was looking forward to the food.

Our meal started off with Seared Yellowtail Tuna on top of a salad of baby artichokes and olives drizzled with citrus oil and a balsamic glaze.

When I was browsing the menu earlier, I noticed they were offering a Crispy Pork Belly starter. It sounded too good to pass up, but they had a equally appetizing Pork Shoulder Confit entrée on the menu also. To avoid a pork overload, we chose to go with the Yellowtail Tuna starter and get our pork fix with the Pork Shoulder Confit.

The deliciously crispy outside and tender inside cut of pork shoulder sat on top of a serving of buttery polenta.

The other entrée we ordered was the Pan Roasted Chicken. This came on a whim. While waiting for a seat at the bar, we noticed that many diners were ordering the chicken. A server walked by us with someone’s order of the chicken and our eyes were glued to the passing plate. It smelled all too good. I often skip chicken dishes because of the thought of being served an overcooked, dry serving of chicken. That was not the case here. Moist and juicy are the words to describe this dish, which was served with spinach, fingerling potatoes, grilled radicchio, and a lemon-rosemary jus.

Throughout the dinner, I just felt a good vibe about Wood Tavern. Maybe it was because we sat at the bar. Seeing the faces of others cheering and chowing down over food and drinks really plays into that feeling of being in a favorite local neighborhood spot. My only wish is that Wood Tavern would be in my neighborhood.

I’ve always seen this city as being over shadowed by San Francisco’s restaurant offerings, but after this positive visit, I’m already wanting to see what other good restaurants there are to visit in Oakland.

Wood Tavern
6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 654-6607
www.woodtavern.net

Food memories have always been a big part of me, whether it’s thinking back to a great meal or restaurant. One particular memory that stuck with me is eating dim sum at Chinese restaurants. I never did it too often, but it had a lasting impression. Picking and pointing out your choices that came your way was a rush. Having the satisfaction of eating almost instantly was just an added plus. Most of all, whatever came to the table was just plain good.

And I’ll admit, I love pork siomai, but never saw myself as someone who knew much about good quality dim sum. It didn’t seem too late to start a search, testing and trying different restaurants serving dim sum, to find a favorite spot. So, Rose and I took a trip to the Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Milbrae for dim sum. It’s a place that I picked out because whenever I’m in the area, the restaurant always catches my attention. I mean, the building stands tall on the corner of El Camino and Milbrae Avenue, and is not hard to miss. I wanted to see how their dim sum was.

Having dim sum after such a long absence definitely did bring back good memories. We left satisfied and eager to return back. Of course, I do want to learn more about dim sum, better yet, good quality dim sum. This is just a start. Maybe we’ll find better along the way.

Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Millbrae Ave.
Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 692-6666

Next to the water of the San Francisco Bay is the Ferry Building with its clock tower standing tall. Pedestrians close by hear the chimes of the tower echoing with each passing hour. Not only does the Ferry Building serve as a terminal to ferries that cross the San Francisco Bay, but nestled within its walls are restaurants and food purveyors. It is also home to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market where local produce and artisanal foods are available for purchase. A stroll through the building is enough to please any food aficionado.

The more time that I spent in the Bay Area, the more I found myself finding reasons just to go to the Ferry Building. I slowly began to discover my personal favorite finds, always returning back to them. There’s so much to take in. It’ll take awhile for me, or anyone to discover it all in one visit.

One spot that I catch myself going back to, time and time again, is the Hog Island Oyster Bar.

Why? Just so I can share the experience of having some of the freshest oysters available, some right out of Tomales Bay, with others. You can have them shucked and enjoyed fresh or baked. The Casino oyster, shown above, is just one example of baked oysters that they offer on the Hog Island Oyster Bar menu. Layers of flavor from paprika, shallots, thyme, and butter, just soak into the sweet oyster. Add just a touch of lemon juice to finish it off, eat, nod your head in delight, and repeat.

Backing up Hog Island Oyster Bar’s oysters are some solid soups that are not to be missed. One in particular that pleases us every time we visit is the clam chowder. Floating around the creamy broth you’ll find the standard potatoes and bacon, but what stands out here are the Manila clams. Still in the shell, you’ll have to work at picking them out. We don’t mind. It just adds to the aura of knowing you’re getting fresh clams and not any of that canned stuff. With my friends and family, we all agree that for the most part, the texture of chowder is pleasantly on the light side, not thick and heavy. I’ve had chowders in the past that were always thick, leaving me with a full feeling in my gut after one bowl. I can tell you that it’s refreshing to get something on the lighter side of things. You focus less on the richness of the texture and begin to see the clams as the highlight.

Continue Reading » Hog Island Oyster Bar

I wouldn’t consider myself a picky eater, but when I’m out on a trip and visiting new spots, I do want to go eat at a place that I can’t find at home. When I was hunting down restaurant recommendations in L.A., I asked fellow food blogger Chrystal from DuoDishes for her pick on some good local spots. She mentioned a restaurant called Street which quickly caught my attention.

Street is an idea by Chef Susan Feniger and she uses Street as her canvas to portray her interpretation of street food from all around the world. Street isn’t just an average restaurant, but a way for you to globetrot on a plate to sample global street food without leaving your seat. This was something I wanted to check out because there isn’t a restaurant like this in the Bay Area that has street food as their main focus. Our first stop, Singapore…

Kaya Toast – toasted bread spread with a sweet coconut jam, served with a fried egg drizzled with dark soy sauce. With the egg yolk broken, it was just calling for us to take some of the toasted bread and dip it, making sure to get some of the salty soy sauce. The flavors work, bringing together the sweetness from the coconut jam with the savory egg yolk and salty dark soy sauce. Next, Hawaii…

Hawaiian Alanui Poke – diced Ono fillet and avocado marinated in a dashi ponzu sauce, served atop a crispy sesame rice cake. Texturally, the soft fish and avocado mixture complemented the crispy rice cake. It was definitely not your ordinary tuna tartare, but a street food version of it. Then, it was off to Korea…

Korean Short Ribs with Mushrooms & Asian Pear Salad – the first dish in L.A. that made me say, “Wow.” It had deep flavors of sesame that was only enhanced by how soft and tender the short ribs were. The preparation that was taken to braise the beef to perfection is what holds this dish together. We returned back to Singapore for our last dish…

Continue Reading » Global Street Food at Susan Feniger’s Street