eat oakland

Redrum Burger, Davis, CA

Narrative
Sunday after a long day on the river Bonnie, Fran, and I took the Olive Drive exit off I-80 heading west toward Oakland to feed our hunger. We were coming off a great trip with Loco Bloco, an amazing youth performance group in San Francisco. We were all in the mood for ostrich and we knew where to get it.

Contact Information
Redrum Burger
978 Olive Drive
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-2142

Hours
Daily: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cuisine
Bunned sandwiches including beef, mushroom, ostrich, and veggie burgers. An array of special sandwiches. Fried accessories including potatoes, onion rings, and other assorted veggies. Beverages include soda and FABULOUS shakes.

Price Range
Moderate. For 10 bucks you will satisfy a serious snack attack with a sandwich, fried accessories and a beverage.

SUMMARY
Not your average burger joint, this classic Davis stop off the freeway offers bunned sandwiches of the flesh and flesh-free variety served on toasted, carbo-goodness. Aside from their classic burgers, their mushroom and ostrich burgers are completely awesome. Their fried veggies...be they fries or mushrooms (about the size of golf balls) generously fill baskets o' plenty to feed the hungry en masse. And if you STILL want more, get ready for their $5 dollar shakes. They're HUGE.

Go for the music, which will be loud and rockin' from the grill. The classic rock culture is ALIVE and WELL at the Redrum Burger.

There's also a cool little patio out back if you don't want to squeeze into a booth and admire the service of the men and women who soon will be doctors, authors, and business owners once they've finished with finals and flipping your burger.

Service
Usually a friendly dude will take your order and whirl it about on this cylindrical thing to the kitchen. They'll take your name, ask you for your card or cash and about 10 - 15 minutes later your name will be bellowed at you to pick it up. Water is free, so long as you don't mind refilling a teeny Dixie cup.

The atmosphere is a cool grunge, not dirty at all, just zero pretense. I love it because occasionally you'll hear the staff singing in the kitchen to whatever is on...Tool or Van Halen. With hairnets on, they will toss their heads in true headbanger fashion and you will be entertained, a la Wayne and Garth.

Rest Rooms
Public restrooms are outside of the main dining area and are unisex. Usually plenty of toilet seat shields and toilet paper, which after a day in the outdoors, be it on water or on the slopes, you will be grateful for.

posted by wrki @ 6:20 PM 0 comments

Sweetheart Cafe, 9th and Harrison

Narrative
This little gem of a refreshment stand and candy store is simply the best boba I have had. Period. My friend Huy and I found it while wandering about Oakland in 1998 when we were both fresh faces to the Bay Area. I go every so often when I need refreshment and want it in beverage form. I've tried others about Oakland and San Francisco Chinatowns (Asiatowns?) and always go back for their avocado with pearl, baby coconut juice with pearl and popcorn chicken or squid when I am in the mood. This morning I needed a pick-me-up after class before I headed into work.

Contact Information
Sweetheart Cafe
315 9th Street
Oakland, CA 94607-4211
(510) 835-8136

Hours
Daily: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cuisine This sweet shop features all manner of teas, pearl milk drinks (boba), fried snacks, bulk candies, Pocky and pastries.

Price Range
Super cheap!

SUMMARY
The Sweetheart Cafe is a treasure chest for any fan of sweets in downtown Oakland. You can get a tea-snack combo for under $6 that will delight your tastebuds with popcorn chicken lightly seasoned with cayenne pepper and fried bay leaves. Or peruse the dessert menu for a sago palm drink, sweet red bean, sugar cane juice...the list is almost endless!

If you loved the feeling of the candy store from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, you'll enjoy the bins filled with sweet dried fruits and sugar drops, as well as the racks of chocolate and novelty candy. The Pocky selection is quite extensive and you'll find all the soda you could ever want...if you didn't want a pearl drink that day.

When I snack there, I bounce between the popcorn chicken and fried squid. Each is fried delicately and served in a little brown paper bag double-bagged with a plastic bag to keep any grease away from you. Another little treat? Make sure you get the little skewer (or two) to spear your treats and pop them in your mouth after sprinkling the various pepper offerings (cayenne or garlic). This will keep your fingers from glistening or leaving evidence of your snacking!

On a hot day, I'll default to their coconut milk with pearl drink. It's tropical, smooth, and just has a perfect blend of coconut and creamy texture. Avocado also does the trick. Green tea with milk and pearl is also sublime.

Service
The cafe is super-organized. Your order is taken, you pay and you're given a number. This is when I usually wander to see if I need to fill my Pocky craving. A few moments later you're served with your beverage. They call out the number deli-style and a cue forms while everyone is waiting for their treats. Conversations can be overheard in Chinese, Spanish, and English. Little kids to grandparents (and perhaps great-grandparents) stand about waiting for their turn at the counter to be rewarded with yummy goodness!

Rest Rooms
No public restrooms.

posted by wrki @ 11:41 AM 0 comments

Golden Lotus, 13th and Franklin Streets

Narrative
I came home from the Sacramento area on Sunday evening after spending a hot day near the river reading and practicing violin. I was also house-sitting for a friend who lives on Harrison Street and decided to wander a bit for dinner. The sun was just beginning to set at 8:30 pm and I wanted something not too heavy, high on the flavor scale, and gentle on the wallet. Within 2 blocks of her home I ended up at the Golden Lotus, a place introduced to me by friends I rarely see, but with great taste for local, low key eateries. It was a rainy, early spring evening when they first brought me here.

Contact Information
Golden Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant
1301 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA 94612-3207
(510) 893-0383

Hours
Daily: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Cuisine Almost completely Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine. Almost vegan, except for the one dessert you can order with dairy.

Price Range Moderate. One can enjoy appetizer, entree, beverage, and dessert for under $20 per diner. Credit cards are accepted.

SUMMARY
The Golden Lotus is an understated restaurant with a menu filled with AMAZING food, some of it named after animals, but there is no flesh to be found in any bowls or plates they serve. Meat-eaters and Vegetarians, alike, can bask in their extensive menu and flavors. It's fun to go with a group of people to sample their many offerings. The more, the merrier and the greater the buffet!

My go-to meal with them includes their Ginger Fish, an amazingly crafted soy filet complete with seaweed skin, served on a bed of lettuce and a delicate ginger vinegar sauce. The "fish" has a lovely texture and flavor.

An appetizer I tried for the first time on Sunday that did NOT disappoint was the Lotus Salad. Combining crispy tofu, mint, lotus, peanuts, shallots, and another delicate vinegar sauce with ginger I loved the crispness and medly of flavors of this salad.

Their imperial rolls are also excellent with a blend of vegetables lightly fried in a wrapper wound to the diameter of a finger and served with a ginger dipping sauce that is not unlike a light vinegar.

To top off my meal, I ordered an avocado shake. The light, smooth, green beverage was just what I needed as refreshment on a hot summer evening. The tall glass served as a final treat to my meal.

Service
The service is consistently welcoming and polite. The dining room is understated with tables for groups in the front room and a few booths toward the back of the restaurant.

Rest Rooms
The bathroom is satisfactorialy clean with both hot and cold water and decent water pressure.

posted by wrki @ 10:04 PM 0 comments