Cream Gets Creamed

An Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich for Adults

Recently, my friends and I have been puzzled by how Cream, the place on Telegraph that used to be Beard Papa's, gets so much business. Answer: Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches for $1.50 (actually I heard it's changed to $2 GASP) . Questions to be asked: Why is it so cheap? And, what are college students eating these days?! Word has it (or the College Yelpers say) that Cream serves Double Rainbow Ice Cream and Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies. I'm not going to hate. I'm sure Double Rainbow is good, and I actually like good-ole Spunkmeyer on occasion. But do these kids realize they can make these at home for cheaper?! And, that they will not be as fat, overstuffed, and a mistake?! Go on yelp and look at the pictures! It is a sight to be seen!

Anyways, rage put aside. Tob-asco and I bought our own cookies and ice cream a few weeks ago and made said sandwiches. It was fantastic, and even just buying Andronico's cookies and Ben and Jerry's ice cream is a better deal. However, I decided to up the ante. I baked my own chocolate chip cookies and added some scotch to the ice cream to give it a kick. For the cookies, I turned to Smitten's "Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipe:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/crispy-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I baked cookies that were medium size vs. her suggestions of large or small. However, the cooking time was about 15-17 minutes (same as the large cookies). Just a heads up, I ended up baking about 3 dozen with that recipe. :S For the ice cream, I bought Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie. I just scooped some ice cream into a bowl, poured a smidgen of scotch, and mixed. Throw the ice cream in between two cookies and voila, ICE CREAM COOKIE SANDWICH!

P.S. These sandwiches were made in celebration of getting into Grad School...just in case people were worried about my health.

Homeroom: A+

Beer Float (Oh yes, that is a mason jar.)

Spicy Mac
(Okay, it looks like they just sprinkled the pepper flakes that come in the little glass containers next to the parmesan at pizza joints, but it is not!)

Ever since Eat Real, Special K. and I have been awaiting Homeroom's opening. It has taken them forever, but they have finally set up shop in a somewhat random location (i.e. not that convenient if you do not have a car and not really near anything else). We got there at 5pm, which sounds incredibly crazy, but believe me this place gets packed quickly! There were already people when we arrived, and the place filled up in about half an hour...it was Friday though. Special K. and I decided to order our favorite from Eat Real, the Spicy Mac. However, we made the request of potatoes chips on top, which usually only come with the Trailer Mac. Tob-asco opted for the Vermont White Cheddar. The mac was as good as ever. Portions are just right for the extremely hungry diner (you will be full). Or just wrap half of it home and grab some dessert. I ordered a Beer Float made with Old Rasputin Stout and Three Twins Vanilla Ice Cream. It was certainly interesting. If you are a huge fan of Stout and Ice Cream, I would say give it a try or share it with a friend. It is definitely different. They also have huge Homemade Oreos that look delicious. Tob-asco and I were kicking ourselves for not buying one and taking it home. Oh, and if you want to be healthy, they offer veggie sides! Towards the end of the meal, the owner came out to ask for some feedback. Apparently, they are looking into changing the menu by offering add-ons. Perhaps, they'll go the Grub route and just have a make-your-own-mac option?

Then comes the question, which one is better, Grub or Homeroom? That is difficult to answer, since I am in love with the fries, lobster, and truffle oil at Grub. However, Homeroom knows how to choose their cheese and season their mac. These two mac hubs have very different atmospheres as well. Grub has a more swanky, bourgie feel. Homeroom, as you can tell by its name, is a bit more fun. They have paper-airplane-making directions on their menus! Basically Grub is mac for grownups, while Homeroom is your childhood dream come true. If you are trying to decide which to try, I would suggest checking out the menus first.

Homeroom
400 40th St (b/w Shafter Ave & Webster St)
Oakland

For those who want to take BART, it is about a 15-minute walk from Macarthur, but I am not sure about the safety or shadiness of the area.

Gather Up Kids!

Pork Belly

Pizza

After months of getting cocktails at Gather, K.yo and I finally gave their food a try. Amazingly enough, this was also on Temescal Pilgrimage day. The past year has been pretty awesome for Gather's head chef, Sean Baker. He was named "Chef of the Year" by Esquire and was recently nominated for the James Beard's Rising Star Award. I was actually surprised that the Chronicle did not include him in their "Rising Star Chefs 2011" article, but I am going to assume that they considered him a rising chef last year. I was also surprised that Danny Bowien made the list, since Mission Chinese did not totally amaze Bauer. ANYWAYS, K.yo and I began with the Pork Belly starter, which was served with Tofu Skin, Soft Boiled Egg, Panelle, and Pardina Lentil Vinaigrette. Unique and delicious, it was one of the best starters I have ever head. The flavor of the various items complimented each other well. Baker definitely knows what he is doing. His pizza is equally amazing. He changes it up quite a bit, so the one we ordered is not on the current online menu. I cannot remember the entire description, but it contained a smoky cheese and potatoes. The smokiness gave the illusion of meat, which was perfect for K.yo and I. The crust is thin, crisp, and just right. Baker is incredibly innovative and definitely deserves the Beard award!

Gather
2200 Oxford Street (@ Allston)
Berkeley

Temescal Pilgrimage

Gibraltar + Donut

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Last week, I had a chance to head to the Temescal area because I had to go to the DMV. Well no trip is complete without food involved; especially in this area! First I headed to Pizzaiolo for breakfast. They have the most amazing homemade sugar donuts. They're all different shapes and sizes, which makes you feel like they're actually made by a human-being. Also, they serve Blue Bottle Coffee, which is always a plus.

After finishing up things at the DMV, it was already lunch time, so I (naturally) headed to Bakesale Betty. Advice if you go around 11:30am, there is absolutely no line! Noon and after is a different story though. The sandwich was delicious as always. The chicken was fried-amaziness, and the slaw was nice and tangy.

I'm glad I don't live over here because my health would seriously be in danger.

Pizzaiolo
5008 Telegraph Avenue (Near 51st)
Oakland

Bakesale Betty
5098 Telegraph Avenue (@ 51st)
Oakland

Dark Indeed...

"...veiled in mist and darkness..."
(Sorry too much Kafka today)

Reunited at last!

The Hitachino Espresso Stout is aptly named and tells no lies. As the label touts, a "Japanese Dark Ale Brewed with Coffee Beans," this little guy is a must try for Hitachino and Stout enthusiasts. It's quite chocolately in taste with hints of espresso and not very hoppy, but that's about all I can say, since I'm not a beer connoisseur. Took me a while to track it down, but I finally got mine at Berkeley Bowl. Whole Foods might also be a good place to look. Happy Drinking, Mates!

Off the Grid: Civic Center Edition

Korean Taco

Braised Pork Bao (Steamed)

Recently, a Chronicle reader emailed Michael Bauer with a list on "How to tell if a restaurant is pretentious." Although the list has some good points, there are few that really make the reader himself sound pretentious. Of course, one of his points involves food trucks:

3) If the restaurant has four wheels and does not serve hot dogs or tacos. Or if the restaurant is a “pop-up”, period.

Yes, it does get annoying having to chase down food trucks or stands, and sometimes I, too, am disappointed. But hating on all trucks is a tad drastic. Anyways, that was my small spiel. Off the Grid basically involves food truck pop-ups in various areas of San Francisco. On Fridays they're usually at Civic Center (until Fort Mason opens again). You can check their twitter for links to which trucks are actually there on a specific date (they change week-to-week sometimes). Last Friday, I was able to try Seoul on Wheels and give Chairman Bao another go. My actual objective was to hit Japacurry, but they were sold out! The taco at Seoul on Wheels was fantastic. The Bulgogi was very flavourful and went surprisingly well with the tortilla. This time I tried the Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage and Preserved Mustard Seeds at Chairman. This bao is a definitely more fusion-y. The creamy pulled pork-ness was interesting, but sent less Chinese vibes than the other baos.

http://offthegridsf.com/

Off the Grid: Civic Center
(Literally right in front of Civic Center)
11:30-2:30 on Fridays for now, but will probably move back to Thursdays

Chicken n' Waffles at Long Last!

I have heard many wonderful things about the combination of Fried Chicken and Waffles, but I did not have the opportunity to experience such wonders until a couple weeks ago. Flashback: Fan Fest at the Ballpark. Pandemonium. Not in a good Panda (Sandoval) or baby panda way either. After waiting in line for god knows how long, K.yo and I decided to treat ourselves to some Little Skillet. This place literally operates out of a hole on Ritch street, but is totally legit. You'll probably see people perched outside noming on the goods. The chicken was moist, flavourful, and delicious. Like KFC but BETTER. The waffle was just alright. I'm into crunchier ones, and this one was a little soggy. Syrup was a tad too sweet too. Next time, I might just get fried chicken. Thing to know: They only operate for lunch.

360 Ritch Street
San Francisco
(Tip: Google Maps it unless you're really familiar with the area. Ritch is a tiny street)