Ferraro’s at the Four Seasons was simply off the charts. We made a special trip to dine at one of our favorite places, and it turned out to be the best meal of the trip.

The setting is relaxed and unhurried, outdoors alongside the pools of the Four Seasons and facing a sunset view over the Pacific, with the island of Khoolawe across the strait. Somehow, Ferraro’s is sheltered from the strong afternoon winds that bear down on Wailea on summer afternoons.

The menu is Italian inspired and Maui-fresh ingredients infused. Vegetarian and vegan options are always available, and it’s the kind of place that could likely accommodate any request. Everything took a while to come, so I had a chance to snap a few photos just for fun.

Oil and Water, KAGoldberg

Fantastic ciabatta bread, KAGoldberg

Kathryn dove into the ciabatta bread, which had a perfect crunchy crust—though she wouldn’t know, since I’m the only one who eats them!

First came my tomato fennel soup. I’m sometimes wary of tomato soups being too acidic, or made with cream— this one was neither. A vegan soup smoothed and mellowed by fennel puree. I’ve never had a tomato soup I liked more.

Tomato Fennel Soup

My main course was this quinoa spaghetti with pesto. The spaghetti was al dente with a flavor that shone through the light pesto. The tiny Kula tomatos were flavor bombs at the peak of ripeness.

Quinoa Spaghetti with Pesto—Amazing, KAGoldberg

Kathryn had this asparagus risotto with black truffles. When she ate her fill, I finished the rest. One word, Wow!

Asparagus Risotto with Black Truffles

With great restraint, we skipped dessert, but they had other plans. Since it was a wedding anniversary dinner for us, they brought us a special plate with a variety of small chocolate truffles. With the sun setting over the sea, it was the perfect way to end a perfect meal.

View from Ferraro's

Cozmic Café & Pub
594 Main Street
Placerville, CA 95667

OurCoz.com
(530) 642-8481

Looking for a place to stop for lunch between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, Happy Cow helped us find the Cozmic Café & Pub in Placerville. What a great place!

We drove into town on a bright and shiny Saturday morning, and found a really happening downtown with a lively a.m. farmers market right across the street from The Cozmic. Nestled in a 1859 historic building with a gold-mine in the back (?!), The Cozmic cafe is a fun place for a veggie lunch with people-watching.

Placerville’s Cozmic Café & Pub, KAGoldberg

I ordered the Tofu Scramble, which was light and fluffy with mushrooms, and onions on a bed of spinach leaves, with a side of wheat toast and a Mixed Berry Smoothie.

Tofu Scramble, KAGoldberg

K got the The Righteous Rice Bowl, with organic rice, organic balsamic beans, carrots, cabbage and cheese, under salsa and more with a few avocado wedges on top.

Righteous Rice Bowl, KAGoldberg

We loved our meal so much we stopped there again and had the same thing on the way home from Tahoe.

City of 10,000 Buddhas
2001 Talmage Road
Ukiah, CA 95482
Jyun Kang
(707) 462-0939

A vegan restaurant in Ukiah? Don’t act so surprised. Ukiah (actually Talmage, just east of town) is home to The City of Ten-Thousand Buddhas, which, according to Wikipedia, “is one of the first Chinese Zen Buddhist temples in the United States, and one of the largest Buddhist communities in the Western Hemisphere.”

So we made a special trip on our way home from Mendocino this Winter. (Note that they’re closed on Tuesdays, so we missed them on the trip up and ate there on the way back.)

At the end of Talmage Road, we entered the campus through a two-story, ornate yellow gate. We stopped at the administration building on the right to check-in and sign the guestbook.

The restaurant is just a two blocks further, past some amazing murals and statues.

We arrived about 12:40, just before a big rush, and every table was soon full. They have about 50 different things on the menu, there’s quite a selection—all vegan.

Menu at Jyun Kang (click to enlarge)

The tea came right away. I’m not an expert, but it tasted like a barley tea, similar to the Korean teas we’ve had. We decided to sample a few things and order more than we could eat in one sitting. We ended up with. . .

Steamed Dumplings (a.k.a. momos), KAGoldberg

Golden Tofu Seaweed Rolls w/ Plum Sauce, KAGoldberg

and

Fried Japanese Style Noodles & Mixed Vegetables, KAGoldberg

Actually the noodles took a long time to come. I think they forgot about us, until K prompted them for our order. They were very apologetic!

The Golden Tofu Seaweed Rollshad a great texture and a really strong seaweed taste. Unscientifically, it was twice as strong as an equivalent sushi roll. I liked it, but K found it a bit too fried for her taste. The carrots and crunchy sprouts were excellent in the plum sauce.

The Japanese Style Noodles were peppery and excellent. Again, I enjoyed this dish more than K did. All of the flavors were different than we’re used to, and for me that made it more special. We have sort of a "split decision" on the food, but there were so many things on the menu that looked interesting, I would certainly try it again the next time I’m in Ukiah around lunchtime.

729 4th Ave
(Gaslamp District, between F St & G St)
San Diego, CA 92101
MonsoonRestaurant.com
(619) 234-5555

Another one of Shraddha’s great recommendations for us was Monsoon Fine Cuisine of India. I actually got our meal to go and we ate at the hotel. Here’s the photo I took while waiting at the elegant bar.

Fully stockedKAGoldberg

Perhaps predictably, we ordered the Chana Masala, Sag Aloo, and a Garlic Naan. The entrees come with basmati rice. All of it was fantastic. What I couldn’t finish, I ate for breakfast the next day!

You can download a PDF of the Monsoon menu.

At the time of this posting, I can see that there’s something of a Yelp! war going on between Monsoon, and the other Indian restaurants in the neighborhood. I can say that in Summer 2010, Monsoon was the most highly recommended, but we didn’t try the others.

Once more, thank you Shraddha for the great recommendations.

509 5th Ave
(Gaslamp District)
San Diego, CA 92101
ChocolatSanDiego.com
(619) 238-9400

Shraddha, the elegant and all-knowing concierge at the Westgate Hotel recommended a few places for us to try in the Gaslamp District, and they were all great. Chocolat was so good I went there three times in four days, twice for lunch and once for dinner.

From the name and the decor, you might mistakenly think that this is just a fancy ice cream shop. Yes, the gelato looks amazing, and that seems to be what most people get, but I came for the food. Chocolat makes a great, light, Italian-style flatbread pizza which they were happy to make vegan at my request. It was several months ago that I was there, but I remember well the perfectly tangy thin layer of tomato sauce and the roasted vegetables on top—like it was just this morning. We sat in one of the tables outside, to people-watch in the late afternoon. The pizza was served on a cutting block. The photo is of K’s pizza (zucchini, asparagus, portobello, tomato sauce, & mozzerella.

The next day, I came in at lunch and got a Grilled Panini. And the day after that, I brought some work colleagues there for lunch, but they were out of the pizza, so I had another kind of sandwich. It was small but totally delicious.

I’m not so much into the dessert end of the dining spectrum, but they have lots of special crepes, Pasta and all kinds of sweets.

Thank you, Chocolat, and thank you again, Shraddha.

327 Fourth Avenue
(Gaslamp District)
San Diego, CA 92101
RamaRestaurant.com
(619) 501-THAI (8424)

Shraddha, the elegant and all-knowing concierge at the Westgate Hotel recommended a few places for us to try in the Gaslamp District, and they were all great. Raja was a huge standout—a very special Thai restaurant with a modern, rich, and exotic interior, techno-music, and amazing food.

We came relatively early for dinner and were led to a generous booth, deep in the expansive back room, with a waterfall, hanging curtains, and dim, romantic lighting.

The service was professional and it was no problem ordering a complete vegetarian meal. We ate there several months ago, but I can still remember that we got Spring Rolls and the Eggplant entree. The flavors were subtle and sublime. Everything was done perfectly.

I will absolutely go back.

14301 Arnold Drive
(South of the main part of town)
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
YetiRestaurant.com
(707) 996-9930‎

I had a relaxed, fantastic weekend lunch at Yeti Restaurant, a Nepalese and Indian place in Glen Ellen. We sat outside on their nice patio, just above Sonoma Creek, and the late-September weather was gorgeous. Inside the place is decorated to the hilt in Nepalese style.

The samosa were excellent and very large, but my entree was off the charts. From Indian cuisine, I’m a huge chana masala fan, and pretty much anything with garbanzo beans works for me. Yeti has chana pindi, which I had never tried before. Rather than tomato and onion, chana pindi is spiced with mango powder, and has a very light purple-red gravy. The beans were perfectly cooked, and I almost ate the entire serving.

The restaurant is in an out-of-the-way spot on Arnold Drive (I think it’s called the "Jack London Village?"), but it’s really just a minute south of Glen Ellen’s main intersection. There are lots of vegetarian selections, so I’m sure I’m going to be making a special trip back to Yeti soon. It was that good.

1820 Fourth Street
(Near Hearst, half a block south of Peet’s)
Berkeley, CA 94710
www.ZutOnFourth.com
(510) 644-0444

Zut Alors!

We’ve got a great new place to eat on 4th Street in Berkeley: Zut! When I saw the menu online—with plenty of veg options—I went online right away and booked us a Friday night res. through OpenTable.com. I’m really glad I did because the place was great—and it was packed.

Zut! is just south of Pete’s and around the corner from Sur La Table. It just opend at the end of August 2010.

They have created a terrific modern space with several different zones and a great atmosphere. Walk in and to the right there’s a very cool bar, with an interesting yellowish backlighting that shows people in silhouette. To the left there’s a lively cafe-scene mural covering a three walled room. Up the middle there’s a quieter section with a curved white ceiling and copper-colored mirrors at seated-eye-level that expand the small room. But enough about the ambiance, we came for the food.

Zut!’s webpage says “regional Mediterranean dishes prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.” In my mind, that could mean almost anything in this town, but I wasn’t prepared for how creative and different our selections would be.

We started with two great appetizers. Huge, braised white beans were served with tiny roasted peppers, cooked-down spinach and a tangy goat cheese, with olive oil at the bottom of the plate. K called it a highlight. We also tried the Fry Bread, but don’t let the name fool you. It has nothing to do with the Native American specialty. The chef-selection bread of the night turned out to be thin pita slices, arranged under thin fennel strips, delicate greens, and tiny orange Early Girl tomato halves. The bread was crispy and bore a taste reminiscent of savory won tons.

The food went really well with a glass of biodynamic Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendocino, whose name I wish I could recall.

For our main courses we ordered a fresh mozzarella pizza with a light crust and a bright, tasty tomato sauce, and a Summer Vegetable Tangine which blew my socks off. I have to say, sometimes a dish with couscous and squash at a fancy restaurant can be an utterly bland culinary afterthought. (Note to restauranteurs trying to throw a vegan bone to your veg. guests: Thank you, but even if you throw in a few olives, it’s still bland.) This, however, was a dish of a different breed.

The slow-cooked tangine arrived at the table piping hot, in a wide, yellow ceramic bowl capped with a tall conical lid that the waiter removed at the table. The aroma told me I was in for a real treat. All of the couscous formed a moist starch underlayer for the vegetables—and fruits!—on top. There were squash, thin, light-green peppers, eggplant, and cooked-down tomatoes. But there were also several tasty apricots that came to life in this wonderful dish. I counted a few luscious figs, and several green olives. I’ve never had anything quite like it. Huge compliments to the chef for creating a bold and different vegetarian entree that really impressed me.

At a place so good, we had to try the dessert. We chose a chocolate torte: a rich, gooey chocolate cylinder with a dusting of powdered sugar, and a moat of concentrated, reduced ripe berries all around. Wow.

I’ll have to wait until my next trip to try the all-veg “sides”: french fries with aioli, roasted summer vegetables, and braised summer greens.

Let me highly recommend this welcome newcomer and give them huge props for offering up great vegetarian fare.

1901 University Avenue
(At the corner of University and Martin Luther King)
Berkeley, CA 94704
www.udupipalaceca.com
(510) 843-6600

Udupi Palace is a great South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant at the busy intersection of University and Martin Luther King, in Berkeley, across from the Trader Joe’s construction site, and also the Chaat Cafe. Billing itself as "A place for dosas…" how could I resist?

You walk in and immediately notice that it smells wonderful. We went on a Friday night, a little on the early side, and there was a pretty good crowd—some couples and a large family.

I was very pleased that I chose to get the Samosa: a pair of yummy tetrahedrons; light and flaky (i.e. fried) on the outside, with curried potato and peas on the inside. It’s a rare fried delicacy for me.

A pair of crispy Samosas

The real hard decision was the dosa menu. Dosas are rice and lentil flour crêpes stuffed with something delicious and soft, and rolled into a tube shape that overflows the plate. There were a dozen or so different kinds of dosas, and nearly as many uthappam which are rice and lentil pancakes. Combinations included potato, onions, peas, vegetables, even cheese, and different seasonings. All come thali style with a small bowls of spicy sambar (a lentil soup) and a coconut chutney that I really enjoyed.

But what’s really remarkable—and I’ve been saving this comment for the end because I wasn’t sure you’d believe me—is that the masala dosa that I ordered was as long as my arm, if not longer!

Masala Dosa longer than my arm

Seriously, this thin, light, lentil-flour crêpe was as delicious as it was wide. I tore through it pretty quickly and was rather proud of myself to boot. Kathryn was amazed to see it go. She got a spinach masala dosa which was a nice twist on the theme. The crêpe was green and maybe even more delicious than mine, with a slightly bitter spinach kick.

Near the edges, where there’s no stuffing, the dosa dough is dry but fluffy, yet it’s sort of hard to cut with the dull knife I had. I don’t have any idea whether or not it was radically uncouth, but I picked it up and ate the last tasty bits with my hands, burrito style.

Now here’s the crazy part. For a samosa appetizer and two huge dosas, the bill came to about $16.75 with tax, before tip. Check it out!

2/27/2010 Update—I went back to Udupi Palace with a big group of work colleagues, and I got to see a lot more of the dishes. Just about everyone got a dosa. The Spring Dosa looked fantastic. The Paper Dosa, be forewarned, is gigantic but is not stuffed. There’s nothing inside. The dosa wrapper is dipped into the sambar and coconut side dishes. I think that I would find it unsatisfying.

1823 Solano Avenue
(At Colusa, next to Peet’s Coffee)
Berkeley, CA 94707
Natures-Express.com
(510) 527-5331

Nature’s Express is a great new vegan restaurant that recently moved in next to Peet’s Coffee at the top of Solano Ave, in Berkeley.

With its modern, clean—almost sterile—interior, with splashes of vivid color, and a wide cashier’s counter in front of uniformed chefs at work, Nature’s Express is setup like a fast food restaurant. But that’s where the similarity ends. Well, that and the Air Baked Fries.

There’s a wide selection of appetizers, salads, wraps, breakfast burritos (served all day), soup, burgers, even dessert— amazingly, all vegan.

I couldn’t resist the Air-Baked Sweet Potato Fries, which are soft and delicious, almost chewy.

The first entree I tried was The Patrick-Goudreau, essentially a tofu scramble with veggies in a green tortilla wrap. It was really good, healthy tasting, not too large, and I’d certainly order it again. For $5.25, it’s a great deal! The burrito is named after local vegan chef, teacher, blogger, and cookbook author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau [CompassionateCooks.com] Several of her cookbooks line the shelfs along the side of the store, giving you something to flip through while you wait for your food.

I asked, and found out that Ms. Patrick-Goudreau isn’t associated with the place. The burrito name is an homage, like The Alicia (Silverstone), The Moby, The Stella (McCartney, I guess), and The (Albert) Einstein. Ms. Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet is also available for sale.

Tonight I tried The Moby, a spicy, and fresh tasting burrito with potato, cilantro, black beans, guacamole, green chili, and salsa.

Nature’s Express is cheap, healthy, and fresh, and I’m happy to have it in my neighborhood. I hope they do really well!

Nature's Express on Solano Avenue

2/27/2010 Update—I went back this week and they had changed their menu. Despite my best attempts to edify the public with this blog, no one got the references in the breakfast burrito names. Now the Stella is the Stellar. The Moby has had a makeover, and now comes with Sriracha sauce, but it’s still delicious. The Patrick-Goudreau now has a new name, The Kick Start.

6706 Hwy 128
(Near the intersection of Alexander Valley Rd and HWY 128,
about 3.7 miles East of Lytton, and 6.5 miles NE of Healdsburg)
Healdsburg, CA 95448
www.JimTown.com
(707) 433-1212

Good Coffee & Real Food by KAGoldberg

JimTown Store by KAGoldberg

The JimTown Store is a culinary oasis with antiques, Americana, sweets, toys, and hospitality on gorgeous HWY 128, about 20 minutes north of Calistoga, or 10 minutes from Healdsburg. For me, visiting JimTown is worth an entire trip into Wine Country. As the main road skirts its way along the edges of vineyards, look for the big American Flag and a restored, ancient car or truck, parked out front. That’s the place!

Vegetarian Chili. Mmmm, Jimtown! by KAGoldberg

JimTown makes superlative vegetarian chili, served with warm tortilla chips. There’s a range of sandwich options with a few nice vegetarian choices—think Romesco sauce, eggplant, and fancy cheese on warm focaccia or a crispy baguette. If it’s available, I’m always going to get the root vegetable and white bean salad.

GET in HERE and EAT by KAGoldberg

Welcome to JimTown by KAGoldberg

There’s a few seats up front at small tables and at the counter, but don’t miss the outside area in back, when it’s warm.

The small store’s shelves are filled with edible treats, books, cookery, and wooden, handmade, or fun little toys. In back there are antiques and more.

I try to time my trips to Wine Country to end up at JimTown for lunch. It’s a good stop for me on the way to Dry Creek, or Mendocino. The winding country drive from Calistoga, over the hilly county line into the Alexander Valley is a real treat—with the most wonderful hanging moss, and little farms tucked away into the hills. Too bad it’s not easy to find safe places to stop the car for photos along the way!

The Berkeley Produce Center is a friendly and quick little market, right in the heart of the Gourmet Ghetto. Despite it’s relatively small space, they have just about everything I need, and their prices beat the big supermarket on the same block (you know who you are) every day of the week. The place is so convenient and reliable, that for those who live nearby, it’s really the anchor of the neighborhood.

They have great fresh veggies, with a respectable selection of organic fresh and bulk foods. Try the fresh-squeezed orange juice they make up in the back. And don’t miss the groovy mural on the North wall. I only wish that they wouldn’t run out of my favorite yoghurt so often.

The Berkeley Produce Center It’s a great place to pick up both the key ingredients and the inspiration for a great meal on your way home.

1723 Buchanan Street
(In Japan Town’s pedestrian-only block, between Post St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
Doobu (Yelp)
(415) 292-6002

Doobu is a friendly Korean restaurant in the heart of Japan Town, not far from the Kabuki Theater. Signs near the door advocate tofu for good health, and tofu seems to be their specialty. The restaurant is long and narrow with geometric modern art on the walls, and a long row of roomy booths, like a cool Asian diner.

Kathryn and I found Doobu by accident, wandering around Japan Town, and I’ve been there twice. Both times there were other people in the restaurant, but it wasn’t crowded at all.

My eyes zeroed-in on the mixed vegetable Dolsot Bibimbap, which is my favorite Korean entree. Vegetables, mushroom, soy bean sprouts, and tofu, sizzling in a hot (!) stone pot. Stir in the (not very) hot sauce quickly, before the rice burns to the bowl. The rice they use at Doobu is a little different: tasty with a brownish hue. I loved it, but Kathryn preferred the white rice they use at other Korean restaurants.

On our last visit, we arrived a little bit before our friends, and ordered the Fried Tofu Salad as an appetizer to share with them. Somehow, the half of the salad we intended to save for them didn’t make it. It was too delicious. The tofu seemed somehow battered and fried, but wasn’t heavy or oily. It was more like the skin of the tofu slabs was cooked or boiled, leaving a chewy white tofu center inside the golden shell.

Doobu serves the kind of Korean barley tea that I really love. While they don’t serve as many vegetarian, side-dish appetizers as Shik Do Rock in Albany, there is something you have to watch out for. Unless you specifically tell them otherwise, they bring everyone at the table a whole fried fish. There are many reasons I’m a vegetarian, and that’s one of them. (No thanks!)

I’m looking forward to my next visit to Doobu!

1539 Solano Avenue
(between Neilson St & Peralta Ave)
Albany, CA 94707
RivoliRestaurant.com
(510) 526-2542

Liberty Duck Confit Cassoulet and Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder—these are the entrees that jump out from the Rivoli menu when you sit down to scour the list for a vegetarian option. Look for a vegan option and you will only read more about various fish and flat iron steak. If you are vegetarian-not-vegan, there might be a ravioli with dense cheese in butter sauce, or a wedding-type vegetarian food: something green or yellow packed into filo. Of course, you can always ask the waiter what can be done “off menu,” and he will say he’ll “ask the chef,” as if your request is that outre.

The last time I went to Rivoli was with a birthday party. It turned out their reservation system was mostly an illusion. About ten of us stood crammed into a small bar area up front, where the smirking hostess assured us it would be “just a minute more,” for the full forty minutes that we waited.

They do have an excellent wine menu, and I availed myself of that, in addition to bread. I know a lot of people love Rivoli, but as a vegetarian, the food was disappointing, and the service was lacking. The ravioli was of that giant, buttery variety, which tasted good in my mouth and instantly left me queasy. Ken got an “off menu” vegan entree that seemed to be white beans piled on spinach, splattered with pine nuts. I tasted it—not bad—but utterly unimpressive.

We’ve been to a number of high-end fancy restaurants in places like Maui that make fantastic off-menu vegetarian offerings. I’m sorry to say Rivoli isn’t in that category. They seem more determined to turn the animal you once loved as a first grade classroom pet into something crispy on your plate. If that’s your thing, and somehow you are reading this blog, then Rivoli is the place for you.

Everyone at our table was animated by the arrival of the signature mushroom fritters. I found them bland and oily, like something you’d regret ordering at a children’s theme park.

5500 College Ave
(In Rockridge, between Forest St & Lawton Ave)
Oakland, CA 94618
PastaPomodoro.com
(510) 923-0900

Pasta Pomodoro is a convenient, reliable, chain of nice Italian restaurants with an excellent space and location on College Avenue in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood. There’s indoor seating at regular tables, high tables, and at the curved counter, where you can watch the chefs at work. Outdoor seating on the sunny patio has umbrellas for daytime, and heat lamps for Oakland’s chilly dinner hour. It’s a busy street, so you can sit there and enjoy watching the world go by.

The menu changes around a bit, and I like a lot of dishes here. There’s a good vegetarian selection of soups, salads, and, of course, pasta. There’s always a vegan minestrone soup, and the various pasta dishes are made to order, so you can customize. I always love a side of Italian white beans, which they sometimes offer.

It’s almost impossible to resist the tasty, warm foccacia with olive oil and vinegar, that they bring to the table; practically the only way to stop eating it is to run out. (Run out of bread, that is, not run out of the restaurant, which we don’t advise.) Pomodoro is one of the few places to offer (organic) Farro, which is a specialty grain from Italy.

Even though I’m very partial to small businesses, and generally avoid most chains, Pasta Pomodoro does what they do well, and sometimes a nice Capellini Pomodoro (angel’s hair pasta with fresh tomatos) absolutely hits the spot.

1543 Shattuck Avenue
(Between Cedar and Vine)
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 848-9664

Cha Am is by far my favorite Thai Restaurant. They’ve been on Shattuck since 1985, and they’re absolutely still going strong. They hit the mark with dish after dish, it seems you can’t go wrong. Their lunch specials are great, and I often go there with a group of people from work. Dinners are even better, especially when you can order with friends and try several different entrées.

There’s a wide selection of vegetarian items, with delicate spices and flavors that set the bar for me with other Thai restaurants. These days, I love the red and green curry dishes, Gaeng-Tofu and Gaeng-Pak, the most. For a long time, I was a Pad-Pak-J adherent, with every great vegetable and fried tofu. The Cha-Am Fresh Rolls are similar to other Thai restaurants I’ve tried, but the Vegetarian Po-Piah, their deep-fried cousins, sing with wonderful base notes, and a nice light crunch. It doesn’t say it on the menu, but you can order a vegetarian version of the Cha-Am Noodle which makes a superb alternative or complement to a rice dish.

My only gripe is that they recently stopped serving the lovely Thai tea that they had for years. I hope it’s just a temporary thing.

Let’s hope Cha Am will still be as great 25 years from now.

1603 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
CafeFanny.com
(510) 524-5447

If you are curious what kind of breakfast you might have the day after a meal at Chez Panisse, you can go to Alice Waters’ Café Fanny.

Every time I eat there, I’m surprised by both the simplicity of their food, and how delicious it tastes. I generally order Two Poached Farm Eggs On Levain toast, and because the ingredients are fresh and organic, it is incredibly satisfying. If you don’t believe this matters, try it yourself! I entered a skeptic and left a believer. In addition to eggs and toast, the menu offers things like Café Fanny Organic Granola (also available in local grocery stores), which I haven’t tried, though it looks tasty. There are Buckwheat Crepes in the morning, Sandwiches and Salads for lunch, and desserts and pastries all the time. There’s even a small coffee counter inside.

The downsides to this place are the limited indoor seating and the pricing—it;s not cheap. Further, for the purposes of this blog, I’d rate their vegetarian options as limited, and vegan offerings downright scant—Waters’ conception of the good life definitely includes fine cheese and prosciutto. However, if you are looking for organic and delicious, and you’re feeling a bit indulgent, this is the place for you. It also has a real Berkeley feel, and just writing about it makes me hungry.

Building A
Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123
GreensRestaurant.com/a>
(415) 771-6222

Now celebrating their 30th year, Greens is a veritable vegetarian institution. Their focus on fantastic ingredients makes every dish special, and every time I go there, I can’t remember why I’ve waited so long to return. Spacious and light-filled, with a view of the sailboats slipping across San Francisco’s waterfront, Greens is a destination restaurant for vegetarians, epicureans, and vegetarian epicureans alike.

Greens is one of those rare places where a vegetarian can stare at the menu for a long while and be absolutely stymied about what to choose—so many things appeal. Although everything in the restaurant is vegetarian, many or most dishes have dairy, whether butter, cheese, or cream. Still, it’s not difficult to find a few great vegan choices, and the wait staff are uniformly excellent.

Fresh Rolls by KAGoldberg

I started with the Fresh Spring Roll with carrots, green papaya, jicama, Thai basil, rice noodles, mint and hoisin. It came with some incredible grilled oyster and abalone mushrooms. It was really nice to see Hodo Soy tofu mentioned by name (!) on the menu, since the owner, Minh, is a longtime friend from the Berkeley and San Francisco Farmers’ Markets. It was easily, the most delicious hoisin sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Black bean chili by KAGoldberg

Kathryn got the black bean chili, and ordered up a pot of chamomile tea.

As a main course, I chose Green’s signature dish, the Mesquite Grilled Brochettes, which are two, flavorful skewers of veggies, mushroom, and tofu, served on a bed of brown and white quinoa. The quinoa was toped by perfectly roasted almonds, and infused with currants, for a little bit of sweet/sour joy. The best item on the skewer was a wedge of butternut squash. I wish there had been more.

Flourless Chocolate Torte by KAGoldberg

Sorbet trio by KAGoldberg

For some reason, I only order dessert in great restaurants. Kathryn and I split a warm, flourless chocolate torte with two small scoops of peppermint ice cream. A winning mint-chocolate combo. My father got the Huckleberry, Pear and Apple Sorbets with meyer lemon sugar cookies. Wow.

Lunch with Ken’s Parents

7525 Fairmount Ave
(Where Colusa meets Fairmount)
El Cerrito, CA 94530
Fat Apple’s on Yelp
(510) 528-3433

Fat Apple’s pumpkin pancakes are drool-worthy. They hit the spot when that craving for a sugary, nap-inducing breakfast takes hold. Surprising, they also have an excellent vegan/vegetarian option beyond the obligatory Tofu Scramble: a beans, rice, and corn-tortilla dish, with or without a poached egg on the side. This absolutely hits the spot, if you want to leave feeling great.

There are actually two Fat Apple’s: one on Martin Luther King in Berkeley, and this one in El Cerrito. The MLK outlet can get crowded, so I’d recommend the one in El Cerrito, which is less packed and also has a high-ceilinged, exposed-beam architectural charm, with an inverted-boat-hull-like vaulted wooden ceiling. They also have yummy fresh-squeezed juices.

(From Ken) There’s one brunch that I really like at Fat Apple’s, it’s the Vegan Heart Healthy (see photo). It’s essentially a plate of black beans, brown rice, corn, and tomatoes, with a dash of parley, and a choice of whole wheat toast or 3 corn tortillas. Everything tastes light and fresh. I was so hungry I probably could have eaten two plates. I used the tortillas to make little flutes.

Brunch at FatApples, El Cerrito by KAGoldberg

1346 Martin Luther King Junior Way
(between Berryman St & Rose St)
Berkeley, CA 94709
Fat Apple’s on Yelp
(510) 526-2260

Although there are two Fat Apple’s Restaurants (Berkeley on MLK, and El Cerrito, just East of the El Cerrito Mall), architecturally, they could not be more different. The cozy Berkeley restaurant is painted to look like Jack London’s library, with (painted) books on the walls, and miscellaneous Jack London memorabilia.

People say they have excellent take-out, and baked goods, but I only go there for a hearty Breakfast/Brunch.

See Kathryn’s review of Fat Apple’s in El Cerrito

2114 Vine Street
(Between Shattuck and Walnut)
Berkeley, CA 94709
TheJuiceBar.org
(510) 548-8473

Located in the heart of the Gourmet Ghetto, The Juice Bar Collective is hardly large enough to fit a car inside—unless you had an electric Smart Car. There’s a sales counter, and exactly one table inside, with extra seating on the sidewalk.

From this modest spot comes a mighty selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, baked goods—and JUICE! Almost all of the food is organic, and predominantly vegetarian.

My favorite dish is the black bean polenta casserole, which is offered either with cheese, or in a vegan version, with red salsa. For $5.25 I can’t think of a heartier lunch. They also have fantastic vegan cookies, including a vegan molasses cookie that will knock your (rainbow) socks off.

As indicated in the name, The Juice Bar is a collective, so there’s a good vibe amongst the people working there. They also have a selection of pizzas, lasagnas, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, including a hummus/veggie wrap which is the perfect item to scoop up for a picnic.

When the seating is all taken, I often sit on benches right across the street—it’s sunnier over there anyway. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone, vegetarian or otherwise.

1730 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709
CafeGratitude.com
(415) 824-4652

When I first heard about this place opening in San Francisco in about 2003, I laughed at the concept: a healthfood restaurant that compels you to utter affirmations? No thanks.

Now, by 2010, I eat at the Berkeley Café Gratitude on a regular basis, and I love it. Café Gratitude exclusively serves food that is raw, vegan, and organic. The entrees are in fact listed as positive declarations: for example, I AM ELATED is a vegan quesadilla (the cheese is made from ground nuts) and I AM GIVING is an Asian kale salad.

My favorite dishes are the grain bowls, in particular I AM WHOLE and I AM ACCEPTING. The first involves sea veggies, carrots, roast almonds and kale over a choice of red Bhutanese rice or quinoa. The second also comes with an offering red rice or quinoa, topped with avocado, seaweed, and nuts. I get either of these with both grains, half-and-half. They are both delicious and nourishing.

Café Gratitude’s atmosphere is crunchy in the extreme: the waitpeople are kind and often dreadlocked, and the low grind of the juicer at work forms the background noise. Its red-brick walls make it cozy and warm. There are sofas, a bar in front, and outdoor seating on the sidewalk.

The food here is not cheap, so rather than raise prices infinitely, they started offering half portions, which is what I go for (it’s plenty of food).

I recommend this place to anyone—it’s great for vegetarians, not to mention a quintessential Bay Area experience.

Warning to people with nut allergies: for you, every entree may be I AM IN ANAPHALACTIC SHOCK. So be careful, lots of dishes involve nuts.

1511 Shattuck Ave
(between Cedar St & Vine St)
Berkeley, CA 94709
Soop in Epicurious Garden
(510) 548-7667

Soop is a great, unique, little takeout stall in the upscale Epicurious Garden. Obviously, they make soup, with a few vegetarian selections every day. I think they also make some sauces. You can buy either pint or quart sizes.

With a hearty piece of whole wheat sourdough, or fresh cornbread thrown in, Soop’s soups make for great, simple meals. I like the Thai Red Lentil with Coconut, but I keep coming back to the Green Soup, which is a puree of green split peas, zucchini, spinach, basil, parsley and celery.

It’s not like I’m a purist about food choices, or even someone who thinks it’s necessary to follow all the unwritten rules, but I have to admit to being a little shocked to see people mix, match, and combine different soups. I admit that when I was a kid I probably mixed Coke and 7-up from the soda fountain more than a few times, but truly that was more scientific experimentation than a well thought out culinary construct. You only have to mix coke with Fanta Orange once to realize just how wrong you can be. Still, I’m told, and I’ve witnessed, people adding the green soup to other soups, and swearing by it. Really! Well, okay, if you want to knock your socks off, get the Green Soup, and then walk across the street to the Cheeseboard bakery when the Zampano have just come out of the oven. With red-pepper flakes, a little bit of melted Parmesan cheese on top, cornmeal sprinkled all over, and just enough olive oil to make your fingers shiny when you pull it apart, Zampanos are the perfect bread to dip into Soop.

1832 Euclid Avenue
(At the back end of the La Val’s / La Burrita alley,
between Hearst Ave & Ridge Rd)
Berkeley, CA 94709
La Burrita
(510) 845-9090

I’ve been a fan of La Burrita ever since I moved to Northside, in my grad school days, and I frequently recognize a few of the same guys who have been working there for years. La Burrita is tucked into the back of a little pedestrian food-alley on the west-side of Euclid Avenue, half a block up from Hearst, on a short commercial strip with nice cafes and a few other restaurants that mainly serve the campus community. Celia’s Mexican Restaurant and Brewed Awakening Cafe is just across the street.

There’s a big-screen TV hanging from the ceiling and tuned to sports, to keep you occupied while you wait for take-out, or stick around and watch the game. I could say that there’s nothing too special about the food, but year after year, I’ve made it a regular standby, especially when I’m on my own for dinner. I crave it because it’s consistently good, and you can tell that they understand the meaning of healthy ingredients. The portions are generous—I’m usually satisfied with a regular sized burrito.

La Burrita is very veg-friendly. They have six different vegetarian burritos which are just under $4 or $5, depending on the size you get. Not bad! Two of the default options are vegan.

La Burrita is actually where I discovered how much I love green, tomatillo salsa. It goes well with their thin, hot, almost irresistible tortilla chips. I struggle to take less than I usually do.

Once in a while, I’ll skip the burrito and order the Veggie Tamale Plate instead. The tamales can be hit or miss, but the rice and veggies that come with it are excellent. There’s also a different kind of sauce that they serve with the tamales that I like. I don’t know the name of it. The Tamale Plate is $4.29 and it’s large enough that I often can’t finish it.

There are a few large, picnic-type tables outside, where students gather around lunch and dinner time. Inside there’s more seating than it first appears, owing to the narrow row of two person booths along the north side.

La Burrita is enough of a mainstay for me that I miss it if I don’t go once every few weeks. I’ve got my stamped frequent-burrito discount card in my wallet, ready for the next time.

1504 Shattuck Avenue
(Between Vine and Cedar)
Berkeley, CA 94709
CheeseboardCollective.coop
510-549-3183

I have to admit that it’s not easy to write about something you love so much, and hold in such high reverence as I do The Cheeseboard, a bakery and cheese co-operative in North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto. But here goes.

If you want to get to know one of the best parts of Berkeley, visit The Cheeseboard on a summer Saturday morning, grab anything that looks good, and sit yourself down on the covered outdoor benches facing the street. The whole city eventually walks by. Morning dog walkers tie their antsy pets to the parking meters. Fleece-clad couples stop by, pushing strollers bearing well-fed, wide-eyed babies. Tweed-wearing UC professors, and gray-haired activists mix with young couples still in last-nights clothes. Therapists in neutral colors and smart wool shoulder wraps amble with the ladies of Vine Street. Teenaged skateboarders text by, narrowly missing the exercise set, who clutch the silver and black coffee travel mugs they carry around. All while few familiar panhandlers languidly angle for spare change.

I love the bread, the luscious smell of Fresh Baked Bread. I love the piquant, wafting aromas of sharp cheeses, baked into the cheese rolls, and detectable from a block away. I love the thin outer crust of the zampano roll, perforated with slits or holes on top, with red pepper flakes and a slightly melted cap of shredded real Parmesan (Asiago?) cheese. I love the simple olive foccacia baked into a hand-sized four-part disk, with a cornmeal undercarriage. I love Wednesday’s beer batter rye, which holds its hearty taste and freshness for days. I love the sourdough English Muffins, which make this native San Franciscan’s heart sing— completely plain with absolutely no adornment. They make Thomas’ English Muffins seem like a bad cardboard impostor, forever after. I love the morning scones with bits of fruit (like currant). I love the blueberry millet muffins, with lightly-crunchy toasted balls of millet, I had only ever seen before in birdseed.

I love the baguette pieces which condense all of the sourdough goodness of a baguette into a three or four-sided pillow of crust and seeds. I love the City Batard when I need a perfect, wide loaf of Sourdough. And who wouldn’t love the fluffy Chocolate Things, which are a decadent excuse for more chocolate for whomever needs such an excuse.

I cannot not mention the greatest Bialy this side of old Białystok—a chewy sourdough disk, like a hole-less bagel, but baked, not boiled. Translucent onions flecked with poppy seeds melt their way into the Bialy’s center depression. Oh my.

I love the Mr. Espresso coffee (my very favorite local, boutique, organic, fair trade coffee roaster), served daily until 10 am. And I fully appreciate the worker-owned Berkeley co-op vibe, where everyone you see making bread and selling the cheese has a stake in the success of the business and earns the same wage. Their pride shows in every roll, and Berkeley loves them for it.

Everything there is oven fresh, with the bread traveling just a few feet from the prep table to the oven to the self-serve racks. The Cheeseboard rotates their menu throughout the week, so if you go there enough, you start to learn the days when your favorite specialties appear. (Otherwise, here’s a Cheat Sheet.) This isn’t a place for dull, wide baguettes, bland white-bread, or flaky butter croissants. This is where real bread is born and comes of age.

Oh and did I mention that they sell cheese? There’s a long, wrap-around cheese counter, staffed by highly knowledgeable and friendly folks who take the time to make suggestions, explain the cheeses, and dole out samples, cut right there for you to taste. The chalkboard on the wall lists maybe a hundred different cheeses, if I ever bothered to count. There’s no obvious line, so draw a playing card from the rack in the center, and that’s your “number.”

If you’re wondering whether the artisinal cheese and gourmet bread ever tied the culinary knot, look no further than the huge lines snaking outside of The Cheeseboard Pizza next door.

So, if you want to please me, just sit with me there for a while. I’ll savor my bread, pretend to read the newspaper I brought, and try my best not make a small mess of crumbs below. And, if you would, please let me know if there’s anything clinging to my beard, since I’ll be in too much bliss to care.

1888 Solano Avenue
(Between The Alameda and Fresno Ave)
Berkeley, CA 94707
AjantaRestaurant.com
(510) 526-4373

Ajanta is my all time favorite Indian Restaurant, and one of my favorite places to eat in Berkeley. It’s beautifully decorated, the service is warm and solicitous, and the food is seriously amazing, with plenty of vegetarian options.

Ajanta has a wonderful, ever-changing menu, with rotating regional dishes, and a other favorites that we always see. But if you’re expecting chana masala (garbanzo beans), baingan bartha (eggplant), and aloo saag (spinach and potatoes), like (almost) every other Indian restaurant in the USA, think again.

My absolute favorite dish is Bheh, Khumbi Aur Matar, a vegan dish from Sindh (western India, now Pakistan) with lotus root, shiitake mushrooms, and peas cooked with caramelized onions, ginger, garlic and spices including mango powder and coriander. Oh my.

You may also find entrées like Lobhia Aur Khumbi, a vegan Punjabi dish made with black eyed peas and organic shiitake mushrooms cooked in a sauce made with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices including coriander, turmeric, and paprika. Yum!

But whatever you order, do not miss the Tandoori Portobello Mushroom appetizer. It will forever change the way you think about mushrooms. It comes served with a spectacular mustard sauce.

If you’re vegan, let them know, so they can steer you clear of the dishes made with yogurt or butter (ghee). Whenever I have asked, they have always been completely accommodating.

Ajanta rates high on the date-worthy scale, and it’s a great place to bring anyone you want to impress. Even the wine list is broad and well considered. Given the quality of the food and the elegance of the place, the prices seem very reasonable to me.

Ajanta is across the street from the Oaks Theater.

2507 Hearst Avenue
(between Euclid Ave & Le Roy Ave. Across from Campus.)
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 540-1124

I started going to TC Garden in 1993, and I could swear that the prices haven’t changed one cent. TC Garden is a small, no-frills, Chinese restaurant serving the UC Berkeley campus, on the Northside, and I love it. It’s tucked into a small restaurant row that every grad student at Berkeley has to know about.

Back in the 90s, Mom and Pop ran the place, with twin sisters cooking in the back. The menu is vast, and the food comes quickly. I remember it for the Tiananmen Square poster they had in the window, and the kindness they showed me, knowing my order, and welcoming me a few times a week.

Mom and Pop retired a while back, but otherwise the place has not changed. Lunch for three, with an appetizer and hot tea for around $16. Seriously.

There’s a long list of vegetarian entrées, from rice plates to chow mein and chow fun. My favorites are the mixed vegetables rice place (veggies in a clear glaze, over rice) and the mixed vegetables chow mein (in a semi-sweet soy sauce) which is excellent.

1841 Euclid Ave
Between Hearst and Ridge
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 549-1460

Celia’s Mexican Restaurant is a relative newcomer to Euclid Avenue, the main street for lunch and cafes on UC Berkeley’s north side. La Burrita is another Mexican restaurant that’s been there, across the street, for years, but Celia’s is different enough that I hope the two can co-exist peacefully.

Celia’s has a nice, large, sit-down dining area, with booths along one wall. I’ve only had one dish there, and it’s amazing. I get the Vegetarian "Hand Burrito" which should be called head burrito because that’s how large it seems. Filled with lightly sauteed vegetables, and covered in a tasty red sauce, this burrito is a real treat. There’s something about the white onions, zucchini, or black beans I ordered that makes this meal a huge standout. So far, I haven’t figured it out, so I’ll continue conducting the experiment Bucking the Nor-Cal burrito style, Celia’s burritos don’t come wrapped in thin foil and can never be stood up on their butt. They are simply too large, too delectable, and too delicate for a vertical burrito hoist. No, Sir; be prepared to use a knife and fork.

The food comes with thick, fresh tortilla chips and a few different kinds of salsa. Everything tastes homemade and fresh, the beans and rice are vegetarian, and the waiter is very friendly.

1158 Solano Avenue
Between Kains and Stannage
Albany, CA 94706
CafeRajOnline.com
(415) 626-1628

This popular neighborhood destination near the bottom of Solano Avenue can sometimes be so busy that there’s a waitlist—even around 6 pm. However the line moves fast. A few years ago, they expanded into the space next door.

The menu has a special vegetarian section, featuring the well-known staples of Indian vegetarian food (as Ken and I see it). Bangan Barta (eggplant), Aloo Saag (spinach & potato), Saag Paneer (spinacy curry with cheese), and Chana Masala (garbanzo beans) top the list. They’re all are quite tasty, in particular the Chana Masala. How so many great things can come out of their tiny kitchen astounds me, but their food is consistently delicious, and light.

Café Raj is a friendly, family-owned place, and the people taking orders may even be the children: an extroverted and sweet group. It is reasonably priced and always delicious.

1511 Shattuck Ave
(between Cedar St & Vine St)
Berkeley, CA 94709
Picoso in Epicurious Garden
510-540-4811

Picoso is an excellent take-out Mexican Food place in the upscale Epicurious Garden on Shattuck, two doors up from César, and across the street from the Cheese Board Pizza. They make my favorite burritos in Berkeley, and if you time it wrong, around the dinner hour, you’ll end up waiting around with a nice group of hungry people who share my opinion.

I love the really flavorful rice; and the beans, salsa, and guacamole always taste exceptionally fresh.

At the counter where they make the burritos, there’s a about three stools where you could wait for your food, or sit and eat. You can also take your meal into the back garden, where the seats and small tables are scattered among an outdoor terraced patio with nice landscaping, although that’s probably a better lunch idea than dinner.