Tartine Bakery

So, third time's a charm -- I have visited Tartine Bakery three separate times this month in search of their famous double pain au chocolat (double chocolate croissant, $4.25); yet, each time I reached the counter, it seemed like they were always out of the delectable pastry.  Good thing their chocolate croissant isn't the only delectable item on the menu. 

In the Mission district, down 18th from the heart of the Castro and right around the corner from Dolores Park and Bi Rite Creamery, Tartine is one popular bakery. There is typically a line stretching around the corner of the bakery and down the street. Timing is everything. In the afternoons and evenings, Tartine is less crowded but they may be out of their morning pastries. But no worries if you end up in line, it moves fairly quickly and you can catch a glimpse of their kitchen in action through the side window. 

Once at the counter, it is a good idea to know what you would like to order, but since the bakery receives so many tourists from around the world daily coming to try their amazing food, they are more than willing to lead your order in the right direction. My first two encounters, after hearing they were clear out of chocolate croissants, I enlisted in some help from my servers. I ordered the Seasonal Brioche Bread Pudding on one occasion, and a Shortbread Cookie and a Chocolate Friand on the other. 

The Brioche Bread Pudding was nothing to rave about, especially after trying their other pastries. As far as bread puddings go, they did a wonderful job balancing the sugary sweetness with a tartness from the peaches. Their brioche was sliced into thick pieces for the bread pudding, giving it a fantastic texture. Unfortunately, bread pudding isn't my favorite (I thought Tartine could change that), but it is still too mushy for my liking and I wish there was an extra granola crunch on top.

Their Chocolate Friands take the cake -- a small chocolate ganache covered cake that is.  They are served up in perfectly small portions and can easily satisfy any chocolate lover's craving. The cake is dense and rich, while the ganache topping is smooth and creamy. This is a delightful treat for an after-lunch snack.

On my third visit, after waiting in line and memorizing my order in hopes that everything I wanted would be fresh and waiting for me, I finally got what I had been looking for -- their famous double chocolate croissant. These were definitely worth the wait. The croissant had a flakey, buttery crust that was cooked to golden perfection. The inside dough was airy and warm, yet there was still plenty of subtance to the dough. The chocolate, spread through every bite, left me speechless -- an amazing bittersweet chocolate melted into the fabric of the croissant and brought all of the flavors together. There was also no extreme buttery aftertaste, which to me means that this bakery knows what they are doing and don't have to slather their pastries in butter to make them taste amazing.

To decribe a bite: the croissant crumbles, flakes, and gives you a mouthful of bittersweet chocolate with the sweet-salty dough. It only leaves you with a slight buttery sheen on your hands and the extreme urge to take another bite.

My three times at Tartine will not be the last, as there are still things on the menu I long to try -- like the Humbolt Fog Goat Cheese Sandwich, freshly pressed and warm when ordered, or the gougeres, a perfect combination of crusty on the outside and soft, eggy dough on the inside. Yes, yes, I will be back for more... 

Tartine Bakery Website

Love at First Bite

Next on the cupcake taste test is my personal favorite: North Berkeley's Love at First Bite Bakery. A great place for any sweet tooth to visit after eating lunch at Gregoire's or Cheeseboard, Love at First Bite will have you falling in love with every bite. 

Tucked away in a quaint alcove of the Gourmet Ghetto, Love at First Bite initially hides from the public eye. Once found, however, you will continually go back for more. The store itself is small with tables outside in a cozy courtyard. Inside you feel as if you have stepped into someone's personal bakery, with a charmingly cute display of cupcake flavors and other goodies on cake pedestals under glass domes and a view right into the kitchen.  The cupcake selection process is unique compared to other bakeries I have visited -- the employees come out from behind the counter and hand select each cupcake you choose from under its protective glass dome and place it on a tray. They will also give you personal opinions about the cupcake flavors, of course all positive, if you are having a hard time selecting which of their delectable cupcakes to take home. 

At my most recent visit, we decided to buy a few mini cupcakes and a sampling of 8 regular-sized cupcakes. The minis you can select daily are their most famous and basic flavors: red velvet, pretty in pink (strawberry), lemon kiss, vanilla, and chocolate. For immediate taste testing, we got two mini red velvet cupcakes. 

Their red velvet cupcake is what keeps bringing me back to Love at First Bite. The moist cake has a wonderful texture and is never dry. The cream cheese frosting has the best consistency of all red velvets I have consumed to this date -- it's sweet, but not overly rich, with a cream cheese punch.  Plus, mini or regular, their red velvet always has the perfect frosting to cake ratio. 

In our variety pack, we selected eight different flavors: (from top to bottom, left to right) mud pie, chocolate maltball, matcha green tea, red velvet, pretty in pink, PB affair, pumpkin bliss, and ginger babycakes. In brief, here was the general consensus on each of these flavors...

Mud Pie: a deep devil's food cake with a mocha frosting topped with oreo crumbs, wonderful combination and great texture on top

Chocolate Maltball: the ultimate milky chocolate cupcake with Guittard cake and a malted milk frosting, cute decoration

Matcha Green Tea: made with ceremonial matcha green tea, unique, the flavor grows on you with each bite and ends in a love story

Red Velvet: as stated above, amazing and, hands down, my favorite 

Pretty in Pink: a local favorite, uses fresh strawberries, could have more strawberry flavor

PB Affair: well decorated, wonderful balance of chocolate and peanut butter, not overwhelming, another one that I always buy

Pumpkin Bliss: great pumpkin flavor, moist, not too heavy, topped with their amazing cream cheese frosting

Ginger Babycakes: delicate gingerbread flavor, topped with a delectable limoncello-cream cheese frosting

For an amazing taste, cheap price for gourmet cupcakes ($2-3), and a range of sizes, Love at First Bite delivers.  The lines are always relatively short, probably due to their hidden location, and they are open for most of the day, except Mondays, on which they are closed.  Make use of this bakery for both personal enjoyment and gift-giving (they have cute little boxes you can decorate). You will fall in love with every bite :)

[Other flavors not mentioned above that are worth mentioning: Lemon Kiss, Hummingbird, and Monkey Love -- all wonderful, popular flavors!]

Love At First Bite Website

Meal Ticket

Inspired by the Food Network, our next stop was Meal Ticket, a small restaurant off San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley. In a place that looks like it used to be someone's home, this local restaurant serves up great food with a homemade feel.  With a menu packed full of savory and sweet options for both breakfast and lunch, it is hard to choose what to order at Meal Ticket. They have their set menu and a specials menu, written out on a chalkboard to the left of the counter. Be sure to read both -- there are wonderfully creative options on each menu.

After long deliberation, I ordered the Oyster Po'Boy Sandwich. On a mission to try new things, I had never tasted oysters, raw or cooked, until I ate this sandwich. The sandwich comes to you open-face with a side of their fresh cole slaw and a cut lemon -- I suggest putting both on your sandwich. The oysters are lightly battered and fried, not too heavy, and are perfectly tender and juicy on the inside.  They come on top of thickly sliced bread slathered in a spicy chipotle mayo that compliments the oysters and slaw perfectly. The bread is toothsome with a dense, chewy crumb, which is great for open-faced sandwiches. I would love to see what other amazing Po'Boy sandwiches this kitchen could create.

Also ordered was the Slow Roasted Pork with Coconut Curry Sauce, Corn Tortillas, and Fresh Tomato Salsa over Basmati Rice.  This menu item, a delicious do-it-yourself plate showcased by Guy Fieri, combines culturally unique flavors and creates a mouth-watering aroma that will leave your tablemates asking to try a bite. 

I could not leave Meal Ticket without trying their famous Apple-Grape pie with their homemade vanilla bean whipping cream.  As a pie-lover, I am always willing to try different fruit fillings.  The unique apple and grape combination was amazing, with a great texture and perfect balance of sweet and tart. The crumb topping almost melts when they heat it up for you and has a taste similar to dutch crumb toppings commonly on apple pies.  I loved this pie so much, I got a piece to go -- and it was just as good heated up later!  The pie is not the prettiest, but you won't be thinking about that for long! [I promise to take a better picture next time I visit Meal Ticket] 

One warning: they only make so many pies during the day and once they run out, that's it for the day... so if you plan to make the trip to Meal Ticket for the pie, go early or call ahead to ensure they haven't run out! 

Another thing to keep in mind when visiting Meal Ticket is that they are CASH only, like many places in Berkeley. Also, order your food at the counter before grabbing a table, even if it is crowded, as they have been known to call people out for "line jumping." One last tip, the lady at the counter doesn't seem to enjoy people modifying ingredients in their order -- just remember that this place is famous for a reason and the food will taste amazing no matter what comes on it! 

As seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri on the Sweet 'n Savory episode

Meal Ticket chefs graciously shared their recipe for the Slow Roasted Pork (see above) with the Food Network -- Recipe

Gregoire Restaurant

Next stop on the foodie adventure weekend was a place I have been meaning to try since I came to Berkeley, Gregoire's.  Gregoire's is a tiny restaurant on the northern side of the Berkeley campus near the Gourmet Ghetto. Including its exposed kitchen, it is no bigger than the average dorm room and has little room for inside seating other than a few bar stools. But the ambiance is not what makes the line go out the door and around the front of the restaurant -- Gregoire's is known for its gourmet take-out-style food. That's right, gourmet quality food that is portable to go! It even comes with faux silverware (it's really plastic) and a cute specially-crafted hexagonal box lined with black and white checked paper. 

Before you visit, make sure to check the menu online - it changes every month with the local organic ingredients that are fresh and seasonal specialties. Of course, the main favorites stay put on the menu, but there are always new menu items that would make any high-end seasoned chef beg for seconds. From classically French to uniquely multi-national, you will enjoy any menu item you choose. 

To start our gourmet lunch, we ordered Gregoire's famous Crispy Potato Puffs. These are a must have for every first-timer (and even return customers). Each potato puff is gently fried when you order and comes with a seasonal unique dipping sauce. I was amazed at the size of the order - each potato puff being the size of a golf ball and receiving a total of 9. The potato puffs are so delicate yet so filling and full of flavor. They are like mini fried mashed potato balls, but don't leave you with an overly fried or greasy feeling. Our dipping sauce, a pink-colored aioli with a dill flavor, added to the wonderfulness of the potato puffs. My only warning is that these potato puffs are filling - definitely share!

For my sandwich "main course", I ordered the Pulled Roasted Chicken Au Jus with Melted Gruyere on a Baguette.  (Another lunch favorite is the Fried Buttermilk Chicken with Spicy Slaw - similar to Bake Sale Betty's).  The pulled roasted chicken sandwich was a delectable choice and went well with the potato puffs on the side.  The chicken was tender and was flavored to perfection. The chicken and the cheese melted together to create a wonderfully unique contrast to the crispy toasted baguette. The menu also doesn't tell you everything that is going to be on the menu - I was pleasantly surprised that mine included onions. But don't be alarmed, anything the chef adds will definitely add to the flavor combinations. The sandwich also came with a side slaw -- white beans pickled with cucumbers, cilantro, and pickles -- a fantastic side to compliment the sandwich.

I am surprised I never tried Gregoire's before this weekend and I want to come back every weekend between now and graduation to try every menu item possible! Everything is so creative and generally under $10, which for this quality of food is an amazing deal. I would recommend coming for lunch instead of dinner -- that way you get a better deal on the meal and can walk around the Gourmet Ghetto after you eat. I would also recommend phoning in your order - the line is quick but the wait for food is about 20 minutes around lunch time.

Gregoire Restaurant Website

Chez Panisse

As my time at Berkeley is coming near its end, I realized that I am leaving a food mecca of northern California. With that said, I decided it is time to start trying all of the amazing places around campus that I have been putting off all four years -- with my first stop being the most famous of all Berkeley restaurants, the one and only Chez Panisse.

To think that I have lived less than two miles away from culinary greatness and never tried it until this weekend, most people would say I am crazy -- but on a college student's budget and time schedule, it is easy to dismiss as a possibility.  The prices, however, shocked me -- the whole meal in the upstairs Chez Panisse Cafe was quite affordable and I most definitely want to return to try another day's menu.

To start, we ordered two appetizers - the Pizzetta with Wild Mushrooms and Gremolata ($16) and the Baked Andante Dairy Goat Cheese with Garden Lettuce ($10). Expecting small portions, we were amazed at the size and creativity of these appetizers. The baked goat cheese was creamy with a delicate crumb coating sealing in its amazing flavors. The garden lettuce was surprising, you wouldn't think that simple lettuce could taste so fresh and with flavors surpassing mere lettuce. I would definitely enjoy a full salad of those greens. The pizzetta was almost big enough for one person to select as an entree. It had a perfect wood-fired texture, and fresh seasonal mushrooms and gremolata (a combination of lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and olive oil) melted in with the cheese. These dishes were an exceptional way to start off our meal.

I ordered the Spring Vegetable Couscous with Fried Spring Onions, Harissa, and Chermoula ($18) for my main dish. Just by its description, I was curious to see how all of these flavors would blend together. The harissa, a Tunisian hot chilli sauce, and chermoula, a herb-based sauce typically used in North African cuisine, were combined over couscous to create a wonderful texture and spice blend that I thoroughly enjoyed. The yellow spiced cauliflower was an excellent addition to the dish, along with chickpeas and snow peas. Two gently fried spring onions adorned the top of the dish and brought all of the flavors together.  This was a dish I would definitely order again.

The other entrees ordered at our table were the Liberty Farm Duck Leg Confit Baked in the Wood Oven with Roasted Radicchio, Parsnips, and Sage ($22)

and the Pan-Fried Rex Sole with Turkish Celery Root Salad and Asparagus ($23).

Of course, with my sweet tooth, I would not leave a culinary haven like Chez Panisse without trying some of their desserts. With a menu of 5-6 amazing selections, it was hard to choose just one... so we ordered two. The first was the Almond Cake with Marshall Farms Honey Ice Cream and Citrus Compote ($9.50). The almond cake was moist, dense, and not too sweet, so when combined with the other flavors on the plate, your palate was not overwhelmed. The honey ice cream was so delicately sweet and creamy and provided a wonderful contrast to the citrus and almond flavors. The fresh cuts of citrus, orange and blood orange, were a star on the plate, bringing everything together with a sharp tartness and underlying sweetness.  

The other dessert ordered was just as delectable, the Pink Lady Apple and Huckleberry Tart with Meyer Lemon Cream ($10). Beautifully presented, the tart was a great contrast to the almond cake. It had a crispy texture with the crust on the tart and nicely cooked flavors of apple and huckleberry. Warm and served with the lemon cream, this tart was refreshing and sweet. After these two winning desserts, I would love to try the other combinations on the menu.

Note to self: do not leave amazing culinary restaurants such as Chez Panisse until the last minute! Now I want to go back for more!

Chez Panisse Website

Chez Panisse Cafe Menu

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Next stop on the cupcake taste test: Sprinkles Cupcakes in La Jolla

Even though its brand new to the La Jolla area, this Sprinkles always has a line out its door. Whether that line is because of the small ordering area inside or the amount of people getting cupcakes is for you to decide. The positive outlook on the Sprinkles line is that for the time you are outside, you can think of what cupcakes you are going to order. With the selection of cupcake flavors changing everyday, it is almost necessary to check their website before visiting as to make sure your favorite flavors are present. Sprinkles only offers full sized cupcakes, but they do also offer "frosting shots" - a small cup overflowing with a frosting of your choice for only $.75. 

After our brief wait in line, we came up to the glass window to select which cupcakes we would be sampling today. True to form, each cupcake had the signiture Sprinkles design (a small dot decoration) and were perfectly arranged. We chose to taste the classic Red Velvet and the Peanut Butter Chip cupcakes and a frosting shot of Strawberry icing.  

Time for the taste comparisons...
As a true lover of chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes, I was truly disappointed with Sprinkles creation. Instead of a completely chocolate cupcake, they opted for a peanut butter cake studded with chocolate chips. This plus the overly peanut buttery flavor and denseness of the frosting left my taste buds overwhelmed. The point of a chocolate cake with the peanut butter frosting is to add some sweetness to the strong creaminess of the peanut butter frosting.  Sprinkles failed at this flavor - I couldn't even eat half of it.

Their infamous Red Velvet was, on the other hand, quite delicious. The texture of the frosting was the perfect to the cake - not too creamy, hardened just enough, and very smooth. The frosting also had a sufficient amount of cream cheese flavoring. The cake was a little dry, but it didn't ruin my overall impression of the cupcake. The look of the cupcake scored points with my taste - simple and attractive. They also made a special decoration for their Red Velvets, a red cross, to support the survivors of the Japanese tsunami.

In all, our taste test tended to lean toward Cupcake Love, rather than Sprinkles. However, I know deep down that the cupcake shop to beat both of these great places is Love at First Bite in Berkeley.... that'll be next in the taste test!

Sprinkles Cupcakes Website