Wood Tavern in Oakland’s Rockridge

This is an occasional report on return visits to restaurants that I’ve already reviewed.

Front-row Dining at the Chef’s Counter
6317 College Ave., Oakland
Outer Rockridge neighborhood
PH: 510.654.6607
Lunch daily (except Sunday) from 11:30 a.m.; dinner nightly from 5:30 p.m.
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.woodtavern.net

Previous visits: February 2008, September 2008

Wood Tavern has hit its groove as a neighborhood brasserie. When I recently returned to this 3-year-old spot in my Rockridge neighborhood, it was bustling with an air of familiarity and precision.

Many of the bartenders and wait staff looked familiar from my earlier visits, which mean this popular dining establishment has built a strong core of servers happy to be working there. This just bodes well for the diners, who are welcomed like regulars and get served by what appears to be a fine-tuned machine.

Since I was eating alone without reservations, I arrived early on a weeknight to grab a seat at the bar. But already at 5:45 p.m., the long copper-top bar was full. I felt nearly rejected until the hostess suggested I sit at the Chef’s counter—a four- stool seating area facing the open kitchen station.

I never saw the Chef’s counter before, but I was happy to pull up a stool, always ready for a free show. Wood Tavern’s counter is very small and intimate, so you’re really close to the fire. (Don’t worry, I was only splattered once from a speck of oil. Most of the time you don’t really feel the heat. It’s not like Benihana.)

Wood Tavern changes its menu with the season, so tonight I dined on its spring menu, starting with the “Calamari e Polpo” or braised calamari and octopus with chickpea ($10). Both the squid and octopus were cooked tender and had a light broth as to not to overpower the natural tastes of the calamari. I’m a big fan of squid that’s not fried so this hit the spot for me.

A very spring dish was the asparagus salad ($9), which was one of only two salad options. (I really wished there were more salad choices.) The asparagus salad was served with diced eggs and frisee all dressed in a truffle vinaigrette. The asparagus on this night was a bit on the thick side, although it was cooked perfectly tender. The vinaigrette was very light, so I hardly tasted it. Overall, this was fresh and seasonal, but nothing exciting.

For the main courses, Wood Tavern offers some amazingly hefty choices like the popular thick pork chop. But tonight (since I already started with two courses), I went with the rigatoni with a veal-pork Bolognese ($19).

The pasta was wonderfully comforting, with the distinct flavors of rich veal and pork cooked for hours, their taste profiles melding together into one. This heavy pasta dish is brightened by the few chopped pieces of Picholine green olives on top—an interesting twist that I now sometimes do in my meat sauces at home.

I was nearly full, but I was tempted by dessert. Especially the Strawberry-Ginger Cake ($8) built up Napoleon-style by layering the strawberries and cream with the ginger cake. The cake portion was especially lovely because it was airy like a scone but had nice crispy edges. The fresh strawberries of the season were joined by a balanced rhubarb sauce.

Side note: Executive Chef Maximilian DiMare could be seen throughout the night overseeing the cooking stations and chatting up guests in the dining area or bar. Wood Tavern looks like it gets many return visitors because Chef DiMare seemed to recognize many of them.

Dinner at Wood Tavern is always supported by the strong bar program, which I leaned on this evening for my classic dirty vodka martini and a nice red wine with my pasta (oops, forgot what variety it was but they’re all good).

It had been awhile since my last visit, but Wood Tavern is still as popular—with good reason with its friendly service and solid dishes. After my recent dinner, I made a promise to myself to not stay away as long between visits because this is a favorite that shouldn’t be ignored.

Update experience (previous 4.25): Still going strong

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The Chinese Bolognese

Recently while perusing a restaurant menu, I noticed they had ja-ja mein, which I haven’t thought about since my childhood.

Ja-ja mein, also known as ja-jiang mein, is a Northern Chinese dish known for its ground meat sauce over noodles, blended with thinly sliced fresh cucumbers. It’s served either room temperature or cold. The ground meat is eaten by so many Chinese kids while growing up it’s considered the Chinese version of spaghetti.

Growing up in Honolulu, my mom kept our family busy with her small business making a Chinese cracker treat. We all helped her on the weekends, and often during a long day of cooking we’d order takeout for dinner. One of the popular places we went to was a tiny Northern Chinese restaurant that only made two dishes (or at least only two dishes were popular): beef soup noodles and ja-ja mein.

I remember getting a big plate of this noodle dish and eagerly mixing the cooling cucumber slices with the spicy meat sauce. The combination was amazing for my young palate. Of course, after awhile I ate so much of it that I got sick of it and when I grew up and left Hawaii, I never thought about ordering it again.

But seeing it on the menu recently got me craving for it. So I made a quick-and-easy version using canned sweet bean sauce I got in Chinatown. My meat sauce (using ground pork) wasn’t as amazing as that restaurant, probably because they cooked it for hours, but it did hit the spot. During the summer months, this is a great dish to make because of the fact it’s often served cold. What was your family’s favorite meat sauce with noodle dish?

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Ja-Ja Mein Recipe

Copyright 2010 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
6 oz. ground pork
1 can sweet bean sauce (6 oz.)
1 onion, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
2 stalks of green onion, thinly chopped (mostly white section, about 1/4 cup)
8 oz. dried noodles (preferably wheat, but rice noodles is OK)
1 t white pepper
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T hot chili sauce (adjust to your taste)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2-3 T Canola oil

Marinate the ground pork with the ground white pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat and then add onion and green onion (scallions) for about 2 to 3 minutes to soften the onion. Then add pork and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into little pieces. When pork looks fully cooked, add sweet bean sauce, chicken broth and chili. Lower heat to simmer and cook cover for another 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken. Taste to see if you need to adjust hot sauce level or add more soy sauce. When done, remove from heat and let cool.

Slice cucumber to very thin pieces.

In a pot, boil water and cook noodles per package instructions. When done, place noodles into two separate bowls and then divide sauce and cucumber and place on top. When ready to eat, mix everything together and dig in.

Makes 2 servings. Pair with a glass of sake.

TIP: The sweet bean sauce may be hard to find. Look for it with other bean sauce that is used for Szechuan cooking. If you still can’t find it, I’ve heard some people use miso paste as a replacement. (If using miso paste, you might not need to use 6 ounces but maybe more like 2-3 tablespoons.)

BUCK THE WHEAT: Most recipes I've found for ja-ja mein recommends wheat noodles. In Chinatown stores, it's hard to find wheat noodles used for Northern Chinese dishes. Many of them sell Japanese soba noodles, which works just as fine.

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There's a Food Revolution Going On

Have you guys been watching "Jamie's Food Revolution" on ABC? I'm a big fan of Oliver (hooked from his "Naked Chef" days on BBC), so I've been tuning in. The premise of the reality show is Chef Oliver comes to a small town in West Virginia to try to change their eating habits, starting with the school lunch program.

He did something similar in his home country of Great Britain, but I think he's been surprised by his work in the United States. Lesson learned? Americans are stuck with their habits, as demonstrated by the eating habits of the kids at this school. Plus, the cafeteria workers aren't very supportive of healthy eating if it means more work. And Obama's wondering why our kids are no longer the leaders of innovation?

Despite the criticism Oliver has had to face while doing this show (along with all the skeptics), I have to say that he really has his heart in the right place. So I think his efforts should be applauded instead of stomped on. I mean, why fight against someone who just wants your kids to eat better? Damn the bureaucracy!

You should tune in to watch, but more than that you should do something to help. The first step is to go to the show's Web site and sign Oliver's petition. He's not doing the show just for more attention, he really indeed wants change and this petition is going to demonstrate to government officials that more than one person wants a change too. I've signed it and I encourage you all to sign it as well. Even though I'm single and don't have any kids, I do have nephews and nieces and lots of friends with kids, and I want to see them grow up with a healthy chance for success. So don't just sit and watch TV, step up and make your voice heard by joining Jamie's food revolution.

Oh, and here's a clip from the show this past Friday where to raise awareness, Oliver stages a flash mob at Marshall University. Pretty cool.



Photo courtesy of Jamieoliver.com

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O Izakaya Lounge inside the Hotel Kabuki

Drinks and Small Bites at this Japantown Lounge
1625 Post St. (at Laguna), San Francisco
Japantown
PH: 415.614.5431
Open daily for breakfast; dinner Wed.–Sun., 5–10 p.m. (bar until midnight)
Reservations, major credit cards accepted
Web site

A couple of days ago I posted about how I got ramen in Japantown with my nephew Chris and his girlfriend, Mary, but I was thwarted in my attempts to get sake when the restaurant wasn’t serving any alcohol last Saturday night. Not to be denied alcohol on a weekend (see what a role model I am to my nephew?), we went to the O Izakaya Lounge at the Hotel Kabuki for some after-dinner drinks.

The 2-year-old lounge specializes in izakaya dishes from Japan. Izakaya spots are popular after-work hangouts in Japan, and they often serve small bites from the grill with tons of sake and beer. In the last two years, a few izakaya-like places have opened up in San Francisco.

O Izakaya is a stylish lounge with a Japanese baseball motif demonstrated by the graphic baseball posters hanging on the walls. When we arrived, the place was nearly empty, probably because most people were still at dinner. But it started to get crowded later in the evening.

The lounge has an extensive list of after-dinner drinks, sake, and beer. I ended up getting the Sake Mojito ($10), which was brimming with mint and softened in flavor by the sake. Chris (yes, he’s over 21) got a Maple Manhattan ($10) and Mary tried the Adam and Veev ($10) made with Veev acai liquor, apple cider and tuaca.

Despite just coming from dinner (and munching on some free mini cupcakes we found at an event at the New People World pop mall), I wanted to try a few of the izakaya. Along with some edamame ($4), I ordered the Braised Pork Belly with Kim Chee ($7) and Chicken Yakitori ($6).

These skewer dishes came from the grill, but the menu also offers several entrée-sized dishes like burgers, salmon and donburi, as well as three types of ramen.

The pork belly was simply amazing. The cubed pork belly was tender inside but slightly charred on the outside from the grill, giving it a nice smoky flavor. It was topped with a sauce that I think was sesame. The kim chee on the side was nice because I like kim chee, but I didn’t know if it necessarily complemented the pork belly. The pork belly was so good on its own it really didn’t need any sides.

The chicken yakitori was also good, though not as amazing as the pork belly. Still, it was a nice, reliable chicken skewer with tangy teriyaki sauce.

It must have been the alcohol because I wanted to eat more, so we got the Chocolate Lava Cake with Gelato ($9). The cake was like a warm brownie, rich but slightly crumbly and was enhanced by the vanilla gelato and slices of fresh strawberries.

Since it wasn’t super crowded, it kind of felt like we had the lounge to ourselves. So it was a very relaxing experience just hanging out and catching up with Chris and Mary. O Izakaya lives up to its name of being a sophisticated lounge.

This is a mini review since I didn’t get to try the larger plates on the menu, so no rating here. But I’d definitely go back because the few things I tried had a solid flavor profile.



More bar bites:
Bar Crudo: “A Night of Light Eating”
The Corner: “Tasty Food with a View of Humanity”
Pisco Latin Lounge: “Trying to Shake up the Neighborhood”

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Tanpopo in San Francisco’s Japantown

Where the Ramen is Fast and Furious
1740 Buchanan St. (at Sutter), San Francisco
Japantown
PH: 415.346.7132
Open daily for lunch and dinner (closes at 10:30 p.m.)
No reservations, major credit cards accepted with $15 minimum

In my next stop in finding some good ramen closer to home, I visited the venerable Tanpopo in the heart of Japantown. My nephew Chris happened to be visiting (taking a prolonged spring break from his college studies in Chicago) so he and his girlfriend, Mary, came for the ride.

We arrived early for dinner on Saturday, and the room had a pleasant spring feel with the fresh pink blossoms nicely offset by the restaurant’s bright green walls. There weren’t any tables big enough for the three of us so we grabbed some stools at the curvaceous counter.

Tanpopo’s menu offered a variety of ramen, including some that looked like it was influenced by other cuisine like Chinese (there were won tons and Northern-style ja-ja mein). The restaurant also offers up sashimi (raw fish) and some daily specials listed on a bamboo wall in the back (things like fried oysters and blue soft-shell crabs).

I already knew what I wanted to get because some of you have suggested I try the spicy ramen. So I ordered the Karamiso Ramen ($9). But first we got a serving of gyoza (various order sizes, we got the 7-piece).

The gyoza looked a bit on the burnt side, but they had a very nice thin skin and the filling had the traditional flavors of potstickers with the combination of ground pork and scallions. (The flavor profile leaned more towards what you’d taste in the Chinese kitchen than Japanese, IMHO.) Tanpopo’s gyoza have a narrow shape, which kind of makes it easier to pick up and dip in the sauce.

When our ramen arrived, the lightly red broth of my Karamiso — a mixture of hot sauce and miso — was a brilliant canvas for the slices of chashu (roasted pork), boiled egg, fish cake, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts.

With my first slurp of the broth, the spicy flavor crept up on me and gave me a big “hello.” It was spicy, but not overly so. It’s the kind of spice level that you get used to after awhile and I really enjoyed it. The ramen noodles were crinkly and good, but maybe a tad overcooked. It wasn’t mushy, but I like mine a bit more springy. (I’m going to have to learn to start requesting firm noodles!)

Chris got the Won Ton Ramen (also $9) that comes with extra pork. The won ton didn’t look like the traditional shapes you see in Chinese restaurants, but he says he liked it. The broth was a bit lighter than he expected since it looked quite dark, and he thought the chashu was a bit bland. I also felt the chashu could have been tender, and agreed that it’s not the star of Tanpopo’s ramen.

Mary went against the grain and was the only one not to order ramen, getting a dish of Yakisoba (fried noodles) instead. The noodles were fried with thin slices of vegetables and some chashu.

Side note: I had my heart set on trying the sake flight that was listed on the menu, but our waitress told us that they didn’t have any alcohol that night. I couldn’t really understand what the problem was, but it seemed like they lost their alcohol license or something because she said there was no sake, no beer, no nothing. Just water and soda.

It was an odd situation because at the counter we were facing this big wall of sake bottles just staring at me like some big tease.

As the night went on, more people arrived and a line started to build at the entrance. Our waitress was quickly going through all the tables, and in a way I felt like we were rushed with our dinner. When I was initially ordering, I was thinking of getting some sashimi but my slight hesitation meant our waitress grabbed my menu from my hands so I had to give up on sashimi.

And after finishing our ramen, we got our dinner check even before we had a chance to ask about dessert. I guess it worked out because I had my heart set on a drink that night so we agreed to find dessert — and alcohol — somewhere else.

Tanpopo’s ramen is probably among the best in San Francisco, but that’s not saying much given how the better ramen can be found along the Peninsula and in the South Bay (Santouka’s toriniku has spoiled me for life!). Still, it’s reliable with an enjoyable broth although the service can seem brusque.

Single guy rating: 3 stars (Reliable Ramen)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner



More ramen slurping
Ramen House Ryowa
Santouka Ramen
Santa Ramen

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The San Francisco Classic that is Swan Oyster Depot

I decided that the 11 o’clock hour is magic time at Swan Oyster Depot. One minute later and you’ll find yourself in the back of a lunch crowd forming a line around the tiny entrance to the equally tiny and narrow San Francisco seafood institution.

But one minute earlier and you’ll easily step up to the long marble counter and grab a seat like a regular.

A boisterous group of men behind the counter welcomes you. Several generations at work, they look like walk-ons for “The Deadliest Catch” or a group of friends at some Irish pub. Their casual and friendly demeanor makes you want to buy fresh fish from them every weekend, getting their advice on the season’s best.

Everything about Swan Oyster lacks any pretension, despite the fact that this 98-year-old seafood counter has garnered worldwide attention and in 2000 was named an American classic by the James Beard Foundation. People travel as far away as Europe to eat here, along with the neighborhood regulars who drop by for a to-go cup of clam chowder.

Its atmosphere is Fisherman’s Wharf but without the tourists or the barking sea lions (yes, they’re back). You still feel like you’re near the bay even though you’re blocks away in the Polk Street area that’s known more for its funky restaurants and transients spilling over from the Tenderloin.

Sitting on one of the roughly 20 rickety stools at the counter last Friday (I took the day off just to come here), I absorbed my surroundings. Mounted sea turtles and marlins. Framed photos and commendations. Signed football jerseys and other sports paraphernalia. Swan Oyster is a dive that remains a dive, unwilling to give up on the past. It’s a place where you’ll feel ashamed to tweet or use a cell phone. Workers cheerfully answer a tarnished black rotary phone that was probably there when the place opened.

Part fish store, part counter restaurant, Swan Oyster lists the day’s menu on the wall, with the items hardly changing from day to day. It’s simply fresh oysters, crab, clams, Maine lobster, shrimp and some smoked salmon. They’re prepared raw and served on crushed ice, as cocktails or salads, or in the Boston-style clam chowder.

I started with a dozen oysters on the half shell, shucked by the guys in the back corner. A round tray arrived with an assortment — from kumamoto to miyagi to Blue Point— that gave me a taste of the sea. Some were sweet and mild, others were tasteless but plump and meaty. A couple was salty like seawater.

You can get the raw oysters with a simple mignonette of shallots and red vinegar or a cocktail sauce. A bowl of cut lemon wedges and jar of horseradish are within arm’s reach on the counter if you like.

After slurping up my oysters, dousing each one down with a gulp of Anchor Steam, I got the Crab Louie salad.

A full bed of iceberg lettuce topped with freshly cracked Dungeness crab meat, the salad is one of the more expensive items on the menu at $19.50. But the fact that I didn’t have to crack the crab myself to get to the sweet tender flesh was well worth the price. And really, the amount of crab meat looks like it came from two crabs.

The thick Louie dressing, reminiscent of Thousand Island, brings a tangy twist to the sweet crab. In between bites of the crab and lettuce, I chewed on slices of sourdough bread. The combination is nothing fancy, and that’s the whole point. The food is simple and familiar, like something served up on a bench at the wharf for dock workers unloading the fresh seafood that just came in that morning.

As I ate, the crowd at the door grew larger and the people at the front of the line flowed past the door, watching everyone eat to see which seats will open up next. When I was done, I asked one of the guys to add up my total. There’s no tab at Swan Oyster; you just tell them what you ate and they add it up in their century-old-looking register.

A word of advice: bring lots of cash. In this place that’s like a Luddite’s kitchen, you can’t expect them to take plastic. Cash only.

As I gathered my things and walked past the gauntlet of hungry diners, I felt rejuvenated and satisfied that I can check another food destination off my list of must-eat spots in San Francisco.

Anyone who’ve tried this place will probably agree that the oysters and crab are all fresh and of the highest quality, but it’s not like you can’t find similar spots without the lines elsewhere (Hog Island, for example). And it’s not like the prices are incredibly low that it’s bargain dining.

What Swan Oyster offers is a bit of the past. A friendly stool to sit on, to forget about the worries outside, and to appreciate the camaraderie. I think about the thousands of others who sat in the same seat, had the same meal, and I feel a connection to history. Even though I ate by myself, I never felt alone. I had generations of happy diners around me.

Swan Oyster Depot, 1517 Polk St. (at California), San Francisco. Open Mon.–Sat., 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. PH: 415.673.1101. No reservations. Cash only.



More seafood catch:
Shuck a Buck for Oysters
Bar Crudo: “A Night of Eating Light”
Thang Long: “Celebrating the Dungeness Crab”

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Special Eggs at Farmers Market

If Easter was yesterday, it would have been such a beautiful day instead of the gloomy one we have this morning. Oh well, I was out at the Grand Lake Farmers' Market on Saturday morning and they had a special egg hunt going on. However, I was at the tail end of the hunt, so most of the eggs were grabbed up by the greedy kids. (Just kidding, I love the little munchkins.)

But I was still able to spot some eggs that weren't grabbed up yet as I walked around. And I know what you're thinking: No, I did not bring that one blue egg and shoot it in different spots. Those really are different blue eggs and I just found them that way!

Hope you're all enjoying your day despite the weather. Happy Easter!

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What’s In My Frig?

Isn't it funny that you've never tried a particular something, and then after you do try it you see it everywhere? That's the case with the first time I tried romesco sauce on an osso bucco dish at Nopa.

I never heard of romesco and when I saw it on the menu I thought it was like romanesco vegetable. But it's not a vegetable but a sauce originally from the Catalonia region of Spain. It's great with fish, but I've seen it complementing other dishes like the hearty osso bucco dish.

I find it really enjoyable, bright and fresh from the tomatoes but substantial from the nuts (typically almonds). It gets its Spanish twist from Nora chilies. I wish I could make it myself, but I think I need a food processor. (I just found a recipe in my Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, so I'm going to see if I can make it with my hand blender.)

For now, I can just buy it. I found a bottle of romesco at The Spanish Table in Berkeley, and this particular bottle has really great flavor. I use it whenever I pan-fry some fish, like this halibut dish below. It really dresses up a simply cooked piece of fish.

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Single Guy's Planner

April’s my favorite month for many reason – springtime, return of baseball, flowers, and a lot of food events. Maybe you might spot me at one of these:

April 17 (Saturday): “Art & Chai” at 18 Reasons. Join food writer Thy Tran as she moderates a conversation about chai tea. This “multisenory tea time” coincides with the Mission community gallery’s spice exhibition by Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik and performance by Yosh Han. Food provided by Spice Vice. Cost: $5. Tickets can be purchased here.

April 18 (Sunday): “A Taste of Tequila & Tamales by the Bay.” This annual event takes place from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco’ Marina district. I also checked out this event last year, and if you love tamales you need to check out the variety at this event. Cost is $35 (advance) and $40 (at the door). You can purchase tickets by calling 415.695.9296 or online. For more information, go to www.tamalesbythebay.org.

April 29 (Thursday): Taste of the Nation at AT&T Park. Last time I checked out this foodie fundraiser for Share Our Strength (nonprofit group fighting hunger in America) and it was a fun time of small tastings from some of the best chefs in the city. This year promises food from 40 chefs and 25 wineries. Cost is $85 for the tasting from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (if you want to splurge you can pay $140 for VIP tickets that lets you in an hour earlier). Visit the group’s Web site for more information on the event and details on purchasing tickets.

This event isn’t in the Bay Area, but I just had to include it. Shout out to my peeps in Honolulu!

April 24 (Saturday): Waikiki Spam Jam, a street festival/food event dedicated to the canned meat product that is an icon in Hawaii. Taste a variety of dishes spotlighting Spam and get Spam T-shirts and slippers (hopefully not made of Spam). This free event runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Visit www.spamjamhawaii.com for more information.

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