Walking And Eating - Oakland Food Tour: August 29, 2015

I generally update this food blog when I have something I would deem significant or, at least, noteworthy to say about food. Whether it's a restaurant review, about cooking, a food industry issue, eating, etc. I really don't like to post for just any ol' food-related thing.

So when I write about a walking food tour of Oakland I took with a friend of mine last month, it's because I consider it a significant event. Stay with me. You'll see why.

On Saturday, August 29, 2015, I got together with Kimmie, a longtime, good friend of mine, and walked from Lake Merritt to Uptown Oakland. We picked out a small number of restaurants considered noteworthy by Oakland chefs, mapped out a route, planned for detours/unplanned stops/deviations in the plan, set a budget for ourselves, and we were off.

Asada and carnitas tacos
from Mi Rancho

We took the BART into Lake Merritt and walked to Tacos Mi Rancho, a popular taco truck located on 1st Avenue very close to the lake. I ordered cow's head, pig stomach, and beef tongue tacos, usual cuts for me whenever I go out for street tacos, while Kimmie ordered carne asada and carnitas. For some reason, neither of us tried the al pastor, which was the taco recommended by chef Preety Mistry of the Juhu Beach Club. My personal reasoning: order the usual and see how it stacks up against my other, favorite places.

My friend was, unfortunately, pretty disappointed. I wasn't as disappointed; the tacos were good, but I found them to be average, lacking in any sort of pizzazz or noteworthy flavor. Most of the flavor came from the salsa. Take away the salsa and you have well-cooked meat absent of mouth-watering flavor. Rule of thumb when cooking: season all major components. I've had better tacos, but I would return for two reasons: 1) to try the recommended al pastor, and 2) to have their 15-inch burrito (yes, 15-inch) just for the sake of having it.

Shan Dong in Chinatown was next on the list. We walked the mile from Lake Merritt to the restaurant and seated immediately. We were there for the handmade noodles. While the noodles with fried tofu, vegetables, and spicy sauce was the recommendation by chef Blake Joffe of Beauty's Bagel Shop, we couldn't find it on the menu (were we looking in the wrong section?) and opted to go with something else. The sesame paste noodles caught my eye first, but the spicy meat sauce quickly commandeered my food-brain. Spicy meat? Yes! Though I noticed the little pepper icon so often seen on Chinese menus wasn't next to this particular dish, I thought: It says "spicy" in the name of the dish. They wouldn't lie, would they?

We're pretty sure they meant "spiced". We then proceeded to make fun of something also often seen on Chinese menus: typos.

"Spicy" meat sauce with handmade noodles
from Shan Dong

Long, super-thick, narrow noodles came in a large bowl, covered in a dark brown meat gravy. The sauce was actually sweeter than we expected, not spicy at all (hence our conclusion that they meant "spiced"). I could taste what I thought was a beef bouillon cube in the sauce - this dirty, beefy flavor. It wasn't bad at all, and I would have gladly kept eating were we not trying to pace ourselves. But, it wasn't spectacular. One problem was that any of the minced meat in the sauce didn't always make it to my mouth because, unlike with thinner noodles, the minced meat couldn't easily be carried with the mass of noodles picked up with chopsticks. No, with these thick noodles, you eat one at a time, Thus, the minced meat would fall back to the place.

My friend is a "texture person", meaning that textures that bother her in the mouth will automatically cause an aversion to the food. The noodles were much thicker than we'd thought. These weren't vermicelli- or angel hair-style hand pulled noodles. No, these were long, thick noodles. Thick like chow fun noodles, but narrower and much chewier, much more dense. I personally thought they were interesting and would love to try them with a different sauce, something more substantial to compliment such starchy density. Kimmie thought they'd be great in a soup. Next time, Shan Dong. Next time.

The most disappointing part of the day was that the owners of Tian Jin Dumplings on Franklin were on vacation. The shop was closed and our craving for dumplings would go unfulfilled. We did search for an alternate place to get dumplings, the closest one serving Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao), but we decided to move on.

(If anyone has a good dumpling place they'd like to recommend, please do so)

Of course, thirst is inevitable on a walking food tour, and though we brought water, we wanted something... well... with flavor. iTea is located on 9th Street near Peony Seafood and the Asian Cultural Center. It's a tiny little walk-up vestibule of sorts. Now, I've had milk tea before, with and without the boba (chewy tapioca balls, for the uninitiated), so I knew what I was getting into, but ordering here was like buying some tech and adding options. Want an iPhone? 8Gb or 16Gb? Black or white? Regular or Plus size? That's what it's like ordering at iTea. You choose the percentage of both sweetness and ice - yes, percentage - and if you want any toppings. I ordered the Japanese Green Matcha Kreama, which is essentially a matcha green milk tea with a cream on top. Their drinks come with a thin, plastic film over the top through which you punch your straw. In my case, I'd never had a milk tea come with a tiny plastic knife before. I had no idea with to do with it, but according to "the Internet", it's for cutting a slit in the film so you can sip it like you would a cappuccino. How chic.

This tea made me rather full. Probably because I chose matcha tea, in which the powder is blended into the liquid and not filtered out, which made my drink more substantial. It was quite satisfying, being creamy and mostly refreshing, though it made wanting to eat at the next place a little difficult. Kimmie very much enjoyed her mango slush fruit tea.

As we made our way uptown, we stopped to find Caffe 817 for their pastrami sandwich. Unfortunately, I was not ready for a pastrami sandwich (my stomach needed a rest). The alternative? Sausage. Duh. We ended up sharing an andouille sausage sandwich at Rosamunde Sausage Grill (yes, in retrospect, we could have shared a pastrami sandwich at Cafe 817, but when it comes to pastrami sandwiches, I'm a pig that doesn't share, so...).

As Kimmie and I disagree on what we like on our sausages, the person taking our order suggested we get our toppings on the side. Armed with a bit of brown mustard and warm sauerkraut (I don't remember seeing on the menu board that the sauerkraut would be warm; I like mine cold to contrast the warm sausage), I bit in. It wasn't like any andouille sausage I've had, packaged or fresh. It was rather mealy and missing that smokiness I'm familiar with in andouille sausage. And I don't recall liking the bread very much. The texture was stale, which can happen when bread is only slightly toasted. While my half sandwich did make do, I didn't do that thing I do when I bite into a really good sausage sandwich: salivate for more, regardless if I'm full or not. But, since we only had half the experience, I would go back and try a full sandwich.

Albacore amuse-bouche
with paired sake
from Ozumo

We made our way uptown because our last stop was dinner at Hawker Fare, where the plan was to get the pork belly rice bowl. But, since they opened at 5:00 PM, we needed to do something else for at least 45 minutes. So, we found Ozumo on Broadway.

I love that place.

I joked with Kimmie and one of the bartenders that I should move to Oakland just to work there (a prerequisite is that I have to love to drink. Again, duh...). It was happy hour, and the bartender's choice of cold sake was $6.00. Yes, please. I received three shots of different sake from three different bartenders. And, to compare pork belly preparations, we ordered the pork belly kushi-yaki (skewered and grilled pork belly).

Pork belly kushi-yaki
from Ozumo

Before our pork belly arrived, they brought out, on the house, an albacore amuse-bouche - albacore with a light cream sauce and microgreen (the specific name escapes me), atop a cracker - and a fourth sake shot that one of the bartenders, based on my comments so far, thought I would like. And I did. Plus, I really appreciate this gesture; I think it was their way of appreciating my enthusiasm for their establishment, especially being from out of town. Who knows? Regardless, I thank them.

There was one sake given to me that wasn't really to my normal tastes because of how sweet it was, but it paired really, really well with the pork belly, which was lightly sauced in miso and was pretty salty and fatty. The pairing made sense, of course, as the salt and fat cut through the sweet, evening out the sake, and the sweet cut through the salt and fat, evening out the pork belly. A mutually beneficial relationship if there ever were one.

Thai-inspired beef tartare
from Hawker Fare

Pork belly dinner bowl from Hawker Fare

We left for Hawker Fare on Webster Street - reluctantly, because, though I wanted that pork belly rice bowl, I wanted to stay and indulge myself at Ozumo. But the move was fine, because the Thai-inspired tartare, sticky rice, and our respective pork belly bowls were delicious. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get the pork belly rice bowl. Apparently, that's a lunchtime thing. Rice was ordered separately.


The tartare was zesty, spicy, light, and delicious. Eaten with the sticky rice and basil leaves, it was a very refreshing dish.

The pork belly was fatty and savory. Very satisfying - at first. My only gripe being that it was served in some sort of fake clay bowl that was not heated. As such, the dish began to cool as we ate, thus drying out the meat. While still tasty, that loss of heat didn't do the texture or flavor any favors.


Kimmie wanted something light for dessert. We looked around the area and nothing tempted us... except returning to Ozumo for their peach cheesecake with buttered walnut crust, drizzled caramel underneath and a bright, peach sherbet on the side. This, along with more sake (of course), was a great way to end a day of food. The cheesecake was creamy and not in any way heavy. The sherbet, being cold and tart, was a good palate cleanser.

Peach cheesecake with buttered walnut crust
from Ozumo

I think it's obvious of me to say that, food-wise, Ozumo was the highlight of the tour.


But there are other highlights that are just as, if not more, important.

I highly recommend doing a walking food tour with a friend. First, you get to know the area a bit better, provided you're stopping at places you've never been, especially if it's a city you don't spend a lot of time in. The whole point is to explore, to take your time and see things and stop into places you wouldn't normally visit because you're too busy heading towards your intended destination. Maybe you'll see a shop you've never been in. Maybe you'll make an impromptu stop inside an eatery you didn't plan on patronizing. You'll spend some time amongst the crowd and get a sense of the people of the city.

Second, walking to every restaurant will make you earn your food. I mean, if you're going to spend the entire day eating, at least burn some calories.

Third, it takes you out of your food comfort zone. Most of us have our favorite places to eat. When we go out and spend money on food, we generally go someplace we know we like. Once in a while we try a new place, but all the times in between it's a safe bet most of us choose a familiar restaurant, knowing our money won't be wasted. A walking food tour is a great way to hit a bunch of new places you've never tried, and hopefully you'll be game for new foods, as well.

Finally, a walking food tour is a great way to spend time with a friend. I don't get to see Kimmie very often. We live in different cities. Facebook, email, text, phone - these are all means of remote communication, but there is nothing like having face time (no pun intended, for you Apple folks) with someone you actually like. Setting aside an entire day to leisurely walk around the city, taking the time to linger here and there, going from one place to eat to another, talking the entire time... this is a great way to catch up. They say food brings people together, and this is one way of having that happen. Share some food with a friend. Go on a walking food tour.

(Plus, sharing will keep you from overeating)

Afraid you'll run out of things to say? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's not going to happen. First, if you're eating tons of food, you can talk about the food. If you're exploring the city, the places you visit are instant conversation fodder. Plus, as you continue your walk through the city, anything and everything that happens to you that day will spark an idea for a conversation topic.

Of course, you'll have to pick someone you can spend a long period of time with. Surely, we all know such a person, yes?

(Photos courtesy of Kimmie Yee. Check out her Yelp reviews)

Adamo's Kitchen

Adamo’s is a small eatery on P St. in Midtown Sacramento that specializes mostly in Italian-American fare. They have a small menu that has a wide appeal, featuring plenty of pastas and sandwiches, with a few non-Italian inspired dishes here and there. Because it’s a casual bistro, these non-Italian items - burgers, chicken and waffles, pulled pork sandwich - don’t seem out of place but instead comfortably fit right in.

I've had take-out from Adamo's twice now, once for a burger and once for the grilled chicken pesto sandwich. The worst thing I have to say about the place is that it's overpriced by a dollar or two in terms of portion but pretty spot on in terms of quality.

But that really is the worst thing I have to say. So let's get the portion value out of the way, first.

The burger is listed at $10 for a 1/3 lb patty. At Nationwide Freezer Meats, you can get a double French ground steak cheeseburger - two 1/3 lb patties - for about the same price, give or take (I forget the actual current price. Sorry, folks). Comparatively, at Burger's And Brew, the 1/2 lb cheeseburger is about $7.50 while the double (1 lb!) is $9.95. Adamo's burger comes with fries - as do all sandwiches (unless you want a salad),, so there's slightly added portion value, except that potatoes are cheap. However, these fries are quite excellently prepared... but more on that later. At Nationwide, you do have to spring for a side separately, so you're spending more in that regard. Fries come with the burger at Burgers And Brew. So, if the burger is your main objective, Adamo's is on the more expensive side, pound for pound.

One look at the grilled chicken pesto sandwich and you’ll think, "Well… that's small." It looked the size of a La Bou sandwich made on a baguette: fairly short and narrow. And this thing is $10.50. Specialty sandwiches at La Bou are significantly cheaper. This isn’t to say it didn't look delicious, but its small size is one of the very first things I noticed.

Now, keep in mind that all of the above pertains to price value of the portion size. I do NOT think food is all about portion. But, it is something to keep in mind because you always want to feel like you've eaten just enough and that you've paid accordingly.

That said, I now move on to the quality of the food. How is it?

Pretty damn tasty. The expense is definitely for the quality.

It's been a while since I had that burger, but I recall a soft, tasty, warm burger. It wasn't hearty like a Nationwide burger. It was more of a gourmet burger that was crafted rather than stacked together, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Different styles of burgers, like any other food, fit different types of moods. I don't remember thinking that it was that fun to eat, but that’s probably because I was most likely not in the mood for that particular style of burger; it’s well-crafted style is more subtle than robust. That certainly wouldn't stop me from ordering it again.

I just recently had the grilled chicken sandwich, and boy... it's great. The combination of the pesto with the bruschetta-style tomatoes, and that chewy, firm bread... delicious. The sliced chicken breast was cooked all the way through without being too dry. In fact, it was quite tender and enjoyable to eat, unlike some chicken breast that's cooked so dry you might as well be eating bricks of desert sand. The sandwich, overall, was salty and bright at the same time.

My first bite into the sandwich, I thought, "I'll be finishing each half of this in like 5 bites each." Nope. It took longer to eat than expected. Of course, the accompanying fries did help slow me down, but the sandwich itself is deceptive in its portion. It was so tasty I actually wanted to take slightly smaller bites just so I could make it last longer. I have since craved it and have been tempted to return for it more often than I should.

Oh, and those fries. Those great French fries. I'm a shoestring fry type of guy. Anything larger, like a thick cut fry, had better be super crispy on the outside. And Adamo's did not disappoint. One look at them upon opening my to-go box and I could tell they were going to be good. They were a nice, dark golden brown. Inside was warm and soft, not mushy. They did these fries right. Not heavy on the salt, but maybe could have used a pinch more. After all, they are thick cut fries and something's got to counter the potato blandness of the insides, right? Well, the side of aioli helped a lot. A hint of garlic without being over-powering, creamy without being heavy... There wasn't enough of it. Adamo’s gives you quite a good amount of fries, and perhaps a less indulgent person could have made the aioli last, but I was left with a few fries that would have to be eaten solo, sans aioli.

While I haven't eaten in yet, Adamo's features a small, cozy bar and dining area, and a warm ambience and decor that contrasts its outside surroundings - a laundromat, liquor mart, tattoo parlor... Stepping inside transports you to a nice, comfortable, inviting place to sit, eat, and have a drink. Customer service has always been very friendly and conversational.

The verdict?

	I only eat here. Only here.
	Must... control... spending... money...
	I gotta be a regular here.
	Maybe if there's nowhere else to go.
	I'd rather eat at the quick mart a couple doors over.

Adamo’s earns 4 out of 5 stars for me. I do wish the prices were a little lower, but the quality of the food is good enough where I really can’t complain about them. I just need to be more choosy about when I go, lest I become broke as a result of giving in to my food cravings. I'm looking forward to making time to eat in, enjoy the place, and even have a drink.

Adamo's Kitchen

2107 P Street

Sacramento, CA 95816 

916-440-9611

http://www.adamoskitchen.com/

Bacon and Butter - Sacramento, CA

I don't know if brunch is a trend, if it's something you get into as you get older, or just the idea of a late breakfast on a weekend morning is appealing.  Maybe it's the latter: you sleep in a bit, you're hungry and can't wait until lunch, so brunch it is.

Whatever the case, I'm a fan of the meal.  In Sacramento, there are more than enough choices: Tower Cafe, The Porch, Fox and Goose, 33rd Street Bistro... and being someone that is always on the lookout for a great place to eat, and always game to try something new, a friend and I decided to try a place I'd never visited but she'd been to before...

...and had been rather disappointed.

I wasn't sure what to think about Bacon and Butter, a brunch and lunch place on 21st in Midtown Sacramento.  My friend was disappointed with her last visit, but I'd also heard claims of deliciousness from others.  I'd also heard negative comments about their service; a couple friends ended up walking out because no one had visited their table once they'd been seated.

I would now find out for myself.

It was starting to get busy when we arrived.  The dining area is pretty sizable and includes a dining counter.  It's a hip little joint that kind of reminds me of what you'd find in a trendy diner in the Bay Area.  I guess this means that the decor and vibe of Bacon and Butter are pretty contemporary.  It's an inviting and casual enough place.

The menu is pretty simple, which I like.  Too many choices makes me take forever to decide what to eat.  I decided to order the Steak and Fries, which comes with two eggs (ordered over medium), and "smashed" fries, with French onion gravy on the steak.

Whenever someone asks how I want my beef cooked I always check to see if the server knows where the beef is from.  This accomplishes a few things: 1) I'm just curious, so I want to know, 2) I get to see how informed the servers are about the food they serve, and 3) if the beef is from a reliable source (ie. a known name ranch, from which I can assume the quality of the meat will be top-notch) I will order it medium rare.  The server didn't know but did assure me they served quality beef, so I ordered medium rare.  After taking our order, he took it upon himself to go ask where beef was from and upon his return informed me that it was from a ranch in Iowa (I forget the name.  Bad, Phillip).  He very quickly ran through a short list of why they chose the ranch they use - something about a low carbon footprint - and I accepted his answer.

Which leads me to this: Bacon and Butter makes a point of saying they rely heavily on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, very California farm-to-table.  I have no doubt that this is true for much of their product.  But I also have no problem with eating non-local foods.  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  I don't think you always have to eat local foods, depending on what you want to eat (that's a whole other discussion).  And I know that Bacon and Butter never said they only use ingredients from California.  But perhaps if they're going promote and make a big deal of their use of California-sourced ingredients, they should also be transparent about the other ingredients they use, especially a main ingredient like beef.  After all, there are plenty of high-quality cattle ranches in California, which they did not choose.

I figure this: You're proud to use local ingredients and be farm-to-fork, and that's great. Shouldn't you then be proud of all of your food sources?  Hell, you want to get beef from Iowa because you really, really, really believe in what a particular ranch is doing and you love the quality of their product?  Great!  Awesome!  But to leave that out and only promote your use of California-grown foods is just marketing and not transparency about your food to your customers.

But I digress.

Everything was delicious.  Well-seasoned, sizable portions.  The "smashed fries" were just fingerling potatoes that looked to be, well, fried.  And they were some of the best fingerling potatoes I've had for breakfast: crispy and not overcooked (you know how it is, getting potatoes cooked to the point where the flesh is too soft and mealy).  The French onion gravy was slightly sweet and was a nice counterpoint to the salty meat and fries.

That said, I do have a few nitpicky negatives.

First, they cut my steak.  My first thought was a joke/comment one of my culinary school teachers made: "I'm not a child.  I want to cut my own steak."  Yes, that's a preference.  But more importantly, cutting my steak before serving means means the slices cool faster.  This was verified by my first bite: a single slice had already cooled.  Luckily, the rest was very warm, thanks to the eggs sitting on top.  Speaking of eggs, I had to cut my slices of beef anyway so I could eat them with eggs, so why slice it for me?

Second, the steak was cooked to slightly over medium rare to the point where there was no pink.  Now, this in no way made the beef tough to eat.  It was still very tender and it was damn delicious.

Third, the eggs were cooked over easy, not over medium.  Again, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the meal.  The eggs were tasty.

So why even mention these negatives if they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the food?  Aside from writing from a standpoint of delivering a well-rounded assessment?

Well, some people really care about this stuff to the point of sending the plate back (I did not).  Also, I figure, with this caliber of a restaurant the price of $15.50 for steak and eggs kind of make the small technical things like these stick out.  Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm okay with that.  And cooking is hard.  Cooking on the line is hard.  I know this first hand.  The cooks are doing their best to put out high quality food at a rapid rate to get their tickets done.  So it's easy for me to sit at my table and notice these small things.  But it's also easy for the price of a meal to make me notice these small things.

Oh, and the bed of arugula upon which our side of bacon sat?  Unnecessary.  It didn't make the plate look any better and it was kind of a waste of food (yeah, we could've eaten the dry, undressed arugula, but it just didn't belong as part of the meal).

Lastly, there was a small problem with the check; they almost over-charged me by 50 cents.  Yes, 50 cents.  A minuscule amount, to be sure, but it shows a lack of attention to detail.

Again, these are nitpicky things.  That said, I'm going to end this review on a positive note:

The food was freaking delicious.

You should absolutely eat here.  I didn't experience any customer service problems, so perhaps I was lucky in that regard.  Our server was friendly and helpful and made us feel welcome.  What he didn't know he went to find out.  The food came relatively quickly for how full the dining room was.  The ingredients were top-notch, prepared well, seasoned well, and I enjoyed the hell out of my brunch.  Whatever teeny, tiny mistakes were made were overshadowed by the fact that I had a delicious meal.

	I will go nowhere else for brunch.
	This makes the shortlist.
	Better than "hm... not bad," worse than "ermahgerd nom nom."
	Meh.  Just... meh.
	Why did I eat here?

Let's give Bacon and Butter 4 stars for now.  I will return.  Hopefully I will have the same service experience and taste the same delightful food as during my first visit.  As long as they take great ingredients and focus on preparing them in a mouth-watering manner, I'll be back.

Bacon and Butter

1119 21st St.

Sacramento, CA 95816

916-346-4445

www.baconandbuttersac.com

My Fascination With Sushi, And What's Wrong With America

Those that know me know I love sushi.

Sushi is a fascinating food.  The concept of sushi is such a complex one built on top of a food that is so simple.  It is about beauty, precision, and extracting flavors out a few ingredients that have been treated with love and respect towards the best ingredients.

And this is why I'm so disappointed with much of how we do things in America.

(To be fair, I've never lived in Japan, so I can't tell you what's wrong with Japan).

Proper sushi takes time to learn.  It requires dedication to perfection.  Merely getting the job done isn't good enough, and yet I've seen it happen in so many sushi restaurants that it becomes more difficult to be polite:

"Oh, you want to go there?"

*apprehensive look*

"This other place is better."

*apprehensive look*

"Mmmmmmmmokay.  I guess so."

It has nothing to do with snobbery.  It's about standards.  It's about respect.  It's about love for the craft.

It can take years to learn how to make proper sushi rice.  Celebrity chef Ming Tsai spent a year in Japan just learning sushi rice (su-meshi).  It's about the proper texture; the right stickiness; the right balance of vinegar to sugar to salt in the seasoning; the right way to cool the rice; the best way to keep the rice at serving temperature.  And this is just about the rice, mind you; I haven't even touched on the skill it takes to make maki (rolls) or nigiri, or the skills and knowledge required to properly prep the individual ingredients.  How do you prepare octopus?  How do you cook the eggs?  How do you season the fish?  How can you tell the quality of the fish simply by looking, smelling, and touching?

All of these things go into making sushi.  The lower the skill, the lesser the knowledge, the lesser the quality of ingredients, and the sushi becomes less.

I recently visited a Mikuni here in Sacramento.  I hadn't been to a Mikuni in years.  When I was younger I used to love the restaurant because of all the crazy rolls, the quality of the fish (they do use quality fish), the mix of ingredients, and those sushi boats... oh, those sushi boats.  Those huge platforms of sushi, lined up in mouth-watering rows like those poor, poor rowmen in the days of old.

But during my recent visit all I saw was poor, poor execution.

Quality ingredients are just a part of good sushi.  The other parts are good preparation and good execution.  So while their fish is good, the execution, at least from the chef we were seated before, was sloppy.  I'll admit, he knew how to slice fish.  Roll construction, however, was subpar.  Layering ingredients over the top must look good before you shape.  Slicing rolls haphazardly, resulting in different sizes, is not beautiful.  Loads and loads of creamed avocado underneath slices of salmon is a waste and appears gluttonous.  And, though most likely not his fault, the rice was average.  Very average.

When I asked where he'd learned sushi, he said that after spending a year as a dishwasher he was asked if he wanted to learn sushi.  He spent some time learning prep and then was thrown on the line.

In America, at least, getting "thrown in the fire" to force cooks to learn fast is how things are done.  From what I've experienced, seen, and read, it's that way in most restaurants where they use the "French hierarchy system", though there are always exceptions.  It's understandable.  It's a long-standing practice.  The restaurant business is very high cost/low returns so restaurateurs rely on volume of sales to turn a profit.  There is just no time to waste time on taking time.  I experienced this first hand during my short-lived time as a line cook.  It's a demanding job.  And yet the best of them turn out tasty, well-crafted food.  The system does work.

I've experienced learning sushi basics in a very good restaurant run in this very manner; it was fast and hard.  It was my lack of experience and probably an internal perspective on food I may have not let surface that made it difficult to pick up learning as quickly as I wanted.  I felt out of place.  I didn't feel right.  I wanted to be as good as the chef, but I just wasn't fast enough.

When I saw Jiro Dreams Of Sushi, I saw something different.  The kitchen during prep was not chaotic.  It was not hurried.  It was calm but still had a sense of intent and purpose.  Everyone was doing a job and was set on doing their job correctly.  There are stages of learning and the next stage isn't begun until the previous stage is complete.  The focus is on the skill and the perfection of skill rather than the expedience of learning - not to say that these cooks are slow to learn.  There is an obvious work ethic.  These cooks  - at least the ones that stay and commit - train intensely for 10 years before they move on.

While I can't tell you where, for example, the cooks at Akebono on Freeport Blvd. here in Sacramento trained, it's obvious that the restaurant as a whole has a standard.  A high standard.  There are knowledgeable people making your sushi.  When you look at their sushi, it is well-crafted.  It is simple, appetizing, and made with care.  There is craftsmanship behind the sushi bar.  And they're still doing it quickly, getting plates of food out as fast as they can to western diners, all without sacrificing quality.  This is the opposite of what I experienced at Mikuni.

I'm not suggesting that American kitchens run their establishments differently.  The standard system works, but it works in context; in a high cost/low return business, volume is necessary, and with high volume comes the need for speed.  I get that.  And there's plenty of good, well-crafted food that gets delivered under this system.

But not everything needs to be like that.  It's about context.  There's a difference between slamming product out like a machine and taking the time to properly study the craft in order to hone the skills.  These are examples of two different approaches to any single subject.  And it's not just in food.  In much of our everyday life we see the former but not the latter.

Customers want their stuff now, now, now.  They want to pay less for something despite the fact that a lower price might mean lower quality.  Convenience takes precedence over craftsmanship.  It's quantity over quality.

Our lives are fast-paced.  General standards are low.  How often do we accept horribly constructed music, badly crafted film, sloppy hamburgers, cheaply made products... all because that's what is available or because the price is low?  Or both?

Sushi is simple, yet so much work goes into proper preparation and execution.  It's about love of the parts and assembling the whole with the same kind of love.  It takes knowledge, dedication, precision, and time.  It cannot be mastered in mere months.  You might be able to assemble a roll, but is it perfect?  Or is it sloppy?  Is it appetizing?  Or will it suffice because it's done?  How many things in your life suffice just because it's done, whether by you or someone else?

Sushi done properly is better.  It doesn't just look better.  It feels better.  It tastes better.  It's a better experience.  Why anyone would deface such a food with shoddy craftsmanship is astonishing to me, even though, on a rational level, I know that the real motivation behind slam-bam-here's-your-sushi is money.

And that saddens me.  It saddens me that the chefs who make such sushi don't demand more of their customers, that they don't care more about what their customers are experiencing.  It's a shame that customers don't demand more of their food, more of their chefs.

It's a shame that this line of acceptance is prevalent in so many other areas of life.  On the whole, we don't demand higher standards; we're too eager to accept what we're being given.  And what it comes down to isn't necessarily a matter of taste; I appreciate low-brow comedy, grungy garage rock, and fast food (yes I do).  But there's a difference between a low-brow comedy that was thrown together and badly acted and one that was well-crafted and well played.  There's a difference between musicians that can't play their instruments and musicians that play well and hard but choose simplicity.  There's a difference between a crappy hamburger patty slapped in between two buns and a burger that was carefully constructed yet done so in under a minute.

It isn't just consumers, either.  Think about our current television culture.  M*A*S*H didn't do very well at the start but started to pick up popularity in reruns.  Seinfeld do didn't well in the beginning, either, but had a good time slot and was allowed to develop.  M*A*S*H went on to be one of TV's greatest shows.  Seinfeld is now a seminal part of modern American pop culture and is a large contributor to our lexicon.  Both shows were given a chance despite slow beginnings.  They were given a chance to develop and find an audience.  Both had runs that lasted many years.

Today - and for the past, what, ten years - if it isn't an instant success, a television show has a much lower chance of staying on the air, no matter how good it is.  Recent examples from the last 10 years or so: Wonderfalls, Firefly, Go On... all shows that were well-received, either critically or by their audiences (big or small) at the time, but then cancelled either mid-season or after one season.  They weren't allowed to develop or grow an audience save for a single season or less.

Then there's the case of The Tonight Show With Conan O-Brien, where Conan was let go before he completed a full season.  There was a ratings drop after he took over for Jay Leno.  To make a long story short, NBC gave The Tonight Show back to Leno and released Conan from his contract.  Nevermind that Conan O'Brien was a completely different type of host than Leno, catered to a much different audience, and therefore needed time to grow into the new role and build his audience, something he wasn't allowed to do.

Times have changed.  Results are expected to come faster.  Patience is a rare commodity in both consumerism and business.  Companies try to schedule releases of products to beat other, similar products released by other companies.  Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's XBox are examples of this.  Both companies know that, with consumer impatience, the first to be released will have a greater chance of being adopted early.  While early Playstation 3 machines did have a few bugs, as is normal with first releases, the XBox 360 machines were riddled with way more problems.

The thing is, time, craft, and context is lost on much of America.  Few people want to take the time to learn anything or to wait for anything.  We want more and more and want it faster and faster.  A fast accomplishment is seen as a positive trait in business but patient, methodical action with fantastic results is just seen as too slow.  Multitasking is the order of the day whereas focusing on the task at hand is seen as negative because you're neglecting something else.

Context plays a huge part in this.  It is certainly possible to accomplish something relatively quickly with great results.  But does quick need to be applied to everything?  There are some things that need more time than others.  Sometimes more emphasis should be put on learning skills and technique rather than the speed at which something can be done.  It's about context: What are the goals?  What are you trying to do?

Are you trying to put out crappy sushi?  Because if so, your goal should be to breeze through learning basic knife skills, haphazardly apply them to your ingredients, and quickly stick the food on a plate.  In that context, you will certainly accomplish your goals.

Elaine Corn Is Cool And Knows Some Things

Elaine Corn used to be a neighbor of mine.  She's kooky, funny, and - oh yeah - she's an authoritative local food writer in Sacramento.

Recently, she posted this commentary on some food business annoyances that I thought were good points, ranging from the ridiculous volume levels in restaurants, grocery store layouts and merchandising, the stupid gluten-free trend, organic farming being the original conventional farming, and Michael Pollan.

It's a good read.  You should read it, too.

Why Biba Restaurant Is Out Of Date, And Why It's Wonderful

Whenever my friend and I walk into Biba, a high-end Italian restaurant in Sacramento, we feel like a couple of the youngest - if not the youngest - people in the place.  And we often feel a whole lot less, uh, "economically fortunate".  We dress nicely, as most of the diners do here, but it's easy to tell that money isn't as much of a problem for many of the guests here, even among some of the younger folks - again, of which there are only few.

But that feeling of having saved up just to eat here quickly subsides as everyone in the restaurant welcomes you.

The decor is less than trendy.  It's not trendy at all.  There's a live piano player in the lobby/bar area that looks like a cocktail lounge from a movie.  The main dining room is bright with a few cushioned benches in the middle with vertically-striped upholstery, wall-to-wall decorative carpet, and a ceiling rife with molded beams.  It is certainly no time machine; I've been in places that have a much older vibe, but one step into Biba and you can tell that it is a place of class that isn't really found much anymore.

Biba's main dining room.

Most higher-end restaurants have a streamlined look; the hardwood floors, an emphasis on simple-yet-stylish furniture, maybe something just a little odd, like in the case of Ella's window shutter ceiling - something that is just a little unexpected that contrasts with the otherwise clean look.  The lighting is often a little dim - "mood lighting", I believe it's called, yes?

But I'm okay with Biba not being a trendy-looking place.  And it's not just because the food is outstanding (it is.  Never had a bad meal there, and worth every penny).  Something about the look, the vibe, is just very... pleasant.

When you walk up, it looks like a German tavern.  That's because it used to be one.  Biba is housed in the Old Tavern Building, and they never changed the exterior.

And then you enter.

In the hubbub of our frantic, action-oriented, noisy life, it's nice to be able to go to a restaurant that isn't frantic, action-oriented, and noisy.  Not that Biba is a library, but the atmosphere is much more relaxed, much more formal, and therefore has a much quieter environment than many of the more trendy places to eat.  When you enter Biba, you exit real life and step into an environment where you seem... elevated.  Important.  Catered to.  It would be pampering if they gave you foot rubs in rose water (not in a restaurant, please).  I mean, they crumb your table with spoons.  Who does that anymore?  It seems like a luxury to be there.  That's the type of environment it is.

I like that.  I like that the place isn't really contemporary.  If Biba Restaurant became more trendy, it just wouldn't feel different from the rest.  It wouldn't feel special.  There's a dated charm that comes with the restaurant, but in a good way.

I'm not sure when Biba last had an interior makeover, or even a freshening-up.  But it is one of the few restaurants where class meets quiet and upscale meets happiness.

Now if only people wouldn't show up in printed T-shirts, it'd be even better.

Biba Restaurant

2801 Capitol Avenue

Sacramento, CA 95816

916-455-0542

www.biba-restaurant.com

Tapa The World - Sacramento, CA

I'm 36 years old, have lived in Sacramento all my life thus far, and had never been to Tapa The World.

Until recently.

I had no expectations, thanks to the bipolarity of the opinions of some people I know; some like the place very much, some think it's overrated.  The only things I did know is that I'd never been, I wanted a drink, and I wanted small portions of food.  For the uninitiated, tapas are basically Spanish small plates - small portions of food that is shared at the table.  Thus, Tapa The World met my food criteria.  Oh, and there's a bar, too.  Drink criteria: met.

For those in my position, it's a very cozy place.  It's dim and festive with a relative small number of tables inside.  And the tables for two are... small.  To put it nicely.  With a glass of water each for my dining companion and me, a basket of bread, two menus, and a drink list, the table was already out of space for our incoming glasses of wine and eventual dishes.

Our server was nice.  Bonus points to her for recommending a very, very enjoyable glass of white wine based on my tastes (a verdot)... I know nothing about Spanish wines.

Then the food came, which meant less room on the table.  We ordered one plate at a time, which was a wise decision, although I did end up ordering the dipping sauce for the bread - extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic - because while the bread was decent, it was missing... pizzazz.  Good texture but definitely meant to be dipped.  I will note that this is the first I've experienced where such a basic dipping sauce needed to be ordered.  Still, it made my bread happy.

I noticed that, for a restaurant the specializes in tapas (I mean, it's in the name), the tapas menu itself is small.  The tapas themselves make up just under half of the menu.  Everything else consists of salads and entrees.  On one hand, that was a little disappointing.  On the other hand, more tapas means larger menu which means making it harder on kitchen.  On the whole, there were plenty of tapas to choose from... kind of.  My dining companion for the evening did not want to eat certain things, so, wanting to share, I did not order any shellfish.  I'll return for those at a later day.

First, the Croquetas del Dia, that night made with beef and kalamata olives.  Creamy.  "How's that, you say?"  Yeah, I know.  Looking at the ground beef filling, you'd never guess that it had a creamy texture, but it did.  There was no visual sign of kalamata olives, nor a real presence in the flavor; I can only imagine that a very fine mine or puree was used.  In any case, with the aioli, these Croquetas were delicious.

I was tempted to order more, but next we'd decided on the Pinchos Morunos - skewered Kurobuta pork seasoned with cumin, pimenton, chilies, drizzled with garlic aioli.  Dark and flavorful on the outside, the first bite is at once pleasant and confusing, until you realize there's no reason to be confused.  The meat seemed dry at first but it really wasn't.  It was tender.  Tender, delicious, and delicious.

Finally, the Calamares Fritos - essentially, fried calamari.  I had hoped for something more than just breaded, fried rings, but that's what was on the plate.  Upon first glance I was disappointed.  I unjustly wanted fried calamari prepared in a way I'd not had before, but at it's most fundamental, fried and breaded calamari is simply fried and breaded calamari.  The rest is the seasoning and accompanying sauce.

It was the most tender fried calamari I can remember having.  Soft, with very little bite, each fried ring begat a need for another bite.

There were some odd things on the menu, most notably the day's empanadas with curried beef.  That's not Spanish.  Of course, the menu does say they feature traditional Spanish tapas along with chef creations, which use ingredients from around the world.  On some level, I like that.  There's nothing wrong with fusing other cuisines with a base cuisine.  On the other hand, I really just wanted Spanish food.  Tapas.  I don't get tapas very often, and there are only a couple of restaurants in Sacramento that feature tapas as a main attraction.  When I want tapas, I want Spanish food.  But, it's not necessary to take marks off for that.

	I was transported to Spain.
	I wanted to keep eating, but the table was too small.
	Damn good... but if it weren't for this and that...
	It was alright.  I mean, yeah... it was alright.
	I still don't know what tapas are, and this place didn't help.

I think Tapa The World is worth 4 stars.  There's no denying that the food is delicious and the ambience is quite nice.  The service is friendly and prompt.  But I was admittedly surprised by how large the menu was overall but how little space the tapas occupied.  Plus, those are some pretty small tables for two.  No matter.  I shall return for the quality of the food.

Tapa The World

2115 J St.

Sacramento, CA 95816

916-442-4353

www.tapatheworld.com