OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: VIK'S AT BERKELEY, CA

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: VIK'S AT BERKELEY, CA

Recently we had lunch at Vik's -a popular eating place on 4th Street in Berkeley, Ca. Vik's Chaat  has been around for long. Adjacent to the restaurant is a grocery store which the elderly lady at the counter told us proudly was started over 40 years ago. The person behind this venture is Mr Amod Chopra who came to the US in the 1980s from present day Mumbai ( then called Bombay). 

The business started in smaller rented premises in a warehouse back in the day and they moved as they prospered. The shift to the present and more spacious location took place in 2009.  You do get good stuff in the grocery store. I am sure the lady at the store is right when she says this is the best place for Indian groceries in the East Bay Area.

Let me share our experience at Vik's. Firstly there is ample place to park so that's not an issue. Secondly, you get the choice of eating indoors or outdoors. We went on a Friday so the restaurant wasn't that crowded. We could quite easily get a table of our choice. The decor and furniture is functional. Nothing fancy here. 

However, I was told that it is tough to get a table during the weekends when most people visit Vik's.  Of course, not everyone eats here. A large section of their clients order "take outs"so that they don't waste time waiting for a place to sit . They can take the food home or elsewhere and eat it at their leisure.

While we ate I noticed they had a streamlined system. You first placed your order and paid for it. There were different sections for Dosa, Chaat etc, probably six in all. When your order was ready, the staff would call out your name and you would then go and get the food you ordered. I don't think there is any concept of reserving a table here. It works on a first come first served kind of system. . 

We noticed there were three options for the Indian Thali. Two had vegetarian side dishes to supplement the main dishes in the thali which are rice and roti. The third - which we opted for - had Mangalorean style Chicken Curry. Each thali had a portion of rice, one roti, boondi raitha, (a  curd-based salad with fried gram flour balls) ,  Imli (Tamarind) Chutney, Chole (a North Indian dish made with  chickpeas and spices),  pappad, and the chicken curry,  of course.

We enjoyed the chicken curry. The size of the helpings was just right.  My husband's cousin who took us to Vik's had Masala Dosa served with sambar and chutney, which he said was very tasty. 

We also shared a plate of Sev Puri which was quite delicious! 

Along with our meal, we had cool refreshing Salted Lassi and Rose Lassi which complemented the food.

On our way out, we bought some samosas for the evening. This came with usual accompaniments of imli chutney and green chutney. 

Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at Vik's Chaat. If you happen to be in the area, do try it out for yourself. 

PEET'S COFFEE: BERKELEY, CA

 PEET'S COFFEE: BERKELEY, CA

Some years ago, during one of our earliest trips to San Francisco, we took a bus wanting to visit Chinatown. We had, in those days, a Clipper Pass which enabled you to go by bus, BART, ferry on any route. We were too distracted talking about something or the other and we ended up in Fishermen's Wharf. After walking for a long time admiring the sights around us, we yearned for a hot cup of coffee. That's when we saw Peet's Coffee on Jefferson Street. We loved the fresh brewed coffee there and that was our  introduction to Peet's Coffee.

Later,  when we visited San Diego our relative, an aficionado  of coffees (  and one who would typically drive miles only to haunt a particular Peets)  took us to his favourite Peet's near his house. Here too we enjoyed the rich brew of the dark roasted coffee. 

With this as background, you can imagine our delight when in our current vacation in Oakland, Ca  we got to visit the first ever Peet's Coffee shop! Tommy told us one day that he would take us to a place in Berkeley that we would find interesting. We parked the car and walked to the corner of Vine and Walnut near UC Berkeley and there we were- in the very place that Alfred Peet founded the firm way back in 1966. 

It wasn't a coffee shop as we know it- when it first started. It sold roasted coffee beans and soon it became so well known that Peet came to be called "the Godfather of Gourmet Coffee" in the United States. A man of Dutch origin in the coffee trade for years, he had then reportedly said, " I came to the richest country in the world, so why are they drinking the lousiest coffee?" 

We got a sense of history in this charming place. It was fascinating to see an old world museum here of memorabilia  and interesting snippets about how the Peets chain of stores- started right here - grew to have  over 200 locations all over the United States.

Interestingly, the three University of San Francisco students who started Starbucks as young entrepreneurs in Seattle in 1971 were mentored by Alfred Peet himself. 

In due course of time Alfred Peet sold his original business -in 1979 though he remained connected with the world of coffee trading and brewing. Peet's changed hands a few times after that retaining its original name. Ironically, today it is owned by Starbucks, the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world, whose founders were guided by Alfred Peets himself! 

For more on the various types of coffee and the numerous ways of drinking it, do check out the blog in Peet's. Very interesting and informative! 

RICE KRISPIE TREATS: GUEST POST BY KATIE HAYES

 RICE KRISPIE TREATS: GUEST POST BY KATIE HAYES

As you know, we are visiting the United States on vacation and enjoying our stay in Oakland, Ca. Recently, we invited our friends Peter and Katie Hayes over and Katie brought for us her home made Rice Krispie Treats. This was something we were tasting for the first time.! They were so delicious that I requested her to share her recipe as a guest post in my blog. 

While these Rice Krispie Treats can be made with any rice cereal, the product is traditionally associated with Kellogg's, the US food products giant which had 2022 sales of $15 .3 billion through their products like breakfast cereals, snacks, frozen foods and noodles. It was interesting for me to find out that the history of Kelloggs' Rice Krispies goes way back to 1928! 

Readers in India will be glad to know that Kelloggs Rice Krispies are available in India from Amazon.in In making the Rice Krispie Treats, do remember that in the US, 1 cup is equal to 240 ml. 

When I complimented Katie on these yummy treats, she said , ''These are not particularly nutritious but the texture, the crunch, the chew and the sweetness is a treat.  Enjoy! "

Thank you, Katie for those yummy Rice Krispie Treats and for sharing your recipe as a guest post in my blog. 

Ingredients:-

• Butter, 3 tbsp
• Marshmallows, large-sized , 40 OR Mini Marshmallows, 5 and 1/2 cups 
• Rice Krispies Cereal, 6 cups ( Kelloggs or generic brand)
• Chocolate Chips, 2 cups 

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat, add marshmellows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat
2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated 
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 13" x 9 "x  2 " pan coated with cooking spray or butter
4. You may choose to add a layer of chocolate.  For this, melt 2 cups of chocolate chips ( dark chocolate, semi- sweet chocolate or milk chocolate) in a small saucepan over low heat. Do not scorch. Stir constantly and then immediately pour over Rice Krispie Treats
5. Using a knife or spatula, spread the chocolate over the entire pan 
6. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes
7. Cut into squares. Enjoy!!

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: THE LAZY BEAR, SAN FRANCISCO

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: THE LAZY BEAR, SAN FRANCISCO

How would you describe a memorable dining experience? To start with, I would imagine it would be different from the ordinary; it would be special; and yes, it would live up to its reputation, making you promise to return some day. This is exactly what happened to us when we dined at The Lazy Bear on 19th Street in San Francisco! 

I think I would use "Creativity" to best describe the atmosphere, food, and lasting memory of The Lazy Bear. The creativity starts with the location itself. If you did not know where it was you are likely to walk right past as it has no signage of any sort at the door! I guess this fine dining place is pitched as being there for those who know where it is, if you get what I mean. 

The name too comes out of the creativity of its Founder Chef David Barzelay. He was training to be a lawyer when he took up his first passion of cooking when he was laid off from his job in 2009. He started cooking for friends in his apartment and it became so popular that he opened a restaurant in an illicit warehouse! The Lazy Bear moved to its present location in 2014. I was amused to hear the restaurant got its name from an anagram of Barzelay! 

The way you book a table here too is really innovative. You can't just call and book a table. You need to buy tickets as you would for a show.!!  In our case, our son had booked the tickets for us so it was his treat! You will find all the information you need in the the  website of The Lazy Bear. And yes, it has a rating of Two Stars by Michelin!

Coming now to our visit. A striking feature was the little red Lazy Bear "Field Guide" - a booklet given to you to make small notes/observations- if you wished. It details the different courses that you will be served during the Taster Menu and has a wine suggestion that would be most apt to have with that dish. It has a selection of anagrams and has space for you to make up your own!! 

Let's talk about the food! First up was the aromatic Forager's Tisane. I came to know that tisanes are water- based infusions of herbs, flowers, leaves, and spices. In terms of taste, I guess the closest I could think off was like sipping a very mildly flavoured tea -though of course this has no tea in it.

The folks who serve each course also speak about the dish and the ingredients that go into it. We couldn't always follow as they rattled off what they had to say at great speed! 

The second course in this multi-course fine dining experience was the Whipped Scrambled Eggs.

The presentation of this delicious dish was very innovative and beautiful. We enjoyed this with the suggested accompanying Billecart Salmon Brut Sous Bois Champagne from Mareuil-sur-Ay in France.

The Seafood Tower has to be one the top dishes I have ever tried anywhere. This had three components: the Virginia Oyster, Grilled Scallops and a Dungeness Crab Dip. Like the dishes before, the presentation was very creative and the dish tasted heavenly!!

The next course had Arrowhead Cabbage  made with Broccoli, Brussels Krout and Allium Pancake which was excellent.

Then followed Cauliflower- California White Sturgeon Caviar served with wild greens and Bodega Bay Black Cod served with sea lettuce and spring greens. 

Both these dishes were delicious and as always very attractively presented. I was most impressed with their exhibition of the art of presenting their offerings.  

Then came a Lazy Bear Cultured Butter- a pretzel roll

The next course was Chicken and Dumplings followed by Grilled Lion's Mane- green and white asparagus with Bearnaise Sauce and Sorrel with Coconut and Lime.

All good things must come an end- as did our dinner. We closed with the dessert - Honey Cakes made with Yeasted Cream, Chamomile Creme Anglaise, which were outstanding.

Along with the dessert we were served Gummy Bear Treats of Strawberry and Elderflower as also Macaron- a preserved Meyer Lemon Tart.

Not just that! On the way out, we were given some goodies for breakfast the next day- banana bread and cold coffee! 

So how was the dining experience overall? I would say it was excellent! The Lazy Bear is highly recommended. I realise that a visit here will set you back a fair amount - but it is special and so worth it!