The inevitable top 10 list

First, a BIG WELCOME if you discover this blog via Foodbuzz. Hope you'll enjoy your time here!

You're in for a treat. Keep reading to find out!

Before 2009 is over (at least on the West Coast), I need to squeeze in a final top 10 list of the year.

I went through many changes in 2009, and I've learned a lot. This blog is one of the new things I tried this year, and I am incredibly grateful to all of you who gave me feedback and support. I dedicate this post to you （you know who you are!).

My top 10 food-related reflections/experiences/whatever of 2009:

10. I finally became a vegetarian. Turned out to be much easier than I thought.

9. I launched Guerrilla Vegetarian after putting it off for a long time. The writing process was very liberating, however painful at times.

8. I took up baking. Obviously a sure-fire way to satisfy my sweet tooth, but it also opened up a new universe in cooking for me.

7. I felt so blessed by the culinary bounty of the Bay area. The produce is first-rate, then you have authentic cuisines from around the world at your fingertips (plus at affordable prices!).

6. Panaderias (Mexican bakeries). I couldn't believe how much I had missed before moving to the Bay area, where I had my first encounter with Mexican baked goods.

5. David Lebovitz, former Chez Panisse pastry chef, now Paris-based food blogger. He always makes me laugh with his super-sarcastic style and musings about Paris, whenever I need a mood boost.

4. Vegetarian meat. I know it's weird, but I sampled a huge variety from vegan meatballs to Chinese fish cakes this year. Perhaps that's why I didn't feel deprived at all as a vegetarian. Hooray for our capitalist economy in which any niche need is met!

3. I made a birthday cake for my Mom, who lives thousands of miles away in Hong Kong. Although I ended up eating the cake by myself, my Mom got to see it on this blog. I was glad to be able to do something special for her.

2. Because of all of the above, I gained 5-10 pounds this year. Notice I try to be vague here.

1. Really, it's you. (Yeah, it's the tagline of Yahoo!'s new branding campaign too.) Given my meager readership, EVERY ONE of you keeps me going. Don't be shy and leave a comment. Check back often and tell others to visit!

Now you see how thrilled I was when my farewell post to Oakland got picked up by the blog A Better Oakland, which drove many visitors here.

I am also indebted to many other people who lent me a hand during this difficult year. So, THANK YOU all again. Here are the vegan Meyer lemon bars from Veganomicon I made for a friend that I want to share with you. Let's end the year with a sweet note!

Vegan Meyer lemon bars - browner than I expected because of the unrefined sugar I used

Wish you a wonderful and delicious 2010!

Vegetarian mecca: Berkeley

Merry Christmas to all of you! Is there a better way to ease into the holiday spirit than an excursion to Berkeley, CA?

I know this is a terrible lead-in to my topic today. But cut me some slack on Christmas, okay?

Even before I moved to the Bay area, I had heard much about Berkeley's culinary creds. Californian cuisine is said to originate from Alice Waters's famed Chez Panisse restaurant. Acme Bread, which produces some of the Bay area's best baguettes and sourdoughs, is based here. "Gourmet Ghetto," several blocks of restaurants and food stores that help shape the foodie culture in the Bay area, is a must-go for every visitor to Berkeley.

You probably know this, but Berkeley also boasts one of the highest concentrations of vegetarian restaurants in the Bay area, thanks to its progressive bent. Last weekend I finally made it here for an all-out vegetarian tour!

My first stop was the Saturday Farmers' Market. Berkeley alone has 3 farmers' markets, which say a lot about the food preferences of its residents. By now I am so spoiled by the amazing produce in the Bay area that what I saw here no longer "wowed" me. But just from the glistening color of the salad greens, the succulence of the carrots, and the plumpness of the oranges, you could tell right away they were top-notch.

Fresh and crisp salad greens

Carrots that I wanted to bite into right away

What's unique about this farmers' market is the huge selection of vegan and vegetarian prepared food sold. I don't think any farmers' market I've been to can measure up to this. There were raw vegan, Asian, Himalayan, Indian, and Mexican vegetarian food. The Mexican food vendor, Flacos, immediately caught my attention because...

I couldn't agree more with what Flacos's owner says on its website:

"Every time I went to a Mexican restaurant, the only item I could order from the menu was the 'Vegetarian Burrito' without cheese and sour cream."

Finding anything else vegetarian on a Mexican restaurant's menu is difficult. So I was very impressed by Flacos's innovative menu: vegan enchiladas, tamales, taquitos, stews, salads, etc.

I tried their banana-leaf tamale ($4). It was an interesting combination of corn masa, potatoes, capers, olives, and vegetarian shredded chicken slathered with a creamy sauce and wrapped around by a banana leaf. It was flavorful and filling with a hint of spiciness. Served warm, it's very comforting for a breezy Saturday afternoon.

Flacos, selling vegan Mexican food, at Berkeley Farmers' Market

AWESOME banana-leaf tamale from Flacos

There were many other items I wanted to try from Flacos as well as other vendors (did I mention the bakeries with their artisan breads?). But I had a long list of other places to check out, so I willed myself to resist the temptations and carry on with my tour.

I ended up at Chick-O-Pea's, a vegan falafel restaurant. I first learned about this place from a positive review in the East Bay Express weekly. The restaurant is completely self-serve - after you order your falafels, you pick your own toppings and condiments at a bar. I got their falafels in whole-wheat pita ($7) along with ultra-thin french fries tossed in spicy-hot Moroccan harissa ($2.5). 

The falafels were good, though not as crunchy as I had hoped. This could be that they soaked up the moisture from the toppings I over-stuffed into my pita. The toppings, such as red cabbage, carrots, and bean medley salad also tasted a little bland, so I had to douse a second and then third helping of dressing over them. The fries were decent.

Chick-O-Pea's, the interior is as sleek as the storefront

Sophisticated presentation of the my falafel pita, along with fries doused in harissa

I have to commend the presentation though. The falafels and fries were placed snugly in two compartments in a brown paper container. In eco-conscious Berkeley fashion, all containers and utensils are biodegradable and compostable.

Eating here reminded me of Maoz, an Amsterdam falafel chain now branching out in the US. Its concept is almost the same as Chick-O-Pea's, with the self-serve topping bar. Maoz's falafels are some of the best I've ever had. What's interesting is they will open a shop in Berkeley soon. Chick-O-Pea's is going to face some stiff competition!

I don't want to keep you from attending your Christmas parties, so I'll wrap up things. I was so full after having the falafels that I had no room for desserts at Ici Ice Cream or Gelateria Naia. I visited gourmet and natural food grocery Berkeley Bowl, but felt that its offerings pale in comparison to Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco or even Whole Foods in terms of variety and price.

On my list next time: raw vegan cuisine mainstay Cafe Gratitude, Chez Panisse, Cheeseboard Collective...the list goes on and on. No wonder Berkeley is a mecca for foodies, vegetarians included.

Hope you'll have an enjoyable and restful Christmas!

Budget tour de France

What do the following have in common? (Hint: post title)

a. Macarons, gateaux, viennoiseries
b. Pierre Herme, Laduree, Gerard Mulot
c. Dorie Greenspan, David Lebovitz, Ina Garten

Welcome to the world of French pastries! Like many people who love sweets, I dream of visiting Paris and sampling exquisite French pastries (a) at some of its most venerable patisseries (b). Despite my very limited French, I want to follow the footsteps of American chefs (c) who call Paris their second home, and pretend I am a local to experience French life to the fullest. (Perhaps Ina Garten is a stretch, she's REALLY American.)

Back to reality. I have neither the money nor time to take a grand tour of Paris.

The Bay area has a fair number of places such as Bouchon in Napa Valley that sell French sweets, but they are pricey. Trader Joe's now sells macarons in the frozen section at very affordable prices, but seriously, they tasted terrible even though I've had macarons only a handful of times in my life. So what can a budget Francophile do?

LU biscuits to the rescue. I first encountered LU during my first French lessons at Alliance Francaise in Washington, DC. Madame Auclair, our teacher, often brought several packets of LU to class. There were always LU's signature Le Petit Ecolier biscuits - buttery biscuits coated with chocolate depicting a little schoolboy. I love nibbling so I tried hard to keep my hands away from the biscuits. I knew M. Auclair and my classmates in the small class could figure out how many I ate easily.

LU's signature Le Petit Ecolier biscuits

I made myself believe every bite would transport me to Europe

Call it self-delusion, but every time I had LU, I felt I was eating something uniquely European (and it is too). My two favorite LU biscuits are Le Petit Beurre and Rich Tea. They are simple, crispy biscuits with a rich, buttery flavor and nothing else, and they don't weigh you down like shortbread.

I am surprised to find LU in almost every supermarket now, likely because its acquisition by Kraft in 2007 has opened up a vast distribution network. The biscuits are straight from France, and a packet costs only about $3.

Just be careful that some flavors contain artificial ingredients. I wonder if Kraft introduced them to cut costs just like what many food manufacturers have done to brands they bought, but that's another story.

Obviously I can make French sweets at home, but many of them are infamously complicated. I finally came across a recipe on David Lebovitz's blog (check it out, he's a former Chez Panisse pastry chef now living in Paris, I LOVE his sarcastic but incredibly humorous tone) for pain d'epices, kind of a French version of gingerbread.

Freshly baked pain d'epices, coated with sliced almonds

It's simple to make and promises some complex flavors derived from a melange of spices (including pepper!), orange zest, and honey. I had never used dark rye flour before but it really deepened the flavors. This is great for breakfast or an afternoon snack, and is even better when served warm.

A slice of pain d'epices - even the crumbs were delicious

Next time when I have the chance to visit Paris, I'll find out whether pain d'epices is as commonplace in France as David described. Before then, I am planning to read Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets over Christmas, drool over the recipes, and imagine my eventual trip to the City of Light.

Farewell to Oakland (and its food!)

Old Oakland Farmers' Market in downtown Oakland

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I have a thing for Oakland. I love Oakland for its eclectic character and huge selection of affordable, ethnic eateries. It's where I went all out to conduct my Asian bakery and mooncake tasting tests.

However, I no longer commute to Oakland because of a job change. Before I travel across the Bay to be there again, I must point out a couple more of my favorite places.

The Old Oakland Farmers' Market is solid on my list of favorite farmers' markets in the Bay area. Every Friday from 8 to 2, tens of vendors sell everything from Asian and organic veggies, fruits, nuts, to pastries and tamales at reasonable prices.

One of my favorite fruit stalls

My other favorite fruit stall - their oranges (fall) and plums/pluots (summer) are amazing

Because my office was very close to the market, I visited it every week to buy fruits mostly. While not necessarily certified organic, most fruits sold here are pesticide-free, and they are among the best in the Bay area.

My tip is to go after the lunch crowd has thinned out to snag deals such as $1/pound of succulent red flame grapes or $.75/pound of crunchy Fuji apples. Just make sure to act quickly as bargain-hunting Chinese housewives abound =)

There's also a Chinese gentleman who makes all varieties of dried dates and an old couple selling nuts that I bought from often.

The second place is kind of random. It's a Vietnamese/Chinese grocery store called Khanh Phong. Among all Asian grocery stores in Chinatown, it stands out because of its house-made desserts (e.g. Vietnamese rice puddings and jellies) and snacks (e.g. rice dumplings and rice paper rolls).

I like their fried salty bun (loosely translated from xian-jian-bao in Chinese) the most. At $.5 apiece, it's similar to the fried dough that accompanies Chinese congee (rice porridge). But it has sesame seeds sprinkled on top and is less greasy. Great to serve as is, it tastes even better when toasted. The texture is airy yet chewy, with an intoxicating aroma of fried dough. Just forget how unhealthy it is for a moment...

(Chinese or Vietnamese?) Salty fried bun

Obviously I will miss Oakland's Asian bakeries and Layonna vegetarian food market, which I only discovered recently.

Let's end with a cake that I ordered in Oakland before Thanksgiving (don't ask why!), a pandan coconut cake from Delicieuse Princess Bakery. I had long been curious about the cake's green tint whenever I saw it in their pastry case. The lady who took my order assured me that it's not artificial coloring but derived from pandan leaves. I couldn't taste it in the cake (neither was there any coconut flavor), but the cake was delightfully light as usual.

What's in the box?

Vietnamese pandan coconut cake, but with little flavor of either

I know I've only barely scratched the surface of Oakland's culinary scene (like I still haven't been to the famed pizza joint Pizzaiolo), but I will surely return. Au revoir!