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!
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