Jennifer "If I were you, I'd like me more" R.'s Profile

I think this is my favorite wine bar in Oakland.  The decor and seating is made to be relaxing and comfortable - pleasing, but by no overpowering the experience of the wine.  Service was accommodating and cheery, though not particularly chatty.  I'm not sure they are necessarily experts in wine, but neither am I, so we'll leave it at that.

Fantastic sangria, $11 flights, and a host of happy hour specials will have me coming back. I'm tempted to use Marc as a before-dinner waiting spot, but may try the panini one of these days.

Typically, it takes me more than a few months to walk my ass into a new hot spot in Oakland - by then I've been intrigued, turned off by hype, aloof, and then it suddenly strikes me out of the blue that I never did try "that place."  Yeah, that place (think: Flora, Dona Tomas, Mua, Ozumo, Odessa).

Well, hype hasn't died down, because the wait was still an hour, but I took Mike Z.'s suggestion and went to Marc 49 two blocks down.  By the time we came back to BSS, I was very, uhm, relaxed.

Burma Super Star is an interesting title for this place.  It's pretty minimalist, all the decor being represented by chic and interesting takes on lighting.  Most of the walls, save some prominent wine racks and a sculpture in the back corner, and an artifact near the front, are blank, meant to contrast with a black ceiling.  It works.  The acoustics in here are OK - it's busy and tables are close, but I could still hear my boyfriend across the table and no one jerked their head towards us when my loose mouth (blame wine) let out some zingers.

We enjoyed the two appetizers and entree to split, with brown rice.  The food was reasonably priced and presented beautifully, and I can definitely see myself coming back.

-The Platha and dip was so outrageously delicious - of course at the cost of being very very VERY calorie-dense and probably to blame for oxen breath later in the evening.  
-We tried the tea leaf salad - great mix of textures, but to me the mixture of flavors wasn't my favorite.  
-Our shrimp curry had exciting punches of garlic and spices.  Great serving size as well, and a good compliment to the tea leaf salad we still had on the table.  My only complaint is that there was just a SLIGHT HINT of sea monkey to it - you know what I mean?  Like a little kid's aquarium?  Next time I will get a vegetarian dish.
-Thai iced tea - the best I've ever had!  Creamy and spicy without the excess sweetness that turns me off from other restaurants' versions.

Service was OK.  I thought the food came out too fast - having waited an hour to sit for my meal, I didn't want it to be over so quickly!  But we didn't have to wait for anything, which I guess is more important.

Color me surprised - the dingy Lakeport neighborhood bar with Bud Light Lime paper lanterns caked in mosquito scat and well-advertized Jaeger-on-tap has never been reviewed.

It's not really fair that I'm the first person to review this place, because I'm not from Lakeport, and even by Bay Area standards it's been insinuated I am a bar snob.  But life's not always fair.  For example, sometimes your boyfriend drags you out to Lakeport for no good reason.

It seems this place draws an interesting crowd.  The somewhat elaborate karaoke was tragically underutilized, but that did not mean there was no entertainment.  The locals were a fun time and the bartender was nice.

I like this wine bar better than Vine on counts of atmosphere and service.  And it certainly is a nice alternative to the likes of Mua and Lukas if you are looking for a low key venue to enjoy a glass of wine on a night saturated with tight sparkly shirts and the sound of clopping heels.

They have a small hand-picked selection, and offer up a good variety of themed flights.  Their edibles are quality, if a bit pricey for the serving size.  I'll probably be back, but nothing blew me away about the place.

This place is about as authentic as a Pizza Hut in downtown San Salvador.

Have you ever been to one of those?

They aren't like American Pizza Huts.  Salvadoran Pizza Hut is a BFD - it's where bankers go for lunch to pretend to celebrate someone (else's) promotion.  There are lines out the door on any given evening, the Salvadoran bourgeoisie gearing up for their family fun night.

So take a Pizza Hut in San Salvador, paint the interior some slightly more sophisticated creamy versions of saffron and avocado, and in place of corporate framed posters, put up mercado memorabilia - you know, tattered-edge bright paintings of cottages.  Cartoon women carrying water, emblazoned on a wooden serving platter.  It's not your typical Berkeley restaurant at all - it's strangely more soulless and cuter at the same time.

The pupusas are pretty good.  I've had better.  Standard pricing.

Some interesting salads make the menu professors-lunching-friendly.  But nothing really stands out.

How would you feel if you went to your friend's country home, spattered across the walls with cheaply framed dreams of one day becoming a photographer, and then she made you a salad - pretty good - and had her son make you some chili - not tasty, doubtfully a good effort, either - and then she charged you for it?  $10.50 for the salad, $7 for the chili.

Well, that's how I felt.

Ah, my favorite tiny-country-specific ethnic food: the pupusa.  These large stuffed corn tortilla masterpieces are hard to come by in the Bay Area.  This Pupuseria makes a solid effort, and serves an extensive menu in a clean and friendly environment.  Pupusas are in the $2 range, typical pricing and a serious deal for a simple, satisfying meal.

They picked an interesting location - the diners seemed to be about a 50/50 split when it came to native language being spoken.

some food notes -
platano frito (comes with refried beans and crema, Salvadorean style) - such a killer combo!
pupusas - I had the queso con loroco.  The loroco flower is a very distinct flavor unlike anything else - I think they may have used frozen/reheated loroco though because of the way the cheese separated around it and the dark green color wasn't quite right.  Flavor was spot on though.  Very delicious.  Also, these are less greasy (on the outside) pupusas than I've had elsewhere.  I think next time I'll try the squash.
Horchata - very sweet and spicy.  A good specimen.

Tell me something better on a hangovery post-Halloween day than, in the shade of a sprawling oak tree, introducing someone to the phenomenon that is the potato puff.  Even better than the taste in my mouth is the evolution taking place on his face - disbelief, to shock and excitement, and finally a grin that would shame the moon.

5 stars for the puffs.  Other entrees are hearty and pretty much on the mark.  Great option for takeout, if a bit pricey.

A friend of mine needed glasses and knew the owner of this franchise.  I wouldn't say that I need new glasses (and as it turns out, my prescription from 2 years ago remains the same), but I did want a fashion accessory update.  And I don't know if you know this, but also - buying glasses is sort of like updating your personality.

As it turns out, I am still sassy as I was two years ago, but slightly more feminine and less futuristic, a touch more fashionable and sunny.  That is what my new glasses purchase says about me.

umm....

Anyway, the service here was outstanding!  To start off, the doctor was amicable and very funny.  I left glasses strewn about the whole place in my disorganized indecision.  Every so often, a sales associate would silently put something in front of me that was right up my alley. She and my useless friend with the dilated pupils took turns telling me what each pair would communicate to strangers about the kind of person I am deep inside.  After all, these things go on my face and set me back $400 (which was a pretty good deal I guess) - in fact, these particular glasses actually MAKE me into a sophisticated yet fun loving girly girl who likes loud floral prints and also beer and getting dirty.

I am having an identity crisis.

I am an old friend of Lakeshore's Arizmendi, and this one strikes me as a little more put together on the outside and a little scruffier on the inside.  Same excellent food products.  I like the patio option for enjoying a slice.