CIOCCOLATA DI VINO
1801 Shattuck Avenue, Suite C
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-898-1392
www.cioccolatadivino.com

Open just a few months now, I’ve been eager to try this dessert-focused spot, ever wishing there were more options for post-dinner imbibements. Berkeley’s Cioccolata di Vino does have a Savory antipasti menu with some pleasing-looking Italian plates, but I’m not going for that… I want the namesake chocolate and wine experience.

Candlelit, playing a mixture of classic jazz (Ella, my Ella!), world music and even oldies, the space is soothing immediately, as are the sweet servers, if not exactly the occasional large groups that pass through (I was given the option to move if the large group was too noisy). But most moments were quiet, and to while a couple hours with a close friend in deep conversation over vino, dessert, candlelight and jazz, is magic.

Unless you hate chocolate (who are you?!), you probably shouldn’t go without ordering the Torta al Cioccolato Liquefatto ($6.95) – yes, it’s basically warm, molten lava cake, something you can get a lot of places, but this is a dense, dark, squeal-inducing version, and unlike other restaurants, you can feel free to come solely for this dish.

Equally squeal-inducing, the hot chocolate, of which I am a picky customer (MUST be dark, rich, not watered-down in any way), did not disappointment. I was particularly warmed by the Cinnamon and Spice ($3.50) version (there’s also a Sweet Vanilla, Hot Cha Chai, and straight up Cioccolato Caldo). Thankfully not sweet, it’s rich without being heavy and appropriately spiced. Ooh, la la.

And what about vino? In a thoughtful, reasonably-priced selection of bubbly, whites, reds, and what they call “stickies”, basically dessert wine, I find the 2006 Orange Muscat from Margaret’s Vineyard/ Robert Hall, Paso Robles ($5 glass/$42.75 bottle) is one you can’t go wrong pairing with chocolate. Clear and light, there’s spice on the nose and hints of orange blossom and tropical fruit to taste.

Best of all was the White Port from Bodega Bay Port Works, Kenwood ($8 glass/$48 bottle), a late harvest Chardonnay that hints of honey on the nose but has such strong, nutty flavors that send me into ecstasy when sipped along with the Torta al Cioccolato.

Good news: it’s open all day (from 11am on) so you can come in for hot chocolate and pastries, blissfully securing a buzz from chocolate instead of coffee.

MARZANO
4214 Park Boulevard (at Glenfield)
Oakland, CA 94602
510-531-4500
www.marzanorestaurant.com

Open since December, I finally made it to Oakland’s idyllic, tree-lined Glenview neighborhood for Marzano , opened by the team behind Garibaldi’s. While I sighed at yet another Rustic Italian menu, a tapped-out field in my book, expectations began to shift from first look at the medieval wood-beam ceiling and chandeliers, the Edison-era-slash-modern lighting and rustic wood tables.

The cocktail menu hooked me at first glance with bartender, Alex Conde, dubbed “fastest bartender in the West”, thankfully behind the bar on my visits. There’s classics like an Irish Sour or Savoy Hotel Special # 1, beautiful breakfast imbibements on the weekend brunch menu (Bellinis, Aperol Spritz, Orange Ramos), and a “Della Casa” selection with creative explosions of flavor ($8-10). I rave about the Ciocolatto di New York ($10). Not at all sweet, it’s Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Carpano sweet vermouth, Grappi di chocolate grappa (!) and sea salt, served up. I haven’t sipped one like this before – unique, salty, flavorful, robust. Strong and sure, the Sangue di Christo ($9) is Grappa, blood orange, Creole shrubb, aged basalmic and black pepper, while the Lambretta ($10) uses housemade almond bitters in vodka, gin, zibibbo, dry vermouth, with an orange twist. There’s a short but high-quality wine list, beers, Abita Root Beer, Bundaberg Ginger Beer and Italian sodas.

Drinks alone are worth a visit, but the food keeps up. Wood-fired in a brick oven means the Pizzas ($11-14) have blistered crusts with toppings and cheeses of such quality and flavor (love the fennel sausage) you’ll be hard pressed not to eat one by yourself, though they’re plenty big enough for two. Breakfast pizzas add an egg on top (yay!)

A Chicories Salad ($10) is fresh and bountiful, satisfying where many salads do not. Laden with fuji apples, page mandarins, toasted umbrian faro, hazelnuts, buttermilk bleu cheese and cider vinagrette, it’s an entree on its own. One of the better sharing appetizers I’ve had in awhile, the Fritto Misto ($10), is a lightly fried helping of veggies: cauliflower, sweet onions, aspargus, fennel and lemon with a spicy aioli. Everyone descends and devours. I have found service to be a bit patchy, I hate to say, though not bad, with the host and bartender graciously engaging.

Paired with a crema-heavy espresso ($3), Straus Organic Soft Serve ($4), topped with rosemary honey, nuts, caramel or, in my case, aged balsamic vinegar and sea salt (an additional $2 for toppings), is a sensual finish. As Italians quip, “A tavola non si invecchia“, or essentially, you don’t age while eating a (great) meal. With good friends and conversation, time stood still within these walls, and if I aged, it was contentedly so.

NAPA: of food, drink and Japanese cooking

A couple Spring excursions up to Napa this month meant more “Top Tastes” for me from new and not-so new restaurants. But first… an event that brought me up for a day was a rare afternoon of Japanese food at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). With a cadre of visitors, including the Consul General of Japan, and speciality food producers of Wagyu beef or versatile nagaimo (a type of yam), main demos were cooking and instruction from three superb chefs: Kimio Nonaga, a grand champion Iron Chef from Tokyo (I ‘heart’ watching Japanese Iron Chef competitions on You Tube), Douglas Keane from Healdsburg’s fine dining temple, Cyrus (which I recently wrote about), and Nori Kusakabe from my longtime sushi fave, Sushi Ran in Sausalito. What a line-up! Reason enough to go.

Things started off with a bang as Chef Nonaga (intrepeter by his side), carved a giant, 120 lb. plus tuna from Japan. At market price of $1000, it was fascinating watching him wield samuri-like knife to slice through this behemoth of a fish which needed three men to lift it. The best part was that we ate from this beauty all afternoon as all three chefs had different takes on the ingredients. With a little sampling of different dashi (cooking stocks for soup broth) in front of us, we tasted a range of dishes the chefs cooked for us that hit all five basic tastes (sour, bitter, salty, sweet, umami), and received recipes of every dish cooked.

Highlights were many, including Meat & Potato Nikujaga (like a stew), Seared Tuna with Black Garlic Puree, traditional simmered Beef with Burdock over Rice (Yukari-style Gyudon), and Wagyu Beef with lotus, burdock, mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) and myoga (edible ginger flower). Besides Keane’s memorable Wagyu Beef dish, the most exciting for me was Kusakabe’s experimental dessert of Brown Sugar-cured Tuna with Nagaimo yam. Cured for a day in brown sugar and brandy, the tuna is jelly-like with red bean between thin, crispy slices of yam, like a sandwich, wrapped in a salted sakura leaf. Genius. You’d never know it was tuna, so sweetly playful and candied it was. He’s trying this out for Sushi Ran so I hope to see it there soon.

This was just a preview of the CIA’s Worlds of Flavor event in November (tickets went on sale April 1), representing countries around the world, both in time-honored traditions and creativity. If this Japanese afternoon was a sample of the three day event coming in November, it’s going to be some damn good eatin’ and cookin’, educating in detail on authentic cuisines from those who know it intimately.

Any vegetarian I know would likely love Napa’s Ubuntu, raved about even by the hippie/granola-averse New York Times as 2nd best vegetarian restaurant in the country. Ubuntu, helmed by Jeremy Fox, formerly of Manresa and Rubicon, equally pleases the non-vegetarian with robust, savory dishes that make you forget there’s no meat. The slick, open space is stimulating, while alternative rock hits play in the background, with attentive, young servers. I’d have to say Millennium is probably still my favorite upscale vegetarian, but this would be second with nary a throwaway dish but for the chickpea fries, which were just ok. Beet Tartare ($11) is brightly crisp, colorful, laid out like a museum display. Lemon fried Brussel Sprouts over yellow corn grits ($14) are smoky and heartwarming. Roasted, partially pureed, Indian-spiced Cauliflower in a Cast Iron Pot ($14) is hot and rich with little toasts to spread it on. Jeremy’s wife, Deanie Fox, is the pastry chef (also of now defunct Rubicon, where they met), whose Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache ($9) is an artfully presented serving of dark, fudgy mini-cakes with caramel-like butterscotch, brown butter ice cream, curried peanuts and popcorn foam which extracts from me a “Hell, yeah!”

Been meaning to try Napa’s Barbers Q for some time… though inviting and crisply clean (a refined BBQ joint, if that isn’t an oxymoron!), I was a little disappointed in the food. It was all good enough but not memorable or overly authentic BBQ. I liked best the sliced Beef Brisket, ideal with Green Apple Coleslaw. A $17.95 lunch platter with Ribs (a little dry), Brisket and coleslaw was more than enough for one. I added $5 Pulled Pork to the dish to taste all key BBQ meats – as a pulled pork fanatic, it was alright. Loved the side of Rancho Gordo Cranberry Beans ($3.50) with collard greens, onions and Callegio ham hocks: aromatic, simple, packed with flavor.

I had to try famed Food Network chef, Michael Chiarello’s, new Bottega, in Yountville, though after only one visit, certainly need to return. The place is quite large, with a somewhat corporate chain-looking dining room, but inviting, massive, wrap-around patio strung with lights and dotted with fireplaces. Methinks it’ll be a fab spot for late afternoon drinks and appetizers. Initially trying pastas, they’re rich, heavy, and didn’t quite pack the flavor punch pasta greats do. But there’s a slew of appetizers and entrees I’d like to try next, so I’m definitely going back. Stay tuned.

Bardessono is Yountville’s modernistic, eco-resort (opened in February) with hardcore Japanese toilets, walls of growing grasses and a bar with drinks from SF’s own Thad Vogler (Jardinere, Heaven’s Dog, Slanted Door, soon to come Bar Agricole). There hasn’t been a wealth of fine cocktail options in understandably wine-heavy Napa, but Bardessono’s fireside, chic bar area with outside pool and patio couches, is the right spot for $12 and up cocktails made with local citrus and quality spirits. The drinks, more often than not, are mostly the same ones us SF locals have on menus where Thad has already spread his magic, like Beretta, so no need to go out of your way if you frequent any of the spots he consults for. Still, a welcome all day locale for imbibement in Wine Country.

Bouchon, the original, the best… remains a most idyllic venue for early evening oysters and champagne at the silver bar. Warm, Spring air wafts through open doors, classic jazz softly swoons, new friends are made and the staff pours tastes of wines to help you choose a glass. I would say I’m transported to Paris here, but the experience is fully Wine Country (with a Parisian touch). On a recent visit, the Maine Lobster Salad ($14.50) with duck confit gizzard, frisee, arugula, poached cherries and foie gras vinagrette, couldn’t have been a sweeter respite before an intoxicating sunset.

CLASSIC FILMS at Palo Alto’s STANFORD THEATRE

Thanks to my classic film-obsessed Mother, one of my favorite pastimes is watching old movies. I may not know as much as my Mom does about all things classic film, but I do have an in-depth appreciation & knowledge of film in general, and the classics in particular. I feel lucky to be able to partake in the incomparable line-up of popular and rare (often not available on DVD/video) old movies shown daily at the Stanford Theatre in downtown Palo Alto.

This historic theater has the necessary classic movie-house organ (with live performances before most evening screenings), elaborate carvings and murals. Tickets are $7, which will get you into both films on whatever day/night you go. Over the years, I’ve hit screenings during what can be 2-3 month long “festivals” showing dozens of films of featured actors (Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant), directors (Alfred Hitchcock, Preston Sturges, George Cukor) or themes like Romantic Comedies or Film Noir. They’re keeping it light for the holidays with perennial classics like Bogart films, “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s A Wonderful Life”.

Palo Alto, though more lively (and crowded) than most suburban downtowns, doesn’t have a wealth of city-quality restaurants (there’s certainly a great volume, however), and I more often than not, end up having a mediocre meal, but after much digging over the years, here are some of the best for pre or post film viewing:

RESTAURANTS

My favorite restaurant in Palo Alto is Bistro Elan where a gourmet, fresh, delicious Cal French meal (and warm service) is in order, but… it’s not really ideal in conjunction with a film as it’s a short drive, rather than walk, from University Ave, and as you want to take your time here. Still, I had to mention it as a Palo Alto great.

SF’s impeccable Bong Su was opened by owners of Palo Alto’s Tamarine. Upscale Vietnamese is done right here with Crab and Garlic Glass Noodles ($15), Clay Pot Cod ($19), Hoisin Lamb Chops ($25) or Citrus Soft Shell Crab ($11), served in a spare, but elegant, dining room.

Evvia Estiatorio – An offshoot of SF’s fabulous, elegant Greek Kokkari, Evvia is a secondary player to the more stimulating décor and layout at Kokkari, though charging similar prices. Here you can get lunch or dinner in a large, open-air room with delicious Greek food, making it one of Palo Alto’s better dining options.

LIGHT EATS/APPETIZERS

Vino Locale – See description below under “Drink” and come here for Panini to eat in or to go.

Kanpai Sushi (330 Lytton Avenue, between Florence and Bryant Streets; 650-325-2696) is a decent sushi stop in downtown Palo Alto where the Omakase meals are steep ($45-65) but lunch is real deal and ala carte items are always available.

Nola – This place must come with a caveat: at least half the menu and drinks are suburban average and at night the party scene and noise absolutely ruins it. But for lunch or appetizers, this place transports to The Big Easy with its awesome two-level layout of house, bar, courtyard, Zydeco music and NoLa artwork; menu items are not quite Cajun (um, Cajun Spiced Fish Tacos?) and not always that good. Still, portions are generous and the better dishes are satisfying enough (think of it as better-than-average bar food and you’ll be on the right track), but it’s all about the setting. I like the surprisingly good, albeit drowned in rich cream sauce, Crawfish Andouille Dumplings ($8.95) or Crispy Calamari & Delta Blue Lakes with Red Creole Remoulade ($8.95). Share these hearty appetizers with friends over a cocktail (again, hit and miss) and you just might be ready to party Mardi Gras-style.

DRINK

Vino Locale – There’s no place around quite like this magical Victorian cottage housing bottles of local wines, simple foods (appetizers, salads, panini and desserts prepared with a Slow Food ethos), local artists’ artwork (+ a monthly “Meet the Artist” night) and all around charm. Sip a glass in the house or courtyard or order food for a picnic.

Junoon – Though the décor is hot, their bland “Indian fusion” is way overpriced and utterly disappointing – don’t even waste your time on appetizers. But you just might like the Tipsy Lassi, a Mango Lassi spiked with Mango Rum, for an after-movie imbibement. And the setting is, after all, cool in that London Indian restaurant sort-of-way.

Tea Time – A cute little shop with a nice range of teas… pre-movie only as they close early (7pm Monday-Saturday; 6pm Sunday).

DESSERT

Peninsula Fountain/Palo Alto Creamery – A charming, retro diner around since 1923, don’t come here for a meal, but do come for dessert (baked pies or creamy milkshakes). An ideal setting for a soda or an ice cream float post-classic films (yes, you can sit at the counter and pretend you’re Lana Turner about to be discovered).

Fraiche Yogurt – This is Palo Alto’s “froyo” (tart frozen yogurt) locale with not only great froyo, but fresh probiotic, cultured yogurt (made from Clover organic milk; tart but not sour). I love the Valrhona Chocolate flavor. They also serve a Soy frozen yogurt, which I like better than their Plain. And they bless the South Bay with Blue Bottle Coffee.

Zibibbo – Though taste value vs. cost means eat elsewhere, the candlelit, spacious dining room and bar are so enchanting, it’s worth a drink or dessert to soak up the atmosphere.

BREAKFAST in OAKLAND

East Bay breakfasts, particularly in Berkeley, are abundantly good, so I have a tough time deciding where to go across the Bay. Oakland has its own breakfast classics – we’ll explore one old and one new (don’t forget my favorite Oakland breakfast, the amazing Bakesale Betty’s bakery, which I highlighted in February).

Brown Sugar Kitchen: In the wilds of West Oakland next to warehouses and train tracks, is Brown Sugar Kitchen, a quirky brown building, freshly painted, emitting the hypnotic smell of BBQ. Come early or late to avoid what is already a steady crowd.

West Oakland local, chef and author, Tanya Holland, started the place, blending her African American heritage with her culinary training in France. With the French part possibly making an appearance in cooking technique, the food itself is Southern Soul Food with a fresh, California sensibility.

Chicken and Waffles here is not similar to authentically greasy joints (e.g. Roscoe’s in Los Angeles)… and not as addictive. Yet it’s a worthy attempt at a Soul Food classic: a slightly crisp, airy cornmeal waffle with tender fried chicken in a spice rich batter.

Eggs are sublimely poached and can be paired with cheese grits, a biscuit or cornbread. Lunch offers BBQ Ribs, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Creole BBQ Shrimp and Jerk Chicken.

Prices look surprisingly cheap with most items $2-7 dollars. But… don’t be fooled. Most items are priced individually, which means you must compile your meal piece by piece, watching the price creep up, easily reaching $15 for one person. Portions are generous, but it’s pricier than one would initially think.

In keeping with the quality ingredients, coffee is the crème de la crème: Blue Bottle. I happily savor a perfect cappuccino with my biscuits. The tunes are selected by Tanya’s husband: a comforting mix of soul and R&B classics.

Though maybe not the best breakfast in the East Bay, I can’t help but smile as I sit at the darling countertop, observing the eclectic crowd that is already frequenting this new joint, livening up a desolate stretch of West Oakland.

Mama’s Royal Café: This dingy, 1974 Oakland classic can dampen your morning with a long wait if you don’t arrive early enough on weekends. What sets it apart from the average “greasy spoon” breakfast is its odd Asian décor touches (very 1970’s), fun wood booths in the center room, organic meat, free range eggs and Acme bread.

It’s cash only, so prepare accordingly. The waiters are young hippie/hipster types, cheerfully serving Eggs Benedict, Corned Beef Hash, Croque Monsieur, or Buttermilk Pancakes. It may not wow, but for old school comfort, it pleases.