A Weekend in 3 Parts: Part 2- Brunch, Linner, and More

P had eating requirements this time. Usually her eating requirements are limited to meat…more of it, and if it is chicken, then fried fried fried. But recently her eating habits have changed and so I was stumped while trying to figure out what to feed her. The pressure for greatness is always high with P because she introduced me to an abundance of amazing places in San Francisco. This time P was eating fish and eggs but wasn’t eating gluten, sugar, meat, or dairy. 

She wasn’t vegan, she wasn’t vegetarian. She wasn’t a carnivore. I was royally stumped. Add in the beautiful day the descended upon Oakland and she requested, famished and with big brown sad eyes, that eating outside was special request. 

Outside seating? The weather in the Bay is usually too chilly at night to sit outside. Nothing was really coming to mind. Cock-a-Doodle Café has an outside patio but the high walls kind of diminish the effect of the outside seating. We cruised by the Grand Lake Kitchen and the line was daunting. I headed toward Jack London Square because P mentioned something about being near water. For a moment, the hub of food trucks looked promising but hangriness threatening us both I settled on Bocanova. Not my first choice but a solid choice none the less; plus the outside seating and view of the Bay were pretty much to order.

As it turns out P threw her eating restrictions to wind and ordered according to our taste.

Let’s call it a learning experience for me. We ordered the " H u a r a c h e "-rapini, pine nuts, cured lemon, Oaxaca cheese, egg. If I’d looked it up then I’d have known it was more like a flatbread than an egg dish (it was under the “huevos” heading). When it arrived we shrugged and dove in. I don’t recall the egg and what I presumed was the cured lemon which seemed more like soaked/poached golden raisins were a nice sweet counterpoint to the cheese. The rapini, was more color than taste but overall the dish was pleasant.

Our second dish was Soft Scrambled Eggs—Dungeness crab, aji amarillo, papas fritas, toast. Perfectly scrambled, soft but not wet. The Dungeness was delicate and not overpowering – although a little scarce. The bacon fat had the perfect crunch consistency without being burnt. The potatoes and toast were more filler than anything but they weren’t bad conduits for bites of egg.

The real delight of our meal, however, was dessert. P’s interest had been piqued by the peanut butter beignets and I was hankering for the churros – having had them before they are the one thing I consistently order. We left it to our waitress and she didn’t even pause, “churros”. And when they came out, five on the plate all golden brown and flecked with what tastes and looks like candied lime rind and a side of (to my thinking) unnecessary chocolate sauce. P was pleased.

What can I say, I love fried dough.

Our next meal (a few hours, a long walk, and an hour long kayak ride later) was at Flora’s. Brunch bends the day into strange eating units making the need for linner (lunch/dinner: the next obvious meal after brunch) necessary. In the Bay many places close during those awkward hours after lunch and before dinner. Flora, compromises; the bar stays open with a limited menu.

P was heading to dinner in a few hours but we decided munchies for the road were important and so she chose a truffle scented grilled cheese sandwich and duck liver pate. While Hog’s Apothecary holds my heart (and tongue) on pureed organs (indelicate but true!) this pate was flavorful and silky. The sea salt boosted the flavor whenever it found its way into my mouth. The cheese didn’t scream truffle but it was delightfully satisfying with cheese oozing through the holes of the bread and hardening to a satisfying crunch there. I should be able to relay what cheeses but I can’t. They were sharp. One was bright orange the other slightly paler, but truthfully my attention was on the pate. Who knew I would grow to love it so. The other delight was the pickled radish and cauliflower garnishing the plate. The cacauliflower, usually among my least favorite and least appetizing veggies was a delightfully bright tumerically gold inspired color. The flavor distinctly Indian that was so familiar to me and yet I was unable to summon.

P and I parted ways and I made it upstairs to my apartment just in time to receive a text message about a gathering of my alumni at Kingston 11. I ate at 11 for the first time a few months ago. The reviewers raved while I was left underwhelmed. Everything was good in theory but not quite in execution for me. But I’d promised I’d try again. Although my plan was to simply be social (given that I’d just consumed a healthy snack) I came away with an order of oxtails with broad beans.

They looked so good. And when my friend relented and let me have a bite I decided that I’d be hungry again soon and enough and ordered a plate of my own.

I don’t eat oxtails often so this isn’t my area of expertise. But the meat was tender, the coloring beautiful. The flavors seemed balanced – satisfyingly meaty with hints of earthy aromatic flavors I couldn’t quite pinpoint…allspice I think. The rice and peas are still underwhelming and the fried plantains still perfectly sweet. The portion was beyond healthy with me nibbling at the table, a full serving later that night, and the last of it for lunch today. I’m slowly warming to this place…maybe…maybe third time will be the seductive charm.