DeLuxe

We might not have gone to Em Le’s had it not been for the coupons. This is a famous breakfast place in Carmel that doesn’t have the usual outdoor seating that allows you to bring your dog. We’re glad we got a chance to try this place. They make the most amazing french toast. They dip your bread in batter and then fry the whole thing. The little bits of batter that become separated from the toast are then put on top of your toast and the whole thing is covered with powdered sugar and warm syrup. They can only cook one of these at a time so expect to wait a bit for your food to arrive. It’s worth the wait.

Em Le’s Old Carmel Restaurant
Dolores & 5th Ave, Carmel, CA 93923
831.625.6780

We first went to Le Coq D’or more than 10 years ago when we were last in Carmel. Like other Carmel restaurants they have outdoor seating and we were able to bring Duchess with us. By the end of our meal at least 3 tables outside had dogs. The owner brought Duchess her own little hamburger too. The food here is incredible. It’s a French/German place that specializes in the cuisine of Alsace-Lorraine. Every bite of the meal here was great.

Le Coq D’or
Mission St & 5th Ave, Carmel, CA 93923
831.626.9319

Our first stop in Carmel this July was The Tuck Box. It’s one of Carmel’s oldest restaurants. It’s not super fancy but if you’re looking for a great late lunch this is the place to go. The best part about being here was the English tea and scones. The scones and jams are made on site and are super incredo good.

Tuck Box
Dolores St & 7th Ave, Carmel, CA 93923
831.624.6365

Cafe Madrid in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood is a gem. Housed in what used to be the ground floor of the I.Magnin department stores (just a couple doors down from the Paramount), this cafe serves incredible authentic Spanish sandwiches called bocadillos. Only these are giant sized. For $7 you get about 2 meals worth of the freshest ingredients and you customize each sandwich to your liking. You can choose which meats you want (jamon serrano or soria for example), pick a cheese (I like the yound manchego), and an alilloli to spread on your bread. I bet this place does well at lunch — I always go there on Saturday when it’s pretty empty.

Cafe Madrid
2001 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
510.271.0001

We lived in a little apartment in North Oakland on the Berkeley border for 10 years while saving up money for our first house. Our apartment was 1/2 of the upstairs flat in an old craftsman house. Our landlord lived in Southern California but once lived in our house. At the time she live there she used the local plumber from down the street in the Temescal neighborhood. 20 years later that plumber was still in business but, frankly, didn’t do a good job. What goes around comes around because the hardware store the plumber used to operate out of became a fine restaurant called Pizzaiolo. The owner, Charlie, worked a Chez Pannisse for a few years before striking out on his own. I love this restaurant because it’s casual but has really fine food. You get to see a cross section from all walks of life in North Oakland. Not to mention, they make a great pizza, and also have great pasta dishes, appetizers, and affordable prices.

And, they were thoughtful enough to leave the old G&G hardware sign up. And don’t believe what anyone says — they do take reservations now.

Pizzaiolo
5008 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
512.652.4888

I first went to Fenton’s Creamery more than 15 years ago when I was in college. At that time, it seemed like a kind of run-down ice cream parlor. At some point in the intervening years, there was a fire there and a few years ago the place was totally rebuilt and restored. The new Fenton’s is awesome, even more so because I live a few short blocks away. It reminds me of the places I went to as a kind like Friendly’s and Swenson’s. But Fenton’s is even better. It’s been around our ‘hood since 1894. Our house wasn’t even built until 1908 so we now know of at least one thing that attracted the people who built our place.

Fenton’s Creamery
4226 Piedmont Ave, Oakland CA 94611
510.658.7000

I was kind of disappointed when News Hunter turned into Smoke Hunter. It was a good newsstand but, as it exists today, it’s a smoke shop only. Along came Issues which turns out to be an ideal newsstand. Not only do they carry every magazine I want (except Straight No Chaser which they’re still trying to locate a distributor for), they also carry a fine selection of vinyl and t-shirts. The owner
has good taste in musuc with lots of jazz and other not so easy to find titles. I also got myself a new Cramps t-shirt — the one I had from when I was 16 doesn’t really fit me anymore.

Issues
20 Glen Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
510.652.5700

Last night heading over to Emeryville to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (it wasn’t at all as lame as the critics made it seem) we stopped at one of our Bay Street favorites Zao Noodle Bar. The movie was nearly 3 hours long and by the time it was over not too many places back in our ‘hood were still open for dinner. Zao is always a good choice. I like the Vietnamese rice noodle bowls and Susan had a nice Thai style coconut milk /lemongrass chicken soup.

Zao Noodle Bar
5614 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA
510.595.2888

This spot at the intersection where College and Claremont meet was an ice cream parlor for many years. Not long ago, the business was converted to a small restaurant called Noodle Theory. The food is super-d-duper. We’ve been there twice now and despite its size we never had to wait for a table. At the start of our lunch we got some free edamade with a soy/hoisin sauce dripped over the top. Susan had some flat noodles with ginger and chicken. I had round noodles with a spicy ground pork. We shared an extra dish of sauted green beans. Everything was great and the portions were pretty generous. They also make a nice mango black tea. They even serve all the fine flavors of Dry Soda.

Noodle Theory
6099 Claremont Ave, Oakland, CA 94620
510.595.6988

I had my first Top Dog the first day I moved to Berkeley when I was 17. 20 years later I’m still going to Top Dog whenever I get a craving for a hot dog. Top Dog carries many different kinds of sausages: bockwurst, kielbasa, bratwurst, linguiça, calabrese, hot links, bird dogs (turkey w spices), and even veggies dogs. Sometimes they even serve what they call “Bambi Dogs” which are, as you might have guessed, venison dogs. Although they are all over the Bay, I prefer to go to their outlet inside the Oakland uber-Longs.

Top Dog (Oakland)
5100 Broadway Oakland, CA 94611
510.601.1187