a little christmas cheer

It's a pretty lo-key Christmas this year but there were two things I insisted on doing.  One was to put up my tree (I haven't done that the last couple of years) and to actually have friends over to enjoy it.  Last night Deidre Joyner and Tom Bogue came over for some holiday cheer.  When I do decorate I like a monochromatic theme, and I have in the past decorated in all red, all purple and all pink. (Funny, even though I don't put up decorations every year, I continue to buy them).  So last year at the after holiday sales I bought all teal blue decorations and the color turned out very pretty.  So throw in a little Osha Thai food, champagne and two of my dearest friends and that is great Christmas cheer!

sea salt, berkeley, ca.

I got together with my friend Deidre Joyner last week, well I hadn't seen her for a while because she is so busy in a good way, of course, but I insisted I could just ride along while she took care of business and would not get in the way.  Between going to and from properties (she sells real estate at Red Oak) and taking and picking up the kids to a variety of activities, you can work up quite an appetite so we stopped for lunch at Sea Salt on San Pablo in Berkeley.  Sea Salt, as you might of guessed has a mostly seafood based menu that promotes the use of sustainable fish in dishes such as a BLT (bacon, lettuce and trout) Maine lobster roll, dungeness crab cakes, a variety of oysters and fish and chips, to name just a few dishes. 

Well, I can rarely pass up a chance to order fish and chips and Deidre recommended it.  Because of our crazy schedules we had to be in and out fairly fast but unfortunately they were a little short staffed and our order was not on the fast track, but after a little reminder the fish and chips arrived and it was well worth it.  The large pieces of cod were just a light crispy golden brown with a moist interior. The fries were well done and came with a garlic aioli which made me very happy and the unique red cabbage slaw with bits of cilantro was zesty and not at all watery.  All in all a very satisfying lunch.

bocanova one of the newest additions to the oakland food and dining scene

I go to Oakland fairly frequently for a couple of reasons: one of my best friends, Deidre Joyner, a Realtor with Red Oak Realty, lives there, and two, the town, which in addition to being simply beautiful with deco architecture downtown, mid-century modern in the hills, glittering lights along the lake and the addition of the Cathedral of Christ the Light church, is going through an amazing food and dining metamorphosis.

Deidre, also a CCA grad, is my guide to all things food in Oakland/Berkeley. She would know. She writes a terrific real estate and lifestyle blog called the Oakland Berkeley Journal. A recent drive around the lake revealed the sprawling new Lake Chalet restaurant and at Jack London Square waterfront dining soon to be joined by a giant market place to rival the the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Our latest destination was Bocanova, 55 Webster at Jack London Square. This Pan-American/Peruvian influenced grill, a spacious, beamed and pillared beauty with communal tables and heated outdoor seating right on the water features organic and sustainable ingredients. We both fell in love with the little gem caesar salad; miniature leaves with perfect caesar dressing, shaved Parmesan and bits of anchovy. The grilled halibut with avocado and pickled vegetables on a torpedo roll was also a winner. Crispy yuca fries made a nice side.

The result? A need to visit Berkeley Bowl West (again) to buy all the ingredients to make our own little gem salad and other goodies. This MEGA food emporium is a foodies sensory overload but in a good way. For Deidre and myself an inspiration to cook more at home with the best possible ingredients.

Check out the food and dining scene in Oakland soon. You'll be glad you did.