#swseats

In observance of my monthly love affair with St. Pancake’s day, I present to you SYRNIKI!

A part of Latvian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian cuisine, these delicious Eastern Slavic pancakes are not complicated to make and come out quite deliciously. Using farmer’s cheese (or quark), the simple pancakes can be more savory than sweet or more sweet than savory. You can dress them up or devour them as they are. Syrniki are unpretentious yet indulgent at the same time.

Our version of Syrniki came out somewhere between a traditional US pancake and a well made potato pancake. The edges came out crispy and the interior is moist and creamy. The pancakes were the perfect vehicle for a bit of sour cream and warm homemade applesauce.

This is one of the first times I have enjoyed a pancake just the way it was. I wouldn’t want any of the variations that add dried fruit or more sugar. One of the charms of this version is that they are just different enough from a more straight ahead pancake to make them deliciously unique.

This small neighborhood spot is doing more than just good pizza.

It’s almost unfair to call Nick’s Pizza a slice shop. Technically the seven year old, Bushrod business is a pizza place. Says so right in the name. But Chef Nick is flexing his baking muscles to turn out some pretty decent baked goods too. 

Chef Nick really knows his way around a slice. The crust is “Oakland Sourdough” -- It’s nice and thin, but not too crispy. You gotta be able to fold It in half, right? 

The crust has a good chew. The slight tang from the organic sourdough crust goes well with Nick’s seasonal toppings -- Roasted Delicata Squash, Radicchio, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Walnuts, Lemon-Agave Vinaigrette -- and that’s just on one pie! You can still go old school with a Pepperoni or Classic Olive and Herb, but why not be adventurous? 

The Bread Is The Thing

Nick’s is turning out some really good, small batch bread bread. You really should drop in and snag some. I mean, how can you go wrong with good focaccia?

Doing good in the Neighborhood

Chef Nick and the crew at Nick’s Pizza are all about community. The shop is a welcoming and affirming space for folks from all walks of life. They also host a regular Free Community Meal at the shop once every few months. This is a chance for Nick to open his doors and serve free slices to anyone and everyone for a few hours. 

Next time you’re in the neighborhood, make it a point to stop by. You may decide to leave with your own ginormous chocolate chip cookie.

Back in the 1800's, Old Oakland was the place to be. Hotels, fine dining, and fine homes bustled next to each other in the neighborhood that shares a border with Oakland’s Chinatown and what we’ve come to know as the Jack London area and waterfront. Hop forward to the 50’s and 60’s and you would see your Abuela catching up with your Nai Nai while they waited for your Gramma Minnie as she bought the fixings for her famous smothered pork chops at Housewives Market. So much has changed over the years, but much has thankfully remained the same.

Today at Swan’s Market, the complex that encompasses the old markets, folks who know what's up can now grab oysters and the definition of the freshest of California Cuisine at The Cook and Her Farmer. Folks hang out on the patio of Miss Ollies enjoying the soulful Caribbean food served up by chef Sarah Kirnon -- where we always split an order of fried chicken, but get our own side of plantains. It saves arguments at the table. Local office workers grab selections of some of the most addictive cupcakes at Cupcakin' Bakeshop to take back to their offices (you DO NOT want to sleep on their Key Lime Pie cupcake!!) or stroll down Washington Street to arguably the best of local old style delis at third-generation-run Ratto's. Old Oakland was intersectional before it was even a *thing*, so it's no wonder that Understory feels like such a good fit for the neighborhood.

Just down 8th Street from Xingones - a gem of a place located inside Fort Green Bar which has some of the best pozole and chicken and waffles, sits one of Oakland’s many new parklet outdoor eating spaces. Facing away from the folks cuing up for their Vietnamese Coffee ice cream across the street from Cookiebar Creamery is the worker led restaurant, bar, and commissary kitchen.

The menu rotates between food from Filipino, Moroccan, and Mexican origins. Don't be surprised if a guest chef takes over the kitchen serving up their unique take on street market and home inspired dishes.

The menu changes every couple of weeks -- vegan Mexican is currently featured. When we stopped by, the menu leaned more Moroccan.

We ordered a number of dishes, but there were a couple I would happily revisit the next time they are on the menu. The mussels that came in a Chermoula broth that we literally sopped up with every bit of bread we could find, were balanced and not too briny. Shoestring Fries came with the mussels which we happily gobbled down, because what is brunch without some form of potatoes, right?

The Shakshuka, a perfect sharing dish, had the depth of flavor of the best abuela-made enchilada sauce. A dark thick sauce with a gentle punch of flavor and heat that allowed the Kefta and eggs to nestle inside and not be subsumed.

Every one of the small staff were friendly, welcoming, and on their game. They made us feel as if we had been guests many times before. The portions were well sized and two or three selections were easy to share. My favorite item was something I didn't notice on the menu. Our server gifted our table a bread pudding with fresh ginger and seasonal peaches -- a delicious surprise. The freshness of the peaches and those surprise zaps of ginger were really what sunny-day brunch desserts are all about. Old Oakland may not be my neighborhood, but Understory gives me one more reason to hang out there.

Eating My Feelings

I hope you might hold space for the truth that all your body wants from you is for you to live in it, and that your body is working every day to make that happen.

- Ijeoma Oluo

At this point 2020 is just half over and it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions. My family downsized from our home of almost 15 years to a new neighborhood and a much smaller existence. There have been uprisings, reckonings, and increased attention around racial inequity spurred by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and a list of black and brown bodies that seems to keep growing. All of this during a raging pandemic that has many struggling with choices of how to keep themselves, their families and their community safe. Daily, folks are trying to keep themselves housed and fed. We're seeing beloved parts of our community shuttering for good as we grapple with this “new normal”. I have been having a lot of emotions to deal with.

If I were eating my feelings, this would be a meal that has me bloated and full to bursting. It would be a wretched meal that neither sustains nor nourishes -- leaving a sour taste in my mouth like milk having just gone off. A pitiful meal indeed. 

Canapés of fear. Antipasti of anxiety that I continue to pick at throughout the meal. Depression soup, helplessness salad, and finishing off with a deflated soufflé of exhaustion for dessert. 

But I have not been eating my feelings. I've been feeling them. Sometimes collectively while at other times they tumble over each other, one right after the other --  nonstop.  I have been taking them in and trying to transmute them into hope and action. Hope for what may be and the action to hold people and systems accountable for their words and allyship. Hope that this long-term struggle for change is making a difference. Action to continue to push so that the world is more accepting, equitable, supportive and loving. I am seeing the beginnings of a positive step forward in this country’s history and it is whetting my appetite for the potential of things to come.

“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

— John Lewis

What I’m Eating:

Belgian Style Cinnamon Waffles

I have NO idea why it didn’t occur to us to add cinnamon to waffles, but now that we have I’m not sure if I will be able to go back. This batch of Belgian Style waffles came up crispy golden on the outside and deliciously fluffy on the inside. And the hint of cinnamon made us want to throw together another batch to top with ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert.

What I’m Reading:

A restaurateur and his partner in rural Minnesota find opportunity for their business and a chance to pass along his mother's legacy of making a difference. (NYT Paywall?)Two Chefs Moved to Rural Minnesota to Expand on Their Mission of Racial Justice

After a brief California update, this  article from the NY Times (paywall?) talks about a universal basic income pilot in Stockton CA. This may be a good indicator of how the program might work in other municipalities across the state. California Today: Should Californians Get Guaranteed Income?

Writing about what red palm oil is and what it represents Yewande Komolafe brings us a broader discussion about who is talking about food systems and how. The Problems With Palm Oil Don’t Start With My Recipes 

What I’m Listening To:

Podcast: East Bay Yesterday Episode 60 "We were being erased” The woman who saved California’s Black history   Liam O'Donoghue introduces us to Delilah Beasley Author of the book “The Negro Trailblazers of California.”  With little education or means, Beasley spent nearly a decade interviewing African American elders and digging through crumbling archives to compile a book that rescued dozens of notable Black figures from historical oblivion.

This was a really interesting talk given by local award winning social entrepreneur Jamie Facciola. Jamie’s work on developing local solutions to circular economy challenges has been covered in BBC News, Fast Company, GreenBiz and on the KQED podcast Rightnowish, which profiles the "movers and shakers that shape the place we call home."Sustainability Essentials Webinar - Circularity in Furnishings With Jamie Facciola

What I’m Watching:

This made my week! 

Dancing and music are one way this couple are using to improve their mental well being.