Category Archives: Restaurants & Reviews

My parents and the automat

My Mom in 1965 with a crqazy hairdo while working at the flushing new york horn & hardardt

My Mom working at the Flushing, NY Horn & Hardart in about 1965

We all get older – it’s a fact, and it’s scary to see hip pictures of ourselves from days gone by.  Check out this shot of my mom from around 1965.  This was taken at the Horn & Hardart restaurant in Flushing, where she worked as a server – though she gets mad about that term, asking what might be wrong with “waitress,” which is what she says she was.  Horn & Hardart, or “H&H,” as the employees called it, started out as a chain of East Coast automats that later included sit-down restaurants, like the one in Flushing, once the automats started closing.  My mom worked at the automats in Manhattan first, starting in about 1954.  She was a busser, where she met fellow-busser Frank, whom she married in 1958.  She moved up the ranks and spent the next couple of years filling up the coin-operated food dispensers from the back, with things like beans and franks and cup custards.  Soon she started waitressing (she’d like that).  Cut to the early 1960’s, when she was transferred to Flushing.  I loved the Flushing store and spent time there after school, meeting all the local characters.  The employees all had fun and doted on me, giving me my favorite mashed potatoes and gravy.  I think my love of the restaurant business started there.

Free chicken sammies at McDonald’s today

Free Southern Style Chicken sandwiches at McDonald’s until 7:00 p.m., today only.  The catch is that you have to buy a medium or large beverage – but not the sweet tea, since it’s being promoed at a dollar.  Funny how getting something for free at a fast food establishment always involves the purchase of a beverage, no?  Well, not really.  Anyone in the restaurant business knows that the mark-up on soft drinks is usurious.  In Berkeley, where Matt and I went to check out the free grub, it cost us each $1.65 for the soda.  The key point here is that this new product is a knock-off of the Chick-fil-A, a hugely popular sandwich in the Southern states. Chick-fil-A, the name of the chain restaurant, is also the name of its signature sandwich, I think, but they do serve other things.  We are talking a deep fried piece of chicken breast on a steamed bun dressed with pickles and butter.  I though the McDonald’s version was pretty good, but I leave it to the fanatical Chick-fil-A devotees to set us straight.  The bun was soft and sweet – what they call a “regular bun” and the one you find around those lame basic hamburgers.  The chicken piece was not huge, but fine, and moist and fairly thick for its size.  Had I not read it, I would not have known about the butter.  A bit of quick research tells me that Chick-fil-A uses no trans fat to fry, so it has it over Mickie Dees there.  When you look into the trans fat situation on the McDonald’s website it is not easy to get exactly what you need since there is quite a bit of what seems like misdirection, but I figured out (from the ingredients section) that both the bun and fried chicken contain trans fat (i.e., partially hydrogenated oil) and that, for most of the USA, each sandwich has 1.5 grams of trans fat.  This total trans fat number came from the nutritional information.  It is not clear how much of the trans fat is attributable to the frying oil vs. the bun, unfortunately, nor is there anything (unless I missed it) about what kind of oils, specifically, they are using to fry various items.  When I did a global search to find out what the deal is in terms of reducing their use of trans fat in general, I found this:

Frequently Asked Questions About McDonald’s USA Food & Nutrition

Q: What is the status of the trans fatty acid reduction at McDonald’s?

A: Reducing, and where possible eliminating, trans fatty acids from our fried menu items continues to be a priority at McDonald’s. Our goal is to provide our customers with significantly reduced or 0 gram TFA fried products that meet their expectations for taste and quality. We are pleased that we’ve identified an alternative oil which thousands of customers say produces the same great taste in our Fries. McDonald’s ability to achieve broader distribution of the alternative oil is now based upon availability of supply. We’ll keep you posted on our progress. Meanwhile, we continue to provide TFA information in all our nutrition information materials, including our Web site, in-store nutrition brochures, trayliners, and now some product packages.

I am soooo glad that McDonald’s has “identified an alternative oil.”  Had they asked me years ago, I would have suggested several oils, including Canola.  Gee, I wonder why it has taken them so long?  Do you think money has anything to do with it?  I guess we’ll all be in better shape when they get that “supply” issue worked out.  Do you think that whatever they’ve done has been proactive or reactive?  I’m also confused.  It’s looking like the only thing that gets fried in this alternative oil is French fries, and that the only places it is in use are where McDonald’s has been legally required to change their ways.  Doesn’t that conflict with the idea of “broader distribution” being “based upon availability of supply?”  I’m not being sarcastic here — I really cannot figure this out.  Do they only use it where they are forced to?  Do they not use it elsewhere because there is not enough of it?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Also, what is the “alternative oil?”  Is it something like Canola oil?  Is it a blend of good oils?  I hope it’s not a substance they are producing in their lab somewhere, but I have my fears since I would think they’d tell you what it is if it’s not scary.  When will the government force these rich bastards (and not only at McDonald’s) to use better oil, period?  Incredible that California is behind the trend here.  Back to our regularly scheduled chicken sandwich.  I would give it a go if you need to get that fix on, and it’s nice to have a sandwich choice that isn’t slathered with unidentifiable sauces and piled high with a bunch of other crap, like iceberg lettuce, that does nothing but get all over when you open the wrapper.  I hate that!  Oh, yeah:  the McDonald’s in Berkeley now sells another Southern favorite, sweet tea, and was offering samples.  I would be surprised if it lasted around here because it is unbelievably sweet. 

The most important news, though, is that the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage today, striking down laws that declared it unconstitutional.

Genova Deli in Oakland

Sandwich from Genova Deli in Oakland CA in 2007

Sandwich from Genova Deli in Oakland CA in 2007

Decent Italian deli in Oakland.  Why did we not know?  I’ll bet when we were told we dismissed the information because of how often we have been misled by people who have lame data points when it comes to certain kinds of food.  Anyway, we were driving on Telegraph in Temescal when we saw a sign for Genova Deli (5095 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland) and thought, “What the hell – let’s stop.”  We made our way around the nice-ish rectangular strip mall to find a jam-packed Italian deli that looked like it actually had something going on besides Columbus and Saag’s (now owned by Hormel, did you know this?) products.  Lots of counters with  prepared food and cold cuts and a serious sandwich operation.  The sandwiches are made on good, crusty rolls and have a respectable amount of protein.  You’ll find all the suspects here, like various prosciuttos and salamis.  They have many varieties of salami, not just Genoa and Sopressata, so this is a place to get a real salumi fix on.  There are packaged goods, like beans and pasta, alongside your truffle and olive oils.  One end of the store is dedicated to baked goods, and you can have a cup of coffee and a piece of cake there.  I am told they make excellent ravioli.  I’ll bet this place is out of control during the Christmas season.

Matt’s first brew

matthew valencia having his first beer at pyramid brewery in berkeley in 2008

Matt’s first beer in a restaurant today!  Matthew ordered the brewer’s rack at Pyramid Alehouse (901 Gilman, Berkeley) this evening and was very pleased to show his ID to the server.  I captured his first sip with my cell phone – and was more than happy to help drink the beer.  Paul treated to a nice meal, including a new mussel appetizer — served in a beer broth with fries and crostini on the side — which was very good.  I am also happy to report that Pyramid brought back their cheese soup and gave the old heave-ho to that terrible soup they had for awhile….which I believe was squash, but I may be wrong.  Whatever it was, it was a thin and tasteless affair.