Rachael Ray in... Oakland?!?! (or, my entry for Dine & Dish #4, Part 1)
Sarah & Sam came up with a brilliant theme for this month's Dine & Dish: Play Rachael Ray for a day, and eat 3 squares plus snacks for under $40.
It's so brilliant, in fact, that I felt compelled to do TWO versions. Part 1 (which you're currently reading) focuses on Oakland, while Part 2 (coming Monday) focuses on San Francisco.
Per the instructions, my spend does NOT factor in tips (which, I suppose, is better than Ms. Ray's perpetual undertipping to keep to her budget). Anyway, without further ado...
My first stop was La Farine in the Rockridge District. A luscious chocolatine only set me back $1.95, but this tasty pastry has enough weight to keep me full until lunch. I added a cup of hot tea, bringing my total breakfast spend to $3.50.
Lunchtime found me in Chinatown where I headed straight for Cam Huong on Webster Street for a banh mi sandwich. For $2.25, I got a crusty & delicious french roll, loaded with grilled pork (though there are several options), lettuce, picked onions & carrots, cilantro and jalapenos.
Across the street is the Sweet Booth, where I picked up a Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Pearls -- look, ma, it's a drink & dessert in one! Total cost for lunch? $5.50.
Left with $31.00 for dinner (which in these parts will go rather far) I had several options. Would it by Huynh for more Vietnamese? Or perhaps barbeque at Everett & Jones?
No, a hamburger ($9.50) and pint of Maredsous ($6) at Luka's was calling my name. Amazingly, I even had enough left over for dessert ($6) -- a luscious chocolate cake, oozing with flavor and deep, dark chocolatey goodness.
My total damage for the day? Just under $33.00. It just goes to show: plan wisely and do your research and $40 can go a very, very long way!
La Farine Bakery
6323 College Avenue
510.654.0338
Cam Huong
920 Webster Street
510.444.8800
Sweet Booth
388 9th Street
510.893.3633
Luka's Taproom
2221 Broadway
510.451.4677
Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | Budget | Oakland
Hi Fatemeh - Rachael here.
You're so cheap! And smart.
You only spent $33? You could have left almost a 20% tip and still come in at $40. Showing me up.
Good call on the hamburger from Luka's though- I've tried one of those myself and indeed they are very very good.
xxRachaelxx
Posted by: Rachael Ray | August 22, 2005 at 07:17 AM
Great job! And truly, a much tastier menu than some I've seen on the show. Well done - and any day that ends with chocolate cake is a good one.
Posted by: tara | August 22, 2005 at 07:45 AM
VERY nice! and what to do now with that $7?!?! you probably need to add it to your SF tour. i can't imagine $40 going a very long way in SF. LOL!
Posted by: sarah | August 22, 2005 at 08:14 AM
Oh, goodness, the diva herself has deigned to comment on my blog! What JOY!
Tara -- I think the show is too quick to focus on touristy-type places, so I think they just don't get much bang for their buck. And I agree, chocolate cake makes for a happy day. :-)
Sarah -- that $7 bucks surely must go to a cocktail somewhere, don't you think?
Posted by: Fatemeh | August 22, 2005 at 11:47 AM
From what I hear about the downtown E&J, Luka's was a much better choice.
(I feature the Berkeley E&J in mine, though :-).
Posted by: Charlotte | August 23, 2005 at 06:36 AM
Did you tip at the little tip jars at the counters? That would be the hat trick if you still came in under 40 bucks.
I love those Viet Namese sandwich places in Oaktown. We also have one in El Cerrito. I always try to get the grilled pork and end up with the pork tripe (yuck) which is fine until you can't stop thinking about what you're eating!!!
You forgot to mention though that the sandwiches also contain cilantro and some form of Jicama. Damn this is making me hungry.
Posted by: five pints | August 24, 2005 at 03:58 PM
Nuh-UNH, I did TOO say there was cilantro. But... um, you're right, nothing about the crunchy jicama. Which is the 3rd to best part.
How on earth does one 'end up' with pork tripe? Not that I'd be averse to trying it, mind you. But tripey smell is not one I've gotten used to yet.
Posted by: Fatemeh | August 24, 2005 at 04:16 PM
Mmm...I don't know...the listing at the restaurant you mentioned just says "pork" (also the one in El Cerrito does this). Apparently the difference between this sandwich and the one called "grilled pork" is where in/on the beast the meat comes from.
I want to cook a whole pig. In the ground or above it. I want to make homemade chicharrones. Has anyone else read "a cook's tour" ? Great stuff on portuguese pig in there.
Posted by: five pints | August 25, 2005 at 01:36 PM
Another post making me miss home!
My husband and I would often stop in for croissants at La Ferine; we lived just up the street from Rockridge.
Wonderful job, and thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories!
Posted by: Stephanie | August 29, 2005 at 07:56 AM
fatemeh,
I love that a bunch of us "rachaels" chose bahn mi as part of our $40 day...aren't they yummy and CHEAP? i also usually get my bahn mi at cam huong when I go home to the bay =)
great post!
Posted by: Pam | August 30, 2005 at 10:12 PM
You know, I LOVE this picture. It's seriously great - I love that it captured the whole street scene while still showing us the actual sandwich.
Posted by: jen maiser | October 02, 2005 at 06:04 PM
Too funny! I have to comment on Luka's though, I can't argue that the burgers and beer selection are awesome, but the service! Last time I went they forgot our drinks, we saw them walking around looking confused with our appetizer and forget trying to get a second round of drinks. The time before that it took forever for the bartender to stop chatting and come over to us. I live in downtown Oakland so I'm sure I'll be back to Luka's as there's not a lot of competition but man, I wish they could get it together!
Posted by: Rose | April 20, 2006 at 10:20 AM