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Leena Eats: SR24 (Final pre-baby meal!)

Leena Eats: SR24 (Final pre baby meal!)
Crispy pork belly @ SR24 in Oakland.

I’m putting this post up for sentimental value. The restaurant just closed at the end of July, and this meal was eaten at the beginning of May, just days before I gave birth. I was feeling large and slow at this point, pretty much praying daily that the baby would hurry up and get the eff out of my belly. The pork belly pictured above was delicious, especially with the runny egg, and I’m pretty sure I managed to eat most of this, even though I was sharing with two others.

So behold, one of my last meals out as a childless person. More food porn to come!

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September 13th, 2011
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Posted in California, East Bay, Leena Eats, Oakland | Comments Off

Leena Eats: Dareye–Finally, good East Bay Ethiopian!

Leena Eats: Dareye Finally, good East Bay Ethiopian!
Our spread at Dareye restaurant, trip #1. Delicious mesir watt!

The East Bay is home to a LOT of Ethiopian restaurants. You might think this is a good thing, but it literally took me eight different restaurants before I was able to find enjoy. After two visits (one good, one not so good), I’m ready to make a bold statement–I like me some Dareye Ethiopian.

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April 4th, 2011
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Posted in Berkeley, California, East Bay, Ethiopian, Leena Eats | 1 Comment »

Leena Eats: Flora, a revamped flower shop in Oakland

Leena Eats: Flora, a revamped flower shop in Oakland
The delicious and warm soup amuse bouche at Flora restaurant in Oakland. I want to say it was potato and leek, but don’t quote me on that. I just know it was unexpected and delicious.

Oakland Restaurant Week happened to fall over my birthday weekend this year, so I decided to check out Flora, a new restaurant in Oakland’s up and coming Uptown neighborhood. The restaurant is in the old Oakland Flower Depot, a beautifully restored Art Deco building decked out in dark blue tile with silver accents. Outside the building is a hood that is half revitalized, half dying. Inside the building, you are whisked away to the 1920s, with a gorgeous, elaborate bar and cheery yellow walls with old posters.

Check out the food and heaps of food porn after the jump.

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March 16th, 2011
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Posted in California, East Bay, Leena Eats, Oakland | Comments Off

Leena Eats: Nex in Oakland

Leena Eats: Nex in Oakland
Some of tastiest grilled prawns I have ever had the pleasure to eat at Nex Restaurant in Oakland.

You have to really be looking to spot Nex Restaurant in Oakland. It’s on the outskirts of the Uptown neighborhood, smashed in between a bunch of car dealers and it’s sister restaurant, Mua. The restaurant was fairly empty early on a Saturday night when I arrived, but quickly filled in with happy and talkative customers.

The first thing that really made me stand up and notice this New American restaurant? Their AMAZING grilled prawns. This dish is a study in simplicity and perfect cooking technique–it is simply prawns, grilled, with a garlicky, citrusy rub. That’s it. But they are grilled so perfectly, the shell has just started to brown, and meat remained moist and succulent. Food porn prawn of the HIGHEST order.

Leena Eats: Nex in Oakland
Nex Restaurant’s blink and you’ll miss it front entrance.

More food porn and restaurant review after the click.

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February 23rd, 2011
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Posted in California, East Bay, Leena Eats, Oakland | Comments Off

Leena Eats: Brunch at Bellanico Restaurant and Wine Bar in Oakland

Leena Eats: Brunch at Bellanico Restaurant and Wine Bar in Oakland

I had serious plate envy over a fellow diner's choice: country French toast with whipped mascarpone, huckleberries, pomegranate and maple syrup.

I’ve realized quickly after becoming pregnant that all pregnant women are in a sisterhood of sorts, where people from all backgrounds can meet and agree about a few key facts: pregnancy is awesome and crappy all at once, and give me some food, now, please! That’s why I loved meeting up with my local expecting mamas group at Bellanico to share some pregnancy perks, pains, and of course, heaps of delicious food.

Like this French toast. Which? I did not get and sadly did not try, but drooled over greatly while a fellow mama dined on it. Bellanico is a cute little Italian restaurant (named after the owner’s kids, Bella and Nico) with a menu that changes weekly and affordable but delicious wine flights. Click on for more food porn from my Bellanico brunch!

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February 18th, 2011
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Posted in California, East Bay, Leena Eats, Oakland | 2 Comments »

Leena Eats: Chop Bar in Oakland’s Jack London Square

Leena Eats: Chop Bar in Oaklands Jack London Square

A big old plate of charcuterie and homemade locally sourced pickles? Don't mind if I do!

There are a few select ways to get into my heart: 1. adopt an adorable kitten from a local shelter and let me help name it/play with it. 2. Wrap something–anything–in crispy bacon. and 3. Serve me salty cured meat with homemade veggie pickles. There is just something so irresistible about salty pork products paired with vinegar-y, garlicky pickles. It’s like my kryptonite. Set a plate of it in front of me, and I wouldn’t care if you gave a mohawk to my cat or tripped a homeless person–I just want my salty meat and pickles, damn it!

And I’d blame this on my pregnancy, but let’s be honest–I had these sort of weird food cravings since well before I started growing a baby in my stomach. Thankfully, Chop Bar in Oakland’s Jack London Square is happy to meet my needs (and knows not to take the plate away until I have eaten EVERYTHING on it). It’s a local gastropub that has been getting rave reviews about their burgers and brunches. While I had neither, I did have a ton of delicious food.

Click on for heaps of food porn from Chop Bar!

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February 2nd, 2011
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Leena Eats: The Bay Area Food Guide

Leena Eats: The Bay Area Food Guide

The BBQ Scotch Egg at Wexler's in SF.

For the past 14 months, I’ve had the pleasure of living in the Bay area of Northern California. As the finale to the 4 year birthday of Leena Eats This Blog, I thought it would be fun to compile a Bay Area food guide of all the deliciousness I’ve consumed over the past year or so. If you live in the Bay Area, are visiting, or just like to look at some good old fashioned food porn, this is the guide for you.

Happy Eating!

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January 28th, 2011
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Posted in California, East Bay, Leena Eats, San Francisco | Comments Off

Leena Eats: Dopo – Italian for Pork in Oakland

Leena Eats: Dopo Italian for Pork in Oakland

To start at Dopo: Freshly baked (and slightly burnt) bread with pork fat-laced butter. Yes. Pork butter.

This winter in the Bay area is a wet and rainy one, one where you either long to cook up a big pot of warming food, or you long for someone else to do it for you. Not as a bitterly cold as Chicago, mind you, but enough to warrant complaints and the occasional dinner out.

Enter Dopo– a lovely little Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that is always packed, even on a weeknight, and of course, does not accept reservations. Lucky for my husband and I, we slipped in just between the early night rush and the late night rush on a busy and wet Wednesday night. We were a bit bummed the bread was so burnt, but once we tried the pork butter, it was easy to forgive.

They made butter with pork, people. Dopo can do no wrong in my book.

More food porn and commentary on Dopo after the jump.

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January 7th, 2011
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Posted in California, East Bay, Food Porn, Leena Eats, Oakland, Pizza | Comments Off

Leena Eats: Vedas Indian restaurant in Milpitas, CA.

Leena Eats: Vedas Indian restaurant in Milpitas, CA.

Complimentary app: pappadums with two chutneys at Vedas.

I joined a friend to review an East Bay Indian restaurant, and this is the food porn from that event. Vedas restaurant tries to come off as more than just your average Indian restaurant with their modern Indian decor and slightly modern food plating. For me, most dishes were either hit or miss. Check out my opinion and food porn after the click.

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December 22nd, 2010
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Posted in California, East Bay, Food Porn, Leena Eats, With Friends | Comments Off

Leena Eats:Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Leena Eats:Thanksgiving 2010

My Thanksgiving turkey, lookin all brown and Norman Rockwell-ish.

A day late, but isn’t it pretty?

~LTG!

November 27th, 2010
Posted in California, East Bay, Food Porn, Holidays, Leena Eats, Oakland, Thanksgiving, The Gastronomical Leena | Comments Off

Leena Eats: The Big Cheese Penis, Day Two (Chez Panisse)

Leena Eats: The Big Cheese Penis, Day Two (Chez Panisse)

First course: cherry tomato salad with ricotta salata. Light and refreshing.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Chez Panisse Cafe, and not nearly a week later, I was invited to go try the restaurant downstairs out with new friends. What are the differences, you may ask? Well, the cafe is upstairs, less formal, and has an a la carte menu. The restaurant is downstairs, more formal, and has a set four course meal the chef changes daily. Cafe more affordable, restaurant more expensive.

The first course of the evening was awesome—a refreshing and light tomato salad with ricotta salata and cucumbers. The tomatoes were juicy and tasted as only a tomato can taste in season, at it’s ripest, simply perfect. The salad had a cooling effect, which was great, especially considering that Berkeley was having a freakishly and untypically hot 100 degree F evening.

More food porn and info on the meal and sticking to seats after the jump.

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September 29th, 2010
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Posted in Berkeley, California, East Bay, Leena Eats | 2 Comments »

Leena Eats: Bakesale Betty’s Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pays For It Later, And Vows to Do It Again

Leena Eats: Bakesale Bettys Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pays For It Later, And Vows to Do It Again

The famous fried chicken sandwich from Bakesale Betty's in Oakland's Temescal hood.

I’ve heard about it since I moved here 10 months ago. I’ve seen the massive lines daily outside the shop. And finally…I got to taste the famous Bakesale Betty’s fried chicken sandwich.

What’s so great about it?

Find out and peep more food porn after the jump.

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September 8th, 2010
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Posted in East Bay, Food Porn, Leena Eats, Oakland | 3 Comments »
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