Temp: 60.0F
More info

Best Of | Letters to the Editor | Sitemap | Snapshots | Custom Publishing | Subscribe | Alameda Magazine

 Email this page  Print this page  Feed

Subscribe to Oakland Magazine : Oakland Magazine Features

To Market, To Market

The Secret to the East Bay’s World-Class Food Scene? Ingredients. Here’s Where to Get the Freshest and the Best

Mitch Tobias

    Have you ever  left home for another part of the state or country and been appalled at the quality of the produce? Or the horrible coffee? Or the lack of decent bread? Most of the food-inclined are grateful to return home to the land of year-round farmers markets and locally-made cheeses. At the same time, the East Bay holds more culinary gems than many of us are aware of, and even true food lovers have been known to get into a shopping rut by frequenting the same places or always buying the same go-to foods. Here’s a shopping list and purveyor guide that might inspire a culinary and geographical scavenger hunt. You won’t find buried treasure at the end, but you will discover something delicious to eat.

Fish

Dungeness Crab
MONTEREY FISH MARKET
Paul Johnson’s legendary fish market deserves all the buzz that it gets. No frills, just tanks full of live Dungeness crab. You can also buy cooked crabs, which the fishmongers will clean for you, or picked crab meat.  1582 Hopkins St., Berkeley, (510) 525-5600, montereyfish.com.

Domestic Wild Shrimp
FARMER JOE'S MARKETPLACE
This natural grocery store has two Oakland locations and consistently stocks sustainably-sourced seafood, even in hard-to-find categories such as  shrimp, where you never want to go with  an out-of-country, farmed or trawled source.  3426 Fruitvale Ave.,  Oakland,  (510) 482-8899,  and 3501 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, (510) 482-8178, farmerjoesmarketplace.com.

Petrale Sole
HAPUKU FISHSHOP, Market Hall
The fish stand at Market Hall always has impeccably fresh fare. Call ahead to confirm that petrale sole is in stock.  5655 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 250-6007, rockridgemarkethall.com.

Word to the Wise
Skip the fish on Mondays.
     Fish come from fishermen and fisherwomen, and very few of them go out on Sundays. The result is that Monday finds the market devoid of fresh fish, and dedicated fish markets, such as Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley, are closed.

Poultry

Chicken Stock
STAR MEATS
Fresh chicken stock is fundamental to home cooking, but many home chefs don’t have the time to make it anymore, and bouillon cubes are full of sodium. Jesse Schwartzburg, the new owner of Star Meats near the Rockridge district, makes his own stock from scratch and never adds salt. Stock up (so to speak) with a quart or more of the stuff, then freeze off small portions for convenient recipe use.  3068 Claremont Ave., Berkeley, (510) 652-7712.

Hoffman Farm Chickens
MAGNANI POULTRY
It’s easy to think that Rocky  and Rosie are as good as it  gets when it comes to locally-sourced, free-range poultry. Not so. Call Magnani’s to see  if it has any Hoffman birds.  If it does, it’s worth a drive. 1576 Hopkins St., Berkeley, (510) 528-6370, magnanis.com.

Magret de Canard (Duck Breast)
VER BRUGGE
This longstanding meat, fish and poultry market is a good place to go when you’re working on a special recipe because it sells traditional items such as French-style duck breasts from domestic producers such as Grimaud Farms in Stockton. 6321 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 658-6854.

Psst, Have You Checked Out …
     The Wine Mine? David  Sharp runs this Temescal wine shop, where a nice selection of domestic and international wines sell for  startling low prices. 5427 Telegraph Ave., Suite D-1, Oakland,  (510) 547-9463, winemineco.com

Produce

Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato Plants
PLOUGHSHARES NURSERY
Mid-March through  April is 
the  perfect  time to plant  tomatoes in your backyard for late summer  and  fall harvests. Ploughshares  carries  40 varieties of tomatoes including hybrids adapted to the local  growing seasons and heirloom varieties. The Sweet 100s, tiny,  dark red tomatoes that burst with  tangy juice, are among  the most popular.  2701 Main St., Alameda,  (510) 898-7811, ploughsharesnursery.com.

Happy Boy Farms Salad Greens with Edible Flowers
Keep your eyes out for some of the best greens on the  scene. They are available at numerous area farmers markets, including Jack  London Square (Sunday)   and Grand Lake (Saturday).

Garcia Farms Artichokes
SATURDAY ALAMEDA FARMERS MARKET
Efren Garcia and his family grow these big green beauties, which hit the market in March and stay strong in April. The Hollister farm is close to getting its organic certification, and the artichokes are pesticide-free, not to mention meaty. A single specimen, steamed, makes an abundant appetizer. Pass the lemon butter.

Word to the Wise
Keep Your Avocados Close to Home.
Check those produce stickers and signs and make sure that you’re buying avocados from California or Mexico. Imported avocados from farther afield not only have a deeper carbon footprint, they are often watery and full of black and brown veins. Spare yourself.
 

Cheese

Goat’s Leap Sumi
Pasta Shop, Market Hall
The cheese selection at Market Hall is full of pleasant surprises. One is this little dynamo, a goat’s milk pyramid with a layer of soft grey ash and a bloomy white rind, but Goat’s Leap cheeses are only available seasonally and are expected at the Pasta Shop in late spring. It’s lovingly made by a couple in St. Helena and shows just how excellent local cheeses can be. 5655 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 250-6005, rockridgemarkethall.com. For more information on Goat’s Leap cheeses, check the producer’s website, goatsleap.com

Rogue River Blue
The Cheese Board
Think it’s about time to reclaim the phrase “going rogue?” This raw cow’s milk cheese from Oregon, with its reduced, salty-sweet flavor should do the trick. And what better place to try it than the collectively owned shop that is the mothership of West Coast cheese retailers? 1504 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, (510) 549-3183, cheeseboardcollective.coop.

Guffanti Aged Brescianella
Farmstead Cheeses & Wines
This washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from the Lombardy region in the North of Italy has an oozy texture, but a creamy mild character. Try it with spring fruit. 1650 Park St., Alameda, (510) 864-9463, and 6218 La Salle Ave., Oakland, farmsteadcheesesandwines.com.

Butcher Shop

BN Ranch Goat, Baron’s Meat & Poultry
Bill Niman is still in business, but not with Niman Ranch. His latest venture is goats. Step out on a limb and try some this spring. Niman pastures the goats on his Bolinas land, and it’s available by special order through Baron’s. 1650 Park Street, Alameda, (510) 864-1915, baronsmeats.com.

Pork Sausage Links
Mandela Foods Cooperative
West Oakland’s new cooperatively owned grocery store is open to the public, and it’s got the good stuff when it comes to sustainable meat. Get grilling season off to a tasty start with hormone-free pork sausage supplied by Golden Gate Meat Co. that plumps up beautifully on the barbecue. 1430 Seventh St., Oakland, (510) 452-1133, mandelafoods.com.

Meatloaf Mix
Piedmont Grocery company
This raw meat mix is perfect for loading into a loaf pan to make meatloaf or rounding into balls for meatballs. Made from 80 percent Harris Ranch Beef and 20 percent pork, the seasoned blend distills what’s great about this grocery store: old-time tastes. 4038 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, (510) 653-8181.

Word to the Wise
Beware of Beef.
Unless beef is labeled as being organic or grass fed, its origin is probably highly industrial  with all the pitfalls that come with that: corn feed, antibiotic use, inclusion of ammonia-treated beef filler products in ground beef, etc. Terms like “natural” and “certified angus” are marketing speak that don’t relate to the critical safety and health issues of beef. Know your farms. Niman Ranch and Harris Ranch are both industrial operations with corn-finished cattle, but are smaller in scale and better in practices than many other producers. Best bets are Marin Sun Farms (Baron’s Meats), Prather Ranch (Temescal Farmers Market), Eel River (Berkeley Bowl locations) and Pacific Pastures (Farmer Joe’s).

Psst, Have You Checked Out …
Bocclone’s meat ragu? This rich meat sauce, Incanto’s Pork Ragu made with Boccalone Salumeria, is prepared in Oakland at the same plant where the company cures its popular salumi. The sauce makes everything — from fried polenta, to pasta, to gnocchi — delicious. Pick up a jar at Boccalone Salumeria at Ferry Building Marketplace. 1 Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco, (415) 433-6500, boccalone.com. 

Bakeries

Jalapeno-Cheddar Bread
Feel Good Bakery
This bakery’s crusty breads aren’t short on flavor. The jalapeno-cheddar loaf (available on Sundays only) is practically a sandwich all on its own. 1650 Park St., Alameda, (510) 864-2733, feelgoodbakery.com, and at local farmers markets including Jack London Square (Sundays).

White Chocolate Espresso Tart
La Farine Bakery
This tart has a crispy-salty chocolate crust and a smooth coffee-flecked filling. It’s an instant tradition. 3411 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland,
(510) 531-7750, 4094 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, (510) 420-1777, 6323 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 654-0338, and 1820 Solano Ave., Berkeley, (510) 528-2208,  lafarine.com.

Lemon Meringue Pie
Sweet Adeline Bakeshop
Baker Jennifer Millar makes the best lemon meringue pie in town. Her secrets? That flaky, hint-of-salt crust and full-of-fresh lemon flavor curd that holds back on the sugar so its flavor balances perfectly with the sweet cloud of toasty meringue. 3350 Adeline St., Berkeley, (510) 985-7381, sweetadelinebakeshop.com.

Prepared Foods

Pizza with Spring Onions, Anchovies, Herbs and Ricotta Cheese
Boot and Shoe Service
Pizza is available to go from this upscale pizzeria owned by Charlie Hallowell of Pizzaiolo fame. 3308 Grand Ave., Oakland, (510) 763-2668, bootandshoeservice.com.

Roasted Vegetable Salad
Summer Kitchen Bake Shop
This Elmwood district take-away shop is the perfect place to head if you’re suffering from vegetable-chopping fatigue. It does a beautiful job with produce and offers great salads and side dishes such as roasted cauliflower with chili and garlic.  2944 College Ave., Berkeley, (510) 981-0538, summerkitchenbakeshop.com.

French Onion Soup
La Bedaine Berkeley
A little morsel of France has landed on Solano Avenue with the opening of this prepared food shop. Entrees are made fresh, then vacuum packed. Once you get this soup hot and top it with your own Swiss cheese crouton, you’ll be saying bon. 1585 Solano Ave., Berkeley, (510) 559-8201, labedaine.com. 

Psst, Have You Checked Out …
Lush’s Dulce de Leche Gelato? This small-batch gelato store makes a dulce de leche that is thick with caramel. 4184 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, (510) 547-1299, lushgelato.com and lushgelato.blogspot.com.

Farmers Market
Snack Attack

Feeling peckish at the farmers market? Who isn’t? Here are the best ways to quell your hunger:
     Blue Bottle espresso with Phoenix Pastificio’s almond macaroon: Score this combination at the Sunday Temescal market. bluebottlecoffee.net, phoenixpasta.com

    Roli Rotí quarter chicken with roasted potatoes: The scent of roasting chicken wafting through the Friday Old Oakland, Saturday Grand Lake, Sunday Montclair and Tuesday Alameda farmers markets is sure to lure you in. The roasted potatoes, which they scatter with rosemary salt, are equally enticing. Look out for whole rotisseried Muscovy duck at the Sunday Montclair market. You can also pick up a duck by special order at the other farmers markets Roli Rotí attends. roliroti.com

    Smoked cheddar and black bean tamale, Donna’s Tamales: Enjoy one of these tamales at the Saturday Grand Lake or Sunday Temescal market. donnastamales.com