Kat's 9 Lives

It was pouring that night, 1/17/10. I was starting to regret that I came out with Ms. Lin to East Bay. Do I really want to trudge around in this horrid weather? Was there really any places worth this pain? If you read my review of Grégoire before, you'd know I would say no... but I actually liked Cheeseboard Pizza. They are very reminiscent of Arizmendi. There is only one type of pizza made a day and that's the only choice you get. When we arrived there was a line outside the door and the rain was coming down but luckily the line was moving very fast. There is a small fridge on the right side where they have a few selections of drinks to choose from and I immediately grabbed the Orangina as Ms. Lin tried a Ginger soda. **blech** lol They had a live band playing and the place was PACKED! There was either a person standing in any open space or people were crunched up around the tables. The place is small and there was limited seating but everyone seemed like they were having tons of fun. Ms. Lin and I just stood and ate our pizza by the water. Got to make do with what you can get.
That night the pizza available was an Asiago Cheese and Eggplant Pizza. Many of you might not know but Ms. Lin disdains eggplant so I was thinking that this will turn out interesting. She ate it and enjoyed it. I actually found the oil they glistened on top of the pizza to be extremely fragrant and the pizza was very tasty. Everything from smell to taste came together nicely. We both enjoyed that they gave you a big slice of pizza with a smaller cute slice on top. The pizza on the cheese was delicious and flavorful. I thought the pizza had just the right amount of seasoning and saltiness. Once I found the station with the Parmesan cheese to add on, it got even better. O=)

All in all the pizza was great and for a great price. It is just simple goodness. I could see why this place would be a hot spot for locals and college students. Normally I hate crowded places or waiting in lines, but this place had a great energy flow. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the people there were friendly. Would I drive all the way to East Bay just for this, heck no... but the next time I am in the area I will definitely keep in mind to come try some other yummy pizza creations and to pick myself up some more Orangina. Mmmm. Speaking of which, I need to go buy some and stock up at home! lol If you are in the Berkeley area and hankering for a snack, be sure to drop by here. ^_-

Cheeseboard Pizza
1512 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 549-3055

Ms. Lin and I rarely head over to East Bay but if we do, we have to make the most of it. Sadly, it was a rainy night and cold! (1/17/10) This was our second stop of the night. I want to start with the bad before we get to the good so this post will go first. Ms. Lin had done some research on what to try as we made our way to Berkeley. At first I was a bit excited to try Grégoire because it was suppose to be a French Bistro, or so I thought! It was very close to the Cheeseboard Pizza that was our first stop. Still, in the rain it is not fun especially when it is windy. As we walk up to this place, I notice that this is really a tiny hole in the wall. I am not kidding too. When Ms. Lin said that it would be small and hard to find seating, boy was she not kidding! There was probably less than 5 seats/stools inside and there were only 2 tables outside. It didn't help that half the table was exposed in the rain. They have one small menu displayed by the door and it was a little hard to squeeze by and read but eventually I was able to look at it. I didn't really think there was anything that sounded unique or great on the menu that I would like to try. It was a bit disappointing and I was looking forward to the meal too! =*( If you can't tell already, this will not be a happy review. lol
First off we got the Crispy Potato Puffs that apparently was highly recommended. Ms. Lin asked if they could give us these first if they came out first and they did. It was piping hot and fresh. For $4.50 you get a decent amount and the boxes they use are so adorable! Sadly, the food didn't reflect the packaging in my opinion. The dipping sauce they provided was a honey mustard grain that didn't really compliment the potato puffs at all. I felt they were a bit bland and fell flat. Personally I can probably make better and more flavorful potato puffs. Add a bit of cheese and some more seasonings.... Mmmmm. Here, not so much. I barely ate this and left the rest for Ms. Lin to eat. She didn't think they were that bad and I explained my reasoning. Hey if she thought they were decent then she could have it all. O=9 Maybe I am spoiled by yummy food in LA, personally I'd rather have Porto's potato balls. After tasting this, I didn't have much hope for the main dish.
For the main course we ordered the Gruyere and Prosciutto stuffed Chicken Breast wrapped in Puff Pastry served with Onion Jus. Doesn't that sound delish on paper? Well I thought so but this really was nothing but a glorified Hot Pocket! lol Ms. Lin could see where I was coming from. It looks like a regular Hot Pocket in many ways. Taste, well for the price... I'd rather eat Hot Pockets. O=9 There really wasn't much flavor this dish. The chicken was decently cooked in tenderness but bland, followed by more items to wash out the taste. Normally I am a huge cheese fan but I found the funk of the Gruyere to be a bit on the nauseating side. My motto with cheese usually is the stinkier the better, but the taste of the cheese was a bit on the rancid side for me. I was trying to pawn off everything to Ms. Lin the whole night and she knew. The only thing that made the meal passable was that I had an Orangina with me to help wash it down. Thank you Orangina! lol O=P
All in all I was let down by this place. Maybe I was expecting too much from this tiny hole in the wall? I thought the place looked cute and quaint from the outside. You can watch the chef cook from the window. I don't think she is the proprietor but she was doing all the work in a small space. Got to give her credit for working it. Still, I was underwhelmed and the rain didn't help. Thank goodness I was really smart in convincing Ms. Lin to just order the 2 items that seemed decent and not order a bunch just to try. I have gotten a lot smarter about food these days. Try some, then order more and not to be greedy is my new motto. These are words to live by these days. I feel like a lot of these highly rated or hyped about places are really just so-so or sub-par. Even though I am very adventurous in finding new conquests, I sure have hit a lot of bumps along the way. What I suffer through for the craft. lol To leave things on a positive note, the boxes are super duper cute! Love the design! lol

Grégoire
2109 Cedar Street
Berkeley, CA 94709-1567
(510) 883-1893

To finish of the Saturday in East Bay, we decided to pick up some treats at Ici in Berkeley. This place was packed to the brim at 9PM. Many people rave about their ice creams. We debated about standing in line for a long time just for ice cream. I mean how good could it be? Also, the longer we wait for the ice cream then the higher the expectations were. On that cold night, we stood there waiting patiently until they started crossing out the flavors of ice cream. We were almost next in line when they pulled out the last of the ice cream flavors that we wanted to try. **sob sob sob!**
It's a very small store and it can get extremely crowded. I liked the serene display of their products with a slight hint of elegance. If only they still had some ice cream flavors left! =*( In my opinion the servers weren't that friendly, but I guess it's because it was the end of the night and they wanted to leave... maybe? Still, it would have been nice if they were friendlier. Ms. Lin and I asked to try some flavors and we were not too delighted about the remaining choices. We went with a random choice of Brandied Cherry and Sesame Praline. Originally we were going to each get our own cones with 3 scoops each. =*( Normally I don't like cherries in my ice cream, but the texture of the ice cream was very creamy and it did have a lot of cherries. The flavor was not bad, but I am not sure I would wait 30-45 minutes for ice cream let alone drive to East Bay. At first we didn't like the Sesame Praline because it had a strange orange taste and the flavor was all over the place. As I took more bites, I started liking it more and more. There were chunks of Sesame Pralines distributed throughout to add a crunchy texture and lingering flavor in your mouth. On the bright side, the cone was spectacular. It's like a delicious & airy wafer rolled up with chocolate in it's tip to prevent any leakage.
I decided to get a Hazelnut Ice Cream Bon Bon since I love the taste of hazelnuts. It's a small square of ice cream enveloped in chocolate with half a hazelnut atop. The nut was good and the chocolate was sweet, but the ice cream was only okay for me. It lacked a strong flavor and wasn't too sweet. I felt that the ice cream was a little icier and not as creamy as the scooped ice cream.
Ms. Lin and I both wanted to try their ice cream sandwiches that people on the internet just rave about. Unfortunately, we don't like the same flavors so we each got one. Ms. Lin tried the Meyer Lemon & Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich with Chocolate Cookies. The cookies were nice and crunchy. They didn't become soggy even when the ice cream started to melt. As for the ice cream inside, I wasn't that big of a fan. I don't really like Meyer lemons, so I think that played a part. The Meyer lemon flavor was very strong and it overpowered the strawberry flavor. You would think the sourness of the lemon would bring out the sweetness of the strawberries, but it didn't. The strawberries were very light and also had a sour flavor, which shows that they make these ice creams from fresh ingredients. I ordered the Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich with Chocolate Cookies. The flavor of the peanut butter was very light and almost unnoticeable. I really love the rich flavors of peanut butter, but the ice cream here fell very short. It was just a light flavor that brought out the flavor of the cookie more. I guess a good thing would be that you don't feel weighed down after eating these and the cookies were tasty.
The treats they sell at the counter looked very inviting so Ms. Lin and I each picked up an extra sweet. Ms. Lin chose their Saffron-Orange Blossom Marshmallows because she loves homemade marshmallows. They looked delectable, but they taste like soap! Bleh! The texture was nice, but the flavor combo was totally off. I'd rather try the peppermint flavored marshmallows. For my sweet, I chose Rose Pistachio Meringues. I love pistachios and meringues, so I thought the combo would be good. It was an odd mixture as well, but at least it didn't taste like soap. The meringue was a little too tough and after you start chewing it becomes extremely sticky in the mouth. The flavor was tolerable, but I didn't enjoy the process of eating it.
All in all the ice cream was good. Are they to die for... sorry, no. Would I go to East Bay just for them? No. Would I give them another try? Yes. The flavors were decent enough and different enough for me to go back again. Word to the wise, go EARLY! So you will have more than the not-so-popular choices left. The cone was FABULOUS. No wonder they sell them individually. Is it worth the wait? Hmm, it's debatable because we had so little choices left in flavors when we finally got to order. Now my new goal is to try Mitchell's and Bi-Rite before I leave to compare! O=P

Ici
2948 College Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705
(510) 665-6054