Eat in Oakland: Homeroom

Gilroy Garlic Mac with gouda, sharp pecorino, and roasted garlic

Homeroom is a great place for when you’re feeling nostalgic about the simpler times of grade school. They mainly specialize in mac n’ cheese with dishes ranging from Classic Mac, known for its creaminess and cheesiness, to more elaborate dishes like Mexican Mac, a spicy dish with chorizo, peppers, and cilantro, and Trailer Mac, which features sliced hot dogs and crumbled potato chips. Their portions are pretty sizable and you’ll probably have leftovers. Homeroom also has a selection of yummy desserts, two of which I can vouch for personally. The homemade Oreo is their own version of the classic cookie, while the peanut butter pie is a very tasty and creamy treat that cools you down after a spicy mac n’ cheese. 

Their chalkboard walls are decorated with a detailed map of California featuring symbols representing each region’s pride and joy. Please be aware that this restaurant is very popular and can be busy on the weekends. Fortunately, it’s usually worth a trip and you’ll most likely enjoy the grammar school throwback. 

Side salad with citrus vinaigrette  


Mexican Mac with Niman Ranch chorizo, chipotle peppers, jack cheese, cilantro, and lime
 
Homemade Oreo topped with sea salt


Peanut butter pie with graham cracker crust 

 Homeroom
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400 40th St., Oakland, CA 94609

Open: Tuesday - Sunday 11 - 10

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Eat in Nashville: Edley's Bar-B-Que

Brisket Sandwich with red sauce and pickles, served with mac n' cheese and banana pudding




Southern Salad with turkey, cucumber, carrots, red onion, tomatoes, bacon, smoked Gouda, croutons, and lettuce

When visiting the South, it seems imperative to try some local barbecue. I stopped by Edley’s Bar-B-Que in East Nashville to do just that.

I ordered the Brisket Sandwich with mac n' cheese and banana pudding on the side. The barbecued brisket had the signature layer of blackened dry rub on the outside, which I've recognized from watching a season's worth of episodes of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." It came with crisp pickles most likely made in-house and a red sauce. The bun was fresh and had a nice sweetness to it. The mac n' cheese was creamy and had a flavorful seasoning on top. The banana pudding was a highlight as well.

I also tried a bit of the Southern Salad, which features every vegetable I had been longing for in meat-and-potato country.

If you've visited Edley's Bar-B-Que, what do you recommend trying?

Edley's Bar-B-Que

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908 Main Street, Nashville, TN 37206

Open: Daily 11 - 10

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Eat in San Francisco: Brenda's Meat & Three

Brenda's Fried Chicken with hot pepper jelly and sides of Cornbread, Mac & Cheese, and Okra and Tomato Maque Choux




BBQ Spare Ribs with sides of Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes, and Red Beans & Rice

In late August, I tried Brenda's Meat & Three — a Southern restaurant, known for their Cajun and Creole cuisine, located on Divisadero between Golden Gate and McAllister in NoPa — for the first time for "supper" with my dining companion, who's been eager to visit. I've previously had Brenda's Oakland for delivery, which was quite good, so I knew I was in for a treat. According to their website, Brenda's Meat & Three was opened in 2014 and is a specific style of restaurant, where patrons pick one meat and three sides for their meal.

For our meats, we tried Brenda's Fried Chicken and the BBQ Spare Ribs, both of which were perfectly cooked, flavorful, and tender. Since we both got a plate, we got to try six sides, which everyone knows are often the favorites. For our sides, we had a bit of everything: Cornbread, Mac & Cheese, Okra and Tomato Maque Choux, Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes, and Red Beans & Rice. Many of these were classics we were excited to experience Brenda's take on, while some were new to us. I remember the Okra and Tomato Maque Choux being surprisingly good. 

Overall, everything was well-made and they executed everything on their expansive menu pretty well. The service was very attentive. If you plan to visit, I would recommend going with a friend you can share with, if you also want to try various sides. (You can also get the 4-sides option.)

Brenda's Meat & Three

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919 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94115

Open: Daily 8am - 9pm

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Eat in Los Angeles: The Pie Hole

Earl Grey Tea pie


Mexican Chocolate pie


Cappuccino

Although I've known about The Pie Hole for a couple years, I finally visited their Arts District location last week. Located on Traction Avenue on the eastern side of Downtown Los Angeles, this pie shop serves an impressive selection of pies in sweet and savory flavors as well as any type of coffee you desire.

When I stopped by with my mom, we ordered a slice of the Earl Grey Tea and the Mexican Chocolate pies. I also got a cappuccino and she a drip coffee. The pies were fantastic. The Earl Grey Tea had that delicate earl grey flavor that I love, a flaky pastry crust, a thin layer of chocolate in between, and was topped with pistachios. The Mexican Chocolate pie was made with a thick chocolate filling, a crumbly graham cracker crust, and a healthy portion of whipped cream. These pies were nothing like I've had before and completely satisfied my craving for pie, which has lasted for what's felt like years. This is one of those places where you know the food is made carefully and with a lot of love.

To top it off, they serve some great coffee, too. I've heard from several people that the coffee is a must-try, and even the main event if you're not in the mood for dessert. My cappuccino was huge and prepared perfectly. My mom also enjoyed her organic drip coffee.

The next time I visit, I'll try a Chicken and Cornbread Pot Pie or a Mac and Cheese Hand Pie. You can learn more about The Pie Hole by watching this video by The Bold Italic.

Looking for more photos from The Pie Hole? Here you are.

The Pie Hole

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714 Traction Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90013
Open: Monday - Thursday 7am - 10pm, Friday 7am - 11pm, Saturday 8am - 11pm, Sunday 8am - 10pm

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Eat in Oakland: Brenda's Oakland

Fried Chicken Breast

Gumbo and Mac & Cheese

Beignets

Last week, I finally had the opportunity to try a place that I've heard such positive things about for a while: Brenda's Oakland, the popular French soul food restaurant originating from San Francisco. 

I ordered a few things from their North Oakland location on Broadway between 40th and 41st: a piece of their famous fried chicken, a cup of gumbo, mac & cheese, and plain beignets for dessert. I believe it was worth the wait. The chicken was moist and flavorful, the gumbo was satisfying, and the mac & cheese was perfectly cheesy. The beignets were the hit: they had the right amount of sweetness.

If you've visited Brenda's Oakland, what do you recommend trying?

Brenda's Oakland

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4045 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Open: Daily 8am - 8pm

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Portfolio Building: Delicious Double Takes

In an effort to expand my photographic range and build some semblance of a portfolio, I recently began to dabble in food photography for my friend's brand-new blog, Delicious Double Takes. The goal of this blog is to sample critically-acclaimed dishes at popular restaurants in the Bay Area and reinvent them in our own way if we feel that they don't live up to the hype that they've received.

For my first assignment, my friend reinvented the Trailer Mac mac 'n cheese dish from Homeroom, a popular Oakland restaurant dedicated to serving the nostalgia-inducing pasta and cheese combination. Here are just a couple of photos I took of my friend's version of the dish. Click here to see more photos.

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Coffee in Oakland: Subrosa Coffee

Latte

Subrosa Coffee is a tiny coffee shop on 40th between Webster and Shafter in the Temescal District of North Oakland. Located on the same block as Homeroom, everyone's favorite mac 'n' cheese restaurant, this hole-in-the-wall serves delicious Four Barrel Coffee any coffee fiend would love. I ordered a latte, which was as good as you can imagine.

Similar to Four Barrel's cafe in the Mission, they have a lovely parklet out front with space for people and bike parking alike. Here's a video that provides a peak into what Subrosa is like. Longtime readers will remember that Subrosa was where I shot Jerry Lin-Hsien Kung, an Oakland-based glass artist and fabricator, for an interview about his work.

Want to see more photos from Subrosa Coffee? They're all yours.

Subrosa Coffee
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419 40th St., Oakland, CA 94609
Open: Monday - Thursday 7 - 5, Friday 7 - 6, Saturday 7:30 - 6, Sunday 8 - 5

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