Thursdays at Cafe Elmwood: Sausage and Pint Night

Sausage and Pint at Elmwood Cafe!

"This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays." – Arthur Dent, of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

If you agree with this (rather geeky) quote, take heart. Thursdays have become just a little bit more bearable with the help of Berkeley’s relatively new Elmwood Café. The Café started a weekly Sausage and Pint Night, on (you guessed it) Thursdays.

            I discovered Sausage and Pint Night quite by accident. One Thursday night, Ben and I were being particularly indecisive about where to go for dinner and ended up going to Manpuku, a cheap, nearby and reliable tasty option for sushi. As we were walking home, we noticed that Elmwood Café was uncommonly happening for the time of night. We then saw the chalkboard sign outside their door and were quickly made aware of Sausage and Pint Night. Thinking it was a one-time deal, we lamented our choice of dinner and having missed out on something so European-sounding as Sausage and Pint Night. I went to Elmwood Café for lunch one Wednesday, a few weeks later, and noticed the writing on the chalkboard inside: Join Us Thursday for Sausage and Pint Night. It was a joyous moment, like finding a long-lost sock in the bottom of your drawer, but with the promise of something much more appetizing.

Needless to say, when Ben and I arrived the next evening we were brimming with excitement. We stepped up to the counter, where they had little green order cards for guest to fill out. For my sausage, I picked the Hot Italian on a pretzel with roasted onions, red peppers and their homemade ketchup on top. Ben went with the Chicken Apple Sausage on the same roll with the roasted onions and red peppers for toppings as well. Since neither of us can profess to know anything about beer, we just picked what sounded good. I got the Boont Amber Ale and Ben got himself the Trumer Pils. Despite our ignorance, our server was friendly and complimented us on our choices.

Just as a disclaimer for anyone looking to my opinion about their beer: I am a bit of a “girl” when it comes to beer and alcoholic drinks in general. I like to steer away from anything too bitter. So the Boont Amber Ale was just too much for me, especially an entire pint full. Ben’s Trumer Pils went down a lot smoother. The sausages were wonderful and, personally, I could have even done without the toppings. Overall, my meal (and the nibbles and sips I took from Ben’s meal) made me feel that Sausage and Pint Night has definite potential, and that, next time, I have to order smarter in order to really experience it at its best

Elmwood Cafe used to be Ozzie's Soda Fountain in the 50s. It's been around since 1921!

So, the food was great. But the atmosphere was what made the experience memorable. Elmwood Café truly lives up to the adorable reputation of its namesake neighborhood. And it has quite a history;  it’s been around since 1921! The newest owners have taken care to preserve what they could from the days when it was Ozzie’s Soda Fountain, which give the place a retro, 1950s-style charm. As vintage as it feels, Elmwood Café is truly millennial, giving away half of its profits to charitable projects. While the Café does its share to contribute to the betterment of the world, its contribution to the betterment of Thursdays is enough for me.

Summer Kitchen Bake Shop: Easy-Going Eatery, Bona Fide Food

Credit: http://www.elmwoodshop.com/stores/summerKitchen.html

My wallet always feels lighter after eating at Summer Kitchen Bake Shop; yet, somehow, I find myself returning for their delicious food time after time. Like many Berkeley restaurants, Summer Kitchen is a health-conscious and environmentally responsible shop, which, contrary to popular belief in this country, makes their dishes taste even better. Although the price you pay for real food is steep nowadays, Summer Kitchen Bake Shop is irresistible and you can’t help but shell out the extra dough (no pun intended) for the meal.

Not only that but Summer Kitchen has an amazingly relaxed vibe to it. The intention behind the shop, according to their website, is to make the guests feel like “Summer Kitchen is an extension of their own kitchen”. And, to the extent possible in an eatery, they achieve this atmosphere. They have seasonal fruits and vegetables that you can buy, as well as have dinner meals and prepared food that you can take home with you, which gives this place the feel of a deli more than a restaurant. There is even an open view of the kitchen and you can see the care and attention your food is getting, making the place feel more intimate. Although ordering food off the menu breaks the homey façade and makes you realize that you are indeed in a place where people serve you, Summer Kitchen still maintains a laid-back atmosphere that is perfect for any time of the year.  

Brentwood White Corn, Cherry Tomato, and Burrata Pizza. 

            I visited Summer Kitchen over the weekend with my boyfriend Ben, and we (accidentally) ordered the most expensive pizza in the place: Brentwood White Corn, Cherry Tomato and Burrata.  Not being the foodie experts that we wish we were, Ben and I had no idea what Burrata was, and wrongly assumed it was a form of greenery. When we got our pizzas, our “Burrata” tasted suspiciously like basil, but I was enjoying my meal too much to give a second thought. Turns out that Burrata was the cheese on the pizza. I now know that it is a creamier version of Mozzarella and it means “buttered” in Italian, which is fitting considering the super softness of the cheese. The cheese played an important role in enriching this pizza, to be sure. And the supporting cast of this pizza, that is the cherry tomatoes and the basil, were sweet, tangy, and super tasty. But the superstar of the pizza was the white corn. It was so sweet and delicious; it made you wonder why people don’t always put corn on pizza. Overall, this pizza was a heavenly combination of ingredients appropriate for a place as wonderful as Summer Kitchen.