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.

Phil's Sliders: Unpretentious Fast Food

Sliders and Chocolate Shake at newly opened Phil's Sliders

       
            Like so many of my foodie adventures, my trip to the newly opened Phil’s Sliders in Downtown Berkeley began with some requirements: Ben and I needed to find a place to eat that we could get in and out of before our date with Harry Potter in an hour, a place that was delicious enough to be worthy of this blog, and a place that was pretty enough to make it worth carrying my giant and super heavy SLR digital camera all the way to downtown Berkeley. Oh, and not to mention, I was craving burgers and something light at the same time. After a quick consultation to the almighty Yelp app on my phone, we found Phil’s Sliders, which exceeded even my most demanding expectations.

            For starters, we were offered a choice: we could either order sliders or…sliders. This limitation in meal options was hardly a drawback for me and my extremely indecisive nature that exponentially worsens the hungrier I get. After ordering 4 sliders and a chocolate milkshake to share, we took our seats and began to notice how adorable the place really was. No matter which direction I looked, I found something that pulled at my heartstrings. To my right was an exposed brick wall, that had a plaque attached to it, telling this super sweet story about the owner’s father, Phil:

“I was 12 years old and my parents Phil and Hadele were hosting one of their many parties; our big but never big enough formal dining room table crowded knee-to-knee with adults. I was sitting next to my dad, and sitting next to me was a foreign exchange student who had been brought to the party by one of my parents’ friends. She was maybe 21, the only other “kid” at the table besides me, and barely spoke a word of English. In fact, she was so quiet, looking down at her plate the whole time, it seemed like she was trying to disappear altogether. Midway through the meal, as she was reaching for a bread roll, she accidentally knocked over her glass of red wine onto the white tablecloth, the stain quickly spreading across the fabric. Everyone froze, except my father. Barely pausing between bites, my dad casually backhanded his own wine glass onto the table. Laughter filled the room and I could tell that the exchange student was relieved. I’ve never forgotten that moment…” (thanks Berkeleyside for the quote)

            To my left was a giant chalkboard that any guests were free to write on and of course, I had to do it; I drew them a pretty heart to show my appreciation. The whole place simply exuded an unpretentious and loving atmosphere that went a long way towards winning my affection.

Making my mark on the giant chalkboard.

Ben, with exposed brick backdrop.

            And my fondness for Phil’s only increased after our food arrived: four simple sliders consisting of lettuce, special sauce and grass-fed beef. Although small, these were pretty tasty in and of themselves and luckily Ben and I weren’t so hungry. But, oh my, the chocolate shake. That chocolate shake, one sip and I was hooked. It was so potent that it even got Ben and I, normally very comfortable sharers, competing over the last few sips. Next time, we’re definitely getting two. 
         
            Sooner than we knew it, our experience at Phil’s was over. We started the evening looking for something to satisfy my many food desires, and we got much more. I will definitely be returning soon for more chocolate shakes and sliders, to tackle their potato tots and homemade sodas, and of course, to appreciate their heartwarming atmosphere.

Be back soon Phil's!