Kung Foodie » Bay Area Best

Dopo in Oakland

Kat — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:48:52 +0000

Just got back home after a three hour meal at Dopo…my first time and there….and baby jaeesuz was that ever amazing!

My favorite dish of the night was the scallop sausage (yes folks, it really was scallops made into sausage, big FAT sausage, sliced and tasting like nothing I’ve ever had before) which was simply divine.

If i can remember correctly we also got the Salumi plate with eight different kinds of meat heaven. Bread with lard spread…ayup, LARD! Delicious bacony creamy lard…just eat it and tell your sweetie it’s white butter. *winkwink* Oysters and clams on the half shell, which always get me bouncing in my seat. A huge dish of halibut radish crudo (crudo is Italian for ‘kicka** raw fish’, or at least at Dopo it is). A small plates platter with stuffed roasted quail, mussels in red sauce on toasted bread (my words do absolutely no justice to this), and the aforementioned scallop AMAZING ™ sausage. This is where the skys opened up and angels sang to us from above.

Wait…i’m not done yet!

We also had to try the fresh pasta that Dopo makes onsite. We had ravioli filled with sage seasoned beef cheeks and cream sauce, and some amazing tagliatelle with lamb. AND ON TOP OF ALL THIS, our fearless leader insisted we eat pizza. Okay, I admit by this point both my head and my belly were exploding but how could I refuse? Pizza it was, three kinds to be exact and if you’re going to try some then I recommend definitely including the standard buffalo mozzerella with basil tomato sauce. This is pizza perfection in simplicity.

The staff was incredibly gracious throughout our never-ending meal…always being attentive and pairing each dish with a great wine. To top it all off we desperately needed espresso and tastings from the dessert menu. There was no way I was going to last the drive home without a sugar and caffeine pick-me-up! Needless to say I think we ordered one of everything, but if you can only pick one dessert then go for the espresso panna cotta. Oh yea, and the cannolis……and errr, the pistachio gelato. Uh yea…just one dessert, ahem.

This is how the Italians roll.

Dopo does not have a website but you can find them on Yelp. They’re located at 4293 Piedmont Ave in Oakland.

Ice Cream Dream

Kat — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 09:31:53 +0000

First pie dough pictures, now ice cream…..the deliciousness just keeps coming.

Photos by Kung Foodie,
at the Eggbeater Ice Cream Class

Pie Dough Poetry

Kat — Tue, 22 May 2007 07:51:27 +0000

A warm day hinting of Summer…in the kitchen with others. Low level laughter, smiles, hushed bakers listening intently. We’re here to learn. Flour, butter, water. The simplest of things, yet so many mysteries to unravel. In the freezer…from ice cold to piping hot; from brick and mortar we build this wonderful thing of baked goodness. Fresh from the oven. This is home. Hands moving softly, back and forth, spinning. Like a dance of tradition. I’m reaching for apron strings…thinking of grandmother.

Photos by Kung Foodie,
at the Eggbeater Baking Class

a Santa Cruz Vacation

Kat — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 07:17:11 +0000

I somehow managed to get the heck outta Dodge last month for a mini weekend vacation in Santa Cruz. The weather was a perfect 70-something with sunshine and blue skies. The goal of our adventure…relax, love, drink wine, eat good food, and listen to the ocean waves. The world would be a better place if we all had to do this more often.

[RSS readers: click through for the photo slideshow.]

Menu For Hope – Get Food, Give Help

Kat — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 12:11:49 +0000

Once again I’ve gotten myself involved in an amazing food focused fundraiser. This time around I’m excited to be a part of the food blogger’s Menu For Hope raffle supporting the United Nations World Food Programme. Last year Menu For Hope raised over $17,000 for UNICEF. Let’s make this year even bigger and better!

I URGE you to dig through the lists below and bid on items for yourself and loved ones. This unique collection runs from personal tours and delicious meals to cookbooks, edible treats, and unusual foodie gifts. There’s really no excuse not to buy at least one raffle ticket…cause I know your going to be drooling.

Each $10 donation is good for one raffle ticket for a single prize of your choice.Click here to see the full list of prizes.

My personal contribution to the raffle is a very special one-of-a-kind ceramic platter signed by Alice Waters. Yes, THE Alice Waters people!

This platter was donated by Waters as an auction item to Women of Taste, the food and wine fundraiser for Girls Inc. education programs. As the lucky recipient of the platter I felt that it would be awesome to see it continue to do good in the world. The platter is eleven inches in diameter with Alice’s signature in a raised orange gold glaze. It’s in pristine condition and would make an awesome holiday gift or collectible for any food lover. I can offer free delivery in Berkeley, or if you’d like to pay for shipping and insurance I will happily send it to you anywhere in the world!

To bid on this item please follow the instructions below and use code: UW19

1. Go to the donation page at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII

2. Make a donation, each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize or prizes you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Tell us how many tickets per prize along with the prize code.

*For example: a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for UW01, and 3 tickets for UW02.

3. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

5. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the result of the raffle.

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Don’t take too long, bidding ends on December 22nd!