Why Cook? - Carta

Lounge Chinatown Táng Rén Jiē

➤ 366 8th Street, Oakland, United States Of America

Carta • Lounge • Chinese • Chicken • Noodles

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"Everything is perfectly flavored! The chicken wing bento comes with garlic noodles and an assortment of veggies, although mine was missing an egg, which was disappointing. The pickled cabbage? Absolutely amazing! The Chinese mustard greens were steamed and fairly bland, but that actually worked well since everything else was so flavorful, creating a nice balance. The garlic noodles are incredibly delicious—like, wow! I had cucumber on the side, and there’s a good amount of roasted garlic in the dish. As a Black and Asian chef, I can appreciate their attention to detail! The wings are crispy and infused with a five-spice Asian flavor. There’s a reason they’ve got a five-star rating on Yelp! You feel me? Lol."

Crumble Whisk

➤ 4104 MacArthur Blvd, 94619, Oakland, US, United States

Carta • Cheese • Bakery • Catering • Desserts

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"First time here. We live a block away and have been meaning to try it for a while. We got the breakfast sandwiches (both bacon ham) and they are hands down some of the best I’ve ever had. The cheese danish and coffee cake were so good. You may have to wait on the weekend because of their (well earned) popularity but it is 1000% worth it. Everything is made fresh."

Lemon Pepper

➤ 1060 E 12th St, 94606, Oakland, US, United States

Carta • Tea • Soup • Meat • Coffee

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"Tasty authentic Vietnamese dishes made in a mom and pop restaurant in Oakland on the corner of East 12th Street and 11th Avenue. We got the Hu Tieu Mi Kho (Dried egg noodles), Pho Dac Biet (Beef Pho with various cuts of beef), and the Bo Kho (beef stew) that comes with a Vietnamese baguette to dip in the stew. These 3 dishes totaled about $45 after taxes. Two of the dishes (dried noodles and the pho) were full of flavor and you can smell and taste some of the traditional spices and herbs that come with them. The Dried egg noodles come with 2 quail eggs, 2 shrimp, a couple slices of pork, slices of pork kidney and liver, minced pork, bits of chicharron (fried pork belly skin), chives, cilantro, green onions, and blanched mung bean sprouts with a bowl of broth on the side. It comes with Vietnamese pickled jalapenos, sate paste, and a soy based sauce to mix in with the noodles. Was very authentic and delicious! There was even minced garlic in the dry noodles, which added another nice layer of flavor to this dish. The second dish, beef stew, although it smelled right, was more of a soup than braised stew. It was watered down (and tasted watered down too) and would have gone better with noodles. Way too watery for the baguette to really dip or scoop up the flavor. Made the bread a soggy mush. Plus there was not that many pieces of beef (they used flank with the membrane intact), and only 2 slices of carrot. We had to scoop to the bottom of the container to raise the beef, above the broth for the photo. Otherwise we almost mistook it for the container of broth for the pho. I would pass on getting the beef stew next time since the value of what you pay and flavor were somewhat lacking. Lastly we tried the pho dac biet and it was tasty with a nice balanced broth before you add the herbs and condiments (hoisin, sriracha, etc). It comes with the usual mung bean sprouts, thai basil, and sliced jalapenos with the raw slices of beef on top (for you to cook by pouring over the boiling broth). Prices are reasonable for the dry noodles and pho, but not the beef stew. While waiting for our takeout order, the husband owner kindly offered us some water or hot jasmine tea to sip while we waited. Inside of the restaurant, there are 7 tables with seating for 4 each, and a longer table with seating for 8 available for dining here. The parking lot across the street that people used to use seems to be closed/chained as a private lot now, so be prepared to find and park on the main streets or neighborhood around the restaurant. It is in a lesser part of Oakland about 5 minutes away from downtown, so be sure to lock your car or use public transit, as there was a lot of trash dumped around the neighborhood. Despite all of this, I would return for their tasty dry noodles and pho. And would be interested to try their other dishes too (minus the beef stew)."

Dinner House Oakland

➤ 329 14th Street, Oakland, United States Of America

Carta • Fries • Casual • Burgers • Salads

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"We got the cheeseburger, cheese steak, fries, and corn fritters. I really didn't expect everything to taste THIS good but I was so pleasantly surprised!! Everything was so tasty and the drinks were even better!!! I LOVED the house made ranch and put that on everything. The owner and staff were also super kind will def be coming back. They have odd hours so it's hard to catch when they're open but definitely worth it."

Vegan Donut Gelato

➤ 411 E 18th St Ste B, Oakland, California, USA, 94606, United States

Carta • Vegan • Donuts • American • North American

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"Was looking for donuts on my way to Oakland airport. So happy I came here. Staff was friendly and the donuts were so good. Large selection of donuts and all vegan. Was so happy. I had the glazed, chocolate bar, cinnamon roll and the amazing apple pie donut (it was a massive beast). Will definitely hit this spot again when back in town"