The Gourmet Ghetto

Today we had a mini-adventure through Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto--a little piece of Shattuck Avenue that has some really fantastic places to eat.

Our first stop was The Cheeseboard Collective. I was a bit intimidated by all the people waiting for cheese. Everyone seemed to know what they wanted and how they were going to get it. I knew neither.

After frequenting their sister bakery, Arizmendi, I figured the pizza was somewhere behind the counter. I was so wrong! It was in a different storefront a few feet down the street. The pizzas were already hot and ready since they only make one kind of pizza per day. Today's pizza was pistachio, roasted cauliflower, roasted onions, mozzarella onions, montalban cheese, garlic olive oil and Italian parsley. I figured a vegetarian pizza would be tasty, but this one blew my mind. Maybe it was the montalban cheese...maybe it was the pistachios.

We also went to Poulet, a French deli. I needed some ice cream because my throat hurt so I bought a tiny serving of Hagen Daz. Then the bread pudding caught my eye. The bread pudding was eggy and sweet. Some parts tasted caramelly almost like a cannele! I loved it.

We did not order chicken at Poulet even though this place is chicken-themed (and probably famous for chicken)--the main reason being that we were still stuffed from the bacon cheeseburger we shared at Barney's down the street. They use Niman Ranch beef, if that means anything to you. I don't always notice the difference, but here I could tell the beef tasted beefy. And the bacon...Oh bacon--glorious bacon!

On the way back to our car, I decided to get some cheese at the Cheeseboard. Afterall, that is what they are famous for, right? I picked up a card from the counter (you don't take a number to be waited on, you take a playing card) and I got a joker. SWEET! I was next because jokers just show their card to the clerk and cut in front of everyone. I waited patiently for someone to finish waiting on their customers (I estimated about 20 people packed in that tiny space vying for some attention from the cheesemongers). Then I said "HELLO! I GOT A JOKER!!!!" The lady behind the counter who heard me seemed more excited that I did when she yelled "YAY! We got a joker!!!" It was the yellowy nasty looking playing card if you're wondering.

After watching Ratatouille I had to try the mimolette which I saw scribbled on the big chalkboard. The lady scurried around checking every shelf and all the fridges. She asked me how I heard about it and I said "The rat in that Disney movie 'Ratatouille' mentioned it and I saw it on the board." She smirked.

Mimollete tastes like a very strong nutty parmesan but looks like a canteloupe.

I also asked for a camembert. I did not know what I was in for. They had several kinds and she let me try them all! I love that woman. The first one was mild but had a strange after taste. The second one I liked much more because it was pungent but the after taste was much more pleasant. The third one smacked me in the mouth and said "take that! WHIIEEEEFFF" and i could taste it the rest of the day. I opted for the second one which was nice and gooey.

The nice lady at the Cheeseboard gave me the box for the camembert, too. Me loves cheese acoutrements.