Cakes And Ale: 2022 Culinary Highlights

Chiles En Nogada at El Molino Central

It's been a tough time for folks in the culinary field, first with the pandemic, second with labor shortages (which were around before 2020 in the Bay Area), and finally with inflation. I guess some folks are well off enough that they don't think the latter is a problem, but with staples like toilet paper, dog food and near everything else being twice or triple the price of a year ago, most of us regular working folks are feeling the pinch. And now they say gas prices are going to start heading back up soon, higher than ever.

What this means for many folks like me is we can't afford to go out to eat as much. You'll notice that a large number of what I'm covering here are Bay Area Farmer's Markets, that's because I was helping my girlfriend who sells her gourmet mushroom designed shirts & aprons at such events. Given the fact that prices at restaurants are much more expensive than they used to be, coupled with the reality that my wages have not kept pace with the avarice of the bloodsucker Petroleum Industry who is sucking dry the public while our "representatives" do fuck all about it, I'm lucky if I can afford to pay for one meal at a restaurant per month. Looking at the big picture, one wonders how mom and pop restaurants and other local culinary businesses are going to be able to stay afloat.

Starting with the restaurant featured in the photo above, El Molino Central in the town of Sonoma, I'd say we have a new champion of Mexican cuisine in the Bay Area. I'm sure that the great Mexican restaurants in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, the Mission in San Francisco, and in Richmond (more on that in a minute) are still great, but El Molino Central is playing at such a high level. Definitive versions of classics such as Chicken Mole and Chile Relleno are served along with seasonal offerings like Chiles En Nogada. All the little things are perfected--the quality of the ingredients shine through, and are cooked perfectly. Tortillas are made in house, and the salsa is spicy and bright. The two meals we had there in 2022 are as good as it gets.

Speaking of great Mexican cuisine, we read that the weekend Flea Market in Richmond has a number of good food vendors, especially the two Barbacoa vendors, Barbacoa Mejia and El Chaparro.

Mutton barbacoa served by El Chaparro at the weekend Flea Market in Richmond, CA.

Mutton is hard to find anywhere in the USA, which is kind of weird if you've ever lived abroad--in most of the world, mutton is considered a delicacy. According to the great French chef Escoffier, the best quality mutton is the basis of all fine French cuisine, because, as he describes at the beginning of his book, you have to roast mutton bones to make the sauce that is the basis of all mother sauces. In case you don't know, mutton is just older lamb, i.e. two years or older (lamb less than one year, yearlings in between). If you've never had authentic mutton barbacoa, it's sort of the same idea as carnitas--a fatty cut of red meat that's cooked low and slow for at least a few hours. The Barbacoas served by both these vendors is perfection itself--unctuous, tender, an umami explosion. All the sides are as they should be, no half steps with the salsa, rice or beans, and of course the tortillas are made fresh.

Barbacoa Mejia, Richmond, CA.

If you're looking for a Mexican restaurant here in Vallejo, I recommend El Tesoro Mazatlan. Fresh ingredients, classics done right.

Their chile relleno is on point, and they've got a variety of salsas, at all heat levels. Also, unlike some others I've tried around here, they keep the sodium levels in check.

Many of our favorites transitioned from take out only, to dining in house. Our favorite Indian restaurant close to home, Mirchi, is now serving on the premises:

Curry at Mirchi, in Benicia, CA.

The closest Chettinad restaurant is Aapakadai in Pleasanton, always top notch, highly spiced fare.

Non-Veg Thali at Aapakadai in Pleasanton, CA.

Same thing is true about our favorite Thai restaurants, such as Maya Thai and Chai Thai:

Papaya Salad at Maya Thai in Vallejo, CA.

Duck noodle soup at Chai Thai in Oakland, CA.

We tried a great new Thai restaurant in Benicia, highly recommended:

Papaya Salad at Lim Ros Thai in Benicia, CA.

Oakland hosts some of the best Ethiopian cuisine I've ever had. Here's two such restaurants I can't recommend any higher, both with a highly nuanced level of spice: