Welcome to Tuesdays with Pookie. A food-focused blog created by and for two food obsessed friends who were looking for an avenue to jot dot their musings on everything and anything....as long it involved food.
Leslie, a.k.a. Pookie, is the brains and brawns behind Zukra Bakery; a Gluten-free baked goods business that feeds the soul without all the bad stuff. Andy, also a.k.a. Pookie, spends his days surrounded by furry friends and daydreaming about his next meal. We fell for each other over our mutual love of food and this is where it's brought us today. Writing a blog about how we choose to spend our Tuesdays together. From pouring over the bounty of a late Spring Farmer's Market in the middle of the city to spending 6-hours hopping from bar to bar tasting as many mixologists concoctions as humanly possible. This blog has been weeks in the making. Our fantasies are to have a film crew following us from exotic locale to exotic locale as we eat and drink ourselves around the world. Since no one was willing to bank roll such an event nor put us on tape, we felt the next best thing was the DIY route. To keep a weekly journal of our madcap culinary adventures for our faithful and loyal readers to devour from week to week. In the hopes that we can add our own unique spin on an already saturated market of foodie bloggers and to shed some light on the ever changing world of everything food!
Our first Tuesdays with Pookie ended up being a quick run through the Tuesday Farmers Market at the Ferry Building..which then turned into a deliberately slow 6 hour cocktail tasting. So..umm..That's why you get to read our first blog post about our second Tuesdays with Pookie!
We started the day with one objection. To get to Berkeley Bowl West without the assistance of GPS. As you could have guessed, we did get turned around, but eventually found our destination. This behemoth and modern grocery store that's just as beautiful outside as it is in. Leslie had to reign me in or else I would have been running around like a headless chicken. So many things that I wanted to see *eat* and I didn't know where to start. With Leslie as my guide, we navigated our way throughout the massive produce section. Piles after neatly stacked pile of produce from the world over. In need of a Spiny Chayote? They've got it! Plus hundreds of more exotic things I've never heard of. Let alone eaten! I know what you must be thinking. That Berkeley Bowl is just another gourmet market offering mark ups at every turn. I'd have to tell you that you'd be incredibly wrong. There were discounts around every bend. A pint of California blueberries for a mere $3.00. That's almost unheard of! We both walked out after dropping $300.00 together, but our bounty would have you thinking we spent double that! Leslie stocked up to feed the masses for a weekend out of town and I made myself a trail mix from their rather large bulk department. All in all, a great trip to the grocery store.
Getting back home was another adventure. Remember, we were without GPS and were relying on my lack of direction and Leslie's vague memory of coming here once before. We ended up in the heart of Oakland..or at least we think we did. We took notice of the geography.."Where's downtown?" with no luck. Then in the distance we saw an overpass...or is it a building? Thankfully, it was the overpass which got us safely back onto the Bay Bridge and back home.
After a few hours of grocery shopping, we were famished. Thankful for the beautiful day we were having in San Francisco, we made a b-line for The Ramp. A scallywag of a dive in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood. Not only do they offer some of the best seats in all of San Francisco *you have to see their patio to believe it*, they also serve up some of the best grub around. Burgers that'll make your tongue wag and salads as big as your head. All prepared with fresh ingredients and light seasoning. Our burger needed nothing more than a pickle and lettuce to make it perfect. This is the kind of "working" lunches we like.
To cap off this nearly perfect day, we found ourselves in San Francisco's Dog Patch neighborhood in search of the perfect ice cream and brittle...and boy did we ever find it. Just find yourself inside Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous on the corner of 3rd and 22nd. http://www.mrandmrsmiscellaneous.com/. Leslie was super excited to have me meet her friends, who happen to be the brains behind this Willy Wonka-inspired, new age soda shoppe. Once inside the front doors, you are immediately put at ease. A cool blend of country chic and urban loft meld perfectly to create a very soothing atmosphere. Of course, it's not about the interior design. We're here for ice cream and if we don't get any, we're going to scream! They didn't dissapoint in this department. Flavors of the day ranged from an Orange Blossom semifreddo to a Fernet Branca ice cream that made me love Fernet for the first time! They also make peanut and almond brittle that will make you wish they were your parents. This stuff was insane in the brain! Buttery, crispy and so light that you felt as if you were eating pure sin! We walked into the blinding sunlight two happy campers looking forward to eating again...but not before we dive into this jar of Almond Brittle!
This was a Tuesday for the record books..well, other than the first Tuesday where we ended up smashed by 4 p.m. We ate well, laughed a lot. Got a little lost and found our new favorite foods..at least until we find more foods next week. Each week, we'll meet up and feed our passion. Food and it's many facets. We hope to empower you to seek out the best where you are, as well. Can't find your favorite cheese at your local grocer? Demand it. It is your store. Seek out the good things in life and help support small business owners at the same time. You may never look back..at least we hope so!
