I attempted to cook tempeh today, very much a first. I've only had the stuff a couple of times in restaurants, and so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The short story is that it has definite potential. I steamed the tempeh while stir frying yellow bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, onion, and garlic together in a mix of sesame and olive oils on another burner. Then I tossed the tempeh in with Soy Vey, which I reduced until almost all of the liquid was gone. I'm not quite sure about the tempeh texture, but the flavors were pretty good. I think it may be better grilled or pan fried. Steaming it kept it a little on the chewy side.
Afterwards, Jim and I took Midget for a walk to the park before heading back to Berkeley. I thought we would check out the burger place we found yesterday, but he wanted to save it for going there with M. We then went to the other side of the continuum to go to Cafe Gratitude, a vegan restaurant. What I expected was an RFD-type experience, and I was sorely disappointed. Real Food Daily is a vegan restaurant in Santa Monica that Jim and I discovered and loved while we were there last fall. I had no idea food could taste so good without eggs or dairy. It was insane. I guess I went in with super high expectations, because L's (former) M said it was a great place.
We got lost on our way there and I was being a complete brat until the time we found the place. Jim is quite patient with me. I don't know how he puts up with me sometimes. Anyway, we got there too late to eat, so I decided to grab some takeout food. I thought a veggie burger would be safe and easy to eat without the benefit of a table. I was wrong on both counts. Not only was the food ridiculously expensive (my burger was $12 and I added a breakfast cinnamon bun which ended up being $6), it didn't even taste very good! The veggie burger was pretty decent, but it was also tiny and completely masked with the rest of the accompaniments. The "bread" was this tough, chewy flat thing with no flavor and a funny texture. I hated it and would have gone without, except I couldn't figure out how to eat the thing without it. Plus, they only gave me the bottom of the bread, so I broke off a piece to make it into a sandwich. The organic homemade ketchup was pretty good, too. But for the most part, I was so bummed. The salad greens were fine, but the dressing was pretty gross. I wouldn't have used the dressing but for needing some sort of moisture with the salad. I couldn't even begin to describe the flavor of the stuff. And then I could barely make out the cinnamon in the bun! There were tons of pecans, which was nice, but because there wasn't much else in the way of flavor, they overwhelmed the bun. The texture of the bun wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I am not crazy about how dense breads are without any dairy or eggs. And it was definitely on the dry side. It was NOT worth the nearly $20 I spent. Now, just to be fair, I would give it one more try, but I'm not too hopeful. Oh, and it was waay too hippie for my tastes. They title everything "I Am ______________." And the servers actually call it those things! For the record, I ordered I Am Cheerful (which the burger did not make me) and I Am Thrilled (which I was not after being unable to taste either cinnamon or caramel in my bun). But my boxes stated "You Are Thrilled" and "You Are Cheerful." Gag me already. The chick was super bubbly and I think she actually believed what she was saying.
The night wasn't a total bust, since I got to go salsa dancing. Love, love, love it! Let me make it absolutely clear that I am not making any representations whatsoever that I'm actually good at it, because I'm anything but. I stumble through the steps, probably piss off my rotating partners, and have a blast doing it (salsa, not pissing off others). I don't think I'm completely hopeless, but there is definitely plenty of room for improvement. The thing is, you want to be partnered with someone who knows what he's doing because it makes a huge difference because he's the leader. Even if I have no idea what I'm doing, a guy who can clearly communicate what he wants to do results in us getting through the steps. They really do have a tougher job. Then again, I'm the one trying to dance in heels, so maybe it does balance out. Tonight's class was lots of fun. The beginning class ran through outside and inside turns and I think I finally have those down. I haven't done an inside turn since my first attempt in November (out of four including today), so it was good review. But then the intermediate class got super complicated and confusing. Thankfully the girls all seemed to be on the same page. So while we struggled, the guys (who outnumbered us in a huge way) overall seemed to not have any problems. I have yet to recognize female regulars, but there are a few guys I know by sight now. Of course, I'm not dancing with any of these women, so that may be why they don't stick in my head. I surprisingly lasted until about 8, longer than I ever have. Last time, I got lost around 7:30 and the time before that, Jim tried it with me, so we didn't even do the intermediate class. My first time I did do the intermediate class, but that was a Thursday night and that class is a lot less difficult. At any rate, I learned a lot of new stuff and continue to get more comfortable. It would be nice to do it every Sunday for a month. I bet I'd improve quickly then. That would be pretty awesome.
Afterwards, we went to Adagia in Berkeley. It's a 1000 point restaurant, which is why I went for it. Plus they specialized in organic food with vegetarian items available. What I didn't know was that it was smack dab in the middle of the college campus, which made parking an absolute nightmare. We ended up parking a half mile away in a garage. Thankfully we got validation, so it was only $2. Anyway, the place seems to be in a converted mansion. It was absolutely gorgeous and charming from the outside, with a cute walkway and meticulous landscaping. There was outdoor dining, which would fabulous in the summertime. We entered through the heavy wooden double doors and were immediately seated in what appeared to be a converted ballroom. It was a simple rectangular room with soaring ceilings, a wood floor, and three large chandeliers. The center of the room had a long, wide table with a party of probably 15 or so. We were seated in the far lefthand corner near the enormous fireplace. I liked it. The windows overlooked an open courtyard in the back, and I could easily imagine swanky parties from a hundred years ago happening. Later on, I learned from the website that it was originally the Great Hall of Westminster House, where the minister entertained visiting dignitaries and faculty. Makes sense.
Anyway, Jim ordered a hamburger with pancetta and Gruyere and I got the goat cheese ravioli. Our server was pleasant enough, and as Jim so perfectly put it, "very Berkeley." When our plates came out, I was surprised at the portion size of both our meals. Ravioli, even at a scat place like Olive Garden, tend to come out in very small amounts. I don't know how many I got, but there was a decent number of them. It came in some sort of broth, and then I understood why she brought me a spoon. Jim had a massive amount of Kennebec fries and not enough ketchup. I don't think either one of us could agree on whether we liked the fries. I kept eating them to try and figure it out, but I never did. I can't really describe them, other than to say that they were really different. They were crunchy and kind of dense, and they weren't overly greasy. Jim said his burger was nothing special, and from the looks of it, he was right. The bun looked very ordinary to me. I joked that it was a snooty cow, since it was from Marin.
My ravioli was pretty good. I really wasn't all that hungry (my Cafe Gratitude meal was surprisingly filling), so Jim ate several of 'em. He was pleasantly surprised that the goat cheese wasn't so bad after all. This was pretty mild stuff, so I was hoping he'd be okay with it. I think it had a hint of lemon in it, too. They were good, and the broth made it very soup-like. The cheese wasn't all that creamy, but I was okay with that.
Oh yeah, Jim also splurged with a Vanilla Italian soda. I didn't like it. He wasn't crazy about it, either. Our dessert was pretty good, though. I've never had Panna Cotta before, and the Black Currant Tea Creme Brulee was just odd enough that Jim was on the fence about getting it. The Panna Cotta ended up to be a good choice, since it was really quite delicious. Very mild and silky. The fig and currant port compote was soo yummy with it. I tried eating them separately and found that each needed the other.
When we parked, I swore up and down that I would not deal with the restaurant again because it wasn't worth the parking hassle. But after dining there, I would consider going back again. It's not high on my list, but the dessert kind of changed my mind. I'm really not sure about Cafe Gratitude, though. We'll see.
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