If you’re from the San Francisco Bay area and haven’t tried HomeRoom in Oakland, go out and try it now. The restaurant is that awesome, and I’ve officially converted into a mac and cheese lover.

Homeroom is located in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland and is one of the city’s oldest. This neighborhood houses many other cool hipster places like Bakesale Betty, Cholita Linda, and more. The area is typically residential and has seen many changes in the last several years with new establishments cropping up.

Homeroom has thirteen different types of mac and cheese to satisfy your cheesy cravings. They also have various add-ins including breadcrumbs (which are a must!!!), veggies, bacon, scallions, to name a few. They also have a salad option (honestly who’s going to eat a salad?!) various desserts, and selection of different libations to wet your whistle.

I can honestly say if you order one of the mac options, you’ll be struggling to eat some dessert after. The portion sizes here are sizable and enough to feed two people.

Ok, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. The FOOD!!

SMOKY BACON MAC:

This dish is honestly my to die for mac and cheese option. I freaking love this dish. The description of this mac is: super smoky with lots of bacon, smoked cheddar, jack, and paprika. You need to top this off with the breadcrumbs to make this perfect!

Check out the bacon mac in action here with this little video I shot:

The taste throughout the dish resonates with bacon, bacon, and more bacon! I can’t come up with another proper adjective to describe this dish. The cheeses mesh so well together, and the macaroni’s cooked to perfection. The macaroni holds up to the barrage of cheese and bacon. You can also add in some hot sauce (like Siracha) to give the plate a little kick.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE MAC:

This visit was the first time trying this mac option, and I liked it! It includes pork-fennel sausage, gouda, pecorino, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, and black pepper.

Again, the cheeses melt so perfectly in this dish. The fennel flavor of the pork sausage comes through and is so flavorful. I also liked the addition of the cherry tomatoes (even though my boyfriend did not). They added a little bit of sweetness to the dish which I thought balanced all the ingredients.

I will be ordering this option on another visit.

MEXICAN CHORIZO MAC:

The Mexican chorizo is also another great option to get at this restaurant. It includes pork chorizo, jack, chipotle adobo sauce, and topped with cilantro and lime.

This dish is also a little bit spicy, but nothing to knock your socks off. The combination of flavors here work well, and the chorizo is delicious. I love the cilantro and lime accompaniments. The accompaniments give this dish a freshness.

TIP: The restaurant gets packed on the weekends, so be sure to get there early around the time they’re about to open. Prices for the dishes here range from about $11-$30. Service is always friendly and welcoming (duh, that’s still a big plus in my book).

Even though the restaurant’s closed on Mondays, you can still get your fix by going to their pick-up spot called Homeroom to Go.

The bottom line is if you love this genuinely American comfort food, get your cravings satisfied and go to Homeroom; you won’t be disappointed.

BUSINESS INFORMATION:

Homeroom Restaurant

Hours of Operation:
Closed Mondays
Tues-Thurs 11A-10P
Fri+Sat: 11A-10P
Sun: 11A-10P

Homeroom to Go (Take-out)
Mon-Thurs 11A-10:30P
Fri+Sat: 11A-11P
Sun: 11A-10P
info@homeroom510.com
tel:1-510-597-0400

Check out their menu here.

To learn more about me, please check out my about me page.

You can also read my last post from another great restaurant in Oakland here.

The post Mac and Cheese of Your Dreams appeared first on Consume and Devour.

This local spot is in the Inner Richmond District of San Francisco and is close to Golden Gate Park (if you haven’t visited this park, add it to your list of stuff do when you visit). My neighborhood has Chinese-American influences predominantly. There are a lot of Chinese restaurants and markets in this area. However, this has started to change, and you’ll now likely see different Asian places cropping up: Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese. A lot of great eating establishments to satiate any appetite.

Ok, so let’s talk about the food. The little place I’m talking about is called “First Korean Market.” I believe my aunt was the person who told me about this small store. They have a lot of readymade Korean fare, and also other dry goods, and other Korean specialties. (Of course Kimchi).

When I come to this place, I almost always get the same things, because they’re excellent and I crave them.

FISH CAKE KIMBAP

The fish cake kimbap or (Korean sushi roll), is wonderfully delicious. This particular roll had fish cake, carrot, egg, sesame-flavored rice, pickled radish, spinach, and cucumber. Different types of meat including beef, crab meat, ham, to name a few others can be used in this dish.

This roll is always very fresh, and I like that the rice doesn’t have too much of a sesame flavor. I’ve tried other similar rolls, where the rice had an overwhelming and robust sesame taste. I’m not opposed to sesame. In fact, I do love sesame, but just not when it overpowers the flavor profile of a dish. I love the combination of veggies and fish cake. It just creates excellent emulsification of taste.

This roll is better eaten right away or the same day. Unfortunately, once you place the rolls in the fridge, the rice gets ridiculously hard and isn’t so tasty anymore.

SWEET CRISPY CHICKEN

This chicken is quite possibly one of my favorite dishes. Ok, it’s relatively sweet, but man it’s tasty as heck. This dish is traditionally called Dakgangjeong. This chicken dish is with a whole chicken that is cut up into pieces or with just chicken wings.

The glaze consists of honey, garlic, and ginger and then deep fried. Yeah, anything deep fried is GOOOOD.

At Korean First Market, the chicken comes in the form of chicken wings. It’s in a sticky, sweet, glaze and it’s very garlicky (yay! I love garlic). The flavors combine just oh so well. It’s a little bit messy to eat, but isn’t that where the fun’s at? Eating sticky and sweet chicken and then licking your fingers. It doesn’t get any better than that.

You should also eat this chicken dish within the same day for that taste of freshness.

These two food items will set you back about $14. Pricing at this store is about the going rate for this market.

Bottom line, if you want some tasty Korean favorites in the Inner Richmond District of San Francisco, check this place out.

FIRST KOREAN MARKET
4625 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118

To learn more about me, you can go here.

The post Tasty Korean Favorites in Inner Richmond appeared first on Consume and Devour.

It’s very worth indulging in the delicious Belgian waffles anywhere in Belgium, but I chose to do so in Brussels. (Sorry U.S., go to Belgium to get the real thing). There are so many flavors to choose from and whatever sugary notion tickles your fancy can and will be satisfied.

I took a trip from the city of Liège (where my boyfriend’s family lives) to Brussels by train. Liège is a charming city with friendly and welcoming locals. It’s nice to see people banter with each other and the familiarity amongst those who live in this quaint city.

The train is very efficient and it gets you to Brussels from Liege in around an hour. It’s also super comfortable and I found the time really flew and before I knew it, I was in Brussels. A trip from Liege costs about 30+ Euros roundtrip. They have ticket machines where you can purchase tickets or purchase directly from the ticket counter.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is like many urban cities. There’s a hubbub of many people and tourists alike and lots of commerce.

BELGIUM WAFFLE WITH STRAWBERRY SHAVINGS AND WHIPPED CREAM:

This Belgium waffle was very fluffy, just the right amount of sweet, and I absolutely loved the strawberry-flavored shavings. It gave the waffle some extra oomph. Throw in some airy and decadent whipped cream, and it’s a done deal. Delicious, delectable, and extremely satisfying. The smells emanating from each waffle shop invite you to go inside and indulge!

You can find waffle stands and businesses all throughout Belgium and of course many are in touristy spots in Brussels. We found this spot by walking just a bit outside of the touristy area of the Grand Place.

HIGHLIGHT VIDEO FROM ANOTHER WAFFLE STAND:

You can view the video snippet here.

This snippet includes another waffle stand’s offerings and as you can see, there is much to choose from: fruit toppings, chocolate (oh la la), and much, much more. It also includes a blown-up version of Mannekin Pis, the most well-known symbol of the people of Brussels. Look at all the yummy choices available! You’ll have a hard time making-up your mind which type of Belgian waffles to try.

Brussels Eight and Three

Rue du Marche aux Herbes 21, Brussels Belgium

To learn more about me, you can go here.

The post Belgian Waffles and Friendly Culture appeared first on Consume and Devour.