Most of my meals include vegetables. Most of my meals are made at home. Most of my meals are somewhat healthy. But every so often, I go to a restaurant and order something completely unhealthy and completely delicious. I’m especially vulnerable at restaurants that offer Southern cuisine, which is equal parts nostalgic (since I lived most of my adult life in the South) and novel (since I no longer live there and find myself subjected to Bay Area interpretations of classic Southern fare). My most recent moment of weakness occurred at Pican, an Oakland restaurant known for its Fried Chicken Eggs Benedict.

Yup – boneless fried chicken served with the usual poached egg and hollandaise sauce, along with Pican’s amazing house-made hot sauce. There was a lot going on here, and all of it was delicious. It was certainly rich and over the top, but ironically, it was much lighter than I expected it to be. The hollandaise was smooth and not at all greasy. The fried chicken was crispy and tender. The egg was a bit of a disappointment as it was over-poached (= no runny center), but I had no problem pushing it aside in favor of the other goodies on the plate.

Corey was equally curious about this dish, so we swapped plates and I enjoyed a few bites of his Pimento Cheese Burger.

I was kind of surprised to see Corey pick a burger over Pican’s barbecue plate, but it proved to be a winning decision. Tender beef, spicy pimento cheese, bacon and bread & butter pickles served up on the softest bun you can imagine. It was an excellent choice.

I’m so glad our friends Michael and Jess told us about Pican. I’d love to go back for dinner – not only for a dinner-sized portion of their chicken (served with gouda mac & cheese?!?), but also for their impressive cocktail and bourbon selection. After all, you can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl…

In one of my favorite stand-up comedy routines, Eddie Izzard talks about the ridiculous way San Franciscans refer to our area as The City.

You’re not called West Bay, are you?

No, you’re just “the City”.

“Are you going to the City today?”
“I might go to the City.”

And Oakland’s just a collection of houses, is it?

It’s true…some SFers are geographic snobs. But I’m down with the East Bay. And after reading about Brown Sugar Kitchen in a recent issue of Sunset magazine, I knew I had to jaunt across the Bay Bridge for a yummy brunch with my friends Aubra and Jess. Located in West Oakland, Brown Sugar offers updated soul food cuisine with an emphasis on organic, local and seasonal ingredients. The menu offered several tempting choices, but I had my heart set on this Cornmeal Waffle with Brown Sugar Butter and Apple Cider Syrup. This waffle was so incredibly light and crisp; the cornmeal gave it an amazing texture. The brown sugar butter was a nice complement, as was the apple cider syrup. FYI, if you’re feeling truly decadent, you can order a waffle topped with fried chicken – and boy, was I tempted to do so. Next time, for sure.

Jess – a native North Carolinian – stayed true to her southern roots and ordered Cheddar Cheese Grits with Poached Eggs. The grits were phenomenal, with a flavor reminiscent of mac ‘n’ cheese. A buttermilk biscuit was a necessary accompaniment to this delicious dish.

And finally, Aubra opted for the Vegetable Egg Scramble with Breakfast Potatoes and Toast. She let me steal a bite, and wow – these eggs packed a serious flavor punch. The veggies were fresh and enchanced by a hit of feta cheese.

What a delicious way to start the weekend. Brown Sugar Kitchen definitely earned a place on my list of favorite Bay Area brunch spots!

After our meal, Jess and I walked around the Grand Lake Farmers Market, which is easily one of my favorites in the Bay Area. The vendors are friendly, the produce affordable, and the selection impressive. In addition to some beautiful produce, I purchased two things I’m especially excited about. First, this unique flower arrangement featuring a beautiful banksia – the long flower that looks like a corncob. I’ve never seen anything like it!

And next…some Apricot-Rose Jam with Cardamom from Blue Chair Fruit Company. My aunt told me about Blue Chair after seeing an article in Gourmet; I’d yet to connect with them at any of several local farmers markets. Today was definitely my lucky day, as Jess and I were able to sample several of their creative concoctions. This jam is STELLAR. It will be delicious on toast and utterly amazing in jam thumbprint cookies.

Jess has a list of must-try Oakland restaurants, so I look forward to future East Bay culinary adventures!