Asena Restaurant – 2508 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 521-4100

November 10, 2012 – Today, we went to Asena, a popular and venerable Mediterranean restaurant that has been in Alameda since 1996. We were able to get a reservation for eight at 5:15 p.m. The owners are from Turkey and there are many Turkish-inspired dishes on the menu. The adults in our party tried the Turkish wine, which was excellent.

The restaurant was full when we were there with a big surprise party in the back. There was a line of patrons waiting for a table when we left.

We had:

• Pan-seared Mahi-Mahi with Mashed Potatoes – Greta says, “It was amazing! The taste was full of spices that made you feel warm and cozy. The mashed potatoes and vegetables were very yummy.”

• Eggplant – Jean says, “The eggplant dish was a light take on a traditional eggplant parmesan. Slices, rather than breaded and fried, were grilled and the edges were charred perfectly. The slices were layered with mushrooms and surrounded by a light tomato slices and artichoke hearts, After eating such a light meal, I did not feel guilty about having cheesecake for dessert!”

• Asena’s Signature Chicken Curry Triangle – Jen says, “The chicken curry triangle was quite good. The curry was very mild and sweet and heavy on coconut. There are apples raisins that also sweetened up the dish. The curry is served in a giant filo triangle.”

• Margarita Pizza – Vera says, "It was very cheesy and stretchy. And every time you got a bite you had to put the cheese back on separately."
• Caesar Salad – Linnea had a salad for an entrée, but could have used a bit more food. She helped Vera finish her pizza.
• Ravioli with Smoked Salmon – Ruth had a very tasty and dainty portion.
• Crème Brulée – Greta says, "The Crème Brulée was warm at first until I had this photo shoot that took a really long time. It was very delicious, but at the same time very filling. I would give it four and a half out of five stars."

• Pot de Crème au Chocolate – Vera says, "The chocolate was very rich and the top was rough with peaks." Fred says, "It was very chocolaty and had the texture of Crème Brulée."

• Blood Orange Cheese Cake with Raspberry Coulis – Jean says, “Very light and creamy with a delicious nut crust.”

Compost Report – We spoke to one of the waiters about the recycling and composting program and he said that they had recently started on the program (and had one of each of the 96-gallon blue recycling containers and green compost containers). Yay! We gave him a brochure in case they would like free training or internal containers.

Please visit Asena and have the Turkish wine and delicious, light Mediterranean cuisine. And thank them for recycling and composting!