Angela’s Bistro and Bar - 2301 Central Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 522-5822

September 15, 2012 - Today we planned to visit Angel Fish, a sushi restaurant on Bay Farm. So after Coastal Cleanup, five us of headed over to check it out. But, unfortunately, they were closed for lunch, so we went to the next restaurant on our list which was Angela’s Bistro and Bar. Some of us had been to Angela’s when it was over at Marina Village, but that was before Greta and Vera were born, so we were really looking forward to checking it out. Angela’s had been featured on the MASC restaurant crawl, so we figured that they already composted (more on that later).

Angela’s is a bright and beautiful restaurant next to the Alameda Theater. They specialize in fancy drinks and fresh California-style cuisine with a Mediterranean flair. Here’s what we had:

Greta – I had a salmon BLT with salad on the side and mango lemonade. I would give it five out of five stars because it was amazing and the bread was soft, delicious and fresh. I love the taste of the mango lemonade and I love that the salmon BLT tastes like a perfect lunch that I would want to have anytime, any day, anywhere. I wasn’t crazy about the salad dressing (which was creamy and kind of coconut-flavored), but other people at my table liked it.

Vera—I had a chicken salad (which was grilled chicken on top of salad) and I give it 100 out of five stars. It had very good bread and the server brought special dipping sauce (oil and vinegar) in addition to the chutney.

Jean (G&V’s grandmother) – Instead of a main course, I ordered a starter, duck strudel. Succulent pieces of duck were embedded in wild rice with pecans and surrounded by a crispy crust on a fruity coulis. It was sufficient for lunch especially when accompanied by Greta’s salad. I would give both the strudel and the salad five stars.

Jen (G&V’s mom)—I had the cold beef sandwich and house bean soup. They were excellent. The sandwich came with a cup of soup and I accidentally ordered another bowl. But I shared it around and everyone loved it. The sandwich had delicious rare beef (but I could have gone for more horseradish). All three adults had the Emerald Garden specialty cocktail. It was minty and delicious with a hint of cucumber and grapefruit.

Ruth – I had the house salad and polenta which was soft and luscious. The polenta was served with ratatouille (red pepper, eggplant, and zucchini).

 Dessert—We shared crème brulée and chocolate mousse. Vera—I loved the chocolate mousse because they included a ball of vanilla mousse (ed.-actually whipped cream). It had chocolate sauce and was a very generous portion. Greta—I think the cream brulée was a five out of five stars. I absolutely loved the taste of it. It was my first one. I already love custard and always wanted to try crème brulée. And I loved the strawberries and crunchy topping. Angela’s serves its crème brulée cold, so keep that in mind if you are a crème brulée aficionado

Compost report—Angela’s was one of the first restaurants on the MASC program. But when we asked about how they were doing, they said that they were recycling well, but not composting. The bartender told us that he composted at home and that he would be interested in helping them compost at the restaurant. We gave him the MASC brochure and he said that he would talk to Chef Saboor Zafari about starting up the compost program again. We will ask Jessica to follow up and make sure that they have all of the training and bins that they need.

When you visit Angela’s, have the wonderful drinks and food and find out if they are back on the composting program!

Compost update (October 6th, 2012)—Jessica met up with Saboor and they are coming back on the compost program (!). She will re-train the kitchen staff and bring them some internal containers next week. Please stop by and thank them for composting!