900 Grayson - Berkeley - 3.5/4 stars
Visited on: Then a large cup of chai...very sweet.
Several times, last visit on August 13, 2007.
Experience:
This is the fun part of Emeryville area. Artists live here by the galore, artisan shops open here by the bundle, cute little restaurants operate around tiny corners, everything is quite low key, but great if you know where to find them. 900 Grayson is such a place. Even the name is very unassuming: if you know the name, you know where to find it. And that's how I identify with the food they present here - laid-back and easy.
Tons of people come here for brunch on the weekends. I don't think they take reservations, so if you bring 5 of your closest friends with you, you'll end up waiting for more than an hour. During brunch they serve a lot of breakfast items and some lunch items. Plenty of organic ingredients and sustainable farmed produce.
This is what we started with on this day: Potter Creek.
I have no idea if it is related to Harry Potter or not, though probably not. It's simple breakfast fare with great execution. The scrambled eggs is among the best I've ever had, creamy and slightly sagging in the middle, beautifully yellow and yielding on the outside. Light herbs bring out an enticing aroma that you shall not kill with ketchup.
Acme toasts are lightly buttered then grilled. Note that hash brown - the menu said clearly that they do not serve diner food. No ma'am, this is gourmet version of hash brown with Idaho potatoes, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Easy on the palate, even for the most adamant breakfast rejecters.
Then, we got a bit more adventuresome: Miss Piggy and the General
Again, I have no idea who that General is, but I can sure tell you, that bun is sooooooooooooooo soft. Really soft. It looks like ciabatta, but nooooo. It is very soft, soaking up the homemade barbecue sauce easily while slurping in the juice from homemade slaw. The pork is tender, very well accompanied by the caramelized onion. I wouldn't call it authentic pulled pork by any means, but I think it serves its purpose well here - a soft sandwich that's easy to chew. It might be a bit sweet for some, I personally don't mind sweetness. This is one of the interesting dishes that the different ingredients don't really stand well on its own. You need to take a big bite and mull over how the different pieces work together as a dish. This is more than a team effort - it's synergy. The fries are a bit uneven, some are over fried, but on principle alone, no one should finish that much fries either.
On yet another day, we had the waffle.
This is one seriously good waffle, though not exactly Belgian. I would say that it is a pancake with texture, because usually waffles are a lot thicker. This place serves them thin and light, using the grids to add to the texture of the hot cakes. Even without that glob of butter I would say it is fantastic. With that...even better.
If there is a good-for-you version of corned beef, this must be it.
The Tomboy.
You can see the beef, but you can't taste it, because both taste and texture are very nicely wrapped up by potatoes and the gooey egg yolk flowing from the poached egg. Parsnip is very refreshing, though I would like to have more fuji apple in there. But then, it wouldn't be corned beef, would it?
900 Grayson doesn't really hit you with gastronomic meteors, but when you wake up in the morning and just want to treat your mouth to something light and breezy, this is the place to go.
Basic information:
900 Grayson
Telephone: 510 704 9900
Business hours: Mon - Fri - 8am - 3:30pm
Sat - 8am - 2:30pm
