Hello there! Sorry for my delay in posting, but we had a fabulous time at the second Oaktown Crawl. This time, we visited the (relatively new) Burma Superstar on Telegraph Avenue. It was a Wednesday night, and there were 8 of us were able to clear time in our busy schedules to show up for what turned out to be a great night. They seated us at a large table right up front near the windows (always my favorite spot). And while it wasn't very crowded when we arrived (6:30 p.m.), there was a line out the front door by the time we left (somewhere around 9:00 p.m.). It was a lively atmosphere - perhaps a bit too much so, because our only real complaint about the whole evening was the noise level. It was, at times, a struggle to hear the conversation at our own table. Not sure what they could do about this (maybe wallcoverings or perhaps floor and/or window treatments?), but I do hope they address this issue! Anyway, here's who was there: Shari DeBoer, Julie Eakins, Susan Goodman, Holly Kambeitz, Kathy Price, Colleen Saia, Connie Stutz, and Nancy Swearengen. It was fun to talk to everyone, and hopefully those who didn't know each other when the evening began had fun getting to know each other as the evening progressed.While pouring over the rather extensive and quite interesting menu, trying to decide what to try this time and what to save for another time, we enjoyed a beverage. I am typically not real fond of beer, but it was a warm evening, and our waitress suggested something that sounded good, and I tried it, even thought it was beer-based. And boy, am I glad that I did, as I really enjoyed it and found it immensely refreshing. I forget what it was called, but it was a combo of beer, lemonade, tea (?), ginger, and some other flavoring - but whatever it was, it was good! Others enjoyed red wine, sangria, and lemon drops (or were they ginger drops?).
For dinner, we ordered:
One appetizer, split into 8 wedges: Platha and Dip - multi-layered bread (fried, I think), served with a thick coconut chicken curry sauce. Some of us liked it, others not so much. Myself, I found it good and interesting, but probably wouldn't order it again (not terribly exciting, plus there are so many other options!).
We then continued with two Tea Leaf Salads (what they're famous for) and one Rainbow Salad (recommended by the gentleman at the table next to ours). Both were beautiful, fun (they described and mixed them at the table), and very good. I especially LOVE the Tea Leaf Salad - it has such a unique flavor, one that I find delicious.
From there, we moved on to our entrees - we had Basil Chicken, Lemongrass Salmon, and Firey Vegetables with Tofu (although we asked them to take it a little easy on the "firey" part), along with a couple orders of Garlic Noodles, and 2 or 3 orders of Coconut Rice. I think that's it. We didn't have room for dessert.
As for the review cards, here's how they turned out:
Food/Drink: 3.8
Ambiance: 3.2
Service: 3.5
Overall: 3.6
Quotes: Fabulous, intense flavors. The tea leaf salad was amazing! Bread appetizer no good. Loved the variety we ordered! Adored the coconut rice - so good! Great food, terrific mix of flavors, refreshing! everything was tasty! Food and service was great. Wonderful food! Lots of unique flavors. Good salads! Kind of loud (this comment was found on almost every single scorecard). Fun place! They need a better sign. Great company and conversation.
Parking seemed to be okay, no huge problems (once we all remembered that meters in Oakland are now enforced until 8pm).
If I were going back (which I definitely will be), I will probably feel the need to re-visit my beer/lemonade drink, the tea leaf salad, and the garlic noodles. And while I certainly enjoyed everything else on the menu, I will probably explore some other things on the menu as well - since I typically do vegetarian (with occasional seafood) I'm eyeing the Pea Shoots, Vegetable Curry Deluxe, the Tofu Tower, and perhaps the Mango Salad - oh, and maybe the Catfish Curry or Pumpkin Shrimp. I think I may need to make more than one return visit! :-)
Next up? Perhaps Franklin Square Wine Bar - early October, for my birthday?! Details to follow soon...
Two down, ??? to go!
Hope to see you soon.
All my love, Susan
