Steak Search 1 – The Alley
Once a Texan, you’re always a Texan.
Earlier last week I exchanged a few words with my friend about our food logging endeavour, and I got reminded of steak. (Yes, Sarah, you’re responsible ;-)). I thought it was gone. That evil desire of eating an innocent cow who just a few days ago was wandering the meadow with dreamy eyes. It has resurfaced. Granted I recently enjoy the occasional meatballs from Ikea, a Whopper at the Burger King on San Pablo, and various Top Dog‘s sausages, I haven’t had a chunky slab of steak for months. Now that’s serious. When I’m in Houston, we go to Potatoe Patch almost every other week. When I’m in College Station, I can always rely on Sodolak’s for a hearty fill. Where can I go in Berkeley?
Yelp reveals a gargantuan list of six “steak” locations in the area (for comparison, Humble (TX) has twelve, and Humble is half the area of Berkeley). So starting today I will eat at and blog about every steak house East of the Bay, alphabetically. First stop: The Alley.
It’s the shadiest little hole in the wall I’ve ever been to. The inside is dark and frumpy like the sluggish voice of old black men at the bar counter sharing stories about job and children. The walls are blackish wooden planks, covered in thousands of staples and business cards, like a flaky fish deep fried with scales on and forgotten until it turns ivory with mildew dots. How do they say it, this place got character.
Whatever, I just want my steak. The Alley Special comes with a small bundle of iceberg lettuce, a slice of cucumber, and one cherry tomato. The typical salad of guilt that always comes with cheap steaks and dressed in crocodile’s tears of vinaigrette. For 11.75 we get a 12 oz slab, some half cooked vegetable, garlic bread, and a baked potato.
We ask for no sour cream on our potato, but I’m not sure if that was necessary, as the potato comes simple and spare. No cheese, no chives, no bacon bits, two butter packets still wrapped and melting on the hot steak. We are also given one skimpy knife and one fork each, the knife blade is narrow like a snake’s tongue.
We slice and chew, industriously. This is steak that you can make into mattresses, springy and resilient, and taste like hard work. The steak juice flavors well the half cooked onion, broccoli, and carrots. The garlic bread feels hasty. The bare baked potato fits stupendously beautiful with butter and generous shakings of salt, as it should. Its burnt skin, soaked with steak juice, is something I’ve learned to eat and enjoy, but this time it easily peels off to reveal the tastiest part of a perfect baked potato: the dry, hard shell between the skin and the moist flesh. It’s like pie crust without gooey sugar mess.
So that’s it. The Alley lives true to its name: a dark hangout that only accepts cash in exchange for a recharge reeking of grill smoke, cigarette smoke, beer, old men’s stories, and our backstreet side.
Address: The Alley
3325 Grand Avenue (between Elwood and Lake Park)
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 444-8505
(parking on the street)
Next on Steak Search: Buckhorn Grill (Emeryville)
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all people you really recognize what you are talking approximately! Bookmarked. Please additionally consult with my website =). We could have a link alternate arrangement between us!
1This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
2Thanks , I have recently been searching for information about this topic for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
3The subsequent time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I know it was my option to read, but I truly thought youd have one thing attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you might fix should you werent too busy searching for attention.
4There is clearly a lot to realize about this. I think you made some nice points in features also.
5I conceive this internet site holds some very great information for everyone. “Je veux que les paysans mettent la poule au pot tous les dimanches.” by King Henry IV of France.
6I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
7Amazing! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!
8Awesome blog! Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused .. Any recommendations? Cheers!
9I like this post, enjoyed this one appreciate it for posting. “I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.” by John Keats.
10Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Very helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this certain info for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
11I was reading through some of your blog posts on this site and I believe this web site is really informative ! Keep on posting.
12Superb site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get suggestions from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!
13Do you have a spam problem on this site; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some nice practices and we are looking to trade methods with other folks, please shoot me an email if interested.
14You are my aspiration, I own few blogs and occasionally run out from post :). “Fiat justitia et pereat mundus.Let justice be done, though the world perish.” by Ferdinand I.
15This web site is my breathing in, rattling great design and perfect articles.
16Have you ever thought about creating an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.
17Wow! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a totally different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!
18Good write-up, I’m regular visitor of one’s site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
19Hello there, I discovered your blog by means of Google whilst searching for a comparable matter, your site got here up, it appears to be like great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
20I will right away grasp your rss feed as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please let me realize so that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
21I just could not go away your site prior to suggesting that I actually loved the usual information a person provide in your guests? Is going to be back steadily to inspect new posts.
22Good, I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your site. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related information ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, web site theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Excellent task.
23I truly enjoy looking through on this web site, it has good blog posts.
24I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
25I like this site very much, Its a very nice spot to read and receive information.
26Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Cheers!
27Very interesting points you have mentioned, thankyou for posting.
28I was curious if you ever considered changing the page layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
29Amazing blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally confused .. Any suggestions? Bless you!
30In this great design of things you’ll get an A just for hard work. Exactly where you misplaced everybody was in the facts. As people say, the devil is in the details… And that could not be much more true here. Having said that, let me say to you just what did work. Your authoring is definitely extremely persuasive and that is possibly why I am making the effort in order to opine. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. 2nd, even though I can see a jumps in reason you make, I am definitely not confident of how you seem to connect the points which make the final result. For now I will, no doubt yield to your point but hope in the foreseeable future you connect the dots much better.
31I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission.
32I am glad to be a visitor of this thoroughgoing web site! , regards for this rare info ! .
33Together with every thing which seems to be building inside this particular area, a significant percentage of points of view tend to be rather exciting. However, I appologize, because I can not give credence to your whole suggestion, all be it stimulating none the less. It appears to us that your opinions are actually not totally justified and in simple fact you are yourself not really entirely confident of the assertion. In any case I did appreciate reading through it.
34Hi! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My website discusses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
35I do agree with all the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They are very convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are very short for newbies. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
36I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble. You are incredible! Thanks!
37I gotta bookmark this internet site it seems invaluable very helpful
38You have noted very interesting details! ps nice internet site. “Hares can gamble over the body of a dead lion.” by Publilius Syrus.
39Really great visual appeal on this internet site, I’d rate it 10 10.
40I gotta bookmark this internet site it seems very helpful invaluable
41Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Cheers
42Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thanks for your time!
43I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thank you, I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
44I believe this internet site contains very great pent content material posts.
45This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!
46Very interesting info!Perfect just what I was searching for!
47I have recently started a web site, the information you provide on this site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work.
48It is really a great and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you simply shared this useful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
49Aw, this was a really nice post. In concept I want to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and certainly not appear to get something done.
50