MORNING IN TEMESCAL

I was tooling around Chowhound the other night, trying to get a better feel for the eating options in my new neighborhood, and I kept reading about this region of Oakland called Temescal that was supposed to be close by. Especially promising things were said about Bakesale Betty’s on Telegraph and 51st. Since I had this morning off, I figured I’d go sample their wares. I had gone looking for the place while running yesterday and didn’t see it, but that was because they have no sign. Actually they do have a sign, it’s just very, very small, and taped to the glass on the front door. I walked in and was immediately greeted with a friendly “Hi!” by a smiling woman in a bright blue wig, more than enough to wrench my habitual cold and impassive grimace into some semblance of a smile.

She and two other people were working dough and making sandwiches in the open kitchen behind the counter. They had a limited variety of goods on display, but all looked great. I had already decided on their reputedly irresistible banana bread, so Betty slipped a big fat slab of it into a white paper bag. I asked if they had coffee, and was told that they had only just got the equipment and would start brewing tomorrow. They also didn’t have anywhere to sit yet, either, so, on Betty’s recommendation, I walked down the road a block to the Temescal Cafe, greedily clutching my bag of banana bread. I’d finished the bread by the time I got there, and it was definitely awesome. The dark kind, topped with sugar, very moist. Great stuff.

The Temescal Cafe is the kind of place I’ve been searching for around here: full range of coffee and espresso drinks, breakfast and lunch, unpretentious atmosphere and staff, unobtrusive well-chosen music. They only dropped the ball when they served my Americano in a glass cup instead of ceramic. See my blood run blue. Why I search for un-snobby coffee places and then turn my nose up at a glass cup I do not know.

After spending a pleasant 30 mins caffeinating and reading, I decided I’d pick up lunch for later back at Betty’s. Again, the foodies at Chowhound spoke of a fried chicken sandwich, so that’s what I asked for. Chicken was still in the fryer, so I had a to wait. Went for a walk, read a little more on a curb, came back. Damn, it was a fine sandwich. Nice, crispy batter, luscious chicken, well-dressed shredded lettuce, red onion , and jalapeño on a beautiful fluffy white roll. It was actually worth the $6.50 I paid for it. And it came with a free ginger cookie! Score!