2261 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley CA 94704
(510) 548-6900
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon 5:30pm - 9pm, Tues-Thurs and Sun 11:30am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-10pm
http://angelineskitchen.com/
Last Visited: April 24, 2010
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Although I have frequently traveled to Berkeley during the last few years, I never knew about Angeline's until I saw an episode of Check Please. Founded by the late Robert Volberg in 2006, Angeline's was the result of a desire to bring New Orleans flavor to the Bay Area. Chef Brandon Dubea, originally from Baton Rouge, leads the way with authentic southern dishes.
The television show touted the shrimp po' boy, so of course, that was something I absolutely had to try. This weekend evening, the wait was tremendous - more than an hour, but we were excited to give it a try, and stood outside with the rest of the people waiting for our turn. You may want to bring a book. They do, however, take a limited number of reservations.
- Hush Puppies - It's a little hard to see in this photo, but cornmeal fritters are served with honey butter. The hush puppies are sweet and not dry - a good way to start the meal with a little southern flare. The honey butter is light and fluffy - wish I could take it home. Good. $4.95- Shrimp Po' Boy - Lettuce, tomato, pickle, creole mustard, mayo, and hot sauce accompany lightly battered shrimp. I liked the crunchiness and freshness that the
lettuce gave to the sandwich and the hot sauce provided the perfect kick. It's served with a choice of potato salad or a side salad. We selected the potato salad which was made with red potatoes, creole dressing, and green onions and topped with a little bit of chopped parsley. The sandwich is delicious - I could eat this every time I go for a visit. The potato salad on the other hand was worth skipping - although there is spice to the dressing, I found the salad fairly bland and would not recommend ordering it for a side dish alone. In the future, I might try the side salad option instead. Great sandwich that I would definitely give a thumbs up for ordering again. If you prefer, for another dollar, you can get an oyster po' boy instead. $11.95
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken - Boneless breast is served with gingervanilla sweet potato mash, tasso ham gravy, and Blue Lake green beans with parmesan. While I didn't actually try the chicken (another member of our party ordered it), I did try the sweet potatoes. They're delicious! More like dessert than a side, but I could eat a plate of them. If you're one of those people whom doesn't like their food to touch, you should probably let the staff know because as you can see from the photo, a lot of it blends together. The beans are more tender than I prefer, but they're okay. $15.95
- Crawfish Etoufee over Rice - This is served with Blue Lake green beans with parmesan. See previous comment about the beans. The crawfish etoufee is good, but I don't know how authentic it is. If you like to eat bite after bite of tender meat, then you'll probably like this dish. I wouldn't have minded if the level of spice was just a little greater. A healthy portion too. Good. $13.95- Pecan Pie with bourbon vanilla whipped cream - Normally, I don't order dessert, but the guests
on Check Please kept insisting that one must save room for dessert. The price is a little steep, but the pecan pie is incredible. Bite after bite of melt in your mouth pecans with butter, eggs, and sugar - it's definitely homemade. And that whipped cream is so light and fluffy that it's no wonder this dessert is so popular. It's made it to my list of Sesame Tea Favorites. $6.95Other offerings include muffaletta, gumbo, beignets, swamp water (half lemonade, half iced tea), jambalaya, crab cakes, and BBQ baby back ribs. I would probably go for another po' boy and the beignets next (yes, I have no qualms about planning my next meal here).
It was a bit shocking to go to the website and learn of Robert's death. I remember him greeting us and bringing us to our table. I also remember him checking out my phone because he was considering getting a new phone. He had a friendly and easy way about him that I'm sure helped attract many customers back to Angeline's. I think you'll still find that friendliness there in the atmosphere and the food, and you absolutely must save room for some pecan pie.
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