Castro Valley News - Year 4 , Edition 1

CASTRO VALLEY NEWS “Food has an amazing quality that it brings people together. It brings people of all creeds, races, religions and ethinc backgrounds together. It is one of the major bonds of humanity.

Chef Igor Breyman, CV News Food Editor & Restaurant Review Show Host With a bevy of great food offerings in town and a Food Editor with the talent of someone you would see on television, it’s a no-brainer to highlight both. Welcome to our first restaurant promotion edition highlighting our local eateries!

Chef Igor has been with CVN a few years and has done about a dozen video reviews you will see referred to in this magazine. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in culinary managment from the Art Institute of California - San Francisco and has taught cooking and culinary techniques to children and adults of all ages in private schools and culinary schools across the Bay Area.

“Especially in this day and age, we need a positive medium to bring us together,” said Igor, in reference to the indelible imprint food has on people everywhere.

“Food is a medium memory, and many good memories of our friends and family are related to food.”

With that said, lets dig in to a hearty serving of good food prepared by our local restaurants who are also our neighbors!

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Cafe Rumi : Persian & Middle Eastern Flavor

ocal foodies know all the special spots to find delicious flavor-packed food. Tucked away off Heyer Avenue, Cafe Rumi is one of those places.

Always enthusiastic to highlight exotic and different flavors, Chef Igor was excited to visit Cafe Rumi to check out their Persian and Middle Eastern items.

Chef Igor opted to try the pink chai latte (check out the video review to see its beauty) and the saffron chicken platter. While it is difficult to paraphrase, and watching the full video review would serve you much better, here is the rundown of Chef Igor’s feedback: “There are a lot of beautiful flavors going on with the saffron chicken. The sauce is creamy and the flavors of the tomato and saffron really shine through,” he said.

We say this in every review, and already did here, you’d really be better served by watching the video review to get Igor’s insights and knowledge of what saffron is, how pink chai drinks are made and an overall wealth of culinary info.

The overall verdict on Cafe Rumi? “Its delicious and really approachable food,” said Igor as he boxed up some saffron chicken “to-go” for later.

Scan this QR code to see more of Igor’s review :

“Vietasty” Pho Noodles at Wend’s Cafe

Chef Igor is constantly looking for new and exciting flavors and destinations to focus on for his popular Castro Valley News restaurant reviews.

For his third review a while ago, Igor paid a visit to Wend’s Cafe on CV Boulevard to sample some of their hearty Vietnamese Pho noodle soup. You’ll find Wend’s next to Knudsen’s Ice Creamery where Swiss Delices bakery used to be.

Igor ordered the Pho Bo Tai Chin (beef noodle soup), prawn spring rolls and a Vietnamese iced coffee. His reaction after trying about 10 other local noodle houses? “The broth here is nicely seasoned and the meat was prepared well,” he said.

While we could endlessly paraphrase Igor’s reaction and description of Wend’s Cafe, if you watch the video (scan the QR code at right on the page) you’ll witness our expert food editor dissect, explain and expound about pho noodles and Vietnamese food.

Want the Cliff’s Notes version of the visit? Igor was impressed overall with the care, time and authenticity of the food at Wend’s Cafe. He also gave kudos to the friendly and warm service from the staff there.

Want to see more of Igor’s review?

Scan this QRCode:

TRAVEL ADVENTURES WITH RICKEY CHANG

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he Wangfujing district in Beijing, China is known for its night market. A few blocks off the subway past the McDonald’s and KFC, you will find an alley where the locals come to eat some ‘fast food’ that is very different than what you may be expecting to see.

Vendor after vendor will serve you up the delicacy of your choice. Come try fried scorpions, spiders, starfish, silk worms, beetles, seahorses, centipedes and more... It is a must try in Beijing for those who dare.

And as we saw first hand, many locals and visitors dared and dared again. It all sure was a sight to see!

Follow me on Facebook and YouTube @ “Rickey’s Travel Adventures”

Rickey Chang

rickeyandninastraveladventures. com

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Restaurant Review with Cedric : JP’s

or his first restaurant review, pinch hitter host Cedric visited JP’s Restauarnt and Sports Lounge.

Prior to opening where Dino’s was for many years, owner John P. made a significant investment to improving and upgrading the timeworn building. JP’s kitchen is 100% brand new as is the dining area, bar and banquet room.

Getting back to our review…Cedric ordered the “Lockjaw Burger” which is a towering burger that includes pastrami, avocado, bacon and fried onions. “Where do you start?”, Cedric exclaimed as the bold burger was served.

Words fail to describe how huge the burger is.

Check the video to see it’s size with your own eyes. As an aside, John P. told CVN a young man slight in stature came in recently and amazingly devoured TWO of them, including all the accompanying french fries and veggie toppings.

Cedric also ordered a huge tri-tip dinner platter and was won over by the herb crusted potatoes and the seasoning of the tri-tip. Cedric put in a request to JP’s Chef Rico for seasoning secrets, but the powers that be declined to give it up.

Overall, JP’s got Cedric’s seal of approval.

We can try to paraphrase here, but you’d be better served checking out the video review.

View a Full Story Video by Scanning this QR Code with your Smart Phone:

Local Restaurant Flashback: Banchero’s Soup Recipe

It was a sad day on June 6, 2012 when

Banchero’s restaurant closed their doors for good after 63 years of serving hearty Italian food to generations of local families.

Facebook pages were set up and flooded with pleas for them to stay open, along with a multitude of shared memories of good food and family memories. Shortly thereafter, one of CVN’s editors did an online search and found a recipe for Banchero’s trademark barley soup.

“It would be awesome if they reopened,” explained CVN food editor Chef Igor, who said, “It seems like local folks are really yearning for a sit down, family place like Banchero’s used to be when they were open.”

The same recipe you see above was shared on the Castro Valley News Facebook page a few years ago and was shared online over 300 times.

If you stick to the recipe, the soup you’ll make will come close to the one we all remember, but nothing will ever replace the restaurant many locals fondly recall.

-Story by R. Souza

Three Alarm Flavor at The Chicken on Fire

In response to overwhelming reader and

viewer suggestions, Chef Igor visited Chicken on Fire to see what their menu has to offer.

Located where Jenny’s Cafe once was on CV Boulevard, the Chicken on Fire has become one of our town’s favorite go-to spots for folks who like hot and savory chicken wings.

We could try to paraphrase Igor’s exact response to each flavor he sampled, but it would be better for you to watch the video to see and hear his reactions. The following is a condensed version….

“Chicken on Fire is definitely fire! The taste and value here is great and the service is wonderful,” Chef Igor added as he topped off the spicy meal with a macaroon ice cream sandwich that the Chicken on Fire also has for sale.

One of the factors Igor noted was the difference between “flats” or “drums” when it comes View a video to wings. Being a “flats” fan, Igor tried one review by of each in the flavors of spicy garlic, smokey scanning this QR code: onion, spicy curry and medium spicy onion.

“The first thing I noticed was the great smell of the spices,” Igor explained between bites. The owner told us the wings are twice fried for max crispiness and are non-GMO.

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Doing Right Bayou at Southern Comfort Kitchen

here has never been the amount of buzz and excitement for a new restaurant to open as there was for the Southern Comfort Kitchen on CV Boulevard.

Updates on our Facebook page went viral and our podcast interview with one of the owners, Jason Brill, garnered multitudes of shares and comments of support. So, when SOCO opened in October, we made our way there for a review.

Igor preplanned ordering a number of items from the menu to give a broad idea of the flavors coming from the SOCO kitchen. What did Igor order? Seafood gumbo, crawfish etoufee, homemade macaroni & cheese, a muffuletta sammie, bread pudding and a fried oyster po’boy sammie.

There’s really not enough space here to describehow much Igor enjoyed SOCO, but let’s give it a try ...he declared the cajun and creole flavors legit and wonderfully crafted. “Southern Comfort has wonderful food that I definitely recommend,” he added.

Check the QR code to view the full review video to get more of Igor’s insights and culinary expertise.

Want to see more? Scan this QR with your smart phone: