The Fatty: Exploring the Restaurants of the Bay Area

This month: Manzanita

Da' Pository:
Few places where you can eat food this fresh and eclectic, with this much variety, and know it's good for you (and the universe).

Da' Negatory:
In a random part of Oakland near the Emeryville border; a bit pricy.

Convenience score: 7- If you live in Berkeley, it's kind of a drive.
Best bet: The sauteed cabbage and hijiki sesame.
Price: $12 for the weekend brunch.
Location:
Manzanita Restaurant
1050 - 40th St.
Oakland, CA. 94608

If you're in the mood for something healthy, fresh, and environmentally-conscious, then Manzanita on 40th Street in Oakland is a good bet. Manzanita serves up excellent vegan meals, which means that no animal or dairy products are used in food preparation. While that's a good enough reason to check it out, Manzanita's menu also has a rather unique focus on macrobiotics, a dietary philosophy guided by the belief that the foods we consume play a larger role in our mental, physical, and spiritual makeup than is commonly believed.

When I peeped Manzanita's weekend brunch buffet, I sampled a variety of diverse entrees, including savory pinto beans, soft rice w/ pureed cauliflower, and carrot sauce. Also on the menu were daikon, rutabega, and snow peas in pesto. The beans were piping hot and an excellent side to the meal. The sauteed cabbage, with hijiki sesame seeds were delicious, while the cabbage was hot and crisp, but not overwhelming with flavor. Blanched kale and miso soup were pleasingly complementary dishes, while maple syrup and vanilla pear sauce, which formed deliciously sweet combinations with the veggies, were offered as toppings. Also served up fresh was a macrobiotic favorite, twig tea, which cleansed the palate between bites.

Overall, Manzanita offered a wide variety of unique entrees, many of which exuded a palatable level of quality in their ingredients. It's difficult to say what on the menu stood out most; nothing really wanted to take charge and play that role, but perhaps that is the result of having a balanced meal. My main complaint about Manzanita is that the food was somewhat understated—or to put it another way, bland—but I'm sure this has much to do with my not being very accustomed to Manzanita's specialty of macrobiotics, which among other things, dictates a minimal use of spices. Nevertheless, I came away from the meal feeling strangely rejuvenated and inexplicably good about myself.