Grilled prime rib panini at Little Louie’s in Point Richmond

Matt and I drove over to Point Richmond a couple of weeks ago to take some photographs.  It’s an interesting area with some nice old houses and storefronts – a hidden gem.  According to the Point Richmond History Association, Point Richmond was once an island on San Francisco Bay and the birthplace of the city of Richmond.  Point Richmond is now a Richmond neighborhood and considered its “old town.”

If you spend a little time walking its hilly streets looking at Victorian and Craftsman-style homes, you’ll have no problem grabbing a bite when you’re done.  Since we like delis, and think there are not enough of them in the Bay Area, we almost always go to Little Louie’s (49 Washington Avenue).  Now, if you’re from a place like New York (like us) or Chicago or even LA, you won’t consider this a “real” deli, rather a good Cali-style fancified kind of deli/casual eating establishment where you can get decent sandwiches.

Grilled chix panini at Little Louie’s in Point Richmond

Little Louie’s is a comfy place where you order at the deli counter and your food is brought to the dining area in the back room.  Matt and I opted for panini – one prime rib and one chicken – and a Caesar salad.

The Caesar salad ($5.95) was a nice big bowlful of fresh romaine tossed with the customary trimmings with dressing on the side.  It was the perfect thing for us to split with the sammies.

My prime rib panini ($9.25) was very good. and not over-grilled.  I give them credit for serving this, because you have to strike a balance with prime rib that’s not cooked to order.  Too much grilling and you’ll wind up with overcooked meat – too little and the fat will not have softened sufficiently to get good flavor and mouthfeel.  This is exactly why I buy a prime rib at Christmas that is about the right size for one meal – it’s just not the same as a left-over.  My still-pink slice of meat, of a sufficient size, was topped with melted cheddar and sauteed onions and served on a high-quality sourdough roll, most likely from Semifreddi’s.  It was served with beef jus for dipping, a pickle spear and a couple pepperoncini.

The chicken panini ($8.50), served on a ciabatta roll with spinach, tomato and jack cheese, arrived naked on the plate – no pickle, no nothing, but was tasty.  It could have used a few more minutes on the panini maker, but other than that, there were no complaints.  I can’t say it was as good as the prime rib sandwich, though.

If you’re in the area I suggest you give this place a try.  They’re very nice there, and have an extensive menu, including numerous breakfast items (they actually serve a full breakfast) and carry  the whole nine yards falling under the category of “coffee and” if you don’t want a full meal.  Burgers, sausages, bagels – it’s all there.  They open at 6:00 a.m. during the week and 7:00 a.m. on weekends, but be sure to check their hours because they are open for breakfast and an extended lunch only.

Sage in 2008

Our niece, Sage, was here for a visit this month, which was nice since I have not seen her for almost 10 years.  She and Matt are the same age, give or take.  Sage is majoring in environmental studies at the University of Vermont, and currently spending a semester looking at water-related issues here in the West, so this afforded an opportunity to come see us.  She ultimately wants to become a nurse practitioner in the area of women’s health.  Matt, Sage and I discussed all of this and more over breakfast at Jimmy Bean’s (1290 6th Street, Berkeley) today, which was fun.  We all had breakfasty things, like eggs and/or potatoes.  Matt had a goat cheese and mushroom omelet, so he was the most “Berkeley” of the three of us.  On the way to drop Sage off at the BART station for her foray into SF, we stopped so I could use the restroom at the little collection of shops at Gilman and 10th street.  I know, I know, I should have gone at the restaurant.  The delay was fortuitous, though, in that Sage ran into one of her UV professors at the BART station, which would never have happened had we not made that pit stop.

We finally made it to the Fog City Diner.  The Morrison & Foerster holiday party is this evening, so we are spending the night in SF.  Matthew and I – as we do every year – BART in for early check-in and some sort of fancy lunch.  Today we decided on the Fog City Diner (1300 Battery Street, SF) to see what all the fuss is about.  Turns out Fog City is a diner in layout but more upscale in terms of menu and price.  We loved the salt and pepper squid appetizer because of the dipping sauce, which was a thin affair made mainly of lime juice, chili peppers and perhaps a little sugar; it was a blessing to get away from those thick dipping sauces.  Next, Matt had a crispy snapper sammie with roasted red peppers.  Size-wise it was fine and he said it was very tasty.  The accompanying fries were hot and crisp, and we saved the remaining sauce from the squid to dip them into.  I had an open face meatloaf sandwich with melted pepper jack cheese that was tasty – if a bit mushy.  Mine came with sweet tater fries, which I always like.  The sandwiches were $12.50 and $13.95, respectively, which is a bit high, I guess, but what the hell since they were pretty good.  I may come back again, but may not because they do not have enough restrooms to accommodate the crowds they get.