Poulet – A Berkeley tradition for 27 years gets a little help

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Here I find myself calmly stalking Poulet. The intersection of Virginia & Shattuck is nearly void of traffic, perfect for my approach. Sure is a totally badass day to be out.
I don’t normally leave my box, it’s tough pawing my way though my psychosis. Then how did I manage to find a path away? Shuna of Eggbeater asked me to, that’s how.
Wanna come see?


In a post the other day about Poulet, Shuna asked people to come by and sample some of the special baked goodies she’s doing for Poulet. See, she’s doing some consulting work to revamp, revitalize and renew some of their recipes. Cool, eh?
Thursday was the day and I jumped in to my black pickup and headed out for a lunch adventure. Berkeley’s traffic can be a bitch and there’s no rhyme or reason. I figured I’d begin from the bottom of Cedar, at the bay, and drive up, up, up and right. Park, hike in.
Poulet is located on the corner there in an older building, probably 80 some odd years old. Beautiful high ceilings with olde type fans quietly whirling. They bill themselves as a delicatessen and a cafe, let’s see. They have a nicely arranged cooler filled with bowls of food, a table filled with warmish food and they got a nice area with tables and benches. Yup, this qualifies.
Instead of bounding in and asking for Shuna, I decided to look around, poke my nose in to things. The menu is a huge green chalkboard that covers the wall up and behind the counter. I notice something right off, the descriptions of the food are missing something. They don’t say Organic, Natural and/or followed with a paragraph of what part of the Himalayas they came from. Well now, that’s refreshing. Hey everyone!!! IT’S FOOD!!! Good looking food, good tasting food in a nice atmosphere that doesn’t distract. Put it in your mouth, do you like it? Yes? Shaddap then.


I asked for Shuna and she came out directly, couldn’t believe I’d taken her up on the invite, heh. This is my nature, when you least expect it, here I be. Since she is in the middle of mixing, measuring and proofing, she needed to give me a short tour through the lunch ideas and get back. I opted for some fancy chicken salad, not the mayo kind. It had a lot of green leafy things with fruity chunks. Next up some teriyaki chicken pieces. This and a house lemonade and I was at the table. Oddly enough the green leafy thing was my favorite, I’ll have to be eating more this way in the future. Shuna came out and handed me a slice of the Caramel Cake she’d done for Poulet, all boxed up and bagged for taking home. When Shuna talks about it her arms flail about and her eyes glaze over. This cake must be bucktoothed evil good. Halfway through my meal she popped her head back out and made me get the freshly made chile rellanos before I left, I got 2 to go. These and the caramel cake would be for later. Mama would cry if she didn’t get a taste of Shuna’s gift to the world.
Now let’s cut to 5 hours later.

After getting home from work, I warmed up one of the rellanos. The chile had been fire roasted first, then stuffed with cheese. Dipped in an egg batter, then deep fried. Poulet nailed it.
I’ve never considered myself to be one with a sweet tooth. Sure I enjoy the chocolate. But if you were to ask me, I’d have the Meat Tooth. That being said, this caramel cake is a slice of heaven. I can’t speak for everyone, but when I see a cake with a frosting like this, all I can think of is over-powering sugar and butter, then you get hit with some flavoring of some kind. Such as carrot or whatever, but not this time. The frosting had a little texture, then melted in to a careful caramel blend. The cake was no less amazing. The crumb of the cake was moist, then came to pieces and floated about the mouth. Gone. I know this might sound dumb, but this is cake even I could eat. I had my way with the piece and gave most of it to Mama. While she LOVES the sweets, praise from her is few and far between on cakes & breads. 9 times out of 10, she’ll try the frosting, then scrape it off. Eat a portion of the cake and toss. I’m used to it now. Oddly enough though, this time? The container was perfectly clean. Mama said, “Now that’s good cake.”
Thank you Shuna and thank you Poulet for a nice day out. Would I return? Sure, you bet. It looks as though Poulet keeps the menu rotating and it’s really quite a beautiful part of Berkeley.
Cheers
Poulet
1685 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94708
Tel: 510-845-5932
Hours
MON-FRI: 10:30am-8pm
SAT: 10:30am-6pm

14 thoughts on “Poulet – A Berkeley tradition for 27 years gets a little help”

  2. So your hangin in the Gourmet Ghetto eating Chile Rellanos. Kool! Didn’t Bruce Aidells start there?

  3. Hey CB,
    I have no idea where Bruce started. Be kind of interesting to find out though. Would have been a long time ago for sure.
    Biggles

  7. Bruce Aidells did in fact start at Poulet as Marylin’s first Head Chef.
    I had the pleasure of working there with Bruce for several years.
    I started there in ’82, and had the chance to learn chacuterie at the feet of the master. Poulet has changed quite a bit since then, but has always maintained a commitement to quality food. Nice to see them still doing well. That reminds me I need a Poulet Chicken Salad Sandwich w/homemade mayo, and a teriyaki duck wing, yeah!
    See Ya
    Brian

  8. Hey Brian,
    Thanks for the history, neat. 1982 doesn’t seem to be that long ago, but then if you use math and a calendar, it is.
    What’re you up to these days Brian?
    Biggles

  9. It does not seem all that long ago, although those days had a way of feeling long. About twice a month we’d make 80 or so pounds of pate. We used to make several different varieties, Povencal, Maison, Chicken, Duck and Pork. We made our own confit, and sausage. We used to make a cold smoked andouille that was a delight. You could make a Gumbo or Jambalaya with that sausage and not add any more spice. For our own lunches we’d take a Boudin baguette (it was ’82, and there was no Acme, or Grace, or Bread Workshop in those days) and smear it with our pesto and slices of the andouille, and bake it off. Nice stuff, I do recall those days fondly. Easily the best food job I ever had.
    Now days I coach a Masters Swim Team in Oakland, and search out great chow, and do all of the cooking at home. Big fan of Chowhound.com, that’s how I found this site. I’ll be sure to check in often.
    See Ya
    Brian

  10. Hey Brian,
    Thanks for coming back. Man, those do sound like good times. I nearly remember ’82. I graduated from high school that year. But I was in no shape to do anything worth a pinch.
    Oh man, you’re kiling me. Yes a good andouille can make or break a dish. It’s funny when I get people asking me what they can substitute, sigh.
    Well, I’m glad to hear your still in town and at least cooking at home. You got any fads your in to over the last year? I’ve been quite happy with citrus and what it does for gravies, roasts and … gravy.
    Biggles

  11. I’m not into fads much, hate the foam thing!!!! I really like simple preparations, I love my grill. I like spice rubs, and grilled fish. I get most of my inspiration from Tokyo Fish, or Magnani Poultry. My wife is anti beef but I get a nice flank steak or tri tip when she’s away on business. I guess I’m a meat adulterer! I make a pretty good pizza. One of the owners of Bucci’s in Emeryville worked with us at Poulet back in the day. He taught me how to make a nice cold rise pizza dough. He went back to Boston to apprentice with a pizza maker there for a few months to learn the art. Pizzas are really fun with a good recipe and a stone. I get together with old Bruce for lunch a couple times a year to check in, he’s a great source for food tips, and great stories.
    Maybe I’ll get to a chow event in the East Bay sometime and get to meet some of the local Hounds. Meanwhile I’ll keep you guys bookmarked and visit often.
    See Ya
    Brian

  14. Hey Laura,
    Cool! Hooboy are you going to have fun. The weather is nice, the food is fresh and everyone seems to be in a decent mood.
    Biggles