The Classic Lunchbox Upgrade
Some of us pack lunches every day of the week. And, in time, inspiration can run dry. We are here to help you rekindle your relationship with lunches and inspire you to get creative.
If you're tired of the same old ho-hum lunch selection, you can easily upgraded by paying close attention to the ingredients you choose. We have put together of list of suggestions for updated classics that will have you looking forward to lunchtime!
Pastrami on Rye
Boar's Head Pastrami from our Meat Department on
Weydemeyer Marble Rye Bread with
Sonoma Brinery Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, and Yellow Mustard.
Turkey Club
Boar's Head Oven Gold Turkey on
Beckmann’s Great White Bread with bacon, heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce, and
Stonewall Kitchen's Basil Pesto Aioli.
Chicken Salad on a Croissant
Chicken salad from our Cheese Department on a
Whole Grain Bakery Croissant with green leaf lettuce.
Roast Beef Sandwich
Roast Beef (we roast our own) from our in Meat Department on
Santa Cruz Sliced Sourdough with
Sur Les Quais Moutarde Aux 3 Poivres Mustard, and Mayo.
Ham and Cheese
Boar's Head Virginia Ham on
Semifreddi’s Rosemary Focaccia with
Havarti cheese, mayonnaise, and
Mendocino Hot N Sweet Mustard.
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Dessert
But we don't always have time to bake…so here are some of the most delicious and packable snacks from the store.
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Rustic Bakery
cookies never disappoint. We love their home-style elegance, and they come in the best flavors. Grab a box of their shortbread in Vanilla, Chocolate Cacao Nib, Chocolate Chip, Meyer Lemon, Pecan, or Candied Ginger.
Ticklebelly Cake Bars keep in mind the perfect portion size. Not too big and never too small. And, they are perfect for packing. Tantalize your taste buds with their Dark Chocolate, Cookies 'N' Cream, Salted Caramel Shortbread, Vanilla Bean, and Chocolate Peanut Butter.
Petit Pot de Crème has the sweet, velvety goodness of crème and the consistency of custard. The folks at Petit Pot blended knowledge of age-old French pastry practice with modern California culinary flourishes to create this line of delicious deserts. We stock them in Vanilla, Chocolate, Lemon Curd, and Caramel.
St. Benoît Yogurt is on a whole new level. You can taste the season and terroir right out of the jar!Try their Original, Meyer Lemon, French Vanilla, and Strawberry flavors. All of their fruit spreads are made from whole, locally-grown organic produce.
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Whether you’re grabbing a business lunch or food for a noon meeting, a luncheon with friends or after the game celebration, you can count on our chefs in our Catering Department to help simplify your entertaining, We’ve got you covered!
24-hours advance notice is requested for a minimum of 10 people. And, our delivery charge is a flat fee of $20.
To Order Call the Deli Department at (510) 653-8181
Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 8 PM and on Sunday from 9 AM-7 PM. Or email us at
[email protected].
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From our blog, The Cocktail Post
The weather may still be warm, but apples are in abundance in the market and we are turning our thoughts and tastebuds towards cooler nights.
This recipe for The Apple Crisp Cocktail contains all the deliciousness of autumn. It is sweet with just the right amount of spice.
The Apple Crisp Cocktail Recipe
Yields 1 Cocktail
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A Cookbook Recommendation
From Thursday Nights at Campanile in Los Angeles
When Nancy Silverton began serving sandwiches one night a week at Campanile, she envisioned a laid-back and intimate evening when she’d be able to relax, chat with customers, and have some fun devising new and creative recipes. Well, Sandwich Night became one of Campanile’s busiest nights, a vastly popular weekly tradition and the place to be on Thursdays.
The sandwiches are incredible. They’re gourmet meals that happen to sit on bread, the furthest thing from the boring old sandwiches that we usually content ourselves with. How about Braised Artichokes, Ricotta, and Mint Pesto with Pine-Nut Currant Relish? Or Eggplant, Seared Tuna, and Anchoïade? Or even Bacon, Avocado, and Watercress? These open-faced sandwiches are innovative dishes that taste wonderful, look beautiful, and are perfect for entertaining.
As if this isn’t enough, there are the mouthwatering sandwich cakes and cookies, like the Open-Faced Berry Brioche Sandwich, Chocolate Cake Club Sandwich, and Almost Oreos.
There are recipes for some truly addictive bar snacks, tantalizing spreads and condiments, and different breads.
Her recipes are versatile and easy to follow. These sandwiches offer a new, creative solution to entertaining and will be a valuable addition to the home cook’s repertoire.
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Sandwich Recipes from our Archives
Here are some of our most favorite, tried and true sandwich recipes.
Amazing Egg Sandwiches
Two delicious versions that make a fantastically quick meal. Of course, the variations are endless…n play with the breads, cheeses, meats, veggies, and sauces.
Frittata Breakfast Sandwiches
These are great for lunches and breakfast on the go. They are easy to make in advance, have a lot of good protein, and are a nice change of pace.
Avocado Toast
One might argue that you don’t need a recipe to make avocado toast, and that’s a good point! However, the basic recipe is a showcase for ingredients, so you want the best available.
Amy's Aram Sandwiche
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Besides versatility, aram sandwiches are convenient. Basically, it’s wrap, cut and go. And, if you cut them small and arrange them artfully on a platter, they are a perfect appetizer.
Vietnamese Bahn Mi
The combination of meat and pickled veggies with the cilantro and chilies on fresh French bread is rhapsodic, and worthy of enthusiastic discussion.
Panini Sandwiches
A satisfying weeknight dinner that we never grow tired of. You can customize them according to your favorites and what you have on hand.
Grilled Cheese BLT
This post gives away all our secrets for making a great grilled cheese sandwich. Plus, one of our favorite grilled sandwich recipes.
Breads
And if you are they type who goes the extra mile to make their own bread, here are our three favorite loaves.
Hearty White Sandwich Bread This loaf makes fantastic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and also works well with just about any filling.
Classic Beer Bread This recipe has only four ingredients, which makes it impressively quick, and the resulting loaf is tasty.
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Our staff pick is a perfect lunchbox treat!
Danielle Crunchy Pumpkin Chips croppedThis week’s staff pick is Danielle Crunchy Pumpkin Chips—they have a sweet and creamy flavor. As the signature symbol of autumn, the pumpkin has become part of our fall traditions and makes the perfect ingredient for savory meals and snacks. Danielle pumpkin chips are a great treat for any occasion
and make a perfect lunchbox surprise.
They are delicious, crunchy, and so much healthier than a potato chip!
Danielle has a fantastic line of crunchy fruit and vegetable chips. We love their Tangy Pineapple and Roasted Coconut chips, too!
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From our recipe blog,
The Kitchen Table
‘Wichcraft
Where would we be without the sandwich? There is nothing more simple to pull together for a meal than the sandwich. Sandwiches in some way shape or form are the most consumed lunch dish around the world. I know in my house, life as we know it would come to a screeching halt if there were no way to make a sandwich for lunch.
Now, some people have different ideas about what constitutes a sandwich. The most basic definition is meat between two slices of bread. By that standard, a cheeseburger is a sandwich.
Umm..no. A burger is a burger and in a class unto itself. Same with a hot dog. A legitimate sandwich, in my world, does, in fact, start with two slices of bread but what goes in between those two slices can be a varied wonderland of possibilities.
I have made it my goal as a parent to make sure that my kids know how to make a serious sandwich. Turkey on white bread with a little mayo, while tasty, is woefully lacking in creativity and style. Take that same turkey, add a little cranberry sauce or even a lovely chutney with crispy lettuce and a slice of Havarti on crusty sourdough and now we’re talking… bonus points for using the dill Havarti.
One of my sons has become a master of the monster sandwich. This work of art consists of multiple slices of every possible deli meat I have in the fridge, mayo, cheese, tomato, avocado, and lettuce on a fresh roll the size of a Volkswagen. (He’s 14. He’ll burn it off in an hour…) His creativity more than makes up for his lack of restraint. If the meat choices lend themselves to an Italian feel, he will go with a little oil & vinegar just to spice things up. This feast is then washed down with
an entire gallon of milk! But, that’s a discussion for another time…
Then there is my other son.
*Sigh* He’s my bologna, bread, and mustard kid. He could eat the same thing day after day and not get tired of it.
Zzzzzzzz… On the positive side, I have managed to get him to prefer eating the good wheat bread and the really good German bologna instead of the other scary stuff. So, at least he is eating actual food while sits there set in his ways. The struggle is real my friends…
There is one simple sandwich that we all love. And, if you mess with the recipe in any way there will be riots in the street…or perhaps just in our house. I have been making egg salad ever since my grandmother showed me how she made it when I was eight years old. It’s a classic. Though, there aren’t too many people packing in it their lunchboxes.
The simple recipe consists of hard boiled eggs, mayo, dry mustard, and a little salt. That’s it. The egg salad is then spread on wheat bread and only wheat bread with absolutely nothing else. Lettuce need not apply. This is the sandwich that the kids usually take to school on the first day much to the befuddlement of their friends. If I happen to have hard boiled eggs in the fridge, this is always how they will end up.
If you are a fellow sandwich worshiper, I recommend giving this classic a try just as a nice change of pace. Feel free to adjust as you see fit…
Gam’s Egg Salad Recipe
Yields enough egg salad to make 3 or 4 sandwiches depending upon the size of the bread.
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From our blog, The Butcher's Block
Making the perfect sandwich starts with the perfect filling. We all have our favorites. For some it’s roasted turkey, for others it is ham, and still, others get even more in-depth with things like mortadella or capicola. There a lot of tasty deli meats available to make your new favorite sandwich but most of us tend to go with the tried and true because it’s a known.
Breaking out of your sandwich rut can be a flavorful eye opener. But where to start? Even the old standbys can be confusing…Virginia ham? Boiled ham? Black forest ham? Isn’t ham, well, ham?
To clear things up, we’ve made a list of some of the most common and not so common options for a sandwich and their different variations.
Turkey
By far the most popular deli meat is turkey. You may see it oven-roasted, smoked, honeyed or buffalo-style (think buffalo-style chicken wings) but it’s all pretty self-explanatory.
Ham
You would think ham is ham—but that is not always the case. There is plenty of variety when it comes to ham.
Virginia Ham
A dry-cured ham from the state of Virginia, usually made from peanut-fed hogs, that is smoked over hickory or applewood. Virginia ham can also be called Country Ham.
Black Forest Ham
A dry-cured ham that has been seasoned with garlic, coriander, pepper, and juniper berries that is smoked over burning fir or other pine brush and sawdust. During the smoking process, the inside of the ham acquires a deep red color and the trademark black skin on the outside. A true Black Forest Ham comes from the Black Forest Region in Germany. Though there are many tasty versions available in deli counters everywhere, more often than not they are made domestically.
Beef
Roast Beef is the obvious choice for this category but it is not the only popular choice.
Pastrami
There’s nothing like a really good pastrami on rye for that quintessential deli experience. Pastrami is typically made from the navel end of the beef brisket which contains more fat than the typical brisket cut. It is then cured with a mixture of salt and spices before being smoked at low temperatures. After smoking, the pastrami is then boiled until it’s fully cooked. At that point, the pastrami is steamed to add tenderness and to make the meat easier to slice.
Corned Beef
Though some people mistakenly use pastrami and corned beef interchangeably, corned beef is very different from pastrami. Corned beef is made from the beef brisket and is brined in a salt water solution with other spices to cure it. The corned beef is then boiled until it is cooked through and sliced up for your sandwich.
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A Staff Favorite
Cookies are an emotional symbol of love, gratitude, and celebration. And, these delicious, handcrafted cookies make a lunchbox taste like it is filled with love!
Kelley's Kookies are some of our favorite cookies in the store. They are made from traditional recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Each cookie is handcrafted using only the finest ingredients with no added preservatives.
Kelly’s founder named Kelley’s Kookies after her daughter. And, she had one simple goal in mind: to bake the best cookies the world has ever eaten. Equipped with just the tools from her own kitchen and recipes passed down from generation to generation, she began to sell cookies in gift canisters to her friends, family, and co-workers. As word spread about her wonderful creations, the demand outgrew the capacity of her own kitchen, leading her to open the first official Kelley’s Kookies store in Cypress, CA.
Pick up a few. You will be happy you did!
Here are the varieties we have in our store: Chocolate Chip Krispy Oatmeal, Walnut Chocolate Chip, Macadamia Chocolate Chip, Shortbread, Lemon Shortbread, Chocolate Dipped Macadamia Shortbread, and Melting Moments.
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From our Blog, The Kitchen Table
Let’s Grab Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they say. This works for me because I am a lover of all things breakfast. I have no issue with eating foods that would normally be served between the hours of six and eleven at any other time of day. If I am at a diner that serves breakfast all day you bet your biscuits there will be hash browns and eggs in my future.
I would love to actually have what I consider to be a legit breakfast every morning but that’s just not feasible. The truth is I have become a grab and go breakfast eater. That means whatever I am eating can’t involve turning on the stove or oven. That also means that more often than not, my breakfast comes in handheld forms like a muffin, bread, roll, or bagel; most of which are not the best choices from a health standpoint. They say an apple a day…
not a croissant a day!
Lately, I have been trying to make muffins that are more than just a sweet start to the morning. I made this recipe last Saturday to have on hand as a quick meal since we had an early start on Sunday morning. And, I am happy that I did. I sat in my folding chair, sipped coffee, and enjoyed my muffin while totally content watching soccer.
These are muffins that you can play with. The original version called for raisins which I switched out for dried cranberries as those are more acceptable to some in my household. Next time I make them I might swap out some of the flour for a little protein powder just to kick it up a notch.
Morning Dash Muffins
Yields 12 muffins
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From our blog, The Cocktail Post
Sangria is a delicious and festive beverage of Spanish origin. A wine-based punch, the sangria traditionally consists of red wine and chopped fruit.
Summer may be over, but afternoons are warm and the last of the peaches are in the store. This lighter spin on sangria is made with white wine and white peaches. It is pale in color and refreshing in taste. You can make it a day ahead and have it on hand in the fridge when guests arrive.
White Peach Summer Sangria
Yields 1 Pitcher
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Vendor of the Month
We love RoastCo—some of the best coffee we’ve tasted.
Their expertly-roasted beans are perfected in small batches using a vintage PROBAT, a German-made roaster from the 1960s.
They source their sustainably-grown beans from organic, shade grown, and fair trade sources whenever possible. Plus they are Oakland-based.
RoastCo’s coffees come in a delicious range of flavors. Here’s what we have in the store:
West Oakland Blend is chocolatey and familiar but with a touch of spice and sparkle. This blend is the cleanest and most crisp of RoastCo’s blends. Awesome as pour-over or French press, it shines through with berries, brown sugar, and dark chocolate. This mix is a consistent favorite of our neighbors here in Oakland.
Dark Horse Blend features baking chocolate with suggestions of caramel. There’s a lot of that classic, rich, roasty flavor in this cup without sacrificing sweetness or clarity for that overbearing bitterness that accompanies most traditional dark coffees. Best expressed as French Press, Moka Pot or Aeropress.
Mayfield Bakery Blend is dense, heavy, and with a medium level of acidity, this blend offers notes of cardamom and nutmeg with smooth tones of caramel.
Beach Street Espresso is smooth and soft enough on its own, with enough character to stand up in any milk drink. Notes of dark fruit, peanut brittle, and baking chocolate.
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Saturday
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Sunday
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4038 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 653-8181
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OUR BLOGS
Visit our recipe blog to learn what Amy, our VP and resident foodie, is cooking up in her home kitchen.
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