Bakesale Betty – An Oakland Gem
A few weeks ago, a friend brought over sticky date pudding from Bakesale Betty and it was absolutely fabulous. We loved it so much we tried Betty's pumpkin and pecan pies a few days later on Thanksgiving. Both pies were excellent, particularly the pecan pie.
After all the great desserts, we had to check out the bakery for lunch to try their popular fried chicken sandwich. The shop is located in North Oakland's Temescal District. When we arrived at the small, unassuming corner bakery, the line was just out the door. It was a little chaotic as we tried to figure out what to order in the fast moving line. We quickly decided to order...
- Fried Chicken Sandwich ($7.25)
- Egg Salad Sandwich ($5.50)
- Lemon Raisin Scone ($1.95)
- Ginger Pear Scone ($1.95)
- Sticky Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce (price unknown)
Our order was taken by Michael Camp, who is an owner and married to Alison Barakat, a.k.a. Betty, a former cook at Chez Panisse Cafe. At the time, I had no idea who Michael was. He began putting our order together on a metal tray and asked for $16.00. Obviously, I thought he made a mistake and asked him for the total again, he said, "16 dollars." I asked if he included the sticky date pudding in the order because it wasn't on the tray. He replied, "it's on the house." Alrighty then! We ended up getting...
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Egg Salad Sandwich
- Lemon Raisin Scone
- Ginger Pear Scone
- Apricot Almond Scone (complimentary)
- Sticky Date Pudding (complimentary)
- Two Frozen Lemonades (complimentary)
Michael told us that he would bring out the sticky date pudding cake to us. We found a table, an old ironing board, in a sunny spot on the sidewalk and started digging into our bounty. The fried chicken sandwich was fantastic. The buttermilk-battered chicken breast was nice and crispy with cole slaw piled high on top of it. We really liked the lightly dressed, vinaigrette based cole slaw. The absence of mayonnaise in the sandwich and slaw was a big positive for us. Serving thigh meat instead of breast meat is the only thing that would make it better, since we prefer dark meat.
The chunky egg salad sandwich was equally as good. It was topped with peppery arugula, which was a nice addition. Both sandwiches were served on good Acme torpedo rolls. The egg salad sandwich was a decent size, but the chicken sandwich was a very generous portion.
The scones were light and flaky with interesting flavor combinations. Our favorite scone was the lemon raisin with plump and juicy raisins. The scones would be great for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Hungry Bear enjoyed the frozen lemonade because of the balance between sweet and tart. It was too tart for me, but I have odd taste buds.
As we were finishing our sandwiches, Michael came outside and told us the sticky date pudding was sold out. He apologized and gave us a voucher for a free pudding cake along with two shortbread cookies. It was completely unexpected and unnecessary, but talk about a great way to build customer loyalty.
The line grew longer during the lunch hour and we saw Michael on several occasions giving away cookies to everyone in line. I was sold on the food itself, but the extremely friendly service has me completely hooked. It's now my favorite bakery in the Bay Area!
I'm excited about going back for the sticky date pudding and trying out the banana bread. Hungry Bear wants to sample the lemon bars. I also want to figure out which sandwich I like more, fried chicken or egg salad? It's a toss up right now. I can't guarantee you'll get the same amount of complimentary food as we did, but the quality of the sandwiches and baked goods alone will make you come back for more!
Tip: Go early for sandwiches or they'll sell out and you'll be sad.
Location & Hours:
Bakesale Betty
5098 Telegraph Avenue (at 51st Street)
Oakland, CA 94609
Tuesday - Saturday: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
(510) 985-1213
Map It
[tags]chicken, fried chicken, cole slaw, scones, egg salad, sandwich, bakery, pies, oakland[/tags]
6 Comments on “Bakesale Betty – An Oakland Gem”
Trackbacks
-
Bakesale Betty’s « Muffin Top
[…] as “legendary.” Nothing beats it. We just kick ourselves for not discovering Bakesale Betty’s and her fried chicken sandwich […]
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
Alison was a line cook at Chez Panisse Café, not a chef. But you’re right about the sandwich. I never though I’d eat a fried-chicken-and-cole-slaw sandwich, but I did, yesterday, at Bakesale Betty’s, and oh boy was it delicious.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
Thanks for the info. I updated the post.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
I _LOVE_ the fried chicken sandwiches at Bakesale Betty’s! And her sticky date pudding. MRMMMMMMM. The sandwich is about a thousand calories though! But I’d rather eat that and nibble the rest of the day on cucumbers!
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
i’m a fiend for those chicken sandwiches. so sad i live 3K miles away from them.
if you haven’t yet been to sweet adeline (sweetadelinebakeshop.com), go! no fried chicken sandwiches there, but the pastries there are the best. truly.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ’user_id’ - assumed '’user_id’' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/j78deqridyky/public_html/wp-content/themes/SND-1.0/comments.php on line 42
Vanessa, thanks for the tip on Sweet Adeline. The pastries on their site look fantastic. It’s funny that you are telling me about this place while 3,000 miles away and I’m only 15 miles from the bake shop. Looks like I need to explore Berkeley more, thanks!