Since San Leandro is such a busy news town, I'm often looking for places where I can eat and work at the same time. As I write this (a few months ago), I’m sitting at one of my favorite working lunch spots: .
Creekside Bistro is in the new Creekside Plaza office complex across from Wendy's on Davis Street and San Leandro Boulevard. It's an easy walk from downtown or from the BART station.
Not everything I’ve tried here has been amazing (I find the veggie Field Roast a little bland), but the food is wholesome, fresh, quick and relatively interesting. And it’s a nice place to work — quiet, no loud music playing, good light, nobody kicking you out.
Today I had the absolutely lovely veggie cobb salad. Just look at this thing (in the photo above)! Roasted beets, goat cheese, smoked tofu and avocado in a gorgonzola dressing. It's not exactly light, but it's delicious.
Creekside also has daily hot-meal specials, like the classic Filipino dish chicken adobo. I know for a fact that people come here specifically for the chicken adobo, so it must be good.
I also like that Creekside has a decent selection of non-soda drinks (though I wish they’d add some Reed’s ginger ale to their cooler). I’ve eyed the gelato freezer but have thus far stayed away, so I can’t report on that yet.
And they have free wireless, and coffee! I’m going to try some of the latter right now….
Hmmm, not so great. I ordered a caramel macchiato, which came out more like a large, overly-sweet, flavored coffee. If you’re reading this, Creekside Bistro folks, and everyone else who’s copying Starbucks drinks, a macchiato is an espresso shot with foam, a tiny bit of milk, and a little drizzled caramel!
According to Wikipedia, macchiato means "marked" or "stained," as in “espresso stained/marked with milk,” not milk and caramel flavoring stained with espresso.
I guess the 12-oz size should have tipped me off. Oh well, can’t win ’em all (and I am still drinking it).
I still love Creekside. It'll be great if they restart the weekend brunch they keep talking about.
