Dining Out

Lunch Crunch

Doing Downtown at Noon

    The lunch “hour” has become an anachronism. Those leisurely 60-minute lunches went out the window with employer-funded pensions and affordable health care. These days, if you happen to leave your desk to go out to eat, it’s usually a just quick scramble for sustenance. If you succeed in finding food that’s fast, cheap and good, consider yourself victorious. Now get back to work.
    There’s no public lunch bell for downtown Oakland, but once noon strikes, legions of office workers, construction crews and public employees transform the city streets as they crowd the sidewalks in search of a quick meal. I spent a few days downtown following in the footsteps of the hungry, bargain-seeking masses and found three lunch spots worth whatever fraction of  the lunch hour you have to spare.
    Even though it’s been open on Webster Street since 1976, Juanita’s feels like it belongs somewhere else like, say, a sun-baked side street in Albuquerque or San Antonio. It’s an old-school Mexican-American joint where a light haze of kitchen smoke hangs in the crowded dining room, and a screen door constantly opens as regulars poke their heads in to see if there’s an empty table; if it’s anywhere between noon and 1 p.m., probably not.
    The big draws for me are the mole enchiladas ($8.25). I think they’re best with chicken, but they’re available with beef or cheese, too. But the main thing is the mole, a deep, earthy but satiny sauce that’s pleasantly spicy and robust. Unlike many versions of this classic Mexican sauce, it’s not sweet at all.
The red enchiladas ($8.25) are winners as well. The ruddy chile sauce coats the tortillas with a meaty, slow-flickering heat that grows in flavor and intensity the more you eat.
    The tacos ($8.25)—served in a crispy fried corn tortilla packed with meat, cheese, iceberg lettuce and a mild red salsa—are more American than Mexican but still quite good. Unless you like ground beef, go for the chicken filling.
    Speaking of salsa, the red and green table salsas are excellent, and the kitchen is not afraid to lay on the heat. Wash it all down with a big glass of the cinnamon-spiked horchata or tamarindo fresco ($2).
    Located a few blocks away on Broadway is Café Madrid. One of Oakland’s newest, the bright and airy cafe is in the same building as Oakland’s majestic Paramount Theatre. The angled black girders that run from floor to ceiling and the reproduction of Picasso’s Guernica give the space an air of elegance and strength.
    The Spanish cafe offers a lineup of tapas and bocadillos (sandwiches) you won’t find anywhere else downtown. For a bocadillo ($7), grab the order form at the counter and create your own sandwich. There are standard fillings like turkey and roast beef, but this is a Spanish place, so skip those and go for the jamon
serrano or sliced chorizo de Pamplona, wonderful cured meats that pair deliciously with a slice of manchego or tronchon cheese.
    The tortilla Española ($5) is decent, but I would have preferred more garlic in the accompanying aioli. Then again, if you have a post-lunch meeting, avoiding garlic breath makes sense. But if you’re not afraid of garlic, go for the boquerones ($3), vinegary anchovies marinated in garlic and olive oil.
    The pipirrana salad ($3)—cucumber, green bell peppers, onions and tomatoes in a sherry vinegar and olive oil—is serviceable, but I had better luck with the hearty lentil-and-chorizo soup of the day.
    If you need more proof that there’s plenty of there in downtown Oakland, head to Ratto’s International Market and Deli for your next lunch break. Open since 1897 (and in its current Washington Street location since 1936) the big, boxy market and deli feels like an old-fashioned general store. Which is exactly what it is.
    A rectangular deli island dominates the place. Come at lunch, and the crowds and frenetic
sandwich-making activity may seem daunting, but after all these years, these sandwich slingers know what they’re doing. Fill out a sandwich order form and lay it on the counter. Meat and cheese options abound. If you can’t decide, go for one of the special sandwiches listed at the top. I liked “the Jenny” ($5.95), layered with fresh and sweet mozzarella, pesto, tomato, onions and lettuce on a crusty baguette.
    While you’re waiting for your name to be called, check out the rest of what Ratto’s has to offer. There are great deals on wine and a huge variety of top quality olive oil and vinegars. There are walls of imported delicacies that include Greek herbs, Spanish rice and Italian dried mushrooms. Interested in a pair of bejeweled Moroccan sandals? They’ve got those, too.
    Lunchtime may not be what it used to be, but the quantity and quality of downtown Oakland options help make the most of what little time you’ve got.