I wanted to fill you in on a couple tasty takeout/delivery options you’ll want to weave into your at-home meals, starting with THE ROOST. A former catering operation from Merchant Roots, owner Ryan Shelton and executive chef Ashley Keeler have rebooted the business to be a public-facing eatery, running out of a brick-and-mortar shop in the new The Aviary in the Tenderloin.
The menu is centered around a baked chicken dinner (get a juicy half-chicken with sides for $17; the chicken from Bassian Farms is rubbed with ancho chile mustard), with a killer adobo-buttermilk slaw (I think it’s my favorite in the city), “salsa verde,” and jasmine rice. There’s also sweet potato croquettes, roasted cauliflower with garlic confit (also amazing cold the next day), a vegan quinoa and chickpea salad with apricots, and shishitos. There’s a BBQ chicken sandwich that features that tasty adobo slaw and is like a Fourth of July party in a brioche bun. Don’t forget a cookie for dessert. Available Thu-Sat 12pm-7pm for pickup or delivery. 479 Ellis St. at Leavenworth.
East Bay folks, you won’t want to miss the Mediterranean delivery from Just Fare, based out of Emeryville. I was lucky to try out some dishes on a warm evening, the perfect meal for that kind of night. I had housemade labneh with crispy garlic, white bean and charred scallion dip, roasted tahini chicken, and rather awesome flatbread—don’t forget the spicy zhug-like cilantro sauce on the side. Take a look at my Instagram post here for more.
The pricing is so fair, portions were generous, ingredients were fresh, and the flavors pop! Everything was plated beautifully in the takeout containers, and I loved all the texture in the dishes as well. Enjoy. And 1 percent of their revenue goes toward donated meals for their charitable arm, Fare Community Kitchen (they prepare and distribute donated meals every week through a network of 15 partner organizations in the East Bay, like Queer Healing Arts Center, Oakland Unified School District, and Tiny Village Housing). Delivery: Wed-Sun 5pm-9pm.
A quarter chicken with rice and ancho cole slaw, plus “salsa verde” from The Roost. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
