A Brisk-et fall day

Today's been a classic fall day: sun shining, a nip in air, porch covered in leaves. We've been lucky with our typical Bay Area Indian summer but I think those days are finally (sadly) leaving us. There are still a few tomatoes hanging around on our vines but soon we should be replacing them with winter veggies - leafy greens, maybe some beans and snow peas. We had a really lovely crop of snow peas last year so hopefully we can duplicate that success this year.

I had a little bit of a strange schedule today - a morning appointment in Alameda and an afternoon job in San Mateo that left with me a decent chunk of time to get some lunch out somewhere. I consider Phat Matt's BBQ (www.phatmattsbbq.com), which is opening today on Telegraph and 34th in Oakland, but decided that it was somewhere I'd rather go with a carnivorous friend than alone. I didn't really feel like tracking anyone down, plus I questioned the wisdom of going to a restaurant on their first day of business. But the seed had been planted that I wanted meat for lunch. Then I remembered the brisket sandwich at Bakesale Betty, which I had read about months ago but hadn't sampled yet. So off to BB it was.

Bakesale Betty is one of the cornerstones of the burgeoning Temescal dining scene, literally - it's located on the corner of Telegraph and 51st Streets in Oakland. They make yummy pastries (mainly pies, the best strawberry shortcake on the planet, cookies and scones) and a few incredible sandwiches. On any given day (especially weekends), you'll see long lines of people waiting for their chance to get a BB delectable. This is the only place I can think of where it actually pays to stand in a long line because employees will often come out and dole out free cookies as you wait. One time, the free cookie guy insisted I take two even though one was plenty enough for me. By the time I got to the counter I was so full I didn't really want to order anything. From that perspective I'm not sure if this is a good business strategy, but from a public relations one, it's a home run.

Bakesale Betty is a real person, though her name isn't really Betty. She is Alison Barakat, a transplant from Australia and another Temescal Chez Panisse alum (the other being Charlie Hallowell at the neighboring Pizzaiolo). Betty/Alison is a blue-hair, and by that I don't mean old: she wears a blue bob wig that's become her trademark. The hair and her cat-eyed glasses give her the look of a punk rock version of a 1950's housewife, perhaps an allusion to her modern take on classic food.

The fried chicken sandwich is the one that put Bakesale Betty on the map - the original cause of the lines flowing down Telegraph Avenue. I bet that out of the 1,503 reviews on Yelp, at least 1,425 of them rave about the fried chicken sandwich (and the other 78 were written by vegetarians). It's not all hype either - it really is THAT good. But I didn't come here today to talk about the fried chicken sandwich; that one has had its moment in the sun from many other sources. Today it's all about the brisket, baby.

I got to BB around 11:15 a.m. No line, but that meant no free cookie, either. (Ed. note: What kind of place makes you sad that you don't get to stand in line? I think the DMV should start handing out homemade cookies - there would be a lot less pissed off people there.) As much as I love the cute old ironing board tables that make up the outdoor seating area, today it's a little chilly so I take my sandwich to enjoy in the comfort of my own home.

As I start to unwrap it, I notice little potato chip crumbs falling out of the paper. 'That's weird,' I think to myself, 'why would they wrap potato chips up with the sandwich? Why wouldn't they put them on the side?' Then I realize that the potato chips are actually IN the sandwich. Glory hallelujah! I've been surreptitiously sticking potato chips in my sandwiches since about the sixth grade - they go great in tuna salad with alfalfa sprouts - but I have never in all my sandwich-eating years ever bought one with the potato chips already included in the filling. I've even purchased bags of chips for the express purpose of sticking them in my sandwich. I haven't even taken a bite and already I'm in love with the damn thing.

When I do finally take the first bite, the love just deepens. The brisket is tender - not quite melt-in-your-mouth, but close - and a tad on the salty side, which is A-OK with me. The horseradish cream sauce slathered all over adds just the right amount of kick, not too overwhelming or spicy, and carmelized onions give it a little sweetness. While the horseradish and onions are nice nods to tradition, the addition of arugula (along with the aforementioned potato chips) bring the sandwich into the 21st century. This is not your grandma's brisket sandwich, and amen to that.

The one criticism I have is that the sandwich was served cold. I was able to heat it up because I was at home, but if I had eaten it there, I would have been a little disappointed. It's a lot better warm.

Price-wise, at $8.50 it's a bit steep for a sandwich. Then again, there is no way I could eat a whole one in one sitting. Since I'm getting two meals out of it, that averages it out to $4.25 each - which is a total steal. I'd pay more at Subway for one of their sad-excuses-of-a-sandwich. (Actually, I wouldn't pay more at Subway because I would never go there unless I was stuck out in the 'burbs or desperate...or both.) And it's an especially good deal because I didn't have to buy the potato chips separate.

I still love the fried chicken sandwich, but it's nice to have options. And the brisket sando is a wicked good one.

The deets: Bakesale Betty, 5098 Telegraph Avenue (at 51st), Oakland. Phone: (510) 985-1213, on the web at www.bakesalebetty.com. Sunday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.