i8tonite

Category: Roland Robles

  • I8tonite: A Chef’s Questionnaire with Oakland, California’s Chef Roland Robles, Handlebar and FiveTenBurger.

    I8tonite: A Chef’s Questionnaire with Oakland, California’s Chef Roland Robles, Handlebar and FiveTenBurger.

    Chef Roland Robles first came to prominence with FiveTenBurger, a food truck that cooked up delicious burgers throughout the Bay Area garnering amazing notices from such publications as Oakland Magazine and San Francisco Chronicle.  Last year, he opened Handlebar, a brick-and-mortar with partner, Jennifer Seidman who also owns the area’s Acme Bar & Company. Handlebar is a neighborhood restaurant and bar where Robles explores fare outside the bun. However, he still serves up the best burger – in my humble opinion – in the Bay Area. Hands down. Roland Robles

    • How long have you been cooking? Since I was a boy, 35-40 years.
    • What is your favorite food to eat?  I adore Chinese, especially the Americanized delivery style but any really.
    • What do you always have in your fridge at home? Herbs and eggs.
    • What do you cook at home? Extravagant ten-course dinners and tacos.
    • What marked characteristic do you find unappealing in your customer? Entitlement.
    • What marked characteristic do you love in your diners? Patience.
    • Tupperware, Rubbermaid, or Pyrex? Pyrex

    • Beer, wine or cocktail? Beer and a shot. I’m a cook.
    • Your favorite cookbook author? That’s tough… (Marcella) Hazan, (Julia) Child, my mom, (Kylie) Kwong
    • Your favorite kitchen tool? My run of the mill Japanese deba.
    Japanese deba
    • Your favorite ingredient? Salt.
    • Least favorite thing to do in a kitchen? Wash dishes.
    • Favorite types of cuisine to cook? Chinese, TexMex, Italian.
    • Chef you most admire? For television: Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin.
    • Food you dislike the most? Poorly made anything.
    • How many tattoos? A lot.
    • And if so, how many are of food? One. A sacred jalapeño.

    Roland's Jalapeno Tattoo

    A “No-Recipe” recipe from Chef Roland Robles:

    I often make these chicken tacos:

    • Diced boneless chicken breast
    • Onion, garlic, jalapeño, turmeric, salt, sugar, garlic granules, onion flake, chili flake
    • Chopped fresh cilantro

    Mix all these ingredients and a little oil. Let rest. Heat a cast iron way up, dump the mix in and sear it almost all the way through for great color and turn over to finish. Put it in a bowl, mix in chopped cilantro. Serve with raw onion, chilies and hot tortillas.

    —  Go Eat. —