"Do you recall the last time you had a meal so good that you inhaled it faster than a kid with a helium balloon, and then licked the plate sparkling clean until there was no trace of a single crumb? If not, go to Dela Curo. The closet-sized stall at Old Oakland’s Swan’s Market turns out heavenly plates overflowing with Japanese black curry, a darker, less-starchy version than the curry many of us know so well. Order one with tonkatsu or silky omelette, prop yourself up on one of the stools overlooking the kitchen, and watch as things are fried, folded, and scooped in front of you before enthusiastically eating up your own massive plate." - Lani Conway