food: B Restaurant

Last week K and I decided to eat out for a small celebration. Given the effect of #OccupyOakland on local businesses, we wanted to make a point of eating downtown. A downtown restaurant that's been on our "to try" list for some time is B Restaurant, on Washington and 9th in Old Oakland, so we decided to dine there.

I was a little unsure, because the menu didn't seem especially vegetarian-friendly. I was even more unsure when shortly before we left home I saw news on Twitter that someone had been shot just outside the #OccupyOakland encampment in Frank Ogawa Plaza. We discussed it, but decided to go anyway. I did modify our route downtown to steer clear of the street closures.

In any event, I'm glad we went. The service was great, the food was great, and there were plenty of vegetarian (though no vegan) options for me to choose from. The food was delicious, and beautifully prepared.

We arrived early in the evening and the restaurant wasn't very busy, though there was a decent crowd at the bar. By the time we left, the place was packed. It's a good sign for the restaurant, and for downtown businesses in general. The only distraction was the news helicopter that hovered throughout the evening.

We started with a squash medley and B Restaurant's well-known truffle fries. The squash were great, but the truffle fries were amazing -- doubtless not on our diet. For an entree, K had the petrale sole (after we verified it was Pacific-caught sole; Atlantic-caught is over fished), and I had a Caesar salad. I was excited about it because it actually had anchovies, something many so-called Caesar salads are lacking. Romaine lettuce plus shredded Parmesan cheese does not a Caesar salad make.

Short review: we'll definitely be going again.