Oakland Restaurant Week

Like many others, I've been a bit distracted by current events, and by the weather. One of my few outings was to do bike parking for the Women's March in Oakland with Bike East Bay. Other than a few drops of rain, the march was thankfully dry and peaceful, and pretty awesome to see the huge turnout, not just in Oakland, but all over the country.

But we're in the midst of the 7th annual Oakland Restaurant Week, which runs until January 29th. Which I'd sort of forgotten about, until I received an email that caught my eye: The Vegan's Guide to Oakland. Also check out Explore Oakland’s bustling food scene during Oakland Restaurant Week on SFGate.

Whatever your dining tastes, Oakland Restaurant Week is a great chance to check out some the over 100 restaurants taking part, and get some nice deals with $20, $30 and $40 prix-fixe lunch or dinner options. Some restaurants are even donating some of their proceeds to support the Alameda County Community Food Bank. What restaurant week specials have you tried this year?

signs: Drake's Dealership

The newest beer garden in town is Drake's Dealership. It's in part of the Hive complex that (surprise!) used to be a car dealership. Back in the day, a lot of the businesses around there were related to the auto industry. They've done a creative reuse of the space, and removed the roof of part of the building to serve as a beer garden. Yummy pizza, and as always, yummy Drake's beer.

West Oakland afternoon

Sunday afternoon K and I went to the open studio of Oakland-based artist Anthony Holdsworth. You'd likely recognize his work, as it's hung in numerous cafes and galleries around Oakland. He started painting urban landscapes in the 1970s when he lived in North Oakland and his pickup truck wasn't in good enough shape to drive him out to the countryside. I ended up buying a couple of limited edition prints (originals aren't in my budget), one of Lake Merritt and one of Esther's Orbit Room, a jazz and blues club in West Oakland that has disappeared like all the rest.

We stopped by the Shorey house, where William Shorey, "the Black Ahab" lived with his family when he wasn't leading a whaling trip. A couple of guys asked what I was taking a picture of, so I told them a bit about William Shorey, and the warehouse down the street where Green Day crashed for a while early in their career. Then it was a late lunch at 10th and Wood a short distance away.

The weather was warm and beautiful, and it was still early, so we headed out to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park after lunch. The park is tucked away amongst different parts of the Port of Oakland. The land is all fill, but it didn't happen at all at once. The Western Pacific Railway had a 'mole' which extended the railroad tracks out to a ferry slip. Just beyond that was the Oakland Harbor Light. The lighthouse building was later sold for $1, moved up the estuary, and is now Quinn's Lighthouse, a bar and restaurant. We strolled around the point and saw lots of birds, including a flock of California brown pelicans that flew past us. We wrapped up the afternoon with a beer at The Beer Shed. A lovely way to spend the afternoon.

More pictures from the afternoon:

food: Juhu Beach Club

Tuesday K and I celebrated my birthday with dinner at Juhu Beach Club. The small restaurant is decorated in cheery pinks and oranges, and while it's a bit loud when crowded (like most restaurants these days), K and I didn't find it overwhelming.

In short, we liked everything we tried, but we especially loved the asparagus nest with a soft-cooked duck egg, and the Manchurian cauliflower. Hat tip to Christina Mitchell of East Bay Dish for recommending the cauliflower. It's clearly a popular dish, because we saw a lot of it moving out from the kitchen.

And shout-out to Oakland artists Bruce and Sue Mark of marksearch.org, the creative force behind Walking the Invisible City - the 10,000 Steps program, which placed numerous markers about Oakland's historic parks downtown. Sue is also creating the Klinknerville.org website, which looks at the people and history of what is now the Golden Gate District.

food: Camber Montclair

Montclair Village has a new restaurant on Moraga Avenue, and it's great. Camber replaces the venerable Silver Palace restaurant. I happened by the grand opening celebration they had, attended by current district four city council member Annie Campbell Washington and former member and current mayor Libby Schaaf.

It's a nice space with a high ceiling. Husband and wife owners Irfan Jaffery and Linda Saechao made the front space a bar (with lots of TV screens for watching sports), and the main dining area is up a couple steps. Camber is their second restaurant; the first Camber Oakland is in Uptown on Telegraph. Camber is named for their kids, Camrin and Amber, who were at the grand opening. The food is mixture of cultures; according to Mimi Rohr's article, Saechao's family is Thailand and Laos, while Jaffery's is from Pakistan and Burma.

This past Friday, K and I got a chance to check Camber out for dinner. We started with drinks (Gingerita for K, Lagunitas IPA for me) and an order of Crab Rangoon. Then it was on to spicy Bouncing Tofu for me, and a really tasty Pad Si Ew for K. Everything was great, but left us too full to even contemplate dessert. Camber makes a great addition to Oakland's burgeoning restaurant scene and for us it's great to have another dining option close to home. We'll definitely eat there again, and will likely take advantage of the bar for watching sports that aren't on broadcast TV.

Camber Montclair celebrates grand opening in Montclair Village by Mimi Rohr San Jose Mercury News January 21, 2015.

More pictures from the grand opening and from dinner:

Oaktoberfest

Saturday was the annual Oaktoberfest celebration in the Dimond. I don't make it every year, but I made a point of going this year because one of the music performers was the legendary Pete Escovedo. The weather was hot, but tons of people came out to drink beer, eat food, listen to music, and generally have a good time.

A video of the Bavarian dancing:


A video of some young people playing with Pete Escovedo's band:


Lots more pictures from Oaktoberfest:

Temescal Street Fair

Last Sunday was the 11th annual Temescal Street Fair. It seems to be bigger, busier and better every year. There were tons of people with kids, and lots of dogs, too.

Lots more pictures from the street fair:

Vegan Beer and Food Festival

Saturday was the Oakland Vegan Beer and Food Festival, put on as a fundraiser for Rocket Dog Rescue. The gathering at Classic Cars West featured food from S+M Vegan and Hella Vegan Eats, and Commonwealth Cafe was serving up beer and cider.

A ton of people and lots of dogs showed up for the event. The lines were incredibly long, but people were waiting patiently. I spent most of my time drinking a beer and taking pictures of dogs.

More pictures from the event:

Lungomare + Bison Brewing food and beer pairing

Last night was a special dinner at Lungomare. Chef Craig Difonzo prepared special dishes to pair with four different Bison Brewing beers. I love Bison's beers, and K and I have eaten at Lungomare before, but this was an amazing combo. And with a fun, interesting bunch of people, it made for a great evening.

food+drink: Lost+Found

Ifinally got a chance to make a second, longer visit to Lost+Found, the new beer garden on Telegraph. On my first visit, I barely had time for a beer. This time I got to hang out with my friend Mike for a while, have a couple beers, and sample the food.

The food menu is fairly simple, but includes some vegi and vegan options so I was happy. The vegan sloppy joe was quite good, as was the definitely-not-vegan grilled cheese sandwich. Lost+Found has a great beer selection, with about 20 local and not so local beers on tap. While the beer garden is built on an old parking lot, it feels like a garden with lots of plants around the seating, plus a ping pong table and other amusements. Even though yesterday was still pretty warm (though not nearly so hot as Wednesday), the space was cool and inviting, with a nice cross-breeze.

One wall of the garden space is home to a Ernest Doty mural, though fairly tame compared with many of his works. While there's definitely a hipsterish vibe (like many new places in Uptown), it still all adds up to a lovely spot to hang out, have a beer, and a bit of food. To me the only thing missing is the presence of dogs. Someone tried to bring one in while we were there, and while I couldn't hear what was exchanged, the upshot was that the dog and its person left.

One Day in Oakland

The following is a guest post from Alden Olmstead, creator of the cool, artsy map above, and of the new blog, One Day In. Cards featuring the map can be purchased at a number of local businesses. See the list at the end of the post.

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Jack London and Oak trees, fire artists and urban blight – oops – urban renewal, sorry mayor. What to make of a town like Oakland, California depends partly on perspective, more on your stance against the world. What’s that – you don’t have a stance? You don’t thrive on challenges that everyone says won’t work? You’ve never felt like the underdog, succeeding regardless of – or even especially because of what others think? Oakland might not be for you. You might not get it. However, if you can appreciate a young man whose dreams and aspirations were so strong that he hopped a steam ship to the Yukon to pan for gold, came back more broke than when he left, sold his bicycle to buy heating gas and bread for his mother, then found success writing about his struggle amidst the elements and the hardened souls of men, Oakland might just be for you. Jack London was not the first underdog to grace Oakland and he certainly won’t be the last. From its artists to its sports teams, its beautiful Lake Merritt and skyline to the ongoing reality of urban violence, Oakland is honesty. The sweet with the sour, it’s all here. Be prepared, stay alert, and you’ll be surprised at how friendly people are. Overcoming challenges produces character. Oakland has truckloads of it.
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Basic instructions for Oakland, California:

1. Dogs can smell fear, so can people. Smile and the world smiles back – be smart and you’ll be fine.
2. Everything that’s a challenge in San Francisco is one or two notches less in Oakland. Parking, harsh weather, Toyota-swallowing potholes, baseball ticket prices, parking, etc..
3. Layers. You can start with a sweater or jacket if you like but by noon or so you’ll be shedding it faster than a 70′s streaker at an A’s game. I recommend a medium sweater, flannel, or fleece, with a favorite t shirt underneath. But that’s just me. In winter months maybe a scarf. I’ve never owned one but they sure look warm. And stylish.
4. Park at 101 Washington Street – or street parking if it’s a weekday – or BART to 12th street/ City Center if you don’t mind the aforementioned blight.

Let’s begin:

8:00 am Jack London Square
Oakland, Ca 94607
Speaking of the wavy-haired socialist himself, your day in Oakland begins near the water for a variety of reasons, most of which you’ll discover for yourself. Grab coffee at Blue Bottle on Webster or Autobahn (at 5th and Clay) and walk to the end of Broadway – down to the water. Put your black and white glasses on, flip your collar up on your Navy peacoat and smell the cool and salty air. See the hundreds of cranes? The port of Oakland is an international cargo hub and was one of the early adopters of container shipping. Though Lucasfilm claims to have taken no inspiration from these cranes for The Empire Strikes Back, I say let your imagination go. Besides it’s more fun to disagree with George these days.
Walk south to Jack London’s little cabin, make a note to yourself to visit his estate in Glen Ellen at Jack London State Park (one hour north) and enjoy the fountain and the many seats available. *Good luck finding a seat if this is Sunday, farmers markets here can get a little crazy.
8:30 am Eat Breakfast at Home of Chicken and Waffles (Broadway and Embarcadero) or the Oakland Grill, two blocks up and one block south, at 3rd and Franklin. Both are very good, though completely different atmospheres.
10:00 am Walk East (away from the water) up Broadway, stopping wherever you like. You might see an estate sale – at Something to Sell About, or an art or clothing store you like – if today is a first Friday check out an art walk schedule at http://oaklandartmurmer.org. Either way head up Broadway towards Old Oakland. The mornings are when your mind is fresh, let’s find some history.
Turn left, north, on Eighth St.

You can make a nice side loop and enjoy the architecture of Old Oakland by turning on 8th street, and heading north for a few blocks. Turn right up Jefferson or Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and then back towards Broadway on 12th. Great photo opportunities and light should be happening to free your mind. Stop at the Flower Mart or pose outside the Washington Inn. Very cool.

12 Noon at the Oak Tree
Oakland City Hall and Frank Ogawa Plaza – Overheard: "Dude that tree is huge!"

I know, someone should make a logo of it. Oh they have? How about a shirt? Oh really? Ok, ok – where do I get one?”

Before heading back towards the water for lunch, watch the plaza come alive with the working crowds from the Oakland Tribune, Clorox, the state building, or from the many other businesses around Frank Ogawa Plaza. Walk up to Oaklandish on Broadway to get some Oakland apparel. Don’t spend it all in one place though – the awesome shirts at lOakal back on 2nd street will make you glad you saved some dough.
Walk back towards the water to:

Lunch at Everett & Jones BBQ


Are there great places for lunch other than E&J? Of course – There are also blondes other than Marilyn but really? Eat. Wow.
*If you’re more of a chicken person, or you’ve heard so much about it, yes – it’s worth it to try out Bakesale Betty up Telegraph ave. at 51st. An ironing board might be your dining table and the chicken – yes. yes.

Afternoon:
The afternoon is yours, I recommend the following based on number of people in your party:
1. Just you? Hello you – you’re awesome! Find some peace and solace – and ridiculous views at close-by Joaquin Miller Park. Sure there are others and more secluded but we’re talking about one day. Get in your car and drive just 8 miles – 580 East to Lincoln Exit and go left up the hill, which becomes Skyline Blvd. Follow the signs.
2. Just the two of us? What a great pair you are – are you active? Of course you are, you should be hiking the East Bay’s hidden stairs? Where are they? They’re everywhere! Thanks to Julian for her amazing blog as well as Oakland Urban Paths. I recommend (esp. for one-day-ers) Grizzly Peak or Piedmont, they'll walk you through a perfect two-hour trek.
3. A small group – Jack, Chrissy, and Janet? Perfect for sidewalk shopping and strolling the streets of Piedmont, Lakeshore and Grand, or College in Rockridge. You won’t be disappointed. Just make sure you end this session on Grand near Children’s Fairyland, park and walk out to Edson Adams’ point on Lake Merritt and share your deepest secrets. Yes with the ducks.
4. Four or more? Are there kids? Go to the Zoo or to an A’s game – both are close, both are cheap, both are awesome – though the zoo might have more civilized inhabitants, and perhaps some of the fans should be in … well you get the idea. For the zoo take 580 East to Golf links exit. Lemurs are really cool. A’s game take almost any Bart south toward the airport – Orange, Green, and Blue lines – they all stop there. Moneyball hey!
6-7pm Dinner
*No you don’t have to eat at 6 or 7, but you can begin to head towards Piedmont Ave. or Lake Merritt, depending on the season.

Dining in Summer:
#1: Portal Oakland
1611 2nd Ave, Oakland, CA 94606
(510) 663-7678

A great location, a great outdoor patio, interesting food choices and a great beer selection make this an easy choice for a one-day visit.

Dining any other time:
#1: Cato’s Alehouse Pub
Yes, there are plenty of great restaurants, but an old English vibe with a neighborhood feel, a sometimes very lively band, an ever- changing selection of interesting beers from all over, awesome pizza and salad options, together make this my first choice. Especially for the one day you might be here. You’ll want to come back.
After dinner:

Check the calendars (or just the marquee) of The Paramount historical theatre on Broadway. Whether it’s an old movie, a halloween costume contest (and showing of the original Vampire in B&W!), or a live Gospel Choir, you will enjoy this experience, as many have been doing for almost 90 years.


The Fox theatre is also nearby, as well as outdoor fire events at the Crucible, usually in mid-July.

Lake Merritt stroll Oakland, Ca Alden Olmsted Photography

Lake Merritt string of lights at sunset, Oakland, Ca Alden Olmsted Photography

Or you can just stroll around the lake, maybe ending at Luka’s Taproom & Lounge on Grand and Broadway to reflect on your amazing day, meet a few more locals, or just watch the world go by.
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If you need a true bookend to your day, head back towards the water – remember where you started? Step inside the bar next to Jack London’s tiny cabin, Heinold’s first and last chance Saloon, and imagine you just sold your first novel, a destructive, cold, hard experience that changed you forever, but you bought some gas for the furnace, you bought your bicycle back, and you bought some bread and fish for your mother. You’re a good son. Have a whiskey.

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The cards are available at:

• Walden Pond Books
• Nathan & Co.
• Urban Indigo
• Surprise!
• lOakal
• Diesel, A Bookstore
• Oakland Museum of California

Smitten Ice Cream + local food

Monday evening several dozen Bay Area foodies joined Savor Oakland for a special sneak peek of Smitten Ice Cream that just opened Tuesday on College Avenue in Rockridge.

Smitten is small, local chain of ice cream stores that started in San Francisco. One of the things that makes Smitten unique is that they make the ice cream on demand. That's right, they start with cream and other fresh ingredients, chill it with patented technology, and minutes later produce really fresh, creamy ice cream. I only got a chance to taste two of the six flavors, but the salted caramel ice cream was awesome, and the fresh mint chip (thanks, @eastbaydish!) was astoundingly fresh. And I generally don't even like mint ice creams that much. (If I've got to limit my frozen dairy intake, I'll generally go for chocolate, coffee, or combinations thereof.)

I suspect that the Smitten Ice Cream on College will do very, very well. While there is a Dreyer's Ice Cream Shop in the College Avenue side of Dreyer's headquarters a short distance away, they're not in the same league. Smitten has a limited number of flavors (maximum of 6; 5 fixed plus 1 seasonal flavor), but the ice cream that they make is super smooth and creamy, and extremely fresh-tasting since they make it on demand. And I think kids, foodies and others will enjoy the process: you order the ice cream, then watch as the ingredients are combined, not unlike watching a chef in a restaurant kitchen. And while Dreyer's may have started in Oakland, they're owned by mega-corp Nestle's now, and definitely don't feel local by any stretch.

Besides the sneak peek of Smitten Ice Cream, Carlo of Savor Oakland had also arranged for some tastes from other local food creators. We heard from The Cookie Department which makes great, "fully functional cookies", Chunky Pig, which makes (what I'm told is) a tasty bacon caramel corn, and Sugar Knife artisan sweets, which make great booze-flavored marshmellows.

More pictures from the event:

signs: Smitten Ice Cream

The newest sign in my photo collection is for Smitten Ice Cream, which opens today (no foolin'). The ice cream is made to order, using liquid nitrogen to freeze the cream and other fresh ingredients.

#MeatlessMonday, Food+Beer Pairings, and Local Love

Thursday I met up with Dan and Ashley from Bison Brewing, Carlo and Geneva of Savor Oakland food tours, and the folks at Forge Pizza in Jack London Square to talk about Meatless Mondays, food and beer pairings, and supporting local businesses.

Bison founder and Chief Hoperations Officer Dan Del Grande told us a bit about the Meatless Monday movement. The name started during WWI, when the U.S. government encouraged people to eat fewer key staples like meat ("Meatless Mondays") and wheat ("Wheatless Wednesdays") to help feed the troops in Europe. The idea returned during WWII and went through the post-war years to help feed war-torn Europe. The modern movement in the U.S. began in 2003, with the message of "one day a week, cut out meat" as a way for individuals to do something good for themselves and for the planet. The movement got a big boost in 2009 when Paul McCartney and his daughters started a Meat Free Monday campaign.

Raising cattle, pigs and other animals for meat takes a lot of resources and take a toll on the environment. One of those resources is water, something of interest to every Californian; raising a pound of beef takes somewhere between 1,800 and 2,500 gallons of water. Eating less meat is a way to reduce the impact on the planet. That's the main reason I've been vegetarian for over a decade. But reducing your meat intake by 1/7th is even easier.

Dan has been doing #MeatlessMonday for years, but that's not the only way Bison Brewing practices sustainability. Bison was one the first U.S. breweries to be certified fully organic (finding organic hops was a problem). Bison is also a certified B Corporation, meaning they have to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Next, we talked about food and beer pairings. It's not just the right wine that can compliment food; so can the right beer. Imagine one of Forge Oakland's margherita pizzas, accompanied by a Bison Honey Basil or two. Or a Chicory Salad and a Saison de Wench. All of the spec sheets for Bison's beers include suggested food pairings, and not just vegi options. I'm wondering which beer would go best with their awesome Cauliflower pizza—maybe a Chocolate Stout?

Finally, (all the while sampling Bison's various tasty brews), we heard the stories behind some of the beers. When Bison first went organic, the hardest thing to get was organic hops; that's part of why some of Bison's early beers aren't very hoppy. When they finally could get organic hops, they got a lot. And hence Kermit the Hop Double IPA was born. Bison has been doing different Saison-style beers each year for a while. This year's was inspired and created by Bison's Director of Awesomeness, Ashley Rouston (aka @TheBeerWench), based on Bison's farmhouse ale. Saison beers were originally made with whatever was in season, and in springtime that meant lots of flowers and botanicals. This Saison includes rose petals, lemongrass and hibiscus!

I don't know what's next for the #MeatlessMonday movement in Oakland and the East Bay, but you can do your part any day of the week. The Savor Oakland food tours of Jack London Square includes a stop at Forge Pizza; hopefully soon you'll be able to add a Bison beer to go with your sample, and triple the local (and meatless!) love.

food: Dim Sum at Happy Valley Restaurant

Sunday I met up with a bunch of people I know from Twitter for dim sum. It's a mostly monthly event with a rotating cast of characters, led by @sonnylebythebay . We had to wait a bit for a table since we were a large group (11 and then 3 more!), but the beautiful weather made that no great hardship. Unlike most dim sum restaurants where they push the food around on carts and you point at what you want, Happy Valley has menus where you can order as desired. We mostly left the ordering to the doyenne of dim sum, @itsWanda, but some people added things as the order sheet went around. We ended up with a lot of food. I mean a lot. We made a good showing, but couldn't finish it all, so everyone left with a container.

The food was very good, and very reasonably priced for dim sum. Despite the mountain of food, it worked out to $20 per person with tax and tip. And the waitstaff was very patient with our large group. I'll definitely go again.

More pictures:

how to cook (or reheat) a tamale

Awhile back I got some tamales from Tina Tamale, and after she showed me the behind-the-scenes of how tamales are made, she asked that I write about how easy it is to cook a tamale. Tina was recently featured on Chef Ryan Scott's 'FoodRush' on the LivingWell Network, so I was reminded I still needed to do this.

1. put some water in a covered pot, with a steamer or the like


2. put the tamales in


3. cover, heat the water to steaming, and wait about 90 minutes cooking from frozen (about 60 minutes for reheating or cooking from refrigerated)


4. now you have tamales! ^*1

That's it. If you don't have a steamer, you can use a colander, an upside-down pie pan—just something to hold the tamales out of the water. As Tina said, "you're making tamales, not tamale soup." Check that the water doesn't boil dry while cooking, but with a reasonably fitting lid that's unlikely to happen.

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*1. Some years ago, a friend found a Swedish-American cookbook at his mom's house, replete with groovy 70s-era cartoon drawings of what were presumably Swedish Americans, many running about au naturale. The best recipe in the cookbook was for lutfisk. It consisted in its entirety of "1. Put the lutfisk in a pan. 2. Heat it up. 3. Now you have lutfisk!" Good tamales are equally easy to cook, and a hell of a lot tastier.