A16 opened its Oakland location yesterday. Despite opening night bumps (food came out slowly) the service and food was very good. Nice to have good Italian food in Rockridge. Love the roll up door!
Hotsy Totsy/Tacos El Autlense
Back in my day, no self respecting hoodlum would hang out in Albany. We (kids who grew up in Berkeley and Oakland) thought there was no there there. The cops in Oakland let us drink Schlitz malt liquor and smoke on the steps of the elementary school (after school hours of course) as long as we weren't bothering anyone. They had better things to do than hassle us. We respected them enough not to cause (too much) trouble. The relationship worked. So the only reason we'd brave the possibility of butting heads with the Small Town Police in Albany was to ...
Flora
On my 21st birthday, my passenger a 300 pound studded dog collar wearing fellow named "Clutch," I rode my motorcycle into the Kingfish Pub. By "into" I mean we rode through the bar and came to a stop next to the shuffleboard. The bartenders were angry...not about the stunt, but about the fact they had been serving me for two years already. Their irritation surprised me. I thought I was grown. I'd graduated from drinking Coors light to Guinness and had started having something called a "latte" with my morning croissant. It was 1982. I was working on shedding my juvenile ...
Mua
I can't swing a dead cat in this town without hitting someone I've dated. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but living in the same place for more than fifty years is a heck of a thing. You live with your past. For instance, you may think that Mua is at Webster and Broadway, but to me it's that place across from God's Gym, which is the place run by that bodybuilder I used to know about in the space that used to be World Exercise Equipment store where my friend worked and I hung out a lot back in the ...
Roy’s
They don't think I'm a bitch in New York City. My propensity for speaking directly and not wasting time with meaningless pleasantries about the weather doesn't count against me there at all. It's appreciated. New Yorkers, in my experience, tend to be efficient in their approach to most things. I love it there. It's my spiritual home. There is a sense that no one has time to waste. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the service in New York restaurants. It is, in a word, professional. And while we have food in Northern California that rivals New York in terms of ...
Doc’s of the Bay/Art Murmur
I love going to Art Murmur (it happens every first Friday of the month in downtown Oakland starting at 6:00). I love the vibe, the art, running into friends, and the food. My favorite truck is often there: Doc's of the Bay. They make hamburgers. Ok, I guess they also make chicken sandwiches and black bean burgers and fries and fried green beans. But. The burgers! I always get the Doc's classic with bacon and green chiles. SO good. I am very happy that Doc's comes to SF during the day on Fridays sometimes so I can get my ...
Tribune Tavern
Eat Oakland checked out the Tribune Tavern last night, the newest downtown spot to get your food and drink on. This is another new spot by Chris Pastena of Chop Bar (see Lungomare in Jack London) and Temoor Noor of Grand Tavern. Chop Bar and Grand Tavern are favorites of Eat Oakland so we thought we'd check it out. A little bird told us there are also some Daniel Patterson alums in the bloodline. First the positives: It is a stunning space. It's everything we think a downtown spot should be: big windows, an large curved bar that invites you to ...