Category Oakland

Desco

Wednesday, August 21, 2013 0 Dinner, Oakland , , , , Permalink 0
Desco

The guy next to me flashed a (foamy) smile and said, “We drink our beer at room temperature in England.” “That’s because Lucas Electrics makes your refrigeration.” Ba-Dum-Bump. I got a hearty laugh. Lucas Electrics made the electrical systems for british cars that were notorious for failing. We were holding up the bar at Fauna in the midst of the recent troubles in Oakland. Frosty and I were there to support the restaurant, as were the Brit and his companions. I was feeling magnanimous and benevolent (when will I learn to recognize the hubris that comes before a fall?) so I told ...

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Stag’s Lunchette

Saturday, August 10, 2013 0 Lunch, Oakland No tags Permalink 0
Stag’s Lunchette

It’s not easy to make the perfect sandwich. I’ve given this a lot of thought. I love the sandwich. To make and eat a sandwich, you don’t need a kitchen, utensils, or a table to sit at. I can carry one in my purse. There are endless possibilities. My beloved hamburgers (and even tacos) are variations on the theme. I can trace my epicurean evolution through my personal sandwich history. As a 5 year old I was fascinated with a version I had at Mels Drive In (at this location in Berkeley), a sliced up hot dog served on a hamburger bun. It's ...

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Homestead

Thursday, August 8, 2013 1 Dinner, Oakland, Uncategorized No tags Permalink 0
Homestead

Went to the first night of service at Homestead last night. It's a beautiful space and a great addition to the already happening food scene on Piedmont Ave. It's described as a "Farm to Table Bistro" which always means I will be able to get my protein on. And yes, there is meat here! The kitchen is open to the room, which gives it a homey feel. The food was good, some of it was great. These peppers were ridiculously good. Like potato chip good. I could eat two plates of these. ...

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Oakland the Heartbreaker

Sunday, July 28, 2013 6 Oakland , , , Permalink 0
Oakland the Heartbreaker

Being an Oaklander sometimes feels like being in love with a jerk. We’ve all been there, right? You can see nothing but his charms through your lust addled eyes but your friends and family are saying: WTF? In law school in San Francisco in the nineties, I overheard a fellow student say, “I’d never live in a suburb like Oakland.” Ouch. It sucks to hear what people really think of your lover. But in reality, Oakland has never depended on the larger city across the bay for its identity. Only San Franciscans compare Oakland to SF. Oakland’s had an image problem my entire ...

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Bay Wolf

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 1 Dinner, Oakland , , , Permalink 0
Bay Wolf

From the window of my school bus, I saw people (grown-ups!) ripping up asphalt from the park with their bare hands. It was 1971 and we were stopped (impeded by protesters) at People’s Park on Dwight Way. In my mind, I stood solidly with the people, hoping they would prevail against The Man. I’d decided a few years before which side I was on, when the National Guard helicopters circled above our house and the Alameda County sheriffs opened fire on Berkeley protesters (killing one and blinding another). I checked to see if my hair had reached my shoulders yet. I ...

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Wood Tavern

Friday, June 28, 2013 1 Dinner, Lunch, Oakland , , , Permalink 0
Wood Tavern

In 1980, I had breakfast almost every day with the Moonies. I was a high school dropout with a 10 speed bicycle, a couple of pairs of jeans, and no prospects. I’d roll to College Ave every morning for my croissant and latte at the Aladdin restaurant, which everyone knew was run by Moonies. I resisted invitations from the (unpaid, we later learned) glassy eyed servers to come for dinner and indoctrination. I was only there because they had an espresso machine. Tres hip in those days. My job at the nearby gourmet sandwich shop (Curds and Whey, for the OG ...

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Rumbo al Sur

Friday, June 21, 2013 3 Dinner, Oakland , , Permalink 0
Rumbo al Sur

In Paris in 2004, at dinner one night, a perplexed looking frenchman said to me (voice dripping with disdain) “I do not understand why Americans eat Mexican Food.” At that moment the duck roullaide he himself had prepared was melting on my tongue so delightfully it took some effort to keep my eyeballs from rolling back in my head. It was a perfect dish. Its understated flavors allowed the duck to shine without interference, seasoning standing on the sidelines to attend and support like the dresser of a great actor. I thought of the rough and tumble flavors of Tex ...

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Nido/Pietisserie

Thursday, June 13, 2013 0 Breakfast, Lunch, Oakland No tags Permalink 0
Nido/Pietisserie

The only memory I really have of Jack London Square from back in the day is the time my mom dragged my truant-ass to juvenile court when I was 15 (a valiant effort on her part that didn’t work at all). At that time the court was a block or two from the wasteland that was Jack London Square, then only a place for noobs and tourists. The neighborhood around it was an industrial desert when industrial wasn’t cool and the adjective “urban” meant "stay the hell away." Twenty years later when I worked for the presiding judge of that same court ...

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Duende

Thursday, June 6, 2013 1 Dinner, Oakland , , , , , , Permalink 0
Duende

Fran broke my heart just by showing up. You see, I was hopelessly, tragically in love with Robbie. I spent my days dreaming of impressing him. I had hero fantasies involving me pulling people from burning car wrecks and saving lives by deftly administering first aid on the scene while Robbie watched from the sidelines, impressed by my 14 year old medical prowess. In my mind I was the girl in the field in that Andrew Wyeth painting, crawling towards Robbie instead of a farmhouse, felled not by polio but by the devastating effects of true love. My situation was perilous. So ...

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