michaelD: the bay area buzz report

Fat Tuesday in Oakland

Fat Tuesday at Brown Sugar Kitchen: BEIGNETS!! Come for the beignets, stay for the Creole Shrimp and Shrimp & Smoked Chicken Gumbo!

Ozumo Restaurant in Oakland will be hosting their 2nd annual “East Meets West” Mardi Gras celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 16 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Highlights will include live entertainment in the spirit of the occasion, the diverse sounds of New Orleans as presented by DJ Gray, and “Fat Tuesday” food and Brazilian drink specials served in the bar and lounge. More>

Picán Restaurant -- Oakland’s hip spot for dining -- celebrates “Fat Tuesday” Bourbon Street-style on February 16th, 2010 @ 5:30 pm. According to assistant manager, Cynthia Fung, the festivities will include beads, boas, traditional NOLA “bites,” as passed hors d'oeuvres, and “bottomless” Southern Comfort Hurricanes and Bulleit Sazerac, a specialty cocktail made with premium small-batch Bulleit bourbon. Masks are optional but encouraged. Space and ticket availability are limited. More>

Miss Pearl's Jam House - They will be celebrating Mardi Gras with live entertainment by the Craig Caffall Band.  They will also have a raffle in the evening.  Be sure to try their new menu and specialty drinks (Jello shots and Hurricanes). More> and here>

Also, head over to Arizmendi Bakery on Lakeshore or in San Francisco for Fat Tuesday. No cocktails, but they do have something called "King Cake", a "colorful Danish pastry with pecans"! Now, as a word of warning, it seems only the San Francisco Arizmendi has a Fat Tuesday-related happening, but check the Oakland Arizmendi Bakery anyway. They're always full of unannounced surprises!

Okay already...Era is open!

Why is it that certain openings get all the ink, and others come and go without notice?  Era Art Bar and Lounge, another addition to the Uptown Oakland district, fits the former. It opened a little over a week ago, and other than some comments about its lack of sufficient seating that I read on twitter, it appears to have fared pretty well.
Era Art Bar & Lounge | 19 Grand Ave, Oakland | web | twitter | yelp | 510.832.4400

[1.25.10] ERA ART BAR AND LOUNGE | Cubism, Cocktails and Clubbing | San Francisco | SFO | Lake Merritt District | Bar | [Urban Daddy] http://bit.ly/aKvaex
This massive space combines a turn-of-the-century cocktail den with a modern art gallery and nightclub—which at first blush sounds a little schizophrenic. And it is, but it's a high-functioning and nattily outfitted schizophrenic, one from the 1890s who draws a mean cocktail.

[2.5.10] Speaking of bars, tonight marks the debuts for two newcomers on the Oakland nightlife scene: ERA and BEER REVOLUTION. The latter is a fairly standard beer spot, but the former, Era, is an ambitious, two-story 5000-square-foot bar/artsy lounge with a 35-foot steel and concrete bar. 19 Grand Avenue, Oakland; 510-832-4400; website [OT via Eater SF]

[2.09.10] The Beginning of a New ERA | The Chatterbox | Tablehopper http://bit.ly/9Nl0VL
The 5,000-square-foot space will bring together art (expect bi-monthly collections of modern and contemporary art), handcrafted artisan cocktails with house-made syrups and bitters, local small production wines, and a wide range of music (with occasional live performances).

[2.12.10] Night Owl: BEER REVOLUTION and ERA add to Oakland's night life scene - [Inside Bay Area] http://bit.ly/bTsn8X
If you happened to pass by the intersection of Grand Avenue and Broadway last Friday, your curiosity about the throng of would-be barflies wrapped around the block would have been justified. Era Art Bar and Lounge attracted 700 people that night in what may be a recent record-setting opening night ... The opening Beer Revolution created a beer loop between Linden Street several blocks west and The Trappist and Pacific Coast Brewing Co. to the north. The city had to make an exception for Beer Revolution's location because the building is so close to other off-site liquor selling establishments. If they hadn't, the City Council might have had a revolt on their hands.

Oakland: Bar Updates and New Eats (2.15.10)

You take a break, slow down a bit, ease on into the new year, and BAM! The Oakland bar/restaurant scene leaves you in the dust. Time to catch up...

*****************************************

[11.10.09] Word is that eVE (not to be confused with Eve Lounge in SF) will be a 28-seat Berkeley eatery from husband and wife team Christopher Laramie (executive chef) and Veronica Laramie (pastry chef) who plan to open before the month is up.  The Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduates have created a New American menu that will be "micro-seasonal and locally sourced."  Main courses will include:  quail with pancetta, chestnuts and star anise; seared black cod with miso, carrots and almonds; and corned Wagyu beef with rye bread, sauerkraut and mustard.  The menu is available in a prix fixed format only wherin three courses are  $33, five for $55, and seven for $77. 1960 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA. [Sf Examiner]

[12.4.09] Pican Restaurant, Oakland | Foodnut.com http://bit.ly/902btb
Pican is a restaurant in revitalized Uptown Oakland next door to Ozumo. New Orleans native Michael LeBlanc started this restaurant in 2009. This area is undergoing a transformation from long closed auto dealerships and the like to a modern inner city. It serves California infused Southern Cuisine with lots of fresh seasonal ingredients in a vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere. They were on the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand list for 2010.

[12.10.09] SPICE MONKEY is big on portions, community http://bit.ly/aN5bes
That's just the kind of place Spice Monkey is. You couldn't find a sweeter, more sincere, more gratitude-filled cafe on the planet. And that's precisely Kanitha Matoury's intent for the place, which she opened 19 months ago in the space long occupied by Sabina's, an Indian restaurant. "It's kind of like a community restaurant," says Matoury, a native of Cambodia who lives in Oakland herself.

[12.12.09] MERITAGE in Berkeley matches farm-to-table food with wines - Inside Bay Area http://bit.ly/aWGD6u
...His wine-driven food is certainly exceptional — fresh, local, seasonal, inventive and pretty. The menu is an education in food and wine pairing, as dishes are categorized by the weight and style of wine that best matches them. Thomsen has no formal education in wine; just a sharp palate and the kinds of friends who own Napa wineries and invite him up for golf and breakfast burritos, he tells me...

Look no further. Eat out in Oakland.

A friend of mine who now lives in Marin, asked me to give him some Oakland restaurant recommendations. Of course I couldn't resist bragging on Oakland, given its lightning fast rise in restaurant selections over the last 1-2 years. And we must mention Commis, a Michelin star rated restaurant, and recently named Best New Restaurant in the West by a Wall Street Journal critic.  My buddy said that he and his wife (former Oakland residents and current Warrior season ticket holders) are always looking for decent restaurants before or after Warrior games.

Here's what I offered. They're all really good, and note my personal favs.

Resources

• Map and list (partial)
• Recent Article
  
• Twitter Feed: TasteOaktown
  

Recommendations

Piedmont Ave / North Oakland

• Commis fav
• Adesso 
• Cesar 
  

College Ave / Rockridge

• Wood Tavern 
• Marzano fav
• Chu
  
• Water Lounge
  

Jack London Square

• Bocanova fav
  
• Encuentro (brand new...heard good things but haven't been)

Old Oakland

• Levende
• B Restaurant 
• Tamarindo
  

Grand Ave / Lake Merritt

• Grand Tavern (haven't been but people love this place)
  
• Boot & Shoe Service (brand new...heard good things but haven't been)
  
• Sidebar fav
  
• Camino
  
• Lake Chalet (food will do but the daytime lakeside location is killer) fav
  

Uptown (Broadway/Grand)

• Pican fav
  
• Ozumo fav
  
• Mua fav
  
• Flora fav
  

Temescal / North Oakland

• Burma Superstar (haven't been but heard good things)
• Barlata (haven't been but heard good things)
• Dona Tomas
  

Park Ave / Glenview

• Bellanico
• Marzano

West Oakland

• Brown Sugar Kitchen

DO Something: Please HELP during the holidays

Can you spare $5 this holiday season?
(2 cups of coffee? A fast food meal? Half a movie ticket?)

The ACCFB serves 40,000 people every week. 14,000 of those people are kids.

1 in 6 Americans are unsure of where their next meal is coming from.

The Bay Area Buzz Report is proud to announce our partnerships with OaklandSeen, The Nikki Thomas Network, First Fridays, VIPLineup and Facebook Friends Fighting Hunger this holiday season in support of the Alameda County Community Food Bank's (ACCFB) efforts to alleviate hunger in our community. 

We're not trying to break your bank. All we ask is that you make a $5 donation to help feed a local family during the holidays. Emergency food assistance is provided to Alameda County residents in need, including low-income and working poor adults, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, abuse survivors, people living with AIDS, and the homeless. 100% of your donation goes to the food bank.

No amount is too small...$1 $5 $10. We need every dime. Your contribution will be multiplied seven-fold as the potent purchasing power of ACCFB stretches every $1 in donations into $7 worth of distributed food!

Help us help others, and reach our team goals of $1,000 each, worth $7,000 of distributed food!

Can you spare 3 minutes to spare $5 to help feed a family? Donate here today, before you forget > 

Click on image/play button to watch the video

What's so hot about The Republic?

Either The Republic has a great PR department, or it's one of the best things to hit SF in a while. Everyone's talking about it. The last time in recent months there was this much hype, people were talking about Ironside. So, I guess we have to put this one on the list for at least a drive-by.

************************************************************

Take a look around the Marina's latest, The Republic
Here we have a stroll around The Republic, the follow-up effort to Bin38 by the foursome of Don Davis (Uncorked Events), Peter Scully (Apartment 24), and Shaw Amirghassemkhany and David Sheridan. Still only a few days old, The Republic already been generating plenty of buzz amongst young Marina things. Set in the old Jones space, Jim Maxwell of Architects II is responsible for the swanky facelift that sees flatscreen televisions literally everywhere (in nooks, behind sliding doors), something that probably should play well in the middle of football season. NB: Brunch service is due in December. More... [eater sf]

Open to the Republic: Your New Craft Beer Sports Bar
Allow us to present The Republic, a new classed-up sports bar and grill from the team behind Bin 38, pouring the city's largest domestic craft beer list seven days a week, opening today.

Turkey Time: Thanksgiving '09

If you're dining out on Thanksgiving, hopefully it's by choice, and either way, check out the list Zagat put together for "the big bird" in San Francisco...
-----------------------------------------------------

Photo: Ion Sokhos

A Thanksgiving dinner where you don't have to clean up afterward is truly something to be thankful about. The following restaurants are offering meals for gobbling on November 26.

Ame
689 Mission St.; 415-284-4040

Let Hiro be your hero this Thanksgiving day, when in addition to his regular menu, chef Sone offers a special five-course tasting menu at his SoMa spot in the St. Regis. The menu is still being finalized, but options being mulled include tuna tartare, roasted squash soup, seared Hokkaido scallops and the pièce de résistance , a turkey “porchetta” (4–8 PM; $85 per person; wine pairings cost an additional $65).

More...

Night Writer: Playdate is fun for grown-ups

So tell me, have you tried this playdate stuff?
-----------------------------------------------
This particular playground is Jillians, the sports bar inside downtown San Francisco's Metreon, where dozens of tables are covered with pristine white tablecloths and games such as chess,  Uno, Connect Four, and Operation. Football is on the big screen for those interested in that kind of game. And cocktail waitresses breeze by if you need a drink because someone sank your battleship. Previous Playdates have taken place at hotels, including the Oakland Marriott, which drew 800 people in August.

More...

Turkey tops Bocanova's ambitious offerings

It's a space that seems designed for a younger crowd, but the comfortable chairs and refined styling help broaden its appeal, bringing together locals, tourists and people who are increasingly moving into the high-rises that surround the waterfront. You can also hop on a ferry from San Francisco's Ferry Building and head to Bocanova, a 25-minute trip.

In the past few years, development around Jack London Square has exploded. It will soon house a huge indoor market like its sister city across the bay. The benefits of the area are becoming apparent to well-known chefs, including Daniel Patterson, who is opening Bracina in a few months. It's fortuitous that the ferry links these two Bay Area food sites. [source: sf chronicle]

More...

The KBLX Live Sunday Brunch at Hotel Nikko—with Ashford and Simpson!

Folks, look who dropped in on Nikki Thomas at Sunday's brunch! I bet now you'll drop by more often, eh?
-----------------------------------------------------

Yep! The fabulous Ashford and Simpson came thru the brunch today! We had such a wonderful time–packed house, great food, and a VIP surprise! Don’t miss out next week–415-394-1100 for reservations!

By Nikki Thomas, KBLX

Want more of Nikki? Check out her blog, The Nikki Thomas Network