Blind Tiger--Oakland (Asian Fusion)

The modern, cave-like atmosphere at this bar/restaurant is a comfortable nook away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets. Located at 2600 Telegraph Avenue, there is actually a parking lot (albeit small) shared with a neighboring billiards place, available for a few happy hour early birds. The buzz-worthy cocktail menu provides a variety of high-end concoctions for the snootiest of whiskey/gin/vodka/tequila snobs, and the shareable plates leave puddles of drool on the table. After a couple visits, this is now one of my highly recommended spots.

www.blindtigeroakland.com

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.


Negroni. One of my favorite cocktails, this one was served straight up and spirit-forward. Delicious.

Deviled Pickled Eggs. Tumeric garlic, black tea shoyu, and beet ginger provide an eye-popping color palette and taste sensation with every bite. An excellent mix of tangy, sweet and savory.

Yuzu Crabcake. A hockey puck that was more crab than cake. This was lump blue crab, gently breaded and seared until wonderfully crisp on the outside. Then it was nicely plated with yuzu kosho tartar sauce and radish sprouts, which complemented the crab wonderfully.

Tuna Tartare. Super fresh tuna was generously cubed, lightly tossed with a soy-based sauce, topped with fresh avocado and scallions and served with crispy fried won ton skins.

Grilled Marinated Duck Hearts. Halved, skewered, perfectly cooked and served with pickled fresno chilis and micro greens, these hearts were tender, meaty and made my mouth very happy.

Roasted Maitake Mushrooms. This was a perfect plate of savory, umami goodness. Sautéed with romano beans, cipollini onions, bacon, fresh water chestnuts, and placed in a small pool of rich, phenomenal dashi broth.

Fried Oysters. A delicious and pretty plate of fresh oysters, fried till golden and crispy, then served with a cilantro remoulade and frisee.

Lemongrass Meatballs. Beef and pork all rolled into bite-sized morsels were cooked just right and served with a sweet and savory pineapple bbq sauce. These were individual bites of meaty goodness.

Massaman Curry Fries. An interesting take on smothered fries. Golden house-cut fries were topped with a delectable scoop of braised, fall-apart tender short ribs with a coconut cream curry sauce and fried slices of garlic. This was a type of poutine gone right.

With an ever changing menu at Blind Tiger, one can almost never get bored with all their fantastically-prepared offerings of food and drink. I will happily come here again and again. I recommend the same to anyone else.