Lungomare--Oakland (Italian cuisine)

The latest venture from the owners of Chop Bar and Grand Tavern, Lungomare serves Italian food inspired by Tuscan and Ligurian specialties. Located at 1 Broadway in Jack London Square, this restaurant offers plenty of outdoor seating right on the waterfront as well as a nice ambiance indoors. Also included is a raw bar, a regular bar, a breakfast café and live music on certain nights to make this an all day and night destination.

http://www.lungomareoakland.com/

So far, I've been here for lunch and dinner and all their offerings have been delicious. Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

Berry Phosphate. A house-made berry soda using strawberries, blackberries and tarragon, this was a very refreshing, non-alcoholic drink. However, all their sodas have a spiked option.

Cucumber Tonic. Made with cucumber, lemongrass, cardamom and lime peel, I opted to spike it with the recommended St. George Basil Eau de Vie. Very nice.

Dante's Inferno. Off their cocktail list, this drink was made with Clement Agricole Rhum, Cimarron Tequila, Cantaloupe, lime and Hellfire Bitters. It went down very easy.

Scarlet Letter. A very ladylike drink with Val de Mer Sparkling Rose, Cocchi Rose Aperitivo, Arancello, and Lowquat Bitters.

Manhattan. One of my favorite drinks. This one was nicely balanced with Willet and Dolin Rouge. Delicious.

Focaccia. Herbed and fluffy, this bread had a bit of salt in it, but it was good for soaking up sauces.

Burrata. Served with some very nice smoked salmon, this burrata was sprinkled with gray salt and drizzled with a very good olive oil. So tasty.

Grilled Octopus. Very nicely grilled octopus that was artfully plated with well-prepared heirloom beans, pancetta, frisee and a very savory sauce.

Softshell Crab Sandwich. A crunchy softshell crab on a crusty loaf, this was a fresh and delicious sandwich with an arugula and fennel side salad.

Smoked Berkshire Pork Chop. A very large and perfectly prepared piece of pork, served with celery root puree, caramelized endive and lardons. I needed every bit of that sauce. So delicious.

Flat Iron Steak. Exceptional steak that was cooked medium rare and served with summer beans and fingerling potatoes. Succulent and buttery. This is the place to go for well-prepared meat.

Chocolate Budino. Silky chocolate pudding with caramel and sea salt on top. Topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with what seemed to be tiny malt balls. A bit on the sweet side for my taste but the textures were very nice.

Panna Cotta. Layered with a peach compote and berry granita. This was lightly sweet and what I would consider an excellent dessert.

Jack London Square may be considered a touristy location, but they do have a number of top-notch restaurants. Lungomare is one of those restaurants I plan to frequent again in the future.

Chocolate Old Fashioned (Recipe)

This is an easy-to-make and delicious cocktail to unwind after dinner or any other time. I used Prichard's Double Chocolate Bourbon and Scrappy's Chocolate Bitters. Scrappy's can be ordered online via these retailers.

○ Cocktail Kingdom

○ Boston Shaker

○ Cask

○ Bar Products

○ Keg Works

○ Kaufmann Mercantile

○ True Beer

○ True Fabrications

○ Anthropologie

○ Awesome Drinks

Here's what you'll need:
1 bourbon glass, or a glass that can hold at least 6 ounces
2 ice cubes (or 1 ice cube and 1 bourbon ball)
2 ounces chocolate bourbon
0.5 ounce chocolate bitters
0.5 ounce simple syrup or agave syrup
orange zest for garnish and aroma

Here's what you'll do:
- Place 1 ice cube or the bourbon ball in your serving glass.
- In a tall glass, add the liquid ingredients (bourbon, simple syrup, bitters) and stir with a spoon to combine.
- Add 1 ice cube and stir until the outside of the glass is frosted.
- Strain the drink out into the serving glass.
- Zest an orange with a peeler, rub the peel around the rim of the glass, twist the peel over the drink and then drop it into the cocktail.
- Enjoy!

Flora--Oakland (Contemporary French influenced cuisine)

From the owners of Doña Tomás, Flora is an art deco-inspired restaurant serving exceptional contemporary-French-influenced food and well-made drinks. Located at 1900 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, Flora has become one of my favorite lunch spots. They only serve lunch on Fridays, but it's worth the wait for such comforting food. Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.

http://floraoakland.com/index.htm

Acme bread and butter. Always good bread. Acme has bakery locations in Berkeley, San Francisco and Mountain View, while also providing products to certain grocery chains such as Whole Foods and Andronico's. They use only organic flour and take pride in their breads. The butter Flora served with this bread was very rich and creamy. Reminiscent of the butter I had in France. Yum.

Local Dungeness Crab Cakes. All crab crab cakes were expertly fried and served with a light frisee salad with winter citrus fruits, green goddess dressing and chile oil. The greatness of this dish is just in the fresh crab and letting that stand out with minimal fuss.

Seared Tuna Niçoise. This was an incredibly fresh and tasty salad with perfectly seared albacore tuna, green beans, heirloom tomatoes, herbed potatoes, niçoise olives, medium-boiled egg, a splash of frisee and sherry vinaigrette. Every ingredient was fresh and tasty.

Short ribs. A ridiculously succulent piece of bone-in short rib braised in red wine and served with mashed potatoes, broccolini, buttery carrots, pearl onions and gremolata.

Potato Gnocchi. Fluffy, buttery and light gnocchi pillows were served with chestnut puree, sunchokes, parsnips, brussels sprouts, carrots, maitake mushrooms, and parsley oil. This was a delightful plate of flavors from quality ingredients that were exceptionally prepared.

Grilled Hampshire Pork Chop. The seared golden crust kept in all the juices from this amazing dish with corona beans, cabbage & caraway seeds, carrots and salsa verde. The lime in the salsa just brought out the flavors of the porky goodness. So delicious.

Caramel Pudding. Heavenly pudding with whipped cream, candied coconut, and sprinkled with sea salt. This had a perfectly balanced caramel-salt flavor, lightly sweet and it was the just the right amount; enough to feel satisfied while still wanting a bit more.

Spice cake. A very moist and dense piece of cake that was nicely spiced and served with caramelized Full Belly Farm apples and grapes, rosemary-calvados anglaise and sesame brittle.

 

 

Crepes. Filled with pear butter and huckleberry and topped with honey mascarpone and toasted hazelnuts. All the different textures melded together wonderfully; from soft to fluffy to creamy to crunchy.

 

 

 

Flora changes their menu weekly, so their lunch and dinner offerings may change, however, the pudding is always available. Their dinners look amazing too, but be sure to make a reservation well in advance.

 



Nido--Oakland (Mexican cuisine)

Nido is a fairly new Mexican restaurant located in Jack London Square in Oakland at 444 Oak Street. The decor is very quirky with a lot of industrial metal and concrete with some homey plants, curtains and used-looking wood in the mix. The utilitarian lightweight metal dishware might be more commonly seen at a campground rather than a kitchen. But it all works. Why? Because the food is really good.

I made a visit for lunch and immediately wanted to come back for dinner to try their more substantial offerings....and to drink. Their menu showcases their farm-to-table philosophy with organic and hormone/antibiotic -free everything as well as a nice list of craft spirits ranging from mezcal to tequila to whiskey. I was very happy with every ingredient in every item.

http://www.nidooakland.com/

Here were some of the foods I enjoyed.

Negro y Blanco. It was a brilliant idea to take organic horchata and top it with Highwire coffee. This wasn't too sweet and had just the right amount of coffee; which is perfect for me considering I'm a bit sensitive to caffeine. Very refreshing.

Chicken and beef tacos. The chicken was perfectly char grilled and was served with chamoy glaze and citrus salsa. The beef was braised until super tender and was served with roasted peppers. A very simple dish that was executed wonderfully.

Quesadillas Coloraditas. These were made with Chile California tortillas, Oaxacan cheese, queso cotija, onion, cilantro and casera salsa served in a very rustic, handmade little bowl. I added braised beef and was blown away at how delicious this simple dish was. Very satisfying.



 

 

No Recuerdo! A well-balanced mix of Tres Agaves Reposado, Alipus San Baltazar Mezcal, Luxardo and bitters. This drink makes me think of a Latin Sazerac. A very nice sipping drink.

 

The Southern Belle. For something a bit lighter on the alcohol side, this refreshing drink included Four Roses Bourbon, Napa Valley Grenadine, apple bitters, lemon and soda.

 

 

 

Empanada de Camaron. A deep-fried ancho chile corn turnover filled with shrimp, tomato and guajillo vein. On the bottom of the plate was fresh avocado and all was topped with queso cotija, crema fresca, frisee and served with cruda salsa. Delicious.

 

 

 

Tasajo Asado. This was a plate of grilled, thinly-sliced beef steak, served with housemade corn tortillas, guacamole, fried black beans, chile de agua, grilled green onion, queso fresco and chile cascabel salsa. The beef was tender and succulent and the grilled chile was grilled until soft and had a nice kick to go with everything.

 

Pescado del Dia. The fish special of the day was poached Cod with a brothy sauce made with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic and capers. Sprinkled with fresh cilantro and served with a wedge of lime and housemade corn tortillas, this was a light and fresh dish.

Flan con Fruta. A very large portion of dense and creamy coconut flan was served with a caramel sauce and mango salsa. This was big enough to be a meal. Very delicious.

 

 

Nido also serves brunch on the weekends and they have happy hour from Tuesdays through Friday from 3pm to 6pm. An excellent choice in the Jack London Square area.

 

 

 

Umami Burger--various locations (High-end burger joint)

This burger joint has exploded in the last few years with many locations, starting with the Los Angeles area and now the Bay Area. The writer-turned-wine-connoisseur-turned-burger-aficionado, Adam Fleischman, started this company in 2009, and it's still growing. Look for Adam's influence in L.A. Creamery Artisan Ice Cream's delights. Hopefully that will be available in the Bay Area soon as well. With flavors like Absinthe, I'm very curious.

I visited the Oakland (2100 Franklin Street, Suite 2190) and the Palo Alto (452 University Avenue)Umami Burger locations to sample some of their offerings. They try to customize each location to their clientele and the area. Each location has a "signature" burger and drink offerings vary as well. Visit their web site for a location near you!

http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/

Beer. This was the Brother Thelonious Belgian-style Abbey Ale. Malty with light hops. A nice beer to go with a full-flavored burger. (Palo Alto location)

House Pickle Plate. A delightful arrangement of various pickles. This included shaved carrots and daikon, shitake mushrooms, dill pickles, sweet pickles, cherry tomatoes, beets, okra, and green beans. Nothing was too tart and the sweet pickles were lightly sweet. Very well balanced. (Oakland location)

Smushed Potatoes. What a great idea to fry some potatoes, smush them, and then fry them again. Served with a garlic aioli, the crispiness on the outside was so enjoyable with the soft creaminess on the inside. (Oakland location)

Truffled Beet Salad. Fresh wild baby arugula tossed with truffle dressing, with truffle ricotta on the bottom and topped with sliced smoked almonds. Very fresh and delicious.

Tempura Onion Rings. Japanese-style battered and fried onion rings served with house-made ketchup. Hot and crunchy. (Palo Alto location)

Manly Burger. This was a perfectly medium-rare, super-juicy, all beef patty, served with beer-cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked-salt onion strings, house-made ketchup and mustard. I also topped it with some pickles from my pickle plate. All on a soft and lightly toasted buttery bun. Yum. (Oakland location)

Triple Pork Burger. A perfectly cooked patty made with fresh ground pork, chorizo, applewood smoked bacon, house-made American cheese, butter lettuce and pimenton aioli. Very juicy and full of flavor. (Palo Alto location)

The All Nighter. This is the Palo Alto location's signature burger. A beef patty topped with maple-glazed slab bacon, cheesy tot hash brown and drizzled with a savory red-eye gravy. The hash brown is an excellent addition to any burger. It was crunchy on the outside and soft and potato-y on the inside. And one can never go wrong with this thick-cut bacon. Delicious.

Ahi Tuna Burger. A gently seared patty of fresh ahi tuna on top of a bed of crushed avocado and topped with gingered carrots, sprouts and wasabi tartar. Wasabi flakes were sprinkled around on the plate for presentation and was also scrapped up for more wasabi flavor. A nice, light alternative to beef.

The burgers are not enormous, and also not overly greasy, so one is not left snoozing in the afternoons. Definitely a good place to go for a beef or non-beef burger craving.

Elevation 66--El Cerrito (Brewery)

Founded in 2011, Elevation Brewing Company focuses on providing delicious hand-crafted beers while also serving noteworthy food sourced from local farmers and bakeries. Located at 10082 San Pablo Avenue, it's conveniently placed one block from the El Cerrito BART station.

I first tasted Elevation 66 beer while at a Beer Festival at the Fort Mason Center some time last year and have been meaning to pay them a visit to try out some of their food. I went on a Saturday for lunch and apparently there was one waitress/bartender extraordinaire who was doing everything. It wasn't completely packed, but she took care of the entire room for the first 20 minutes that I was there. Very impressive. The food was also impressive, with very nice presentations and super fresh ingredients. Below are some of the things I enjoyed.

http://www.elevation66.com/

Beer. The Ramble Tamble Red is in the foreground and the East Bay IPA is in the background. The red was nice and crisp with a good balance of hops and flavor. Love that one. The IPA was also very clean and bright and went down very easy.

Burrata. Served with heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, crostini, and sprinkled with basil and pink Himalayan salt. I'm a sucker for burrata, and this was a very nice way of serving it. Elegant in its simplicity but bursting with flavor from the fresh and tasty ingredients.

Beer-braised Pork Belly. Another one of my weaknesses, this piece of pork was served with charred watermelon gastrique, corn, and micro greens. The pork was prepared perfectly with a crispy outer skin and tender meat. This dish was well-balanced and very satisfying.

Fish and Chips. Fresh fish beer battered and fried, served with lightly seasoned, crispy fries and ponzu aioli. Very nice.

House-made Sausage. These were very delicious pork sausages, perfectly seared and served with very tasty mustard spaetzle, sauerkraut, and curry-miso.

Vanilla Bourbon Pot de crème. A very smooth and creamy custard topped with chantilly and candied bacon. A nice light dessert after a hearty meal.

I will definitely be coming here again. I look forward to trying one of their sandwiches, which I hear are excellent.

Chaplin's Sports Bistro--Union City (Sports Bar)

I never thought there'd be a good sports bar in Union City. But hiding at 29200 Kohoutek Way, is this little gem in a very nondescript area within a very plain-looking square building. They have UFC events (with a $10 cover) and show any game on any of their many flat-screen TVs for lunch and dinner. The best part about this place, though, is the weekend happy hour until 7pm. 

http://www.chaplinssportsbistro.com/

Of course, they also have a good selection of beer (ask what's on their rotating tap), and very decent food. Below are some of the many things I've enjoyed.

This is a mug (23 ounces) of Stone Ruination. Good stuff.

A pint of Stone IPA. Always on tap and also available in mug size.

Chicken Strips. Probably one of the better chicken strips I've had at any bar. These are made with real chicken, coarsely breaded and fried until crisp and juicy. Served with a side of Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce or honey mustard.

Pulled Pork Sliders. Not the best pulled pork I've had, but worth ordering. Good for sharing.

Fried Dill Pickles. I'm not a huge fan of fried pickles if they're too tangy. These have a slightly thicker batter on them so they are a bit more balanced.

Lumpia. Filled with ground chicken, carrots, water chestnuts and scallions. These are also good for sharing and are served with a sweet chili sauce.

Buffalo wings. Always a good choice to help wash down your beer. These can be ordered in 8 or 16 pieces. Choose from buffalo, spicy buffalo, lemon pepper, garlic Parmesan, BBQ or spicy thai flavored. You can also mix and match.

The Texas Burger. Burgers are definitely one of Chaplin's specialties and this one is a winning choice. This is a half pound of meat served on Texas toast with bacon, onion rings, BBQ sauce, lettuce and tomato. The fries are also nice and crisp.

Fish Fillet Sandwich. This is a piece of beer-battered, deep-fried swai fillet served with house-made tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato between a toasted Ciabatta bun. One of my favorites.

Chimichurri Chicken. For something a bit lighter. Choose one or two pieces of nicely grilled chicken topped with not-very-spicy chimichurri sauce with veggies and rice.

I have not had any dessert here as I'm usually too full to partake, but they sound decent. The crowd here is usually animated but not rowdy, so next time it's fight night, and you live close by, keep Chaplin's in mind as a neighborhood destination.