The 510 is crack-a-lackin’ with news, starting with the opening of REEM’S CALIFORNIA, a first brick-and-mortar location for La Cocina grad Reem Assil, who was previously at farmers’ markets. Reem’s opens today, Tuesday May 16th, with a menu centered on her trademark mana’eesh flatbreads baked in a traditional brick oven, as she says, “a quintessential street food of the Levant, the region including Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria.”
Assil grew up in a Palestinian-Syrian household outside of Boston, worked for a decade as a community and labor organizer, and then dedicated herself to learning baking. Social justice is an important part of her business, with a strong focus on the community.
In the morning, there’s the Golden State Man’oushe topped with eggs, red pepper tomato sauce, goat cheese, parsley, and tomatoes. You can add sujuk (cured Armenian beef sausage), basturma bacon (fried, cured pastrami), or “a lil’ California love” (tomatoes, arugula, avocado, labneh, or an egg). Breakfast pastries are all made in-house and include sweet and savory pastries such as ka’ak (sesame bread rings) and orange turmeric tea cakes. Local Red Bay Coffee drinks, housemade iced cardamom coffee, and traditional Arab tea are also served.
Later in the day, flatbreads are baked on a traditional griddle called a saj, topped with meats like sumac-spiced chicken or lamb, caramelized onions, roasted root vegetables, and harissa, rolled into wraps and served with green olives and house-pickled turnips. There are freshly made mezze and desserts like orange-blossom shortbread and baklava.
Sunday brunch and dinner service will start in July, with craft beers and wines from the Levant. Open Tue-Fri 7am-3pm and Sat 9am-3pm. Fruitvale Transit Village, 3301 E. 12th Street, Suite 133, Oakland.
A surprising taker for the recently closed Fusebox in West Oakland: Berkeley’s ~IPPUKU~ team, who will finally be launching their long rumored soba restaurant. It’s going to be (confusingly) named ICHI SOBA, with no relation to ICHI Sushi in SF. Scoop reports Ippuku chef Christian Geidemann and business partner Paul Discoe (who is behind Ippuku’s beautiful space) plan to open in August. 2311 Magnolia St. at 24th St., West Oakland.
An update for the Berkeley location of cult ramen shop IPPUDO: Nosh reports the opening is looking like mid to late July. 2011 Shattuck Ave. at University, Berkeley.
Also in Nosh: BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE (they will make their cold brew there), STARTER BAKERY, and two other businesses will be moving into the former Pyramid brewery. Stand by for more tenants as this project takes shape. 901 Gilman St. at 8th St., West Berkeley.
Meanwhile, over in Jack London Square, owner William Lue’s Burmese restaurant GROCERY CAFÉ has found a new home and is opening Monday May 29th in the former Hahn’s Hibachi location. The menu will feature authentic and home-style dishes, including Burmese tea leaf salad, ohno khao swe (coconut chicken noodle), and monhinga (fish chowder with rice noodles), as well as some new dishes like Burmese-inspired lamb shanks and veal osso buco. Open Mon-Sat for lunch and dinner and Sun brunch. 63 Jack London Square (Franklin and Embarcadero West), Oakland.
Olive oil lovers need to head to the Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Festival at MARKET HALL FOODS in Berkeley this Saturday May 20th. There will be tastings from Market Hall’s extensive and amazing selection (get 10 percent off your favorites) and a chance to chat with experts. And don’t miss the handmade mozzarella from the cheese counter. 1pm-3pm. 1786 4th St. at Delaware, Berkeley, 510-250-6004.
Reem Assil of Reem’s California. Photo: Luke Beard.
