CLOVE & HOOF, the butchery shop and restaurant that opened last year in Oakland, has started dinner service. Owners John Blevins and Analiesa Gosnell have their lunchtime sandwiches making appearances on the menu, including their signature cheeseburger and cheesesteak sandwich, as well as shrimp and grits with squash confit and cured salmon roe. There is a selection of starters, including chicharrón deviled eggs, fried pig’s head cakes, and salads, including one with burrata, tomatoes, cucumbers, sour plum purée, and puffed rice. Check out the whole menu here.
There is also a small selection of wines by the glass, beer on tap and in the bottle, and soft drinks. Dinner is served daily 5pm-9pm. Lunch is still 11am-3pm, with an interim menu offered 3pm-5pm, and the butcher shop is open 11am-8pm. 4001 Broadway at 40th St., Oakland, 510-547-1446.
Hyperseasonal Oakland restaurant ~OLIVETO~ has announced the dates and menu for their annual tomato dinners. They’re happening Wednesday September 16th through Saturday September 19th and are a celebration of all things tomato. The à la carte menu includes tomatoes at every turn, including appetizers, pastas, main dishes, and desserts. Take a look at the full menu here, and make your reservation right here.
Celebrate Oakland with the Town Eats party this weekend, Friday September 18th through Sunday September 20th, in Jack London Square. Oaklandish, Lungomare, Drake’s Brewing, and Hanger One have teamed up for the festival, which includes several special events. It’s all happening adjacent to the patio at Lungomare. On Friday night, September 18th, Drake’s and Hanger One will be offering $4 drink specials along with live music from 6pm to 12am. Then on Saturday September 19th, catch a whole pig roast five ways, with chefs from Lungomare, Chop Bar, alaMar, Haven, and ChowHaus. Each of the chefs will be roasting a pig with a Caja China outside. From 12pm to 10pm, tastes of the pork and sides can be purchased for just $4, or opt for the all-you-can-eat plate for $20, which is a pretty sweet deal. On Sunday, there will be even more drink specials, food specials, and fun events happening, from 11am to 5pm.
For a full schedule and details, head here. Proceeds benefit Planting Justice, an Oakland-based social justice organization that builds gardens and develops food justice programs in local schools. And while you’re there, don’t forget to visit the Eat Real Festival! Jack London Square, Water St. at Broadway, Oakland.
It looks like MOCKINGBIRD, the charming bistro in Uptown Oakland, is moving to a new location at 418 13th Street. The space formerly housed Vietnamese restaurant Ba Vo, and Mockingbird owners plan to open there in the spring of 2016, according to East Bay Express. The new location will offer a liquor license, unlike their current one, but in the meantime you can still head to their current location and BYO. 1745 San Pablo Ave. at 18th St., 510-290-0331.
On Tuesday September 22nd, MISS OLLIE’S is hosting the kickoff opening night party for the Matatu Festival, a global festival of music and film in Oakland (more on that in a minute) with a special dinner. Special guests Saul Williams and Bryant Terry (a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award recipient) will be in attendance, celebrating the release of Williams’s book US(a.) and playing jazz records.
The menu from Sarah Kirnon looks killer, with dishes like cornmeal fritters drizzled with wild honey and flowering cilantro, twice-fried green plantains with pikliz and mojo sauce, and skillet-fried chicken summer succotash and smoked field greens. The event is 7pm-10pm, and tickets are $75 and include the family-style dinner, cocktails, and admission to the Saul Williams concert with the Black Spirituals on September 23rd. As for the festival, it features a ton of great programs and events, including fashion, dance, music, and film. Check it all out right here. 901 Washington St. at 9th St., 510-285-6188.
A couple announcements from THE DOCK and THE BEER SHED from owners Adam Lamoreaux of Linden Street Brewery and James Syhabout of Commis and Hawker Fare. Their new chef de cuisine is Geoff Davis, whose food we got to sample at Heritage BBQ on Sunday. His background includes Aqua, Fifth Floor, and Cyrus, plus Haven, and he also worked in the tasting room at Unti Vineyards. His new menu shows a refined touch, with dishes like squash à la plancha with queso fresco, pepitas, pickled tomatillo, serrano, and epazote; and amberjack crudo with pickled cherries, blossom salt, upland cress, shiro vinaigrette, and daikon.
The cocktail menu has also received an update with new head bartender Tayler Buffington (Michael Mina in the St. Francis Hotel, Range). Look for the Pimm’s Cup Royale (made with fresh strawberry and cucumber juices) and the Casablanca Sour (brandy, fresh apricot, ras el hanout, and egg white). There are also large-format options if you’re with a group.
Lastly, there’s a new Sunday Supper in The Beer Shed from 4pm-8pm every Sunday. Expect communal seating and family-style American comfort food dishes, such as buttermilk brined fried chicken, a clambake, and more, with rotating sides. Have a look at a sample menu here. 95 Linden St. at 3rd, Oakland, 510-338-3965.
ANGELA’S has reopened on Park Street in Alameda, this time across the street from their planned location. The San Jose Mercury News has the full story, but here’s a summary: chef and owner Saboor Zafari was planning to move his Mediterranean restaurant to a new location on Park Street last year, and just days before opening an arsonist started a fire and the restaurant was lost. Now, Zafari has secured a new location across the street, and it is now open! Initial Yelp reports call out the mezze platters and lamb, as well as the warm and welcoming service. 1640 Park St. at Pacific, Alameda, no phone.
Back in May, we reported on the newest location of PHO AO SEN (noise warning on that link), coming soon to Albany. A call to the restaurant’s Oakland location says they are opening the Albany location in a month, putting the planned opening date at mid-October. The new space is a former Sizzler. 665 San Pablo Ave. at Portland, Albany.
Clove & Hoof owners John Blevins and Analiesa Gosnell. Photo by Tim McCarthy.
