The second restaurant from John Paluska and Andrew Hoffman, the pair behind Comal, is officially opening Friday August 7th. It’s called THE ADVOCATE and marks a departure from Comal’s Mexican cuisine. They’ve brought on chef John Griffiths, who hails from Michigan and previously worked at Truffles and was the opening chef at Larry Forgione’s An American Place in St. Louis, followed by The Kitchen in Sacramento. The menu will be firmly rooted in California style, with influence from North Africa and the Mediterranean.
Matthew Campbell is coming over from Comal as bar manager, and the drink list will offer twists on classic cocktails, by using local products and housemade bitters and infusions. Corin Weihemuller is the wine director, and the wine list will offer 40 to 50 selections, mostly from California winemakers. And music and sound geeks, The Advocate will also feature Meyer Sound Laboratories’ Constellation acoustic system (Comal was the first restaurant install), while the sound dampening Libra panels will be printed with images from antique postcards of Berkeley. Hours are Sun-Thu 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm. Brunch coming in the fall. 2635 Ashby Ave. at College, Berkeley, no phone yet.
NABOLOM BAKERY COLLECTIVE in Berkeley is closing after almost 40 years of business, Berkeleyside Nosh reports. The bakery, which is well known in the Elmwood neighborhood for their challah, morning buns, cinnamon twists, and blueberry cheese Danishes, seems to be shutting down due to financial issues, though the specifics are unclear. 2708 Russell St. at College, Berkeley.
One bakery closes, and another opens. We’ve been tracking CRISPIAN BAKERY in Alameda, and they’ve officially opened their doors! This is the brick-and-mortar location for Beth Woulfe and Christian Fidelis de Goes, who met working at Bouchon in New York and have been selling their goods at the Alameda farmers’ market. They are selling bread from Fidelis de Goes, and Woulfe runs the pastry side of things. They’ve got croissants, seasonal fruit cakes, cookies, loaves of bread, and more. The small space offers seating for about 10 guests, and of course you can take your goods to go. Hours are Tue-Sat 7am-7pm, Sun 7am-3pm. 1700 Park St. at Buena Vista, Alameda, 510-239-4751.
LOS CILANTROS is now serving dinner Wednesday through Sunday, according to those ever-watchful Chowhounds. Hours are Tue 10am-2pm, Wed-Sun 10am-2pm and 5:30pm-9pm. 3105 Shattuck Ave. at Woolsey, Berkeley, 510-230-7350.
The exterior of Nabolom Bakery. Yelp photo by Tina J.
