This exciting news rolled in just as I was wrapping up today’s column, so I will have to share more details in my next issue, but I wanted you to know Sarah Kirnon of MISS OLLIE’S has landed at Forage Kitchen in Oakland, and she tells me she will be in the space for two years. (She closed her iconic, 10-year-old spot in Old Oakland earlier this year, in March.) The new name and concept is HOLDER’S HOUSE, and the pic on Instagram refers to Holder’s House in Barbados—I’ll have to get the details on what that place means to her, because obviously there’s a good story there.
But for now, Holder’s House is soft-open tonight, Wednesday July 6th, serving from 5pm-9pm. What’s for dinner? How about slow-cooked oxtails, rotisserie jerk chicken, mustard greens, plantains, and rice and peas?! Yes! She was also serving her famed skillet-fried chicken a couple days ago. There’s Champagne, wine, and beer. Takeout, check. Follow the Holder’s House IG page for updates on what days/times she’s cooking and open since this is a true soft opening (and Sarah is known for surprise announcements). I’ll have more backstory soon. 478 25th St. at Telegraph, Oakland.
My friend at Town Hall alerted me to a new scam erupting throughout the restaurant industry where scammers are leaving a flurry of one-star Google reviews on SF restaurant Google pages, driving their overall rating down and threatening to leave a bad rating every day unless the restaurant sends a Google Play card with the value of $75. Seriously, what?! (Thanks to @hungryhungryhooker for posting a story with the passive-aggressive “ransom” note from the scammers claiming they live in India and “see no other way to survive.”) Hopefully someone at Google (know anyone??) will notice this scourge of one-star reviews, remove them, and find a way to shut this BS down. For now, if you see scammy one-star ratings with no review from the past five days, flag them so Google will start noticing the problem. Other restaurants that have been hit include Avery, Nightbird, Nari, Birdsong, and Sons & Daughters.
Wherever the Miss Ollie’s fried chicken goes, I go. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
