Hey gang. Did you all enjoy that three-day weekend and gorgeous sun? It was pretty epic as far as weekends go, although I will admit I have been a bit blue. Current events are already awful enough, but the news that The Stud was not reopening in its current location was really a punch to my heart last week, and left me feeling lots of feels. I thought I was just going to write something on Facebook—it was originally going to be a personal piece for my friends to read—but I realized I had more of a tribute and a trip down memory lane I needed to commit to virtual paper, and decided to share it here instead. So many memories. It’s a longer piece—which is why you’re getting this on a Thursday, it took some time to spelunk and write—but some of us have a little more time than usual to read right now. See you at the virtual drag funeral on Sunday—I need a heavy veil and a strong drink. My love to all!
It was also awful to see Pier 45 engulfed in flames this weekend. As if it wasn’t already hard enough for our local fishermen and women to survive this brutal coronavirus business climate from hell, and now they’ve suffered tremendous gear losses, including $5M in uninsured crab pots (most had liability insurance, but not property). If our small independent fishermen are going to be up and running when crab season reopens in November, they’re going to need some crab pots, which cost $200 each. Please contribute to the fundraiser if you can, and spread the word.
Want to eat or drink your feelings? I feel you. Don’t forget: tablehopper readers get a special discount to check out any of the businesses in the new Incubator Series at Corridor, from the potato latke chicken sandwich from Schmaltz to awesome banchan from Junju to the new burgers all three businesses just launched. You can either order food for pickup and get a 15-percent discount on your total order (code: HOPPER15), or you can opt for delivery instead and get a special cocktail from AttaGirl Cocktails (Ode to Jerry) for free ($20 minimum order, and you need to put TABLEHOPPER in the notes and they will include the cocktail). There is no limit to using the codes (for now), so you can order multiple times and try all the things. Learn more about some of the dishes I tried and what I recommend on @tablehopper on Instagram.
Speaking of Instagram, if you follow me there, then you know that Gialina has reopened (!), Nopa is offering delivery during the week (whut?), and The Progress and AL’s Place are all making weekend dinners. Check my daily Stories and Highlights for updates! You should also have Chubby Noodle Chinese Takeout, lasagna from Perbacco, and pancakes without boundaries from Hilda and Jesse on your to-eat/takeout list—check my feed for details (or on Facebook here)!
I want to thank all of you for your feedback and support of my On the Fly podcast! I hope you can listen to last week’s inspiring episode with Trinh Banh, a co-founder of Good Good Eatz, an ad hoc initiative that has sprung up to help support Oakland Chinatown businesses in a number of impactful ways during these extremely challenging times. They’re doing some incredible work, please have a listen.
I should have another episode for you before the weekend, please subscribe to On the Fly wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts (like Apple Podcasts) and thank you for rating it and contributing to my virtual tip jar—this show takes hours to produce. Appreciate all your support.
Take good care. Long live The Stud! XO ~Marcia
The beef chow fun from Chubby Noodle Chinese Takeout will put some fun into your day, I guarantee it. Photo: © tablehopper.com.View tablehopper Newsletter from Thursday, May 28 2020
