04.30.08
Posted in Events at 10:06 pm by OaklandGoods
I’m working on a post about the glory that is chicken and waffles, but it’s been a busy week. And yesterday I stopped by Franklin Square Wine Bar for some nice photos of their new outdoor dining area, but the wind was up, the umbrellas were down, and the people were hiding inside. So much for original art! And so, I leave you with these reminders:
1. Oakland Indie Awards are Friday:
May 2, 2008
5:30pm
Historic Sweet’s Ballroom
$20 online or at the door
Register together with a friend and get a 10% discount
1933 Broadway
2. The aforementioned Franklin Square Wine Bar’s West Coast Wine Tasting happens Sunday, May 4, 2008.
Featuring a tasting of six pinot noirs with an editor from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
6:30 p.m. $25 includes wine and light snacks
2212 Broadway at Franklin
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04.25.08
Posted in News, Old Oakland at 10:07 pm by OaklandGoods
It shouldn’t be news to the Tribune staff the Old Oakland is hopping at night, especially since the opening of the Trappist, but there is a nice mention that the Washington Inn’s restaurant is getting revamped. Now can the whole place have a re-do? Turn it into a cute boutique hotel, please!
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Posted in Events, Hills at 11:22 am by OaklandGoods
Tonight, the Chabot Space and Science Center hosts it’s quarterly Lunar Lounge event, with a planetarium show, star-gazing through our telescopes, plus live music by a local band, food and drink, and local art.
Even more fun: It’s the opening for The Wave, a kinetic sculpture by East Bay artist Reuben Margolin, who is into creating cool sculptural waves like no one else. (Also, he builds rickshaws!)The Wave will be on display April 23-June 29.
$15 adults/$10 students
10000 Skyline Blvd.
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Posted in GoodEats, Downtown, Uptown at 1:58 am by OaklandGoods
According to Living in the O, greenie gallery and espresso bar Awaken Cafe has finally opened its doors, on 14th between Franklin and Broadway.
Also, Ozumo has signs up in the Broadway Grand that say “coming soon,” (which I take to mean sometime in 2008)!
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04.24.08
Posted in News, Events at 9:59 pm by OaklandGoods
If you’ll recall, the 2007 Bay Area Derby Girls‘ season was disrupted by an overzealous fire marshall and the relocation of bouts to (gasp) San Jose. Now the Oakland Outlaws are back on home turf! See them skate in the first bout of the season against the San Francisco ShEvil Dead at Dry Ice this Saturday, April 26, 8 p.m.
Advance tickets are available online at http://www.bayareaderbygirls.com/events.
image from BAD Girls of Roller Derby on Flickr.com
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04.22.08
Posted in DoGooder, OaklandGoods at 5:43 pm by OaklandGoods
image from MichelleKaufmann.com
Oakland-based architect Michelle Kaufmann, known for her inspired indoor/outdoor house designs, keeps an awesome blog in which she showcases great everyday ideas. For Earth Day, she has compiled a special kit of projects including building an energy saving WaterWall (above), making plantable paper, and others. Check it out for inspired projects you can do anytime. I particularly like the bird houses made from take-out chopsticks.
http://blog.michellekaufmann.com/
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04.21.08
Posted in OaklandGoods at 4:52 pm by OaklandGoods
If you’re a gadget hound, you might enjoy checking out this Oakland-designed product I heard about on NPR this morning. The Pulse “smartpen” writes with real ink, but also records and plays audio, and takes pictures. It’s designed to digitally enhance notetaking, replacing pen and paper or downsizing a laptop.
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04.18.08
Posted in GoodEats, Jack London Square, Neighborhood at 11:44 am by OaklandGoods
Looks pretty, right? Looks even prettier full of people and brimming with food and wine. I wrote of Mono’s opening a few weeks back for another Web site I write for, but aside from sampling a spicy dessert, I hadn’t had the privilege of actually having the food. What a privilege it is!
We started our meal with the signature ahi with sesame, shallots, jalapeno granita, and soba noodles. It was fantastic. Generally, I find soba dull and hard to punch up, but the meyer lemon and tuna made the noodles fresh and flavorful. The jalapeno granita added delightful texture and flavor to the cold dish.
We followed the ahi with prawns a la plancha, which were served along a crostini with white bean puree. The garlicky prawns mixed well with cherry tomatoes and an Italian prosecco. I am a prawn snob, and these were the best-cooked I’ve had in a long while.
Next, we tried the clam chowder, a creamy New England variety that wasn’t too fishy. While tasty, it felt a little heavy for the warm night, and while the presentation in an oversized shot glass is lovely, it was hard to sip out the chunky potatoes. If you order this, ask for a spoon.
The soup was followed by a goat cheese and beet salad which was bright and fresh, if a little underdressed.
Next we had the steak special paired with a buttery Rutherford cabernet. The steak was cooked to perfection, deep pink on the inside but a with a hint of char on the outside. My dining companion, Todd, remarked that it was the best steak he’d had in years and I totally agree. Alongside the steak was the most delightful surprise of the meal - a modern chile relleno, stuffed with mashed potatoes and topped with fontina cheese. It was fabulous, with the mild chile flavor bringing out the earthiness of the potatoes.
Finally, we shared the lamb, which was also tender and cooked just right. It’s miso sauce with apples, carrots, and baby bok choy complemented the meat with a pleasing sweetness, that contrasted nicely with our previous meat and potatoes. The lamb was paired with an Argentinian merlot.
A dense butterscotch pot de creme was shared for dessert. It was a perfect, lightly sweet treat to finish off the meal. Todd had a cafe au lait, which was stunning in its presentation.
Mono absolutely exceeded my expectations. They’ve only been serviing dinner for a few weeks, yet the service was smooth and we felt well-cared for. Even more, we noticed that every patron seemed to be receiving personal, friendly attention. The food was a revelation - absolutely the most interesting, best-executed take on global fusion I’ve had for a long time. The fish was fresh, the meat was flavorful, and everything was beautifully presented. All night, diners seemed to be watching the other patrons just to see what pretty plates would be delivered to their neighbors’ tables. I know I did - how else would I know what to order next time?
mono
247 4th st.
510.834.0260
www.monorestaurant.com
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Posted in DoGooder, Events at 9:00 am by OaklandGoods
For Earth Day activities, visit Oakland Earth Day 2008. There’s a downloadable list of projects and volunteer opportunities that spans the city.
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04.17.08
Posted in DoGooder, OaklandGoods at 7:40 pm by OaklandGoods
In further honor of Earth Day (or “annual reminder of things you should do all the time”), I bring you a selection of my favorite Oakland-themed, plastic-free shopping bags. I keep a stash of the green ones in my car for the supermarket, a couple of canvas ones in the kitchen for the farmer’s market, and a rip-stop nylon one that’s compact and cute in my purse for shopping emergencies.
Aside from the politics of plastic, which have been getting a lot of media and city government attention recently, consider how much less waste you create when using canvas and how much litter could be stopped if we all carried a reusable bag with us. Last weekend, I went to see the San Jose Earthquakes’ season opener at the Coliseum. The amount of garbage beneath the BART overpass was depressing - and most of it was unsightly, wadded up plastic grocery bags. And while it’s true that the bags can be recycled, only five percent ever are.
So do your part to reduce reliance on bags. You can even do it right now from your computer. Online, check out customizable Oakland totes from Gemini65 on Zazzle or snag a now classic “I Hella Heart Oakland” canvas tote at CafePress. I also like Place it Here’s interwoven oak tote. OaklandUnwrapped and OaklandPride (whose proceeds benefit OaklandUnwrapped) also have a selection of totes. The best by far is “Plastic Bags BLOW Away”.
A final note: Many supermarkets, including locally owned Piedmont Grocery (which has been promoting bag reuse for years), will give you a bag credit or make a donation when you BYOB.
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