News
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Off the Grid Comes to Alameda
News / Food on Wheels Luke Tsai — Tue, May 22, 2012 at 2:28 PM
Earlier this year, What the Fork reported on Alameda’s newly-passed mobile food ordinance, which went into effect on February 6. Hailed as one of the most permissive in the Bay Area, the policy allowed food trucks to park on almost every street in the city, in addition to five approved off-street locations. Only one question remained: Would mobile food vendors find it worth their while to show up in large numbers, given the island city’s relatively sparse population?
It looks likes the answer to that question will be a resounding yes — at least on Saturdays starting next week: Today, Matt Cohen, proprietor of the wildly popular Off the Grid mobile food events, officially announced his newest market, which will launch next Saturday, June 2, at Alameda South Shore Center.
Monday, May 14, 2012
A New Coalition: Friendlier Pod Model for Food Truck Operators?
News / Food on Wheels Luke Tsai — Mon, May 14, 2012 at 11:12 AM
The latest in what has become a torrent of weekly mobile food events (“food pods”) launching in Oakland takes off this Thursday: A three-truck pod organized by Kate McEachern, proprietor of the CupKates mobile cupcakery, will be open for business at the intersection of 12th and Broadway from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Breaking News for Food Truck Groupies: Clay Pod Opens Today
News / Food on Wheels Luke Tsai — Tue, May 8, 2012 at 7:00 AM
Remember how my post about this Friday’s return of Bites Off Broadway described Karen Hester’s food pod as the very first to launch under Oakland’s new interim policy allowing such recurring mobile food events? Not so fast.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Return of Bites Off Broadway
News / Food on Wheels Luke Tsai — Fri, May 4, 2012 at 3:31 PM
City of Oakland approval pending, next Friday, May 11, will mark the return of Bites Off Broadway, the weekly convocation of gourmet food trucks in front of the Studio One Art Center on 45th Street. The brainchild of community organizer Karen Hester, the event last took place back in October — since then Oakland has instituted a new interim policy allowing mobile “food pod” events on a limited basis.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Kitchen 388 Ready for Reboot
News Luke Tsai — Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Good news for fans of seemingly short-lived Adams Point newcomer Kitchen 388: After an abrupt four-month hiatus, the popular breakfast-and-lunch spot is set to reopen, with dinner-only service starting next Wednesday, May 2.
Friday, April 20, 2012
New Bar Alert! All About The District, Opening Next Week in Old Oakland
News Ellen Cushing — Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 12:10 PM
So! As you may have heard, San Francisco's The District is coming out with an East Bay offshoot, and while the butcher paper's still in the windows and the official opening isn't until next Friday, I stopped by this morning to gaze longingly at all the wine get some background from Wine Director and Sommelier Caterina Mirabelli. According to her, the place'll be much like the OG District, with its upscale-ish feel; eclectic selection of forty-plus wines; and menu of shareable small plates, pizzas, and desserts ($4-$17; sample items include "applewood smoked trout, spinach, and fontina arancini," "pear and huckleberry pecan crisp," and the intriguingly-named "braised oxtail sombreros") — but this one has the added bonus of a slightly more "easygoing" vibe and an extra focus on spirits, including forty (!!) whiskeys. The emphasis, Mirabelli says, will still be on sipping — "just like with the wine, we want to introduce people to whiskeys. So many people say they don't like whiskey, but maybe they just haven't had the right one." A noble goal! (And, NB, for all you whiskey and wine-haters out there, there'll still be sixteen draft beers, a handful of cocktails, and your standard vodkas, gins, and tequilas).
Official address is 827 Washington, at the corner of Ninth Street; hours are Monday through Friday starting at 4 and Saturday starting at 5, with a happy hour from 4 to 6 on weekdays and Saturday from 5 to 7. As mentioned, opening date is next Friday, April 27, but in the meantime here are some photozzzz just for you:
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Noble Cafe Breaks Ties With New Chef
News Jesse Hirsch — Wed, Apr 18, 2012 at 12:47 PM
You know today's story on Noble Cafe's brand-new menu, created by Make Westing chef Melinda Vaca? Please scrub it from your brain, because it's not happening.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Mid-Week Menu: Lots of New Restaurants and One Sad Fire
News Jesse Hirsch — Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 5:47 AM
Welcome to the Mid-Week Menu, a weekly roundup of restaurant openings, chef arrivals and departures, and other nuggets of gossip from the East Bay dining scene.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Bakesale Betty Manager Makes Scones on the Side
News Jesse Hirsch — Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 2:56 PM
Bakesale Betty’s production manager Shawn Walker-Smith is an accomplished professional baker, but his day job is more administrative than hands-on. When he told then-pregnant owner Alison Barakat that he missed getting his hands in the flour, she fiercely insisted he start up a side business. “I was not about to argue with a pregnant woman,” laughed Walker-Smith.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Mid-Week Menu: Charlie Hallowell's Non-Pizza Project, Gioia in SF, and Boutique Beer and Coffee Shops in Albany
News Jesse Hirsch — Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 9:29 AM
Welcome to the Mid-Week Menu, a weekly roundup of restaurant openings, chef arrivals and departures, and other nuggets of gossip from the East Bay dining scene.
