Eat Real Festival Is Real Good
by Ellen Cushing East Bay Express
It's a wonder this is only the second iteration of Eat Real Fest. The East Bay is, after all, an area notoriously saturated with foodies, farmers, and do-it-yourselfers; where Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and urban farmsteader Novella Carpenter are elevated to celebrity status; where food trucks slinging artisanal tacos, sandwiches, and cupcakes attract around-the-block lines on a regular basis; and where a festival-happy populace manages to throw events celebrating everything from salmon to beer to tomatoes.
24 hours in Oakland, California
by Jessica Barksdale Inclan Gadling
Over 9.5 million people flew in and out of Oakland International Airport in 2009, but few of them targeted Oakland as their vacation destination. Most folks fly in and drive out as soon as possible, headed toward San Francisco, Napa, or Sonoma.
Miel, new tequila lounge in Old Oakland, offers high-end Latin flair
by Angela Woodall Oakland Tribune
It would have been easy to mistake Old Oakland for Manhattan or Mexico City on Sunday night during the grand opening of Miel. The tequila lounge is next door to Tamarindo Antojeria Mexicana.
36/7 at Pro Arts Gallery
by Dewitt Cheng East Bay Express
Jens Hoffmann, director of the CCA Wattis Institute in San Francisco, is the juror for this year's edition of Bay Area Currents, which includes 36 pieces by 7 artists: painters Rosemary Allen, Suzy Barnard, and Brandon Larson; collagist John Hundt; photographers Elizabeth Wilcox and Sarah Windels; and installation artist Zarouhie Abdalian, the only exception to this year's predominant figuration.
Omnivores' dreamworld
by Patricia Borns Boston.com
Oakland's Temescal neighborhood has the love. Here Barlata's long table seating and skillets of Spanish paellas, chorizo, and fried eggs add to the gourmet trinity of Dona Tomas, Pizzaiolo, and Bakesale Betty on Telegraph Avenue. Temescal is also the place for golbi (marinated, mesquite-grilled ribs) from the street’s many Korean kitchens.
Oakland restaurant design adding more style
by Anh-Minh Le San Francisco Chronicle
A fair amount has been written lately about the restaurant renaissance in Oakland. A new breed of chefs has garnered attention as much for their menus as their decision to open their doors in a city long overshadowed by San Francisco.
Openings: "A Decade With No Name" @ Best of the East Bay Party, Oakland
arrestedmotion.com
One thing about Oakland, it's a city that represents to the fullest. Want evidence of that? Just look at this show. Curated by a name you all should be familiar with, none other than Ken Harman, this is a show that celebrates and showcases artists from Oakland, Berkeley, and the greater East Bay area.
New free Broadway shuttle cruises downtown
by Dara Kerr, Oakland North
If you've been downtown this past week, you may have noticed a big green bus driving up and down Broadway. It's Oakland's new shuttle, which tours between the six major downtown commercial districts and is free for the public to ride. Officially known as the "B," this shuttle is the newest project by the city's Community and Economic Development Agency.
Night Owl: Nex, Cafe RandeVu make downtown Oakland shine
by Angela Woodall, Oakland Tribune
Nex, which opened in July, is one of the newest, and it's definitely the adult in the family. The restaurant is a neighborhood-style bistro set up with about a dozen mostly marble-topped tables, an open kitchen and a bar that seats six.
Monday Profile: Glynn Washington's "Snap Judgment" a new voice for NPR
by Laura Casey, Oakland Tribune
An Oakland-flavored tale, with what Washington calls a "beat," the story was about a recently released prisoner who never again wants to live in a cell. He's walking back from cashing a check to his friend's place to sleep and feels cold steel against his neck.
Carlos Salgado taps flavor of burnt vanilla
by Sarah Adler, San Francisco Chronicle
Is there a more classic summertime treat than vanilla ice cream? There is in the hands of Carlos Salgado, pastry chef at Oakland's Restaurant Commis, who has taken to charring, roasting and even burning the pods of the vanilla bean to bring out a novel flavor that is at once familiar and exotic.
La Borinqueña Mex-icatesson celebrates 66th year in Oakland
by Aqueila M. Lewis, The Globe
For most prosperous businesses it starts with a dream. Then business and marketing plans are created. The location is researched and bought. The team is built and tasks are assigned. But one thing that most businesses do not have is family ownership and female management.
Oakland California's Best Hot Spots
Travel & Leisure
Catherine Bullimore, Oakland resident and owner of café Subrosa Coffee (subrosacoffee.com), shares her favorite things to do in the city.
Night Writer: Oakland's Liege Lounge stands out
by Jessica Yadegaran, Contra Costa Times
New lounges open in Oakland faster than you can say "mixologist." It's been this way for a few years, and it hasn't slowed, despite the economy. That's a very good thing.
OPENINGS
Multiple Threads
The Bay Leaf
Good Chemistry Baking
Tara's Organic Ice Cream
Lane-E-Cafe
Liege Spirits Lounge
Professor Squirrel
Uncle Dougie's Heroes
Let's Make Room
Doyle Chiropractic
Heart & Dagger Saloon
Zoey's Bistro
Trueburger
Beer Revolution
Era
Piedmont Piano
Mr. K's Fine Men's Clothing
iGrow
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