DeLuxe

It seems like there’s something new in Oakland’s Uptown almost weekly now. First there was local clothing and house ware store Oakollectiv. Then Oaklandish opened their first retail store. And, of course, there are other nearby faves such as the revamped Fox Theater, the 2nd Can’t Fail Cafe, Xolo, Plum (Bar), Bakesale Betty’s #2, Flora, and too many other places to list at once. Now there’s another new place that has me pretty excited given my obsession with dontus the past few months: Donut Savant!

They’ve been open for about 3 weeks now on a block of Broadway that hasn’t looked better in more than 20 years. They have tons of different varieties of cake style donuts — formed in ball shapes without holes. Every variety I tried tasted great (not too much frosting) and I noticed that the cake dough is nicely flavored as well. I got to try about six flavors but they make more than 20 and you never know what you’re gonna get b/c the chef is making new ones in the back all the time. If you’re lucky you will order any flavor that just came out of the fryer — there’s nothing like a warm donut made with quality ingredients.

Donut Savant
1934 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
510.972.8268

Tanya Holland made Brown Sugar Kitchen a huge success in out of the way, industrial, West Oakland. Her newest venture, a BBQ spot called BSide BBQ, is taking on an even more desolate stretch of San Pablo north of Downtown.

Open for lunch through early evening Tue-Sat each week, this place is worth the effort to get to its out of the way location. Inside, the theme is industrial and modern as you might expect and with a block rodeo theme (videos of the old B+W movies, western style etchings on the tables.

Recently wen there and had the pulled pork sandwich. You can get it with different sauces and I picked the carolina mustard sauce. It was awesome and served on a nice roll that had been browned on a grill. We also tried their special of the day which was chili made with brisket ends and pork shoulder debris. Very savory and not too spicy — with a title dollop of sour cream and chives on top. We also had sue sides: beans, a nice vinegar based cole slaw, and some cornbread which was served with a brown sugar butter.

Top top it all off, we had some of their house made peach lemonade and if I didn’t have things to do I think I could have relaxed there a lll afternoon long just soaking in the sunlight

BSide BBQ
3303 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94608
510.595.0227

Is it a bar or a restaurant? Sidebar in Oakland is both. Over the past few years, this has been a great go-to lunch place when I am in town for a weekday lunch. They always have a nice selection of sandwiches (both hot and cold) and their fries and burgers are good too. Good quality and local ingredients are the focus here and if you get a good seat you can look out at lake Merritt too.

Still need to try out the dessert foods here at some point. The mussels are also a good bet any time!

Sidebar
542 Grand Avenue Oakland, CA 94610
510.542.9500

I’ve been meaning to try Glenview’s Bellanico for a few years now but haven’t made the time. Susan suggested trying this place for her birthday this year and after taking a look at the menu online we made our reservations. I remember the original review in the SF Chronicle and, based only on having arancini on the menu I knew I’d enjoy a meal here.

Started out with their soft and fluffy focaccia which was seasoned nicely with seal salt and rosemary and served with olive oil for dipping. And then of course the arancini were next. Would have been better if served with a little more sauce since they could have used the moisture and acid. Then the arugula (and radicchio and endive) salad with a goat-like cheese and walnuts was nice. My main course were tortelli filled with a beef filling in a beef broth with foam. All of it was topped with some nice dry italian cheese shavings. This dish was pretty special and I’d order it again in an instant. It was the perfect savory dish for a cool, damp late winter night. And I was surprised at hose crowded it was for a Monday night!

Susan had the 4 course tasting menu also with arancini, as well as a lamb ‘salad’ and a clam/scallop seafood stew. For dessert I had the bomboli which are italian donut holes (very tasty) which they served with two sauces: one chocolate and the other vanilla.

Bellanico
4238 Park Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94602
510.336.1180

Housed in a former fish fry restaurant space on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, Pepples Donuts (aka the Donut Farm) has limited hours (Wed-Sun 9-3). It’s primarily an industrial kitchen where these wonderful vegan creations are baked and then sold all over the Bay Area at places like Philz Coffer and Subrosa.

When it is open, you will know, because they’ve got a bigger than life size pink donut out front. These donuts would be great even if they weren’t vegan. They’ve got regular/traditional flavors such as chocolate, coconut, various kinds of sprinkles and such. They also carry some specialty flavors as well. My favorites are Salted Caramel, Phil’z Coffee, and the Candy Cap (sweet mushroom).

On the weekends they also have a vegan brunch which does seem to attract a regular crowd. Haven’t tried that yet but am looking forward to my next batch of donuts here soon. (They also have a stand in the Ferry Building in SF for those of you who can’t make it to the East Bay). Everyone once and a while they also have raised donuts. Those are awesome — light and fluffy with just the right amount of glaze.

Pepples Donut Farm
6037 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA 94608
510.712.0295

Back in 2000, when I used to walk past 40th and Webster on my way to BART, there was a huge burned out medical building that was literally rotting in place. A few years later before the housing crash a bunch of lofts were built on the property. The two lofts that included ground floor retail spaces were vacant for a long time — well into the housing crash. Fortunately for Temescal, the spaces how houses homeroom, also referred to as the macaroni and cheese restaurant. Their menu consists of about 10 entrees each a variation of mac ‘n’ cheese. The ‘Mexican mac’ was good and had a nice amount of chipotle and chorizo. ‘Mac the goat’ is made with goat cheese and buttery toasted bread crumbs. They also offer a side salad and some veggies plus a variety of add-ons you can add to your mac. Inside the place is decorated with a school theme: library cards and recycled lab tables. We went there for a rare weekday lunch in the pouring rain and their comfort food really hit the spot. Warning: these days the wait for dinner can be 2 hours (and they don’t take reservations)

homeroom
400 40th Street, Oakland, CA 94609
510.597.0400

There are tons of Vietnamese restaurants in the Bay Area and many of them are very good. Many of them are very bare bones in ambience and decor. A few of them are even upscale (Slanted Door, Xyclo). Pho 84 in Oakland’s uptown neighborhood is nicely appointed but still casual. Best of all, their food is delicious. Try pretty much anything on the menu and you can’t go wrong. Be sure to try a dish that includes their ‘special rice’. I could make a meal out of this seasoned rice, yum!

Pho 84
354 17th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
510.832.1338

I probably heard about the tapioca drink craze three or four years before I finally realized what all the fuss was about. Now nearly every week I head over to Quickly in Old Oakland for a bubble tea. My favorite is the Earl Grey Milk Tea with tapioca. They literally have more than a hundred variations on the types of drinks you can get: tea, ice, slush; any number of fruits and flavors; all with the option to have chewy sweet tapioca balls added. Get the extra wide straw and drink it up!

Quickly (Old Oakland)
517 8th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
510.663.2233

I discovered The Wine Mine through a little sign outside Bakesale Betty. The sign advertised $1 wine tasting. We want and learned you could taste 5 wines every Saturday from 2-5 for that price. Nice! On top of that they have hundreds of wines to choose from at great prices. Their focus is on bottles under $15 and are very friendly and informative. On top of all that they have plenty of off street parking. So drop by anytime but especially on Saturday afternoons.

The Wine Mine
5427 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
510.547.9463

One of my favorite Southen cuisine restaurants in Oakland is Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland. It’s in an area that almost entirely industrial but the out of the way location is well worth seeking out.

For breakfast, everything is good but be sure to try the cornmeal waffles. They are light and airy and delicious and often served with apple cider syrup. And, of course, you can also get your waffle with a piece of fried chicken. For lunch, the pulled pork sandwich can’t be beat. It’s served with some vinegar based cole slaw that I love so much. One of these days I will have to invest in owner Tanya Holland’s cookbook so I can make these dishes at home too.

Brown Sugar Kitchen
2534 Mandela Parkway, Oakland, CA 94607
510.839.SOUL