DeLuxe

I was kind of disappointed when News Hunter turned into Smoke Hunter. It was a good newsstand but, as it exists today, it’s a smoke shop only. Along came Issues which turns out to be an ideal newsstand. Not only do they carry every magazine I want (except Straight No Chaser which they’re still trying to locate a distributor for), they also carry a fine selection of vinyl and t-shirts. The owner
has good taste in musuc with lots of jazz and other not so easy to find titles. I also got myself a new Cramps t-shirt — the one I had from when I was 16 doesn’t really fit me anymore.

Issues
20 Glen Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
510.652.5700

This spot at the intersection where College and Claremont meet was an ice cream parlor for many years. Not long ago, the business was converted to a small restaurant called Noodle Theory. The food is super-d-duper. We’ve been there twice now and despite its size we never had to wait for a table. At the start of our lunch we got some free edamade with a soy/hoisin sauce dripped over the top. Susan had some flat noodles with ginger and chicken. I had round noodles with a spicy ground pork. We shared an extra dish of sauted green beans. Everything was great and the portions were pretty generous. They also make a nice mango black tea. They even serve all the fine flavors of Dry Soda.

Noodle Theory
6099 Claremont Ave, Oakland, CA 94620
510.595.6988

I had my first Top Dog the first day I moved to Berkeley when I was 17. 20 years later I’m still going to Top Dog whenever I get a craving for a hot dog. Top Dog carries many different kinds of sausages: bockwurst, kielbasa, bratwurst, linguiça, calabrese, hot links, bird dogs (turkey w spices), and even veggies dogs. Sometimes they even serve what they call “Bambi Dogs” which are, as you might have guessed, venison dogs. Although they are all over the Bay, I prefer to go to their outlet inside the Oakland uber-Longs.

Top Dog (Oakland)
5100 Broadway Oakland, CA 94611
510.601.1187

When Bittersweet Cafe opened a few years ago I didn’t give it much thought. It looked like just another cafe and we’ve already got a few we like. What I didn’t realize at the time was that they specialized in chocolate based beverages. Now I go there for the ‘Bittersweet’ and the ‘Classic’ (which used to be called the European and the American). Each of these is a coffee/chocolate combination better than any old mocha I’ve ever had. They use top quality chocolate and also sell bars of the stuff and desserts too. It’s well worth a visit. They close at 7 on every day except Friday and Saturday when they’re open ’til 9. Check it out and you will become a regular.

Bittersweet
5427 College Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618
510.654.7159

Lococo’s reminds me of the Italian restaurants I used to eat at when I was growing up on Long Island. Even when my parents moved back east and settled in Connecticut, we still sought out a place like this. They’ve got pizza, canneloni, lasagna, sphagetti with meatballs all served with a heft dose of tomato based sauce. There’s often a line outside if you don’t get there early. Go inside and order some beverages from the bar while you wait on the benches outside. If you like Italian food, especially Southern Italian, this is one of the Bay Area’s best.

Lococo’s Ristorante
4270 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
510.652.6222

For a few years when I lived in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood, I got treated to some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had. Westbrook’s BBQ was a mobile BBQ grill made ingeniously out of an old Winnebago. Odell, the owner, had chopped off the back of the Winnebago and welded a giant barrel style grill into the back. A couple times a week, sometimes just a couple times a month, they’d pull the truck over at the intersection of Telegraph and 51st in North Oakland and open for business. We’d get the brisket and links combo with greens, mac ‘n’ cheese, and cole slaw. One meal there was big enough for two. I never see them there anymore, so perhaps they’ve moved on. Odell, the owner, had always told me he was open more often out at Durant Square in East Oakland. I don’t get out that way much but maybe they’re still out there.

Bay Wolf on Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue has been around for ages and is known far and wide. But you might not guess you can get a meal of equal (or better) quality right next door at Jojo. Jojo is a small restaurant that serves French Country cuisine. They change their small menu seasonally and their dishes are made with great care — so you’ll want to savor every bite. Despite that they always have steak and frites for those who want it. Unlike next door, it’s also very quiet and you get very attentive service. And luckily for us it’s one short block from our house.

Jojo
3859 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
510.985.3003