Openings…
THE PORT BAR: NEW GAY VENUE FOR UPTOWN Looks like Uptown Oakland might be getting a new gay bar if partners Richard Fuentes and Sean Sullivan get the planning go-ahead from the city. The pair is hoping to open The Port Bar at 2012 Broadway in the 2,000-square-foot vacant space next to the Paramount Theatre (formerly Ragsmatazz). The proposal, according to Chip Johnson writing in the Chronicle on Friday, is for a seven-day-a-week venue catering to gay clientèle. Although it won’t be exclusive. Sullivan told Johnson the team had conducted research ahead of submitting its application and concluded that people didn’t favor a “gays-only” bar. “It can’t be so gay that my straight friends are freaked out by it,” said one respondent. The owners agree and aim to have a mixed crowd.
WOLFHOUND BAR A new bar that will focus on beer, and hold live jazz sessions as well as weekly pub quizzes, is set to open at 5516 San Pablo Ave. (at 55th Street), according to the E’ville Eye, a news site that reports on happenings in Emeryville. The partners behind the new venture are Peadar Kelleher, owner of Shannon Moving & Storage, 10-year bar industry veteran Chris Southgate, and Keith Mulligan, a member of the Irish-import band The Hooks. The founders hope the bar, which will feature local art on the walls and serve a wide selection of brews — bottled, craft and international — will become a neighborhood gathering spot. The tiled building was once known as The Streamline Lounge, but it closed around 1979, and most recently has been vacant. If all final permits are approved, the Wolfhound hopes to be open by the fall.
COMING DOWN THE PIKE A perusal of recent ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) applications reveals that a flurry of new eating and drinking spots may be on their way to opening in the East Bay. Oakland can expect to see The Growler’s Arms restaurant at 4214 Park Blvd., Lucky Goldfish at 2301 Broadway, and Obelisco at 3411 East 12th St. Blossom Hill Winery is hoping to move in to 10 Clay St., wholesaler Trail Marker Wine Company to 654 63rd St., and Dogtown Distilling to 2715 Magnolia St. La France Management Group has applied to open a restaurant at 5000 Adeline St. in Emeryville, and Nine Thai Eatery is hoping to open at 1267 University Ave. in Berkeley. Gregory Medow appears to have secured a license for Swell Bar at 1539 Lincoln Ave. in Alameda. Also in Alameda, Wine and Waffles has its eyes on 15015 Park St. None of these are confirmed until they open their doors, of course, but we’ll keep you apprised of their progress. And there are many more food and imbibing destinations on the way. The Chronicle reported Friday that 20 bars and restaurants are expected to open this year between Oakland’s waterfront and 27th Street, the northern edge of downtown. [Update, April 27: Our on-the-ground readers tell us that Wine and Waffles has just opened and Swell Bar, also in Alameda, is also open and the ABC license application was for a change in ownership.]
SUPERSONIC COFFEE Another new coffee roaster is on the way. Coffee site Sprudge reports that Supersonic Coffee will open up shop at 2322 Fifth St. in Berkeley. Founder John Laird has the right credentials, having formerly worked at Verve Coffee Roasters and Pacific Bay Coffee, and Supersonic has already set up collaborations with Bjorg Brend Laird, former organizer of the Nordic Barista Cup; Jay Lijewsiki, formerly of Handsome Coffee Roasters, Four Barrel Coffee, and Dillanos Coffee; Lizz Hudson Smith, formerly of Stumptown Coffee Roasters; Jeff Garcia, formerly of Verve Coffee Roasters and Duende; and Brian W. Jones, the editor of coffee blog ‘Dear Coffee I Love You.’ Fifth Street will be home to Supersonic’s first coffee service, happening out of a fully restored 1965 Airstream trailer. It is expected to open this summer, and the company hopes to open a brick-and-mortar café in Oakland at some point.
SHARETEA As reported on Shop Talk earlier this week, Taiwanese bubble milk tea chain ShareTea has opened at 2440 Bancroft Way (between Telegraph and Dana) in Berkeley. ShareTea was founded in 1992 with its first store in Taipei, and has expanded globally since then. It offers a variety of iced and blended teas, and fruit and milk teas, as well as various hot brews.
HOI POLLOI BREWPUB Also on Shop Talk was news that Hoi Polloi Brewpub & Beat Lounge is getting closer to opening at 1763 Alcatraz Ave. (at Adeline, next door to Easy Creole restaurant) in Berkeley. We first told you about this nano-brewery in March last year. Founder Viet Vu envisions the place to be “a neighborhood gathering space where everyone can enjoy craft beer and good beats.” That means a soundtrack that will run the gamut from underground hip hop to indie rock, he said. The space, with room for 30-40 people, will feature a bar and a few tables, with brew kettles and fermentation tanks in the back. The build-out of the space is proceeding well. Follow Hoi Polloi on Facebook during the countdown to opening.
What else is going on…
CIDER SUMMIT Berkeleyside has a pair of tickets to give away to Berkeley’s first ever Cider Summit that takes place on Saturday, April 26, from noon to 6 p.m. at Civic Center Park in downtown Berkeley. Cider Summit will feature 90 ciders from throughout the United States, England, Scotland, France, Spain and others. The event will also feature specially selected food pairings from Whole Foods, a “Dog Lounge” hosted by the Berkeley Humane, and an event store. Cidermakers will be on hand to inform and guide guests through cider samplings which will be available in 4-ounce portions. Cider Summit Berkeley is presented by Whole Foods Market and will benefit Berkeley Ecology Center and the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 (cash only, if tickets remain) at the door and are available online at Cider Summit online. Tickets include a souvenir tasting glass and eight tasting tickets. To win a pair of FREE tickets, simply email editor@ebnosh.com using subject headline “Cider Summit” and we will pick a winner at random. You will be notified Friday.
Recent stories on Nosh (in case you missed them):
Kosher winery Covenant moving from Napa to Berkeley
Ms Barstool: Taking a trip at the East Bay Spice Company
New craft brewery, restaurant slated for Berkeley
The Barrel Room: A novel approach to dining out
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