Openings…
GALETO BRAZILIAN GRILL Opening any day now in Old Oakland is Galeto Brazilian Grill, described as a traditional Brazilian steakhouse with Italian influences. The restaurant, owned by Eli Nascimento, has taken over the space previously occupied by LCX Noodle Bar and Le Cheval. Chef Robson Barreto (Espetus Churrascaria, San Francisco) will oversee a prix-fixe menu that showcases traditional Brazilian carved meat tableside service and a robust salad bar, as well as chicken and pasta dishes.Galeto is the signature dish: free-range organic chicken bathed in a seven-herb marinade, roasted, and served up family-style. Dinner will be priced at $34.95 and lunch at $18.95. Dessert choices, offered a la carte, will include Brazilian flan, crème de papaya, chocolate mousse, and petit gateau, as well as rabanada, a traditional Brazilian bread pudding, powdered with cinnamon, served warm with vanilla bean ice-cream over a bed of crushed Brazil nuts. Galeto Brazilian Grill will be at 1019 Clay Street, at the corner of 11th Street. Tel: (510) 238-9388 once the restaurant is open.
MODIGLIANI CAFE On Oakland’s Grand Avenue, the former Day of the Dead coffee shop is re-opening as Modigliani Café, according to Grand Lake Neighbors.org . The neighborhood newsletter reports that the new caef, at 3208 Grand Ave., is slated to be serving “house-made” bites with “top quality ingredients.” An open kitchen and counter seating is likely. And, perhaps not surprisingly, decor will include artwork by the eponymous artist.
BISSAP BAOBAB San Francisco Senagalese restaurant Bissap Baobab has launched an Oakland outpost on 15th Street and East Bay Dish’s Christina Mitchell was at the soft opening to sample some of the dishes. There was Yassa (lemon, onion mustard sauce) and Mafe (curry peanut sauce), as well as wraps (Tofu, Chicken, Tilapia, Beef, $8.50), and a homemade Hibiscus-Ginger juice. All the menu’s meat is natural and halal, Mitchell says, and “the chicken and lamb were both tender.” Bissap Baobab, by the way, means hibiscus tree, which is traditionally the center of the community in Senegalese villages. Bissap Baobab is at 381 15th Street, Oakland, and is currently open for lunch only with dinner coming soon. Tel: 510-817-4722.
BARLAGO East Bay Dish also checked out BarLago (pictured above), a neighborhood Italian spot that recently opened in the former Zza’s space on Grand Ave. Mitchell tried the “creamy” Burrata (tomato, basil, olive oil, $10), and the “tender” Polpette (beef and pork meatballs, marinara sauce, parsley, pecorino, $9), the Roman Style Thin Crust Pizza, as well as the Margherita (San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Basil, Mozzarella, $10) with added prosciutto and arugula for an extra $5. The group also ate the Carne Brasato (Boont amber ale braised short rib, mixed mushrooms $19). The verdict was that they enjoyed what they tasted. BarLago is at 550 Grand Ave, Oakland
ENCUENTRO Latest news from Encuentro, the popular wine bar and café that specializes in small plates, is hoping to open in its new location at 550 2nd St. in Oakland’s Jack London Square area on May 13. Owners Lacey Sher and Linda Braz had hoped to be open sooner, but, as they told customers in an email, “As can often happen things are taking a little longer than we would have hoped.” The restaurant moved from up the street at 200 2nd St. where it had operated for more than four years. The new menu will not change significantly from before, offering vegetarian cuisine in the style of enotecas and tapas bars, and including bocadillos, “hearty” salads, local cheeses, small plates, artisanal chocolates and sweets using seasonal and market driven ingredients.
What else is going on…
SUNDAY SUPPERS Restaurateur Charlie Hallowell has launched a new series of “Sunday Suppers” to benefit East Bay community organizations. Working in collaboration with event coordinator Lauren Greis, the project will see Hallowell-owned restaurants Pizzaiolo, Boot & Shoe Service, and Penrose — as well as other East Bay restaurants, including Chez Panisse and Miss Ollie’s — host 11 fundraising dinners between May 2014 and April 2015. Each supper will benefit a different East Bay organization working on behalf of the community. Dinners are $100 prix-fixe, multi-course, family-style affairs, with house wine included. Two-thirds of the dinner ticket proceeds will be donated to the organization, with a $10,000 goal. A signature cocktail can be ordered throughout the night at the cash bar – 100% of the proceeds of that will also be donated to the organization. First up: a dinner at Penrose on May 18 to benefit Oakland Leaf. Tickets are for sale on Brown Paper Tickets — 150 tickets are available for each event, with two seatings of 75 diners.
Catch up with more great Nosh stories:
Dine out to support Berkeley schools’ gardening program
Nosh on the Town: Great China in Berkeley
Kilovolt Coffee: A new caffeine jolt in West Oakland
Paul Bertolli: Curemaster at Berkeley’s Fra’ Mani
Ms Barstool: Taking a trip at the East Bay Spice Company
Bites: Farewell Zaki’s, hello High Peaks, Bole, more
Activists stop kosher chicken slaughtering class
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