Openings, closings…
NEWBERRY MARKET & DELI TO UPTOWN STATION The first tenant to sign on to the ambitious Uptown Station project in the old Sears building above Oakland’s 19th Street BART station is upscale grocery store Newberry Market & Deli, reports Inside Scoop. The 20,000-square foot store will take its cues from artisanal markets such as Bi-Rite and Market Hall, and will offer everything from organic produce and grocery staples to hot and cold prepared items such as sandwiches, salads, rotisserie meats, and soups. Newberry Market also plans to have a a full-service butcher shop, charcuterie and cheese counter, a café, flower shop, and grab-and-go pizza by the slice. Even with all of these amenities, owners Ann Thai and Loren Goodwin hope to keep the prices “affordable and accessible.” Newberry Market, named after the old Newberry’s department store that operated next door many years ago, will be the anchor tenant in the ground floor food hall, which developers Lane Partners hope to fill with other niche food and tech businesses and turn into a type of hip Ferry Building for the Millennial generation. Thai and Goodwin hope to open the market in fall 2016. Newberry Market will be at 1954 Telegraph Ave. (at 19th Street), Oakland.
TOWNIE NOW DOING BRUNCH The University Avenue restaurant has added weekend brunch to its schedule. In addition to $15 bottomless mimosas, Townie‘s menu includes a corned beef stack with a panko-fried poached egg, sauerkraut, and rye bread; a breakfast burrito loaded with chorizo, home fries, and scrambled eggs; and a steak and egg with herb butter. For those wishing to drink their breakfast, Townie is also serving brunch cocktails like basil Bloody Marys, brass monkeys, and house roast Irish coffee. A foosball table and the arcade games Street Fighter 2 and Mr. Do complete the experience. Townie is at 1799 University Ave. (at Grant Street), Berkeley. Connect with restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
BOMBAY B’S INDIAN BISTRO OPENING SOON A new Indian restaurant is slated to open in the former Captain & Corset space at Broadway and Grand in Oakland. The restaurant is currently hiring servers and bartenders, and a tipster on Chowhound believes Bombay B’s is owned by the same pair of former Ike’s employees, Sam Patel and Paul Fitzpatrick. Expect Bombay B’s menu to include dishes such as Indian tacos, kale pakoras, masala fries, and naan pizzas, plus affordable beer and wine. Captain & Corset had a short, five-month run in the location; it closed last summer after disputes between the owners and the general manager, Carlos Nieto, and chef consultant Sophia Uong. Before Captain & Corset, the location was home to the Punchdown wine bar, which has found a new home at 1737 Franklin Street. Bombay B’s Indian Bistro will be at 2212 Broadway (at Grand Avenue), Oakland.
PIZZA MODA GETS HAPPY Back in Berkeley, Pizza Moda has added a late-evening happy hour menu. From 8:30 p.m. until close on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the restaurant will offer $3 pints, $5 glasses of wine, and $10 pizzas. The happy hour menu is in addition to its already great Wednesday wine special, where every bottle of wine on the menu is only $15. Pizza Moda is at 1401 University Ave. (at Acton Street), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
MEATBALLS TO LEO’S The popular Temescal music venue, Leo’s Music Club, is getting a meatball shop this spring, according to Inside Scoop. Leo’s owners told the Scoop that the 800-square-foot space will offer a few variations of Italian-style meatballs. The owners plan to be open for lunch, weekend brunch and any evening when the club is open. No word yet on the chef at the helm, but there’s chatter that “there’s a pretty big name involved.” Leo’s Music Club is at 5447 Telegraph Ave. (at 55th Street), Oakland. Connect with the venue on Facebook and Twitter.
CHICK AND TEA COMING TO TELEGRAPH A new restaurant called Chick and Tea appears to be opening on Telegraph Avenue, just south of 40th Street. As signs on the exterior indicate, the casual eatery will be serving fried chicken and boba tea, in addition to smoothies and other snacks like fried calamari and oyster mushrooms. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more. Chick and Tea will be at 3932 Telegraph Ave. (at 40th Street), Oakland.
PARLOUR OPENS DOORS This week long-awaited Parlour began serving dinner in Uptown. The pizza and Cal-Ital joint is the second venture for the owners of next door Bar 355, reports Inside Scoop. Former Gitane and TBD chef Jason Tuley is heading up the kitchen, which is serving thin-crust wood-fired pizzas, plus California inspired Italian dishes like porches di testa, duck egg chimera pasta with duck ragout, and crispy fish with clams, mussels, and saffron brodo. Parlour is serving mostly California and Italian wines, along with craft beers and an extensive cocktail menu. For now, the restaurant is just open for dinner, but the owners plan on adding brunch in late April and cafe service in May. Parlour is at 357 19th St. (at Webster Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram.
THE DOCK AT LINDEN STREET EXPANDS OFFERINGS James Syhabout’s restaurant at the Linden Street Brewery is nearing its first anniversary; to celebrate, it is adding several new features. First up, The Dock is now serving an al fresco brunch every Sunday. All seats are, appropriately, outside and all of the food is prepared in an outdoor kitchen. The brunch menu is grill-focused. The Dock’s next door Beer Shed has also added a happy hour menu, Tuesdays through Fridays, which includes $1 off beers, $6 drink specials, and a $7 shot-and-beer special. Finally, The Dock is also guest-starring at a party for the Giant’s opening day on April 13. Syhabout will be in the kitchen at AT&T Park and will likely prepare popular dishes from The Dock’s menu, such as its Caesar popcorn, po’boys and jerk spiced chicken wings. The Dock and The Beer Shed are at 95 Linden St. (at 3rd Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Twitter and Instagram.
OTHER OPENINGS A frozen yogurt store is opening on College Avenue in the Elmwood in the spot that was, until recently, home to Body Time. YogoFina has posted a application to open in the retail space. Expect the usual fro-yo flavor offerings and assortment of toppings. Popular noodle restaurant Yu Yu Za Zang has relocated from 40th and Telegraph Avenue, up the street to 4871 Telegraph. The restaurant specializes in Korean-Chinese food; most diners flock there for the Spicy Za Zang noodles. Yogofina will be at 2911 College Ave. Visit Yogofina’s website for more information. Yu Yu Za Zang is at 4871 Telegraph Ave. (between 48th and 49th Streets), Oakland.
What else is going on…
CHARLIE PARKER AT OUTSTANDING IN THE FIELD Tickets are now on sale for this season’s hyper-local Outstanding in the Field dinners. Charlie Parker of Haven will be cooking on May 24 at Devil’s Gulch Ranch in Nicasio. Parker will be using ingredients for which he will forage on the property. A portion of the event proceeds will go to DG Educational Services, a non-profit founded by Devil’s Gulch owners Mark and Myriam Pasternak. DG Educational Services “provides agriculture and nature educational programs to diverse communities, both locally at Devil’s Gulch Ranch and globally. These programs develop the skills to produce food and live sustainably while building an understanding of our interconnection with nature.” Tickets are $245 per person. More information is available here.
MISSION: HEIRLOOM NABS DESIGN AWARD The Gourmet Ghetto paleo-diet restaurant took home a Berkeley Design Award last week. Mission: Heirloom was one of twelve projects honored at the ceremony. Berkeley Design Advocates conducts the awards ceremony every two years to honor “great design in the built environment.” Mission: Heirloom is at 2085 Vine St. (at Shattuck), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram.
ST. GEORGE SPIRTS ALSO AN AWARD WINNER Whisky Magazine/Icons of Whisky awarded the Alameda distillery its Icons of Whisky 2015 “Craft Whisky Producer of the Year” award. It follows another award from Whisky Advocate magazine which honored St. George Spirits in Dec. 2014 for its single malt whiskey. Writer Lew Bryson described the whiskey with the following: “Delicate fruit, nuts, and sweet malt combine like a perfect pastry in the nose. Add a bit of unsweetened chocolate on the palate, finishing with a lingering reminiscence of every bit of flavor, and you have a beautifully integrated whiskey that is unmistakably St. George.” St. George Spirits is at 2601 Monarch St., Alameda. Connect with the distillery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
SUPERSONIC POP-UP Supersonic Coffee roastery is holding a pop-up coffee bar tomorrow, March 28, at Mission Control at 2322 Fifth Street in Berkeley, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is the first pop-up event for the year-old roaster, and is a “fun test,” said employee Björg Brend Laird in an email. Laird also said that Supersonic does have plans to open a retail shop in Berkeley, but does not yet have a timeline for the project. We’ll keep you posted.
PINTS FOR PAWS The second annual fundraiser for the Berkeley Humane Society is slated for June 6, and tickets are on sale now. Pints for Paws is one of the only beer festivals in the country where 100% of the proceeds will be donated. Admission includes access to at least 80 different craft beers from more than 20 different brewery, plus food from local food trucks, music, and plenty of friendly animals. Early bird prices are available through April 20, so don’t wait too long before purchasing. More information is available here. Pints for Paws will take place at 1050 Parker St. (between 10th Street and San Pablo Avenue), Berkeley.
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