Openings, closings
CONTINENTAL CLUB COULD BE GETTING A FRESH START The Continental Club, an iconic West Oakland music venue and comedy club, was once host to countless jazz and blues stars in the 1960s. It was originally opened as a gumbo restaurant in 1947 by owners Curtis and Ross Christy; by the 1950s, the brothers had added a live music component to the restaurant, calling it Ramboogie. In 1961, the duo renovated and expanded the club. From then on, the space was known as the Continental Club. Situated on 12th Street in the Prescott neighborhood of West Oakland, the club fell onto hard times in the 1970s and never seemed to recover. Comedian Pharaoh bought the club in 2010, but shuttered it a few years later. Now, it seems that the club has changed hands once again. New owner Magnolia Entertainment has applied for a liquor license for an eating establishment, which is now pending. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more. The Continental Club is at 1658 12th St. (at Campbell Street), Oakland.
WOLFHOUND BAR OPENS SATURDAY Last spring, we heard news of Wolfhound Bar, a beer and jazz bar coming to San Pablo Avenue in Oakland’s Golden Gate district. After several delays, the bar is now set to open Saturday, April 4, according to the E’ville Eye. The partners behind the 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. Wolfhound Bar is at 5516 San Pablo Ave. (at 55th Street), Oakland.
NICK AND ARON’S NOW OPEN In February, we brought you news that Nick’s Pizza was expanding into Temescal with a full-service restaurant called Nick and Aron’s. According to Inside Scoop, the restaurant is now up and running. Nick and Aron’s has moved into the former Barkada space at 4316 Telegraph Ave. and is open all day long. In addition to the same sourdough pizzas that have made Nick’s popular, Nick and Aron’s menu includes a breakfast pastry program, lunchtime salads and sandwiches, and dinnertime entrees like roast chicken. Nick and Aron’s is at 4316 Telegraph Ave. (at 44th), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
NOW OPEN: OCTOPUS LITERARY SALON We brought you news of The Octopus Literary Salon and café last month; as of this week, the salon is open, reported Inside Scoop. The Octopus aims to “engage and entertain readers and writers of all ages.” It includes a café, a small-scale specialty bookstore and publisher, and “a space for public readings and discussions as well as other literary spontaneity.” The Octopus Literary Salon is at 2101 Webster St. (at 22nd Street), Oakland. Connect with the salon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
COUNTER CULTURE UPDATE The newest roasting facility for the North Carolina-based coffee company is slated to open April 25 in Emeryville. This location will be Counter Culture Coffee‘s first training center on the West Coast and its first roastery outside of North Carolina, period. The Emeryville location will be followed closely by another training center in Los Angeles later in the year. Once open, the roastery will be open to the public for tastings and tours on Fridays. Modern Coffee in Oakland already sells Counter Culture Coffee; expect more cafés to follow in the near future. Counter Culture Coffee will be at 1329 64th St., (at Doyle Street) Emeryville. Connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
DOPO TO MAKE FULL SICILIAN TRANSFORMATION THIS MONTH As of April 15, Dopo will officially become become Palmento a Dopo, a Sicilian restaurant. It has been slowly shifting its menu in this direction since the beginning of the year. The new menu features a prix fixe antipasti menu and a 100% Sicilian wine list. “After 12 years of exploring Italy’s culinary traditions, we have finally come full circle,” Dopo said in a statement. “Since our opening night, Sicily has always been in our heart and we could not be happier to return with new focus and drive.” The restaurant is also choosing to eliminate tips April 15. Dopo is at 4293 Piedmont Ave. (at John Street), Oakland. Connect with Dopo on Instagram.
SALSIPUEDES MAKING PROGRESS, ALE INDUSTRIES AT HALF ORANGE Salsipuedes, the North Oakland restaurant from The Half Orange‘s Jay Porter is “flying through construction,” said Porter in an email. Salsipuedes has garnered excitement over the past year, especially since it will be the first full-service restaurant in North Oakland’s Longfellow neighborhood. Porter and his wife, Katie Mayfield, plan to take a “super deep farm-to-table nose-to-tail approach on food,” we reported last year. It will be a neighborhood-serving restaurant, expected to seat about 40, with a small menu of perhaps 12 items featuring California cuisine. For now, Porter estimates that the restaurant will be open in early June, pending construction and permitting delays. Over at The Half Orange, Porter is hosting the pre-release party for Ale Industries “Spring Fling” beer April 8 from 6-9 p.m. The beer in question is inspired by iced mocha; it incorporates coffee from Red Bay Roasters and cacao nibs from Oakland Chocolate Company. Ale Industries co-owner Stephen Lopas will be in the house. Salsipuedes will be at 4201 Market St. (at 42nd Street), Oakland. The Half Orange is at 3340 E. 12th St. #11. (at 33rd Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Twitter and Instagram.
What else is going on…
WILD FOOD WEEK STARTS TOMORROW The Berkeley Open Source Food group has teamed up with San Francisco restauranteurs Anthony Myiant and Karen Leibowitz, of Mission Chinese Food and the forthcoming Perennial, to launch Wild Food Week, a week-long series of educational dinners, said Inside Scoop. The dinner series aims to introduce the world of wild edibles in the Bay Area to diners, and will begin with a wild edible identification walk in Berkeley’s Codornices Park. Berkeley professors Philip Stark, Kristen Rasmussen and Tom Carlson, the trio behind Berkeley Open Source Food, will lead the walk. Four dinners featuring wild edibles will take place over the course of the following week, three of which are in Berkeley. Cesar will host a wild tapas dinner tomorrow evening. Chez Panisse will weave wild edibles into its set menu on Thursday, April 9. Call (510) 548-5525 for reservations. Mission: Heirloom will host the final dinner on Friday, April 10 with a prix fixe menu. Call (510) 859-4501 for reservations.
CAL PETERNEL WINS IACP AWARD Cal Peternell, the co-chef at Chez Panisse, took home the award for Best Cookbook, General, at this year’s International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference. We reviewed Peternell’s book earlier this year, calling it “conversational and fun,” and praising its ability to “inspire improvisation.”
STANDARD FARE CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY Kelsie Kerr‘s sustainable take-out restaurant, Standard Fare, is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant will host a spring produce and olive oil tasting with Stonehouse Olive Oil, will serve Ruby’s Roast Coffee out of its new coffee machine, and will provide “general goodies” from the kitchen. Kerr is also celebrating her newly acquired retail permit, which allows Standard Fare to sell its goods immediately to customers. Standard Fare, Stonehouse and Ruby’s Roast are all tenants in The Berkeley Kitchens, the commercial kitchen building in West Berkeley. Standard Fare is at 2701 Eighth St. #118 (at Carleton Street), Berkeley. Connect with Standard Fare on Facebook and Twitter.
EASTER OFFERINGS For those looking to go out for Easter brunch or dinner, many restaurants in the East Bay are open for service. Oakland’s Homestead will serve a special prix fixe dinner April 5 for $60 per person. The menu features a spring vegetable salad with a deviled egg; a roasted leg of lamb with farro, minted pea tendrils, and baby carrots; and strawberry swirl sherbet. Also in Oakland, Haven will be serving a special brunch. The four course family-style meal will include a meat and vegetarian option as well oysters. Down in Livermore, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards will celebrate with a brunch menu including caramelized pear crostatas with cream cheese, savory lamb pastrami, and braised beef and bacon hash. Wine, of course, will be flowing. At HS Lordships in Berkeley, there will be a Champagne brunch, all-day Easter specials, and a visit from the Easter bunny. Also in Berkeley, the Paragon Restaurant in the Claremont Hotel will be featuring seasonal favorites for East brunch. Lindgren’s Café is celebrating Easter with a brunch buffet, complete with a lumpia bar, purple yam waffles, and a prime rib roast. Reservations are recommended. For those wanting to stay in on Easter, Market Hall will be selling its usual seasonal array of treats, such as hot cross buns and glazed hams. All Easter items are available April 1–4. Homestead is at 4029 Piedmont Ave. (at 40th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Haven is at 44 Webster St. (at Embarcadero West), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards is at 5050 Arroyo Rd., Livermore. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook. HS Lordships is at 199 Seawall Dr., Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Paragon Restaurant & Bar is at 41 Tunnel Rd., Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook. Lindgren’s Coffee and Café is at 2120 Dwight Way (at Shattuck Avenue), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Rockridge Market Hall is at 5655 College Ave. (at Shafter Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the store on Facebook and Twitter.
PASSOVER DINNERS Leaven-less meals also abound April 3-11, although most are not strictly Kosher. Comal will host passover dinners in its private dining room on April 6 and 7. The menu will feature Chef Matt Gandin’s Mexican riff on traditional Passover dishes. Saul’s Delicatessen is often the site of unofficial seders throughout Passover week. It will be serving a prix fixe Passover menu, which includes Pacific gefilte fish, chicken soup with knaeidlach and braised brisket. At Homestead, the kitchen will prepare a variety of dishes based on the Jewish tradition: duck liver with matzo, brisket with knish and horseradish, lamb roasted in the fireplace, and matzo candy with ice cream. Beauty’s Bagel Shop will serve Passover dishes such as wood-fired matzoh, gefilte fish, coconut macaroons and matzoh ball soup. All items must be ordered in advance. At Market Hall, you can pick up Passover-friendly baked goods from April 1–11. Comal is at 2020 Shattuck Ave. (at University Avenue), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Saul’s Delicatessen is at 1475 Shattuck Ave. (at Vine Street), Berkeley. Connect with the deli on Facebook and Twitter. Homestead is at 4029 Piedmont Ave. (at 40th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Beauty’s Bagel Shop is at 3838 Telegraph Ave. (between 38th and 40th streets), Oakland. Connect with the shop on Facebook and Twitter. Rockridge Market Hall is at 5655 College Ave. (at Shafter Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the store on Facebook and Twitter.
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