Openings, closings
EMERYVILLE PUBLIC MARKET TO GAIN TWO NEW RESTAURANTS Emeryville’s Public Market is about to get even more interesting, food-wise. The shopping and dining center added a full line-up of food trucks earlier this year, which will soon be joined by two new restaurants in the market hall portion of the building: Shiba Ramen and KoJa Kitchen. We brought you news of the Shiba Ramen project last week; the fast-casual ramen shop is the brainchild of two ex-chemists who plan on bringing Japanese style service and noodle soups to the neighborhood. KoJa Kitchen will be the second brick-and-mortar location for the Korean-Japanese fusion food truck of the same name. (Its first location is at 2395 Telegraph Ave., at Channing Way, in Berkeley.) “We’re excited to welcome Koja Kitchen and Shiba Ramen to Public Market Emeryville,” said City Center Realty Partners’ Co-Founder Mark Stefan in a prepared statement. “They embody our vision for the new Food Hall — unique purveyors who want to be part of the community.” Shiba Ramen and KoJa Kitchen are both part of a larger renovation project. This first phase includes adding food stalls and reconditioning the existing structure. The second phase of the project, expected to wrap up by this summer, includes installing a living wall, replacing the ball-pit with a new children’s play area, upgrading the entries, and putting up local artwork. Public Market Emeryville is at 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville. Connect with Shiba Ramen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Connect with KoJa Kitchen on Facebook and Twitter.
BOMBAY B’S OPENS IN UPTOWN As we told you last month, an Indian street food restaurant, Bombay B’s, was on the way to the former Captain & Corset space at 2212 Broadway. As of last weekend, the restaurant is now open. Bombay B’s is the third concept in two years for the space; previous to Captain & Corset, the location was the home of 2212 Wine Bar. All three were owned by Sam Patel. Expect Bombay B’s menu to include dishes such as Indian tacos, kale pakoras, masala fries, and naan pizzas, plus affordable beer and wine. We’ll have a review for you coming up soon. Bombay B’s is at 2212 Broadway (at Grand Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
BASIC CAFÉ NOW SERVING BREAKFAST AND LUNCH Last month, Baseline Produce opened its doors in Emeryville; last week, its sister restaurant, Basic Café launched. The breakfast and lunch spot serves twists on American staples such as eggs benedict with smoked salmon, fried green tomatoes, and several varieties of pies. Basic Café hopes to do more than just feeding its neighbors; the restaurant is donating 5% of its monthly profits to a local charity. Basic Café is at 5000 Adeline St. (at 53rd Street), Emeryville. Connect with the café on Facebook.
FIELDWORK BREWING GRAND OPENING Fieldwork‘s West Berkeley tap-room has been open since February, but it is holding its grand opening party this weekend. The celebration will begin today and run through Saturday. It will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Berkeley mayor Tom Bates at 4 p.m. today, a “Mardi Gras in April” five-course Creole tasting menu on Saturday, and Doughnut Dolly treats and Pugs Leap Cheese on Sunday. Fieldwork will also be releasing four new beers over the weekend, including a French pilsner and a double IPA. Fieldwork Brewing is at 1160 Sixth St. (at Harrison Street), Berkeley. Connect with the brewery on Facebook and Twitter.
OK FALLS NOT HAPPENING Back in November, we reported that San Francisco restaurateur Doug Washington would be opening up OK Falls, an Italian-American restaurant, in Uptown Oakland. Unfortunately, Washington has now scrapped those plans. Washington told Inside Scoop that he is too busy renovating and opening Grand Fare, also in Oakland, to open the restaurant. Grand Fare is an open-concept market where, Washington said, “You can find anything from an oyster bar counter with seven seats, to a rotisserie area with porchetta sandwiches and rotisserie chicken.” Grand Fare is at 3265 Grand Ave. (between Elwood and Santa Clara Avenues), Oakland.
What else is going on…
BLUE BOTTLE AND TARTINE BAKERY MERGE The merger of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery with Oakland’s Blue Bottle Coffee will bring Tartine bread and baked goods, like croissants, morning buns, and savory items, to the East Bay and beyond. As Tartine owner Chad Robertson and Blue Bottle owner James Freeman told Inside Scoop, Tartine will remain an independent entity within Blue Bottle, but will be given the resources to grow rapidly. Tartine is in the process of opening a bakery in Tokyo and a second, larger San Francisco location in the Heath Ceramics building. It plans on a Los Angeles and New York expansion in the near future.
GIOVANNI’S AFTER THE FIRE The future is unclear for Giovanni’s, one of downtown Berkeley’s oldest restaurants, which suffered a fire yesterday that the city’s Fire Department estimated caused $100,000 worth of damage. Attempts to reach the restaurant’s owners had proved unsuccessful at press time, and nothing has been posted by the restaurant on social media. Two years ago, we reported on the family-run establishment’s attempts to stay in business after having spent money to upgrade the restaurant and facing significant back taxes.
BAUMAN COLLEGE COOKING DEMOS Beginning April 28, Berkeley’s Bauman College will host monthly cooking demos at the Ecology Center‘s Tuesday and Saturday farmers markets. Bauman College teaches holistic nutrition and culinary arts, and its demos will likewise emphasize healthy, seasonal cooking. Natural Chef instructor Marie Brennan will lead each demo with assistance from Ecology Center interns. The first demo will take place from 2:30-5:30 p.m. at the South Berkeley market at 63rd and Adeline Streets.
TRIPLE ROCK FIRKIN FEST Get your fill of cask-conditioned ales at Triple Rock‘s 13th annual Firkin Fest tomorrow, April 25. The party, which celebrates gravity-poured beers, will pour brews from 21st Amendment, Iron Springs, Ballast Point, Marin Brewing Company, Moyland’s and more. Triple Rock Brewery is at 1920 Shattuck Ave. (between Hearst Avenue and Berkeley Way), Berkeley. Connect with the Brewery on Facebook and Twitter.
SOUTHERN ITALIAN DINNER AT BENCHMARK Kensington’s Benchmark Pizzeria is celebrating southern Italian wine and food on Thursday, April 30. Benchmark’s wine buyer, Noah Kenoyer has brought together several unique wines from the region, including Fiano d’Avellino, Frappatto, and Taurasi, to pair with a five-course prix fixe menu. This menu will, of course, include pizza; in addition, expect dishes like sea scallops with blood oranges, calamarata with fava beans and Pecorino cheese, and braised stuffed flank steak. Benchmark Pizzeria is at 1568 Oak View Ave. (at Colusa Avenue), Kensington. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
BARREL ROOM GOES LATIN The Barrel Room, the popular Rockridge wine shop and restaurant, has switched its menu to a Latin American theme, according to a tipster on Chowhound. Menu favorites include spicy mushroom and cilantro rice, merguez with Israeli couscous and cabbage slaw, dates with blue cheese and walnuts, and ahi tuna ceviche with passionfruit. The restaurant rotates its menu every few months, and this iteration will be in place through July or August of this year. The Barrel Room is at 5330 College Ave. (at Bryant Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
QUIVIRA WINE DINNER IN WALNUT CREEK Corner’s Tavern in Walnut Creek is celebrating biodynamic wine this weekend. It will host Healdsburg’s Quivira Winery for a special pairing dinner highlighting spring ingredients alongside the wine. Quivira specializes in “small-lot wines from varietals specifically matched to the soils” and that “showcase the unique terroir” of its vineyard’s location. The meal will feature dishes like asparagus and Hog Island oysters, halibut with chiogga beets, and beef short ribs with morels and English peas. Corner’s Tavern is at 1342 Broadway Plaza (at South Main Street), Walnut Creek. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
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