Openings, closings…
GRAND LAKE KITCHEN BEGINS EXPANSION Business has been good for Grand Lake Kitchen, the sandwich-slinging neighborhood deli on Oakland’s Grand Avenue. Co-owner May Seto Wasem tells us that they have just begun construction on the previously vacant storefront next-door. The expansion will double the seating capacity of the restaurant and allow for larger groups (and reservations). Plus, the larger Grand Lake Kitchen will have a full bar — a big plus for anyone stopping in for dinner. Wasem said that the new space needs “quite a bit of work” as far as seismic retrofitting and the sewer system are concerned. She hopes to open in the larger space at some point this fall. Grand Lake Kitchen is at 576 Grand Ave. (between MacArthur Boulevard and Euclid Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
TROUBLE COFFEE COMES TO OAKLAND East Bay residents can now get a slice of the original four dollar toast without trekking across the bridge. Trouble Coffee, which started the butter and cinnamon sugar-drenched toast trend in San Francisco, has now quietly opened up shop in West Oakland, reports the East Bay Express. For the uninformed: owner Giulietta Carrelli opened Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club in the Outer Sunset in 2007, selling coffee, fresh coconuts and cinnamon toast in an electronics-free atmosphere. (She opened a second location in the Bayview last year.) More gregarious toast proprietors like Josey Baker of The Mill cited Carrelli as the originator of the trend in a now widely read profile in Pacific Standard. Trouble Coffee in Oakland appears to be just as quirky as the original; the interior is almost entirely stark white and there is no printed menu anywhere in sight. Trouble Coffee is at 1545 Willow St. (between 15th and 16th streets), Oakland. Connect with the coffee shop on Facebook.
TELEFÉRIC PLANS FALL OPENING IN WALNUT CREEK The popular Spanish tapas restaurant Teleféric is headed to Walnut Creek this November if all goes according to plan, reports Eater. Oakland’s Arcsine is designing the 160-seat restaurant, which is the first stateside location for the Barcelona-based company. The restaurant will be open all day, and in addition to a 70-item tapas list, will serve jamón iberico, imported Spanish cheeses, and paella. Waiters will pass through the dining room with carts filled with tapas options, and diners will be able to make selections table side. Teleféric will be at 1500 Mount Diablo Blvd. (at South Main Street), Walnut Creek. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PYRAMID ALEHOUSE IS NO MORE As we reported earlier this week, West Berkeley’s Pyramid Alehouse has permanently shuttered. Kris Sirchio, CEO of North American Breweries, the parent company of Pyramid, says the company closed its Berkeley location in order to “focus” on its Portland and Seattle locations. Pyramid had been brewing in Berkeley since 1997, and it was one of the anchors to the recent Berkeley beer boom. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the building; a source has told Nosh that the location is currently in escrow, but could not reveal the future tenants.
PREVIOUSLY IN SHOP TALK The vegan eatery Nature’s Express, which has been in flux for two and a half years, has moved out of its location at 1823 Solano Ave., we reported earlier this week. Its Facebook page promises a quick return to a location “close by.” The store’s last day was July 16. In December 2013, longtime owner Carl Myers announced he was shuttering the healthy fast-food joint. But an outpouring of support let Myers keep the store open. The restaurant still struggled, losing $10,000 to $28,000 a month, and Myers shut it unexpectedly in July 2014. A new management team bought the business and stepped in, raised some cash, and managed to keep the restaurant afloat. No word on where or when the new Nature’s Express will open. Also closed is Euclid Avenue’s Banana Sam’s, which had been serving up smoothies and other food to Cal students for a decade. Its owner, Jamal Fares, who also operates the Hummingbird Café near by, couldn’t come to an agreement with the landlord for a new lease, he told the Daily Cal. Fares will focus on the Hummingbird Café. Meanwhile, location was not vacant for long. Newly opened Abe’s Café is already garnering good Yelp reviews. “I had a chicken melt sandwich from Abe’s and it was very tasty,” wrote one reviewer. “Lots of flavor and fantastic bread. The best deli-style sandwich on the block.” [by Francesca Paris]
What else is going on…
“CIDER DIE” TASTING AT BAY GRAPE Get to know California ciders at Bay Grape this Saturday, July 25. The day-long, “go-hard-or-go-home” tasting will be divided into two rounds of tasting: the first, from 1-5 p.m. will include three special ciders for $15. Later in the evening, Bay Grape will hold the “BIG Cider Die party,” which will include six ciders for $20. Guest cider makers will be in attendance at the 6-9 p.m. tasting. Bay Grape is at 376 Grand Ave. (between Staten Avenue and Perkins Street), Oakland. Connect with the wine shop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
COSECHA TURNS FOUR Cosecha, the Swan’s Marketplace home for killer shrimp tacos and other seasonal Mexican fare is celebrating its fourth anniversary this Sunday, July 26. The restaurant is hosting a “wild art party,” featuring works from Ester Hernandez, Dignidad Rebelde, Eduardo Valadez Arenas and more of the Bay Area’s rising Latino and Latina artists. There will be music, drinks and (obviously) food. Funds will go towards the Chicana-Latina Foundation Scholarship Fund. Cosecha is at 907 Washington St. (at 9th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
ALAMEDA ART AND WINE FAIRE Downtown Alameda is holding its 31st annual Art and Wine Faire this weekend. The event features over 300 arts and food vendors, plus local beer and Rock Wall wine, live music, and a special kids area. Food options include street food favorites like Lockeford Sausage, corndogs, gyros, roasted corn, fried calamari and funnel cakes. Downtown Alameda’s Art and Wine Faire will be on Park Street between Encinal and Buena Vista Avenues.
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