Openings, closings
NICK AND ARON’S IS NO MORE After being open for only seven months, Nick and Aron’s has closed. The Temescal restaurant announced the closure on Facebook, and its last day of service was Nov. 16. Nick and Aron’s was the second restaurant from Aron Ford and Nick Yapor-Cox, who also own Nick’s Pizza on Shattuck Avenue. The full-service restaurant built upon Nick’s pizza menu, serving dishes like wood-roasted chicken and meatballs in addition to Nick’s signature “Oakland-style” pies. Nick and Aron’s also served a killer breakfast and baked goods menu, and will surely be missed by the neighborhood. According to the Facebook post, the restaurant was “no longer able to pay the high costs of running a large operation.” Ford and Yapor-Cox did say that they have “been so welcomed by the neighborhood, and it breaks our hearts to stop service.” Nick’s Pizza will remain open. Nick and Aron’s was at 4316 Telegraph Ave. (at 44th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook. Nick’s Pizza is at 6211 Shattuck Ave. (at 62nd Street), Oakland. Connect with Nick’s Pizza on Facebook.
CRAFT BEER CELLAR TO DOWNTOWN OAKLAND A Boston area craft beer store group is opening a new location in downtown Oakland in early 2016. Craft Beer Cellar opened its first store in Belmont, MA in 2010 and currently operates around 20 stores across the U.S. Each location sells craft beer by the bottle and most have draft lines for in-store growler service. (Unfortunately, California law doesn’t allow for growler fill-ups except at a brewery, so we won’t be seeing those at the Oakland location.) According to the company website: “We are a craft beer bottle shop, whose primary focus has always been the best beer that we can get our hands on. We spend our lives in search of beers made in breweries just down the street or on the other side of the world, that are well-crafted and good examples of either their style or what we think excellent beer should be, keeping in mind that “style” is not everything. We are not snobs, we are beer geeks!” Indeed, each employee at Craft Beer Cellar is required to be at least Cicerone Certified Beer Servers or BJCP Recognized Judges. Craft Beer Cellar will be at 555 12th St. (between Clay and Jefferson streets), Oakland. Connect with the store on Facebook and Twitter.
POUR WINE BAR OPENING NEXT MONTH IN MONTCLAIR A new wine bar is replacing the recently shuttered Metro Montclair. Pour Wine Bar and Bistro is set to open for weekday dinner service Dec. 1 and will feature over 30 wines by the half-glass, class and bottle, all from small production wineries in California, Oregon and Washington. Owner Cheri Springer told NOSH in an email that the drink is especially designed for a guests to taste wines in a flight format. The initial food menu will include cheeses, vegetable bites, olives, house-roasted nuts, risotto and sliders. Springer said she will be adding additional menu items for lunch and brunch starting early next year. Pour Wine Bar and Bistro will be at 2058 Mountain Blvd. (at La Salle Avenue), Oakland.
CLAREMONT DINER UPDATE We last brought you news that the Claremont Diner would be closing at the end of October as the owners are retiring. Fortunately for the diner’s fans, the owners have decided to remain open at least through this weekend. In addition, we learned today that the diner has been sold to owners who will “continue the legacy” of the restaurant after the holidays. According to Facebook, the new owners will update the decor and will revise the menu. The new menu will, they say, “certainly include some delicious pancakes.” Claremont Diner is at 6200 Claremont Ave. (at Florio Street), Oakland. Connect with the diner on Facebook.
SCOOP DREAMS CLOSED The contentious ice cream and cookie shop inside Rasputin’s music store appears to be closed, a tipster reported to NOSH this week. Scoop Dreams opened in the Telegraph Avenue music store in January 2014 after an “ice cream face-off” with the owner of C.R.E.A.M, which is located across the street. Rasputin’s ice cream shop did, however, garner positive online reviews, especially regarding its shorter lines and “friendlier” employees. We will keep you posted as we learn more. Scoop Dreams was at 2401 Telegraph Ave. (at Channing Way), Berkeley.
TANGERINE SHUTTERED We received a tip this week that Solono Avenue’s Tangerine has closed. The deli was a popular lunch spot; our tipster called it one of his “go-to” spots because, he said, the food was good and the owner was “incredibly friendly.” Yelp reviewers agreed, calling the owner “really friendly,” “personal” and “very polite.” The turkey and avocado sandwich was a particular favorite. NOSH has reached out to Tangerine, but has yet to hear any details regarding the closure. Tangerine was at 1707 Solano Ave. (between Tulare and Ensenada avenues), Berkeley.
What else is going on…
THANKSGIVING IN THE EAST BAY Still haven’t made Thanksgiving plans? Scared of baking pie? East Bay restaurants and stores to the rescue! In Berkeley, FIVE restaurant will be serving a $58 family-style meal of “comforting classics with a twist.” Dishes include smoked salmon salad with horseradish cream and fried potato strings, oven-roasted beef ribeye and pecan pie with brown butter gelato. If you want to grab a turkey to-go, Saul’s Restaurant and Delicatessen is offering a BN Ranch heritage turkey with “all the fixings.” Orders must be placed by Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. Recently-opened Flour & Co will be selling a few desserts (think spiced pumpkin cake, butternut squash pie and brown sugar nut pie) plus nine-grain dinner rolls to go. Pre-orders must be placed by Nov. 22.
In Oakland, Lungomare is hosting its annual Italian-inspired Thanksgiving feast for $55. The family-style meal includes both smoked turkey breast with confit turkey leg and 14-day dry-aged, slow-roasted prime rib. Stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce are all also on deck. On Lake Merritt, Lake Chalet Bar & Grill will serve a three-course prix fixe menu ($49), which will include a choice of salad, a plate of protein (turkey, lamb, seafood or risotto) plus sides, and pie for dessert. Sweet Bar Bakery will be selling Thanksgiving pies, like pumpkin-sweet potato and bourbon pecan, through Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. Rockridge’s Market Hall will be offering a full feast to-go, complete with BN Ranch turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, mushroom gravy, cornbread stuffing, cranberry orange sauce and a pumpkin pie ($220, serves 8 to 10). Menu items are also available a la carte. And if you’re looking for a good meal for the evening before Thanksgiving, Homestead will be hosting a clam bake Nov. 25. The $60 family-style prix-fixe menu will include a large selection of seafood, from clams and mussels to shrimp and lobster, plus seasonal vegetable sides and desert. (The restaurant normally hosts a crab boil, but those plans were changed after the California Department of Public Health put the season on hold.) FIVE is at 2086 Allston Way (at Shattuck Avenue), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook. Saul’s Delicatessen is at 1475 Shattuck Ave. (at Vine Street), Berkeley. Connect with the deli on Facebook and Twitter. Flour & Co. is at 1398 University Ave. (at Acton Street), Berkeley. Connect with the bakery on Facebook and Twitter. Lungomare is at 1 Broadway (at Water Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Sweet Bar Bakery is at 2355 Broadway (at 24th Street), Oakland. Connect with the bakery on Facebook and Twitter. Rockridge Market Hall is at 5655 College Ave. (at Shafter Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the store on Facebook and Twitter. Lake Chalet Seafood Bar and Grill is at 1520 Lakeside Dr. (near 14th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook. Homestead is at 4029 Piedmont Ave. (at 40th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
ALE INDUSTRIES DINNER AT SALSIPUEDES And if you’re looking to continue the celebratory festivities through the following week, consider heading over to North Oakland’s Salsipuedes for what sounds like a fun (and affordable) beer pairing dinner with Ale Industries on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Morgan Cox, the owner of the brewery, will be in the restaurant pouring four unusual beers — Pink Drank (sour blonde with raspberries), La Niña Fresa (spontaneously fermented farmhouse ale), Weisse Edict (strong white ale aged in whisky barrels) and Cherry Kush (California “native tea” beer made without hops; this writer’s favorite). Each beer will be paired with a dish from chef Marcus Krauss, and these plates sound equally creative. Think: sturgeon al pastor, fermented potato flatbread and Peking quail. Each pairing (beer plus dish) is $15 and all are available a la carte. Salsipuedes is at 4201 Market St. (at 42nd Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
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