Openings, closings…
MEAL TICKET ON THE MARKET, NOT CLOSING We hear from Meal Ticket owner Carolyn Del Gaudio that she and her husband and business partner Jimmy Carter are looking to retire. They have put the San Pablo Avenue restaurant on the market, but Del Gaudio is adamant that Meal Ticket will remain open in the interim. She said in a written statement that “they are hoping to find an energetic buyer who would have the passion to either continue … Meal Ticket or honor its legacy by creating another wonderful restaurant in [its] space.” Meal Ticket has been open in its current location since 2001, and itserves a solid menu of breakfast standards and sandwiches, plus an adventurous line-up of daily specials. Its tree-lined backyard patio is one of our favorite spots for sunny day dining. Meal Ticket is at 1235 San Pablo Ave (between Gilman and Harrison streets). Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
CHOLITA LINDA NO LONGER EXPANDING TO GRAND LAKE In other news, we hear that Cholita Linda will no longer be expanding its operation to the Grand Lake neighborhood. In January, the popular taco and Latin comfort food joint spoke with the Splashpad Park newsletter, and said that it would be moving into the shuttered Burrito Shop location at 3256 Lakeshore Ave. However, we now hear from Splashpad that the landlord pulled out of the deal and instead offered the lease to Sunnyvale-based Falafel Stop. The East Bay Express spoke with Cholita Linda owner Murat Sozeri, who said, “We got screwed.” Sozeri and the property owners had signed a letter of intent in late 2015, but the property owners didn’t send over a lease until March. This lease was, according to Sozeri, full of typos, and when his lawyer sent back an edited version, the owners were unhappy with the changes and told him they had received a “stronger bid” from another potential tenant. Last week, Sozeri found out that the lease had been given to Falafel Stop. Falafel Stop will be at 3256 Lakeshore Ave. (near Lake Park Avenue), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
CRÊPES A-GO-GO TELEGRAPH CLOSED We received a tip earlier this week that the Telegraph Avenue location of Crêpes A-Go-Go would be closing. Owner Linda Gilman posted a sign on the front of the building saying that she would be retiring and closing this month. The Daily Cal confirmed the story, saying that the restaurant is now closed. Gilman told The Daily Cal that the new tenant of the space will be a restaurant serving quinoa bowls. The original Crêpes A-Go-Go location at 2125 University Ave., which is owned by Gilman’s former husband and business partner, remains open. This location changed its name to Crêpes Ooh LaLa but has retained the original sign.
BOWL’D NOW OPEN IN ALAMEDA Last month, we brought you news of a new location for Bowl’d, the popular Korean restaurant, in Alameda’s South Shore Center. The restaurant had its opening day April 5. Like its other locations in Albany, Oakland and Berkeley, Bowl’d Alameda specializes in bibimbap rice bowls served with either white or mixed grain rice. It also serves specialty dishes like jhap che (glass noodles), Korean miso stew, pork belly and kimchi stir-fry, and plenty of banchan (side dishes). Bowl’d is at 2201D South Shore Center, Alameda. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
SWEETGREEN MOVES OPENING TO APRIL 19 Last month, we reported that Sweetgreen would be opening its Berkeley location April 12; the official opening day has now been moved back one week to April 19. The new location will feature ingredients from local producers like Full Belly Farm, Rotto Brothers, Van Groningen, Acme Bread, Hodo Soy, Mary’s Chicken and Belfiore cheese. It will also include at least one signature item unique to this location, a Falafel and Feta salad with broccoli leaves, which will feature cheese from Berkeley’s Belfiore. All day April 19, 100% of proceeds will go to Berkeley Technology Academy, as a part of the Sweetgreen in Schools program, to support its garden revitalization. Sweetgreen will be at 1890 Shattuck Ave. (at Hearst Street), Berkeley. Connect with Sweetgreen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
HIMALAYAN GROCERY TO EL CERRITO Nepalese dining enthusiasts may be happy to know that a new grocery store called Himalayan Grocery, which sells snacks, frozen foods, spices and dried goods from the Himalayan region, has now opened in El Cerrito. A commenter on the food discussion board Hungry Onion first broke the news, and the East Bay Express spoke with the daughter of the owner last week. Taniya Acharya told EBX that her father and his friends had talked “for years” about opening a food business together, and ultimately decided that a grocery store would best serve the Himalayan immigrant community in the East Bay and in El Cerrito in particular. While there is likely quite a bit of cross-over in grocery items between Himalayan Grocery and other East Bay Indian grocery stores, Acharya told EBX that the store will carry certain specialty products from Nepal (Wai Wai instant noodles, “Nepalese Tang” and chewy yak milk cheese) that aren’t found elsewhere. Himalayan Grocery is at 10340 San Pablo Ave. (between Eureka and Stockton avenues), El Cerrito. Connect with the store on Facebook.
Dinners and events…
PAL’S TAKEAWAY SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY POP-UPS The new Oakland transplant Pal’s Takeaway is celebrating its seventh anniversary with four guest chef pop-ups starting April 11. The first event will feature Serious Eats’ J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who will be slinging a limited number (200) of kimchi-brined double-fried chicken sandwiches staring at 6:30 p.m. Lopez-Alt said on Facebook that he has been hosting similar events across the country and the response has been “insane,” so if you want to get in on that action, you’d better show up on time. On April 13, Pal’s owner Jeff Mason will be making spicy deep fried oyster rolls with Ramen Shop‘s Jerry Jaksich and Rayneil De Guzman. Comal‘s Matt Gandin will make an albondigas meatball torta with queso and roasted poblanos on April 20, and Hawker Fare and Commis‘ James Syhabout will serve a deep-fried catfish sandwich on May 7. These three latter guest sandwiches will be available during lunch hours (starting at 11 a.m.) until they run out. In addition, Mason told Inside Scoop that he is trying to get Stuart Brioza of San Francisco’s State Bird Provisions in on the line-up as well, but he has yet to confirm. Pal’s Takeaway inside Firebrand is at 2343 Broadway (between 23rd and 24th streets), Oakland. Connect with the sandwich shop on Facebook and Twitter.
FIELDWORK FIRST ANNIVERSARY PARTY Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing Company is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend with a multi-day party. Tonight, the brewery releases its 2016 Eliza, a NOLA-style coffee Imperial milk stout brewed with local Paramo coffee, French chicory, cane sugar and milk sugar. Library kegs of 2015 Barrel Aged Eliza; Vikings Lament Barrel Aged Imperial Porter; Serac, White Tea and Apricot Sour Ale; Heartbreaker Sour Base Beer 1; Salted Watermelon Brett Gose; and Meloncotte will also be on tap. The next day, Fieldwork will be pouring more library beers plus fresh hopped brews including Pulp Free IPA and Morado Punch IPA. The brewery will close early for a sold-out show with The Brothers Comatose. On Sunday, Fieldwork will be hosting a beer dinner with Mike O’Brien and Alex Tweet. Fieldwork Brewing is at 1160 Sixth St. (at Harrison Street), Berkeley. Connect with the brewery on Facebook and Twitter.
What else is going on…
OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA EXPANDS FOOD TRUCK LINEUP The Oakland Museum of California will be expanding its family-friendly Friday night market event, Friday Nights @ OMCA, starting tonight. The events will run through October 28, and will feature additional programming, later access to the museum and an increased number of food trucks. Off the Grid will increase its vendor count from 13 to 20 trucks and expand its presence along 10th Street and up Oak Street. Friday Nights @ OCMA also includes half-price museum admission, local music performances, family-friendly dance lessons, free hands-on art workshops, featured story time with the Oakland Public Library, and a “Makers & Tasters Series” with local brewers, coffee roasters, organic farmers and authors hosting talks, demos, and tastings on the first and last Friday of the month. Oakland Museum of California is at 1000 Oak St. (between 10th and 11th streets), Oakland. Connect with the museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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