The former Salsipuedes location will likely not be empty for long.
A kebab-focused restaurant from Camino‘s Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain called, appropriately, The Kebabery, will open sometime this fall. Moore and Hopelain have filed an ABC license for the restaurant as of June 12. Joining them in the effort will be Camino’s floor manager, Brian Crookes.
Read more about Camino on Nosh.
The three will continue to focus on Camino, and will consider The Kebabery a side project.
Kebabs aren’t a total stretch for Moore, a Chez Panisse alum, who has served them on special Monday night dinners at Camino. The most recent kebab menu at Camino featured dishes such as grilled lamb leg kebab and a lamb shoulder and belly kofte kebab. Sides like fava beans, grilled artichokes and red lentil hummus have made appearances as well.
Inside Scoop reports that the food will be served casually, using counter service, and the menu will feature sandwiches and make-your own combo plates of kebabs and falafel. Additionally, The Kebabery will serve a changing selection of salads and sides, plus Moore’s naturally leavened flatbread.
Like at Camino, the food will be made using organic and sustainable produce and meats. Moore and Hopelain told Inside Scoop that they are not planning to emphasize the food of specific countries; rather, they will focus on the underlying flavors of the Middle East.
Salsipuedes closed abruptly at the end of April after only eight months in business. It had made a name for itself by serving Baja-inspired surf-and-turf paired with natural wines, but the unique menu and relatively high prices didn’t seem resonate with the neighborhood, which is still underserved in the restaurant department.
Porter was drawn to the neighborhood in early 2015 because he felt it had immense growth potential in terms of both food businesses. Yet 18 months later, Salsipuedes was still one of the only places to grab food nearby. For now there’s only Shangri-La Vegan and MLK Cafe, so hopefully The Kebabery will manage to stick.
Porter, for one, think it will. “I think they’re going to do great,” he told Nosh in an email. “While we didn’t hit the target perfectly at Salsipuedes, in the process I learned that the neighborhood will definitely support an approachable restaurant that delivers great quality food at a fair price. From what I can tell, that’s exactly what they’re going to create there.”
The Kebabery will be at at 4201 Market St. (at 42nd Street), Oakland.
Related:
Kitchen secrets of hot Oakland restaurant Camino (11.03.15)
Nosh on the Town: Brunch at Camino (03.04.15)
Chefs, Chez Panisse alums, bring back art of bartering (11.24.14)
Don’t miss any big East Bay food news! Subscribe to the free NOSH Weekly email.
