Openings, closings
RED BAY COFFEE BOX NOW OPEN AT THE HIVE Close to a year after announcing it would be opening a café built out of a converted shipping container in Oakland’s Hive complex, Red Bay Coffee Roaster‘s “Coffee Box” is now open. In addition to coffee, we hear from East Bay Dish that the Coffee Box is offering baked goods from Oakland-based Tart Bakery. Funds for the café were raised through a successful $80,000 Kickstarter campaign last spring — the most successful coffee campaign ever on the crowdfunding site, according to Red Bay founder Keba Konte. But permitting issues delayed the opening of the café, despite the fact that Konte had finished construction on the container months ago. In the meantime, Red Bay launched several farmers market stands, including one at the downtown Berkeley market, added Uber as a client, and built out a new headquarters in a converted factory in Fruitvale. The Red Bay Coffee Box is at 2327 Broadway (between 23rd and 24th streets), Oakland. Connect with the coffee roasters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE DETAILS ON AGRODOLCE In May, we broke the news that an Italian restaurant called Agrodolce would be replacing Café Gratitude in the Gourmet Ghetto. We now have a few more details on the new spot, courtesy of Inside Scoop. Agrodolce will be run by the owners of the Elmwood’s Trattoria La Siciliana, and it will focus exclusively on food from Sicily. Co-owner Angelo D’Alo told the Scoop that, unlike at the trattoria, Agrodolce’s menu will not include more general Italian dishes like carbonara. D’Alo said that much of the menu will be vegan and vegetarian “by default, because historically there was a lack of funds to afford meat.” This news will likely be welcome for fans of Café Gratitude’s meatless menu. In addition to food, Agrodolce will have a focus on wine, and the owners plan to hold winemaker events and cooking classes. The restaurant will initially serve just dinner, but the owners plan to phase in breakfast, lunch and brunch service over time. D’Alo told the Scoop that he is planning for a late-summer opening, likely in August or September. Agrodolce will be at 1730 Shattuck Ave. (at Francisco Street), Berkeley.
FORMER COI CHEF JOINING FIREBRAND ARTISAN BREADS Oakland-based Firebrand Artisan Breads seems gifted at attracting top talent. Less than a week after its split with Jeff Mason of Pal’s Takeaway, Firebrand announced that it would be bringing on Tommy Schnell, most recently the chef de cuisine at the Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Coi, as executive chef. Schnell will be expanding the menu at the bakery to serve all-day fare, plus weekend brunch, beer and wine, reports Eater SF. New menu items, including Schnell’s special corned beef, are already in the works. In addition, Firebrand has also hired a new retail manager, Leticia Grosz, who will be adding infusions and craft coffee drinks to the coffee menu. Side note: Schnell’s replacement at Coi is Justin Mauz, who had been the opening chef at Antoinette at the Claremont Hotel. Firebrand Artisan Breads is at 2343 Broadway (between 23rd and 24th streets), Oakland. 510-594-9213. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Connect with the bakery on Facebook.
YUZU RAMEN & BROFFEE TO REPLACE BACANO BAKERY More ramen is headed to the East Bay. Yuzu Ramen & Broffee will join a growing group of noodle shops when it opens this summer in the former Bacano Bakery shop in Emeryville. The E’ville Eye had the scoop, and it reported that the restaurant will focus on the Osaka region of Japan, which it describes as “the street gourmet capital of Japan” on its website. On the menu will be at least six different ramen styles, including tonkotsu, gyukotsu (made with beef broth), vegan and even cheese-topped ramen. In addition, Yuzu will serve what it calls “broffee” (aka bone broth) in the mornings. It will offer beef, chicken, pork and vegetable broths with condiments (salt, pepper, soy sauce, sugar, honey and milk) and freshly baked bread on the side. Yuzu is expected to open in July. Yuzu Ramen & Broffee will be at 1298 65th St. (at Hollis Street), Emeryville.
TERTULIA COFFEE/SANCHEZ CONTEMPORARY OPENS A new combination coffee shop-art gallery quietly opened in Uptown Oakland last week. Tertulia Coffee and Sanchez Contemporary are sharing the space, and will hold a grand opening celebration July 2, according to Inside Scoop. On the food and drink side, the coffee shop is selling Stumptown Coffee, Firebrand baked goods and Mexican pan dulce sweet breads. Eventually, co-owners Tim and Maria Sanchez hope to build up an evening business as well, hosting everything from live music to artist talks. “The goal is to create an alternative spot for people to hang out, where they don’t have to fight their way into a bar to get a drink,” Tim Sanchez told the Scoop. “A place where people can kick back and chill, have an espresso drink, check out some art, and listen to live music.” On the art side, the Sanchezes are exclusively showing the work of emerging artists, primarily of African-American and Latino descent. Tertulia Coffee/Sanchez Contemporary is at 1951 Telegraph Ave. (at William Street), Oakland. Connect with the business on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
TIDBITS: THE FUTURE OF BUCCI’S, SHIRASONI We noticed that an ABC license has been filed for a new Asian-American restaurant, 610One Restaurant, to take the place of Emeryville’s Bucci’s restaurant. One of the co-owners, Utid Srisawat, is the chef and co-owner at Cha Am Thai in San Francisco. In Alameda, a new sushi restaurant, Shirasoni, is slated to open June 28. It will be the third location for the small chain, which also has locations in Stockton and Brentwood. The first 100 people into the restaurant on opening day will get free sushi for one year, and 10% of all sales during opening week will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Alameda, as well as other local charities. 610One Restaurant will be at at 6121 Hollis St. (at Doyle Street), Emeryville. Shirasoni will be at 2660 5th St., Ste A (near Singleton Avenue), Alameda. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
What else is going on…
STATESIDE TREATS LAUNCHES ICE CREAM TACO KICKSTARTER Berkeley’s Stateside Treats (formerly Stateside Bakery) and the Cupkates food truck has started fundraising to develop and produce additive-free ice cream tacos. The ice cream tacos fit into Stateside’s niche of “nostalgic treats” — it’s a revamped “Choco Taco” made with a house-made waffle cone filled with a variety of ice cream flavors, dipped into chocolate and flash-cozen with liquid nitrogen. In addition to the ice cream tacos, Stateside will also be using Kickstarter funds to do building improvements on its Berkeley retail space, revamp its food trucks and apply for business licensing under its new name. Stateside Treats is at 3001 Telegraph Ave. (at Ashby Avenue), Berkeley. Connect with the bakery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
KITCHENER NOW OFFERING DELIVERY Oakland shared kitchen space Kitchener has been working on building out its takeout window for over two years now; increased expenses have delayed the project, but it is still in the works. In the meantime, we hear from the East Bay Express that Kitchner owner Sophia Chiang has partnered with a startup called Nom Nom, which has created an online site through which customers can order meals from local food makers. Kitchner businesses Simon Lee Kitchen, Mama Tran and The Lumpia Company are all selling their goods through the site at lunch only, for now. Kitchener is at 372 24th St. (at Webster Street), Oakland. Connect with the kitchen on Facebook and Twitter.
LIBA FALAFEL TO RETIRE ITS FOOD TRUCKS After seven years of operation, Liba Falafel owner Gail Lilian has decided to take her food trucks off of the street. According to the East Bay Express, the decision was largely motivated by finances and staffing shortages. The last day to catch a Liba Falafel truck will be at the Grand Lake farmers market tomorrow. However, Lilian will be keeping open her brick-and-mortar spot in Uptown Oakland, and she is considering opening additional locations. She’s also on the verge of launching a new farmers market stall called Lovabowl, which will expand on Liba Falafel’s salad bar concept, adding flavors and ingredients from other parts of the world, such as Thai-style grilled chicken. Liba Falafel is at 380 17th St. (between Franklin and Webster streets), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe to the free NOSH Weekly email for all your East Bay food news. It lands in your inbox fresh every Thursday morning!
