Openings, closings
EAST BROTHER BEER COMPANY HEADED TO RICHMOND In case the recent abundance of openings wasn’t enough, the East Bay is set to get yet another brewery, this time in Richmond. East Brother Beer Company, named for the lighthouse just north of the Richmond bridge, will be focusing on updated “craft classics made with precision” — saison, red IPA, red lager, oatmeal stout and a pilsner. Co-founders Chris Coomber and UC Berkeley alum Rob Lightner have been friends for 20 years and home brewing partners for around seven. While neither have professional brewing experience, Coomber has “spent the last five years devoting himself to a rigorous autodidactic program focused on the home brewing sciences,” according to the brewery. He and Lightner have also brought on Peter Landman (Deschutes, Draught Works, Fifty-Fifty) as head brewer. When the East Brother opens (tentatively) in August, it will offer its beers in a taproom at its brewery, as well as in local bars and restaurants. East Brother Beer Company will be at 1001 Canal Blvd. (near Wharf Street), Richmond. Connect with the brewery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MONTEROS GROUP TAKING OVER OVER T-REX The Monteros Café group, owners of La Crema (in the former Monteros), La Mission, Taqueria Talavera and Casa Latina, has filed an ABC license for T-Rex BBQ in West Berkeley. According to the ABC application, the name will remain the same. The restaurant has had its share of ownership shuffles over the years: In 2012, original owners Haig and Cindy Krikorian (Lalime’s) sold the restaurant to Matt Strum of San Franscisco. Last fall, the restaurant temporarily closed “due to management changes.” After this second change, T-Rex limited its hours to weeknight dinners and brunch through dinner on the weekends. We have reached out to T-Rex, as well as the Monteros group, for more information on the changes to come, but we wouldn’t be sad to find out that the Mexican restaurant group’s signature chile Colorado and mole sauces may make their way onto the menu. We will keep you posted as we learn more. T-Rex BBQ is at 1300 10th St. (at Gilman Street), Berkeley.
STAG’S LUNCHETTE CLOSING We hear that Oakland sandwich shop Stag’s Lunchette is not long for this world. On Facebook, owner Alexeis Filipello announced that the restaurant’s last day will be August 1. “We are moving on to different things, changing evolving,” Filipello wrote. “Over that past year organic food/labor/and every facet of this business has gotten more expensive and we just realize that our organic/sustainable business is barely sustainable. It’s just hard to do what we do without sacrificing quality or obscenely raising prices while keeping all of our hungry baby birds fed. Stay tuned for our next adventures, and come eat with us and enjoy.” Those next adventures, according to Tablehopper, involve box lunches and company lunches. Until we know more, consider this your push to go and get a reuben while you can. Stag’s Lunchette is at 362 17th St. (between Webster and Franklin streets), Oakland. Wheelchair accessible. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
PREVIOUSLY IN SHOP TALK: BELLI OSTERIA SHUTS DOWN As reported in Shop Talk, Belli Osteria has shut down after four years of serving black ravioli, pasta with clams and other Northern Italian fare at 2016 Shattuck Ave. Owner Paul Oprescu, a Cal alum, sold the business to Steven A. Dumain, an Italian-American from New York, and Alessandro Uccelli, an Italian from the northern part of Italy. The pair will open reopen as an Italian restaurant soon with a wood-fired pizza oven, Oprescu told Berkeleyside this week.
BREAKFAST SANDWICHES POP-UP NEAR MACARTHUR Hungry Temescal BART commuters now have a new spot to grab breakfast — Cracked, a breakfast sandwich and coffee pop-up in Chick and Tea at 40th Street and Telegraph Avenue. Inside Scoop spoke with owner Buna Babilla, who said he’s being doing brisk business since opening earlier this year. Cracked offers fast food-esque fried egg sandwiches on Filipino pandesal rolls with fillings ranging from spam and nori to bacon avocado. Sides include McDonald’s style hash browns, pastry rolls, fried pastry bites and French toast bites. Coffee comes by way of Oakland’s Roast Co. and Numi supplies the tea. Babilla told the Scoop that he would like to continue to expand the menu and is looking to grow to other BART-friendly locations in Richmond, Daly City, Hayward and West Oakland. Cracked is located in Chick and Tea at 3932 Telegraph Ave. (at 40th Street), Oakland. Open until 10:30 a.m. Connect with the pop-up on Facebook.
URBAN REMEDY ALSO OPENING IN OAKLAND, GREATER EAST BAY This spring, we announced that Marin-based juice and health food company Urban Remedy would be opening a new outpost at 2946 College Ave. in the Elmwood. That location is still on track to open in September, but that’s not the only Urban Remedy headed to the East Bay. According to Eater SF, the company will be opening locations in Lafayette (at 63 Lafayette Cir.) and Walnut Creek (at 1320 Locust St. Ste. B) in August, followed by a spot in Oakland between Uptown and Adams Point (2344 Harrison St.). Urban Remedy serves 100% organic raw snacks, ready-to-eat meals and fresh fruit and vegetable juices that “blend cutting-edge nutrition with Traditional Chinese Medicine,” according to the company’s website. We’ll keep you posted on opening dates. Urban Remedy will be at 2946 College Ave. (at Ashby Avenue), Berkeley; 2344 Harrison St. (at Bay Place), Oakland; 1320 Locust St. Ste. B (near Mount Diablo Boulevard), Walnut Creek; and 63 Lafayette Cir. (at Mount Diablo Boulevard), Lafayette. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
JAPANESE DESSERTS TO TELEGRAPH Uji Time, a Japanese dessert restaurant, held its grand opening July 9. The restaurant shares its restaurant space with the Taiwanese shaved ice joint Vampire Penguin. Uji Time offers soft serve in matcha, tofu and sesame flavors; taiyaki fish-shaped cakes with various fillings; mochi ice cream balls; and soft serve parfaits. It is named for the city of Uji, which is “an important production and distribution center of superior quality green tea,” according to the restaurant’s website. Early reports are highly positive; Yelpers have praised both the ice cream and the friendly staff. Uji Time is at 2575 Telegraph Ave. (at Parker Street), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
UPDATE ON PATATAS IN EMERYVILLE In March, we brought you the news that a pan-Latin restaurant called Patatas would be replacing the short-lived Commonwealth Micropub in Emeryville. Patatas is currently under construction and will be offering its food though take-out and delivery services sometime in August, according to the E’ville Eye. Restaurant spokesperson Alicia Flores told the Eye that there is currently no timetable for the opening of the sit-down portion of the restaurant. When it opens, Patatas will be an extension of Quezada’s catering business, also called Patatas. The restaurant will have its roots in cuisines from Spain to Chile, serving everything from stews to seafood to paella. Patatas will be at 3986 Adeline St. (at 40th Street), Emeryville. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook.
TIDBITS: IZZY’S STEAKS, FUSEBOX, ANNAPURNA, TRAPPIST CHANGES Last month, we announced that Uptown Oakland’s Casa Cubana had closed and would be replaced with the third location of Izzy’s Steak and Chop House. Izzy’s is now open, serving classics dishes like a variety of steaks, wedge and Caesar salads, seafood, and potato- and spinach-heavy sides. There’s also a California-centric wine list, craft beers and a full bar, according to Inside Scoop. In Old Oakland, we see that Annapurna, a Nepalese and Indian restaurant has replaced Breads of India in Swan’s Marketplace. So far, the new restaurant seems highly popular, with high praise for the chicken tikka masala, goat curry and naan bread. Over in West Oakland, we hear that Korean restaurant FuseBOX has taken over the space next door to expand the dining room and add a full bar. Inside Scoop reports that FuseBOX may extend its operating hours to take advantage of the bar, which will, for now, offer a larger selection of sake, soju, wine and beer. Co-owner and chef Sunhui Chang also plans to apply for a hard liquor license. In Rockridge, we hear from the East Bay Express that Trappist Provisions will be transitioning to become a tasting room for Mikkeller beer. The bar will remain under the ownership of Chuck Stilphen, who worked with the Copenhagen-based brewery to open Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco. The changes will take place over the next few weeks, and the bar will remain open throughout the transition. Izzy’s Steak and Chop House is at 59 Grand Ave. (at Webster Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Annapurna is at 948 Clay St. (at 10th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook. FuseBOX is at 2311A Magnolia St. (at 24th Street), Oakland. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter. Mikkeller Tasting Room and Bottle Shop will be at 6309 College Ave. (at 63rd Street), Oakland.
Dinners and events
SHIBA RAMEN + FIELDWORK DINNER Anyone who needs an excuse to eat ramen and drink beer would be wise to head to Shiba Ramen tomorrow night for a beer pairing dinner with Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing Company. The afternoon event will include both flights and pints of five of Fieldwork’s beers, paired with a special menu including a bacon okonomiyaki pancake, Shiba wings and “salad” ramen. Shiba owners Jake Freed and Hiroko Nakamura, as well as Fieldwork reps, will be at the restaurant to talk brews and noodles. The event will run from 2-5 p.m. in Emeryville’s Public Market. Shiba Ramen is at 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Connect with Fieldwork Brewing Company on Facebook.
PAL’S AT BARTAVELLE Or if you rather get your Saturday mid-day meal in sandwich form, Jeff Mason of Pal’s Takeaway will be holding his first East Bay pop-up event at Bartavelle from noon to 4 p.m. While he had originally planned to serve hot dogs at the event, that plan has been tossed in favor of an almost all-sandwich menu. Classic Pal’s sando “Aunt Malai’s” lao sausage will make an appearance alongside chicken salad, tuna, lamb and vegetable sandwiches. As always, creative, well-balanced toppings will be in play. “A nice summer salad” and fruit coolers are also on the menu. Connect with Pal’s Takeaway on Twitter. Bartavelle is at 1603 San Pablo Ave. (at Cedar Street), Berkeley. Wheelchair accessible. Connect with the café on Facebook.
What else is going on…
LEARN ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE WITH THE FOOD CRAFT INSTITUTE Attention chocoholics: Oakland-based Food Craft Institute is offering an intensive course on small-batch, bean-t0-bar chocolate making this August and it is open to the public. The $650 three-day class takes place over two weeks; each class explores different segments of the Bay Area chocolate scene with instructors from Barlovento Chocolates, Dandelion Chocolate, Poco Dolce, Bar Cacao and TCHO. Topics include everything from large-scale production to confectionery, and meals and materials are included in the course fee. The deadline for enrollment is August 1. Learn more here. Connect with the Food Craft Institute on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
OR COOK CALIFORNIA FARE WITH KELSIE KERR West Berkeley’s Standard Fare is adding cooking classes to its roster starting July 23 and continuing July 30. The four-hour classes will be held on Saturday evenings and include a recipe packet, snacks, hands-on instruction and a sit-down three-course dinner. The first two classes will feature a midsummer menu with “all the delicious produce of summer!” Owner Kelsie Kerr will cover topics such as the preparation of a summer vegetable tain (the “Ratatouille” ratatouille), proper seasoning and roasting of pork loin, and the best way to bake an olive oil cake. Each class is limited to 12 participants and costs $125. Find more information here. Standard Fare is at 2701 8th Street #118 (at Carleton Street), Berkeley. Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram.
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