Oakland restaurant news and notes 2016-17

What happened to C&M Bistro? Looks like its boarded up in your video?

Hi sck,

C&M Bistro is still there. They boarded up the entrance which was on the corner of the space facing southeast towards the plaza and built a new door closer to the meat counter and facing due south. You can barely see the new entrance starting at the 2:14 mark for a few seconds at the far left edge of the frame.

C&M Bistro is the place that took over the former Cafe 88 location and is next to Gum Kuo.

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Has anyone had the Gaeng Tai Pla/ Kaeng Tai Pla Southern Thai fish curry stew elsewhere in the Bay Area? Just noticed that dish on the Daughter Thai menu.

sakura bistro opened in Sebastopoole a few months ago.

business was slow when they opened. believe the boarding up was to change the Feng Shiu,.
true, menu was pricey when they opened. C & M now has a value menu for different hours of the day.

had the chirashi recently. (23.99) 20% off.
promotion helped fill Sakura.
quality of the sashimi was below average. thick enough, just not fresh, tasteless fish

miso soup didnā€™t taste like miso.

I havenā€™t noticed kaeng tai pla on any menus around hereā€“Southern curries are quite rare and this fish innards funky one probably even more so. Sounds like an interesting addition to Montclair. Has anyone noticed places with other southern curries, like kaeng som?
I believe kaeng tai pla is what I picked up (unlabeled) at Roong Jin Jin a while ago.

Iā€™ve had kang/kaeng/gaeng tai pla once at Pak Nam in the Tenderloin in SF, which I believe also specializes in southern Thai dishes, a while back. Itā€™s been awhile since I had it but I do remember it being tasty (and spicy). The fish was mostly in little bits and had the texture of smashed anchovies.


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The mochi lady retiredā€¦ No more Chinatown mochi.

Oh no! :frowning:

Darn.

I stopped by Fort Green in Old Oakland in its opening month and really enjoyed the food. The menu was conceived by the Bar Tartine folks http://sf.eater.com/2016/11/9/13569456/fort-green-bar-tartine-oakland-open and the pickled mushrooms, smoked potato flatbread, and citrus chicken wings were great. Conceived as a Sports Bar with snacks.

I also recently stopped in Nan Cafe, a Hong Kong style cafe on the corner of Webster and 7th where two to-go dim sum places have previously been. They modernized the interior quite a bit and are serving low priced rice noodle rolls, some soups, and congee, most things as combos with milk tea (or other beverage choices, possibly boba). The rice noodle roll was indelicate, and a extremely bland without the provided dipping sauce, but not bad for the $2.95 price tag with milk tea (which also had to be enlivened with the Longevity condensed milk they provide at the counter). Might be interesting if they ever get their Future menu with ā€œNiannujiao delicacyā€ including savory glutinous rice dumpling soup going.

Iā€™m also interested by CHICA Oakland, an expansion of a take-out window in the Financial District up on Oakland Avenue.

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High Peaks Kitchen opened a second branch on Grand, adding to their branch on College Ave. Homestyle Indian food. The owners and chefs are exiles from Tibet and grew up in India. Has anyone tried their Tibetan specials in either locations?

391 Grand Ave. Oakland

Anyone tried Bare Knuckle Pizza in Chinatown? Woodfired Neapolitan. Yelp pics look a bit underfired but curious how the pies taste.

351 12th Street, Oakland

Been walking by Bare Knuckle for weeks, definitely interested in trying it out since there is zero good pizza in the neighborhood. Website says they open Jan 18.

Oaklandā€™s Hawker Fare to close
By Justin Phillips on January 20, 2017 at 6:18 PM SFGate.com

The reason is relatively straightforward. Syhabout said there are uncertainties questions surrounding his month-to-month lease. And a group of investors just bought his building, and a few others on block, with a rumored intent of building living spacesā€¦> Both Commis and Hawker Fare SF will remain open.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2017/01/20/oaklands-hawker-fare-to-close/

closed:
Pho Hoa Lao II
333 10th St
Oakland, CA 94607

During a walk in Oakland Chinatown on Monday, December 26, 2016, I saw that Pho Hoa Lao II was closed and had a for rent sign on the window. It is on 10th Street, directly across the street from Shan Dong.

I think that I first has pho there about 25 years ago. I could never figure out what the connection, if any, that it had with Pho Hoa Lao at 720 International Blvd in East Oakland which, according to Yelp, is still open.

Openings Closings
Winter 2016 - 2017

Pho Hoa Lao - closed 333 10th St Oakland
Ippudo - under construction 2015 Shattuck Berkeley
Lucky Seafood - closed, now is Farmer City Market 376 8th St Oakland
Joy Luck - new owners 327 8th St Oakland

photo slideshow:
http://show-vid.com/view/x2gkg2x4

On a stroll down Telegraph Ave in the Temescal District of Oakland today noticed that new signage was up for Daol Tofu and Korean BBQ at the former site of Casserole House at 43rd Street. I had eaten at Casserole maybe two times over the years and found it homier and more to my liking than its neighbor Sahn Maru. Casserole had only been closed for a month or two after operating there for about 8 years.

I briefly talked to a woman inside the restaurant from outside the gate and, from what I could gather, the opening of Daol was to be that evening, Sunday, February 12. There werenā€™t any opening signs outside so maybe itā€™s a soft opening or special event. Iā€™ll check again this week and see if I can squeeze in a lunch. Thereā€™s an empty template on Yelp for Daol without any reviews yet and the phone number listed, if correct, is the same one Casserole used, (510) 601-6001.

Here are some photos taken today-

http://show-vid.com/view/4kp2m2x4

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Bay Wolf reborn as The Wolf.