Tag Archives: Comal
Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XVIII
Bites is Berkeleyside Nosh’s round-up of restaurant, bar and food-related news in the East Bay. To stay up-to-speed with all that’s going on locally, read our daily Nosh Wire, and check out previous editions of Bites. We always love receiving food-related tips at nosh@berkeleyside.com.
Openings, closings…
TRIBUNE TAVERN The hot restaurant opening of the week happened Wednesday with the arrival of another big Chris Pastena eatery in Oakland (he’s behind Chop Bar and Lungomare and has others up his sleeve). Tribune Tavern is housed in the former Oakland Tribune building at 401 13th St., at Franklin. A meat-centric gastropub menu is overseen by chef Huw Thornton, who most recently worked at the short-lived Locanda da Eva in Berkeley. Before that he was at A16 and SPQR in San Francisco. One early review was more than positive. Oaklavore called the restauran’ts trotter and cheek fritters “nothing short of amazing.” … Continue reading »
Bites: What’s new in East Bay food, XVII
Bites is Berkeleyside Nosh’s round-up of restaurant, bar and food-related news in the East Bay. To stay up-to-speed with all that’s going on locally, read our daily Nosh Wire, and check out previous editions of Bites. We always love receiving food-related tips at nosh@berkeleyside.com.
NEW OAKLAND TASTING ROOM A Hopland-based winery, Campovida, is launching a new tasting room at 95 Linden St. on Thursday, April 4, from 5-8 p.m. A message posted by Campovida indicates that the owners started their family in Oakland, then moved to Hopland to take over an organic farm and working vineyard. Now they’re reclaiming their Oakland roots (“think green acres, just an oakland/hopland version”), starting with a party Thursday in conjunction with Linden Street Brewery and the Fist of Flour Pizza Company. RSVP to Campovida at 707-744-8797 or info@campovida.com. … Continue reading »
Nine Berkeley buildings win ‘design excellence’ awards
Nine buildings have been singled out as representing the best new design work in Berkeley for 2010-2012. Berkeley Design Advocates, a volunteer group of architects and urban planners, selected three UC Berkeley buildings, a restaurant, a senior home, two retail spaces — one newly built, one restored — a wine store, and the renovation of a branch library from a list of 15 submissions, and handed out the award certificates at a ceremony on Thursday, March 28. (See the 2013 Awards Brochure for full details.)
This year threw up a particularly impressive crop of winners, according to Anthony Bruzzone, President of BDA, who said that two years ago, with the recession having put the kibosh on many construction projects, the group was concerned it might have no buildings to consider at all in 2013. … Continue reading »
Restaurants, delis embrace Passover feasts
Passover, which begins this year at sundown on March 25, is the most widely celebrated of all the Jewish holidays — and, as with many Jewish holidays, food is at the heart of the festivities. However, preparing a seder, or ritual dinner, when you don’t have generations of Jewish Bubbes to learn from, or if you’re not that culinarily inclined, can seem like a daunting task — even if we have come a long way from keeping live carp in the bathtub. Which may be why restaurants, delis and specialty groceries are stepping in to help out.
Passover commemorates when Jews escaped slavery in ancient Egypt. And, given that the seder is customarily held on the first and second (of eight) nights, most synagogues or Jewish community centers hold their community seders on the second night, leaving many without a seder on the first. … Continue reading »
Bites: What’s new, what’s hot, what’s happening, IX
Bites is Nosh’s round-up of restaurant and bar news in the East Bay. Got a tip or a scoop? Send it our way at nosh@berkeleyside.com. Bites is produced by Nosh in collaboration with Christina Mitchell, founder of East Bay Dish. (And we’ve started numbering Bites so you can check out previous editions and be sure you are up with all the food news.)
Coming soon…
CHOLITA LINDA BISTRO Word on the street is that Cholita Linda, which until now has served its Latin American “dressed up” street food treats at farmers markets and the like, is opening a bistro in Temescal. The plan is to take over three stores — S&S Seafood at 4923 Telegraph Ave., a vitamin store and a hair-braiding place — and turn them into a restaurant. Cholita would be one of three foodie newbies coming to this vibrant neighborhood: Indian street food spot Juhu Beach Club, run by Top Chef alum Preeti Mistry is due to open March 1 at 5179 Telegraph Ave. in the old SR24 location; and beer and sausage place The Hog’s Apothecary is coming to 375 40th St. soon. The transformation of this vibrant Oakland neighborhood continues. There’s no word yet on Cholita Linda’s Facebook page, and attempts to reach the business had been unsuccessful at press time, but we’ll keep you posted. … Continue reading »
The most important stories in Berkeley in 2012
Berkeley in 2012 was filled with drama — a contested election, a failed nomination for a new school superintendent, a few missteps by the Chief of Police, and major changes at the University of California, among other events. Here’s a recap of the issues that had the deepest impact on Berkeley, plus a few fun ones thrown in.
City Government
The year got off to a tragic start with the untimely death of 37-year-old City Clerk Deanna Despain. She fell down the stairs of her Oakland home on Jan. 8. Her husband discovered her body when he returned from a late-night meeting. Their daughter was soundly asleep upstairs. Since then, Mark Numainville has been filling in as acting city clerk. In May, after serving as interim city manager for six months, the City Council appointed Christine Daniel permanently to the job. She replaced Phil Kamlarz, who had held the city’s top job for eight years. … Continue reading »
This week on NOSH: Hot spots, truffles, Corpse Revivers
In case you missed the news, Berkeleyside recently launched NOSH, an exciting new East Bay food section.
Here are the stories we published on NOSH this week:
Bites: What’s new, what’s hot, what’s happening Our regular round-up of East Bay food news, including new restaurants and bars.
Why Norman Rockwell’s turkey dinner sets us up to fail Just in time to ensure perfect results on Thanksgiving day, The Local Butcher Shop’s Monica Rocchino shares an expert view.
To Die For: Kao Mun Gai at Hawker Fare Former America’s Test Kitchen cook Kate Williams finds out what all the fuss is about the poached chicken and rice dish at this hot Oakland restaurant.
Raising the dead at Revival Bar & Kitchen Ms Barstool, aka Risa Nye, gets more than she bargained for sipping a Corpse Reviver in downtown Berkeley.
Three mouth-watering views of Asian cuisine Japanese farm food, the flavors of Burma, and Charlie Phan’s new tome: three exciting new cookbooks that would make perfect gifts. … Continue reading »
New Roman-style pizzeria to open in Berkeley
A hotel development and design group has chosen downtown Berkeley to launch its first restaurant, a high-end Roman-style pizzeria called A90. (Update, Jan. 2013: the restaurant has since been renamed Build.)
A90 will be located at 2286 Shattuck Avenue, on the corner of Bancroft Way. The space was most recently occupied by Indian restaurant Pasand Madras, next door to the recently shuttered Shattuck Down Low music club. Lisa Holt of DLS Hotels & Spas said work has begun on the building and they hope to be open by the spring.
DLS Hotels & Spas, whose projects include Milliken Creek Inn & Spa and Hotel Yountville, plans to replicate the A90 concept in other locations, both around the country and globally.
“Berkeley will be our flagship,” said Lisa Holt who is working on the launch in partnership with David Shapiro and the Rustic Restaurant Company. … Continue reading »
Nosh Talk: Comal Chef Matt Gandin
What is always in your refrigerator?
Kimchi from Sinto Gourmet. They have a stand at the San Francisco Civic Center market on Wednesdays. They make several varieties of delicious Korean style pickles, nappa cabbage, cucumbers, turnips. They last forever and I can make an easy delicious meal by steaming some rice, and grilling chicken thighs or Korean cut shortribs to serve with the pickles.
What do you cook up for a late night snack?
I keep bagels in my freezer at all times. They’re from my friends Blake and Amy’s Montreal-style Oakland bagel bakery, Beauty’s Bagel Shop.
Where/what do you eat on your day off?
I know it sounds cliché since I worked there for almost nine years, but I still love Delfina and their pizzerias. I also like to check out the new restaurants that my colleagues are talking about. I don’t frequently have nights off, so I need to make it count.
Do you have a secret ‘junk food’ vice?
Butterfingers, Reese’s, or any peanut butter candy.
Any food you can’t stand?
Cooked farmed salmon. I can tolerate it cured as Gravlax, but cooked? Gross, metallic flavor and mushy texture. … Continue reading »
Six Berkeley restaurants snag Michelin Bib Gourmands
Six Berkeley dining spots have been named Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants this year, including newcomer Comal.
Two names are missing this year from last year’s list of seven: Berkeley Thai House, on Channing Way, and eVe on University Avenue. Thai House is still going strong but eVe closed in late 2011 and came back under the same ownership last year as Peruvian rotisserie chicken joint Brasa.
The six restaurants are: Comal, Corso, Five, Gather, Ippuku, and Rivoli.
Michelin judges give the ‘Bib’ to restaurants that serve two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included). ”Most importantly, they are the restaurants that the company’s inspectors frequent themselves,” Michelin said on its release. Michelin selected 70 such places for its 2013 San Francisco area guide which covers the entire Bay Area and wine country, down from 77 last year. … Continue reading »
Chew on this: John Birdsall on Berkeley’s food scene
John Birdsall knows his way around the Bay Area’s best food trucks, noodle shops, and unpretentious taco stands. Currently a senior editor at Chow, he was previously the food editor at SF Weekly‘s SFoodie site, and has done two stints as food critic for the East Bay Express.
Along the way he’s penned his fair share of food stories with Berkeley roots, including a profile of Alice Waters for Gilt Taste and an article on the relevancy of Chez Panisse at 40, as well as restaurant reviews, and nods to new food artisans.
Birdsall has a reputation for insightful and stylish — if sometimes provocative — prose. In the flesh he’s soft-spoken and mild-mannered. A professional cook for some 17 years, he switched to the food scribe beat more than a decade ago and, for the record, says cooking for a living is even more all-consuming than food writing. … Continue reading »
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
RUSTIC ON SHATTUCK The lamented closure of nightclub Shattuck Down Low will be assuaged for some by the word that a new, stylish casual restaurant will be opening on the site, perhaps as early as January. Lisa Holt and David Shapiro of Rustic Restaurants LLC have a strong pedigree, having developed and launched the Milliken Creek Inn & Spa in Napa and the revamped Hotel Yountville. Holt told Diablo Magazine that the Berkeley project is planned as the first of several in the Bay Area. You can get a glimpse of the design aesthetic that Holt prefers from her current Pinterest page for Rustic. According to the Daily Cal, Down Low owner Daniel Cukierman is looking for a new site in downtown Berkeley.
Bauer on Comal: A restaurant I would have opened
For Michael Bauer, the Chronicle’s restaurant critic, Comal, which opened in downtown Berkeley in early May, has achieved a flawless debut.
Bauer has nothing but praise for the food prepared by former Delfina chef de cuisine Matt Gandin, which he describes as being prepared with “a subtly fresh fanaticism.” He admires the impeccable service, the state-of-the-art acoustics, courtesy of Berkeley’s Meyer Sound, the “meticulously designed” interiors, and the cocktails — “some of the best in the Bay Area.”
He awards the restaurant three stars overall, and in each of the three categories considered — food, service and atmosphere, which translates as all-round “Excellent”, and concludes that, had he ever started a restaurant, it would be this one: “Comal is exactly the type of place I’d have liked to open.” … Continue reading »
