Some restaurants become known for a particular dish with fans swearing it’s “the best thing they’ve ever eaten.” Kate Williams puts these dishes to the taste test. This week: Kao Mun Gai at Hawker Fare.
Oakland food and drinks
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Zagat San Francisco names 4 East Bay winners
Four East Bay restaurants have been singled out by Zagat for being the best in the Bay Area for particular types of cuisine. Want to know who they are?
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Josh Thomsen gathers talent for Claremont wine fest
In the kitchen with Josh Thomsen. Photo courtesy StarChefs.com. Josh Thomsen knew from a young age that he wanted to be a chef and credits his late father, Jerry, for sparking his culinary interest. His dad would put in a long day as a stockbroker, come home, go to the market, and then cook up […]
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Berkeley Bites: Michael Wild, BayWolf
The restaurant game is notoriously tough. Profit margins are thin, the dining public fickle, feeding people day in and day out is bloody hard work. The life span of a typical eatery: a few years, tops. When a place survives — thrives even — for 35 years, attention should be paid. Michael Wild. Photo/David Johnson […]
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Claremont’s Thomsen named a rising star
Josh Thomsen (left), executive chef at the Claremont Hotel, has been named a rising star by online magazine StarChefs.com. Thomsen joined the Claremont last year to oversee the transformation of its previous restaurant, Jordan’s, into the Meritage. He also oversees the Paragon Bar and Cafe. He worked at the world-renowned French Laundry in Yountville, as well as several […]
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Wood Tavern set to expand
The immensely popular Wood Tavern restaurant (above) is planning to expand by scooping up the conveniently available next-door space recently vacated by Lulu Rae Confections. SFoodie reports that Rich and Rebekah Wood, owners of the restaurant, which is located at 6317 College on the Oakland-Berkeley border, have applied for a permit to operate a spin-off eatery […]
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Chez Panisse chefs team up for brunch fundraiser
Chefs from Chez Panisse and Pizzaiolo are teaming up for a one-off, morning brunch this Sunday, January 31, to raise money for Sprouts Cooking Club, which provides scholarships to East Bay kids so they can learn how to cook. The menu will include Pizzaiolo’s signature donuts as well as frittatas (pictured), rillettes, homemade jams and lots of […]
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The 10 p.m. ‘I’m hungry’ dilemma
On Friday evening, after seeing the excellent Up in the Air, we were eager to get a bite to eat. Our problem: it was after 10 o’clock. As much as I love the many food choices in Berkeley, it’s a decidedly early town. It’s mystifying to me that there are people happy to go to […]
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A ‘soul of the neighborhood’ restaurant
The Chronicle’s Michael Bauer has the following to say today about Wood Tavern, a perennial favorite of many Berkeley and Oakland residents: “Rich and Rebekah Wood, who formerly owned Frascati, decided to open nearer where they lived, and they’ve created a restaurant that stradles the Oakland/Berkeley border and is claimed by both sides. I’d move […]
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New cafe for the creative tribes
Newly opened on the Berkeley-Emeryville-Oakland borders is Tribu Cafe, an owner-operated business that aims to serve lunches to the good folk — many of them creative types such as architects and designers — who work in the ‘hood. Located at 6501 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, the cafe dishes up mostly organic and home-made food […]