Before I arrived to the area I thought I knew what was up regarding the food scene. I got press releases on occasion about new openings, but followed enough Twitter influencers to make me in-the-know. Let me tell you - the Whale's Vagina has got nothing on any Bay Area 'hood. No matter what group I'm in, everyone knows the hottest restaurants, has about 15 recommendations (that are all going to be amazing) and can 'ooh' and 'ahh' from personal experience when I recount my own feeble attempt at dining well here.
I have decided to keep a virtual list of places to try, but it seems unlikely everything on my list - as was the case for my farewell rendezvous in San Diego - will ever cease to exist. Enough whimpering...here's the latest.
A co-worker suggested Oakland's Italian restaurant Dopo. Getting a recommendation from a former employee should never be dismissed. These kids have seen the back room - they know if the chefs pick their noses or use canned veggies. Yuck. I wanted something away from College Ave in O-town, and Piedmont with the ever-enticing Fenton's was not pulling my arm. The place elicited a feeling of a neighborhood street-side cafe from Europe, where the maitre'd is consistently waving to friends or chatting with passerby's on the sidewalk. We were delivered sparkling processo while waiting for a table (inevitable on a Friday or Saturday night, especially with no reservations) and got a prime spot inside. The buzz is contagious, especially since most everyone is either hopped up on great wine or cured meats, of which they produce in-house.
We dined on a selection of salumi, followed by a squid ink spagetti and plate of beans with potatoes, and finally an espresso panna cotta. I suck at remembering the specifics, and since their menu changes daily there's no hope in finding them. I've done a pretty good job convincing friends that Oakland isn't scary. This place helps.
{images via Yelp}
This places looks divine!
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