Alamar

I am so sad to report my recent experience here was a nightmare!!!!

My hubby and I used to go here religiously but haven't been back for a while and have been itching for a visit so I take my girls for a bday celebration.

Upon entering, the vibe felt off and was kind of empty which is so odd given that there used to be a long wait for a table every time we went.

It felt like I was at a different restaurant. Not sure what happened here but the whole concept was a huge let down and just weird.

We were seated, given menus and with no explanation of how the new system works, we sat there for 25 minutes without no acknowledgement. So I got up and asked for a server and was told it's a counter service. WHAT???? Where's the counter anyway????

We ordered our food and drinks at the bar and paid in advance. So strange!

The food was a complete let down as none of our favorite items were on the menu. So we opted for whatever looked good.

We ordered,
Wings, calamari and spiral fries which were almost inedible( jack in the box curly fries would have been a better choice tbh).

The curry seafood bowl was the only thing we liked.

Btw we received all of our food before our drinks. What kind of shit show is this??? Once again, I had to get up and ask for our drinks twice!!!! The bartender snapped back at me, they're coming they're coming just give a second. Wth, it's been over 45 minutes!!!!!!! If we didn't pay in advance I would've bounced.

Don't even get me started on the service as it was non existent. The guy who seemed like a manager did apologize but failed to do anythi to make the experience better.

I'm really really sad to say goodbye to ALAMAR for good. It's just not what it used to be and with the endless amazing dinning options in Oakland I'll take my biz else where, SMH.

OMG! alaMar is alaGOOD, alaYUMMY!

With all the new restaurants popping around Oakland, this is one of the FEW places that is REPEAT-worthy! Small, modern space and welcoming staff which at first, thought the menu would be limited to seafood.

Starters: (note...happy hour pricing on some of these items before 6:30)
* Chicken wing confit - tender, fall off the bone with five-spice and honey. - worth a try but will probably pass on next time.
* Parmesan truffle tornado crisp - thinly spiral-cut potatoes drizzled with truffle oil, parmesan - MUST GET...crispy, cheesy deliciousness - ordered 2 at happy hour pricing!
* Coconut shrimp lollipops - minced shrimp, formed, breaded and fried with a sweet dipping sauce. - our waitress made sure to describe as previous customers questioned the shrimp...weird...read the description people! - DELICIOUS

Land items:
* Braised Oxtail - dont be put off by oxtail...this was tender perfection accompanied with yellow squash and corn cob in a deep-rich brown reduction! HEAVENLY - bowl lickable!
* Roasted chicken with a cider, cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes - potatoes and corn on the cob....SAUCE was another hit and pieces of dark meat chicken cooked perfectly

Accompanied with bread and lightly toasted with olive oil.....had to order more as the sauces to both dishes were 'oh so memorable!!!' that we used the bread to swipe up every bit of goodness

Our server Helena was definitely on-point, friendly, knowledgeable about the menu which is hard to find a server whose a triple threat! Thanks Helena! Also, notes made on my Opentable reservation were acknowledged which shows attention to detail...

Overall dining experience was a definite 5-stars (insert standing applause here!)! We'll definitely return

Ordered online for the Braised Angus Beef Dominican Rice Bowl ($11.50) + Added Sweet Plantains ($1.25)

** Check your to-go orders. They forgot to include the Sweet Plantains!! **

That said, they were nice enough to call me about my "No Cilantro" request to say most of their items have some cilantro in the recipe. I said I was OK with that, just no extra garnish.

When I opened the container, I thought they forgot (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alamar-oakland-2?select=TE3-nCi6bNYvBizyxcIzdQ#R_CernEH4giiwVVty1n-rg), but it turned out to be sprinkle of parsley. The bowl has white rice, beans, cabbage slaw, and the protein . . . the angle of picture doesn't show it well, but it was a pretty skimpy serving of the beef; there was just a few forks worth and almost twice as much beans as beef.

The beef was super tender, but pretty salty. Definitely needed to mix in with the rice to make it more palatable. Rice was pretty clumpy . . . not sure if it's the style or a result of the take-out & travel before digging in.

3-stars for the food & value. Docking another for the order snafu.

Oakland Restaurant Week led us here! We've been meaning to try this place as I keep seeing it on my Yelp newsfeed. We thought ORW is as good a time as any to try this place, especially with that prix fixe menu!

As it was our first time here, we decided not to go with the prix fixe after all. We just wanted to order a bunch of different things and share them. We started with the Happy Hour Oysters as they were only $1 each. They were a perfect start to our meal. Very fresh and tasty! The hubby had a glass of their Pinot Noir which is part of their HH special and he really liked his wine. I had The Next Fig Thing cocktail which had bourbon, fig butter and balsamic reduction among other things and I really liked it too. Silky, nicely balanced and very drinkable. A lightweight like me would have to be careful with a drink like that. I can easily drink a few of those things and before I knew it, I'd be in big trouble.

We shared the Tornado Crisps with Aioli, Roasted Bone Marrow and Braised Oxtail for our mains. The potatoes were perfectly crispy and yummy with the aioli. The bone marrow spread like butter on toasted bread and the braised oxtail was tender and oh so flavorful. I only had a bit of the oxtail as I wanted to leave room for dessert. If you're hungry and need something substantial, then the oxtail would be a good choice. It would surely satiate you.

For dessert we had the Portuguese Pumpkin Donut. I thought they'd be really warm, puffy and light, but these were dense. The flavor was good though. I really needed something light after that heavy meal. It came with ice cream so I savored that! I also had an Americano with the dessert.

If you plan on coming on a Friday night like we did, the earlier the better. We got here a little after 5 and it wasn't busy. We sat in the main dining room as the bar was full, but the dining room filled up fast when the after work crowd started rolling in in groups. Be prepared to be hearing other diners' conversations too 'cause the tables are spaced pretty close to each other.

We definitely plan on returning to taste the seafood as this is a seafood place. Perhaps not the crab as I don't like to make too much of a mess in a restaurant. Maybe the shrimp if I feel like getting somewhat messy, but definitely more of the Fig cocktail and oysters for sure!

2.3 stars for first time here. Suffice it to say, way more impressed by the company I kept than the food.

Why deem yourself a seafood restaurant and not have one fish entree on the menu? Why were we seated close to :30 after our reservation time, give our whole party of 8 was present?

Why is it so achingly loud inside, I had to lean in just to talk to the person next to me? Crowded space, bit claustrophobic. Dark everywhere.

For the remainder of ORW, it's all or nothing: either entire table orders a la carte, or the prix fixe.

Was not too impressed by quality of food. This newish place still has miles to go to nail down the pace of the service (though horrible, we still tipped 18%). Discombobulated it was yesterday night.

The best thing the whole meal: my yummy Claiborne & Churchill dry Riesling and the ice cream plated to the side of the pumpkin "donuts" (too tight and dense, just like the meatballs) :(

If you would like to try a place where you can experience a melange of flavors in a hip environment, check out alaMar! Especially if you like seafood.

I came with my group of friends and hubby on Friday night to try this place for the first time. The place was packed, located on a corner of a busy area on Grand Street near downtown Oakland. Parking was not easy, but we managed to find some a block and half away after driving around for ~5 minutes. It's a hip, modern, lofty-feel restaurant with silver metal decor, cute, twinkly lights outside, and table/chair seating. There's a small, busy bar area near the front. Noise level is not too crazy loud; we could still talk to & hear each other across the table in our normal voices. Open kitchen area. Dishes are served family-style & brought out in the order they are prepared.

MY YELP TIPS: Come here for the Happy Hour to try a variety of appetizers at a lower price. Happy Hour: Friday & Saturday 4:30 - 6:00 and Sunday - Thursday 4:30 - 6:30 pm. Check out the Yelp Check-In Offer, which at this time was a $5 Tornado Parmesan Truffle Crisp. Not bad, like a spiral potato chip on a metal skewer with a creamy, white dip. Happy Hour appetizers are $3-$6. They have live music here on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30, which I have not tried yet.

We tried a variety of APPETIZERS:
Cheesy Tostones $3 each - was ok
Oyster Po'Boy Sliders $6 - was pretty good. Might get again
Bourbon Petite Wings $6 - was ok.
Pork Rib $3.50 each - would DEFINITELY get this again

Out of all the appetizers, I **HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PORK RIBS, $3.50 each. Desc: Ribs with a Persian cucumber slaw and mixed berry chipotle BBQ glaze. Why did we love this? It is a perfect combination of juicy, savory slightly sweet rib, with a little kick of chipotle spice. It is Mmmm Mmm good! Trust me when I say you have to try this.

Drinks - I am not a drinker, so I ordered the non-alcoholic House Limeade for $5, which was just OK. IMHO, not worth the $5.

DINNER - our group ordered for dinner:

WHOLE CHILI LOBSTER - market price was $45.00 - this is AMAZING! Get it if you want a savory, delicious seafood mouth orgasmic indulgence - GET THIS! Lobster with rosemary infused madras curry, sambal, & organic zucchini. TIP: Allow 25 minutes for prep.

We were served a HUGE lobster in an artful presentation. Of course you get a plastic seafood BIB and LOBSTER TOOLS - lobster picking tool and a cracker. We all had special metal trays for our lobster and shells. It was *cooked perfectly.* The sauce is heavenly and very delicious. I could have eaten this all night.

ORGANIC CHICKEN $24 - with sun-dried tomato, english cider cream, galangal, red creamer potato, and blue lake beans
I didn't expect too much, because after all, chicken is usually chicken, right? But this chicken was gooood and delectable! Why? It was cooked to perfection, tender, and moist. We had a huge portion because my hubby & I each ordered a serving - but we would've been fine w/ just one order. The BEST part of this dish is the SAUCE - a sun-dried tomato creamy sauce that is creamy without being too rich. So if you like creamy sun-dried tomato flavor, you'll like this chicken. Yum - I would get this again!

BRAISED BLACK ANGUS OXTAIL $25 - roasted cipollini onion, tamari, agave glazed parsnip, cilantro, capay farms butternut squash
I haven't had oxtail in a long time. And I have to admit, I'm not a fan of eating anything with the name "tail" in it. My Yelp friend and food bestie Loreto D. ordered this dish and shared it with me. And it was.....sooo good! I really thought this was delicious. So much so, that I would even order it for myself next time. Why? The meat was melt-in your mouth tender, flavorful, delicious and served with sliced-up pieces of corn on the cob. It was so ARTFULLY PRESENTED in an artisanal pot, you know when this lands on your table that you're about to eat something really special! So don't be afraid - try it and experience the flavors!

SERVICE - was very attentive and friendly. We had 2-3 people checking up on us throughout our dinner, asking if we were ok, serving more drinks, clearing our table of dishes, even though it was a very busy night.

$$$: Our dinner was $188 with tax and *before* tip for four people, but we did order a $45 lobster.

END RESULT: Mouth tummy happy! alaMar is a great place to meet with friends and have a wonderful meal. Casual,classy, hip environment, delicious food, and attentive service. Check out this place and let me know what you try!

Feasting with 8 of the besties tonight to celebrate the Giants win and our dearest bff's birthday dinner. Alamar is fairly the newest kid on the block of many good eateries in the neighborhood. Alamar's concept is the new American peel and eat. Time to get messy and grub.

If you read any of my reviews, y'all know how we get down. Small selective menu and tapas style? Ohyeah, let's order everything LOL

Appetizers:
Local oysters-Yes I like it raw
Dungeness crab poppers-enjoyed every bite
Bay scallop salad-superb! the grapefruits and scallops made it a delight
Petite chicken-wings with bacon honey glaze! licked every bite
Parmesan truffle tornado crisp-crunch crunch chips!
Brussels sprouts-carmalized-I want to know how to make this!!

Main:
Peen n eat white shrimp-Romesco butter, lemongrass, french fingerling potato-better than Boiling crab!!

Penn cove mussels-spanish saffron, bacon lardon, orange bitters, ancho chili, thai basil. -Slurp slurp and dip my bread on the sauce.

Braised black angus oxtail-chipollini onion, tamari, agave glazed sunburst, squash cilantro-Life cannot get better than this. Tender and swoon!

Tostones double smashed plantain-tomato salt, sundried tomato & basil aioli. Quite the disguise, picture a round ball and inside is plantains. YUM!!!

Dessert:
Peach flan-I wasn't fond of it.
Ice cream sandwich puffs-YES you know I heart ice cream and inside a puff pastry? yes we had coffee ice cream, caramel mocha and pistachio crumble.

What more can the 8 of us ask for?
Thank you Alamar!!

Hubbers and I discussed many times to check this place out. It took awhile, but we finally did!

I made reservations through Open Table for dinner. We decided to come a little early as we anticipated parking might be an issue. We luckily found someone leaving about half a block away.

We walked in the restaurant about 15 minutes earlier than our reservation. The set up was kinda weird - the welcome booth was immediately to our left, but the area was a little enclosed and we felt like we walked in right in the middle, surrounded by people already having their meals.

So, the hostess comes out of nowhere and greeted and seated us promptly. Our server, Rachel, came by a few minutes later asking us if we were interested in anything to drink as we browsed through the menu. She came back a few minutes later with them and told her we were ready to put in our order.

We went for the coconut shrimp lollipops and the roasted bone marrow to start. For the main course, I opted for the braised black angus oxtail with a side of jasmine rice, and Hubbers went for the roasted rutabaga.

A couple was seated to my left about two minutes after we put our order in. Another couple got seated to my right about 10 minutes after that.

Interesting: both couples got their starters first before we did. Granted, they were salad, that just didn't sit right with me.

Then came the lollipops! Boy, did Hubbers pick a good one! It had that tender crunch on the outside and soft and meaty on the inside. The flavor of the coconut was not overpowering, it was really just a nice hint. It went beautifully with the sauce. We had no problems finishing that app!

The roasted bone marrows arrived not too long after we demolished the lollipops. The presentation was nice - 3 half sliced bone marrow with 4 small pieces of sourdough crostini. Hubbers liked it, and so did I, but I felt like it was missing something. I had trouble finding the anchovy flavor in all of it. Hubbers and I also had trouble understanding why they would only give so little bread to go with it. He and I only consumed 1.5 of the 3 bones because WE RAN OUT OF CROSTINI. We didn't bother asking for more because we wanted to make sure we had enough room for our main course.

The braised oxtail was very pleasant! I ordered it with rice because I couldn't imagine eating it by itself - I expect it to be rich, and I needed something to balance it. But it is salted and flavored nearly perfect. I enjoyed that dish very much.

Hubbers also enjoyed his rutabaga. (I can't really comment any further on it since I just had a bite. Most important is that he enjoyed it.)

We had leftover of the oxtail, the rutabaga and the bone marrow. We had asked Rachel if we can have them wrapped up. Hubbers specifically asked if she could pack extra crostini with the bone marrow and she agreed.

(SIDE NOTE: Decided to have the bone marrow as a midnight snack. Sadly, NO CROSTINI. Boooo... )

It was better than a good run, though. I might just come back for that oxtail...

A friend has bought herself a place and moved, after five years of living right by the Embarcadero in the city, to the East Bay. I had been wanting to try another uptown place and that seemed like a perfect opportunity. After working out with my trainer and some more swimming, I feel that I could eat a horse. Which is not a good thing considering tomorrow I'm going to be running dead last (again) with my ultra runner group of super fit buds in Marin Headlands. But... AlaMar is calling.

Chef is Dominican, his wife is Chinese. Menu is southern, American, seafood, with Asian influence. Restaurant decor is something you'd see in trendy parts of Portland, or Williamsburg, it has the "too cool to be San Francisco, and no need to feel inferior" vibe all over. It's a bit industrial meets swanky meets chic like you'd see in Wood Tavern or Haven or Chop Bar or Mocking Bird. In another word, this is very Oaklanderish and not your usual suspect of San Francisco restaurant. As such it wows and impresses those who want to try something different, completely different.

Everything here is about local ingredient. Your local oyster, soft shell crab, and crayfish. Had such a hard time to settle with what to order, despite the menu is not so overwhelming, because everything looked good. How do I know? Just look at the neighbor's table.

Unlike some of these noisy San Francisco restaurants, the restaurant is more chill, and people ate meals happily, on occasion they would chat with you, but no one is trying to dominate the room. It feels more civilized, as a restaurant ought to be. Some of the Mission based restaurants have become so loud and crowded, despite how much they charge the meals, it felt déclassé. For a San Francisco transplanter like my girlfriend there, it was an unusual concept. A place you can eat and have a proper conversation. Imagine that!

Crayfish looked delish. Ordered that. Chicken drumsticks came out of the left field, I spotted the table to the left of me having that dish. It looked amazing. Soft shell crab came with snow pea shoots. Very tender and unusual. My neighbors to the right of us were having a lobster to share, which turned out to be huge and pretty. It's their second time to this place. I made mental note to go back for that.

Blue bottle French press decaf to wash it all down.

Read the reviews. It appeared that this place had been popping up as the top 25 new restaurants to try in the bay area by Zagat, July 2014 edition. Did not realize that it's only been around for less than 4 months.

The best part was that I called thirty minutes out, as the restaurant does not take reservations for less than 6. They put my name on the list and then texted me and told me that they'd text me when the table was ready. Yep, a restaurant that has a soul and gets that wowing customer, rather than turning them away, is a good thing.

My friend raved about this restaurant to me. She said that this is so great. And that she's so happy to finally moved to the East Bay. It's only 15 minutes to Berkeley! She exclaimed. For some hipsters, going to East Bay is a trendy thing. For others, it's a place of residence like any other. But for all people, alaMar's making an entrance into the uptown Oakland is a great thing. It needs no bookmark or further remembrance. Because the next time I should try to impress a fellow food connoisseur, I know where to take him/her.

Concept and location is amazing and Im envious of whoever they contracted to do their space!

I met a good friend here because I've been wanting to try out this place so opted for a lunch meeting. I requested reservations because I wanted to ensure a spot, given that the numerous times I have walked by the establishment has always been packed.

Interior and seating layout is great and the color reminiscent of a seaside grotto. The high ceilings further add to the charm of this eatery. The menu is limited for lunch, mostly to rice bowls, a short appetizer list of starchy intros, and a good salad selection.

I selected the oxtail rice bowl w/a fried egg and my friend selected the chicken salad w/arugula. The oxtail rice bowl wasn't bad but the oxtail pieces were mostly of the tip so there was barely any meat in my dish. The stewed beans, however, had a lot of flavor and imparted a rich, smoky partnering to the side of rice. My friend's salad looked amazing with the fried chicken but when she offered a sample, there was a stinkbug walking around on the arugula, probably suffering from the acidic vinaigrette dressing bath. I'm not disturbed by insects as I studied them in academia but we had to flag down the host of the restaurant and he calmly and immediately took away her plate and replaced it with a brand new order.

We weren't too disturbed by the stinkbug because I told her at least it wasn't a cockroach, plus they blend in so well with surrounding organic greens straight from the field. Overall, it was an ok experience and the staff here are friendly and approachable. I welcome this eatery and other new additions to the quickly evolving landscape of Uptown Oakland.