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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Old OaklandMon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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i don't know what this space was prior to it's current state.
exposed brick, awesome wood bar, wood floor, high ceilings, and big windows make this place pretty cool. i only came here for drinks and music. i must say the sound system leaves much to be desired when a dj is performing and people are dancing.
a tad on the pricy side, but not over the top.
I visited Levende East on a quiet Autumn Tuesday. I chose a glass of Paso Robles pinot noir, fries (with smoked cheddar and sour cream!) and a trio of Indian spiced lamb burgers. There may have been oysters too! The pinot noir tasted so smooth that I needed another glass (It was either another glass of wine or dessert, if they even carry dessert.). The mini burgers and fries were delicious, although the lamb could have used more zest. I appreciated the off duty bartender for leaving his beloved iPhone long enough to fetch me some ketchup for my fries.
I loved the vibe from the staff and patrons at Levende East. I bonded with another BlackBerry user at the bar who totally raided my pictures folder. My saucy self-portraits from Oakland's recent Sabor Sausage Fest hit the spot perfectly. Later, everyone used their iPhones for updates on the Bay Bridge cable disaster. This brought the staff and patrons even closer. Levende is a fun and friendly place. I would love to see it on a busy Friday or Saturday evening.
I must withhold one star for Levende's poorly ventilated water closet. Someone couldn't hold it until they got home and funked up the toilet. The bamboo sticks in fancy perfume oil that usually work at home didn't cut the funk. The toilets are nicely designed otherwise. I adored the artwork decorating the walls outside the water closets and the interior of the dining room. I will forgive Levende for this gross injustice and give Levende another try. They certainly know how to make a cocktail, as evidenced by their well stocked liquor selection and the well thought out drink menu. One needs an inviting toilet if one wants to drink though.
I don't understand this type of restaurant, or how it manages to stay open.
The food was worse than average, overpriced, under-seasoned and greasy.
For a lunch menu to charge 13 dollars for Lamb Burgers that were made of poorly ground meat, not seasoned at all despite the "Indian spices" noted on the menu is beyond me. This dish would have been overpriced at 8 bucks.
It took more than 20 minutes to be served as well. Piss poor service. The restaurant was not at all busy or understaffed either. Just bad service.
I am all about supporting local business, but I will NEVER go back to this restaurant.
Apparently they've just switched to a new menu, so I can cut them some slack for that. But even so, the service could've been a lot better, and the food wasn't promising enough to merit a return visit in this competitive Bay Area eating scene.
Two in our party were late, but the three that were on time were left unattended for over 20 min, without even being offered water or menus. Even after all of us were seated, one of us had to go up to the hosts' stand to get attention for water. When we ordered, they forgot my entree, which finally got brought out after we flagged down a busboy. To make up for these gaffes they brought out two desserts for five people, which was nice, but not a dessert for each guest?
Regarding the food itself, the fish mini-tacos were the only dish good enough to go back for--a standout amongst otherwise unremarkable fare. Those were quite well done, lightly breaded and crisp but not overly greasy. The Kobe beef tartare looked exciting, but had been ground into mushy hamburger-like paste and formed into a squat cylinder, disguising the beautiful color and delightful texture that you get from a carpaccio. Loving sashimi, I was also pumped about the tuna poke, but it too had been food-processed into gloop, which again, seemed like a mistake and made me wonder if it was a move of necessity to camoflage mediocre fish. The poke I got in a plastic container at a Safeway in Honolulu was more piquantly seasoned and better.
Sorry, moving on.
Good food, but some dishes were a little bit heavy on the salt.
You have to try their bacon cocktail, it's pretty much a Bloody Mary with bacon infused vodka with a celery salt rimmed glass. Between the salt on my glass and the way too salty fried okra, I felt my arteries harden. Mini lamb burgers were good, although they could have applied the chutney a little bit more liberally. I'm not big into cheese, I think it's part of being Chinese. But this mac and cheese was good.
Happy hour? I'll be back.
There's 3 stars JUST for you, Mac & Cheese! How I heart your gooey cheese and bits of bacon pieces. How I hate your guilt complex you give me for loving your sinfully unhealthiness... How I cant wait to see you again..
My bit of love & star goes to the drinks, interior, and fun happy hour menu =)
boooo to you, kobe beef burger..how I detest your stinky gorgonzola ass....
This is a Happy Hour MUST!!!!
Don't get me wrong, not much has changed since this place was the Rex...just some new paint, a DJ booth and some better seating...
BUT....the food, is off the chain, $2 lamb burger mini sliders...$3 chicken wings...Chicken and Fish tacos....oh yeah I'm in love, the drinks were OK...
It's kinda hard to mess up a Rum & Coke....so ill have to try something different next time...But check this place out :)
We stumbled across Levende Lounge hungrily at 10pm on a Tuesday night. The place was quiet with only a handful of patrons, thank god. The beet salad was pickled and tasty, although I may be a little loath to consider two large slices of beet a "salad" (okay, so there was a lettuce salad too).
Lamb burgers were tasty (thank you, Yelp review highlights AKA trending topics) and my lobster soup was okay. But the dessert was delicious -- coconut panna cotta with lightly caramelized bananas. Our server was nice. I'd definitely come back here for another late night dinner!
GF and I went to check out the Winemaker's dinner. We were really hungry so we arrived about 1.5 hours early and 1 hour before the winemaker dinner was supposed to start. They were VERY accomodating, even switching us to a 4 top because we wanted to sit together instead of across from each other.
The pre-fixe started with a really great arugula salad, goat cheese and roasted apricots. It had an acidic viniagrette which went exceptionally well with the Viognier blend that was paired.
The next course was grilled duck breast, white corn polenta, sauteed greens and duck jus. This was paired with a really nice light grenache - very well done.
The final course was Black Sea Bass, rib dumplings and mashed potatoes paired with a GSM blend that has a tinge of Viognier. It was very good.
All in all, the wines were great, the food was really great (probably too large of a serving for a wine tasting event) and the service was top notch.
The manager stopped by and made sure we were ok 4 or 5 times. Great job. Nice atmosphere too...
I've been here about 3-5 times, but never left a review until right now. Last night, my wife and I stopped by here for a small bite to eat. We were seated at a table and given menu's. From there, we pretty much had enough time to figure out what we wanted to eat or drink. By the time our waiter came to our table, he only asked to take our drink order but we told him we were ready to order instead. Didn't tell us what the daily special was, even though we overheard him explain it to the table next to us later on. Anyways, we ordered the fish tacos and the fries. You can't go wrong with the fries... the fish tacos were just "ok" though. Service was a bit slow and the front desk host looked like she was mad at the world and didn't smile at all...! On a side note, the bathrooms and decor is probably the best part! hahhaha, seriously...check out the bathrooms if you stop by for a drink or food! If the service was better, friendlier, faster...I would've given this place 5 stars. I've had better service at this restaurant in the past...not sure what happened.
Joy joy joy joy, joy to the world!
Okay, so here I am, sidelined by cancer and its subsequent recovery, and I get invited out to a work party at Levende. Do I go, do I not go... I go, and watching all my friends DRINK, I am desperate for a mojito. But alas, my cancer ladden stomach isn't quite up for alcohol yet. The cancer is gone, but my stomach ain't quite feelin' alcohol yet.
Then Joy, the bartendress, whips me up a virgin mojito to die for. I am happy. Happy post cancer girl. :) Bliss.
Everyone loved their cocktails. Can't comment much on the food, as well just had a few appetizers, but look forward to going back.
I went to this bar tonight and was glad to see that they served food at 11pm! On Friday and Saturday, from 11 to 1 they have happy hour!! I tried the mac n cheese, the chicken wings, the tuna slider, the french fries and the oysters!
Mac n cheese- came in a large bowl, extremely good!! cheesy and tasted like bacon!! # of us couldn't finish it!!
Chicken Wings_ the best chicken wings i ever tasted!! the crust was so flaky and tasted of buttermilk!
Tuna Slider_ Dry,its like a seared piece of tuna on 2 pieces of bread! Small in size but has lots of flavor!
French Fries- by time i tasted them , they were room tempature! good hot but once cold, all bad!!
Oysters- came in a shot glass- cilantro on top, the rest was tomato juice and lemon juice, the smaller sized oyster tasted like it was from a can. Nothing special!
Overall, a good experience. The bar was staffed with 3 bar tenders so the wait tended to be long. The music was for like a 30ish crowd. Older music. Lots of seats if they all aren't reserved!
The drinks were good! My drink was strong and yummy!
Actually reviewing this place as a might club. It was cool towards the last hour but it was still dead. I arrived with my old coworker friends. Turned out that I was the only asian dude in the whole club haha. But the crowd was real mature and mellow. Definitely wont find too many troublemakers here. I enjoyed my time here
Came here with a party of 10 for my birthday dinner. I called a few days in advance to make the reservation and left a voice mail. Camille returned my call promptly and confirmed our reservation for 8pm on a Friday. By the time we got settled and ordered our food, it looked as if the majority of the dinner crowd was beginning to wrap up. The bar/lounge area stayed busy and started to get crowded around 9:30ish. Once the DJ came out the restaurant had more of a lounge feel. The lighting also starts to get dim around this time.
For dinner I had the Mini Lamb Burgers and Mac & Cheese. The burgers were OK - but the M&C was super good:) It was a fav at the table! Hubby had the jerk chicken w/plantane - he liked it. Another person in our party had the ribs, which were sweet and tender...2 thumbs up!
For drinks I started with a Mojito, which was a little too weak and sweet for my liking. For the remainder of the night I stuck with wine (they have a good selection).
Overall I would rate Levende at a 3.5. Food and drinks were good - but not spectacular. This is definitely a good place for large groups!
super cute place BUT....went there for friday night happy hour and we were not happy....the food was great but the service was horrible! we waited for over an hour to get food and they weren't even busy when we got there. i swear we were in the black hole of service. everyone around us got served quickly but we got ignored --- hello? hello!
I have mental files of places to go when I want a really great meal and then there are places to go when I just want a great venue, good drinks and a cool crowd. Let's say Levende does not come to mind when I think of a great meal, but they do fall into the good drink file.
They make a great dirty martini with a black olive rather than the traditional green olive, and I am quite discerning when it comes to my martinis. The food is just OK for me, but what they lack in food they make up in ambiance. It is a great place to meet up with friends and sip martinis....pinky up.
I had a better experience the few times I went for lunch. However, I recently went for dinner for the first time and had a bad experience. The service was slow (even though it was a slow night) and three of the four entrees were not cooked correctly and didn't meet our expectations. The food is quite pricey for the quality we were served. The waiter was gracious enough to comp one of the meals and gave us cappucino's on the house for our bad experience that night. I will probably just stick to lunch if I go there again.
This place was only okay in terms of food and service. I would have given it two stars, but for the fact that THEY HAVE RASPBERRY LAMBIC ON THEIR MENU. The label on the bottle calls it a beer, but I just think of it as candy-soda-sugary-tart happiness in my mouth. We ordered a bunch of starters including:
- Mini tempura-battered fish tacos - Yummy! I especially liked the chipotle dressing on top...It had a bit of a kick to it. Also, the fish sat on top of a generous chunk of straight up avocado goodness.
- Mini lamb + chutney sliders- I think the one I ate was a bit on the well-done side. It was ok. I recommend ordering it medium or medium rare.
- Mini seared ahi sliders - We only had three of these, so I didn't get to try it, but I heard the person next to me say it was delish.
- Fries with a side of chive+smoked cheddar sour cream - I admit, I had to look up the description of the sauce. The fries were great, crispy and perfectly seasoned. However, it was the dipping sauce that put them over the top. It tasted EXACTLY LIKE BACON. I thought I was the only one experiencing it, but the whole group agreed that we were eating french fries dipped in essence of bacon. Divine.
For my main entree, I ordered the pork chop and changed the side from the apple-ginger potato salad to the wasabi mashed potatoes. I think that was an error on my part. Wasabi + mashed potatoes is not really my thing. I was expecting the creamy warm goodness of smashed spuds and instead I got mush with a kick. I ended up digging through it to find the chunks of potato that I knew wouldn't be too wasabi-ish. Don't get me wrong, I love wasabi...but the combination with the spuds doesn't work for me. Stick with the apple-ginger potato salad. The diner across from me stuck with that and it looked pretty tasty. As for the pork chop, it was only okay. I think the best part of it was the honey balsalmic glaze drizzled over it. Another diner ordered the Lobster Bouillabaisse and told me it was quite tasty.
Now...the really bad part. Service was quite terrible! We arrived around 8:30 and it took us quite a while to get food on the table! We started by ordering drinks and appetizers. The drinks came out quickly, but the time really ticked by while we waited for the appetizers to arrive. I kind of wonder if it's because Levende tries to be more of a bar than a restaurant, they want you to finish your drink and order more alcohol! The order in which the food came out was rather strange too. One diner's halibut came out before all the appetizers arrived. Then it took another 30 minutes for the rest of the entrees to come out after that! I would come back, but only if someone else is paying. :o)
A small group went here after our swim practice. While the restaurant was pretty empty we had the wait over 30 mins. just for our drinks. After over an hour we fianally got our food- it was good- the mac and cheese was different- but very greasy- and the fish tacos good-but not great. The price is extreme for the very small tapas style dishes.
Delicious pizzas and happy hour drink prices all night on Mondays yes please! Mid-day and late night happy hour with that phenomenal mac and cheese with bacon on both, you had me at hello... Everything else I have tried, e.g. salads, prawns, ribs, trout, fries, brussel sprouts, etc. so good! Service and ambiance are a plus too!
I came to Levende East for a business lunch, and it was what I expected... fancy food at a pretty price.
I had the cuban sandwhich and the fries, both of which were delicious. I was surprised by the large portion of fries I got, and the delicious dipping sauce that accompanied it.
The decor inside was dark and leathery. Pretty swanky.
The negative was the service. I've been here before and the service was good, but this time was bad, to say the least. We waited at least 30 minutes to even get our water, and the bill was brought before they even offered their dessert menu. I ended up paying without getting any dessert just because I was so tired to the slow moving service.
Overall,
Pros: decent food and portions, nice atmosphere
Cons: pricey, slow service
A friendly restaurant for those with celiacs disease (allergy to wheat and gluten) or food allergies. I was amazed by the service. The chef came out and went through the menu item by item so I knew what I could and could not eat. I ended up with a lovely pork chop with chantrelles and arugula salad.
It is very hard to trust restaurants when faced with a gluten allergy and the potential to get sick. I totally felt confident in my meal and enjoyed the fun flavor combinations. Chef Marsh even offered to create a special gluten free dessert just for me. Check out Levende East next time you are in Oakland. This a great location for those attending conferences at the Oakland Convention Center (one block away from the Marriott). They also have great outdoor seating area.
I'm starting to like this new downtown Oakland vibe. I came to Levende East for late night drinks and was pleasantly surprised. The interior is very posh and hip, with high ceilings and low lighting. I loved the paintings around the room, and it made for great conversation among our group. The cocktails were pricey, but the bartender put a lot of detail into making em and they turned out delicious. The crowd was definitely the mature kind.. maybe 30's and 40's.
This seems like a great place to romance a date.. a lil wine, a lil candlelight, a lil..
This is what we had...
Mac n Cheese - EXCELLENT
Ribs - GREAT
Shrimp Rosotto - Very Wet, 3 shrimps =( Not Good.
Strawberry Martini - REALLY GOOD
Peanut Butter Cheesecake - had better, but it was alright.
Would go back... if someone else was paying, unless I was buying the Mac-N-Cheese or the Strawberry Martini!
OMG OMG OMG the lamb burgers! Yum!
Three of us tried Levende East for dinner Saturday night and were pleasantly surprised with the quality and atmosphere. I had the mixed green salad with blood orange, and the lamb burgers. Both were delicious but my breath smelled like lamb for the rest of the night...seriously folks, bring some gum. My husband asked about a Vegetarian meal and so the chef came out and talked it through with him. They decided on a veggie risotto which, while not the most imaginative dish ever, was tasty and satisfying. All in all, it was a nice meal and I'll happily go back again.
Side note: I've noticed a few Oakland restaurants doing the DJ in a corner thing recently and I like it. Who'd of thought!
So this is a place I love to hate and hate to love.
Pluses: The long wood table at the bar.
It's totally what Old Oakland needs.
The plates of food are good.
The wine is even better.
The drink selection is super creative.
Minuses: Sitting your group, even one of 8 or more at the long wooden table at the bar is fight each and every time with the staff.
The plates of food are ok but not much in terms of healthy or creative vegetarian.
The staff are always, always rude and hardline about where you can sit, stand, drink, wine, etc. At 750+ reviews, I think I know what constitutes good service and this ain't it.
The staff disappear, regardless of where you are sitting, when you need a refill/more food.
I want for it to be better but I still go because it's all about location,location and yeah, the long wooden table at the bar.
Food fantastical starring...Levende East.
From soup to nuts, from the toasty bread with olive oil dipping sauce to dessert, this corner eatery puts on a damn fine show. The setting: dark wood interior with chandeliers above, rich upholstery that would make cows run, & colorful art. The actors we saw: New England clam chowders, mixed green salads, rib eye steaks, sea bass, & up and coming break out star: chocolate caramel bread pudding. Check out their swanky bathroom too-just because you can.
This critic gives 5 fabulous stars for an entertaining & filling gig. Encore!
I recently (2 weeks ago) enjoyed a later lunch here with a friend. We wandered from my office towards Ratto's...our planned destination for eats. We were stopped by Levende. I checked the menu and noticed the nice teak tables and chairs on the sidewalk and said "why don't we eat here?!" We sat down and were pleasantly greeted by our host and a few minutes later our server brought us water and took our wine order and then allowed us casual time to talk and peruse the menu. It is edited - nicely - for a lunch. We had small plates that we shared - a beet salad that we really enjoyed. The lamb sliders - YUM and fries of course! The wine was lovely - I really think their menu is exactly what that area needs - relatively inexpensive - interesting - and variety without being overwhelming. Combined with the outside ambience that reminded me of Europe - I absolutely will be back.
Perfectly sized food proportions. Classy, sophisticated mood-like place.
The menu is decent, and carefully picked. I had the mini tuna burgers - best tuna burgers ever!! Although you have to order them separately - the kennebec fries are delicious.
Good place to eat with co-workers, and friends.
I have now been to Levende twice - both times for business lunches - and I do not plan to return.
The food is okay but definitely too pricey for the quality.
The main problem with Levende, however, is the service. It is ABYSMAL. Both times I went for lunch it took over 40 minutes to get our food. Not acceptable when you need to get back to the office on a weekday... The servers lack personality and warmth. You have to wait forever for drinks - and forget about refills until the food finally comes out and you can plead for one. Both times the orders have been incorrect. Both times it seemed as though there was one server for the whole restaurant (granted they aren't overly busy but one is not enough). This last time we were overcharged but it was worth paying the few extra dollars to not have to sit another 1/2 hour to get it all straightened out.
I would not recommend Levende unless you have a lot a patience, a lot of time, and are willing to overpay for the experience.
Had lunch here a few days ago with a friend. Cool location- Old Oakland.
The food was good, but I
won't be making a fuss to go back. There are so many great places out there nowadays a place needs to be "special" and stand out. I ordered the roasted beet salad, since I am a beet aficionado.. : )
Well, I was somewhat disappointed because the main salad consisted of a lump of lettuce in the middle surround about 8 slices from two small beets.
My friend had the clam chowder, it was good. We shared Indian lamb burgers, which were good, but they didn't seem authentic...looked like they had come out of box.. I know they didn't, but it seemed that way.
I had a Solstice martinti-average.. again, nothing special. Don't know if I'll be back.
We ended up here after learning that there was an hour wait at Tamarindo. I had actually wanted to try Levende East, but based on the decor I thought it might not be the best place to dine with my 19 month old wild banshee. Luckily for us, I was wrong about that.
They sat us right away at a very nice table, perfect for a family with a crazy baby. The lighting was really romantic and relaxing and while it was quiet inside, it was not so quiet that my son was able to distract other tables. Our waitress was beyond attentive and carefully answered our many menu questions.
As for the food, not bad at all. If you like spicy food you will LOVE their Jerk Chicken, so flavorful and juicy. The plantains that accompanied the chicken were the best plantains that exist. The macaroni and cheese was the best macaroni and cheese EVER, super cheese but not swimming in oil. I hate beets, but LOVED their beet salad, the combination of the beets with the bib lettuce and fried goat cheese balls, sheer artwork. The sole was pretty good, light but filling. The Mushroom Risotto was a bit salty and spice-less (which is why I can't give 5 stars).
If you are in the mood for a drink, the Spiced Mango Mojito (more like a cocktail) is a "must order". Oh and do not leave without tasting the Chocolate Caramel Bread pudding, again I don't even like bread pudding and I ended up stealing it from my husband because it was so good, poor guy lost his salad and dessert.
You know, I even liked my fellow diners, we made friends with the parties on both sides of us, which is always fun. We will absolutely return to Levende East.
A SOLID dining experience...took my Baby Mama in there on a rainy off-night. Alright, I'll be honest (and I'm making myself sound BORING), we went on the evening of Halloween. The BM gave rave reviews about the "Macaroni & Cheese" dish that they had there, which made me quite curious. Only my Moms and my late, great Auntie M made REALLY good Mac & Cheese. Everyone else's (in my entire life) has sucked.
Prior to heading down there, called to make a resv. The hostess informed me that the place was dead, so we drove over and walked right in around 815pm. We were seated promptly.
The restaurant section had a few scattered tables available, so we got a cozy one. Damn, this place is sorta dark, but still quite intimate. The bar section was packed. The tunes? I believe that it was acid jazz. Then again, it could have been the "Quiet Storm", One "O" Two Point Nine, K-B-LX. Mellow and cool. Just how I like it.
I ordered the Pacific Salmon with risotto and a bottle of Guinness. Decent...tasty. Now, I have no recollection of what the BM ordered, but it didn't matter. She fuqin killed the Mac n Cheese! And I can't blame her, because it was Screamin. It's served in a small "skillet" similar to the "Cajun Shrimp" dish at Cha Cha Cha. It's creamy, flavorful...man, just delicious. It totally enhanced the entire dining experience.
We were far too exhausted to try dessert, but took home some of my Mac & Cheese. Of course, hers was gone before she even had a sip of her Lemon Drop. Amazing!
Liked it. Dug the old school bar. A little dark for lunch but for dinner it would be geat.
I have to try dinner
Venue was nice, drinks were priced accordingly and food was priced high, but was it all worth it?
-Drinks were strong! Worth it
-Ordered the Grilled Calamari....I think we got calamini's, small, expensive and filled with beans??
-Bread and olive oil was good, but $4 bucks, take a hit for the customer!
-Ordered fries, decent, nothing special
Mainly went here for drinks so I can't say anything about the main courses, but based on the starter's, I wouldn't be ordering main dishes. Will be coming back because bar staff was great and drink were done up nice!
Good food and prices that reflect the quality will go further than boushy interior
Sometimes I wait to write a review until I've gone back a second time. I'm not sure why. You just feel like you maybe haven't had the best the place has to offer.
I had lunch here a couple months back and was pretty dissapointed, and at lunch I'm generally easy to please. Tuna Burger, nothing special. Slow service.
Came back today for second lunch. Whoa.
I don't know if it's because of the ecomony or what but it was DEAD. Maybe 20% full.
Had the sirlion burger. Better than the Tuna Burger, which incidentally, had been taken off the menu.
The service was pretty bad here again. When it's crazy dead like that, I shouldn't be flagging people down. Twice.
Hey Waitstaff at Levende, it's lunchtime, not dinner. I need to hurry up and get back to my busy-dom and importantness. Importantosity... You know what I'm saying.
Oh, but nice bathrooms.
My bf and I scheduled made reservations a couple of weeks in advance for a birthday party for 20 people. We told them we would be bringing our own cake and they let us know that was fine and had a place to keep it. We arrived early before the guests showed up to drop off the cake and we has a space cleared for us. I advised the server that we would order drinks and wait for a while for all of the guests to arrive to order food. We waited about 45 minutes and decided to order, it took almost 20 minutes to get all of our orders and the food took so long to come out I had forgotten what I ordered! Some of the guests were upset and hungry. After almost an hour and fifteen minutes after the first order was taken our food came out. Overall the food was ok, decent for the price no complaints. However because the food service took such a long time some of the guests needed to leave before we could bring out the cake. The cake was brought out, cut and served and we called it a night. Overall the atmosphere is good, a more mature clientele. I would come back with a smaller group but I was a bit aggitated at the service we received for the group, especially considering the bill was large and they charge $45 to cut the cake (not like we werent spending money!!!)
Overall a B for Atmosphere, C for food and D for service...3 stars (although if I could give halves I would give a 2 1/2).
JR and I came here for a weeknight dinner with hungry belly and hungry eyes. I was surprised at how empty the place was, there was only a table of six and one or two other tables of two scattered about. The lack of patrons that chilly night accentuated the cavernous feeling the restaurant gave, what with the high ceilings and receeding restroom and kitchen, but we were tucked up against a side wall so it wasn't too bad.
What does Downtown Oakland fine dining have to offer?
I had a glass of the tempranillo and JR the Zin, the server didn't seem that enthused about givign out a recommendation.
The raw bar was tempting but we passed. JR chose the heirloom tomato gazpacho with artesian mineral water, cucumber and croutons, then the pan roasted white bass which they were substituting with ling cod that night. I had the butter lettuce salad and babyback ribs.
The butter lettuce salad was dressed nicely (paired with sliced Bosc pear, toasted pecan pieces, red and white raddichio and a gorgonzola dressing); not too heavy, not too dull. JR's gazpacho was a bit different.
I may be misremembering but the soup came in a little white carafe and the bowl held only a handful of croutons, and small pile each of diced shallots and cucumber. The server poured the soup over the croutons. Huh. How did it taste? Not that interesting. In my humble opinion, flavors need to mingle and mellow out collectively in a gazpacho. The shallots were too pronounced, and the gazpacho itself lacked any kind of character. it was too stright-up, if you know what I mean. Rather disappointing, and at the price tag of $11 I could have driven out to one of the three family farms by my parent's house, bought heirlooms and fresh herbs and made a knock-your-socks-off gazpacho. but what do I know.
The ling cod looked more deep fried than pan fried and JR commented on the greasiness (or rather butteryness) of it. Overall it wasn't bad, but I don't think I would have ordered it again given a choice.
Same with the guava glazed babyback ribs. They were really crispy on the sides, despite being drenched in a thick, heavy sauce. The guava may have broken down in the cooking process so much (or overwhelmed by the rest of the sauce ingredients) that any guava flavor dissapated long before it ever reached the table. It was good bar food, but overly seasoned for being paired with such smoky mashed potatoes. The did rocolla did help a bit in bringing a fresh taste back to the palate.
The sea salt caramel gelato sounded delicous and reminiscent of other more well known renditions of this flavor, so we gave it a whirl. The gelato was the highlight of the meal, so it's nice to know they can do dessert (or at least a gelato) well. Flavors were nicely blended and just the right amount of saltiness to conquer the warm, golden caramel flavor.
I'm sure this place does just fine on it's own but a less heavy hand in the kitchen (we are in California, the food should speak for itself) would bring wonders to the palate, not to mention having a server that's just a mite more attentive. The dining room is dark and cool and I enjoyed the artwork more so than at most establishments so kudos to them on that- I can certainly see people enjoying dinner here on a hot summer night with the doors open.
So I literally just got back to my office after having lunch at this restaurant, and I can say with certainty I will not be coming back...
The restaurant itself is nice, nice decor although a bit pretentious for Downtown Oakland... the staff is nice as well....
We ordered the Lobster dumplings, which from the menu sounded very good...
We got 5 dumplings drowned in some sort of broth that was completely tasteless, the dumplings came topped with what seemed to be an entire cup of corn, and some mushrooms... Not very impressed...
Eh. Old Oakland still needs a destination, and this isn't it.
Clam chowder: someone made a HUGE mistake and dumped cayenne in it, LOTS of cayenne, which absorbed any clam flavor which might have been there.
The lamb sliders were the only hit.
My steak was really overpriced and a tad overcooked (medium rare should be more pink than grey); the salad was on the limp side, as if it had been sitting out for a while.
I wanted to make this a go-to spot, but I doubt I'll be back.
Neighborhood: Old Oakland
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Old Oakland
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Oakland Chinatown
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: West Oakland
Category: Local Flavor
Neighborhood: Old Oakland
Category: Italian
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