💥I had a baby💥
💥I got promoted💥
💥I got Covid!💥
It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? Since having my second child, my longest stretch of “me” time entailed having a crown repaired on my tooth. You know, fun stuff. So I haven’t quite had enough space to sit down and write - though I hope I properly set that expectation with you in the first edition when I said that my goal with this newsletter was for it to be “a pleasant surprise whenever it lands in your inbox.”
But I’ve finally got a handle on things and am ready to dig back in with you all. I started this draft 6 months ago, at a time when I was awake late at night, every night — but not at all in a cool or interesting way, like the solitary, lazy, wannabe-bohemian I once was; room strewn with paintings and poetry. Instead, my waking hours have more of what one would call ‘frantic-mom energy’ as I balance a wobbly mental calculous of work to-do’s, with remnants of a hastily wiped splotch of spit-up on my shoulder, surrounded by piles of laundry. You know, cool mom stuff. But enough about me.
So much has happened in the past few months and as predicted, the east bay food and beverage scene is thriving with energy - from fresh, buzzy eats like the new multi-course tasting menu at Hi Felicia to the hip BanChan spot JooDooBoo, there are plenty of new dishes to sink your teeth into.
So, if you’re still here with me after all this time, I humbly offer you a peek into the east bay restaurant scene.
Gone are the days of restaurants taking themselves too seriously. You remember the time, those middler 2000’s years where every fine dining restaurant had white tablecloths, the whole staff would come out to present your meal, and then make a big show of using molecular gastronomy techniques; smoke, fire, dramatic pourings of soup. That’s all done now. Consumers want restaurants that feel more relaxed — and food that’s fresh and fun. ‘Fine’ dining here in the east bay is more about flavors than formality, and local restaurateurs are flexing their skills and knowledge in new and exciting ways. Three spots to check out:
⚡️Daytrip - Daytrip is the epitome of the next wave of post-covid dining. The restaurant focuses on fermentation - natural wines, sourdoughs, miso, pickles - the kind of place that seems like it can only exist here or somewhere in Scandinavia. The team describes their menu as having “a little bit of chaos in everything,” which I can sincerely relate to. Daytrip wants their customers to indulge their senses in unusual pairings and the menu runs the gamut - with small plates like a king salmon crudo featuring frog hollow farm bing cherries or a Puglian burrata with porcini and pickled Argentinian avocado squash. You can find Daytrip’s flavorful bounty in Temescal right on Telegraph along with their natural wine shop. Open Weds- Sun 5-9 and on Tuesdays there is limited menu service at the bar for ‘Nite Trip’ from 5-9 p.m..
Jo’s Modern Thai - get the drunken noodles. It’s all I ever want to eat. This fresh, bright Thai restaurant absolutely knocked my socks off and its my current favorite place to take out-of-towners. Every dish you’ll eat at Jo’s is bursting with flavor and spice, the staff is lovely, the cocktails are fun and there’s something for everyone. They have a peaceful backyard patio, plus some kid options (what kid doesn’t love blue sticky rice?), and if I had to guess, I’d say they’re on their way toward some love from the food awards. Chef Intu-on Kornnawong has world class restaurant chops already from her time at Kin Khao in SF and Night+Market in LA. They take reservations plus have takeout and delivery available for all you recluses like me. Open Tues - Sun 5-9:30 @ 3725 MacArthur blvd, Laurel District.
🐌 Snail Bar this seems like kind of place you would find in manhattan or paris, a moody yet welcoming vibe, giving off the aura of talent without having to try too hard; featuring rare natural wines and carefully plated seasonal bites; a secret hideaway at first, that grows increasingly popular, to your chagrin, but you’re still willing to visit at odd hours just to be a part of it. At least, that’s how I’m imagining it. East bae reader Sam confirmed that Snail Bar is everything I’ve been dreaming it to be - and said she wants to eat and drink there the rest of her life. Like many fine bay area establishments, they prominently showcase where they procure their ingredients, so you know you’re getting the best local and seasonal flavors. They also post cleverly designed ever-evolving menus on IG which are reminiscent of the wild menus from SF’s favorite cocktail bar Trick Dog (which is back open). At Snail bar you can find snails, of course, and they’ll be prepared with seasonal accouterments like kumquat and cashew miso. Other changing dishes demonstrate an affection for a careful balance of California flavors with a splash of Japanese inspiration - be it a rotating selection of oysters dolled up with white yuzu and embered shallots, or a blue fin toro tostada with avocado and umeboshi ponzu sauce. And just this month this team also opened SLUG - another natural wine bar for late night fun. Snail bar is open daily, 4- 9 p.m., 4935 Shattuck Ave — no reservations. SLUG, open Thurs-Sun - 5 -til late. 102 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
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In other east bay news:
🥨In a previous issue I was lamenting about not being able to satisfy my pregnancy craving of pretzels and beer cheese, but there have been lots of developments on that front. First, Biz, a helpful east bae reader let me know about Speisekammer in Alameda, a German restaurant with all the favorites. Second, there’s also Honor Kitchen in Emeryville which delivers a gigantic pretzel and beer cheese via doordash. Third, Batch and Brine has a pretzel on the menu in Lafayette. And lastly - Squabisch (which you may remember from our bread pop-up guide) opened a storefront in Albany that has been a weekend hotspot. And while they don’t do beer cheese - they do offer pretzel making classes.
And lastly - I have lots to say about the growing food scene east of the tunnel - but we’ll save that for another edition, another time. Stay tuned.
What have you been up to? Tell me the latest!