Molly Gore

Salt cod and ackee at Miss Ollie's.

I haven't met anyone yet who doesn't love Miss Ollie's. And I mean, love. A random poll in my living room brought hands to hearts and lots of cooing, as if I'd placed a puppy in the center of the room. It's more than the food that makes this kind of thing happen -- there's an abstract soulfulness to Miss Ollie's that people like to try and pin down, but end up flocking there instead like moths to an oil lamp on a hot Caribbean night. The food is unequivocally good, and the vibe is intoxicatingly jovial. It's bright and warm, a Technicolor dreamscape of turquoise tin, bright peppers, and vintage barber ads. Oakland's jolly oasis. Somehow, it makes you feel familiar without being anything like the home you grew up in.

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Pete Kane

Grilled asparagus and beef fat french fries at Marrow.

The first thing you notice when you enter Marrow is the backs of heads eating at the front counter. In our case, the shaved heads of four Teamster-looking dudes chowing down on lunch.

The second thing you notice is a giant sheaf of brown paper tacked to the wall, with Marrow's mission statement written out. It's the usual earnest foodie paean to local, sustainable animal slaughter, relatively new to Downtown Oakland and always nice to see.

See also: First Impressions At Tribune Tavern
Peek Inside Duende's New Casual Bodega
Heyday: Chez Panisse Alums Reinvent the Power Lunch

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Molly Gore

Smoked trout salad at Tribune Tavern.

When the Tribune Tavern opened two weeks ago in Oakland, I was excited. Firstly, it's a tavern, under a former newspaper building. A place for wiry and haggard journalists, gatekeepers to the misery of the world, to roll down their sleeves and commune. Wingback chairs, scotch, Jimmy Stewart (maybe?). Halfway through my jar of puréed rabbit and frothy drink last night I thought, no, it's not for them. I'm not sure who it's for.

To begin, the word "tavern" tricked me into coming. It's not a tavern, at least not entirely. It's more confused than that. The center of the bar displays a rack of spirits, lit blue by a light that looks like it was salvaged from a nightclub. The bar, peppered with hoodies and youngish folks, is flanked by TV's. Khakis, ties, and suits fill out the rest of the restaurant, an elongated room that sits under a strange and cheesy faux-art deco lighting theme. The interior itself is a strange mash-up of materials -- like segments of wine barrels, golden moulding, leather booths, backlit couches, and not-so-reclaimed wood -- that my dining friend deemed "schizophrenic." The whole thing has a very clean sheen, like a prototype, but a prototype of what is more difficult to discern. Between the confused aesthetics and the strange brand of "updated tavern," it's hard to tell what era inspired the place.

See also: Peek Inside Duende's New Casual Bodega

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Anna Latino

The mighty Kronnerburger with bone marrow and a side of fries.

This week's review is on hamburger pop-up Kronnerburger at Bruno's in the Mission, but if you live across the Bay, want to try it, and can't be bothered to make the BART trip, you're in luck: Chef Chris Kronner is taking his burgerly skills to Oakland this Friday for the Creative Growth Studio Party during Oakland's Art Murmur.

A $30 ticket gets you a Kronnerbuger, fries, a drink ticket, and music by Shock (tickets and more info available on Kronnerburger's Facebook page).

See also: Kronnerburger: Succumbing to the Cult of the Burger
KronnerBurger: A Bloody Good Pop-Up

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Molly Gore

Paul Canales in Duende's bodega.

"Nothing here was thought out at all," says Paul Canales, sweeping his arm across the massive, airy space of Duende. It's hard to believe. Duende in the mid-afternoon is beautiful--washed in daylight, the walls a raucous mash of beautiful and hectic Basquiat-esque canvases by Raymond Saunders (a friend of Canales), racks of house-pressed olive oil, and the rest an eclectic mélange of exposed brick, reclaimed wood, and roughed up stucco--an accidental byproduct of demolition that Canales loved. And there's something special about Duende, it's available in the daytime in a way few restaurants are. Meet the bodega: Duende's wine bar/café/social space that always feels like you've arrived to a friend's party just a little bit early.

See also: The Science of Shopping at the New Bi-Rite Market
The Evolution of Mission Chinese Food's New York Counterpart

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Mary Ladd

Doughnuts with "naughty cream" at Doughnut Dolly

Temescal has achieved hot status as a destination for culinary delights: Pizzaiolo, Doña Tomás, and relative newcomers like Scream Sorbet, soon-to-open Juhu Beach Club, and kickstarter-funded Doughnut Dolly. Edible Excursions recently launched a three-plus-hour culinary tour ($75) that packs tastings and stories from a dozen Oakland businesses. (Full disclosure: I have worked as a paid tour guide for Edible, and know the tours offer a belly-full of goods with insights from the staff and business owners.) Here are five of the most fun things I learned about on a recent tour:

See also: Doughnuts Filled to Order in Temescal
Edible Excursions Walking Tours Make Delicious Gifts

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The Meatball Shop

What: Hop on the Balls: NYC's The Meatball Shop Pop-Up
Where: Hopscotch, 1915 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland, CA, 94612 (at 19th Street)
When: Monday, December 3, 5 p.m. - midnight (or until the last meatball is served)

Hopscotch, Oakland's funky little Japanese-influenced diner, is getting ready to have a ball--a lot of balls, actually. New York City's The Meatball Shop is taking over for one night only to serve their mix-and-match menu of meatballs, sauces, sides, and heroes.

See also:
- Pop-Up Planner: Best Temporary Restaurants, Nov. 26-Dec. 3
- Boozy Events Round-Up: Mustaches, Micro-Distilleries, and Barback Games

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Lou Bustamante

The magic of cocktails is in the dramatic difference a seemingly minor change can produce. Take the basic sour for example: a combination of spirit, citrus, and sugar. Make it with lemon juice and vodka and you have a lemon drop. Mix it with gin and lime juice instead and you have a gimlet. Take out the gin and put in tequila, and you have a margarita in its place. This isn't to say that creating new drinks is an easy matter of finding a new combination and laying claim to it. Making it work requires some finessing.

See Also:
- Picán Royale Bourbon Society Kicks Off
- Drink of the Week: Sipping the Lands End at Rich Table

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ktgeek/flickr

When Picán in Oakland opened up back in 2009, it was pioneering the Southern-cuisine-with-a-twist movement, but it was also one of the only bars with a big focus on bourbon and rye whiskies. With a sizable collection of whiskey on its bar, including some rare and custom bottles, restaurant owner Michael LeBlanc and bar manager Sam Babalola are launching a new program bourbon fans: The Royale Bourbon Society.

See Also:
- Hot Meal: Lunch at Pican in Oakland

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Josh Ozersky

Rodney Scott's North Carolina pork and grits.

Meatopia's first West Coast event was less hedonistic than its New York brother, but we still enjoyed food from some of the best meat chefs in the country last night during the Eat Real Fest in Jack London Square. Our far-and-away favorite bite was the pulled pork shoulder, cheesy grits, and vinegar-y barbecue sauce from Rodney Scott and Jim-n-Nick's Bar B-Q.

See Also:
- Bare Bones BBQ Competition Coming to Meatopia This Weekend
- Celebrate Bay Area Food at This Weekend's Eat Real Festival
- Cocktail Week Events and Beyond This Weekend, Sept. 21-23

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