Weekend Eats & Drinks 11/19

There aren't too many events this weekend to compete with Thanksgiving prep, but a few wineries are holding events if you're still looking for the perfect wine and turkey pairing

Tonight catch JC Cellars holiday case sale. Get 30% off select wine cases for the holiday. Mix and match 12 bottles from 5 to 8 p.m., as well as tastings with light appetizers. Neighbor Dashe Cellars also is offering 25% off case purchases til Sunday.

On Saturday, catch Kermit Lynch's annual Beaujolais Nouveau party. Kermit Lynch and Cafe Fanny will turn the parking lot into an afternoon party Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch usually is about $15 and wines by the glass range from $5 to $6.

After your lunch, wind down with Peet's free open house from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sample the new holiday blend coffee and tea, and sit in on home-brew demonstrations. For every coffee or tea purchase of $25 and up, get a free gift tin.


JC Cellars and Dashe Cellars
55 4th St., Oakland
www.jccellars.com
www.dashecellars.com

Kermit Lynch
1605 San Pablo Blvd., Berkeley
www.kermitlynch.com

Peet's Coffee
East Bay locations
www.peets.com

Thanksgiving Restaurants

For less fuss this Thanksgiving, a few restaurants will open Thursday for holiday dinner.

Spicy Monkey Cafe in downtown Oakland holds its "Day of Giving" complimentary dinner. Bring 10 cans of food to the restaurant by today and get a free meal ticket for Thanksgiving dinner. For example, if you have a party of two, drop off 20 cans of food. All cans collected will be donated to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Dinner includes an entree and a special treat.

Other restaurants are offering prix fixe, buffets and regular menus.

Prix fixe

Spice Monkey
1628 Webster St., Oakland

Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto's
1919 4th St., Berkeley
$19.95/person

Henry’s
2600 Durant Ave., Berkeley
$22.95/person

Lake Chalet Seafood Bar and Grill
1520 Lakeside Dr., Oakland
510-208-5253
$39/person, $19 for children under 12

Pican
2295 Broadway, Oakland
510-834-1000
Thanksgiving feast from the South, $65/adult, $21.95 children under 12

The following will serve Thanksgiving dinner but call for pricing.


Five Restaurant
2086 Allston Way, Berkeley
http://www.five-berkeley.com


Garibaldi’s
5356 College Ave., Oakland
510-595-4000
3-course prix fixe

Buffets

Montclair Bistro
6118 Medau Place, Oakland
http://montclairbistro.com
$48 per person, $24 for kids 12 and younger. Full menu here.

Scott’s
2 Broadway Ave., Oakland
www.scottsjls.com
510-444-3456
$35/adult, $15 children under 12


No details on the price or menu, but the restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving.

Kincaid’s Bayhouse
1 Franklin St., Oakland
510-835-8600

Skates on the Bay
100 Seawall Dr., Berkeley
510-549-1900

Quinn’s Lighthouse
1951 Embarcadero East, Oakland
510-536-2050

Miss Pearl’s Jam House
One Broadway, Oakland
510-444-7171

Thursday Eats & Drinks

The weekend starts early tonight with a pair of wine tastings and a beer pairing.

Oakland's Urban Legend Cellars hosts its new release party from 5 to 9 p.m. Sample the eight latest releases along with old favorites and barrel tastings paired with finger foods and chocolates from Cocoa Diva. Tickets are $10, and some of tastings include a 2008 Sangiovese, 2009 Mourvedre, 2009 Petit Verdot from Mendocino and other reds.


Solano Cellars will also be hosting an aged Italian wine tasting tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. Sample rare, decade-plus-old Barolo, Barbaresco and Tuscan wines paired with appetizers. Tickets are $69.

Wines being poured:
‘97 D. Rivetti Barbaresco Ris. “Bricco de Neveis” $75
‘98 Dante Marramiero Montepulciano d’Abruzzo $60
‘00 Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino $72
‘01 Monte Faustino Amarone della Valpolicella $90

Food menu:
Polenta squares with mushrooms and truffle oil
Arancini risotto balls
Rosemary focaccia with pork shoulder
Selection of Piedmont and Tuscan cheese

For a beer-paired dinner, Berkeley's Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto teams up with 21st Amendment for a 5-course $40 prix fixe menu. Seatings start at 7 p.m., and a representative of the brewery will be on hand to answer any questions.


Urban Legend Cellars release party
621 4th st., Oakland
http://www.ulcellars.com/

Solano Cellars
1580 Solano Ave., Albany
http://www.solanocellars.com

Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto & 21st Amendement
1919 4th St., Berkeley
http://www.spengers.com

Weekend Eats & Drinks 11/13

Not sure what drinks to serve for the holidays? Head to one of four events Saturday for tastings.

Stage Left Cellars in Oakland is extending its hours in November, opening every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stage Left focuses on Rhone varietals, with an occasional Cab and Zin. Tastings are $5.

Across the Webster Tunnel, Rock Wall Wines is hosting a wine harvest party. Tickets are $75 online, or $85 at the door, and include tastings of the entire Rock Wall portfolio and BBQ ribs, brisket and chicken. The event also features live music, tours, barrel samples, and a blind wine tasting competition with prizes. Also receive special day wine pricing on purchases.

For more variety, try the Kermit Lynch and Solano Cellars release party from 2 to 5 p.m. A $20 ticket gets you tastings of more than 15 wines from France and Italy. Expect to taste favorites from the Rhone, Burgundy, Corsica and Bandol. The $20 ticket is refunded with a purchase of 3 bottles or more.

Lastly, sample unlimited wine and spirits at the Young Professionals Committee - East Bay Holidate dating auction fundraiser at Oakland’s Uptown Body and Fender gallery from 7 to 10 p.m. $35 tickets online, or $45 at the door, get you an evening of music and unlimited wine, spirits and chocolate tastings from sponsors like Buffalo Bills, Conjure, Ghirardelli, Periscope Cellars, El Relingo Tequila, Manana Tequila, Beringer wines, Ceja Vineyards, Charles Krug, Kinder’s BBQ and more. Aside from the food and wine, catch the auctioning of bachelors and bachelorettes who volunteer to go on dates to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, which provides mentoring programs for Bay Area kids.

Stage Left Cellars
2102 Dennison St., Ste. A, Oakland

Rock Wall Wine harvest
2301 Monarch St., Building 24, Alameda


Kermit Lynch release party
1580 Solano Ave., Albany


Holidate SoireeUptown Body & Fender Art Gallery
401 26th St., Oakland

Numi Tea Garden in Oakland

One visit to the Numi Tea Garden in Oakland proves that tea service doesn’t have to be pretentious. Located off the I-880, the tea garden’s brick office building exterior fits in with the surrounding warehouses and loading docks. However, inside, you are taken to a new age, Asian oasis with plenty of indoor plants and water fountains to tap your inner om or surf the internet in peace with the free Wi-Fi.

The tea garden is very informal, usually with a seat yourself policy. The service tends to be slow with only two people the Sunday I went working the tea tastings and the retail store. Though it took a while to be greeted and get menus, the staff was friendly and the tea presentation very attentive.

Most all of the teas Numi sells online is available but there are a few to taste that are not found online like the Jasmine Pearl, my favorite. A teapot tasting starts at $2, and increases depending on your tea selection. The choices are varied with green, black, white, herbal, oolong and flowering teas, most of which are organic. The White Nectar of organic osmanthus spring was light with hints of apricot, while the Puerh Mini Tuocha was dark, rich and smelled like chocolate. The standout was the Jasmine Pearl, a floral mix of green tea and jasmine, and a definite try for any green tea fan. Numi also offers a limited selection of snacks to pair with your tea. Instead of finger sandwiches, macaroons and other high tea nibbles, Numi’s menu includes nuts and dried fruits, hummus and other Mediterranean dips, cheeses and baked goods. We decided on the muhammara, a red pepper and walnut dip with pomegranate molasses that offered a sweet and spicy kick.

The tea service is much like an Asian tea room with all your accessories atop a hollow wooden box. In an elaborate presentation, the tea leaves are poured into the infuser followed by hot water, and then a sand dial timer is turned to measure precisely when your tea is done. Any excess water is swirled to clean your tea cup and then poured over a decorative frog figurine for what I’m told is good luck. The ritual definitely makes you feel special.

After your tastings, you can walk a few feet and grab some tea bags, loose leafs, or tea pots and accessories. The loose leaf prices are some of the more affordable I’ve seen for organic teas, and unlike online, you can get as little as an ounce.

Dine Out for Meals on Wheels

Dine out for a cause tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 9, for the inaugural “Bay Area Dine Out for Meals on Wheels.” A portion of the evening’s proceeds will go to local Meals on Wheels organizations that provide nearly 3 million meals each year to more than 8,500 seniors in daily need of a hot, nutritious meal, a wellness check and companionship.

The following East Bay restaurants are participating. Please mention that you are dining to benefit Meal on Wheels.

Alameda
BarCeluna
Dragon Rouge
Mona’s Table
Speisekammer
Tomatina
Tucker’s Ice Cream
Zeytini Restaurant and Bar

Berkeley
Ajanta
Chick-o-Pea’s
eVe
FIVE Restaurant & Bar
Sea Salt
Sfoofs Woofle Café
Zut! On Fourth

Oakland
Buttercup Grill & Bar
Dopo
Italian Colors Ristorante
Miss Pearl’s Jam House
Nex
Ozumo
Tay Ho Restaurant
Vo’s Restaurant

For a list of restaurants in other Bay Area counties, please see www.dineoutnow.org.

Weekend Eats & Drinks 11/5

Start the weekend with a free R&B Cellars flight tasting at Miss Pearl's Jam House at Jack London Square in Oakland today from 5 to 6 p.m.

For the high rollers, try Solano Cellar's Benjamin Flight today from 4 to 9 p.m. For $30, try three $100 bottles. First off is a full glass of NV Henriot Souverain Blanc de Blancs Champagne from Magnum. Then, tastings of 2004 Argiolas "Turriga", Sardinia, Italy, and 2005 Domaine du Jaugaret St. Julien (Medoc), Bordeaux, France.

If wine's not your thing, head to Drake's Brewing in San Leandro from 4 to 8 p.m. today for first Friday tastings. This month's event benefits the San Leandro Scholarship Foundation. $15 will get you a Drake's tasting glass and 3 tokens for 3 full pours. Additional tokens are $3.50. A $5/person voluntary donation can be offered at the door. Food will also be on sale.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, Stage Left Cellars near Jack London Square in Oakland will host an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. A $25 ticket includes wine tastings of Stage Left favorites, food like wood-fired pizzas and live music.

On Sunday, Nov. 7, the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Gourmet Food and Wine Festival at Hotel Shattuck Plaza from 2 to 6 p.m. Get a taste of local cuisine and wine from 25 area restaurants and caterers, and 25 local wineries. Enjoy live music, a raffle and silent auction, benefiting the chamber's scholarship program. The event will also help Through the Looking Glass, a nonprofit assisting families with disabilities since 1982. Tickets are $50.

Friday
R&B Cellars free tastings
at Miss Pearl's Jam House
1 Broadway, Oakland
510-444-7171

Solano Cellars
1580 Solano Ave. B, Albany
510-525-9463

Drake's Brewing
1933 Davis St., Ste 177
San Leandro, CA
Parking at Westgate Center Parking lot

Saturday
Stage Left Cellars
2102 Dennison St., Oakland
510-434-9930

Sunday
Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Stomp!
2086 Allston Way, Berkeley
510-549-7000

Holiday gift ideas

With the holidays fast approaching, take advantage of a couple local events today for gift ideas.

From 5 to 7 p.m., head to Amanda's Feel Good Fresh Food Restaurant in downtown Berkeley for an eco-local preholiday party. Sample select Amanda's food and drink (including season catering options and local, organic beer and wine) while perusing displays by Bay Area eco-friendly retailers. For the eco-conscious, shop Convert eco-fashion, GIANNA fair-trade fashion and home decor, and PACT organic cotton underwear. The event is cohosted by Buy Local Berkeley, which will raffle gift certificates donated by local businesses.

For the tequila lovers, try the Terrace Room's $1 tequila tasting featuring Paqui from 6 to 9 p.m. Enjoy specially paired appetizers and cocktails lakeside at the Lake Merritt Hotel eatery. If you like it, gift it.

Amanda's
2122 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
(510) 548-2122

The Terrace Room
1800 Madison St., Oakland
(510) 903-3771

Locanda da Eva in Berkeley

Opened by a former SF Weekly restaurant critic, Locanda da Eva sits on a nearly deserted stretch of Telegraph Avenue. Unheard of in Berkeley, street parking is easy to find, as I had no trouble pulling up to a metered spot (free after 6 p.m.) steps from the front door. As I parked, I questioned the quiet streets and wondered whether the place was even open. It was. Despite the lackluster location, however, Locanda da Eva holds a lot of promise.

From the outside, the restaurant looks small but actually is comfortably spacious even if it has two contrasting seating areas. One room holds a dimly lit, sleek bar and lounge area that doesn't seem out of place in the Elmwood or Fourt Street districts. The dining room is more family friendly with brighter lighting but uncoordinated decor. The odd booth dividers look cheap, and the artwork, while notable, doesn't add much to the restaurant. It's diffcult to figure out what the ambiance of the dining room is suppose to be, so it may be a good sign that the restaurant will be closed November 7 to 9 for redecoration.

While the decor misses the mark, the food is reliable. The well-rounded menu includes salads and appetizers, pizzas, pastas, meat dishes, sides of vegetables and dessert. For not being a vegetarian restaurant, the menu is the most vegetarian and vegan friendly I have seen. Almost every dish except for those in the fish, fowl and meat category can be prepared vegan or vegetarian on request.

With a menu focusing on local and sustainable sources, Locanda da Eva is like many restaurants in Berkeley. What sets it apart are the delicious wood-fired pizzas and focus on Italian red wines.

The four pizzas, about 12 inches in diameter, on the menu, don't disappoint. The braised pork with roasted gypsy peppers, Grana Padano, chiles and mozzarella ($14) was well balanced and generous on the toppings, if a bit too generous as the thin crust pizza was a bit floppy.



The strozzapreti (tubular pasta) with roasted eggplant, lamb sausage, chiles, tomato, herbs, and ricotta salata ($16) was the opposite: a disappointment with mouthfuls of pasta but very little toppings. The pasta and herbs came through, while the eggplant and lamb sausage were either finely chopped or weren't there at all.

To combat the carbs, the menu offers sides of vegetables like fried cauliflower with mustard greens and braised fennel ($5). As an appetizer, the pork trotter fritters with roasted Poblano vinaigrette and radishes ($9 for 2) felt overpriced, and though fried perfectly lacked flavor.

Along with menu suggestions, the staff was helpful with wine pairings. Featuring a lot of Italian reds, the wine list can be difficult to navigate. But the payoff is a good sampling of Italian reds from a knowledgeable staff that I have yet to find at other Italian restaurants.

Locanda da Eva is a great neighborhood addition, especially since it stays open til midnight on Friday and Saturday for late night happy hour with $10 pizzas, $2 off specialty cocktails, $4 selected wines by the glass, and $2 Racer 5 IPA or Full Sail Session Lager. Regular happy hour runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday without $10 pizzas.

Locanda da Eva
2826 Telegraph Ave. Berkeley
(between Stuart St & Oregon St)
(510) 665-9601
locandadaeva.com