Weekend Eats & Drinks 9/29/11

Today, Jack London Square screens the Johnny Depp film Chocolat as its last waterfront flick of the summer season. The free movie begins at sundown, with prefestival activities like al fresco dining and trivia starting earlier.

Saturday, Oakland's Dimond district holds its annual Oaktoberfest craft beer celebration from 1 to 6 P.M. $20 gets you a collectible festival stein and 4 beer tokens, or you can unlimited 4 ox. tastes for $40. Expected pourers include Linden Street Brewery, Drake's Brewing, Trumer, Anchor, 21st Amendment and more. The family-friendly event also includes food vendors and live music and dancing.


Jack London Square
Broadway and Embarcadero, Oakland

Oaktoberfest
MacArthur Boulevard at Fruitvale Ave., Oakland

Weekend Eats & Drinks 9/20/11

The East Bay celebrates SF Cocktail Week on Thursday with the East Bay Showdown at Tessera Gallery in Oakland from 6 to 9 P.M. Bartenders from 10 East Bay bars will compete for your votes in the Wild West themed affair. Tickets are $59 in advance ($65 at the door) and include appetizers, cocktails and entertainment.

If cocktails aren't for you, Solano Cellars joins Little Star Pizza to hold a block party on Solano Avenue at Ordway Street from 5 to 8 P.M. Enjoy a curbside winebar and slices of deep dish pizza.

The big event this weekend is the Eat Real festival at Jack London Square from Friday to Sunday. Forget the cooking demonstrations and preserving competitions, the draw is the vast amounts of street food like 4505 Meats and Chairman Bao. Admission is free with food and drinks under $5 an item. Expect huge crowds, so bring your patience.

Also Friday, Litquake shares the Master Craft stage at Eat Real, holding a preview event of food writers talking about their culinary travels.

Saturday, Berkeley hosts a coffee and tea festival at Hotel Shattuck Plaza from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. The $20 admission includes a mini souvenir coffee mug and free tastings, or $15 if you like the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce on Facebook. Aside from tasting, the event will feature panels like how to brew the perfect cup of tea or coffee, and a Japanese tea ceremony demonstration.

Sunday, the 11th annual Crabby Chefs Seafood Festival takes place at Berkeley's Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. Admission is free with food vendors selling crab and other seafood dishes while local chefs compete Iron Chef style. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Cal Recreational Sports Development Fund's camp scholarship program.

St. George Spirits , aka Hangar One, in Alameda holds a gin BBQ party to launch its three new gins. Admission, $38 in advance and $45 at the door, includes cocktails, tours of the distillery and seminars on gin-making. Food tickets can be purchased separately. Round-trip chartered bus transportation to the distillery from West Oakland Bart is $10/person.

Tessera Gallery
1225 A 7th St., Oakland

Solano Block Party
At the intersection of Solano Avenue and Ordway Street

Berkeley Coffee and Tea Festival
Hotel Shattuck
2086 Allston Way, Berkeley

Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto
1919 Fourth St., Berkeley
(510) 845-7771

St. George's Spirits
2601 Monarch St., Alameda

Weekend Eats & Drinks 9/14/11

Thursday, Jack London Square screens "No Reservations" for its free foodie Waterfront Flicks program. The Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart film starts at sundown, around 7:30 P.M. with pre-festivities including cooking demonstrations and trivia with prizes.

Also Thursday, Oakland's Cathedral of Christ the Light holds its second neighborhood Twilight by the Lake event. The free mixer runs from 5 to 7 P.M. with complimentary appetizers and live music, and is open to everyone.

It's food truck weekend in the East Bay with three events - though not all are free. I'm not a fan of Rock Wall Wines Friday Food Truck Frenzy, as the admission charge is a steep $6.26 in advance and $10 at the door. Think about how many tacos that could buy! Sure, there's live music and wines by the glass for sale, but I'm not one to fork over $10 to just see food trucks. Expected vendors include Le Truc, Skylite Snowballs and Tandoori Chicken USA Mobile.

A better choice is the last Off the Grid at Golden Gate Fields. The $6 admission gains you food truck access and a day's worth of live horse racing. Expected vendors include Hapa SF, Chairman Bao and Curry Up Now.

The best is Saturday's free Spice of Life Festival in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto form 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. Food trucks like Hapa SF will sell alongside local restaurants like Bistro Liasion (whole roast pig) and Ciocolata Di Vino. Relax in the beer garden or taste some wines from Vintage Berkeley. Catch live music, cooking and artist demonstrations and free tastings and tours throughout the day.

Also Saturday, Kermit Lynch closes down its parking lot to throw a Provence feast from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. The event is free, with wines and food available for purchase.

Two Mile Wines also hosts a tasting room preview Saturday from 5 to 9 P.M. at its new Oakland location. Admission and tastings are free, with $5 wines by the glass and special discounts on wine.

Sunday at 5:30 P.M., R&B Cellars and Angela's Bistro and Bar in Alameda present a 5-course, 8-wine dinner for $50. The menu includes a scallop and Meyer lemon risotto, heirloom tomato salad, veal cheeks and more. See the full menu and reservation details here.

Jack London Square
2 Broadway, Oakland
(510) 645-9292

Cathedral of Christ
2121 Harrison St., Oakland
(510)893-4711


Rock Wall Wines
2301 Monarch St., Alameda
(510) 522-5700

Golden Gate Fields Racetrack
1100 Eastshore Hwy, Berkeley
(510) 559-7300

Spice of Life
Shattuck Avenue near Vine, Berkeley

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
1605 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
(510) 524-1524

Two Mile Wines
477 25th St., Oakland

Angela's Bistro
2301 Central Ave., Alameda
(510) 522-5822

Weekend Eats & Drinks 9/9/11

Saturday, Off the Grid returns to Golden Gate Fields. Access to the food trucks will cost you $6 admission to the racetrack, but you also get to bet on the horses. Vendors include Hapa SF, Chairman Bao and Curry Up Now.

Berkeley winery Donkey & Goat holds its annual fall fete Saturday at 12:30 P.M. in its new digs. Tickets are $20 in advance, or $30 at the door and include wine pairings by Zut! restaurant on Fourth Street.

Sunday, the 37th Annual Solano Stroll takes over Solano Avenue from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. The free, family-friendly and alcohol-free event begins with a 10 A.M. parade, and stick around for food booths, arts and crafts and live performances. Free shuttles will run from North Berkeley BART, or ride your bike for free valet parking.

Golden Gate Fields Racetrack
1100 Eastshore Hwy, Berkeley
(510) 559-7300

Solano Stroll
Solano Avenue, Albany and Berkeley

Donkey & Goat
1340 Fifth St., Berkeley
(510) 868-9174

Reviewed: Zut! in Berkeley

A year later, and Zut! on Berkeley's Fourth Street isn't as polished as the month-old Apple store a few doors down. While the locally sourced, organic, sustainable Mediterranean fare is admirable, the service and experience is uneven.

To begin, we were seated in one of the worst parts of the restaurant - the sparsely decorated, loud alleyway near the restrooms. Essentially, I think of it as the kid's section - or where the wait staff train. While the bar and parts of the restaurant visible from the street are beautiful, beware the tables near the restroom, as there is nothing remotely interesting to see - unless you count peering at fellow diners in the decorative mirrors. But they can easily catch you glancing at them - awkward. Not only can you see fellow diners, you can probably eavesdrop, but only when you're not distracted by the Amtrak train horn every half hour.

Once seated, we were given an awkward pitch for that night's "awesome" family night $30 3-course prix fixe. Being our first time at Zut!, we left the family meal for another time and ordered off the regular menu - hoping to try some Zut! staples. We started with the roasted beet and citrus salad that was nicely balanced and perfect for a warm evening. Then came the best dish of the night: fried brussel sprouts with bacon, parmesan and lemon. We could hear the table next to us dismissing the sprouts, and we snickered knowing what they were missing.



The entrees were let downs after the starters. The Pt. Reyes Blue pizza was disappointing - too doughy and blue cheesy. The rotisserie half chicken with potatos and green beans was ordinary - definitely not in my top 3. With the dim lighting, it was hard to tell if the chicken was slightly uncooked or if it was dark meat. I didn't want to guess, so I stopped eating.

Service was friendly and a bit green, something I didn't expect among the poshness of Fourth Street, which leaves me wondering what type of restaurant Zut! wants to be. On the one hand, I can see family-friendly, neighborhood, casual dining for families and older couples. But, the decor and ambience are trying to create a hip spot on Fourth Street, much like O Chame. Regardless, I'd go back for bar bites and to try the Tuesday night family-style dinner, which varies in price based on seasonality. You can expect a 3-course meal (salad, meat entree and dessert) shared family style for about $30 a person. For an extra $15, get wine pairings.

Zut!
1820 4th St., Berkeley
(510) 644-0444

Weekend Eats & Drinks 9/1/11

Today, Waterfront Flicks at Oakland's Jack London Square screens Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe at sundown for free. Arrive early for cooking demonstrations, trivia questions and prizes.

Also today, Belgium Brewery and Oakland's The Terrace Room team up for a 4-course beer-paired dinner with amuse. Start with seared scallops and Fat Tire amber ale, then a tamarind monster prawn cous cous salad with Hoptober golden ale, and a wild boar tagine flatbroad with 1554 Enlightened black ale. Finish with a chocolate pie and Belgo IPA. Tickets are $40 excluding tax & tip, with reservations recommended.

Saturday, Off the Grid returns to Golden Gate Fields. Access to the food trucks will cost you $6 admission to the racetrack. Vendors include Hapa SF, Chairman Bao and Curry Up Now.

Jack London Square
2 Broadway, Oakland
(510) 645-9292

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

Golden Gate Fields Racetrack
1100 Eastshore Hwy, Berkeley
(510) 559-7300