East Bay Urban Wine Tastings

For fans of urban wineries, there are a few events this week and next celebrating local makers from the East Bay.

Today from 6-9 p.m., Nirvano.com is hosting a tasting of San Francisco, Treasure Island and Oakland wineries at SOM bar in the Mission. Tickets are $10 with RSVP and $20 at the door. East Bay wineries include JC Cellars, Dashe Cellars, Donkey and Goat Winery, and Periscope Cellars. Nirvano.com is a wine rating guide for iPhones.

On Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., try a free tasting of Eden Canyon Vineyard’s just released 2007 “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon and NV “Suerte” at Periscope Cellars in Emeryville. While there, also check out free tastings from Periscope Cellars and Urbano Cellars Winery. The two experiment with blends, especially Periscope Cellars, which hovers near the minimum percentage required for Syrahs, Cabernets and Zins.

Lastly, the third annual Passport to the East Bay Wine Trail will be held next Saturday, April 10 from noon to 5 p.m. Twenty East Bay wineries, including many not open to the public, will take over seven locations in Oakland, Emeryville and Alameda to offer everything from Barbera to Zinfandel. Tickets are $30 in advance, $45 at the door, and include a souvenir Riedel glass. Check out the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance page for participating wineries, which include big names like Rosemblum Cellars in Alameda and smaller ones like Two Mile Wines on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley.

Photo: Sweetmemorybaskets.com

Free tour at St. George Spirits Hangar One in Alameda

Located on the northern end of Alameda on the old naval base, St. George Spirits, maker of Hanger One vodka and other liquors, offers a free tour every Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. The tours are an hour long and cover everything from the distillation of the fruits to barrel aging and bottling. Sounds boring, but the tour leader turns the experience into a sketch comedy show and time passes quickly.

Our tour had at least 40 people so it can feel impersonal, but the tasting room is one big party. For $10, you can taste everything from fruity eau de vies to interestingly infused vodkas like buddha's hands and kaffir lime. You can try about 15 different types of liquor, and keep the glass as your souvenir. For $15, you get the regular tasting as well as a sample of absinthe. If liquor isn't your thing or you want to be able to drive home, share tastings.

The tasting room can get busy Saturdays, but the pourers take the time to tell you about each drink. It feels hectic, especially when the birthday parties roll in, but St George is definitely worth a trip to the island.

St George Spirits
2601 Monarch St., Alameda

Dim Sum in Alameda

Alameda: home of St. George's Spirits, ferries, and really good dim sum.

I have tried a few dim sum places in the East Bay and until today never found one that I loved. Legendary Palace in Oakland Chinatown has the right atmosphere but the food is too oily and parking is hard to find. Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant sits on the Emeryville Marina and is as picturesque as it can get. The food is great as well, but the prices are about twice as much as ordinary dim sum, averaging about $25 a person. The Old Place Seafood Teahouse near Lake Merritt in Oakland looks just as it sounds. The space is drab, even for a Chinese restaurant, with fading paint, hideous carpeting, and debris blown in from the wind on the floor. The food is decent enough, but the morgue-like atmosphere, even on a Saturday, kills the experience. Today, I went to East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Alameda and knew I found a spot I could recommend to anyone without reservations.

If you measure how good a Chinese restaurant is by the wait or the number of elderly Chinese people there, East Ocean will not disappoint. It took a half-hour to get a table, and we saw plenty of grandmas and grandpas. Once seated, we immediately got our first cart. Shrimp rice noodles, crispy shrimp balls, shu mai, har gow - all the standards are delicious. I never order the banana leaf sticky rice because it can be hit or miss, but East Ocean was on such a roll that I tried it and was not disappointed. Moist and flavorful, the sticky rice may just be my favorite item there.

Service is also rather prompt for a Chinese restaurant. The carts kept coming and when we did not see what we wanted, we just asked and they brought it to the table. Everyone, including the cart ladies, speaks English well enough that you can order safely and will not be surprised with what you get. At the same time, the food is delicious and authentic enough that I can bring my parents.

The price is also on par with what you expect for dim sum. We ordered a few of the pricier specialty dishes, but the meal was still a great deal with 15 plates for $50 (including tax and tip), or $17 a person.

East Ocean is definitely worth the wait, so do not be scared of the crowd gathered outside.

East Ocean Seafood Restaurant
1713 Webster St
(between Haight Ave & Lincoln Ave)
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 865-3381