Weekend Eats & Drinks 11/16/11

With the colder weather arriving, time to nurse your favorite drinks for warmth.

Oakland's Two Mile Wines opens every third Thursday of the month for happy hour from 4 to 7 P.M. Get two for 1 wine by the glass Thursday.

Saturday, Berkeley's Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant shuts down the parking lot from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. for a Beaujolaises fete. The event is free with food from Ecolo's Christopher Lee and Cafe Fanny for sale as well as wine by the glass ... or case.


Two Mile Wines
477 25th St., Oakland
510-868-8713

Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
1605 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
415-524-1524

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

Weekend Eats & Drinks 8/17/11

Thursday, have your pick of two movie screenings in Oakland. Grease fans will want to head for 12th St. City Center for the singalong viewing, while comedy fans can see Dinner for Schmucks at Jack London Square. Admission is free with films starting around 7:30 P.M. but go early for prefestival activities like food stands and contests.

Also Thursday, the Cathedral of Christ in downtown Oakland hosts a nondenominational community event from 5 to 7:30 P.M. in the plaza. Admission is free with complimentary appetizers.

For a night out, Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto continues its Chef's dinner series Thursday. For $50 (excluding tip and tax), get 5 seasonal courses paired with wine. The menu: heirloom tomato salad with black pepper yogurt, Hobbs bacon, mesculn mix and a 2010 Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc; roasted green lip mussels with toasted garlic bread and a 2009 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay; rainbow trout with snow peas, horseradish mashed potatoes and a 2005 Palliser Pinot Noir (from New Zealand); lobster pot pie with pearl onions, baby carrots, grilled asparagus and a 2009 McManis Merlot; and black forest cake with chocolate cream and cherry flambé and a 2007 Aquinas Merlot. Reservations requested:(510) 845-7771.

Saturday, Rock Wall Wine in Alameda hosts an open house from 1 to 5 P.M. Taste over 50 wines from the Alameda Point Vintners co-op for $30 in advance online, or $45 at the door. Participating wineries include R&B Cellars, Rock Wall, Blacksmith Cellars, Carica Wines, Ehrenberg Cellars, John Robert Eppler Wines, Joseph Gary Cellars and Mercy Wines.

Also Saturday, downtown Berkeley screens Raiders of the Lost Ark as part of its summer film series in the Bank of America parking lot. Arrive early at 6 P.M. when all of Center Street between Shattuck and Oxford is closed to traffic and restaurants offer al fresco dining or participate in a costume contest for best safari attire. The movie starts at 7:30 and viewers are encourage to bring their own lawn chairs - or rent one for $5.

Sunday, Chop Bar holds its monthly summer pig roast at Linden Street Brewery. $20 gets you an all-you-can-eat pig roast and sides buffet with live music. Wine and beer will also be available for sale.

Jack London Square
66 Franklin St., Oakland
(510) 628-0718

12th Street City Center
1245 Broadway, Oakland

Cathedral of Christ
2121 Harrison St., Oakland
(510) 271-1928

Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto
1919 4th St., Berkeley
(510) 845-7771

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

Bank of America
2219 Center St., Berkeley

Linden Street Brewery
95 Linden St. Oakland
510-834-CHOP

Weekend Eats and Drinks

Whatever your epicurean vice, there’s probably an East Bay event for you this weekend.

On Saturday, start the day at noon in Old Oakland for Pacific Coast Brewery’s festival. Admission is free, and $20 gets you a commemorative glass and 5 beer tasting tickets. Separately, the glass is $5 and extra beer tastings are 6 for $20. The usual suspects are on tap, all California craft brews pouring anniversary ales: Bear Republic, Drake’s, Speakeasy, Lost Coast, Stone, Rubicon, Port, Sudwerks, Sierra Nevada and Pacific Coast. The event runs until 7 p.m. and is billed as family-friendly with live music and food from local restaurants.

If beer’s not your thing, head to JC Cellars a mile away at Jack London Square to see the winery in full production. The harvest is here and the winery has two free tours at 1 and 2:30 P.M. Afterward, head to the tasting room to try some Syrah, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir, to name a few, for $5. The fee is refundable with any purchase.

The gluttony continues early Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in Berkeley for Pyramid Ale House’s $10 all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with NFL ticket. The buffet ends at 11:30, but you can catch all the games on one of the 6 HD TVs all day.

If you’re a late riser, Blue Bottle Coffee’s free Sunday cupping will wake you up. A must for coffee connoisseurs, the noon cupping is a way to evaluate Blue Bottle’s coffee aromas and flavor profiles side-by-side. See whether you notice the difference between a washed and natural Amaro Gayo. One caveat: Everyone dips their spoons in the same cups, so it’s not for germaphobes.

Afterward, head to North Berkeley’s Spice of Life festival, a celebration of food and art, running until 6 p.m. Catch cooking demos and samples by local eateries alongside open yoga studios and art exhibits. Stop by the wine garden on Vine Street, featuring local winemakers and importers, and listen to live music from the JazzSchol and Freight and Salvage, or get fresh, organic produce from the farmer’s market.

Running the same time is Spenger’s annual Crabby Chef Seafood Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Benefitting the Berkeley Cal Recreational Sports Development Fund’s camp scholarship program, the event includes a 2 p.m. Iron Chef cooking competition with a crowning of a Crabby Chef. Food booths offer the gamut of seafood from crab cakes to clam chowder.

Saturday
Old Oakland Beer Festival
Noon-7 p.m.
906 Washington Ave., Oakland

JC Cellars harvest tour
1 and 2:30 p.m.
55 4th St., Oakland

Sunday
Pyramid NFL breakfast buffet
901 Gilman St., Berkeley

Blue Bottle Coffee cupping
Noon
300 Webster St., Oakland

North Berkeley Spice of Life
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Shattuck Avenue from Rose to Virginia, Berkeley
http://www.gourmetghetto.org/2010%20spice%20of%20life%20info.htm

Spenger’s Crabby Chef seafood festival
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
1919 4th St., Berkeley
http://www.yelp.com/events/berkeley-spenger-and-39-s-to-host-10th-annual-crabby-chefs-seafood-festival-on-october-17-2010