The Fat Lady
No, this post isn't about diets or opera. It's about a cute little place in Jack London Square, housed on the site of one of Oakland's first brothels, built in 1884. Supposedly named after the madame who ran this busy "house of ill repute", The Fat Lady is now owned and operated by three generations of the Shaterian/Rossi family.
The interior of the restaurant is loaded with gorgeous paintings, red velvet, stained glass and plenty of tchotkes. The bartender will sometimes give you a little tour of the bigger things set around the bar, if you ask.
The menu is firmly rooted in standard upscale American fare, with a smattering of Armenian & Mediterranean flavors. The wine list is very simple and short, with a few reliable options.
N started with The Fat Lady's Famous French Fried Zucchini. This absolutely delicious rendition featured slender curls of cornmeal battered zukes dusted with fresh-grated parmesan cheese, and didn't even need the dipping sauce it came with.
C had their Dungeness Crab Cakes, a real departure for him. They were awesome. Three decent size cakes, incredibly light in texture (my biggest complaint of crab cakes is that they are too often very dense), with delicious crab flavor.
I had the Fat Lady's House Paté, a smooth, deeply flavored paté of chicken liver, walnuts and cognac served in a ramekin with toast points, cornichons and cured olives. Very tasty.
A list of specials beckoned to N, and he ordered the Halibut with Beurre Blanc, a delicious piece of fish, very fresh and bright -- totally a summer dish. A hair overcooked for my taste, but it was so sweet that it really didn't even matter.
C came back to his senses for his entree and took the NY Strip. A flavorful cut of meat, nicely charred on the outside, and prepared properly medium-rare. French fries on the side reminded C how much he likes The Fat Lady's -- shoestring style, crisp outside, tender inside and properly salted.
I couldn't resist the Rack of Lamb (available as a half or whole rack -- I took a half, thankyouverymuch) which was served with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Gorgeous meat (though one piece was more fat than meat), cooked rare, and dressed with a port wine, date and apricot reduction. A very wintry dish, but it just sounded so good. Tasted that way, too.
Dessert was two Crème brulés and a Rice Pudding. The custards were delicious and light, though the creme was a bit curdled. The rice pudding was delicious. It's flavored with what tastes like almond milk (subtler and creamier than almond extract), and is a recipe from the family's Armenian grandmother.
It seems to me that The Fat Lady is a somewhat overlooked gem in Downtown Oakland. A quick Google search reveals a handful of reviews by local papers, but nothing substantial from the blogging or food site (eGullet, Craiglist, Chowhound) worlds.
They do a wonderful brunch service on the weekends that I highly recommend, and lunch is supposed to be good (and bustling). I think Fat Lady is a perfect place for a pre-show dinner next time you're headed to Yoshi's or the Paramount.
The Fat Lady
201 Washington Street
Oakland, CA
510.465.4996
Thanks for the great review -- I'm always on the lookout for good dinner places near Yoshi's, and I probably would never have found this one. The reduction served with the lamb sounds so sweet (and delicious) -- it immediately brought to mind the lamb shank at Aziza, which is one of my favorite entrees on the menu there.
Posted by: NS | July 20, 2005 at 02:03 PM
Oh gosh. Remember "Two Fat Ladies"? Sigh.
http://www.jumptheshark.com/t/twofatladies.htm
Posted by: cookiecrumb | July 20, 2005 at 02:15 PM
NS - I do love that lamb shank, yessir, I do. Something about sweetish sauces with lamb... doesn't matter what time of year, I love them.
cookie - I LOVED and MISS Two Fat Ladies. Granted, one could have a coronary just watching that show, but I love their zeal for butter and cream and all things fatty.
Posted by: Fatemeh | July 20, 2005 at 04:05 PM
Your review makes me HUNGRY! Thanks for the post about Luka's Taproom by the way, finally ate there and had a great time.
Posted by: Amy | July 20, 2005 at 04:53 PM
Hi Fatemeh,
I found your blog navigating through a bunch of others and I found it fascinating. I have a great love of Iranian food, and loved all your entries on Iranian cuisine. Here in Teherangeles, I feel so spoilt with all the great choices for chelo-kebab! Also, as an Indian it is very interesting for me to compare the cross influences between Iranian and North Indian food.
Noosh-e-joon
Posted by: Thalassa | July 20, 2005 at 08:23 PM
Amy, I think you'd like the place. Totally unassuming. Glad you liked Luka's. You didn't blog about it, did you? Did you have the chocolate cake??
Thalassa - Khosh Amadeen! Yes, Tehrangeles is full of great chelo-kababi. Which are your favorites? I hope you come back and visit from time to time!
Posted by: Fatemeh | July 21, 2005 at 02:45 PM
There's Shahrezad on Westwood Blvd. I've eaten there countless times over the last 5 years (almost once a month) and the food's consistently good. Hatem in Anaheim is good too. I've heard very nice things about Caspian in Orange County. Then there is Shamshiri on Westwood Blvd. too, which is good, but certainly not the same league as Shahrezad. I used to like Darya a lot (the Santa Monica Blvd. location) but it seems to have gone downhill lately.
But my best find so far has been this fast food style chelo-kebabi place located within the Garment/Fashion District close to LA Downtown. It is called Downtown Kebab and is in a food court. The kebabs are better than any chelo kebabi restaurant in the LA area and comparable to the best of Tehran (my Tehrooni chelo-kebab conneisseur friend would vouch for that). Do let me know the next time you're in LA and I can take you there!
Posted by: Thalassa | July 22, 2005 at 11:48 PM
I totally caved and had one from Tartine yesterday.
Posted by: Joy | July 24, 2005 at 09:13 AM
A pain au chocolat, I mean. Somehow, this ended up in the wrong post:)
Posted by: Joy | July 24, 2005 at 09:14 AM