Gastronomie

Old Oakland scores another hit - Levende East

Miss Teri guessed it right. The restaurant I wrote about in my last post is, indeed, the Old Oakland location of Levende Lounge.

However, there are a few differences between this outpost. For one thing, it's got a much softer feel than the original Levende. Both are stunning in an uber-hip lofty way, but Levende East feels more elegant to me, a little more refined.

Also, where the menu at the Lounge is meant to be predominantly shared plates, Levende East takes a more traditional "course" approach. Oh, and that Bloody Mary Brunch they're so well-known for? Here you can enjoy it on Saturday instead of Sunday.

But other than that, you'll find the same quality of food coming out of Executive Chef Arren Caccamo's kitchen, a compact but well-chosen wine selection (with some 20+ wines by the glass), and cocktails to kill for.

Levende's Beet Salad ($9) is one of my new favorite things; in fact, I wish it was available in a slightly larger version with some form of protein at lunch. The goat cheese disks are coated in pecan crumbs and served warm for a heavenly contrast to the coolness of the beets and greens. The maple vinaigrette is an exceptional match to the other elements on the plate.

OK, let's talk ribs for a moment, shall we? You know those ribs that I raved about at Oola? Turns out, they're kind of chef Caccamo's invention (he was the chef de cuisine there, you see). And, well, he's made them... better. Guava-glazed-falling-off-the-bone-goodness. And then he sets them on top of mashed plantains which, while extremely tasty in their own right, are a bit too heavy for me to finish.

However, that will not stop me from ordering a Peanut Butter Pie for dessert. This is my new favorite feel-good dessert. Smooth, luscious peanut butter mousse, with just the right amount of salt, sits nestled in an Oreo-cookie crust. So perfect is this pairing that I usually end up scraping the whipped cream off my half, which C happily commandeers for his half of the dessert.

Speaking of C, he'd probably disown me if I didn't mention Levende's Mac 'n Cheese side dish, which he has been known to order at the bar for dinner if I'm on the road. Loaded with cheesy goodness, applewood smoked bacon and a crumb crust, it's a pretty damn satisfying version of this comfort food.

Now, in the interest of transparency, I'm going to mention that we're friends with two of the managing partners at Levende. But aside from a "Friends & Family" dinner where we guinea pigged ourselves out to them, we really do pay our own way. We've pretty much been there once a week (it's stumbling... 'scuse me,  walking distance from us) for a cocktail and a bite at the bar or communal table.

Old Oakland is finally turning into the destination spot I always hoped it would become. Welcome to the 'hood, kids!

Levende East
827 Washington Street
Oakland, CA
510.835.5585

Open for Lunch and Dinner M-F, Boogie Brunch & Dinner Saturday

Tags: Food, Wine, Food & Drink, San Francisco, Oakland, Levende, Restaurants

The Final Hours

Watching the buzz of 20 people in the final hours before a restaurant’s opening night is a funny thing.

It’s a bit like watching the birth of a much-anticipated firstborn, combined with the heady euphoria of your first housewarming party. In other words, it’s total chaos.

We’re here so C can shoot the food and interior for a press release. It goes out tonight.  Can you imagine the pressure? The food, the interior, it all has to be perfect. C has the easy job tonight.

Two dozen bodies, each moving to the tune of his own drummer in a quest to get everything in top form.  The nervous energy is palpable as waiters and bussers and bartenders swerve to avoid each other,  as tasks are done once and sometimes again.

In a moment, the rhythm changes. Someone puts Marley on the system. The tempo picks up, but the edge is softened. The energy is still there, but it feels somehow like a long and evenly expelled breath.

A momentary crisis. Vacuous silence as the boss explains, in a calm voice that belies a pounding heart, that this cleanser? It can’t be used on that surface -- that custom surface. The damage is corrected and this crisis, at least, is averted.

The clink of bottles as the bartender perfects his abode. Metal against metal as he sets things up as he wants them to be, his mise en place, if you will.  Hundreds of backlit bottles glow against the far wall. There’s Hangar One, of course. But in this town, that’s almost a given. No, the Second Age of the Cocktail demands small batch bourbons and artisanal tequilas. Think Black Maple Hill 23-Year and Don Julio 1942. These people take their spirits seriously.

People in whites pop out of the kitchen occasionally for a soda or to tell the boss something. Rarely do you see these folks at the front of the house, so it seems a bit out of place. Until you realize that tomorrow? They will be the nervous system of this joint. There is no restaurant without a kitchen.

The sun’s going down now. As beautiful as these chandeliers and fixtures are during the day, there is no comparison to how they glow now. To use a crude but effective analogy, it’s like watching a perfectly-bred working dog who has just been given his first job.

Our numbers have grown as the entire staff starts to come in for their first taste of the menu. Things are slowing down, but the bartender? He’s moving. It’s his show for the moment as everyone waits for Chef to enter stage left.

This place… it’s a marriage of San Francisco’s aesthetic with Oakland’s vibe. Lots of ink and beauty, but this ink? It’s from Temple…  And this beauty? There’s an urban grittiness.

The final piece of art goes up. The last wineglass is polished. The communal table is set.

It’s opening time.

*This post is much different than anything I've ever written. It's really kind of a Faulknerian stream-of-consciousness "report" of the emotions and sights I experienced while helping a friend open a new restaurant this past week. I encourage you to guess the name of the restaurant. No prizes here, except that I may tell you a VERY big secret that is VERY special, and you'll be the first to know.

High Points From Vancouver

• Vancouver is a city that truly understands and respects sustainability for the sake of itself, and not because it's chic. I fell in love with the place when we went to Granville Island, potentially the most touristy spot in the city, and found the following dumpster:
  

  

Silly? I don't think so. Truth is, I wish there was a composting bin at the Ferry Building. Hell, maybe there is, but they aren't all over the place like they are here, making it easy for the farmers to pitch in at their convenience. Oh, and also? There's a stall at the Granville Island Public Market which serves up the tastiest Cornish Pasties this side of the Atlantic.

• Lumiere, Rob Feenie's restaurant in Vancouver, has not been getting amazing reviews for naught. So far this year, it is the best meal we've had, including phenomenal wine pairings. Standout dishes?

• White & Green Asparagus with morel blanquette and a poached organic free range egg
• Kaffir Lime-poached Halibut with Local Spot Prawn and Coconut Curry Broth
• Le Plateau de Fromages.  - Know why? Because the Canadians aren't neurotic about unpasteurized soft cheeses. Which means that we ate REAL EPOISSES. Which stank so good, you don't even know.

• Omakase at Tojo's... C's been here a number of times, but since his last visit, Tojo's has moved to a much larger space with some 12 or so seats at the Omakase Bar.  This was an AWESOME meal, with a ridiculously entertaining chef, but with ultimately less raw fish than you might expect if you read the online reviews.
  • This is a great place for uni (sea urchin). It was fresh, flavorful, and of perfect texture
  • Make friends with Tojo-san, pour him (and his sous-chef, to whom he refers as the "second best sushi chef in the world") a couple glasses of sake, and you'll be treated like royalty.
  • See number 2, and hope that he pulls out the big tub of home-marinated seaweed in dashi. If you're lucky, he might scoop some into a shot glass, then top that with an oyster and mountain potato puree. When you do it as a shot, you'll understand the very meaning of umami. You'll bow to the brilliance of the whole damn thing.
  • When Tojo realizes that you have a hollow leg (and that you might eat him out of house and home), he'll mention that a particular dish is "a great way to end your meal". You might think this rude, until you realize just how much you've eaten for your fixed price meal. But, he won't leave you hanging. That last dish might be an unbelievable big-eye tuna loin, wrapped in seaweed with a light dusting of panko flour, and deep-friend until the center is still perfectly rare but warm. You might not think this is possible until you've eaten it. It is, and it's maybe the second-best use of a deep fryer in the world. (For the record, the first would be fried chicken. Which I did NOT eat in Vancouver. Duh).

• As you're walking covetously towards Cartier on Howe Street, you might realize that you're really hungry. And that they don't open until 10am (hopefully, you won't wonder why you're thinking about bling this early in the day).
  
  So you might ask around, and be directed towards Scoozi's, an itsy-bitsy joint for the office crowd downtown. Grab a seat at an outside table and enjoy a cup of coffee with steamed milk (served tableside to your taste) while you wait for your breakfast.
  
  When Michael tells you they're well-known for their yogurt, you'll believe him and tuck into a bowl of the best -- and I mean better than fresh Persian -- yogurt with fresh seasonal fruit drizzled with local British Columbian honey.
  

  

  And then? Then you might order a breakfast pizza, with a deeeeeelish cornmeal crust, lusciously moist ham, pesto-scrambled eggs, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. You might stab your husfriend as he grabs for a nibble beyond his sanctioned slice.
  

  

The other thing that I realize as I go through the pictures of our Vancouver trip is that the skyline somehow reminds me of Tehran's. I wonder if that isn't part of the reason it feels so close to home for me. I'm really not exaggerating, you see, when I say that I would move here in a heartbeat, given the chance.

And also? If I could take a moment to get all schmoopy-poopy-sappy on you?

I have this uncle. He's maybe my favorite person in the whole world. I adore him in ways that make me cry when I think of him, because I didn't see him for 20 years before this weekend. I hadn't ever met his wife or his son -- people who, sight unseen, were were as dear as life to me.  Jamshid taught me how to ride a bike, he taught me about music, he taught me that sometimes life hands you lemons, and you learn to make lemonade. Now he lives just two hours from me after two decades where he lived in Iran and I lived here. When we saw each other, we literally RAN the length of the street that separated us. It was like something in a slow-motion movie.

Daiee Joon, I've missed you painfully. I'm so sorry we didn't see more of each other this weekend. I can't wait to see you and N and M again next month. I can't wait to spend time with this beautiful family you've made, and my little cousin who is the smartest kid I've ever met. I love you!!!

Tags: Food, Wine, Food & Drink, San Francisco, Vancouver, Iran, Lumiere, Tojos