Latest Food & Drink News in Oakland, CA

January 2010

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OAKLAND

Food and Drink

If bargain hunting is on your list of New Year's Resolutions, the food and drink specials at Oakland restaurants will keep you busy all year long. Chop Bar serves a variety of free food Monday-Friday 4:30-6:30 p.m. with drink purchase -- and $1 off beer, including Oakland-brewed Linden Street. Enjoy half off all bottles of wine at Spice Monkey from 5-10 p.m. on Tuesdays. Tuesday is Taco Night at The Lake Chalet, with $2.50 tacos, $3 pints and half off margaritas. Wednesdays are happy all day at The Terrace Room, where well drinks are $3 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and the bar menu is half off. (Other days happy hour is 3-5 p.m., with $3 well drinks and a discount on one bar menu item.) Franklin Square Wine Bar gives free bar bites and $6 Sangria 4-6 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday. Every Thursday, there is $1 wine tasting from 5-7 p.m. 5 p.m. till 7 p.m., Adesso puts out a spread of free food, including panini bites, cheese, olives, great salad, and meatballs. Follow us on Twitter at @Oaklandcvb to learn about more happy hour specials.

Meatless Meals

Vegetarian cuisine has come a long way from dry lentil loaves. Encuentro, the new Jack London Square wine bar and café, features an eclectic mix of organic /sustainable wines from small, local and old world vintners. Golden Lotus serves traditional Asian dishes, including Vietnamese crepes, spicy Thai fried rice and claypot curries, all free of meat, poultry, fish, egg and MSG. You find faux ham and real flavor at the The Breakroom Cafe, including vegan versions of favorite sandwiches like Sloppy Joe's.

Best of the Best: Food and Wine Pairings

Irish Monkey is a family wine operation in a particularly interesting corner of the rather industrial Eastern waterfront. Try the 2006 El Dorado ($35) or the 'MEF,' ($22). Partner is with a to-go order from Everett & Jones - either the Rib Dinner ($17.50), with two sides, or the Slab of Ribs ($36.95) with three sides and corn. Enjoy your perfectly paired feast on one of the Jack London Waterfront benches. Find more Best of the Best articles by Serena Bartlett at www.oaklandcvb.com.

Sweet Tweets

Keep up with late-breaking Oakland food news by following the OCVB's new list of restaurants, shops and street vendors with Twitter feeds. It's an easy way to find out this week's flavors by Scream Sorbet, lunch specials at Oliveto or what's fresh out of the oven at Brown Sugar Kitchen.

Mariposa Baking's Brownie Pie

Oakland's cuisine scene includes a rising number of specialty producers gaining recognition well outside the city limits. Located in the Temescal neighborhood, Mariposa Baking produces gluten-free items such as cookies, pizza and bread that appeal to the gluten tolerant as well. Paula Hopkins from Tulsa, OK submitted this easy-to-make dessert that was a winner in one of Mariposa's popular recipe contests.

Pie Crust
1 ¼ cup biscotti crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

Pie Filling
1 pint of vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
3 or 4 Mariposa brownies

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400º

For the crust:
Add the biscotti crumbs and butter to a food processor. Pulse to combine until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate. Press the crumbs evenly on the bottom and up the sides forming the crust. Bake the crust until it is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

For the filling:
Blend brownies and softened ice cream until the mixture is smooth. Pour brownie and ice cream mixture into the baked (and cooled) crust. Cover and freeze.

Top with fresh berries when ready to serve.

makes 1 9-inch pie, serves 6-8