35056 Tue Mar 15 22:45:56 -0800 2005 21 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 159614 When I was down in Old Oakland today enjoying breakfast at Caffe 817 (see report below), I saw a big sign in the window of the northeast corner unit of the Swan Market building (9th & Clay, catty-corner from Le Cheval), saying that a Breads Of India branch will be coming soon. I consider this good news. Tue Mar 15 22:45:56 -0800 2005 0 Rod Williams 1 159619 This is good news theoretically - however, that sign has been up for about 8 months now, and if you peak in, the interior does not look that close to being done. Tue Mar 15 23:43:16 -0800 2005 159614 0 piegirl 2 159630 Oh...duh... well, there was a bunch of guys working in there today, so maybe it'll actually happen someday... Wed Mar 16 01:37:15 -0800 2005 159619 0 Rod Williams 3 159639 That's what I thought, way back in October. They'll open soon... uh, huh. And their sign does still read "coming in October 2004". I'm really peeved that they cannot be bothered to fix their sign. Restaurants should never put up dates like that, since they *always* miss them. (Luka's missed by only six months or so...) Much as I would love to have a tolerable Indian restaurant in the downtown Oakland area, I'm going to boycott them for as many months as they delayed their opening. It's rude, and it's a tease. I cannot believe how many times I have hiked all the way down to that area, hoping against hope... Wed Mar 16 08:29:03 -0800 2005 159630 0 Marc Wallace 4 159646 "Much as I would love to have a tolerable Indian restaurant in the downtown Oakland area, I'm going to boycott them for as many months as they delayed their opening. It's rude, and it's a tease." Restaurants rarely delay opening to be rude -- they are as anxious to get open as you are to dine there. They are no doubt dealing with inevitable construction delays compounded by the nightmare permitting process that seems to plague the Bay Area. While I also hate waiting for a new restaurant that I thought might open sooner, I imagine the last thing on the minds of perenially cash-strapped restaurateurs who watch their opening dates pass by and by... is the task of ordering a new sign. Perhaps rather than hiking, you could first pick up the phone. Wed Mar 16 12:04:05 -0800 2005 159639 0 bernalgirl 5 159649 Oh, I know they're not purposefully delaying their opening in order to be rude. Trio, a place down the street from me, had a 2.5 year delay as they fought over permits. But they didn't have a big sign in the window saying "opening six months ago!", either. That's what annoys me. It's okay if they don't order a new sign. A sheet of paper and a felt pen would suffice, or a note saying "sorry for the delays". I've tried calling, but there's no phone number for the Oakland location, and the people who answer at the Berkeley location the first times I called did not even know about the Oakland branch. Wed Mar 16 12:14:41 -0800 2005 159646 0 Marc Wallace 6 159691 Re: checking out whether Breads of You-Know-Where is finally open - you could try calling one of the meat markets in Housewives' Market or somebody at Ratto's and ask them to go outside and look for you. Wed Mar 16 15:57:02 -0800 2005 159649 0 oakjoan 7 159692 Btw, I was just joshing about getting somebody to look to see if BofI was open. Wed Mar 16 15:58:51 -0800 2005 159691 0 oakjoan 5 159650 Tried the branch in Walnut Creek. Very underwhelmed, not a contender even in the laxer market of Central Contra Costa. Expensive for what is served, mediocre food, service ok. Too bad . . . Wed Mar 16 12:15:25 -0800 2005 159646 0 jon samulton 6 159678 Sounds like a faithful reproduction of the original restaurant in Berkeley. Wed Mar 16 15:07:48 -0800 2005 159650 0 Malik 7 159687 I agree. Nothing major wrong, but certainly not special. Wed Mar 16 15:40:27 -0800 2005 159678 0 lll 4 159648 While we're at it, the "burgeoning Gourmet Ghetto of Oakland" tag, promulgated by the city development folks I believe, is pretty silly too. Wed Mar 16 12:07:03 -0800 2005 159639 0 Pius Avocado III 5 159651 Yes, I thought the naming of the "gourmet ghetto" was silly. What was wrong with "Old Oakland"? Worked for years. Not sure about "burgeoning", either. It's seemed like just one new restaurant a year (not counting places that close and reopen under different names/owners/cuisines). Wed Mar 16 12:17:33 -0800 2005 159648 0 Marc Wallace 1 159655 ack! BoI is just over priced Indian cusine, everyone knows there are better places in the East Bay for Indian food. Wed Mar 16 12:40:50 -0800 2005 159614 0 homecookin' 2 159663 "...everyone knows there are better places in the East Bay for Indian food" .but not in downtown Oakland. There's Sabina, which I do not classify as "food", and Khana Khazana Express, which wasn't great. (I love Khana Khazana in Emeryville; this is the same except they have such low turnover that everything sits under the heat lamps for hours and gets soggy). Other than that, one has to go into Alameda or up to Piedmont. Neither are lunchtime walking distance for me. ;-) Wed Mar 16 13:39:56 -0800 2005 159655 0 Marc Wallace 3 159688 Sabina NOT FOOD? Sheesh. We get take-out from there frequently. They have really terrific tandoori chicken - served with lots of sauteed onions and peppers and a great hot sauce. Their Dal Makhani is also wonderful (And I've eaten it all over the place, even in Australia). Their onion kulcha is also fine. Chicken Tikka Masala is very good. Since your post mentions lunch, you may be talking about Sabina at that time....I don't know as I've never been there for lunch - some kind of steam table buffet? Anyway, we even had them cater our office holiday party last year and everyone was impressed. But what do I know....I don't mind Breads of India...especially the breads. Wed Mar 16 15:49:33 -0800 2005 159663 0 oakjoan 4 159768 It's true, I've mostly had their buffet. I do not think much of an Indian buffet that does not have a simple dal. Dry food, kind of lackluster, and a coworker had a strip of metal from a can opener in his rice. None of the dishes really had a strong flavor: often some dishes are hotter than others, or have more cumin, or whatever. The only difference I could tell is that some dishes had meat and some did not. I guess I'm glad someone likes it. I've just had really bad lunch experiences there. Maybe their dinner chef is different... Wed Mar 16 20:35:21 -0800 2005 159688 0 Marc Wallace 2 159677 then I am no one, because I love Breads of India. Wed Mar 16 14:47:24 -0800 2005 159655 0 molly 2 159690 Breads of India's almost the best Indian restaurant on Sacramento Street. Wed Mar 16 15:55:51 -0800 2005 159655 0 Robert Lauriston 2 159804 I have to agree with Homecookin' Breads of India is very much like a Le Cheval to Vietnamese cuisine. I prefer Viks Chaat Corner, Berkeley that has good pani puri. Yes, it lacks the atmosphere of Breads of India, but if it's the atmosphere you're seeking I would suggest Ajanta on Solano to Breads any day. Thu Mar 17 01:40:05 -0800 2005 159655 0 Lalitaditya Dhyan 3 159810 I love Ajanta, but as others have noted, it would be nice to have any decent Indian restaurant option in downtown Oakland, and I consider Breads decent. Thu Mar 17 02:04:36 -0800 2005 159804 0 Rod Williams 3 161172 I think Breads of India in Berkeley is great and am a regular. Last week had their spectacular, thick, tasty Karnatka region grilled pork. I have never been disappointed. I also regularly enjoy Ajanta and their introducing of unusual regional dishes and matching to wine, including the good value Sula wines from India. I wasn't so happy with BoI's failed venture into plusher surroundings on Shattuck (I forget the name) and had hoped it would improve. Sat Mar 26 22:48:56 -0800 2005 159804 0 Osiris