Birthday Dinner Help Wanted - Oakland
Today is my birthday and my 16 year old son has consented to go out to dinner with me (I'm buying). His older brothers are not around to join us (college, Army), so it's just us two. We usually eat at home, but I love dining out and he never wants to.
I was hoping to get some suggestions for Oakland restaurants that aren't too fancy, that would be along the lines of Luka's Taproom, which we all love, but maybe try something new. He's a big steak/beef lover and is also very open to new tastes. I want a place with a good cocktail, but somewhere I haven't been. With all the new openings, that shouldn't be hard, but I want to avoid any "scene" place where he would feel embarrassed being with his now 52 year old mother. Our default places are Luka's, Italian Colors, Nama (sushi).
I looked at Camino's menu on line and am afraid it might be too limited for him. I have been wanting to try Flora, but I'm not sure if he would like it.
Any ideas?
By pcdarnell
on Dec 11, 2008 11:30 AM
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Maybe Dona Tomas if you like Mexican?
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Flora's menu lists steak and it is your birthday and you're paying. I think he can handle one meal with Mom at a place slightly off his target. If you need some practical rationalization, it's good for him to stretch his concept of food and make his mom happy...and it's only one meal. If he doesn't like Flora, take him to get ice cream afterwards, he'll forget about the meal pretty quickly.
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How about Bellanico over on Park Avenue?
Maybe Garibaldi's on College?
Happy Birthday, hope you two have a good time.
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If you like Italian Colors, maybe the new Marzano? Or Jojo (supposed to have a great steak frites for you son) before it closes? Hmmm ... not sure about cocktails at those, though.
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Jojo
3859 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611
Marzano
4214 Park Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94602
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Yeah, my teenage son isn't crazy about dining out with me, either.
I've seen people of all ages having fun at A Cote on College. The food is good, but may not be to his taste. (Small plates.) The cocktails are very good.
Garibaldi's may be a safer bet, though I don't think the food is as good. I've never tried the cocktails there, but I see that they have a happy hour.
Another thought is Wood Tavern, also on College
Happy Birthday!
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Give Mezze a try. The menu is eclectic but fun. Its not too fancy and not a scene. They have a steak and a burger on the menu. Definitely worth a try.
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Mezze Restaurant & Bar
3407 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610
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How about Mua - just down Broadway from Luka's at 2442 Webster St, where it runs into Broadway) at about 27th Street? Seems to attract a multi-generational clientele depending on what time I'm there.
Full bar with great selections of beer, wine, & cocktails. We usually order 2, 3, or 4 of the small plates and share -- braised short ribs, black cod, good burger with pomme frites, pear caramel tart.
My only disappointments have been cornbread & mac & cheese (not cheesy enough), but that was during the first week it opened and the kitchen was still fine-tuning the flavors.
http://www.muaoakland.com/
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Mua, Garibaldi's, The Fat Lady...
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So where did you go, please?
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We ended up going to Mezze on Lakeshore Ave. Our first choice was Flora, but they couldn't seat us until 7:45 because they had a pre-Paramount show crowd and we didn't want to wait that late on a school/work night. Mezze was closer to home and we got a 7:15 reservation.
It was wonderful!
It was a small space with an open kitchen in the rear and a full bar on the right. We stood in the doorway with some other folks waiting to be seated for a few minutes, and it was a bit crowded/awkward, but the hostess offered to get us a drink from the bar or we could have gone over to the bar and waited.
We ended up with a seat near the door, which was a bit chilly when the door opened. I checked out the specialty drink menu, none of which appealed to me that night, so I ordered a gin martini which they made with Hendrick's gin. Quite tasty. The kid had a coke.
We didn't get appetizers or salads, but there were extensive offerings of small plates that would be fun to try. We plan on returning when the other two kids come home for Christmas and try more stuff.
I ordered the yellowfin tuna entree which had a coriander crust and was bedded on Italian couscous and some watercress. It was cooked rare, which was stated on the menu and was fine with me. It was really good.
The kid had the steak with pommes frites, which he declared excellent. The steak was cooked more well than the medium rare he requested, but he didn't want to say anything about it.
The bread on the table was some foccacia and some baguette with olive oil.
I had a glass of pinot noir with my meal.
We skipped dessert and took a roundabout route home to look at Christmas lights. It's great having a designated driver.
I highly recommend this place.
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Thanks for reporting back! Happy Birthday!
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