30th Birthday Dinner in Oakland / near BART?

[nawlinsnewyawk]

My sister got stuck spending her 30th birthday working. She'll be at a conference in a hotel in Oakland. Can you please recommend a good celebration spot that is not too difficult to reach? Thanks in advance!

[Scott M]

Flora or maybe even Luka's

[Scott M]

Links

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Luka's Taproom
2221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

Flora
1900 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612

[Ruth Lafler]

Could you be a little more specific about what kind of restaurant experience you're looking for? Oakland is undergoing a restaurant renaissance, and there are lots of good choices.

[pockyjunkie]

Echoing what Ruth said. There's a range of spots a 30-year-old would like, depending on her personality and food preferences. The new free downtown Oakland shuttle runs every 15 minutes and there is a ton of stuff near the convention center (assuming it's there).

If I was taking my 30-year-old self, I would probably choose to go to Flora or Mua. If she'd prefer drinks and small plates, Tamarindo might be a good choice. Pican has fancy comfort food and great whiskey and bourbon drinks. There's Levende East and B, neither my first choice, but can be solid standbys.

I would avoid Luka's - the bar can be fine, but the food is pub food, not so much for celebration. Personally, I would also avoid Ozumo (unless she's really interested in sushi) as I find it overpriced and overrated for the quality.

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Levende East
827 Washington St., Oakland, CA 94607

Tamarindo
468 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607

B Restaurant & Bar
499 9th St, Oakland, CA 94607

Mua
2442A Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612

Ozumo
2251 Broadway Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612

Pican Restaurant
2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

[achefsbest]

Thumbs up to Tamarindo.

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Tamarindo
468 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607

[mariacarmen]

Wood Tavern in Rockridge, near Rockridge Bart.

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Wood Tavern
6317 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

[nawlinsnewyawk]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Let me try to give you more of a sense of what she likes... Some of her favorite meals: August in New Orleans ( American fine dining), L'Atelier de Joel Robouchon in Paris (inventive French with Asian influence), Diner in Brooklyn (seasonal menu that changes daily) and WD-50 in New York (wildly creative).

She lives in San Diego, which, from what I understand, does not have as exciting a food scene as SF. She will be dining with a good friend, so while they are not opposed to spending money for a great meal, the friend is probably not looking to spend $150+ per person. So, we're looking for something in between neighborhood bistro and COI.

Flora looks nice. Pican is a possibility - she likes Southern food (we're from New Orleans). Luka's seems a bit too casual. And since she eats a lot of great Mexican in San Diego, I would say no to Tamarindo. I thought Commis had potential - any thought on that?

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Tamarindo
468 8th St, Oakland, CA 94607

Pican Restaurant
2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[abstractpoet]

If she likes inventive food, then by all means Commis would be a great choice. It is my favorite special occasion restaurant in Oakland (or, really, anywhere). The chef incorporates elements of molecular gastronomy, though I wouldn't say that that's necessarily the focus.

Lots of reports on this board--here's mine: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/670594

Best seats in the house are at the chef's counter, though to sit there I believe you now need to order the 6-course prix-fixe (for $95 a person, as opposed to the three-course at $59). With wine, that might put her over budget. Though when I last called, they'd told me they were planning to move toward a four-course menu across the board, but I don't know when that's going to start.

Getting there by BART isn't quite as convenient, as it would involve a bit of walking -- I would probably just spring for a cab from the hotel.

Pican and Wood Tavern are also great choices.

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[Robert Lauriston]

The 51 bus stops a few blocks from any of the downtown Oakland / Jack London Square hotels and from Commis.

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[Ruth Lafler]

Or you can take the 12, which goes from downtown all the way to Piedmont Ave. -- it's longer, but quite a bit more scenic, since it goes around the lake.

[skwid]

Commis is closed from September 6th through the 15th for a break so if her birthday is within the next week commis is not available.

There are plenty of places in the Rockridge area along college avenue. Someone already mentioned Wood tavern, I always like Oliveto (which is having their Tomato dinners next week), Marzano can also be pretty decent.

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Oliveto Cafe
5655 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

Marzano
4214 Park Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94602

Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[Ruth Lafler]

Also in Rockridge, A Cote.

Much as I like to boost Oakland, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that if you're going to get on BART, you can just as easily go into downtown San Francisco -- from 12th St. it doesn't take much longer to get to Embarcadero than it does to Rockridge (less than 15 minutes) and there are more trains. That would open up options like Perbacco, Boulevard, Town Hall, etc., etc.

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

A Cote
5478 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618

Town Hall Restaurant
342 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105

[JasmineG]

From what she likes, she'd love Commis (I went there for my birthday last year and had a great experience). Also, when is her birthday? Plum in Oakland is supposed to open soon (they keep saying "mid-September" though no official date that I've heard yet), and it seems like her kind of place as well -- basically a neighborhood bistro version of Coi.

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[Robert Lauriston]

The Chronicle reported this morning that "Plum is very close to opening" but apparently they still have to pass some inspections.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/paolo...

[JasmineG]

Awesome, thanks for this.

[nawlinsnewyawk]

Thanks again! The SF Chowhound community is so helpful! Her birthday is Sept 30th and I was able to book a table at Commis. I'll call to see if the counter is available. She'll be in town for a few days so I'll give her your other recommendations to try as well!

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[tanglenet]

Commis is an excellent choice. Since it's her birthday, tell her to take a cab. It will only be about $6-8 each way.

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611