food: B Restaurant

Last week K and I decided to eat out for a small celebration. Given the effect of #OccupyOakland on local businesses, we wanted to make a point of eating downtown. A downtown restaurant that's been on our "to try" list for some time is B Restaurant, on Washington and 9th in Old Oakland, so we decided to dine there.

I was a little unsure, because the menu didn't seem especially vegetarian-friendly. I was even more unsure when shortly before we left home I saw news on Twitter that someone had been shot just outside the #OccupyOakland encampment in Frank Ogawa Plaza. We discussed it, but decided to go anyway. I did modify our route downtown to steer clear of the street closures.

In any event, I'm glad we went. The service was great, the food was great, and there were plenty of vegetarian (though no vegan) options for me to choose from. The food was delicious, and beautifully prepared.

We arrived early in the evening and the restaurant wasn't very busy, though there was a decent crowd at the bar. By the time we left, the place was packed. It's a good sign for the restaurant, and for downtown businesses in general. The only distraction was the news helicopter that hovered throughout the evening.

We started with a squash medley and B Restaurant's well-known truffle fries. The squash were great, but the truffle fries were amazing -- doubtless not on our diet. For an entree, K had the petrale sole (after we verified it was Pacific-caught sole; Atlantic-caught is over fished), and I had a Caesar salad. I was excited about it because it actually had anchovies, something many so-called Caesar salads are lacking. Romaine lettuce plus shredded Parmesan cheese does not a Caesar salad make.

Short review: we'll definitely be going again.

Oakland Urban Paths: secret stairs, fire and BART

Saturday morning, Oakland Urban Paths led a walk called "Secret Stairs, Fire and BART." The walk gives some beautiful views over the Bay Area, and some unusual views of the Claremont Hotel. A group of about 30 people met across from the Claremont Hotel, just over the border in Berkeley.

Given the shape of the border between Oakland and Berkeley, we crossed it several times during our walk. Besides an interesting border, the area is also known because it was devastated by the 1991 Oakland - Berkeley Firestorm. As a result, many of the homes are new, rebuilt after the fire, and use more fire-resistant materials like stucco, concrete and metal.

Along with seeing some interesting houses, we learned a bit about the history of the area. Hiller Highlands was named for Stanley Hiller, Sr. (both Stanley Sr. and Stanley Jr. were inventors.) Amongst Stanley Sr.'s inventions was a single channel for for underground utilities in the 1950s. He was unable to get PG&E interested, so he divided part of their property into a development of 27 lots, complete with underground utilities. The lots stood empty until 1963, when resistance by PG&E had faded. The Hiller mansion still stands, and is the main building of the Bentley School.

An area resident told us about the new-ish looking stairs that were thought to have been built by BART (they are on a hill above the BART tunnel to Orinda). It turns out that the original stairs had been built by Stanley Hiller at the time of the development. Those stairs were badly damaged in the '91 fire, and were rebuilt.

lots of photos:


A Google Map of our route for Secret Stairs, Fire and BART.

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Be sure to join Oakland Urban Paths for their next walk on December 10th, Walk and Shop. It's a chance to explore some of the urban paths between Lakeshore and Piedmont Avenue, and to do a little holiday shopping while supporting Oakland businesses.

photo: run tom, run!

Isaw this turkey seasonal refugee on my ride home up Old Tunnel Road after the Oakland Urban Paths walk in Hiller Highlands. A little while later I saw four more, including two doing the iconic tail feather spread.

thank you, veterans

my grandfather in Italy

Imay not always agree with why you're sent, but thank you to all the veterans out there.

A fellow DIYer wrote this great post a couple of years ago.

signs: G&G Hardware

G&G Hardware

One of my favorite signs. I've posted it before shot during the day, but it's worth another look. I love that they've maintained it, and it's not even for a business that's still around.