Starting on 12/28 every time you post a picture on Instagram of your favorite restaurant dish with the hashtag #OaklandEats you increase your chances of winning a $100 gift card that you can use during Oakland Restaurant week which begins on 1/14. Easy peasy. Instagram photo contest fun for all. Can’t wait to see all the awesome food.
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Sidewalk Safari Explores Grand Lake w/ See.Eat.Love.
Editor of Sidewalk Safari, Jen, took a walk with See.Eat.Love. and saw, ate and conquered Grand Lake. Check out what she had to say below. To view the original post click here.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Oakland, California? I used to think of Oakland as a place to pass through without stopping, a place to be a bit wary of. Living in the shadow of San Francisco just across the Bay, many people don’t give Oakland a second thought. I’m happy to report that I now see Oakland through a new and vibrant lens thanks to See.Eat.Love.
I arrived a few minutes early for our food tour and scheduled rendezvous with Raquel in the Grand Lake neighborhood of Oakland so I decided to take walk around. We discovered a sunny main street alive with shops and restaurants anchored by a gorgeous Art Deco theatre. Grand Lake seemed to have a bit of a flirty side as well as evidenced by the mannequin in tutu and hoodie below.
At the appointed time, we met Raquel from See.Eat.Love. Raquel is a California native but not from Oakland per se. She’s lived here for several years now with her family and has a passion for promoting the city’s hidden gems. She told us about how Grand Lake in particular thrived through the 1960s until the highways were put in cutting the neighborhood off from its surroundings and leaving it in isolation. Hard times ensued but the neighborhood is now experiencing a tremendous renaissance as we would soon see for ourselves.
After this bit of context and history, we were quickly on our way to a delicious (and slightly boozy…) afternoon of exploration in Grand Lake. Here’s what we discovered.
1. BarLago
Our first stop was at BarLago where we laid a solid foundation in our stomachs which served us well for the rest of the afternoon. BarLago has existed in the neighborhood for years as a traditional, family style Italian restaurant. BarLago now features a sleek, modern look and feel but the menu remains true to its roots serving hearty Italian fare. We had a choice of either a Bloody Mary that could have been a meal in its own right or a Pistolero (a tequila based drink described to be similar to a margarita). I chose the Pistolero which packed a most excellent punch. We dined well on seafood skewers called spiadini (‘little swords’), meatballs, bread with fresh mozzarella and tapanade, and a smoked salmon flatbread pizza. I wasn’t sure I was going to last until the end of the tour at this pace!
2. Oaktown Spice Shop
Fortunately, stop number two was strong on the senses but light on the belly. We walked into Oaktown Spice Shop where jar after jar of fragrant spices were presented to us. We were asked if there was a brave volunteer willing to sample a Szechuan peppercorn. I boldly put my hand up. Before putting the pepper in my mouth, I asked what I might expect. “Your mouth will go a bit numb.” Hmm…for how long? “Up to five minutes”. I was intrigued, popped the pepper and waited as the heat slowly built up in my mouth. Yum! We drew the line at sampling Ghost Peppers which feature a skull and crossbones on the jar and are one hundred times as hot as habanero peppers. The store can’t stock it ground (e.g., whole chilies only) as it could present a safety hazard to customers if the jar was opened or sampled. We spent some time browsing the shelves and were even given a $5 gift card to spend in the store so I was able to take home some peppercorns and chilies as a memory of our visit.
3. Alchemy
Our next step was just a couple blocks away, past the enormous farmers’ market that anchors Grand Lake on a Saturday. We soon stood in front of a sleek glass window and went inside to find all sorts of potable potions. Alchemy is a boutique bottle shop that sells craft bottles of gin, whisk(e)y and other spirits. We were ushered to the back of the store for a craft gin tasting. We sampled three different styles of gin from Russell Henry. I’m used to drinking gin in cocktails but never straight. These spirits each had subtle notes like white ginger and Malaysian lime. Another $5 gift card was tucked into each of our hands. I used the opportunity to buy a bottle of American whiskey aged in a sour ale barrel to bring home to my whiskey loving colleagues in Ireland. Loved this shop!
4. Michael Mischer
We retired just down the block to Michael Mischer, a chocolatier with roots in Germany and Switzerland. Michael Mischer was one of the first shops to open in Grand Lake and jumpstarted revitalization of the neighborhood. We sampled champagne truffles and our mouth watered as we perused the more exotic flavors on display.
5. Ordinaire
Sweet tooth sated, we continued next door to Ordinaire, a wine bar with a fantastic vibe. We sampled four or five wines (I lost count…) from Fellom Ranch. We were also treated to a charcuterie plate filled with artisan cheese and meats from across America (prosciutto from Iowa anyone?).
Bellies full, a smile on our faces, and admittedly with a mild buzz from the more boozy stops, we bid farewell to Raquel; a new image of Oakland as an entertainment and foodie destination firmly taking shape in our minds.
Details: See.Eat.Love offers food tours of five different Oakland neighborhoods on a monthly basis on Saturday afternoons and also offers private tours. Tours cost $65 - $75.
Disclaimer: See.Eat.Love sponsored a private food tour of Grand Lake for me and five friends. However, opinions expressed in this article are my own.
7×7 Takes a Tour with See.Eat.Love.
Photo by Diane Bezucha Photography.
It’s no secret that Oakland’s food scene is top-notch, and upping the ante every day. It’s tough to know which places to try first, but one local food tour company, See.Eat.Love., offers intimate culinary strolls through Oakland’s bustling neighborhoods. Offering tours since 2014, the company isn’t staffed by historians and doesn’t pretend to be, which makes for low-key tours that give you a taste of what a lazy Saturday afternoon might look like for a foodie who lives in the neighborhood—sprinkled with just the right amount of historical facts.
Each tour includes a variety of epicurean stops that go beyond just restaurants and bars, including food purveyors, cheese shops, spice shops, and culinary and kitchen supply stores. Most tours are led by the owner, Raquel Navarro, or one of her hip and knowledgeable ambassadors, many of whom possess culinary training, cooking experience, or food writing backgrounds. And the best part of the tour? You’ll have the chance to eat or drink at each of the five tour stops, and it’s all included in the price.
Navarro confesses that she started these tours as a means to get her friends from SF to come over and visit after she moved to Oakland—a struggle that East Bay residents will understand all too well. Raquel’s goal was to introduce her friends to Oakland’s top-notch culinary scene, and she delivered. Her project started going viral as her friends started inviting other friends, and the intitiative’s success inspired her to turn the weekend excursions into a business.
Along with providing the perfect way for a foodie to spend a Saturday, See.Eat.Love tours also drum up support for local businesses. Three-quarters of tour participants are from Oakland and looking to discover new places in their neighborhood, while others come from the surrounding areas and want to get to know Oakland’s larger culinary scene. What’s more, See.Eat.Love gives back a portion of the sales from every tour to a local non-profit, which rotates every month.
$65/person. For more information and registration for See.Eat.Love, visit seeeatlove.com or follow them on Facebook.
To view original post visit this link: http://www.7×7.com/eat-drink/take-tour-oaklands-culinary-scene-seeeatlove
See.Eat.Love.’s Top Six Foodie Tips for BookALocal
Top 6 Foodie Tips from an Oakland Lokal
By Raquel from SeeEatLove.com
From street eats to fine dining, the food scene in Oakland is blowing up. Separated from San Francisco by only a 4.5-mile bridge, Oakland is coming out from behind its famous neighbor’s shadow, offering visitors and locals exciting food and drinks that will even have staunch San Franciscans proclaiming, “I Hella Heart Oakland.” To get a real taste of Oakland, here are our top six foodie musts.
No. 6 – Feast on the Lake Riviera
Do as the locals do and head down to picturesque Lake Merritt for a picnic or roll into one of the many restaurants along the lake that boast lakefront seating such as local favorites BarLago and Grand Lake Kitchen. This is fast-becoming known as Oakland’s “Lake Riviera” for its fantastic setting. On Saturday mornings by the lake you can buy your picnic fixings from the city’s best farmers market such as Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, rotisserie chickens, or fruits and breads. Or on Sunday afternoons you can hit up “Bites at the Lake” to sample the city’s best food trucks.
No. 5 – Stock Up Your Spice Pantry
Visit the magnificent husband and wife duo, John Beaver and Erika Perez, at Oaktown Spice Shop to get some of the freshest and most exquisite spices you’ll ever have. Oaktown Spice Shop sells top quality herbs, spices and hand-mixed blends. If you or someone you know likes to create, cook and eat, a stop at this shop is a must. Strike up a conversation with the staff and smell some of their fresh spices, and you will walk out inspired.
No. 4 – Taste Local Brews
Oakland has been a haven for brewers like Linden Street Brewery for many years, and over the last few years it has become home to some of the most ingenious brewers in the bay area. In Uptown, visit Jim Woods over at Woods Bar & Brewery to try some of his Yerba Mate-infused beer, or pop by Diving Dog Brewhouse to get inspiration from one of their 30 beers on tap and then sign up for their brew-on-premise experience and brew your own creations.
No. 3 – Go To Market
Once a European-style food market, Old Oakland’s Swan’s Market has been transformed into a foodie’s paradise. Home to a half-dozen cuisines, this traditional market will have something that hits the spot. Maybe start with some oysters at The Cook and Her Farmer, wash it down with a cocktail from Deep Roots and then mosey on over to Cosecha for their braised beef and pork belly tacos or to Miss Ollie’s for her skillet-fried chicken.
No. 2 – Go Wine Tasting
Hop on the Urban Wine Trail that takes you from Jack London Square through the hip Warehouse District. The trail is dotted with urban wineries that offer exquisite wines made from grapes sourced from stellar wine regions such as Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Some of our favorites are Cerruti Cellars, Dashe Cellars, JC Cellars, Rosenblum and Urban Legend Cellars. Cap it all off with a feast at one of the many restaurants in the area such as Venga Paella, Nido or Forge.
No. 1 – Eat Like a Local
Diane Bezucha Photography
Want to eat and drink like a local? Then hop on one of See.Eat.Love.’s food tours. Each month See.Eat.Love. focuses on a different Oakland neighborhood and takes tour participants to several of their favorite establishments in that neighborhood. At each stop you get to hear about the business from the people who run it and taste a variety of inspired dishes and drinks. Come hungry.
About The Author and See.Eat.Love.
See.Eat.Love. is a food tour company created by Raquel Navarro that offers food lovers intimate culinary strolls through Oakland’s diverse neighborhoods. Explorations take place in neighborhoods where small business owners, artisans, purveyors and restaurant chefs share their personal food stories and their passion for local, unique and delicious eats. And, of course, along with learning about each area’s culinary and cultural background, guests are treated to signature tastes unique to Oakland.
Raquel loves exploring her surroundings through food and takes pleasure in helping others fall in love with a city through its culinary offerings. A lifelong Bay Area resident, she has a vast knowledge of the region’s acclaimed food culture. Raquel lives in Oakland’s Grand Lake neighborhood with her beloved eating companions (her husband, son and pets).
East Bay Dish: See.Eat.Love’s Grand Lake Food Tour
East Bay Dish’s, Christina Mitchell, gives See.Eat.Love’s Grand Lake Tour a go. See what she had to say below. To see the original post click on the link below.
http://eastbaydish.com/2015/02/see-eat-love-an-oakland-food-tour/
See Eat Love: An Oakland Food Tour
Raquel Navarro came up with the idea for her walking food tour business See. Eat. Love. after she went on her first food tour in 2010: “I was visiting DC and went on an unbelievable food tour. I knew right there and then that I wanted to bring this concept to my town to give people the opportunity to experience all the amazing food, drink and people Oakland has to offer.”
She takes people through different neighborhoods to show off what each has to offer. I was invited to check out the recent Grand Lake tour, so I brought my friend Diane (who took all of the pics in this post). There were five stops and Raquel didn’t focus on the history. Instead she wanted us to experience what a typical Saturday might be like for someone who lives in the neighborhood.
We started off at Barlago for brunch on the “Oakland Riviera.” The manager welcomed us and then suddenly lots of dishes appeared. We were happily eating when the manager returned to tell us about the drink options. We could decide between a Mimosa and Bloody Mary, which he said was the best in town. It’s made with their housemade San Marzano marinara sauce and seasoned with spices from Oaktown Spice Shop. Then, he asked how many people wanted a Bloody Mary and this is what happened.
Almost all of us went with the Bloody Mary. It was tasty – and the food was pretty good too.
Then we stepped into Oaktown Spice Shop and learned about their business. Did you know that they grind most spices in house every two weeks?
We had a chance to look around and spend the $5 gift certificate that was given to us. I chose a Moroccan Spice Blend and I can’t wait to try it out.
Next, we went to Alchemy Bottle Shop for a mezcal tasting. They have a carefully curated collection of spirits from around the world.
After that, we stopped by Michael Mischer Chocolates. He still makes all the chocolate in house, and we got to try three different flavors: champagne, lavender & honey, and salted caramel, which was my favorite.
Finally, we ended up at Ordinaire for a wine tasting (with three generous pours), charcuterie, cheese and bread. We ate and drank so much that afternoon, I’m pretty sure we all left more than satisfied.
It was a good way to see the neighborhood through the small businesses in the community. A walking food tour would be a nice afternoon for friends, family or even a date. Raquel’s got several tours coming up and they’re appropriate for both locals and visitors. Check her out!
See.Eat.Love featured in Shift Local’s Date Night Ideas
Shift Local’s Marc and Mari were shaking up date night and joined us on our October Beer and Sausage tour and gave us two big thumbs up. Check out how their date went and what they had to say about See.Eat.Love.’s tour.
Oakland Ranked Number One Most Exciting City in America by Movoto
http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/10-most-exciting-cities/
Oakland Ranked Number Five In New York Times 45 Places To Go In 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/oakland-new-york-times-places-to-go-2012_n_1194720.html