7:07am never feels good on a Tuesday after a three-day weekend. Doubly so when its sounding rings in the end of your town's Restaurant Week, and with it your access to three- and four-course meals across town at prices you can actually afford. Oakland rolled out a generous twelve-day spin on restaurant week, from the 9th until just last night. And, for the first time since I'd enviously heard talk of the "restaurant week" concept back when I was a very broke undergrad enjoying my very first city, I was actually able to partake.
Restaurant Week is an event where an assortment of restaurants across a city, generally mid-to-upper-range establishments, create prix fixe menus that allow you to sample their cuisine without breaking the bank. In Oakland, there were restaurants with prices set at low as $20/person, all the way up to $80, but most restaurants concentrated around the $40. For your fun history lesson, the concept of Restaurant Week was born back in New York in 1992, by the founder of Zagat, as a lunch-only scheme to bring people (mostly media and politicians) into restaurants during the Democratic National Convention, hosted that year in the Big Apple. The event was so successful that it quickly spread across the country.
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| Oakland Restaurant Week 2020 called to us. And we answered. |
Our Restaurant Week extravaganza (I'm being a bit generous with the term, I'll allow) hatched during the week of New Year's, which I gifted myself as a staycation thanks to my company's "unlimited PTO" policy. While wandering around town, I couldn't help but notice the slew of posters, bus sign ads, and possibly even billboards enticing me with, of all things, a bowl of blue rice (alongside some other more forgettable food). Soon enough they'd gotten me scouring their website, searching for the most highly rated, pescatarian-friendly fare in our price range. We had, after all, received a gift certificate that we were instructed to use to actually dine out. (I may be a bit of a penny pincher these days. Dropping everything when we rush-exited the UK has left a mark.) Soon we'd picked a target: Mägo. And even a runner-up to enjoy on our own dime. But then a sorority sister swung through town and the timing couldn't be better! And after all that, it was MLK Day, a holiday, and Nicolas has surely come home too late to cook right? And it was our last chance until 2021 to enjoy this special event... so yes, we came, we saw, we ate our way through Restaurant Week 2020.
With no further eyes, feast your appetite on the Restaurant Week book report that devoured my allotted gym time this Tuesday morning.
Guilty Pleasure #1: Mägo
Specializing in locally sourced, organic fare, this place has a charming, trendy, intimate atmosphere with price tags surprisingly lower than what you'd expect for the atmosphere they cultivate. I began with the whipped yogurt and beets, while Nicolas opted for the cauliflower soup with potatoes and olive tapenade. Next came the heirloom rice grits, wild mushrooms, and nori butter for me, the pappardelle with chicken ragout for Nicolas. My last main was grilled sturgeon with turnips, black garlic, and pumpkin seed butter, while Nicolas got the beef pot roast, roasted parsnip, and brussel sprouts. All of their savory dishes were exquisite, complex blends of rich flavors and fresh ingredients. After all the fanfare, the olive oil and semolina cake with winter citrus was admittedly a bit of a let down, as was the dessert cocktail we paired with it. Next time I'd probably restaurant hop after the appetizer and entrée, but I'd undoubtedly return for those.
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| Restaurant Week 2020: Mägo |
Guilty Pleasure #2: Hopscotch
This place was a bit of a cheat as I'd been here before and knew I really enjoyed it, but it's just down the street from my place and it was a school night, so I allowed it. Plus, I needed to make sure that Melissa saw a yummy side of my delightful new home. After a surprise amuse-bouche whose contents I simply cannot recall, we kicked things off with a burrata and a plate of caramelized brussel sprouts. I went in for the seared scallops with polenta, chicories, and sunchoke chips (yum!!) and Melissa took the soba mafaldine with braised cabbage, squash, romanesco, and ricotta. We wrapped things up with the donuts and butter cream and peach sorbet for my healthier friend. And, for those in the know, no visit to Hopscotch is complete without an accompanying cocktail. They specialize it scotch, so I had some scotch-and-soda-based delight that took me through the meal. There is something delightful about watching your local down-to-earth restaurant dress to impress. Bravo, Hopscotch!
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| Restaurant Week 2020: Hopscotch |
Guilty Pleasure #3: Downtown Wine Merchants
Our runner-up to Mägo, I must have walked past this adorable locale a million times, but I've never find the right excuse to pop in. On Saturday, Nicolas and I finally got in the door for what certainly won't be the last time. Unlike the other places, Downtown Wine Merchants had every course pre-selected-- and I accepted a cheat day from my normal pescatarian diet in order to sample what they had in store. Also unlike the previous two places, Downtown Wine Merchants offered a wine pairing with each course for their $40 price tag. You won't find me complaining. We began with a pistachio-topped burrata paired with a rosé. Next came the duck confit with pomegranate sauce paired with a medium-bodied red (specifically the Chateau Trillol Grenache/Syrah, Corbieres, France- yum). Finally, a warm persimmon pudding, which tasted like a half-baked, moist, fluffy gingerbread cake, topped with home made whipped cream. Drool. And it was recommended to be paired with a sweet sparkling dessert wine, though we preferred the dry alternative they also had us sample. Much to our delight, we discovered that this sort of meal is a weekly occurrence at Downtown Wine Merchants! And not only is their three-course meal with wine flight a regular Saturday evening event, but they can even cater to special dietary needs upon request. At a mere ten minutes' walk from our home, we've already begun scheduling double dates back at this place. (By that metric, Downtown Wine Merchants really won our Restaurant Week.)
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| Restaurant Week 2020: Downtown Wine Merchants |
Guilty Pleasure #4: Calavera
With one night left in Oakland Restaurant Week 2020, we squeezed a last one under the wire yesterday evening. Calavera is a local, upscale Mexican kitchen and agave bar. By Mexican food standards, they're quite all right. Bonus points on presentation and lack of greasiness, but not the food that I'll be left fantasizing over. That is, except for their sugar-dusted churros that chocolate sauce, freshly melted rich chocolate. And the cocktail to boot: a tantalizing mix of aperol, sparkling wine, Hennessy, and coffee liqueur that I simply have to try to repeat at home. This is absolutely the dessert and drink you need after a visit to Mägo. Or really any time.
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| Restaurant Week 2020: Calavera |
