downtown oakland

19 Jun 2013

Cosecha Cafe: Decent Food For Fancy-Ass Prices

After Miss Ollies denied the possibilities of an afternoon affair with their fried chicken lunch special (they were out), I had to turn the corner for Cosecha. Cosecha is housed in the newly renovated Swans Building in Downtown Oakland, next to Miss Ollies, next to Taylor’s Sausage, next to Rosamunde.

illyannam 0
08 Feb 2013

Hawker Fare: Cheap Fancy Date Fare

Most of my friend’s teenage years are emblazoned with memories of family vacations, family reunions and getting their licenses. Mine are not. Mine are filled with waking up with the taste of St. Ides Special Brew in my mouth and walking three blocks to reach the gun-metal blue, dilapidated wood shack

illyannam 0
09 Aug 2012

Oakland’s Gilliam-esque Cafe Van Kleef

            Just a fraction of the collection of oddities at Cafe Van Kleef   Oakland is not San Francisco, and therein lies what attracts and repels many people to and from the East Bay city.  San Francisco in the west, framed by delicate curls of

Fatt Mink 0
17 Feb 2012

Shan Dong: Oakland’s Best Dumplings

Sure, San Francisco’s Chinatown is world-renowned, but why not hop the Bay to Oakland’s Chinatown? It’s less hectic, possibly more authentic, and almost no tourists. I especially recommend Shan Dong, which I will go on record as saying that they have the best dumplings in the East Bay. Not to

Robin Hardwick - Cost-Conscious Connoisseur 0
04 Feb 2012

First Look at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland

In 2009, Oakland mourned the closing of The Parkway Theater, a beloved Oakland mainstay that helped revitalize a neighborhood. The Parkway was a film lovers dream- cult films, film festivals, pizza and beer served to at your seat. Struggles over leases and landlords forced the original owners to close. Enter

Robin Hardwick - Cost-Conscious Connoisseur 0
16 Sep 2011

FREE Performance by Project Bandaloop: Dancers Hang Off a Building in Downtown-FINAL

To be blunt: Project Bandaloop are insane. They are a dance company that create performances by suspending themselves from architectural structures and use the natural gravity to create the allusion of flight. These are true artists: they hang off the sides of skyscrapers for their art. That’s commitment to the

Robin Hardwick - Cost-Conscious Connoisseur 0