Fri.
Change my location 
|
|
Article History There are updates to this article.
)
Escarole salad is served at Flora in Oakland.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Is Oakland the new Brooklyn? San Francisco artists, cooks, writers and musicians I know, plus a bunch who are just starting their post-school adult lives, find the rents refreshingly affordable there and the food scene is heating up.
In fact, Pizzaiolo, Dopo, Cesar, Dona Tomas, Wood Tavern and Tamarindo, all relative newcomers, pull even diehard San Franciscans across the bridge, and we’re not even talking Berkeley here.
The latest development is Flora, a booming lunch and dinner spot in a transitional downtown Oakland neighborhood along a stretch of Telegraph Avenue lined with historic art deco buildings.
Flora has moved into an old flower depot; it has the original black-tile exterior and expansive corner windows. Nearby, many new condos in various stages of construction await sale or rental while the fate of the beautiful old Fox theater across the street, under renovation, is yet to be determined.
But real estate malaise has not kept the crowds away from Flora. It’s a bona fide hot spot, crashingly noisy at night when the curved bar and all the tables are packed, and pleasantly buzzing at lunch, my favorite time to go.
Light filters into the high-ceilinged room through windows covered with wide blinds, a sexy retro look. The tile exterior is reprised by a checked linoleum tile floor. The rounded corners of vintage 1930s cabinets and consoles are repeated at the newly built bar lined with comfortable stools with backs. The silverware is even patterned with the same deco motif as the wall sconces, yet nothing about this big, airy room seems over designed.
Flora feels very East Bay casual, handcrafted and appealing. At lunch, the must-order dish is baked Bellwether Farms ricotta antipasti ($11), a warm disk with a souffle-like texture and a flavor that hints at the best macaroni and cheese. It’s flanked by perfect little vegetable salads.
The hot pressed tuna melt ($11) makes my mouth water every time I think about it — Italian canned tuna and finely minced red pepper and cilantro, subtly dressed with ginger and soy, enriched with cheddar (it works), encased inside a crisp, buttery Acme rustic roll.
At dinner, go for the asparagus and Meyer lemon fritto misto ($11), a crisp and juicy deep fry salted with grated parmesan.
Follow with a super-clean fish soup called La Bourride ($19), crystal-clear broth deepened with the juices of Littleneck clams that bathe a hunk of local ling cod. Toast and aioli add body.
This program leaves room for fabulous desserts, such as weightless caramel pudding, thrilling with thin flakes of sea salt ($8); or the Rocky Road sundae made with ice cream from Berkeley’s stellar Ici ice cream shop. I suspect even the ethereal marshmallows are handmade ($8).
An imported beer list, and a well-rounded wine by the glass and bottle catalog pale in the glow of extraordinary cocktails ($9), re-creations of famous drinks from bars all around the world. I have never tasted a better balanced Singapore Sling. Absinthe is so cunningly applied to a drink unappealingly called The Corpse Reviver No. 2, that it reminded me of the most delicate and lovely lemonade. The intriguing herbal scent of anise kicks in only at the end.
Open for lunch, dinner and cocktails, Flora may be the biggest selling point for all those empty units across the street.
Patricia Unterman is author of the “San Francisco Food Lovers' Pocket Guide” and a newsletter, “Unterman on Food.” Contact her at pattiu@concentric.net.
Flora
Location: 1900 Telegraph Ave. (at 19th Street), Oakland
Contact: (510) 286-0100
Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; brunch 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday; dinner 5 to 9:30 Tuesday-Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Price range: Starters $7 to $14; sandwiches $10 to $11; main courses $14 to $26
Recommended dishes: Baked ricotta antipasti, escarole, orange and fennel salad, asparagus and Meyer lemon fritto misto, tuna melt, Rocky Road sundae, caramel pudding with sea salt
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express
Reservations: Accepted
 Not ranked |
 EMAIL ME THIS STORY |
|
People who read this also read:
|
ARTICLE HISTORY 
Comments from Examiner Readers
12:14 PM MST on Thu., May. 15, 2008 re: "A slice of the Middle East"
Report as inappropriate
3:01 PM MST on Thu., May. 8, 2008 re: "Take Mom out to the ballgame at AT&T Park"
Report as inappropriate
7:50 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 2, 2008 re: "Namu�s intricate flavors entice your palate"
Report as inappropriate
10:51 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Namu�s intricate flavors entice your palate"
Report as inappropriate
3:58 PM MST on Thu., Mar. 27, 2008 re: "Jazzy soul food in the heart of the Fillmore"
Report as inappropriate
4:55 PM MST on Sun., Mar. 16, 2008 re: "Jazzy soul food in the heart of the Fillmore"
Report as inappropriate
12:28 PM MST on Thu., Feb. 21, 2008 re: "Review: Innovative Japanese dining with a California twist"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
layaly have the best middle_eastren food in the bay.there food is delicious and have consistant recepie. what you taste today you'll taste tommorrow. it's a winner. I love the hookah lounge, they sereve very good hookahs & have very unique Tobacco Flavors. the hookah lonuge opens at 8pm -12am & 8pm - 2:00(fri & sat)on the weekends.i recommend this place cause it's a winner
2 agree | 0 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
My mother would beat me like a rented mule if I took her to a baseball game for Mother's Day.
1 agree | 1 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I visited Namu on a trip to San Fran a year back when the restaurant had just opened. The space is minimal and hip, and the food fantastic - the black cod was superb!
2 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Francis Kim said:
actually namu never closes early. the restaurant that always closes early was written right next to the namu article. I believe everyone is getting confused. And on thursday, friday, and saturday they stay open till 1am!!!! that is awesome.
3 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
M.S. Jackson said:
Ms. Unterman's laughable dialectic suggests she is feeding on some of the large sausages at the Soul Food joint and getting more than her fill!
2 agree | 3 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I suspect they close before the posted closing time to save on staff costs on nights when the amount of business does not cover expenses. I give them another six months.
3 agree | 8 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Go early in the evening because they'll close early if the mood stikes them. Even if you have a reservation.
26 agree | 41 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree