Sliver Pizzeria heads Uptown
Reader Alan G. sent us a tip that Berkeley-based mini-chain Sliver Pizzeria — known for its changing daily menu of one vegetarian pizza and one salad — has plans for a new location on the ground floor at Alta Waverly apartment complex in Uptown Oakland. He spotted a public notice for alcoholic beverage sales that stated Sliver’s intentions to occupy suite B at 2300 Valdez St. It was posted in September. Nosh contacted Sliver, which confirmed that the new site — its fourth restaurant, joining two others in Berkeley and one in North Oakland — is still in the works. Sliver CEO Eduardo Perez (brother of Sliver founder Willy Perez, a Cheese Board alum) told Nosh, “We are excited for our new location in Uptown Oakland. We are currently waiting on our final permits. COVID has slowed down the permitting process. Hopefully, we will open by the summer.” Sliver Pizzeria will be at 2300 Valdez St. (at 23rd Street), suite B, Oakland
Sweet July, Ayesha Curry’s retail store and cafe, is open
Hoodline had the scoop that Sweet July, chef-entrepreneur Ayesha Curry’s flagship boutique affiliated with her lifestyle magazine of the same name, is now open. Curry appears to do it all — she’s a restaurateur, cookbook author, Food Network tv show star, wine producer and runs the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, a charity focused on ending food insecurity for children, with husband Steph. She also opened a now-closed pop-up retail store in Jack London Square, which appears to have been a precursor to Sweet July. The new store offers books, home decor items, clothing and Curry’s own products, and boasts a coffee bar that serves drip and iced coffee and tea. Curry told Domino magazine that she plans to “dedicate space to emerging Black-owned brands that do not yet have their own storefronts” at the flagship store. Sweet July, 455 23rd St. (at Valley Street), Oakland
Huangcheng Noodle House now open at Swan’s Market
Last week, we started seeing several Swan’s Market businesses post Instagram stories of steaming noodle soup bowls full of dao xiao mian, or Shanxi knife-cut noodles, hinting that their new neighbor Huangcheng Noodle House was getting ready to get back to business at its new location in Old Oakland. In September, Huangcheng was one of several Oakland Chinatown businesses destroyed by a fire that erupted on the corner of Webster and Eighth streets, and thanks to help from community groups like Save our Chinatowns and Good Good Eatz, it was able to quickly relocate to the former Rosamunde sausage spot on Washington Street at Swan’s Market. Before we could get down to Old Oakland to see for ourselves, Eater confirmed that Huangcheng Noodle House celebrated its official grand reopening on Monday, Jan. 25.
At the new location — which features a cool, colorful mural by Save Our Chinatown founder, artist Jocelyn Tsaih — Huangcheng will still offer house-made noodles, but rather than using a knife to shave the handmade dough, Eater reports that the restaurant now has a special machine designed for making dao xiao mian. The machine will not only greatly reduce the time and effort to make the noodles, but result in a more consistent product. And, as Eater’s Luke Tsai explains, “it’s one less person he has to fit inside the small kitchen space during this time of social distancing.”
For now, Huangcheng Noodle House will offer its original menu, with the addition of one new dish called “family noodles,” which comes with raw meat and vegetables that are meant to be dipped in a rich, flavorful broth. Huangcheng Noodle House’s hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily. Huangcheng Noodle House, 911 Washington St. (between Ninth and 10th streets), Oakland
Califas Greens now open on University Avenue
Taking over the space last occupied by recently shuttered La Capilla taqueria and juice bar is Califas Greens, a casual cafe that opened on Jan. 17. Califas offers breakfast and lunch, as well as fresh juices, smoothies and coffee drinks. The morning offerings include toasts, yogurt and seasonal fruit bowls and egg dishes; for lunch, Califas has a selection of savory bowls with hearty greens, legumes and grains and the option to add a protein; four meaty sandwiches and a soup of the day. Prices range from $8-$15 for eats; $2-$8.75 for beverages. Califas Greens is open 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., daily for takeout — it also has two small tables outside. Califas Greens, 1106 University Ave. (near San Pablo Avenue), Berkeley
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers coming to Berkeley
Berkeley will get a new fried chicken spot with the coming of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a fast-food chain that got its start in the mid-’90s in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. According to Bay Area New Group, Raising Cane plans for a 2022 opening, at a space at the Standard, a still-under-construction student housing complex located across from the UC Berkeley campus on Bancroft Way. Raising Cane’s has more than 500 locations around the U.S. and the world, but the Berkeley outpost will be its Bay Area debut. For those of us who’ve yet to try Raising Cane’s, its popularity comes thanks to its hand-battered, fried-to-order chicken tenders, which come in combos served with crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas toast and its creamy, tangy Cane’s sauce. (Some people are such fans, they become card-carrying Cainiacs.) Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers will be at 2580 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch Street), Berkeley
East Bay Good Food Awards winners
Congrats to the winners of the 11th annual Good Food Awards, who were honored last Friday at a virtual ceremony. Of the 219 winners from across the country, eight artisan food and beverage makers were from the East Bay: Alameda’s Almanac Beer Co. (in collaboration with Blackberry Farm Brewery) for its Meeting Place farmhouse ale; Oakland’s Barlovento Chocolates for its Fresh Mint 64% dark chocolate truffles; Oakland’s recently rebranded Daybreak Seaweed for its nori and wakame Seaweed Flakes; Berkeley’s Fra’mani Handcrafted Foods for three products: Italian Dry Salame, Salame Calabrese and Copicollo; Berkeley’s The Local Butcher Shop for its pastrami; Oakland’s Wright & Brown Distilling Co. for its Bourbon Whiskey; Berkeley’s Yumé Boshi for its Red Shiso Syrup and Hayward’s Lucky Dog Hot Sauce for its Pink Label, Applewood-Smoked Habanero Pepper Sauce.
This year, instead of hosting a one-day live marketplace, the Good Food Foundation launched an online pop-up shop, which sells a sampling of products from 100 of this year’s winning makers — including beer and cider, preserved fish and charcuterie, oils and condiments, chocolates and snacks — all offered with free shipping. The online shop will be live through Feb. 7.
What’s going on with Casa Barotti?
In December 2019, Nosh wrote about Casa Barotti, the upcoming Italian grab-and-go eatery in Berkeley, what will be the Bay Area’s first spizzicheria. Casa Barotti had originally aimed to open in May 2020, but when we checked in with owner Daniele Carsano last November to find out when we’ll be able to taste his freshly baked focaccia, pizza al taglio and other tasty bites, he told us Casa Barotti’s opening was held up by a few building issues that needed to be resolved before the Berkeley fire department would issue its permits. This week, we heard from Carsano with some good news — “All inspections have been completed and we are now just waiting for our brand new Berkeley business license!” Carsano said he’s hopeful that Casa Barotti will open in mid-February. Casa Barotti will be at 3204 College Ave. (at Alcatraz Avenue), Berkeley
Shining a light on local African diaspora restaurants
KQED’s new web series called “Dishes of the Diaspora” shares the backstories and culinary specialties of several Bay Area African immigrant chefs and restaurant owners through short video features. The first episode premieres on Feb. 3, and highlights Senagalese soccer player-turned-chef Oumar Diouf, owner of Oakland’s The Damel, which dishes out Senagalese and Afro-Brazilian fare from a food truck and brick-and-mortar location downtown. The second episode, on Feb. 17, will feature Amawele’s South African Kitchen, a San Francisco restaurant from sisters Pam and Wendy Drew. Watch “Dishes of the Diaspora” online.
Correction: This story was updated after publication with a correction. There are eight East Bay Good Food Award winners, not seven, as we had previously reported. A hearty congratulations and apology to Lucky Dog Hot Sauce in Hayward, who we inadvertently left off the list.
