SpotsForDates.com » Oakland http://www.spotsfordates.com In search of good eating everywhere Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:18:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Out in Oakland’s Wood Tavern http://www.spotsfordates.com/02/2010/restaurants/out-in-oaklands-wood-tavern http://www.spotsfordates.com/02/2010/restaurants/out-in-oaklands-wood-tavern#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:52:44 +0000 Lando http://www.spotsfordates.com/?p=1120 It’s been awhile since I was able to head out and dine at a restaurant that I hadn’t visited before. I’ve been mainly sticking to local restaurants around Fremont or cooking at home. I still had that strong urge to go out and eat somewhere new. I was out in San Francisco last Friday and I thought about checking out Delfina. It’s a restaurant that I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time. But, then I remembered my cousin talking about a superb dinner he had at Wood Tavern in Oakland. Wood Tavern also was a spot that I wanted to try after hearing all the positive feedback about it. I really wanted to do something new, and since I rarely check out restaurants in Oakland, it was an easy decision. It was also good to know that Wood Tavern continues to gain praise from local diners and critics, so I expected that I was not going to leave Wood Tavern disappointed.



It was a busy Friday night at the restaurant with tables available to those with reservations. The only option left was bar seating which I didn’t mind. I mainly was looking forward to the food.



Our meal started off with Seared Yellowtail Tuna on top of a salad of baby artichokes and olives drizzled with citrus oil and a balsamic glaze.

When I was browsing the menu earlier, I noticed they were offering a Crispy Pork Belly starter. It sounded too good to pass up, but they had a equally appetizing Pork Shoulder Confit entrée on the menu also. To avoid a pork overload, we chose to go with the Yellowtail Tuna starter and get our pork fix with the Pork Shoulder Confit.



The deliciously crispy outside and tender inside cut of pork shoulder sat on top of a serving of buttery polenta.



The other entrée we ordered was the Pan Roasted Chicken. This came on a whim. While waiting for a seat at the bar, we noticed that many diners were ordering the chicken. A server walked by us with someone’s order of the chicken and our eyes were glued to the passing plate. It smelled all too good. I often skip chicken dishes because of the thought of being served an overcooked, dry serving of chicken. That was not the case here. Moist and juicy are the words to describe this dish, which was served with spinach, fingerling potatoes, grilled radicchio, and a lemon-rosemary jus.

Throughout the dinner, I just felt a good vibe about Wood Tavern. Maybe it was because we sat at the bar. Seeing the faces of others cheering and chowing down over food and drinks really plays into that feeling of being in a favorite local neighborhood spot. My only wish is that Wood Tavern would be in my neighborhood.

I’ve always seen this city as being over shadowed by San Francisco’s restaurant offerings, but after this positive visit, I’m already wanting to see what other good restaurants there are to visit in Oakland.

Wood Tavern
6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
(510) 654-6607
www.woodtavern.net

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