Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the outpouring of ideas and name suggestions for the Lake Merritt monster. We’ve had a breakthrough in the meantime from a Lake Merritt specialist:

“We are very pleased that the Oakland Tribune has finally acknowledged the existence of the Oak-Ness Monster. Those of us who frequent the lake every day have known about this beast for several years. For more details and photos of the monster, see the November and December, 2006 issues of “Tidings” the newsletter of the Lake Merritt Institute. Just go to www.lakemerrittinstitute.org; click on Help LMI, then on Newsletter Archives. Click on the November and December 2006 issues and they will appear in .pdf format. I have attached a photo of the monster as it was last seen in 2006. We also have video of it, showing it rising from the depths, disappearing, rising, and going down again. Yes, it does move. We tried to get the city council interested in passing a resolution to protect it (resolution available upon request) but had no response. Other jurisdictions have promoted their monsters, but, sadly, not in Oakland.”

On Saturday, July 12, the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls (B.A.D.) will host their first bout ever in San Francisco at Fort Mason Center. Skaters sought a new bouting venue after the limited capacity at B.A.D.’s Oakland practice location prevented the non-profit league from recuperating bout event expenses.
Fort Mason’s Herbst Pavilion is a 30,000 square foot column-free space that will allow up to 1,000 derby-crazed fans to converge for this classic Bay Area rivalry: Oakland Outlaws vs. San Francisco ShEvil Dead.
About the Event: Oakland Outlaws vs. San Francisco ShEvil Dead on Saturday, June 12, at Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the beatdown starts at 8:00 p.m. Event is 21+ with ID for entry and to purchase alcohol. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door.
This event is expected to sell out, so buy your tickets today at www.bayareaderbygirls.com.
Herbst Pavilion is located in the historic Fort Mason Center at the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street (www.fortmason.org). Free street parking is available but limited. The Fort Mason Center parking lot will cost attendees $8 for the evening. Carpooling and use of public transit is encouraged. The venue is accessible by the following MUNI lines: 22 Fillmore, 47 Van Ness, 49 Van Ness/Mission, 30 Stockton, 82x Presidio, and the 28 19th Avenue.

Holy blues guitars. I missed this on June 22 but it’s still news: Eli’s Mile High will be torn down next month (Tuesday July 8th). In honor of the club thats been a blues haven for so many musicians Tom (Troyce Key Uncle) is hosting a private Blues Jam tonite from 8pm - 1am, all the blues greats from the bay area will be there, the doors open at 7 signup is at 7:30 and will kick it off at 8pm. This is for musicians for musicians to say good bye to Eli’s Mile High Club for good.

Mercury 20 Gallery
25 Grand Ave. (at Broadway)  
Oakland, CA 94612 
  Exhibition dates: July 4– July 26, 2008 

Please join us for the Opening Reception: Friday, July 4 from 6:00–9:00pm (in conjunction with First Friday/Oakland Art Murmur).  

The Baby Brigade night (nowadays only at the Cerrito) is a finalist for Nickelodeon’s Parent’s Picks Award for Best Parents Night Out for Little Kids in the Bay Area.
Only 6 days left to vote! If you want to cast your ballot for Baby Brigade, please go here:

http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/ParentsPicks/register.htm

This place – Spice Monkey Cafe – looks adorable. Looks like they are applying for a liquor license? They already serve wine and beer…
From the Web site: Spice Monkey Café is a playful new café located at 1628 Webster @17th St., 2 blocks from Lake Merritt and 3 blocks from Downtown Oakland in a gorgeous historical landmark building. Cuisine: International, local and organic.  Beers and wine, along with espresso drinks. Order at the bar and food is delivered to your table. Open 11am to 9pm - Monday thru Saturday. Good for lunch or a cute dinner on the way home.
 

So the hunt is on: We need a name for our monster that lives in Lake Merritt. The Trib was supposed to announce that fact a little more boldly that what appeared in Friday’s paper. So, folks, let’s hear — by June 27 — what you propose to name the creature from the Oakland lagoon. The top five names will be voted on by readers in an online poll. Come on. Let your imagination run amok. You can comment here or e-mail me.

It is indeed with the closing of Trio Bistro across from Lake Merritt after 36 years. Maestra Kimala Martin said she and her daughter shut down amidst pressure from the landlord. Not helpful was Kimala’s back surgery and ensuing heart attack, which kept her away from the restaurant she opened in 1972 with her late husband and kept running with her chef-daughter Chantal.
I stumbled across Trio Bistro one Sunday night about a year and a half ago. It was shortly before 10 p.m. and my guest and I were turned away from just about every restaurant around the lake. At Zza’s next door, several people including I think an owner looked up at us when we opened the door at 9:45 p.m. as though we were the last things they wanted to see so late on a Sunday. We noticed for the first time Trio Bistro and returned for just about every important occasion including my younger daughter’s 12th birthday, which Chantal and Kimala made delightful.
We were headed there for another celebration a few months ago when we discovered the restaurant was still closed, although the duo was supposed to open after Kimala recovered from major back surgery. But this was months later. Finally, Kimala called the other night to say they were selling the place.
Some reviews of the Trio Bistro complained about slow service and unpredictable results. Most raved about the food, service and camraderie that prevailed in my experience. More importantly, I doubt the restaurant that will replace the Trio Bistro will have a chef willing to welcome a hungry night owl on a Sunday night and provide her with mashed potatoes and a martini at nearly 11 p.m.  without batting an eyelash. Will the chef and maitre d’ greet guests with an embrace and their favorite dishes and offer tango lessons and be a home away from home?
The restaurant is already up for sale but it would be sad to let the Trio go without a send off.  Either contact me here or Kimala and Chantal if you would like to throw a bash and remember an Oakland institution whose closing is the end of an era - a very sad one for the city’s night owls.

What’s happening in Oakland? Here is the city’s official event Web site. While it’s not anywhere near to being comprehensive, it’s another helpful tool to navigate through our nightlife options.

Join the Bay Area Derby Girls Friday, June 27 for some good, clean, wholesome mud wrestling at CELLspace in San Francisco’s Mission District. Watch skaters from the Richmond Wrecking Belles, Oakland Outlaws and San Francisco ShEvil Dead get messy in a mud wrasslin’ smackdown fundraiser to benefit the Bay Area’s only all-women flat-track roller derby league. The $15 cover will help ensure the B.A.D. Girls will bout all year long. This event is for fans who are 21 years and older. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the fightin starts at 9:00 p.m. www.bayareaderbygirls.com or www.cellspace.org CELLspace is located at 2050 Bryant Street.