Oakland Tribune Outtakes

This is Chris Dobbins doing his part to support the Green Stampede, a homework club affiliated with the A’s, Wednesday night at Oaklandish. Pink underwear and youth groups might sound a little strange. But they fit the occasion: A documentary, Out: The Glenn Burke Story, about Glenn Burke, an Oakland native and Berkeley High graduate who was ousted by the A’s Billy Martin for being gay. The proceeds of Dobbins’ and City Hall hopeful Sean Sullivan (pictured here) went to the Green Stampede.

Few of us will be inside the Paramount Theatre tonight with Brad Pitt for the premier of Moneyball, the story about the A’s brainy numbers guy who cobbled together a team on the cheap. Only the politicians and wealthy among us will be there even though the taxpayers actually are keeping the A’s and Billy Beane sheltered with subsidies of about $10 million a year for the stadium alone. But really this is all about stars and glamour and enjoying the limelight. Tailgates are setting up right now near the Paramount. And the local bars, lounges and restaurants are jumping on board:
•Pican (2295 Broadway) is offering $5 Pican Pale Ale,Wine and Tennessee Margarita/$6 Shrimp Beignets
• Luka’s Tap Room (2221 Broadway) is offering a $3 Trumer Pilsner, Racer 5 and Guinness. Plus $5 margarita or glass of wine/$1 oysters.
• The Layover, located at 1517 Franklin Street (offering $3microbrew drafts/$4
cocktails/$6 highend wines. Half off if you mention Moneyball.
• Mama’s Vietnamese (365 19th) is featuring 15% off all of their entrees.
And yes that is Brad Pitt as Beane in the publicity photo although only his costar names are shown.

The monthly two-for-one at Oakland’s Breads of India on Clay Street begins August 25.

A little mughlai biryani or fish tikka, maybe a cocktail from the bar and a light comedy flick from India? This month’s four-course menu features old Delhi dishes and the movie Cheeni Kum (“Less Sugar”). $40 per person. 7 p.m.

This Tuesday the 9th at 7pm at The Trappist, a convergence of massive proportions, The West Coast Debut of Evil Twin Brewing, Official Wet Dream US release, Taco Tuesday & The Official Trappist Patio Opening! We will be pouring beer on the Patio (not actually on the patio itself but into your glass). Bottles of pretty much everything will also be available for here or “to go”

Church might not be the first place you think of spending a Thursday night but saints and sinners: Enjoy live music, complimentary appetizers and a beautiful lake view every 3rd Thursday, August through October (8/18; 9/15; 10/20). 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm on the Plaza of the Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison St (@Grand Ave), Oakland. FREE admission. Everyone welcomed! For additional info, contact 510/893-4711.

It took me forever to get this up here but just wanted to let you know there is a new cafe on Grand Avenue and it looks splendid. Boot and Shoe Service very quietly expanded into the old Di Bartolo’s and opened about two weeks ago now. The cafe is open until 3 p.m. for now. Later drinks and appetizers, as well as cafe and dessert, will be served during the dinner hour.  Like they did when they took over the restaurant portion — the first Di Bartolo holding to go — Boot and Shoe completely gutted the inside of the cafe and opened up the wall between the restaurant and the cafe. It feels like a grown up cafe instead of a laptop work cafe environment. No more sticky pastries, sloppy counters and disinterested service.

While Mayor Quan is on her way to China, we back in Oakland are celebrating another first: Oakland’s Battle of the Taco Trucks. Saturday night from 7 p.m. until midnight at the Oakland Convention Center downtown. Tickets are $15 in advance/$25 at the door. But I think the price only buys you access to “great cheap tacos.” The key word is access.  The actual tacos — and tequila — are extra. But you can call 510-466-6415 or email andrew.fairbanks@ihrco.com. Let the battle begin!

The perennial question. But would it surprise you to know that there are 1.52 bars on average for every 10,000 people in the United States? In Oakland there are more bars than grocery stores, book stores or museums. We are not alone, according to FloatingSheep.com, which shows the states that make up what they call the beer belly of America. Those are states in which bars outnumber grocery stores. It’s startling when you see it on a map.
Starting in Illinois, the beer belly expands up into Wisconsin and first spreads westward through Iowa/Minnesota and then engulfs Nebraska, and the Dakotas before petering out (like a pair of love handles) in Wyoming and Montana, according to FloatingSheep. Northern and Southern California are among the few locations on this coast to share the dubious distinction.

I used to spend about a dozen days out of the month in Liege, Belgium.  This week someone stole the sign belonging to Liege, the lounge on Washington Street in Old Oakland. Thankfully the lounge is much closer than the town. Tonight I traveled all of a block to hear about the taxi promotion about to hit the streets of Oakland tomorrow for First Friday/Art Murmur.
Jonathan Bair, who was there to tell me about it, has become the marketing consultant for Friendly Cab, which is offering $5 vouchers available at The Layover lounge (15th and Franklin); Penelope (11th and Clay); and Era (Grand and Broadway). You can grab the voucher and hail a taxi later from wherever you are. Or you can hail a cab from Era, The Layover or Penelope. In any case, you are supposed to be able to apply the voucher to any cab fare: If you are bar or gallery hopping the coupon will cover most of your costs downtown. If you’re going farther you’ll pay the extra. But you have to find a cab first.  In Oakland, that could complicate the plan considerably. 
And even Jonathan would agree that this won’t improve the reputation for invisibility that taxis have in this town. He and Friendly owner Dahr Mann, as well as Kapsack & Bair (no relation to Jonathan) DUI attorneys who pitched in to sponsor the event, are hoping it’s a step in the right direction by enticing cabbies to cruise for fares, thus increasingly their visibility and retraining people to take taxis.
Speaking of right directions, Liege lounge replace the sign tonight. Now if we just had some signs pointing to the taxis.

You already know I have an issue with Oakland’s taxi service. I keep hearing from the owner of the largest fleet about the company’s shiny new hybrid vehicles as shown in billboards (or at least one on 8th and Washington). The city is supposed to be tracking the city’s taxi coverage: are cabbies covering the areas they are supposed to. But they don’t seem to be tracking anything. I can’t even get an analysis conducted last summer (by an intern). Not that I need them to tell me that the service has not improved much. They cruise around the Fox on show nights and, as always, are readily available at the 13th Street stands and outside the Marriott. But despite thousands of people coming in and out of the Oakland Museum on Saturday night not a single taxi was to be found.  Not there and not anywhere along the strip between Oak Street and downtown. I just don’t get it.