Fun fact o' the day: The phrase "mind your P's and Q's" has its roots in alcohol! In England, beers are served in pints and quarts, and if a customer became unruly, the bartender commonly would tell him to mind his pints and quarts, which soon became abbreviated "P's and Q's". I did always wonder where that originated.
So yes, it has been an inexcusably long time since my last post. A lot has been going on, but I wont burden you with the details of that! Long story short, I am an Oakland resident now, and am smack in the middle of one of the fastest growing and most exciting food, nightlife, craft cocktail, specialty tavern, hipster-friendly, honestly you name it, cities in the Bay Area. I've only been here a few weeks so far, but have already found a few local watering holes that I know I will be frequenting on a regular basis. For today's blog, I think I'll focus on a place that I have actually known about and hae been visiting for a while now, but for whatever reason have not yet shared with you all. Now that it's within stumbling distance of my doorstep, I feel obligated to do so.
Right on the southwest border of the beautiful Lake Merritt, sits a trendy bar/restaurant named Portal. Fittingly, the front door provides a true portal itself - setting the feel for what's to come as you venture inside.
As you walk in, you'll find a few tall tables and a small, yet comfortably sized bar with about 15 beers on tap, and a beautiful display of all of their (not-to-be-missed!) house-made pickles. Most of the restaurant actually exists on their outside patio area, which has several long, family-style picnic tables that overlook Lakeshore Boulevard and of course, the lake itself. On warm, sunny days, the patio is constantly buzzing with locals and tourists alike, enjoying some refreshing beers and ciders, as well as some of the amazing food offered at Portal.
For drinks, I almost always opt for the hoppiest beer I can find, which usually lands me with an IPA, a double IPA, or something similar. However, Portal offers a beverage for whatever your taste buds are craving. They even make bloody mary's and margaritas, though their license only allows them to use Soju, not real vodka or tequila. Delicious nonetheless.
What's on the food menu? This depends on when you come. Tuesday through Friday they offer lunch and dinner, but Saturday and Sunday they also have a brunch menu which is absolutely delicious. Of the items I've tried so far, their house pickle plate is a must-have. The dish is an elegant array of pickled goodies - always including a few slices of pickled egg, and finished off with a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
I would also highly recommend their "garbage bread", whose off-putting name does not at all reflect the yumminess that it actually is. The way I would best describe it is a pizza burrito. Doughy goodness stuffed with either an all veggie mix of things, or a meat and veggie combination. It is served with a pesto and a marinara dipping sauce, and is a very hearty, shareable portion size.
The staff here is very down-to-earth, friendly, and make it clear that it's a pretty darn cool place to work. I have a whole lot more tasting to do on both the food and the beer menu, but I don't see this as an intimidating problem. I'm so happy that Portal is now so close to home, and I hope to run into some of your unknown faces there soon!
