5500 College Avenue, Oakland | website
This is a great place for a family meal, especially when the weather is nice and you can sit at the outside patio. Most of the tables have young children running amok and banging forks on the tables.
We met there at 6 pm and only had to wait for about 10 minutes for a table outside. Our server was a sassy young man named Mohamed.
We were served a plate of Focaccia with Olive Oil Dip. The bread was a little soft and squishy but the dip was very flavorful with garlic and basil.
Mohamed enthusiastically encouraged us to order the Bruschetta, which was delicious grilled bread with light and savory chopped tomatoes, basil and garlic.
Mank had a Spinach Salad, which came with grilled red onions, tomatoes, pancetta, goat cheese and walnuts
Mr. K and I both ordered the Vongole, linguine with clams and white white sauce. The noodles were cooked very well and there was a perfect amount of sauce. The clams were tender and very garlicky.
DR had the Malfadine, which refers to the shape of the pasta which is like the crinkly edges of lasagna noodles… and is made up of shrimp, asparagus, tomato, cream and shrimp stock reduction.
Mank had the Capellini Pomodoro, which is angel hair’s pasta with tomato sauce, garlic, and basil
CDR had the Agnoletti with Sage Cooked in Browned Butter and Tomato Sauce
We saved room for dessert and tried the Tiramisu that was redesigned for Spring by removing the chocolate and espresso and including strawberries. It was very sweet and better to split between a group, as I would not have been able to eat the whole thing myself. It was richer than ice cream and soft and mushy. The dish overall lacked the structural integrity of having something to really bite into.
As we were trying to exit, two small girls banded together and formed a daisy chain to block the sidewalk and they were very effective and aggressive at keeping us from passing. Eventually they let slip that the password was push bush, and they let us go through.
It was a fine meal, $18 a person which is a little on the pricey side considering that we only ordered one appetizer, one salad and one dessert besides an entree each and no beer or wine… The staff and food are a cut above your average large chain restaurant.
