The authorities announced the opening of a large, multi-level food hall at Jack London Square. This announcement filled the air at the time when Oakland to San Francisco’s Ferry Building. About 15 years passed away since then, and there has been nothing but false starts and failed expectations. Finally, the long-promised oasis for food lovers that was to stand at 55 Water Street appears to become a reality. The real estate developer, John McEnery IV revealed the timetable for launching the first phase of the 40,000-square-foot food, beverage, and entertainment junction called Oakland Assembly. It should reach completion by the summer of 2020. The best thing about it is that McEnery managed to persuade several East Bay-based food-and-drink purveyors to sign the project.
There will be a dozen more chefs who will occupy the food kiosks in the market. Some of them include the critically acclaimed pitmaster Matt Horn of Horn Barbeque, Reem Assil of Reem’s California, and Juhu Beach Club’s Preeti Mistry. Apart from everything else, the Oakland Assembly will have the very first brick-and-mortar location for the widely popular pop-up Okkon. It became renowned through its Japanese okonomiyaki; an on-site winery with a mixing lab and a wine bar. Then, there will also be the first East Bay outpost of Mensho Tokyo and two other concepts – one will concentrate on craft burgers while the other on cheese, charcuterie, and Panini.
McEnery is the instigator of the super-successful San Pedro Market Square in downtown San Jose. He is approaching Oakland with a similar philosophy. He hopes to create an entertainment junction accented by food and drink offerings. There will be a large U-shaped bar with a stage attached to it along those lines. This area will serve as the heart of the market. It will also host live entertainment via yoga, movies, and music. These events will take place both inside and outside on the waterfront green. You should be able to imagine everything that awaits you if the Oakland Assembly gets the approval to have a new waterfront stadium of its own at this location.
More from Jack London
If Oakland isn’t enough for you, then you should try a few additional morsels of food-related information that appeared from a burgeoning waterfront dining location at Lungomare. Phillip Le, an alumnus of Slanted Door will take over as the general manager and Phillip Taddei will be the executive chef. Taddei is a veteran chef who had the experience of running San Francisco’s Tony’s Pizza Napoletana and Jardiniere. He is planning to shift the focus of the restaurant towards coastal Italian cuisine. Upon entering the restaurant, you will realize that it emphasizes seafood combined with a warm, fit-for-family atmosphere. You can expect to find new menus unveiled at the Oakland Restaurant Week in January.
At the same time, Daniel Patterson’s Dyafa that stands at the corner space of the future Oakland Assembly home will receive Palestinian-American chef Mona Leena Michael as the lead consulting chef. She hopes to create a more refined and seasonally-driven menu that will include more than what the traditional Palestinian fare has to offer.
