This Is Oakland: Spotlight On The Best Of The East Bay

Melissa Davis’s This is Oakland showcases some of the Oakland’s most interesting restaurants, shops, and people, providing insight into some of the most unique aspects of the city. Check out the book for tips on the most tantalizing food, beautiful clothing, handmade trinkets, and incredible entertainment that Oakland has to offer. The following excerpts describe some favorite spots and have been reproduced from the book with permission.
A couple of years ago, The New York Times published a list entitled ‘The 45 Places to Go in 2012.’ Oakland, CA, ranked #5, between London and Tokyo. It was the highest ranking city in North America. Higher than New York City. Higher than Los Angeles or Oakland’s popular older sister, San Francisco. A joke? No way! I assume it was a shock to many — or even most — readers across the country. Perhaps even to those who live in Oakland, but maybe it’s because we’ve become so accustomed to having world-class restaurants, top-notch shopping and architectural gems at our disposal. Sometimes we forget that not every city has so much going for it, with none of the attitude of the usual suspects on those ‘Where to Go Now’ lists… Yes, London and Tokyo have their charms, but the men and women behind the Oakland locales featured here have helped the city earn its ranking on that NYT list. They are the baristas that whip up the perfect latte each morning, or the ‘treasure hunters’ who scour the globe for beautiful treasures so you don’t have to. They’re creative, inspiring risk-takers, and I’m glad they’re my neighbors.

1. Juhu Beach Club

Restaurant, Indian

Juhu Beach is a beach destination in Mumbai known for its high concentration of Bollywood stars’ homes and something that beckons to Preeti Mistry on a regular basis: ‘yummy, snacky, street food,’ as she calls it. With a wealth of experience under her belt, Preeti, former Executive Chef at Google HQ and the de Young Museum, and Top Chef contestant, opened Juhu Beach Club with partner Ann Nadeau in 2013. Her unique culinary point of view is both Indian and American. The chef explains that she’s not setting out to replicate what one would eat in India, rather she is inspired by her experience living in the Bay Area. In fact, when people ask Preeti which Indian region the food is from, she answers, ‘Oakland.’

Preeti found the Bay Area offered little in the way of Indian cuisine other than the traditional Naan N Curry-style joints, and she felt compelled to push the boundaries and create dishes inspired by both her Indian upbringing and her American adolescence, spent eating all types of food. Preeti describes the menu as Indian street food and explains that, ‘Our food is seasonal and made with care. We make almost everything in house, including all of our masalas that are roasted and ground fresh for all our dishes. The menu is fun for those who want to sample and share many different street food items or come in to have a soul-satisfying dish of their own.’

2. Two Jacks Denim

Building, Shop, Store

When asked what makes his menswear shop unique, Tommy Mierzwinski tolds us, ‘All of our products are made in America. And unlike other shops, our mainstay is denim. We stock brands we believe in, brands with a story, brands not found in department stores. Every product has a story.’ So does the store itself.

‘Two Jacks’ refers to two writers with a great influence on Tommy’s life — Jack Kerouac and Jack London — both rugged individualists and adventurers who chronicled life in America in two different generations. ‘Kerouac was from Lowell, MA, and London spent his boyhood in Oakland. I grew up not far from Lowell and I live within walking distance of Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, where Jack London was known to have knocked back a few,’ muses Tommy.

Situated in the historic Packard Lofts building, the feel of Two Jacks Denim is rugged and industrial, with fixtures made by local craftsmen, salvaged wood and vintage furnishings. A vintage typewriter, a Call of the Wild movie poster, and scattered photos of his influences allude to the shop’s inspiration and ground the space.