Levende East, Oakland

Greetings from the Grateful Swine and thanks for checking out my first post! Enough of the chit chat... let's talk food!


In search of what is becoming a very popular and exciting dining scene in Oakland, CA, I came across Levende East, which I've been reading some good reviews for. Levende East is the East Bay outpost of Levende in San Francisco, which is apparently more loungey than East. Hopefully I'll be blogging that in the near future.


The first notable is that the space is beautiful. Located in one of the older buildings in Old Oakland, think great high ceilings, windows looking onto a oak-lined street, tones of chocolate everywhere from the floors to the drapes. While impressive in the light of day, the candle-lit dining room is warm and cozy at night. A great bar lines one wall, while the rest of the spacious dining room is filled with small to medium tables. The bar would be a great spot to mingle with friends while the dining area is suited for and intimate dinner for two or a small group.


Our table of four arrived for out 6pm reservation on time, which we were seated promptly at one of the three round window tables. While the restaurant was fairly empty at 6pm, it quickly filled up by 7pm.


We immediately ordered cocktails off the cocktail/specialty margarita menu, which is very inventive and refreshing. Think an imaginative twist on the classics. I had a basil-scented Gimlet which was only slightly addictive. It was served up in a martini glass, very vibrant and refreshing. The rest of the table stuck with the classics, such as Manhattans and Martini's.



Upon perusing the menu, the staff seemed very eager to take our order. Of course, they couldn't possibly know that we would end up ordering almost one of everything, taking our sweet time in doing so. The menu is designed so that a group could share a lot of smaller plates, or everyone could also order their own courses. The menu starts off with various cheeses and
charcuteries. From my recollection, we tried the fried cambozola, stuffed with roasted garlic, served with crostini. It was clearly the table favorite. The cheese arrived all warm and oozy, ready to be spread on the bread. I, however, never being able to turn down foie gras, tried the
foie gras & truffle torchon with vanilla fig jam, balsamic gastrique, and the prerequisite brioche. Luscious. Purely Luscious. The foie was so rich, yet light. The vanilla fig jam was a nice change from the often over-fruited flavors that chef's try to meld with foie. There was a spiciness to the jam, but it still carried the fig flavor. It was a dish after my own heart.



The next step, or Good Start, consists of soups and salads. We sampled all but one. The two soups on the menu couldn't be more different. The puree of butternut squash with cinnamon fried squash is robust, rich, spicy, sweet. The cubes of squash rest in the bottom of the bowl while the puree is poured over. Meanwhile, the coconut miso with lobster ravioli came to mixed reviews. While the ravioli was delicious, the miso was, as far as miso goes, good. Nothing exceptional. I missed where the coconut came into play. As for the salads, they are nothing but exceptional. The fried calamari salad was just that. A plate of greens tossed in a soy vinaigrette that resonated of sesame, and then the fried calamari tossed in. I've never seen my husband attack a salad with such gusto. The mixed green salad stands alone among green salads. Again, a plate of greens, tossed in your choice of dressings, this time a pesto vinaigrette, marinated mushrooms, fresh cucumber, carrot and a tomato slice the size of your head. It was all fresh, crisp, sharp... one of the best salads I've had in a long time. A note that the salad portions are rather large.



The next set of courses, which consist of small bites, are whimsical, if not playful. Between the table, we split and order of the mail lobster and shrimp cakes and the mini tuna burgers. The cake was moist and rich, but it was the roasted corn served underneath that made the dish. The corn was creamy and spicy, jalapeno very apparent in it. As for the tuna burgers.... words just don't describe. Served on the MOST perfect little burger buns, rich and buttery. The tuna was more like a tartar, briefly seared, but raw in the middle. Condiments include enoki mushrooms, daikon sprouts, and the hauntingly spicy yet flavorful siracha and wasabi aioli. The mini burgers are served three to a plate, each one about 2 good-sized bites. That was a hard plate to share. They burst with flavor. You can also order a full burger at lunch. Although we didn't order them (we were rather full at this time), the Indian spiced mini lamb burgers also looked tempting.



At last, we reach our main courses, or Another Level. Being a sucker for a fillet, I naturally ordered the fillet mignon with smoked Gouda custard potatoes, grilled asparagus, demi-glace. The steak arrived perfectly rare (read: MOO!!!). The beef was just as it should be; tender and flavorful, without a lot of pomp and circumstance to mask the flavor. Not the most adventuresome dish, but a great job on a classic. I've been to one too many "good" restaurants and had a steak worthy of Applebees. Also sampled was the pheasant breast with a blackberry rosemary sauce. The richness of the meat married so well with the heavy flavors of the sauce. So often you find people are wary of strong flavors with lighter meat, even when the meat has enough flavor to stand on it's own. By any means, the chef is not afraid to play with his sauces. All of the sauces we had were thoughtful, inventive, playful, artistic. Another dining companion tried the guava BBQ baby back ribs, which were so tender that it was more like eating a long-braised short rib. The guava was subtle, and the mashed plantains served with it were better than most mashed potatoes I've tried. Also to be noted are the sides. While our order of shaved brussel sprouts with truffle butter and shaved parm were late, it was worth it. If you think that you don't like brussel sprouts, you have got to try these. One could easily eat a bowl on their own.

At long last, we enter the world of dessert. It's a tempting world, and we visited a good chunk of it. Frozen toffee-macadamia nut mousse. Caramelized banana french toast. Amaretto Chantilly. Chocolate Peanut butter Pie. The desserts were everything they should be. Personally, I love the macadamia mousse. Light and creamy, it was just the right thing to end a great meal. All of the desserts are just as creative, yet classic, just like the rest of the menu. We also ordered the Inniskillin Ice wine from the Niagara-Lakes region of Canada, at our server's recommendations. She described it as liquid candy, and that is just what it is. It comes served in custom-made Riedel Vinium Extreme glasses. No matter how full you are, save room for dessert. That's my motto.

Overall, Levende East is a very pleasant surprise. The Oakland dining scene is picking up, and this is a very welcome addition. In a neighborhood that is cleaning up and welcoming people back, Levende East should do well if they can keep the quality of the food high and the menu diverse and creative. We'll see on the next visit....


Levende East
827 Washington St. @ Ninth St.
Oakland, CA