Virtually overnight, Oakland’s well-regarded alaMar kitchen – run by former “Top Chef” contestant Nelson German – has become alaMar Dominican Kitchen, with new branding and interior design and a slew of dishes like tostones, mofongo and slow-roasted chicken with sofrito mojo. (See the sample menu below.)
The restaurant closed on June 18 and is reopening tonight, June 30, for a preview party under the red-blue banner of the Dominican Republic. Why, exactly? Well, turns out German grew up in Washington Heights in Manhattan and misses the flavors of his family home and old ‘hood. He explains in a statement:
“After nine years as alaMar Kitchen & Bar, it’s time for me to go full-on Dominican. At Sobre Mesa (in Oakland), I’m able to explore my Latin and West African heritage, and it’s essential for my footprint in the Bay to be spots where foodies can celebrate culture while enjoying amazing foods from my childhood. As Californians are traveling more and more to the Dominican Republic, I really feel the SF Bay Area community is ready to embrace regional Dominican cuisine influenced by the streets of New York. People are more open right now where they want to learn and experience other cultures, and we are going to be the spot for Dominican foods in Northern California.”
How many Dominican people here might be excited to try this new concept? Well, according to the Pew Research Center, the top three Hispanic groups by origin in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area are Mexican (70 percent), Salvadoran (9 percent) and Guatemalan (4 percent). California as a whole has a Dominican population of roughly 29,000. That’s a far cry from New York’s 936,000 people, but it’s a heck of a lot better than Wyoming’s 106.
Diners who enter German’s revamped restaurant will notice two murals painted by a local artist that celebrate Dominican life in New York. The color scheme reflects the Dominican flag, and there’s New York hip-hop on the restaurant’s soundtrack. As for the menu, it leans on aperitivos, stews, seafood and braised meats with Dominican ingredients and spices – oxtails with garlic-miso butter and peppers, plantains with guava barbecue sauce and Dominican-style grits Chen Chen. Oh, and there’s now a beverage section for “slushy boozy cocktails,” which apparently are popular in New York.
Details: alaMar Dominican Kitchen is open Open Wednesday-Sunday at 100 Grand Ave., Oakland; alamaroakland.com
Sample menu:
Source: www.mercurynews.com