Touring Oakland’s Rockridge Neighborhood
Last Thursday I attended the Rockridge Food Tour. It was a tour for “media only.” There were a couple of us that have non-media related jobs and do this on the side for fun. I was in awe that most of these people get paid to eat, but I was happy to be able to participate and eat for free.
The Rockridge Food Tour is run by a woman named Lauren who has a very bubbly personality and is passionate about this Oakland neighborhood. Our first stop on the tour was A16 which I dined at last year on my birthday. A16 is best known for their Neopolitan style pizza from their wood fired oven. The Executive Chef Rocky was there to tell us about the restaurant. The wood fired oven was imported from Naples, Italy and burns almond wood. The pizza crust is simply made with 00 flour, water, salt, and yeast.
Isaiah made us a potato and onion pizza with smoked mozzarella. To me it doesn’t matter what toppings are on the pizza, it’s the crust that matters most. Taking ninety seconds to make, this one was perfectly crisp and chewy. A16 is beginning a brunch menu that includes a potato leek frittata we also tasted.
Our next stop was Market Hall. I learned that this market was built in 1986 by the Wilson Family from New Zealand. Juliana gave us a little history including her personal story. She was one of the first employees and started working there after graduating high school.
Now she is a cheese monger and gets to travel the world to find the best foods. We tried two things. I most enjoyed a burrata with Seka Hills olive oil.
We continued our tour to Ver Brugge Foods which is a meat market. I actually never have stepped foot in there, but I have seen lines out the door on big holidays. They recently began to sell prepared foods and we tried a sample of a salmon with fennel dish. It was very moist and tasty. If you brought this sous-vide dish home, it can be prepared in 6 – 10 minutes.
Right next door, we walked into La Farine where we enjoyed a mini morning bun. I’m not sure if the quality failed for me because it was the afternoon and had been sitting around or whether it was the size of the bun. Either way, I recommend the regular sized morning bun because they are always consistently delicious.
Our fifth stop was Zachary’s Chicago Pizza. In 1983, a Wisconsin couple opened up this original pizzeria. After twenty years in business, they sold the pizzeria to their employees to best preserve their vision. We tried the spinach and mushroom stuffed pizza, the customer favorite and the pizza blanca, a thin style pizza with a garlic, fresh herb and olive oil base topped with mozzarella and ricotta de latte cheeses, garnished with fresh lemon. For us Bay Area natives, we all know Zachary’s is authentic Chicago style pizza and not surprised when it wins numerous awards year after year.
We ended the tour on a sweet note, at Dreyer’s Ice Cream. I was not disappointed that we didn’t go to a gourmet or artisan ice cream shop. I learned a lot. I didn’t know this was the only retail shop. I didn’t know Dreyer’s invented Rocky Road ice cream. We were fortunate to be one of the first people to try their new line of frozen custards. My favorite was the salted caramel pretzel flavor.
Although I knew Rockridge pretty well, I never really considered going on this tour. I was pleasantly surprised with the history, the personal stories, and the linkages with the community. I highly recommend the Rockridge Food Tour for visitors or locals.
