Italy may be a long haul flight away but the country's exquisite flavors are right in our backyard. Oakland's Lungomare is amping up the winter season with whole animal butchery, wine on tap and a weekly Sunday Winedown, and a savory Italian tradition, the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Executive chef Craig DiFonzo’s menu already emphasizes his dedicated talent in creating his wood-fired pizzas, house-cured meats, handmade pastas, roasted fish and meats. But now, in addition to lamb and poultry, Chef DiFonzo is procuring whole pasture-raised wild boar/Berkshire hogs (a very delicious cross between the two) from Magruder Ranch twice a week. Animals are butchered in-house, and turned into different types of housemade-cured meat. (Are you salivating yet?)
Diners can expect to see items like Whole Smoked Boar Leg on the menu, pork shoulders turned into salami and the pork belly becoming housemade porchetta. Chef DiFonzo often takes advantage of the restaurant’s outdoor Argentine-style roasting pit on the restaurant’s patio to roast whole animals as well. If you prefer your meat from the sea, local Dungeness crabs are in abundance and Craig is planning an outdoor wood-fired crab roast in January.
Calling all Italians (and foodies!): In honor of the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner, Lungomare is serving a special Feast of the Seven Fishes menu all day (noon - 8 p.m.) on 12/24 featuring seasonal seafood done in DiFonzo's Italian/Californian style.
Delectable cuisine must always be paired with the proper libation, and the restaurant’s wine list focuses on small, eclectic producers from the Bay Area and beyond, with an emphasis on bottles from coastal regions. Chris Pastena, one of the first Oakland restaurateurs to introduce wine on tap, carries the popular practice on at Lungomare with tap wines from smaller and local producers.
Even better, each week, Lungomare hosts a Sunday Winedown where diners enjoy a three course special menu designed by Craig and endless (yes, endless!) glass of wine on tap for only $30. (5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.)
Opened last February 2013 from renowned Oakland restaurateur Chris Pastena's (Chop Bar, Tribune Tavern), Lungomare takes full advantage of Oakland's waterfront at Jack London Square. Already a local favorite, Lungomare's ever-changing coastal Italian menu focuses on locally sourced seasonal ingredients. A newly remodeled dining room and expansive bar, a café, and large heated outdoor patio all help create a culinary retreat for small or large gatherings. Lungomare hosts regular dinner collaborations with local wine and beer producers like Linden Street Brewery, Ale Industries and Vinity Wines and the restaurant also offers a full list of inventive seasonal cocktails, with many ingredients made in-house.
Make a reservation today! One Broadway, Oakland 94612, 510-444-7171
