7x7's inaugural Big Eat Oakland tasting series was a popping success.
For three nights in mid May, the sun shone through the windows of four-month-old Gastropig in Uptown Oakland, where owners Ann Thai and Loren Goodwin welcomed some of The Town's hottest chefs who came to serve their finger-licking bites from 7x7's Big Eat Oakland 2017. The folks from Bulleit Bourbon even rolled up in their iconic Woody to pour signature cocktails, including a Kentucky mule and a whisky sour, for the occasion.
The chefs! From left: Chef Adachi (Abura-ya) and assistant; Tara Esperanza (Tara's Organic Ice Cream); Dominica Rice (Cosecha); David Wasem (Grand Lake Kitchen); Nelson German (alaMar); Loren Goodwin (The Gastropig)
The chefs! From left: Michael Cook (À Côté); Kyle Itani (Itani Ramen); Alice and Alan Chun (Belly); James Syhabout (Commis, center); Murat Sozeri (Cholita Linda); Octavio Diaz (Agave Uptown); Kari Zaft-Gutierrez (Flora)
While some Oaklanders were celebrating the Warriors' win on the night of May 16th, foodies scored at Night One of the pop-up series, where sweet and savory tastes came courtesy of Grand Lake Kitchen, Tara Organic Ice Cream, Abura-ya, The Gastropig, alaMar, and Cosecha.
Night Two got even busier when Commis' two-Michelin-star chef James Syhabout arrived on the scene. He was joined by toques from some of Oakland's most beloved restaurants: Itani Ramen, À Côté, Agave Uptown, Belly, Cholita Linda, and Flora.
Night Three capped the series with a bang, as a particularly party-loving set of chefs dished everything from spicy pork cracklins to traditional eggplant parmigiana. The night was summery and the Bulleit cocktails flowed—even back into the kitchen. The evening's tastebuds were tickled by the chefs from Shakewell, Wood Tavern, Kingston 11, Hog's Apothecary, LoCoco's, and Donut Savant.
We're still stuffed, but that's not stopping us from drooling over all the delicious pictures. Thanks to everyone who came and made our first Oakland pop-up a tasty success!