The cheese platter with chicken liver pate at Wood Tavern in Oakland.
I used to live near a little strip of shops and restaurants in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland that is freaking A-Dorable. One restaurant in particular, Wood Tavern, an American Brasserie type place, is always packed. Whether it is a Tuesday afternoon or a Saturday evening, there always seem to be lines out the door and happy people eating delicious looking food.
It took a while to get a reservation, but then I was one of those happy people, enjoying the comfortableness that is Wood Tavern.Wood Tavern feels warm and cozy when you enter it, from the close together tables to the roaring fire to the seats directly facing the chef. The sort of place you just want to unwind with a nice glass of wine and a few friends on a rainy night. We started with the cheese platter above, one hard and one soft cheese, along with some accompaniments and of course, a nice lashing of chicken liver pate ($12 USD for all that goodness). The pate was light and yet rich, a very worthy pate indeed.
Bouillabase at Wood Tavern.
Above you will see a very bad photo of a very good dish, the bouillabase with Local Rock Cod, Rock Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Orange-Tomato Broth, Rouille Crostini for $22 USD. It was light, refreshing, and yet warm, hearty and with a surprising hint of orange in the background.
The burger at Wood Tavern
Another bad photo–yet I wanted you to get a visual. I had the burger at Wood Tavern, which was made from Niman Ranch beef, served on a La Farine baguette, and topped with cheese and bacon for $13 USD. Not the best burger I have ever had, but a pretty close second. The meat was perfectly cooked to medium, and was juicy and crisp at the same time.
Conclusion? I now know why there is a line out the door every day of the week at Wood Tavern. It’s like hanging out at your rich, cool uncle’s house who happen to cook really delicious, homey food. Definitely coming back!
~LTG!
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Wood Tavern Restaurant
6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
510-654-6607
