It has been a long while since I have written a date night post. As I have mentioned early on in my blog, my eating out style is casual, no-frills yet delicious dining. After 5 days of wearing business casuals, all I want is to wear something comfortable but still cute on weekends, and eat non-fussy meals that also feed the soul.
Stay Gold is not really my type of casual. The restaurant is located in a gritty neighborhood in West Oakland. The sunny backyard that I have seen on Instagram was what enticed me to check this place out. I was surprised to find that the place is quite rough around the edges. The back yard was like an interior-designed junk yard. There were drum barrels and construction debris that were purposely pushed to the side. The visible graffiti tags add to the character of the place. Well, hipsters don't really care. And there were plenty of them there.
Enough review of the decor, let us talk about the food. Stay Gold is definitely an overachiever. It is is an Italian-American Deli, Central Texas BBQ spot, grocer, restaurant, coffee shop, market, arcade, and beer garden. They have something for both carnivores and vegans alike. They smoke their own meats and pickle their own veggies.
I brought Mr Sweetie here on the second week after he got out of the hospital. BBQ meats are not really what his doctor prescribed but I believe in balance and moderation. The man is going to go insane while eating nothing but chicken and veggies all week.
I let him choose for himself, while keeping my fingers crossed behind my back that he will not succumb to old unhealthy ways. And here are what we came up with:
-- Smoked Brisket Sandwich: Pimiento cheese, homemade pickles and slaw on po boy bread for Mr Sweetie.
-- Smoke Stack: Seasonal Roasted Veggies & TOFU, house made hummus, herbs and dressing
-- Lemon Cocco Italian Soda for him
-- Glass of Prosecco for me
-- Smoke Stack: Seasonal Roasted Veggies & TOFU, house made hummus, herbs and dressing
-- Lemon Cocco Italian Soda for him
-- Glass of Prosecco for me
THE VERDICT:
Mr Sweetie enjoyed his sandwich. He felt that he could eat more but he resisted which made me happy that he is practicing portion control. I, on the other hand, was blown away by my vegan tofu sandwich. It was the best tofu sandwich I have ever had and I have had my fair share of tofu. The combination of freshly roasted veggies, smoked tofu and hummus in between bread were the perfect flavor combinations!! It was definitely memorable.
Eating our sandwiches in the spacious sunny patio at picnic tables was such a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon in the Bay Area. People where just chilling and enjoying their ice cold beer while playing pool. (Which I was jealous of because my Prosecco was warm! What's up with that?!)
Stay Gold might not be my cup of tea but many people seem to really love not just the food but the ambiance and space. It is a venue for community gathering as well. There is an arcade indoors and a wall covered with old records.
Lucky for me, there is a second Stay Gold location in North Oakland that is nicer and where I feel more comfortable as the neighborhood feels safer.
I am definitely going back for more of those tofu sandwiches. I am sure that Mr Sweetie will want to try more of their smoked and bbq offerings.
STAY GOLD
2635 San Pablo Ave
Oakland, CA 94612
b/t 27th St & Milton St
West Oakland
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