Boulevard Bites

by Tracey Rolandelli

### This fall seems to be a culinary time for the Dimond section of the Boulevard. The 3400 block of Fruitvale Ave. (at MacArthur) is bursting with new good eats, including a new Japanese restaurant and an Indian restaurant called Shaan. At the time of this writing, Shaan isn't open yet, but Nama Sushi is cooking at 3400 Fruitvale, and the inside looks fantastic. First opening night had a line out the door for dinner time, even before the Friday Grand Opening. The place was packed. This is the fourth restaurant for Nama, with two locations in San Francisco, and one in Walnut Creek. The owners have bought the building, which is great news for our neighborhood, and the menu looks very tasty. Co-owner John Kim tells me he is looking forward to working with the neighborhood community and is grateful for the support from everyone. We tried some miso soup, inari, and a California roll, which were all very good. I'm so glad to have a high-quality Japanese restaurant within walking distance. Nama has take-out containers that seem to be made of that new potato fiber board.

Marriage equality celebrated at Velvet. Photo by Nick Lostracco.

### For September barbecues, I happily stumbled upon Wayland's Meat Market across the street from Nama, at 3421 Fruitvale Ave. They have a few butcher cuts'

that you cannot find at a regular grocery store, such as a French Cut for pulled pork recipes. For bockwurst fans I also noticed some of those tender white links on display.

### Speaking of bockwurst, it looks like the Dimond Oktoberfest is actually

happening. The date is Saturday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., on MacArthur

Blvd. So get your lederhosen and dirndls ready folks, and let's see who has the best cabbage recipe. There will be a beer garden, food booths, German dancing, Dimond-area tours, and kids' activities. Updates can be found at www.OaklandOktoberfest.com. How exciting that we have our own Oktoberfest!

### Laurel Bookstore, at 4100 MacArthur Blvd., is starting a Story Time for Kids each Wednesday afternoon, at 3 p.m. Parents are encouraged to stay with their kids for this reading session, which will last 20 to 30 minutes or longer, depending on the audience. The readings are geared for children ages three and up, and the store is planning to continue the groups beyond the summer. Check in with Laurel Bookstore for time changes, if any.