The Cook and Her Farmer, Oysters and More in Oakland

The Cook and Her Farmer
907F Washington St, Oakland
Phone: (510) 285-6140
Web: thecookandherfarmer.com
Status: Open

Oysters are the name of the game at The Cook and Her Farmer, the new Swan's Marketplace spot from cookbook author Romney Nani Steele and partner Steve Day. Steele has a California cuisine pedigree: her family owns Big Sur's Nepenthe, and she's written two books, My Nepenthe and Plum Gorgeous. Now, she's finally getting the cafe of her dreams, along with Day, a former Oakland public school teacher turned oyster expert who most recently spent a year studying at Tomales Bay Oyster Co..

The new spot is designed as an all-day cafe, with De La Paz coffee, scones and more starting at 9am, lunch running 11:30am-3pm, and dinner popping-up from 5pm-10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Though the menu is still in progress, lunch will feature a couple of salads, sandwiches (think along the lines of a fried po'boy special), a grilled flatbread and items—like a pickle plate—that will showcase Steele's enthusiasm for pickling and canning.

The dinner menu will have a California soul food attitude, with rotating items like black-eyed peas and ham hocks, gumbo, fried catfish and flat-iron steak. California wines will be on offer, and the spot will have three beers on tap, including selections from Linden Street Brewery.

The vibe is casual, with an order-at-the-counter system, a custom-built redwood communal table and 16 seats at the counter, plus more seating in the marketplace's communal space.

Hours will be Tuesday-Saturday 9am-3pm, with dinner served on Fridays and Saturdays 5pm-10pm. Those hours, and the menu, may expand once the new spot gets up and running.

· Now Open: The Cook and Her Farmer [Tablehopper]
· The Cook and Her Farmer Softly Opens [EBX]
· All Opening Alerts [~ ESF ~]