The Dock at Linden Street, Beer and Bites in Oakland

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James Syhabout's Oakland hit parade continues with the arrival of The Dock at Linden Street, his new restaurant and beer garden adjacent to Linden Street Brewery's West Oakland brewing hub. Set on a former loading dock, the space is divided into two halves: The Dock, a 60-seat casual restaurant, and The Beer Shed, a beer garden with both indoor and outdoor communal tables and a menu of bar snacks. Adam Lamoreaux's brewery, of course, provides the beers.

Syhabout (Commis, Hawker Fare, Box and Bells) has tapped Box and Bells sous chef Raiden Brenner to head up the kitchen, and had a large hand in developing the creative international food, intended to reflect the variety of people that have docked in the nearby Port of Oakland for decades. The menu includes options like a tempura soft-shell crab sandwich with sorrel tartar sauce, yakitori-style corn on the cob, jerk chicken wings, and a falafel waffle with merguez. Nothing on the menu will be over $20, and desserts are a particular point of pride: look out for the 2 am Breakfast sundae, which combines vanilla, candied pistachios, lemon curd, blueberries, and cornflake cookies, and the pies (like strawberry-hibiscus) with housemade "Cool Whip." Dishes are intended to be finger-friendly and shareable, and they have a ton of parking, so bring a group.

Everything on the menu is designed to pair with beer, and Linden Street's beers are obviously a focus of the beverage program (Syhabout first teamed up with Lamoreaux to make Supafly, a special rice lager served at Hawker Fare), but they'll also have 10 guest beers on draft in the Beer Shed, and a duo of cask beers made specifically for The Dock. Christ Avaliotis, Box and Bells' bar manager, is behind the cocktail menu, which emphasizes light and easygoing cocktails like daiquiris and highballs, shot-and-beer pairings (like genever and wheat beer) and a daily punch bowl for groups (solo diners can get it by the glass).

The Dock only serves dinner, from 5:30-9:30, Tuesday-Saturday. Those looking for a daytime experience can hit up the Beer Shed on weekends, when it opens at 11:30; it opens at 4:30 on weekdays. Do note that hours and seating availability are going to be a little quirky in these early days; call them at (510) 338-3965 if you want to check on the seating situation before heading over.

· Raiden Brenner Is The Dock at Linden Street's New Chef [~ ESF ~]
· Syhabout Cooking Up The Dock at Linden Street [~ ESF ~]
· SF's 12 Most Anticipated Spring/Early Summer Openings [~ ESF ~]