OK Falls Slips Away in Downtown Oakland as Grand Fare Expansion Takes Shape in Grand Lake

OK Falls, the anticipated "homey Italian-American" Oakland project from Doug Washington (Town Hall, Anchor & Hope, Grand Fare, Salt House) won't be arriving this Spring after all. As Washington tells Inside Scoop this week, he's been busy building out the "artisan food concept" Grand Fare.

It sounds like plans for that private indoor dining cabin/art gallery didn't get very far either, the space at 1544 Broadway is on the market again and Scoop reports construction never really got started. Washington mentioned he did use the site once — in a punch as a back-up site for a friend's wedding — and that if it happens to still be on the market in a year, "maybe I'll do it again."

As for Grand Fare, the space next door to Penrose on Grand Avenue in Oakland is much further along and is expected to open in June. The concept is an expansion of the existing Grand Fare cafe that plays right into this current food hall trend, featuring a familiar market-style layout with an oyster bar, rotisserie and an outdoor patio complete with fire pits, heat lamps and a coffee & pastry trailer. No word yet on who Washington has tapped to oversee the Grand Fare kitchens, but he is reportedly close to hiring.