Oakland food tour!

A happy middle of the week to everyone!  I'm still ramping up on these not-so-daily entries, so bear with me if I don't post every day.  I have deemed Wednesdays, on here, as "Wild Card Wednesdays."  Which means, as you may have guessed, anything is possible!Today, I am featuring a local business, Savor Oakland Food Tours.  Many of you may or may not have done a food tour before, and if you haven't experienced one, I would suggest doing so!   I can definitely say it's great all-in-one activity:  You get some great food, meet some fun people, and partake in a little exercise (albeit very little; it's just walking)!  However,  I wish I had done a vigorous workout prior to the tour, as they feed us a lot of food. Still, no complaints here.

Here we go.  The tour started out at Home of Chicken and Waffles (near Jack London Square, Oakland).  As I am slowly working my way into a healthier lifestyle, having this as a first dish was rather heavy: I didn't finish the entire plate. Plus, it was rather early for me on a Saturday...  While we ate, the tour guide, Carlo, gave us an enthusiastic history lesson about the place.  He mentioned the owner takes immense pride in restaurant, and you could tell from the food.  It was very tasty!  The chicken was perfectly crisp and tender (as I want my fried chicken to be), without the heaving breading, or seasoning.  We soon finished up, and moved onto the following stop. Because it was a tour packed with many destinations, Carlo was great at kindly guiding us forward.  On our way there, he poured some [straight black] Blue Bottle Coffee, for those that were still waking up.  So, no need to prep a pre-caffeinated self.  Throughout the tour, we were given tidbits of Oakland history, and even saw an old photo of the farmer's market back in the day!  He took us to the spot where itwas taken, so we could see modern day compared to back then.  It was pretty impressive. I wish I had taken a picture...

Moving on.  The rest of the tour consisted of some wine tasting, boutique [window] shopping, some unique bagel eats (ours: chocolate, marshmallows, and bananas atop a bagel), pizza, ceviche, churros and parisian macaroons for dessert.  All at different locations, of course! One of my favorite non-food stops was the boutique store, featuring some local designers and artists.  Being a designer myself, I dream about being able to put my [upcycled] products in a store front one day!  Until then, I will support and promote all local talent.  The photos above include some of the artwork, jewelry, lighting, and tech accessories showcased in this particular store, Loakal Art Gallery & Boutique.  And, if you have a sweet tooth, those uniquely named and flavored marshmallows (pictured) are made by the Carlo's friend.  They are light and delicious!  But, not too sweet: you won't feel guilty if you eat the whole bag!

So, if you have a chance, check out this amazing tour!  It will open your eyes to the many great eateries in Oakland that you otherwise may not have known about.  It did for my husband, and he doesn't like to cross the bridge often! 

Here's the to locals!