Levende East

If you haven't been to Levende East in Old Oakland, it is worth a visit.

A hip upscale dining area complemented by fun and fanciful food. Everyone in my group was pleased with their entres, from fish to ribs. The smaller starters while tasty weren't worth their caloric to dollar ratio and there was consensus to avoid them on future visits.

As the evening wore on the loud chatter from the bar filled the restaurant and made conversation a little difficult. If you want to go for the food - go early. If you want to go for the scene and the people watching - go late.

In my book Levende East gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.