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Flora

Just Opened

Flora 1900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, (510) 286-0100. The owners of the ever-crowded Temescal Mexican eatery Doña Tomás have headed in a new direction with Flora. The restaurant, located in a 1920s building in Oakland’s Uptown district, exudes a retro cool—an art deco bar outfitted with swivel chairs wraps around the kitchen. Cocktails are precisely prepared throwbacks such as the wonderfully tart, absinthe-kissed Corpse Reviver No. 2. Caramelized shallots and black truffle vinaigrette lend deep flavor to a little gem lettuce salad (pictured). And we enjoyed a decadent, if salty, small plate of braised short ribs paired with crisp potatoes topped with cheddar cheese béchamel. Lively sautéed spinach complemented a juicy Niman Ranch strip steak, but burned eggplant ruined the pasta Norma. Service is a dream. At dessert, don’t miss the spumoni, with its brandied cherries. Lunch Tues.–Fri., dinner Tues.–Sat.; brunch Sat.
This article appears in the February 2008 issue of Diablo Magazine

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