GRAND AVENUE, WEST OF 580 – November 2014
Hello, Neighbors! Watch this space for monthly news and notes about tasty gems, handy services, art, and changes on Grand Ave., west of 580. – LZ.
Coming soon to the Lake Merrit Super Market
The Shawerma-Falafel Mediterranean Grill and the Ice Cream & Yogurt Shop
In our October 2013 blog, we visited Sam, owner of the Lake Merritt Super Market on the corner of Grand and Perkins, soon after he had remodeled the store and as he prepared to open the Oasis Lounge.
Later this month, Sam and his wife, Idalia, will expand again to open the Lake Merritt Super Shawerma-Falafel Mediterranean Grill on Grand next door to the market. They promise the menu will reflect his birthplace (Jerusalem) for main offerings and her birthplace (El Salvador) for creative touches. Selections will include meats grilled on-site to make shawerma, house-made falafel, and lots of salads. Diners will be able to eat inside admiring the beautiful murals painted by Fahim, a local artist, at tables outside watching neighborhood life, or upstairs on the balcony of the Oasis Lounge enjoying a view of Lakeside Park.
But wait – there’s more! At the same time, the couple is also opening Lake Merritt Super Ice Cream & Yogurt on the corner of their property. Idalia promises that the small shop will offer all-natural smoothies (made with healthy ingredients like organic milk, linseed oil and aloe vera), ice cream, frozen yogurt, and fiber-filled muffins. “Everything that is natural and healthy,” says Idalia. As space permits, she will try to offer dessert treats for her customers with special dietary needs, so diabetics and lactose intolerant folks should voice their requests.
Sam delights in sharing the story of the building itself, which once was a single-family mansion with a private dance floor where the market is today. During World War II, that family took in Jewish refugees. Upstairs, the hallway, staircase and offices still display original fine woodwork and moldings.
Around the corner and adjacent to the property, the eco-friendly Perkins Cleaners is located in the mansion’s former carriage house.
Lake Merritt Super Shawerma-Falafel Mediterranean Grill
and Lake Merritt Super Ice Cream & Yogurt
Both opening in late November 2014
346 Grand Ave. (corner of Perkins Ave.), Oakland
Hours: To be determined
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