Nelson German of “Top Chef” Reopens Indoor Dining at alaMar Kitchen & Bar In Oakland

After months of doing only takeout and delivery, alaMar Kitchen & Bar in Oakland reopened last week for indoor dining. Come by to say “hello” to Chef Nelson German, whose time on this season’s “Top Chef’‘ was cut short by an injury from which he has thankfully recovered.

The lively restaurant, which blends Latin, Caribbean, and Mediterranean flavors, has undergone an interior refresh. The menu also has been updated with some new offerings, including shrimp tacos “quesa style” with Oaxaca cheese, chow chow and salsa criolla; roasted oysters with salsa verde, pork longaniza, and Parmesan butter; and stuffed masa, a recreation of his “Unidentified Dominican Object” created in an episode 6 challenge of “Top Chef.”

Perennial favorites, “Fall Off the Bone Wings” and “Peel and Eat Shrimp,” that proved popular during takeout can still be enjoyed on the dining room menu, too.

For more fun, pick up a copy of my cookbook, “East Bay Cooks: Signature Recipes from the Best Restaurants, Bars, and Bakeries” (Figure 1) at the restaurant, local bookstores or on Amazon. It features recipes and stories from a roster of top East Bay chefs, including German.

Scott’s Chowder House Opens in San Jose

Scott’s Chowder House, a more casual spin-off from veteran Scott’s Seafood, opened in downtown San Jose last week, with another planned to debut next month in San Francisco at 334 Grant Ave.

The San Jose outpost near San Pedro Square is the city’s second, joining one on First Street that opened during the pandemic in November 2020.

The Scott’s team has hired acclaimed Chef Laurent Manrique of Cafe de la Presse in San Francisco as a culinary advisor.

Indulge in Boston clam chowder, Crab Louis salad, Hawaiian poke, and two types of crab rolls and two kinds of lobster rolls.

Second Annual Lobster & Shellfish Boil at The Vault Garden in San Francisco

San Francisco’s largest outdoor restaurant dining space is gearing up for its second Lobster & Shellfish Boil, following the runaway success of its first one during the height of the pandemic.

The Vault Garden in the Financial District will host the East Coast-inspired event, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 31.

The $85 per person feast includes tomato and burrata salad with basil pesto; a family-style tray of 1/2 grilled lobster, and boil-in-a-bag corn, potatoes, shrimp, sausage, mussels, and clams; roasted Jimmy Nardello and cast-iron corn bread with crab butter; and strawberry macaron cheesecake.

Reservations are available here.