LWV California - 2003 State Convention

League of Women Voters of California

60th Biennial Convention
"New Challenges à New Solutions"

DINE AROUND - FRIDAY, MAY 16 - 7 PM
(Meet In Hotel’s Convention Center Lobby At 6:45 PM)

“Dine Around,” an opportunity to eat a no-host meal at a local Oakland restaurant with other League members and Convention attendees.

Sometime before 4 PM on Friday, look for the large DINE AROUND bulletin board near the Information Kiosk in the Hotel’s Convention Center Lobby. There you’ll find descriptions and menus of a variety of Oakland restaurants which are ready to serve no-host dinners to LWV Conventioneers that evening.

Next to the description of each restaurant there will be a sign-up sheet. Choose the restaurant you’d like to visit, print your name and contact info clearly, then plan to meet your Oakland League guides in the Marriott lobby at 6:45 Friday evening. Each will carry a sign with the name of the restaurant to which they’ll take you.

Many of the restaurants are within walking distance of the Marriott, while a couple will require a short BART or bus ride to reach. Each is a favorite of the League member who will be your guide there.

As you make your choice of restaurant, be guided not only by the type of food you enjoy, but also by what else you are planning to do that evening! Like all League conventions, there is something to do every minute of the day and evening. If you are planning to attend a caucus or workshop at 8:30 PM Friday evening, best choose a restaurant near the hotel. If you want to make an evening of it, venture farther afield.

There’s room for 6 -10 at some of the restaurants, space for as many as 22 at others. We will take “waiting list” sign-ups, so if someone does not show up in the hotel lobby by 6:45, someone from the waiting list will be included in the group to go. Going to the Gala Reception at the Oakland Museum? Be sure to allow enough time to get from the Museum back to the Hotel by 6:45 PM.

To facilitate settling up after dinner, make note of what you order & bring cash in small bills, please.

HERE ARE YOUR CHOICES (descriptions of each are found at the bottom and on the back of this page):

1) Battambang - Cambodian, 2 block walk. A la carte menu - appetizers $4.95-9.95, soups $7.25-7.95, salads $5.25-7.95, entrees $6.25-14.95. With 104 items on its menu, you’re sure to find something to fit your palate and your purse at this pleasant nearby restaurant.

2) Bulgaria at Night - 3 block walk. A la carte menu - appetizers/salads $5-13, entrees $9-19, desserts $4-6.50. This restaurant serves generous servings of delicious Bulgarian food (think Greek cuisine with a Slavic touch) Live entertainment - instrumentalists, singers) www.Bulgariaatnight.com

3) Everett & Jones Barbeque, Short Bus Ride ($3 round-trip) or 9-block walk. Dinners (include choices of vegetables, salads and breads) $10.75-15.75, desserts $2.45-2.85. Located in a beautifully restored brick building near Jack London Square, this restaurant serves the “Bay Area’s Best Ribs” and other barbequed meats. Soul and Jazz around the corner.

4) Jade Villa - Chinese Seafood, 2 block walk. A la carte menu - appetizers $4.50-8.50, soups $6.50-8.95, entrees $6.50-26. Famous for Dim Sum on weekends, this popular restaurant now offers Dim Sum combination dinners Monday - Friday evenings ($8.95-10.95) as well as its extensive selection of familiar and exotic meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes.

5) Le Cheval - Vietnamese, 2 block walk. A la carte menu - soups $5.50-13, appetizers $4.50-9.75, entrees $6.75-10.75. Oakland’s Planning Commission members and a whole cross-section of Oaklanders eat at this popular, bustling restaurant, right around the corner from the hotel.

6) Nan Yang - Burmese, BART + 4-block walk. A la carte menu - soups $7-7.50, appetizers $5-7.50, salads $7.505-8.50, Burmese special dishes with vegetables $$8.50-9.50, noodles $9-13.50, entrees $13.50-14.95. Located in Rockridge, one of Oakland’s most popular residential neighborhoods.

7) Oak Town Cafe - Pizza/Grill, 2 block walk. A la carte menu - salads $5-7.25, pizzas or calzones $9.50-10.50, entrees $12-17.50, desserts $4.75-6. Creative use of fresh ingredients is the rule at this restaurant on a corner in lovingly restored Victorian Old Oakland.

8) Soizic - California/Asian, short bus ride or 7-block walk. A la carte menu - soup, salads, appetizers $3.50-8.50, entree salads $11.95-13.50, entrees $12.95-19.95. Elegant, creative California cuisine with a touch of Asian influence is served at this popular eatery on the edge of Oakland’s produce district and Jack London Square. www.soizicbistro.com

9) Sushi Zone - Japanese, 3 block walk. A la carte menu - appetizers $2.95-12.95, sushi (2 pieces) $2.80- 8, Bento boxes $15.95, noodles $5-9.95, entrees $9.95-13.95. One of many attractive restaurants in “Chinatown” catering to Oakland’s large southeast Asian population. www.shushizone.com

10) The Rex - Pasta/Grill, 2 block walk. A la carte menu - starters $3.95-6.75, sandwiches (served with soup, salad or French fries) $7.95-10.95, salads $4.95-9.25, pasta $8.95-10.95, grills & roasts $12.95-19.95, desserts $4.25. Good food in Victorian Old Oakland.

11) Toutatis - Breton Crepes, 3 block walk. A la carte menu - salads $1.95-8, Galettes (savory crepes made with organic buckwheat flour) $5-9.95, dessert crepes $2-8. Delicious food in an utterly charming atmosphere in Victorian Old Oakland.

12) Tropix - Caribbean/Creole, short bus ride ($3 round-trip) + 3 block walk. A la carte menu - appetizers $4.95-7.95, soups and salads $4.50-13.95, main dishes $11.75-15.75, sweets $5. “Fresh, flavorful, and incredibly tasty cuisine served in a delightful tropical setting” along bustling Piedmont Avenue. Specialties: jerk chicken and pork. www.tropix.citysearch.com

13) Twist - Italian, 1 block walk. A la carte menu - antipasto $6-12, salads $6-9, pasta & risotto $12-16, entrees $14-17. Delicious, beautifully presented Italian food with a “twist” just across 10th Street from the Marriott in the boutique Washington Inn.