Michael Bauer got on the horn to Michael Wild this week to talk about the Oakland chef’s earlier reported plans to possibly sell his long beloved, 35-year-old Bay Wolf restaurant on Piedmont Avenue. As it turns out, though Wild hadn’t intended to sell, someone approached him about buying it, they discussed it a bit, and it didn’t pan out. Now, in no hurry to sell but knowing that day may come soon enough, Wild is energized to try some new stuff while he still can, and business has been strong enough that he’s opening up on Monday nights for a pop-up-esque thing he’s calling “Michael’s Monday Night Kitchen and Noodle Bar.”
As Mr. Bauer explains:
The idea is that the staff will cook the type of recipes they make for each other: oyster po’boy sliders, pulled pork sandwiches and house made duck sausage with kimchi, for example. Of course, it wouldn’t be Bay Wolf without the duck liver crostini and the signature Caesar salad that can be eaten out of hand, he said… like just about every other chef, Wild has become intrigued by Asian food. He always has exceptional duck stock on hand, so he’s going to make double-strength duck noodles with cracklings, and the like. He’ll have two or three different dishes on any given Monday, he says.
We’re pretty sure most (Caucasian) chefs in these parts became “intrigued by Asian food” a decade or two ago, but we think what Bauer’s referring to here is the ramen / yakitori / izakaya trend. And anyhow, sounds fun!
Bay Wolf: Re-energizing an Oakland classic [Scoop]
Earlier: Michael Wild’s Bay Wolf howling it up at 35 [Chron]
