I love summer time! I especially love this summer…the first summer in two years that both Red and I have decided not to work. We have spent the last few weeks getting all the daily, household and personal crap done that just piles up over the school year. Anyway, summer is very exciting for teachers because we can finally see what goes on during the week while we are confined to the prisonlike walls of the public school buildings. I mean it, a simple trip to The Home Depot at 10:00 on a Tuesday morning, rather than rushing to grab gardening supplies after a long day of work at like 6:00pm only to stand in massive irritating lines, is like Chanukah and my birthday rolled into one. Another joy of summer is having the luxury of opening up Happy Hours at local bars! So you can imagine my elation when in The Home Depot last Tuesday, I got a call from one of my favorite Happy Hour participants, my sister.
Her busy morning schedule was clearing up, and my sister despises idol time. And if she’s not wheeling and dealing on the job, she loves to kick back and enjoy a mid afternoon cocktail. Something we have in common, although, during the school year it can be hard to coordinate in time for Happy Hour deals. I suggested we try the Lake Chalet 3-6-9 Happy Hour because I had been dying to give the Chalet another shot, since it offers the best outdoor seating in all of Oakland. I had had two very disappointing experiences, first with their unimpressive Taco Tuesday special, and second when I went in for Happy Hour, ordered drinks, only to find out later that Happy Hour specials did not apply to the area that I was sitting, even though the Happy Hour menu had been provided with the usual menu…infuriating! In spite this, I am a sucker for outdoor, daylight drinking, and a fabulous seat aside the beautiful Lake Merritt, so I figure…Why Not? Since their early bird Happy Hour begins at 3, I tell my Sis that I will pick her up at 3, to which replies, “Can we make it 3:30?” This is the part of the story in which we strongly disagree, because as 3:30 rolled around Sis was far from ready. 3:30 turned to 4:00, and then finally at 5:00 I was picking her up at her house, and at 5:20 she was piling into my car. I was getting anxious about missing the deal, not to mention that I was beginning to get violently hungry, since I didn’t eat anything, assuming that we were going to be snacking by 3:30...This is yet another issue in which my sister and I disagree.
To make a long story short, the car ride went something like this. I started driving quickly, announcing that I was extremely hungry and that we weren’t going to make happy hour. My sister, never sensitive to my low blood sugar meltdowns, promptly repeats her usually refrain, “You know, you should really keep a granola bar in your car in case of emergency” and continues to get under my skin as she tells me what horrible company I am when I’m hungry…this doesn’t help. When we arrive at Lake Chalet, there is absolutely NO parking…I mean NONE! We drive another 15 minutes around and around, and still nothing. I am frantic and crazy at this point (this irrational hunger mood is really intense when it rears its ugly head), and then pull over to the side of the road proclaiming that we only have 15 minutes left, and that it isn’t worth it. To my surprise, sister calmly suggests a new place to try…Chu’s. Now normally I am very skeptical when it comes to fancy Chinese food, usually overpriced, especially when we were about 5 minutes from Chinatown. However, I was desperate, and my sister said, “Trust me,” and then called to find out when their happy hour ends (thankfully 7 pm).
We arrived at Restaurant Chu, in Rockridge on College Avenue, just after 6. The sun was still shining, so we took a seat at one of the street side tables (great people watching on College Ave., by the way). I immediately ordered a $3 happy hour Tsingtao beer, and my sister orders the Edamame ($4), assuring me that they are the best she has tasted. I don’t complain because at this point, I’d eat anything. However, when the edamame arrived, she was absolutely correct. They were smothered in this garlic, chili sauce, and they were truly delicious. So now, I have some food in my stomach, a cold beer in hand, and the mood has shifted to lighthearted giggles and declarations that Restaurant Chu’s was no ordinary fancy-shmance Chinese cuisine, but had something really special…A fabulous happy hour menu! We ordered the fresh rice-paper wrapped spring rolls (ask for the same sauce that smothers the edamame to dip them in), and a Chinese chicken salad. Prices range from 4-6 dollars a plate, but the portions are generous, and for two people, three was more than enough. Despite our sisterly squabbles, usually surrounding the fact that I am hungry and she is running late, I couldn’t ask for better company! Two thumbs up for Restaurant Chu!
Restaurant Chu
5362 College Ave
(between Bryant Ave & Manila Ave)
Oakland, CA 94618
Neighborhood: North Oakland
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