Chicken and Okra, Fresh from the Fat

The Bay Leaf, a new soul-food restaurant in Oakland, does finger-lickin' good fried chicken that's a far cry from the Colonel's. "The fried chicken crust was very thin, not oily at all, and lightly seasoned," says ChewChewChew. "The meat on the wings was juicy and perfectly cooked." They fry okra, too, and it's wonderfully fresh and tasty.

Savory beans and rice, flavored liberally with pork, are a side dish that could perfectly well stand alone. The rest of the short but eclectic menu reaches into New Orleans territory and beyond, with jambalaya and po' boys (crab and shrimp or jerk chicken). Good coffee, too.

The Bay Leaf [East Bay]
2000 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland
510-336-2295

Discuss: Oakland — Soul Food — The Bay Leaf Restaurant