Dopo

Oakland, CA

Dopo is a small popular Italian restaurant on Piedmont Ave in North Oakland. We were seated outside on a cool August night around 9 PM with Shadow. The menu is daily changing based off fresh ingredients.  We were provided bread, tough and chewy, with an interesting pork butter. The pork butter was like a pork pate spread.

Bread and pork butter

We started off with two antipasti dishes, the frittelle of risotto and prosciutto cotto over capanata ($12) and the roasted squid stuffed with breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley ($12). 

The frittelle of risotto was light, crispy and piping hot covered with a caponata, with layers of sweet and sour. 

frittelle of risotto

The presentation of the roasted squid was gorgeous, beautifully charred above a bed of spicy, creamy sauce. The squid was tender and perfectly cooked, filled with an amazing mixture of breadcrumbs, parsley and garlic combined with the poignant dressing was my favorite dish of the night. 

Roasted Squid

We ordered three entrées, the tagliolini with sea scallops, lasagna and calzone with sausage, rapini and garlic.

Lasagna

The lasagna ($15) was very authentic, the sauce similar to my last trip to Italy. Soft, fresh lasagna pasta and sizzling scolding ragu with freshly diced parley rounding off the elegant presentation.

Tagliolini with Sea Scallops

The tagliolini ($17) was BroCo's favorite. Before he slurped up most of the pasta, I took two bites of the light, lemony tasty dish. The scallops were well cooked, the pasta tossed with brown butter and gremolata, and overall a unique balance of scallop juices combined with the tangy fresh lemon and parsley.

Calzone with Sausage, Rapini and Garlic

The calzone ($16) was presented on a large silver platter, filled with oozing mozzarella, spicy sausage and wilted rapini. The crust, surprisingly light and crispy supported the garlicky contents well, a great alternative to the traditional pizza. 

Chocolate, Strawberry, and Honey Lemon Gelato

We finished up with a trio of gelato ($14), the strawberry being the best of the bunch. The chocolate was grainy and powdery and the honey lemon tasted soapy, we didn't finish it. 

Overall, the meal was very good, nice ingredients, a variety of choices, affordable prices and a friendly service staff. They were accommodating to Shadow and BroCo in every way and we would definitely return.  

Rating 7/10

August 14, 2010

Shaddy Approved