Oakland Tops Food And Drink List

If you build it, they will come. Oakland, Calif., rounds out The New York Times top five places (out of 45) to visit, primarily for its emerging and revitalized food and drink scene. 

With tempers down after the recent Occupy Oakland protests, patrons are lining back up for sophisticated eating and drinking from elBulli alumnus James Syhabout who recently opened his casual Hawker Fare.

Now, other big name San Francisco chefs are joining forces. Self-taught chef Daniel Patterson recently opened his modern eatery, Plum, and last month kicked open Haven in the made-over Jack London Square.

The next likely step?  Book travel and procure a dining reservation.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.