photo: Christina Mitchell
When Gretchen Ludwig and Serena Laing officially started Localite Tours last year, I went on the Retro Cocktail Tour and The Pork Tour and really had a great time. Well, they just redesigned the Picnic Tour and I couldn’t turn down an invitation to check it out. We met at the Gardens at Lake Merritt on a gorgeous Sunday morning. Even though I live a couple blocks away, I had never walked through the entire space. It was amazingly big and beautiful and a couple times I forgot we were still in the town. We had Numi Tea and La Farine pastries before learning about the flowers, palm trees and the impressive Bonsai Garden. It was like going on vacation in my own neighborhood! Then, we walked down to Oaktown Spice Shop and had some rosé from Ordinaire Wines. It was fascinating to sniff the jar of Herbs de Provence and then smell the same notes in the glass of wine. After that, we learned all about the different types of salt and even got to choose one to take home. I decided a really lovely smoked salt and can’t wait to try it on grilled veggies. We finished the tour by picking up sandwiches from Grand Lake Kitchen and choosing a sunny spot by the lake. I’ve been to the restaurant/deli many times, but never tried the vegetarian Obama Llama sandwich (Hummus, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickled Red Onion), so that’s what I ate. It was super fresh, and after slipping potato chips inside the baguette, it was wonderfully flavorful and crunchy too.
Sundays, 11am – 2pm
$65
Christina Mitchell
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