A mother-daughter team is putting the finishing touches on a new Asian American restaurant in the Oakland hills’ Montclair Village. Piggie’s is slated to open for brunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, starting in mid-October.
“The only thing still pending is our Fire Department inspection,” says daughter Alex Piyapanee, who was told the department is understaffed. “We’re still hopeful everything will line up soon, but that’s the one thing that could potentially push our opening back a little.”
Piyapanee is a bartender and sommelier who worked at Daughter Thai for 11 years. Her mother, Nat Kongthai, has a hotel background and is responsible for many of the recipes that will be used in the restaurant. Piyapanee thinks her mom’s morning porridge will be one of the signature dishes — a savory oatmeal with assorted mushrooms. The name Piggie’s also reflects the meat that will be on the menu; including an Asian braised pork dish.
“We were also both born in the year of the pig,” says Piyapanee, adding that they want to keep the menu playful. To that end, expect some Asian flavor surprises, as Piyapanee puts it, in their cooking.
Teen arrests: Oakland police detained four youths and an adult who were allegedly inside the vandal-plagued Montclair Firehouse this past Saturday night. The teens were spotted by a vigilant neighbor who alerted, Tom and Nancy Lehrkind, the couple who have been working with the city on reopening the historic property. The Lehrkinds rushed over to the long-shuttered station and heard the individuals inside before calling 911.
“We had filed 15 police reports, but never caught them in the act. When we told the police they were inside, three patrol cars and five officers showed up,” says Nancy.
She adds that three of the alleged vandals were caught on camera in the building on Sept. 12 but that this latest incident only counts as their first strike since they weren’t cited at that time. The youths were warned that they will be arrested if they trespass again.
Super service: Oakland’s mental crisis team is helping city residents who encounter people with psychological challenges. Hills resident Mark Stauffer called MACRO (the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland) when he found an apparently impaired stranger sleeping on his deck lounger.
The city-funded service that operates under the Oakland Fire Department handles calls about behavioral health issues, community disturbances and even wellness checks. Residents who encounter criminal activity or dangerous behavior should still call 911, but Stauffer says the MACRO team came out right away and convinced the trespasser to peacefully leave the property. MACRO’s number is 510-44 MACRO.
Haunted hotel: Just in time for Halloween, the Claremont Resort & Club is hosting its Haunted History Tours, taking guests to its most hallowed ghost hunting grounds. The “castle on the hill” has so many supernatural hotspots that it regularly makes the Historic Hotels of America list of the Top 25 Most Haunted Hotels.
When I took this tour a few years ago, I was sure I saw the willowy white figure of the former owner’s wife, Mrs. Thornburgh, drifting through the halls. We even dared to enter room 422, where guests have reported self-opening drawers and unexplained flickering lights. The historian-led tours are being held every Friday and Saturday through Oct. 31.
After the haunting, each guest gets a congratulatory cocktail for surviving the evening. Speaking of libations, the resort also offers The Witching Hour, with small bites (not from a vampire) and flights of “spirited” libations. See more online at claremontresortandclub.com.
Ginny Prior can be reached at ginnyprior@hotmail.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and at ginnyprior.com.