New, high-profile French restaurant, Occitania, now open in Oakland

1 of the Bay Area’s most beloved high-quality eating chefs has opened his initial French restaurant.

Paul Canales’ Occitania, which is inspired by the Occitan linguistic area of Southern France, opened quietly on June 1 inside of the new Kissel Uptown Oakland Lodge at 2455 Broadway Ave. The Occitan location spans from the alpine region of Italy’s Piemonte all the way to Spanish Catalonia, so you can count on a wide range of dishes, from crimson wine-braised calamari and escargot with beurre d’Andre to Provençal stew with petrale sole, shrimp, artichokes, leeks and aioli.

The ground-floor cafe, a single of the most hugely-anticipated openings of the calendar year, is found just a several blocks away from Canales’ renowned Spanish restaurant, Duende. Prior to opening Duende nine decades back, Canales was government chef of now-closed Oliveto in Oakland’s Rockridge community for much more than 10 decades.

That knowledge is absolutely sure to make Occitania a strike, as Canales’ know-how spans throughout a thoughtfully-curated menu of hors d’oeuvres ($14-$19), charcuterie plates ($16-$20), soups and salads ($12-$18) and entrees ($28-$50), including steak frites with sauce verte and pork and veal sausage with creamed escarole and caramelized apples.

Occitania is open for evening meal from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and until eventually 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Particulars: www.occitaniaoakland.com.