Today:

Today is a day you don’t have a Mediterranean-happy place in Oakland on standby, a funky spot with fried sausage and martinis that have anchovy-stuffed olives.

Tomorrow:

Tomorrow’s when Shakewell opens, and it’s that kind of place with those kinds of things. You’ll find it by Lake Merritt.

Somewhere under the colorful tiles and geometrically patterned Douglas fir pillars, beyond the rock wall that separates the bar from the dining room—that’s where you’ll be.

To be more specific: you might start on one side of that rock wall. The bar side. That’s a good spot for a couple stools and an Old Fashioned or a Bilbao Martini. The olives: they’re anchovy-forward.

Then you’re ready for your table. It’s the type of table that seems to always demand little plates of fried sausage, octopus, queso fresco croquetas and short ribs braised with chilies and chocolate, along with churros and some wine from Greece or Spain or Portugal or California. Both the chef and the pastry chef have popped up on one Top Chef or another.

So you’re allowed to go inside.