duende | light and paella

I found Duende via Anthology Magazine. It looked so beautiful from the picture, and upon seeing the menu, I decided to give it a try.  The main restaurant isn't open for lunch on the weekdays, but the Bodega is.  Luckily for me I chose friday to eat here, and friday is paella day.  I convinced my lunch date to linger and try the ice cream sandwich from Ici, which she said was good... a chocolate cookie with coffee ice cream.  (But I don't particularly like coffee or ice cream, so you'll have to take her word for it, not mine.)  Evidently the lady at Ici is married to the paella man; a lovely match I think.

Duende Bodega looks like the perfect spot perch myself on an afternoon... sitting at the bar at the window, people watching in between reading.  Like many of the places I love, it's architecturally beautiful.  With the light and friendly staff, the Bodega is a warm and inviting place to spend a lunch break.

I'm beginning to really love this uptown area in Oakland.