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Smorgasbord

Hip Joints for Hanging Out

    Small plates are on the menu along with affordable wines by the bottle and the glass and several beers on tap at Marc 49 Wine Bar in the Temescal. Grab a spot on one of the leather couches in the bar area or go exploring. Out back and around the corner is a great hangout space that the group I was with decided would serve well as our new regular weekly watering hole. The small, reasonably priced menu includes such nibbles as a mixed olive plate ($4), a meat and cheese plate ($9) and an appetizing assortment of salads ($6) and panini ($7). Marc 49 is a great addition to this fun and lively Oakland neighborhood.
    Marc 49 Wine Bar, 4915 Telegraph Ave., (510) 652-2100. Open 5 p.m.–11 p.m. Sun.–Thu., 5 p.m.–midnight Fri.-Sat., www.themenupage.com/marc49.

    Seasonal French/California Cuisine at reasonable prices is the menu theme at chic Bijou Restaurant & Bar in Hayward. This new venue looks destined to be a great hang-out-and-chill spot. Besides the dining room and bar area, Bijou has a comfy lounge and a sidewalk patio. The sleek design and glowing ring chandeliers create a sophisticated vibe. In the kitchen, working outside France for the first time, is executive chef Christian Nam-Hee, a native of Paris and a graduate of the École de Paris des Métiers de la Table. Starters and small plates ($5–$12) include salmon tartar and a crab and avocado salad; main courses ($11–$22) include seared duck breast and pork chop a l’orange. There’s
an interesting wine list plus classic and signature cocktails.
    Bijou Restaurant & Bar, 1036 B St., Hayward, (510) 888-1092. Open for lunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.; for dinner 5 p.m.–10 p.m. Sun.–Wed., 5 p.m.–midnight Thu.–Sat., www.bijouexperience.com.
                                                                              

—Wanda Hennig
—Photography by Lori Eanes