The Wave of New French Restaurants Washing Over the Bay Area Won’t Stop | Eater SF

"Located at the new Kissel hotel in downtown Oakland and opened in May, Occitania was born when chef Paul Canales—then of Spanish dining favorite Duende—decided to pursue a French direction; its menu is chock-full of recognizable dishes like salade Lyonnaise and boudin blanc but is heavily inspired by local farmers markets and Northern California seasonality, substituting items such as leeks mimosa for asparagus and promising additions like blanquette de veau, all served in a space with low, seductive lighting amid a broader Bay Area French-restaurant boom." - Flora Tsapovsky