New Rooftop Bar Called High 5ive to Open at Kissel Uptown Oakland Hotel | Eater SF

"Perched atop the new Kissel Uptown Oakland hotel, High 5ive will be an East Bay sky lounge with an outdoor terrace offering sweeping views of Uptown Oakland and the bay, complete with fire pits and lounge seating. I was told beverage and operations director Gabriel Bryant has crafted a menu of local craft beer, a tight wines-by-the-glass selection, and signature cocktails such as the Tony Bennett (a smoked Manhattan), the Beautiful Ones (an aviation-style gin cocktail with crème de violette and a blueberry shrub), and the spicy Solar Flare (a blood orange tequila cocktail with chili-infused agave and a habanero tincture); cocktails will be served in vintage glassware described as “chic, understated, and photo-worthy,” and draft choices will emphasize Bay Area names like Almanac, Fort Point, East Brother, and Federation. Executive chef Nelson Ramirez will offer “approachable American food” in small plates, including a meat-and-cheese board; a trio of dips (hummus, olive tapenade, and baba ganoush) and artichoke and spinach dip; flatbreads; peri peri chicken thigh skewers; and carnitas tacos on corn tortillas. The interior is planned to be modern with sleek, low seats, hanging plants, and bold colored seating — from chartreuse velvet armchairs and bar stools to natural leather banquettes and aubergine- and green-upholstered lounge seating. The bar’s name nods to a Bay Area origin story for the “high five,” traced to a 1977 Dodgers-Astros game involving Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke, with Burke later becoming an A’s figure and the gesture taking on significance in San Francisco’s Castro. Located at 437 25th Street in Oakland, High 5ive is expected to open in February or March." - Lauren Saria