Happy Thursday, everyone!

Porchfest and the Island Bowl make this a good weekend to get out around town. I also finally tried Moxie Steak House, and those Duchess potatoes deserve a moment.

Let's dive in!

In this week's email:

• Featured Events: The Business Expo & Career Fair, Alameda Porchfest & the Island Bowl

• Alameda News: AC Transit's cut list, La Val's closes for good & Faction's final lease vote

• Restaurant & Community Spotlight: My visit to Moxie Steak House and Rocket Reuse's new home

• This Week's Events: Live music, sunset yoga & more, September 10 to 16

• Houses on the Market: New Alameda Listings

Read time: 8 mins

Featured Events

Discover Alameda Business Expo & Career Fair

Admission is free, and every guest receives a raffle ticket for a live drawing with a chance to win a gift from one of our 70+ vendors.

It's next Thursday at Alameda Point. Register ahead using the button below.

Alameda Porchfest

Saturday, Sep 12 & Sunday, Sep 13 | Sat 6 PM; Sun noon to 6 PM | Free | 📍 Webster Park kickoff; seven stages Sunday.

More than 30 local acts turn Alameda’s porches, stoops and driveways into stages. Start with Saturday’s kickoff, then pick your Sunday stops from the lineup below.

Island Bowl: Alameda High vs. Encinal

Friday, Sep 11 | JV 4:30 PM, varsity 7 PM | Tickets on GoFan only | 📍 Encinal High, 210 Central Ave.

The 71st Island Bowl opens Encinal’s new field. Only 1,100 seats; four tickets per person, none at the gate. No re-entry, backpacks or outside food. Eighth graders and younger need an adult.

Alameda News

AC Transit's Worst-Case Plan Drops One Alameda Line and Takes Weekends Off the O

AC Transit will show City Council on Tuesday what its contingency plan does to Alameda if new money doesn't come through. Line 19 would be eliminated. The O to San Francisco would run commute direction only, turn around at Bridgeside, and lose weekends. Lines 30, 31, and 96 would drop to every 40 minutes.

The 51A doesn't change, and a new East End line would run hourly between Fruitvale BART and South Shore via Fernside, High, Encinal, and Park. AC Transit says it's facing a $200 million deficit over four years. If the half-cent transit sales tax on the November ballot passes, it keeps today's service. If not, cuts start June 13, 2027.

Source: AC Transit presentation | City of Alameda

La Val's at Harbor Bay Landing Is Closed for Good

All three restaurants at Harbor Bay Landing have been closed for a while over code violations, and La Val's Pizza won't be reopening, Councilmember Tracy Jensen said at the September 1 council meeting. La Penca Azul's own website now lists its Island Drive location as closed every day.

That leaves Safeway and the UPS Store holding down the center for now. Jensen asked the city manager to keep working with the owner and potential buyers. A developer filed preliminary plans last fall for 305 homes on the site, and the city has said its zoning there still requires a grocery store.

Source: City of Alameda | La Penca Azul | SF Yimby

Quick Hits

• Alameda's first Airbnb rules go to Council Tuesday. Short-term rentals only in the host's own home, not in ADUs, with a permit, a business license, and no parties. Staff count 250 to 300 listings in town. Also Tuesday: letting a backyard ADU be sold as its own condo. City of Alameda

• The Planning Board votes Monday on letting small offices, gyms, and maker spaces open on Park and Webster without a use permit. Staff count 12% of Webster storefronts and 9% of Park Street spaces vacant. City of Alameda

• Faction’s three-year lease extension returns to Council September 15 for final passage. The first vote passed unanimously September 1. City of Alameda

Restaurant of the Week

Moxie’s Steak House

I finally got to try Moxie’s! They’ve been open a little over two years, and I got to try some of their best things: the New York strip with truffle butter, half-roasted lemon rosemary hen, Duchess potatoes, and the Donkey Kong banana cocktail.

The highlight was definitely the Duchess potatoes. Caramelized onions on the bottom, potatoes piped on top, then cheese and a trip to the oven. Think French onion soup meets shepherd’s pie. So smooth and full of flavor.

Executive chef Donna Meadows told me she spent nine months before opening tasting beef from around the country to choose the farms they'd source from. Her thinking: start with great ingredients, and you don't need to do much to them.

It’s definitely on the more fine-dining end of things price-wise, but worth trying if you’re looking for something new. Check them out at 1640 Park Street.

This Week's Events

Get Active & Give Back

Sunset on the USS Hornet | Sunday, Sep 13 | 5 to 9 PM | $23.18, kids 12 and under free | 📍 USS Hornet. Flight-deck yoga, DJs, and sunset dancing. Get tickets

CASA Coastal Clean Up | Saturday, Sep 12 | 10 AM to 12 PM | Free | 📍 Seaplane Lagoon Promenade. Shoreline cleanup, rain cancels. More info

Workshops & Crafts

Cupcake Decorating Workshop | Wednesday, Sep 16 | 6:30 to 8 PM | $60 | 📍 Faction Brewing. Piping lesson, leave with six cupcakes. Get tickets

Seasonal Circle: Mabon & the Autumn Equinox | Sunday, Sep 13 | 3 to 4:30 PM | From $37.05 | 📍 Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden. Seasonal bites, warm drinks and harvest crafts. Get tickets

Markets & Pop-Ups

Practical Magic 2 Market Pop-Up | Saturday, Sep 12 | 5 to 9 PM | Free | 📍 Alameda Theatre lobby. Witchy vendor market, costume contest. More info

Alameda Farmers' Market | Saturday, Sep 12 & Tuesday, Sep 15 | 9 AM to 1 PM | Free | 📍 Haight Ave at Webster St. Produce and prepared food, year-round. More info

Live Music

The Mio Flores SalSazz Trio | Thursday, Sep 10 | 7:30 to 10:30 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Weekly salsa night. More info

Airwaves | Friday, Sep 11 | 7:30 to 10:15 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Bay Area dance band. More info

Jon Otis & BluBeatz! | Saturday, Sep 12 | 7:30 to 10:15 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Blues and soul. More info

Key Elements | Sunday, Sep 13 | 3:30 to 6:30 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Afternoon Latin jazz and salsa. More info

Swing Dance Party with Big Cheese & the Jive Rats | Tuesday, Sep 15 | 6 to 9 PM | No cover | 📍 Park Station, 1200 Park St. Featuring Reid Whatley. Dance or just enjoy the band.

Shows & Entertainment

Fallen Angels | Friday, Sep 11 & Saturday, Sep 12, 7:30 PM; Sunday, Sep 13, 2 PM | $20 to $45 | 📍 Altarena Playhouse. Noël Coward comedy, closes Sep 20. Get tickets

Saturday Night Comedy | Saturday, Sep 12 | 8 PM, open mic 10 PM | $10 | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. Pro comics, then an open mic. Get tickets

The Locals opening reception | Friday, Sep 11 | 6 to 8 PM | Free, RSVP | 📍 Rhythmix Cultural Works. Twelve artists from within 12 miles. More info

En Plein Air Mid-Show Reception | Saturday, Sep 12 | 3 to 5 PM | 📍 Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St. Paintings of Alameda’s homes and waterfront. More info

Phyllis Diller exhibit tour | Saturday, Sep 12 | 2:30 to 3 PM | Free | 📍 Alameda Museum. Dennis Evanosky on Diller's Alameda years. More info

Games, Drinks, & Vibes

Game Day at Alameda Brewing | Thursday, Sep 10, 5:35 PM (49ers vs. Rams) & Sunday, Sep 13, 1:25 PM (Raiders vs. Dolphins) | 📍 Alameda Brewing. Big screens. More info

Alameda Dinner Club | Tuesday, Sep 15 | 📍 A local restaurant, announced on Instagram. Third-Tuesday dinner with neighbors. Details on our IG

Trivia Tuesdays | Tuesday, Sep 15 | 7 to 9 PM | 📍 Alameda Brewing. Weekly taproom trivia. More info

Trivia Night | Wednesday, Sep 16 | 6 PM | 📍 Humble Sea Brewing. Kids and dogs welcome. More info

Trivia Night | Wednesday, Sep 16 | 6:30 PM | No cover | 📍 McGee's Bar & Grill. Sunset Trivia runs it. More info

Family & Kids

Puppet Wars | Saturday, Sep 12 | Doors 5:30 PM, bell 6:30 PM | $20 online, $30 at the door | 📍 Almanac Adventureland. All-ages live pro wrestling in the beer garden. Get tickets

Rosh Hashanah at Temple Israel | Friday, Sep 11, 7 PM & Saturday, Sep 12, 10:30 AM | Free, registration required | 📍 Temple Israel of Alameda. Services, youth program, Tashlich at the lagoon, and a shoreline cleanup Sunday at noon. Register

Later This Month

For the Love of the Cake | Saturday, Sep 19 | 11:15 AM to 1:30 PM | $25 presale, $35 after Sep 18 | 📍 Alameda Elks Lodge lawn. Bring a cake, leave with a box of everyone else's. Get tickets

Awesöme Orchestra | Saturday, Sep 19 | 12 to 2:30 PM | Free, RSVP | 📍 Radium Runway, Alameda Point. Community orchestra, bring a picnic blanket. Reserve a spot

AEF’s Back 2 School BBQ | Thursday, Sep 17 | 5:30 to 8 PM | $85 | 📍 The Rake at Admiral Maltings. BBQ and a drink supporting Alameda public school students and teachers. Get tickets

Alameda Island Running Festival | Sunday, Sep 20 | Half 7:30 AM, 10K 8, 5K 8:15, family mile 10 | $28 to $123, goes up after Sep 19 | 📍 City Hall West, Alameda Point. Flat courses, part goes to AEF. Register

HOUSES ON THE MARKET

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Got an event we missed? Submit an Event and we'll take a look for next week.

For Frankie