The Loring Comes to Oakland!

March 21, 2013

There is a restaurant in Minneapolis called The Loring Pasta Bar that is very dear to Will and me. It is a grandiose Italian restaurant in the heart of Dinkytown, the unique off-campus neighborhood that Will and I both lived in for many years. The Loring is where Will took me for our first date, and ever since then it has held a special place in our lives, acting as a locale for impromptu lunches, dinners, meet-ups with friends and family, birthday dinners, anniversary dinners, and the last occasion, Will's graduation from his doctoral program. Needless to say, since we left Minneapolis, I have had an empty place in my heart from missing The Loring.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago when Will mentioned to me that he noticed a place that had recently opened along his bike ride home called Loring, (he had only seen the large name placard above the restaurant which reads Loring) and that we ought to go sometime since, after all, it's called Loring, and it could be our "new place." So, after dinner out tonight, Will suggested we stop by Loring for a drink and check it out. We hopped on the bus and a few stops later we arrived. While Will locked up his bike (which he had with him from his commute to work, in case you're curious!) I looked around out front of the restaurant, commenting on how similar the decor was to the Minneapolis Loring we so dearly love. I continued to look around and noticed they have their menu displayed outside. As I read it, I saw many of the dishes were the same as the Minneapolis Loring. Really? How uncanny is this? A place that looks the same and serves the same food? Then the lights went on as I read the side of the menu, "Visit our other location in Minneapolis, MN"!!! I couldn't believe it! We went inside and sure enough! It is another location, opened by the same owners as the Minneapolis location. We sat at the bar, hoping to get the scoop on the new restaurant and tell our own story of our history with the Loring. It turns out that the owner of the Minneapolis restaurant met a woman who worked there, who in the last couple years decided to return to the Bay Area. He followed her and they were married. They then decided they wanted to open a Loring here in the Bay! How wonderful for us!

And so, this is the story of the Loring Cafe, a little piece of home that followed us to Oakland. My heart is now full and Will and I have our special place here in Oakland! As if I weren't already feeling settled in to my new surroundings, I am now one step closer.