My girlfriend (who ought to know something about Creole/Cajun food, since her mother was a cook in New Orleans' French Quarter) and I have been coming to the Gingerbread House for several years now, and it remains our favorite East Bay restaurant. Its years in business and the many civic awards it has won make it unnecessary to defend either its ambiance or its menu; but to suggest that the proprietor behaves as though she were on coke has no place in a restaurant review, and whichever ignorant person wrote it ought to be ashamed. Both of us can testify to the decency, generosity and unique flair and style of the beautiful and hardworking lady who has devoted herself to the Gingerbread House for something like thirty-five years. Avoid the food, if it doesn't suit you, and tell your friends not to go there - that's certainly your right and your privilege. Libelling the proprietor's character is not. She and her family restaurant - and we have come to feel like family when we're there - are ornaments to the Oakland community, and deserve to be recognized and treated as such. That woman who carries herself like a queen while she serves your dinner is a lady, in case you never saw one before.
Pros: Delicious food and elegant service!
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