text: Not going to lie I am super shocked that this place is owned by Eatn Park which is one of my least favorite eating establishments on the face of this earth But I am definitely glad that this place popped up in Oakland rather than the traditional Eatn Park that was rumored to be planned for the location I am also thankful that the building is welldesigned and does not look like an ugly eyesore in the middle of Schenley Plaza So while I wish that the space had been left empty and full of nice green grass it is what it is and at least The Porch has some pretty decent food to show for itnnIt is an odd location I do not think the average broke college student is going to be too excited about margaritas and duck drumsticks Questionable business plans aside I really enjoyed my dinner here The calamari with zucchini straws was perfect Tentacles included my fav I will fight for those so you know it is the good stuff and it came with lots of lemon wedges and a homemade marinara sauce It is like they read my mind I also was in love with the pork belly with pumpkin and fennelso autumnal The dish was pretty greasy but hey it is a chunk of pure animal fat so what is a little bit of extra grease really Other than that it was ridic tasty The homemade soda was also fabulous though it would definitely taste better with vodka why do they only have two cocktails on the menu and one is tequilabased bummernnThe one part of my meal that fell short was the Rieger Pork Soup The concept is perfectionfrench onion soup with pork Where could that go wrong Unfortunately the soup was completely devoid of flavor Once I dumped half the salt shaker in it it became edible but the main problem was that the onions were not caramelized at all Topped with a bland slice of cheese it was the only disappointment of my mealnnI do have to say all the raves about the atmosphere are kind of off I could imagine it being a great lunch spot with all the natural light coming through the windows but at dinnertime the lights were WAY too bright The cheap cafeteria vibe or should I say Eatn Park vibe was totally offputting and an inappropriate match for the sophisticated food Otherwise the space is cute cozy and wellutilized Install a dimmer on the lights and I will be back for sure