Welcome to the Mid-Week Menu, our weekly roundup of East Bay food news.

1) The Contra Costa Times brings news that the five siblings who run Richmond’s La Perla (338 Nevin Ave.) are preparing for retirement and will close the 63-year-old Mexican deli by the end of the year: “The plan is to close the shop when the building is sold or at the end of the year, whichever comes first.” Check it out before it's gone, if you're so inclined. An intrepid eater at Chowhound offered this tip a while back: The old school Mexican-American items are the things to get — think hard tacos and cheesy nachos.

2) What happens when the baristas rule the roost? Berkeleyside has the scoop on a newish South Berkeley cafe called the Alchemy Collective Cafe (3140 MLK Jr Way). Run by six barista-owners — including Rogue Cafe co-founder Eric Thoreson — the co-op serves single origin coffees and espressos roasted by Verve Coffee Roasters, as well as custom blends created by Thoreson himself.

3) Diablo Dish has updates about a couple new spots in Old Oakland that are targeting fall openings: An outpost of San Francisco’s wildly popular Rosamunde Sausage Grill was tentatively slated to open in Swan Market this summer (at 911 Washington St.), but permitting issues have pushed that back to October. (In the meantime, sausage lovers can get their Rosamunde fix every Saturday at Classic Cars West’s weekly beer garden, which runs from 2 p.m. to dusk.) A few doors down from the new Rosamunde, Miss Ollie’s (901 Washington St.) — the Caribbean eatery from former Hibiscus chef Sarah Kirnon — is also looking at a probable October opening.

4) Folks feeling nostalgic for Café Fanny, the Berkeley institution that shut its doors earlier this spring, will have to wait a few more weeks to check out its replacement: Diablo Dish reports that the coffee and wine bar Bartavelle (1603 San Pablo Ave.) won’t be ready to open until mid-September.

5) Happy third birthday to Bocanova (55 Webster St.). The pan-Latin restaurant will be celebrating the anniversary at 6 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, with a special six-course dinner and a silent auction to benefit the Oakland Fund for the Arts. Tickets are $100 (which covers food, beer, wine, tax, and tip).

6) The consummate list makers at 7x7, over in San Francisco, have turned their attention across the Bay. Take a look at their neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to Oakland’s best restaurants (then check out the Express’s own Best of the East Bay winners, if you haven’t already).

7) If you aren’t sick of What the Fork’s non-stop bagel coverage yet, you might consider taking a peek at the results of The Chronicle’s recent bagel taste-off. East Bay-based “winners” included Baron Baking and Authentic Bagel Company.

8) Finally, if you missed it, read about Malaysian food at Guest Chef and my preview of Beauty’s Bagel Shop (expected to open … today? tomorrow?).

Got tips or suggestions? Email me at Luke (dot) Tsai (at) EastBayExpress (dot) com. Otherwise, keep in touch by following me on Twitter @theluketsai, or simply by posting a comment. I'll read ‘em all.