There’s not enough Cuban food in the Bay Area. No, this is (thankfully) not Miami with its close proximity to Cuba and, therefore, plethora of Cuban food. But I wouldn’t trade the vibrant cuisines we are swimming in for anything. It’s with joy I speak of a new Cuban cafe, Cana, in Oakland. Pretty much a walk-up counter with one… Read more →
Drink A couple recent Oakland nights included drinks at the relaxed, new Dogwood (with decent but not stand-out cocktails or atmosphere), and the following return visits: ADESSO, OAKLAND (4395 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, 94611, 510-601-0305) – You last heard me talk about Adesso in the Guardian and here in 2009. It has been one of Oakland’s best bars since opening with… Read more →
Intriguing bites and openings in other parts of the Bay Area? All Spice is a new, upscale Indian restaurant in San Mateo. Though still working out kinks with some dishes not yet fully realized, the space is romantic and service engaging in a cottage I adored in its former iteration. Oakland’s Camino is a space I love for different reasons:… Read more →
In Top Tastes I list the top ten new restaurant openings of the year in San Francisco. Here I list an additional four best new Bay Area openings: one in the South Bay, two in the East Bay, one in Wine Country. In the midst of Oakland’s continued proliferation as a dining hotspot and the new downtown Napa reign of… Read more →
Easily the best new opening in Oakland in 2010, Daniel Patterson’s long-anticipated Plum delivers his impeccable technique in heartwarming food. After a handful of visits both for dinner and lunch (and a preview dinner back in September), I come away with a sense of being enveloped, not by the communal seating or uncomfortable bar stools, but by the warmth of… Read more →
Daniel Patterson is one of our city’s true visionary chefs, willing to push the envelope, gifted with technique, but, yes, able to make it taste damn good. I’m a big fan of Coi, delight in Il Cane Rosso and try not to resent Oakland for getting both Bracina and Plum, his upcoming ventures. Thankfully, Plum sneak preview dinners were held… Read more →
COMMIS, Oakland Commis is Oakland’s shining star of culinary excellence and experimentation since James Syhabout put it on the map with multiple awards as Best New Chef in Food & Wine magazine, among countless other accolades since it opened in Summer 2009. There isn’t much new I could add to the din, other than to share dinner highlights on my… Read more →
OAKLAND Encuentro – One of three owners behind this new-ish Oakland vegetarian is Millennium exec chef, Eric Tucker, long a standard-maker in vegetarian cuisine. The food here is inventive, even if portions are tiny. Just a few blocks off Jack London Square, the high-ceilinged space is modern and airy, though a little stiff (as is service, in some ways), but… Read more →
BERKELEY • Gather – Yes, it’s local, sustainable, organic (even the spirits, wine and beer). Though that’s happily typical in the Bay Area, I venture to say that Gather, open only since December, already operates like a hardly “typical”, fully-realized restaurant. In a large, rounded corner room, the bustling, open space is in full view of the kitchen, a muted… Read more →
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), is highlights of the best things I’ve been eating since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. SPECIAL OCCASION After years of longingly perusing Oliveto’s emails about their annual… Read more →