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 the setting highlights bright dishes like Panzanella Salad ($9) with roasted celery root, beets, Gorgonzola, pine nuts, winter greens and crispy bread cubes.

A mere whiff of a bite, there’s two pieces of Bruschetta ($5) available with different toppings. I was won over by Avocado, Cilantro, Black Salt & Olive Oil Bruschetta with an addictive chili jam.

Just added to the menu that day, I found  Maple Mustard-glazed Tempeh “Bacon” Sandwich ($9) surprisingly comforting: warm, on the softest of wheat rolls. For one skeptical of fake “meat” substitutions (there just is no substitution for the real thing), this didn’t taste anything like bacon but was a worthy sandwich nonetheless. Stuffed Prunes ($4), with either goat cheese or macadamia nut pate, were good but didn’t stand out as much as other dishes.

A highlight was a  Rich Truffled Mushroom Pecan Pate ($11). The portion is delicate (read: small), but mini crostinis, grain mustard, sweet prune jam, and caper berries accented a lush pate that was almost smoother and more crowd-pleasing than some meat pates I’ve tasted. This dish showcases what is special about Encuentro that you can’t find elsewhere.

An interesting wine pairing came in the form of a toasty, crisp Irish Monkey Chardonnay ($7 a glass), made in Davis, CA, of all places, with tasting room/offices in Oakland.

SOUTH BAY

Cafe Gibraltar – After a day of poetry and walks on the beach in Pescadero and Half Moon Bay, dinner at Gibraltar is a relaxing finish, idyllically perched with ocean view and breezy, Mediterranean menu. Service is effusive, even if there was an awfully complex pile-up and wait getting a number of tables seated at the front door.

The space and crowd feel a tad suburban, but Moroccan tables on the far wall with pillows, floor seating and separate curtains, add a little intrigue to the dining room. The fresh, pleasing food is served in larger portions than expected, so order accordingly. Even with “light” crudo and seafood dishes, I was stuffed and would have ordered less if I’d known.

Bisque de Crevettes ($9) is a creamy, rich shrimp bisque seasoned with apples, sweet onions, dill and white wine. The shrimp nearly melt with tenderness and dill plays a dominant role. Ahi Tuna Crudo ($15) was generously portioned: a row of delicate, flash-seared ahi with an avocado salad that was too heavily drenched in a lime/ginger/habanero dressing.

Fairing better is Ahtapot Salata ($16), a Turkish beauty of a dish with plump octopus and calamari, grilled, then sautéed with chile, garlic, herbs and lemon, mixed with red onion, tomatoes, watercress. I tasted harissa-like spices and marveled at the meaty heft of the seafood. On the Moroccan front, they cook a lovely Tajin B’il Hut ($24), served in a proper tajine, with large cuts of Hawaiian blue snapper baked in a wood oven with olives, potatoes, baby onions, preserved lemons and tomatoes (I didn’t taste the lemons). Atop couscous and in a chermoula broth, it’s one of the great tajine dishes in the Bay Area.

With a nice wine list offering a number of zippy Portuguese or Alsace whites to accompany all that seafood, I left satisfied, though maybe not as impressed as years of raves about this place led me to believe… at least until I ate warm house bread dipped in sweet, aged basalmic and olive oil.

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 showpiece in the center of activity. It’s casual, holistic and chic, all at the same time.

Cocktails stand out with organic spirits (like Papagayo rum), without sacrificing craftsmanship and taste. Portions are small but classically so, in the proper sizes cocktails once were served. Greg’s Pisco Sour ($10) is served in a champagne flute with Square One cucumber vodka, Marian Farms pisco, lemon, lime, with shaved hibiscus over the top of egg white foam.

Humo Dulce ($12), 4 Copas tequila, Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal, lime, pineapple gum syrup, captures the proper smokiness of the mezcal and doesn’t play it sweet. Wines and beers are local and organic, from Bay Area south to Santa Cruz, north to Wine Country and Mendocino.

Not your typical grilled squid dish, Monterey Bay Squid ($12), on Forbidden black rice, with aioli, mint, chili, bacon, is a sumptuous small plate with layers and warmth. All I can say is “wow” for 28-month House-Cured Ham ($13) with grilled Castelfranco, marinated crescenza, cardoon-walnut salsa. The crescenza cheese is warm and melting over a delightful, thinly sliced ham, prosciutto-like, ribboned with fat. One of the best dishes here.

The piece de resistance is Vegan “Charcuterie” ($14)… and this comes from a decidedly non-vegetarian. As soon as this artwork array of vegetables come out on a wood slab, you know you’re about to experience something unique. If only veggies were always this flavor-packed, we’d eat them without complaint. Completely worth the price for a vegetable extravaganza. On the platter was:
- Heirloom carrots, green garlic confit, mint, English pea-tarragon puree
- Grilled asparagus, almond-pepper puree, Spanish red spring garlic, “aioli”
- Roasted sunchokes, Rub Red crescent potatoes, fried onion cabernet vinaigrette, oyster mushrooms
- Roasted baby beets, shaved fennel, dill, blood orange, horseradish almond puree, pistachio
- Fried tofu skin bruschetta, avocado, spicy baby fennel escabeche.

Those of us who eat for a living can get burnt out on the pizza insanity of recent years… that is, until we have another great one. I did not come here for pizza but as soon as I saw one, I had to order it. Puffy crust bubbles up in charred mounds filled with doughy bread and the house Sausage Pizza ($17) did not disappoint, laden with spring onion salsa, oregano, corno di capra (sweet peppers). A Petrale Sole special ($22) was a flaky, grilled fish with greens and lemon, rustically presented. It’s always work picking out little bones but the dish recalled whole fish I’ve had in Switzerland, fresh from the lakes.

With little room left for dessert, I still managed to bask in the light cream of Citrus Rice Pudding ($7.50) with uber-tart Meyer lemon frozen yogurt and cinnamon-dusted graham shortbread. This early on, I project that Gather is not only one of the East Bay’s best new openings but already one of its best restaurants.

OAKLAND

• Hibiscus is one of those chic Uptown newcomers with rustic walls and homey notes mixed with modern sensibilities serving “upscale” Caribbean/African food. I absolutely love the space, especially the charming bar area, which looks pretty different from the spacious dining room. It’s inviting, as is the sweet staff. I want to be crazy about the food, too, and I think it shows great promise. The restaurant is still in its early weeks of opening and should become more even over time. For now, ingredients are of high quality, even as some dishes stand out more than others. Exec Chef Sarah Kirnon plays with a range of culinary influences from Trinidad to the Congo. Jerk Cornish Hen ($10.25) is prepared Maroon-style (Jamaican), with luscious coconut-braised Sea Island peas and Red Fresno salsa. This was my favorite dish.

Super spicy Crab & Grits ($9) turns the traditional Southern dish on its head with Caribbean spices, peppers and plenty of heat. Saltfish & Ackee ($8.75), the national dish of Jamaica, comes with sweet plantains, contrasting with salty cod and heat intensity of garlic oil. Split-Pea Fritters ($7.50) with tamarind sauce weren’t as flavorful or texturally interesting as I’d hoped.

A simple Parish Punch ($7) is a mix of El Dorado Rum and house Ginger Limeade, initially a bit sweet, but once the salty heat of the meal kicks in, a refreshing soother. With ingredients and animals sourced locally and sustainably, not to mention the welcome pleasure of something different, this place has the potential of becoming another downtown Oakland gem.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO

• South San Francisco’s Xiao Long Bao Kitchen makes some mean xiao long bao (Shanghai soup dumplings). They’re downright addictive and among the better I’ve had locally, warm broth oozing over ground pork and chewy dumpling wrapper. $6.95 for eight good-sized dumplings is a deal. If you order one giant one, good luck trying to eat it.

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 – A Feast to Remember

After years of longingly perusing Oliveto’s emails about their annual feasts (and having always enjoyed meals and impeccable service there over the years), I finally went to their legendary Whole Hog Dinners this month… Oliveto’s Bob Klein was hosting these dinners long before it was trendy to throw the whole hog and butchering dinners we’ve seen proliferate in recent years.

The meal is one orgiastic feast from start to finish. Come starving and you’ll still walk away stuffed, swimming in Potatoes lightly fried in rosemary and pork renderings ($6.50) or spreadable Catalonian salumi and Tuscan wild fennel salsiccia cruda: Sobressada & Sbriciolona ($15). Even those fearful of tripe, could find no fault with Sardinian Pork Tripe ($14) braised in saffron and mint, mixed with aged Provolone and crouton-like Polenta adding crisp to the tomato-rich sauce.

Friulian Bread & Pork Dumplings (Canederli; $16.50) are served in a pork/date sugo, sweet and salty melding with the sticky density of perfect dumplings. Take in the glory of a giant leg of Wild Boar Bacon Chops ($24), charcoal-grilled and cut with the citrus of blood orange wedges and a vegetable salad.

Blissfully sick on pig, my top two dishes in a night of hits, were Choucroute Garni ($31): sauerkraut with a fatty, gorgeous spit-roasted pork Pastrami, a lightly blackened hunk of lush Pork Belly Rib, and a classic Frankfurter. The other dish I wish I could eat about 10 of: Boudin Blanc ($16), served British Wellington-style in a puff pastry with Bhari dates adding sweetness to the savory white sausage. Hallelujah!

There could not possibly be room for dessert, so only a bit of heaven could allow the exception… paired with a dark, crema-rich espresso, a Valhrona Chocolate-Caramel Tart ($10) was basically buttery caramel with a layer of dark chocolate and two candied strips of pancetta languishing across the top. Add in a pinch of vanilla sea salt and I slept the night away awash in sweetly salty dreams.

MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS

Lucky we are that our city’s latest Izakaya is such a welcome addition in a quirky, diner setting on Mission Street with two narrow rooms: one diner/bar side with booths, and room full of tables. Nombe’s CIA-trained Exec Chef, Nick Balla, is equally skilled in rare Japanese dishes as he is in sashimi presentation. After choosing from an impressive sake selection or Japanese beers on draft, dig into plump Chicken Heart skewers ($4) or lightly fried Brussels Sprouts ($5) redolent with mint, carrot and lots of lime.

Step into rare territory with specials like Karasumi ($12), or basically, salted mullet roe, a high-priced delicacy in Japan. Balla serves three strips of the house-cured karasumi with bitter greens and a perfectly cooked egg, the yolk breaking and covering the dish in a filmy layer of goodness.

The meal’s highlight was the Sashimi Platter ($38 for 5 different fish, serving size for two people). A work of art, it was a fine of mix of straight fish and creative presentations like Tuna temari “balls” made from tuna, nori and sesame, or Ocean Trout with an egg ever so lightly torched on the top. As far as fish goes, Bigeye Tuna was the silkiest and toro-like. Nice touch to have whipped nagaimo and fresh wasabi with it. Dessert could be an afterthought, but if it’s Beignets ($7) with Seville orange jam and creme fraiche, it’s not. They melt, light as air, in your mouth.

They just launched a brunch I can’t wait to try with Japanese flair married to American breakfast sensibilities. I like the sound of Balla’s nod to a Tuna Melt: poached ahi tuna on grilled sourdough with melted cheddar and fried egg ($12). Nombe, I could really grow to love you.

CHEAP EATS

• You’ve heard me go on before about how much I love Kat and Ryan’s awesome, affordable Southern food out of the back room at Excelsior dive bar, Broken Record. We all lost something special when they left, but they’ve thankfully resurfaced in recent months, more centrally located at Bruno’s. The gang’s all here, from their rockin’ BBQ sandwiches (Pulled Pork, Brisket, $8) to comforting Hush Puppies ($5) with chili-apple butter and dreamy, divine biscuits. Only their sausages didn’t show up here, but there are plenty of great ones in this town so I’m ok to make room instead for Chicken & Sausage Gumbo ($13), Low Country Shrimp & Grits ($11.50), panko Mac N’ Cheese ($6) and those super-meaty Spicy Buffalo Wings ($7) I was crazy about from Broken Record days. Thankfully, you can still save room for Toffee Crack ($1) at the end of your meal… yes, that’s dark chocolate-dipped matzo.

• I’ve written a number of times over the years of the glories of Joanna Karlinsky’s Meetinghouse Biscuits… Her fairly new cafe that is “more than a cafe“, Sweet Jo’s, in the Jewish Community Center (JCC) holds some treasures beyond those dreamy biscuits, not the least of which is Joanna herself. She’s a true New Yorker who makes me homesick for my East Coast days and the frank sincerity of NY/NJ folk. She infuses spunk and care into pizzas ($11.50-$23) named after Jewish Biblical women, like Hannah (eggplant, spinach, feta, caramelized onions, red peppers) or Sarah (white garlic sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, butternut squash, sage)… all quite tasty.

Chili comes in vegetarian and meat-based versions, plus there’s an array of sandwiches. Her Lucky Dawg ice creams are all-American, rich, thick – I’m partial to Chocolate Caramel Brownie, caramel swirl with crisp from the brownie. At a media dinner, I enjoyed conversing with Joanna and sampling an array of what she offers. I’ve also been for breakfast, grabbing coffee and flaky, buttery scones (like Lemon Currant). It’s a fine neighborhood go-to for a range of eats on the run or to eat-in at the JCC.

ICE CREAM

• I’ve given Humphry Slocombe boatloads of love (while alerting many a previously unaware friend) since they opened a year ago – but if ever it were deserved… My flavor of the moment is Pepper Mint, cubeb pepper with Valhrona Chips. I’ve also been enjoying their SF Beer Week flavors like Blue Frog Scottish Ale and Speakeasy Prohibition Curry. Beer in ice cream? Hell, yeah! Best news of all, though, was when they started selling their ice cream at the Delessio near my house… since I moved from 24th St, it was a longer trek to get my fix. No more.

• Berkeley’s Ici is even costlier than the already ridiculously overpriced ice creams out there. Though that’s always been its downside for me, at least it’s delicious. Latest favorite? An Anise Almond Grappa Raisin.

Top Tastes is my usual run-down of favorites. Rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned.

SAVORY – MEAT

• My birthday dinner this year was a GOOD one: I finally made it to Daniel Patterson’s Coi. I could not possibly choose one top course, so a few may have to be named. Understated and muted as the dining room is, service is impeccable, Patterson himself delivers some of the courses, and gently hip sounds of Radiohead and Zero 7 set the backdrop for a blissful, hours-long meal. The Renaissance Man and I ate our 11 courses ($125 per person) over about three hours, savoring the range, creativity and precision of each dish. Sizes only appear small – at about the 8th course, I was getting full. I have to say it: their famed Slow Cooked Egg, served with crisp chicken skin and broth, Swiss chard, farro, is all it’s cracked up to be (oh, I loathe puns and here I am succumbing!) Texture, flavor, perfection.

SAVORY – SEAFOOD

• Bar Crudo has long been a seafood, and certainly crudo, favorite of mine since its original FiDi location, now in roomier (though missing some of the charm) Divisadero digs. There’s little I’ve ever had here I don’t just love, from the creamy dream of a chowder to crudo perfection. A Crudo Sampler ($12/23) is a great way to try a few, while a recent addition of Rhode Island Fluke ($12 for 4 pieces), with a kick of jalapeno, coconut milk, citrus, basil, mint, is topped with none other than chicharrones.  Could it get any better?

• Another Coi highlight was grilled Monterey Bay Abalone. Tender, it rocked the a la plancha treatment, accented with Meyer lemon, shellfish vinaigrette, and puntarelle (in the chicory family). A truly approachable abalone dish.

SAVORY – VEGETARIAN

• Coi, take three: creativity flavor combo points for Sunchoke-Buttermilk Soup… the buttermilk broth poured tableside over a gelatin-like sunchoke disc. The kicker comes in unexpected additions of Asian pear, cocoa nibs and mint.

• Potrero Hill’s new Mediterranean (in long-timer Eliza’s space), Pera, is working out new opening kinks but gracious service isn’t one of them. They’re hospitable, willing to chat and explain dishes (from Turkey, Greece and beyond). Meze (small plates) give me a chance to try more. I like the fresh meat of Cannellini beans in Fasolaki ($7 at lunch) contrasted with bright lemon vinegar, tomatoes, red onion, olive oil and scallions, topped with a boiled egg.

• By no means the best pizza in town, Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant’s Point Reyes Blue Pizza ($16/$21) with mozzarella, Pt. Reyes fabulous blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, oven roasted tomatoes and basil, still hit the spot on a recent brunch. Sunday nights it’s all-you-can-eat pizzas for $12.95 per person, which is the real deal.

• Bernal Heights’ new East-meets-West bakery, Sandbox, is mostly French pastries mixed with Asian baked goods. Pastry chef, Mutsumi Takehara, comes from a high pedigree: La Farine and Chez Panisse (the West) and Slanted Door (and the East). A welcome little addition to the ‘hood, in my initial visit I was impressed with a Sticky Bun ($2.25) – truly perfecting the ’sticky’ – and a Negi-Miso Challah ($2.25), a savory roll laced with miso and scallions.

SWEET

• Oakland’s Lush Gelato rolls out holiday and seasonal flavors with a lovely (and boozy) egg nog, a meaty-fresh pumpkin and a fine cinnamon. I still gravitate towards their year-round classics like fresh mint chip, tasting like a creamy mint herb garden.

• Back to Coi once more for dessert: though there were two dessert courses, both delicious, my favorite was Steamed Kabocha Squash Cake, a little moist cake reminiscent of a fine gingerbread or pumpkin bread, but more airy, with accents of apple, pomegranate and genius addition of garam masala spices.

Top Tastes is my usual run-down of tastes over the past two weeks. Rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned.

SAVORY – MEAT

•  B Star has done me right since inception, creating what I feel is some of the best creative Asian fusion in town. Though I’ve long adored Salmon Veggie Pot Pie ($10) with green curry in a flaky puff pastry, last week I tried a brunch item that’s a lot more delicious than it sounds: Chicken Croquette Hash ($10), ground chicken and fluffy mashed potatoes formed into a cake, lightly fried in panko bread crumbs, with a perfect over-easy egg on top. Lemon zest in the mash adds a little zing. All-in-all, a beaut.

•  Alright… you got me.  Fish & Farm’s Juicy Lucy Burger ($13) has fast gained a reputation thanks to 7×7 giving it top burger honors. Despite any skepticism on my part, I have to say it’s worthy. New chef, Chad Newton, knows his burgers. Juicy, on an oily, toasted Acme bun, it’s made of Niman Ranch beef, with grilled onions, white cheddar, house pickles and a secret sauce that won’t quit.  I found my other dinner dishes a bit lackluster, but their American Box lunch is a delightfully tasty respite where you practically have the restaurant to yourself or can take it to go (and the Juicy Lucy is just $8!) Double tacos, line-caught tuna sandwiches… it’s a fine lunch.

•  A $12 sandwich is pricey for lunch, especially to go… but in South Beach’s brand new Ironside (love the lofty brick, wood, retro artwork space), the Cubano, a sandwich I particularly love, is mighty fine: tender, slow roasted pork, country ham, gruyere, mayo, accented by crispy bits of pickle.

•  Though needing more than just pickled onions to cut the generous pile of tender meat (I wished for avocado, sour cream, even tomato), Poc Chuc’s slow-braised pork shoulder Taco de Cochinita Pibil ($2.75) is another of the Mission district’s many stellar tacos. Pair it with a giant glass of fresh Watermelon Fresca ($2.50) and then it’s nap time.

•  I must be on a burger kick. Completely unlike Fish & Farm, Bullshead never left the ’70’s. A West Portal institution, the dingy wood paneling, carpet and salad bar may look depressing but the burgers surely aren’t. Their buffalo burgers rock. I dig a medium Buffalo Burger with blue cheese. It’s $10 for 1/3 lb., $11.25 for a 1/2 lb. (or $8.50 and $9.50 for the same sizes with beef or ground turkey), plenty big enough to share.

SAVORY – VEGETARIAN

•  Despite what anyone says, I’ve been a fan of House of Nanking since the ’90’s, its strong flavors and sauces creating a unique Chinese taste experience, touristy though it may be (and I can’t argue with Nanking Sesame Chicken). Peter Fang’s food may not be traditional, but it’s good. With his sleeker (but similarly priced) second outpost in SoMa, Fang, there’s now a way to eat this goodness minus a trip to Chinatown. Lunch specials make it an affordable work-day stop (I like it for take-out), with flavorful salads like Fang’s Cabbage Apple Salad ($6.95; $8.95 at dinner): purple cabbage, apple, scallions, sweet grilled red peppers, and a tangy, vinegar-rich sesame dressing. At dinner, I savored tender Anise Pork with crispy cooked apples ($14.95) and Pork Dumplings ($8.95 for 6). Service is brusque, but what do you expect from the Nanking crew?

•  Though the mix and match menu initially looks confusing, it’s pretty simple: get a falafel bowl, platter or sandwich and choose sides. Liba taco truck parks near my work a couple days a week in Potrero (in Emeryville other weekdays). I got a Falafel Bowl with crispy falafel atop lettuce, hummus, tomato/mint/cucumber salad, spiced carrot ribbons and rosemary peanuts. A healthy, refreshing lunch for under $10.

•  I don’t make it to Hayward much but at least there’s Oakland’s Temescal Farmers’ Market on Sundays (9am-1pm) to pick up Pot Pie Paradise. Flaky little pies you can microwave or bake at home, dessert versions are soothing, but I especially enjoy Sweet Potato Thai Curry Vegan ($5 for 5″, $18 for 10″) with soy and garbanzo beans, carrots, peanuts, curry, coconut milk, cilantro, onion, garlic, ginger and, of course, sweet potato.

SWEET

•  Mission Minis are not only a guilt-free size, but after a glut of cupcakes over the years, enough to dilute any fan’s affections, they’re some of the better I’ve had. Not sickly sugary (Magnolia Bakery, I’m talking to you) or weakly flavored, MMs satisfy sweet cravings without overdoing it… unless you have 10 of them, which is tempting. Though I like the Aztec Chocolate, so far it’s a tie between Cinnamon Horchata or Banana with a banana chip on top. Check their website for where to buy.

Eating is highly subjective, and the man who accepts say-so in youth will wind up in bad and overtouted restaurants in middle age, ordering what the maitre d’hotel suggests.”- A.J. Liebling, “Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris”, 1962

I can barely keep up with all the amazing tastes this month. So, narrowing it down…

BREAKFAST

• Nothing like Chicken & Waffles (in maple syrup) on a chilly day. Hit the HP (Hunter’s Point, that is) for Auntie April’s $5 killer waffles with juicy fried chicken. Fills the void when I’m missing Roscoe’s.

SAVORY – VEGETARIAN

• Sweet Corn Tamales with a cup of excellent Champurrado (Mexican drink, traditionally served with churros, made of hominy flour base, water, chocolate, milk, cinnamon, anise… reminiscent of chai) from the Mission’s La Espiga de Oro

• Love Pizza Nostra’s beautifully creamy Burrata with fava beans and wheat toast.

SAVORY – SEAFOOD

• Charleston She Crab Soup ($10) is served at new upscale Southern, Pican in Oakland. Since Charleston, I haven’t even seen She-Crab soup on a menu: a creamy, rich bisque with sherry, topped here with fresh Louisiana Blue crabmeat. Traditionally the soup is enhanced by crab roe, which I believe is the case here, though didn’t see any – maybe mixed in? Either way, it’s good.

• Bushi Tei Bistro, a casual offshoot of what’s long been my favorite upscale Japanese-with-French-cooking-ethos, Bushi-Tei, is a welcome all-day spot for sushi, udon and Japanese curry, inside Japantown Mall, but… it doesn’t begin to compare to the original. Starters are generally better than entrees, but a couple pieces of sushi were slightly rubbery (not ok!) I was, however, pleased to eat a Crab Salad ($9.95) inspired by Bushi-Tei’s brilliant Lobster Salad, replacing lobster with crab, tossed with smoky bacon and papaya, in a salad of Chrysanthemum leaves. Hopefully, BT’s bistro catches up.

• Overall freshness is the name of the game at brand new Otoro, a Japanese sushi joint that just opened this week in Hayes Valley (yes, they do have a lot of good sushi in HV!) Everything from spicy scallop handrolls, to cooked butterfish, to signature Otoro Roll, are made with ultra-fresh fish and generously portioned. The space is tiny, chic… a welcome lunchtime respite.

SAVORY – MEAT

• Kitchenette does it again! At the Dogpatch garage for another weekday lunch, I, once again, licked my fingers clean of Berkshire Pork Korean Tacos ($8) marinated in hot bean & sweet rice, with napa cabbage & apple salad and spring onion-cilantro salsa. Run, don’t walk, if you see it there again!

• Oh, Ryan Farr… if your Chicharrones weren’t addictive enough, I had to try your gourmet Corn Dogs straight out of the oven, dipped in mustard sauce at Meatpaper Magazine’s Pig Party at Camino. Damn!

• Pal’s Takeaway, inside dodgy Tony’s Market on 24th Street, has kick-ass sandwiches on ACME bread, like a Bahn Mi of pink/brown beef with jalapeno, cilantro and carrot.

• Celadon in downtown Napa is romantic, leisurely, with fine service. Starters rule: a Beef Satay ($12) cooked in yellow curry with cucumber, green papaya, pickled ginger, peanut sauce, transported me straight to Thailand. The tender meat was cooked just like I had it in my months there, not like most Thai places in the US. But equally as fabulous was crispy Soy-braised Pork Belly ($13; I know, I can’t get enough of the belly) with tons of watermelon cubes, radishes, mint and Thai basil.

SWEET

• Jardinere’s Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with candied kumquat ice cream ($10) is hot, chocolately goodness punctuated with the candied tart bite of kumquat, served in a little cast-iron dish. Luxurious.

• Anthony’s Cookies in the Mission ($5 for a half dozen) taste like Mom’s homemade. They’re ALL good but I think I’d choose Cookies & Cream if you forced me.

DRINK

• 15 Romolo (15 Romolo Place, San Francisco, 94133, 415-398-1359) is back… and then some. With new managing partners, Scott Baird and Aaron Smith, joining owners, Greg Lindgren and Jon Gasparini, revamped Romolo still has the intrigue of alley access in the heart of North Beach, a well-chosen jukebox selection, and a hint of the Old West from handlebar-mustachioed bartenders, to a dim, woody bar. Cocktails hold rank with SF’s greats, including a Pimm’s Cup even better than at Napoleon House in New Orleans (though who can beat their 18th century ambiance?) I was crazy about maybe the lightest, freshest take on absinthe yet: L’arc de Triomphe, with Kubler Absinthe, Egg White, Orange, Lemon and Orange Bitter Syrup. With the care I see going into drinks from each talented bartender, to some of the most creatively playful bar bites around (addictive Jambalini: Italian arancini-style jambalaya balls with Creole aioli; $4 for five), I think we have a new classic on our hands.

• Adesso (4395 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, 94611, 510-601-0305) has pretty much the best happy hour ever… not only because cocktails are of artisan quality, like the Billionaire ($9) with Bakers’ 107 Bourbon Whiskey, Grenadine, Absinthe Bitters, Lemon, or seasonal, mercifully not-too-sweet Fragola Coppa ($8): Pimm’s No. 1, Cointreau, Limonata, with muddled strawberries, cucumber and mint; but because their FREE happy hour food is not just any free food: pork ragu arancini, salumi from their extensive selection, paninis, crostinis. It’s good stuff – all for the price of a drink.

• Passion fruit aroma burst from a glass of Terra Mia Sauvignon Blanc at Liberty Cafe… passion fruit on the tongue, too, with a nice, mineral finish.

• At Sidebar in Oakland, I appreciate the cocktail menu from none other than Jonny Raglin of Absinthe as consultant. Two versions of classic cocktails is a unique/cool concept: “Classicist” or “Locavore”, the latter being versions made with Bay Area liquors. My initial favorite was the hard to define, cinnamonny-cherry refresher, Zamboanga ‘Zenie’ ($10), a 1946 recipe from Charles H. Baker’s Gentleman’s Companion. The “locavore” is made with St. George Chardonnay Brandy, Acqua Perfecta Kirsch, pineapple gum, lime, bitters.

• At Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge, I always have a good time. My latest F.I. fling? The Nui Nui ($8) is a Don the Beachcomber classic with fresh citrus, housemade allspice liqueur and cinnamon syrup. I get the fresh breezes of Summer and the spiced comfort of Winter, all in one drink.

MARZANO
4214 Park Boulevard (at Glenfield)
Oakland, CA 94602
510-531-4500
www.marzanorestaurant.com

Open since December, I finally made it to Oakland’s idyllic, tree-lined Glenview neighborhood for Marzano , opened by the team behind Garibaldi’s. While I sighed at yet another Rustic Italian menu, a tapped-out field in my book, expectations began to shift from first look at the medieval wood-beam ceiling and chandeliers, the Edison-era-slash-modern lighting and rustic wood tables.

The cocktail menu hooked me at first glance with bartender, Alex Conde, dubbed “fastest bartender in the West”, thankfully behind the bar on my visits. There’s classics like an Irish Sour or Savoy Hotel Special # 1, beautiful breakfast imbibements on the weekend brunch menu (Bellinis, Aperol Spritz, Orange Ramos), and a “Della Casa” selection with creative explosions of flavor ($8-10). I rave about the Ciocolatto di New York ($10). Not at all sweet, it’s Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Carpano sweet vermouth, Grappi di chocolate grappa (!) and sea salt, served up. I haven’t sipped one like this before – unique, salty, flavorful, robust. Strong and sure, the Sangue di Christo ($9) is Grappa, blood orange, Creole shrubb, aged basalmic and black pepper, while the Lambretta ($10) uses housemade almond bitters in vodka, gin, zibibbo, dry vermouth, with an orange twist. There’s a short but high-quality wine list, beers, Abita Root Beer, Bundaberg Ginger Beer and Italian sodas.

Drinks alone are worth a visit, but the food keeps up. Wood-fired in a brick oven means the Pizzas ($11-14) have blistered crusts with toppings and cheeses of such quality and flavor (love the fennel sausage) you’ll be hard pressed not to eat one by yourself, though they’re plenty big enough for two. Breakfast pizzas add an egg on top (yay!)

A Chicories Salad ($10) is fresh and bountiful, satisfying where many salads do not. Laden with fuji apples, page mandarins, toasted umbrian faro, hazelnuts, buttermilk bleu cheese and cider vinagrette, it’s an entree on its own. One of the better sharing appetizers I’ve had in awhile, the Fritto Misto ($10), is a lightly fried helping of veggies: cauliflower, sweet onions, aspargus, fennel and lemon with a spicy aioli. Everyone descends and devours. I have found service to be a bit patchy, I hate to say, though not bad, with the host and bartender graciously engaging.

Paired with a crema-heavy espresso ($3), Straus Organic Soft Serve ($4), topped with rosemary honey, nuts, caramel or, in my case, aged balsamic vinegar and sea salt (an additional $2 for toppings), is a sensual finish. As Italians quip, “A tavola non si invecchia“, or essentially, you don’t age while eating a (great) meal. With good friends and conversation, time stood still within these walls, and if I aged, it was contentedly so.