Category Archives: Restaurant Reviews
Restaurant Reviews: Flour+Water
I was looking forward to my visit to Flour+Water after they received rave reviews from the critics and high recommendations from friends. I walked away slightly disappointed from a few missteps in the kitchen. I do believe that Flour+Water has the potential to be a great restaurant if they pay attention to some of the small details, and I’d be willing to give it another go.
The two antipasti we ordered were excellent and I felt we were off to a great start when we began with the:
Rabbit confit with eggplant, pine nuts, currants & wild arugula
Squash salad with their blossoms, hen cracklings & watercress
Both dishes highlighted the seasonal produce spot on and all of the flavors came together perfectly.
For our second course we decided to bypass the pizzas and order two of the pastas, and afterwards, we wished we had ordered more of the antipasti. The two pastas we ordered were:
Mint tagliolini with artichokes, sicilian olives & calabrian chili
Vitello & taggiasca olive raviolini with sweet onion
Both pastas suffered from a flavor imbalance due to over-seasoning. The tagliolini was too spicy and the raviolini was to salty and that was enough to overpower the dishes to the point of being unpleasant. When you’re dealing with subtle flavors and ingredients you have to use care when seasoning. This was probably due to an inexperienced cook in the kitchen that night and I’d be willing to give it another try in the future.
The dining room was Mission hip and compact with a buzz of happy diners. The service was different from most other restaurants with the servers sharing all of the duties. This is good and bad because you’ll always have someone there when you need something, and then, you’ll also have the servers repeating a lot of the same questions.
Flour+Water is worth a trip and hopefully next time I visit everything comes together more smoothly.
Restaurant Review: Camino
Camino remains one of my favorite places to eat in the East Bay. The dining room is large and rustic and the focal points are the large communal tables that are crafted from a single redwood tree, and the expansive open kitchen with the open wood burning oven that produces most of the menus offerings.
I was fortunate to be dining with a large group of people and that allowed us to order almost everything on the compact menu of ten items. Their wasn’t an item that we ordered that I wouldn’t order again. Here’s the list:
Wood oven-baked oysters with absinthe, breadcrumbs and potato-parsley salad
Grilled tomato toast with cherry tomatoes, black-eyed peas and pounded basil
Grilled pork salad with fire roasted peppers, fried shallots and Belgian endive
Roasted duck consommé with duck lover toast and smoked duck breast
Grilled pork and herb sausages with fresh shell beans, escarole and grilled spring onion
Eggplant gratin with corn and scallion fritters, rapini and yellow lentils
Grilled local KIng salmon with Roman squash, tomato confit, green beans, black olives and preserved lemon
I look forward to my next visit from the Chez Panisse alums that are creating consistent, well crafted, rustic fare in a fun atmosphere.
Lunch at Bocanova
I had a nice lunch at Bocanova in Jack London Square in Oakland. We sat outside on the patio overlooking the waterfront. The food was good and the service is laid back. We tried the oysters on the half shell from Drake’s Bay with a tequila- citrus mignonette, the little gem caesar salad, and the duck pozole with fresh tortillas. Everything was fresh and the flavors were well balanced.
The restaurant had a very nice looking interior and I’m looking forward to going back and trying it out for dinner.
Restaurant Review: Corso Trattoria
The menu at Corso screams of Italy and I had the luxury of going with a large group of people that allowed me to try a broader selection of dishes. The menu reads exactly like one you would find in Italy with the items broken down into sections of Antipasti (appetizer), Primi (pasta), Secondi (main), and Controni (dessert). There wasn’t one item that we ordered off the menu that wasn’t good and I hope that doesn’t discredit me as a food critic.
For our Antipasti course we had the marinated olives, hand stretched to order house made Mozzarella, and the chef’s selection of house cured salumi. I’m a sucker for sulumi and it’s always a luxury to try the house cured meats and the selection at Corso doesn’t disappoint. They do have a house- cured Prosciutto that I can’t wait to try on my next visit. For our Primi course we had a wonderful Tagliatelle al sugo with slow braised beef and pork that goes down as one my favorites, and a Strozzapreti with littleneck clams, squash blossoms, and house-made sausage that was hearty and satisfying. The risotto bianco with white asparagus and truffle oil was tasty but a little dry for my taste. For the Secondi course we had Costine di maiale, slow- braised pork ribs with a chestnut and honey “barbecue sauce” that had a hint of sticky sweetness that was good, but how can you go wrong with a slow- braised pork dish. Something that is a bit more technical and one of my favorites to order anytime I see it on the menu is a whole roasted Branzino. The bass is simply prepared by roasting it in the oven whole until the delicate meat flakes off of the bones and then it’s served with a little lemon and arugula. So simple, so satisfying, and so Italian.
The ambiance and the decor in the dining room are a little underwhelming and the focus is definitely on the food. I would highly recommend Corso for people looking for the authentic flavors of regional Italian food that is reminiscent of one of your past trips to Italy. The compact selection of all Italian wines are a perfect match to go alongside the Florence inspired menu and the staff is attentive and helpful and ready to make suggestions.
Corso Trattoria: 1788 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, Ca 94709, 510-704-8004
Restaurant Review: Gather
Gather is a great newcomer to the East Bay restaurant scene. I came in for a quick bite and I’ll be back to dive further into the menu at which time I’ll write a more detailed review after my return visit. There’s a large selection of vegetarian options and everything leans towards being very local and “beyond” organic. I tried a very tasty Prather Ranch burger and one of the thin crust wood fired seasonal pizzas with green garlic. I also sampled the Burrata appetizer that was very good and reminded me of sitting outside in Italian cafe. One of the items on the menu I’ll be back to try is the vegan “charcuterie”.
The restaurant has an open concept and it was buzzing on the Sunday night that I was there. There is a lot of curved wood with iron accents in the dining room with a modern- industrial look and high ceilings. Service is efficient and attentive without being overbearing.
I can’t wait to return and explore the rest of the menu. I recommend Gather for a group of people that can order a variety of items to share, or for people looking to order drinks and appetizers before a show, but not the best place if your looking for a quite romantic dinner.
