Restauranteur Daniel Patterson is expanding to the East Bay in the coming year. The executive chef at the highly-acclaimed Coi in San Francisco will be opening two new projects in Oakland. Bracina will be located at Jack London Square, part of their new development project. And opening in what they hope will be mid-September is Plum, part of the growing and revived Uptown area of Oakland.
As a test run, Patterson and Lauren Kiino, chef at Il Cane Rosso in the Ferry Building, have been hosting preview dinners for their new restaurant on Monday nights at Il Cane Rosso. The preview dinners are meant as a trial run of sorts, trying different dishes and getting feedback on what works and what doesn’t. It is a four-course meal with an amuse bouche included. Having never been to Coi, but seeing reviews and the menu, I think Plum is aiming at being “Coi-lite” with similar modern cuisine with a flair, all at less expensive prices.
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| Crispy chicken skin |
The menu for the third preview dinner was a veritable mix of different, wonderful ingredients and dishes that were matched very well. It started with an amuse bouche, crispy chicken skin with seasoning. A nice simple start.
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| Black cod-potato puree |
Next, a smoked black cod-potato puree, with pepper-wild fennel relish and olive oil crackers. This was a WOW dish. The puree was so creamy, yet with a great mix of flavors. I could have literally eaten a large bowl of this and been satisfied. Just a great dish.
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| Cauliflower |
Next was a vegetable dish, cauliflower glazed with lemon and garum, with bulghur and dandelion salsa verde added on. I had never had a dish quite like this. The cauliflower was prepared perfectly, not too crunchy, not too soft. The dish had a really strong lemon taste to it, which I didn’t mind at all. I can see where some people might say it overpowered the rest of the dish, but I think it was another great mix of flavors that were matched very well.
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| Pork shoulder |
The main entree was a slow-cooked pork shoulder with a side of turnip, apple, miso and fresh seaweed. I thought this dish was again prepared very well. Honestly, it was probably my least favorite dish, but was still very tasty. The pork was moist and the sauce matched well with it.
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| Raspberries w/ breton sable |
Finally, dessert! At this point, I was quite stuffed. But when I saw the raspberries with breton sable, yogurt and roobois, I knew I was in trouble. An unbelievably refreshing, sweet, fruity end to a wonderful meal. The raspberries were so fresh, it was almost as if they were picked and washed right before being plated.
I am very excited about the opening of Plum. Daniel Patterson is known for his very imaginative food, wonderful plating and creativity in his dishes. Coi has been on my must go-to lists for quite some time. And now, I can add Plum to that list as well. It makes me really happy to see Oakland expanding into the foodie world of the Bay Area. In most cases, people travel to San Francisco and the Napa area, thinking those are the only places where they can have that wonderful “foodie experience.” But with the continuing expansion of Jack London Square and the Uptown area, and the additions of restaurants like Commis and Plum, Oakland is putting its name on the map for wonderful sustainable food, a wide variety of cuisines and restaurants and becoming another force in the growing world of food in the Bay Area.
Plum is expected to open in mid-September. It will be located at 2214 Broadway in Oakland. The plan is for a diverse menu, with most entrees $20 and under.
