Traveling Across The Globe At Juhu Beach Club

When defining Oakland’s restaurant scene in 2013, the one word that kept popping into my mind is soul - the soulfulness of dishes, the soulful vibe of a restaurant, chefs who were cooking from their heart and soul.  Never was that more evident than at the vibrant and energetic Juhu Beach Club in the Temescal District.

Chef Preeti Mistry has found the perfect home for her style of cooking.  The talented chef, who many may be familiar with from her stint on “Top Chef,” takes guests on a trip with her to Mumbai, but in a playful manner.  You get a sense of the flavors that Chef Mistry grew up with in India, and the food she enjoyed eating, by what she offers at Juhu Beach Club.  From the signature pavs (think of them as an Indian version of a slider), to the whole chicken leg, an assortment of salads and other smaller plates, each dish is filled with flavors taking guests to another part of the world.  Many dishes have an extra kick of spice, but even the more mild ones provide a fresh and unique look into modern Indian cuisine, through the vision of Chef Mistry.

While dishes at Juhu Beach Club may seem simple, they are truly filled with so many different textures, and flavor profiles that are distinct and truly unique.  There is also a California appeal, as Mistry uses sustainable produce, and local and organic ingredients whenever possible.  You may not see dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala, but that is part of what adds to the appeal of the restaurant.  There is a sense of what’s familiar, but also, something new and adventurous that touches new taste buds.  

Named after Chef Mistry’s favorite city beach in Mumbai, the decor and ambience at Juhu Beach Club is fun and relaxed, a place for solo dining at the counter, or in a larger group, with grandparents and kids alike.  While there is no sand or beaches, the bright colors and music playing from the speakers brings you to a beach-like setting, where you can kick back, relax and let the flavors from Chef Mistry’s small kitchen take you to a place far away.

It’s that vibe and the wonderful food and friendly service that bring me back to Juhu Beach Club, one of my best new restaurants of 2013.  Juhu Beach Club is located at 5179 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.  Hours are Friday and Saturday for lunch from 11:30am – 2:30pm and Tuesday-Saturday for dinner from 5:30-9:30pm.

Ramen Shop - The Best Noodles in the Bay Area

For those who know me well, they know I have a slight obsession with ramen. Okay, slight is probably the wrong word.  I mean, I did eat ramen four times on a six day trip to New York last summer. But to me, it is the perfect Japanese comfort food.  This obsession has led me back, again-and-again, to the restaurant I feel is serving up the best bowl of ramen in the Bay Area - Ramen Shop in Oakland.

The idea sprouted up from three alums of Chez Panisse, Rayneil De Guzman, Jerry Jaksich and Sam White.  “We had made separate trips to Japan.  And it was just such an eye-opening experience,” De Guzman said.  “Plus, we really love noodles!”  The three friends had long wondered why there weren’t more great ramen places in the Bay Area.  And that’s where Ramen Shop now comes in.

The restaurant opened on College Avenue in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood with quite a bit of fanfare.  Long lines greeted guests from the start and it really hasn’t slowed down, more than a year later.  “It’s been surprising how many people have come in and how busy we have been.  But I think it really goes to show that people in the Bay Area wanted this type of ramen,” De Guzman said.

The restaurant itself seats about 40-50 people, with both tables and a long bar in front of the open kitchen.  The bar area at the front of the space also has plentiful seating for those looking to grab a cocktail, beer or glass of wine, or if you’re waiting for a seat.  De Guzman said with the long waiting list, at times, they are still trying to figure out the best way to accommodate everyone in a timely manner.  But the wait is normally a fairly quick one.

On to the menu.  The ramen varies from day-to-day, with different broths, from shio (salt-based), miso, shoyu (soy sauce) – the guys have even been doing a tsukemen on Monday nights, where the noodles and broth are served in separate bowls, and the noodles are dipped into the dipping sauce.  The broth is the most consistent I have tasted in the Bay Area.  Noodles are made in-house, another rarity for local ramen shops.  “Plenty of places get their ramen noodles from a shop down in San Jose and they are perfectly fine,” said De Guzman.  “But there is just something missing with them.”  De Guzman, Jaksich and White have even contemplated working with different types of noodles for different broths.  The entire package, from noodles to broth to fresh ingredients added on equals perfect comfort all in one bowl.

The restaurant doesn’t only feature ramen though.  There are an assortment of other smaller dishes that fill out the menu, for those that might not be feeling the ramen craving. The cocktails have evolved under the leadership of Chris Lane.  There is a great beer list as well. 

What led me to include Ramen Shop on my list of best new restaurants in 2013?  Along with the great ramen, the entire team seems to have fun and there is a togetherness in the space.  Service is terrific and the kitchen team looks like it acts as one, perfectly in stride.  While De Guzman, Jaksich and White have all made trips to Japan, they also raised money to have some of their staff make the trip this past year – and hope to have everyone, from servers to the kitchen, experience it in the future.  Ramen Shop is located at 5812 College Avenue in Oakland and is open for dinner Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:00-10:30pm, Friday from 5:00-Midnight, Saturday from 4:00-Midnight and Sunday 4:00-10:30pm.     

The Understated Brilliance of Commis in Oakland

Oftentimes, restaurants have a hard time living up to the hype.  Whether it’s an off night in the kitchen, or a few glitches with service, lofty ideas of what a meal will be can quickly be deflated.  But for all my lofty expectations, Commis in Oakland easily hit every mark.

The restaurant, earning Oakland’s only Michelin Star, is located on a busy stretch of Piedmont Avenue.  Commis is an experience from start to finish.  While there is no signage outside, the FOH (front of house) staff warmly greets guests at the door.  There are a few tables near the front of the restaurant, several more at the back, and also, five coveted seats at the counter.  The look is more casual than you might see at other fine dining establishments – but it truly fits Chef James Syhabout to a T.

Syhabout himself is fairly quiet and reserved, but don’t let that fool you.  He is a supremely talented chef and the kitchen at Commis is doing wonderful things.  A tasting menu is offered each evening, with a bounty of fresh ingredients.  The dishes are typically on the smaller size, but there is a thoughtfulness to the composition of each item.  The kitchen is small, but very organized, with tasks spelled out well in advance.  There are no sudden movements, no chaos, everything is orchestrated like a well-oiled machine, in perfect harmony.

The food is clever and sophisticated.  By the end of the meal, there is a real sense of being satisfied, yet not overly stuffed.  Syhabout and his staff are not about being pigeonholed into cooking a specific type of way; they are about creativity, with technique ruling the day.  Each ingredient has its place on the plate.  While the flavors don’t always jump off the plate, no items are too salty or overly seasoned.  And despite all the precision and technique, the meal is not an arduous three-hour meal; it is fun and exciting.

For all these reasons and many more, my dinner at Commis was my best meal of 2013.  The best thing I can say about Commis - when I think back to my meal, it leaves a huge smile on my face.

Commis is located at 3859 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, CA.  The restaurant is open Wednesday -Saturday from 5:30pm-close and on Sunday from 5:00pm-close.  The nightly tasting menu is $85 for eight courses, $45 for additional beverage pairing.  The chef’s counter is highly, highly suggested.

          

Plum in Oakland

Oakland is quickly becoming a hotbed for terrific restaurants and amazing cuisine. With the continued high rental costs in San Francisco, many chefs are moving shop to the other side of the Bay, welcoming a burgeoning renaissance for the East Bay.


One of the hottest new spots is Daniel Patterson’s first venture in the East Bay, Plum in Uptown Oakland. Patterson is well-known for his highly-recognized restaurant Coi in San Francisco along with Il Cane Rosso in the Ferry Building.

Kitchen at work

Plum can best be described as a little brother to Coi. The food and service match any top-notch restaurant in the Bay Area. The menu is wonderfully eclectic and reasonably priced. It is fine dining in a casual and modern environment, a place where you can go for a special occasion or just stop by for a quick bite to eat.


The menu is divided into snacks, starters, vegetables and entrees. Executive Chef Charlie Parker, formerly of Bonny Doon Vineyard's restaurant the Cellar Door in Santa Cruz, is currently mixing and matching the menu. Like Patterson has stressed with both of his restaurants in San Francisco, Parker uses the freshest ingredients with items that are locally grown.

I previously tried one of the preview dinners that Patterson and Lauren Kiino held at Il Cane Rosso in August and was immediately blown away by the complexity of the flavors, even in seemingly the simplest dishes. Parker is well on his way to creating the same type of wonderful sensations. Each dish had a simple, homey quality to it. But the wonderful array of flavors was amazing. The main ingredient was highlighted and remained the centerpiece of each dish, but was accompanied by the perfect array of “secondary” ingredients and flavors, which in my humble opinion is the real sign of a quality chef. Let the main ingredient be the standout while building around it.


The dishes are not very large, but the menu lends itself to that. It is perfect to just pick and choose items off the menu, almost like an upscale tapas restaurant. To his credit, Patterson wanted to create a neighborhood atmosphere with reasonable prices and he has done that at Plum, as everything was $20 or less.  While all of the food is terrific, the vegetable dishes really stand out to me.  Such a wonderful variety of flavors and produce.

Service was terrific from start to finish, a huge aspect of the dining experience because of the popularity of the restaurant. Sitting in front of the open kitchen, a woman sitting nearby stood up to use the restroom. The servers immediately grabbed her plate and it was put under a heating lamp/warmer. When she got back to her seat, the dish was once again presented to her at the same temperature as when she had left. Just a really classy touch. The beverage list was also filled with wines, beer, sake and other concoctions. 


I am excited to visit Plum again in the near future and see what is next on Chef Parker’s menu. The diversification of Oakland continues and restaurants like Plum just add to the growing movement to build new and exciting places around the city.


**Added note: according to Ms. Tablehopper, Plum has started a tasting menu for those sitting at the bar in front of the open kitchen.  Five courses for $59.  Read her review and more here.**

Plum is located at 2214 Broadway Street in Oakland.  It is best to call ahead and try to make a reservation.  The restaurant is open from Monday-Friday for lunch from 11-2 and open daily for dinner from 5pm-1am (special late night menu)


Prices:

Snacks-$4 each
Starters-$9-12
Vegetables and Grains-$12
Entrees (animal)-$20 and under

Preview Dinner for Plum

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.    

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.