Daniel Patterson is a two starred michelin chef. his restaurant Coi in san francisco is the only SF restaurant with 2 stars. in september, he opened his new place on broadway in oakland, Plum. its a fairly small joint, 8 tables probably, with some bar seating. it seemed to be a fairly small kitchen as well, which is ok for a small dining room. the decor is very classy cool, pictures of plums adorn the walls all the way down the building. there were 5 of us, so due to a relatively small menu, we were able to taste 90% of the dishes. i really did have worries of things being pretentious and the dishes being small for the prices. i was mainly wrong. first we started with the 3 "Snack" share items, unfortunatly we were all so hungry that we gobble up the first two before i got to take pictures. but they were "Onion Crisp - black pepper, sea salt"(4). they were essentially Funyions on crack. they were house made dehydrated onion crisps hit with some salt and pepper. they were tasty. i could definatly mack on a couple orders just sittin at the bar drinking a beer. next was the "Wild Green Panisse - homemade yogurt"(4), it was basically house made falafel made with fresh green chickpeas. it was very light and had good texture. not deep fried, seemed pan fried, so that helped steer away from being heavy. ok, now to the pictures.
"Foie Gras Mousse - rhubarb, toast" (8). the crostinis were not stale, they were not salty, they were not oily. they werent the best crostinis ive ever had, but hey, they didnt suck, so they made i decent platform for the mousse. the mousse itself was delish. texture was so money and flavor was on point. it tasted even better with the rhubarb, but my only gripe is that there was so little rhubarb on it.
next we did a round of appetizers that we basically all shared.
i had the "Pork Terrine - little gem lettuce, radish, fennel, cilantro" (10) this was really good. the terrine had great flavor and texture and the set was very light, yet worked well with the flavors of the terrine. it was nice just the simplicity of it, it didnt bogg down the main focus of the dish. yum.
moms had "Savory Dumplings - artichoke, cardoon, crescenza, shallot" (12). the dumpling were light and texture was good. the set was a little odd, it seemed as if it needed some sort of sauce to bind it all together. it was mainly just a bunch of little things in a dish that you eat. flavor was good, but a little odd.
dad jumped on the grenade. no one really liked beets enough to order the beet dish, so he did it so we could all try it. good choice! "Roasted Beets - white strawberry, arugula, goat cheese, rose" (9). the beets were cooked perfectly, the goat cheese on the plate was spiced with something, i couldnt say. there was also little pockets of what seemed like graham cracker crust on the plate which added a nice little crunch. it was a tasty dish. even if youre not big on beets!
ryan orders the "Oyster and Potato Stew - parsley, frisee, rye" (12). the soups. the soups were unanimously voted the best parts of the meal. not to take away from anything else, but they were reaaaaaalllllly fucking good. this stew wasnt really a stew? or at least the lightness and airiness of it tricked up into not believe it to be a traditional stew. it was smooth, deep, and delicious (just like me...HELLOOOOO). it had a very strong oyster flavor, but only in the best way possible. it was so fresh. so good. i would highly recommend.
alli had the "Spring Onion Soup - date, sheeps milk, sorrel" (9). un. fucking. real. this soup is hands down the best soup i have ever had, allison will agree. the textures, the flavors, the thickness, everything! everything about this soup was right. it did all the right things to all the right taste buds. also, visually, BOTH soups were poured at the table into the bowls with all the guts in them, so thats why they dont look so stunning in the pictures. but it was a nice touch. the only thing i was bummed about was after we ate the soup, i was hungry for the inevitable little bit of soup left in the pouring aparatus.....damn.
onto the entrees!
moms had the "Delta Asparagus - mushroom, ash creme fraiche, watercress" (12). this one was hit and miss for us all. everything on the plate was seasoned and cooked nicely, and the flavors were there, but it was just lukewarm. that was kind of a let down.
ryan got the "Line Caught Halibut - new potato, sugar snap, pea, clam" (18). the fish was cooked well, not overcooked, like most halibut is, so that was a plus. the set was nice. just a very light, late spring party. seasoned and cooked correctly. you know the deal. not my favorite, but it was a good dish.
i myself opted for the "Monterey Sardine - butter bean, spinach, kohlrabi, horseradish." (14). i really really liked this dish. the butter beans were yummy, the sardines were amazing quality, not too salty. mm. it was a really good dish. i would recommend it to anyone. regardless of whether you like sardines or not.
now the hum-dinger. i didnt want to order lamb. because i usually cook lamb. and ive gotten laced up for cooking lamb soooo many times, i really cant enjoy a lamb dish because i can only focus on how perfect it isnt. im glad i didnt order it. "Spring Lamb - torn bread, carrot, garbonzo beans, new onion" (22). this was a mess. the lamb (im assuming loin), was thick cut, waaaay too fatty, and unevenly cooked. half of it was mid well, half of it was mid rare. the set was greasy and stupid.
i only had 2 bites of this dish, but i think i was more angry than anyone who ate more of it. it was stupid. everything else was great, but this lamb was fucking weak. stick to the soup and fish. anyway.
DESSERT!
"Cheesecake in Jar - sour cherry, almond-teecino crumble" (9)
"Dark Chocolate Crunch - rosemary-caramel ice cream, pistachio." (9)
"Graham Cracker Cake - buttermilk ice cream, meringue, lemon roasted strawberry." (9)
all the desserts were really good. they were all very flavorful and had nice textures. we all picked a different one as our favorite.
Cuban Cocktail - lillet, lime, mint, prosecco. (8). delicious and refreshing. tasty.
ok, im done for a lil while now haha. i gotaa start dieting hahaha. shit was really good though. i would really recommend bringing a date here or just grabbing some apps and some drinks. i was happy after the meal! check it out!
Plum Restaurant
2214 Broadway
Oakland, Ca, 94612
www.plumoakland.com
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