The Wood Tavern - Oakland - Solid Gold

It's regrettably difficult to get a reservation here but once you are in - sheer bliss. The food is so nicely concepted and executed. We had an array of apps that didn't disappoint. Pork belly, asparagus salad, gnocchi. All so delicious and flavorful. We also shared the bolognese pasta entree. That was underwhelming. The issue was that the sauce hadn't cooked long enough to develop the velvety smooth texture of long cooked ground meat. All in all a very nice evening of food. Great Cosmo too!

Blackberry Bistro-Oakland-Bad Breakfast All the Way Around

Good Vanilla Latte - but otherwise not worth the trip. The shrimp and grits were diluted and utterly lacking in flavor. The grits were under-salted and shrimp were not infused with any flavor from the sauce - that might be because the sauce also had no flavor. The biscuit that came with the dish was reminiscent of Bisquick baking mix.  The french toast was thick cut cinnamon bread that should have been nice -BUT the custard base had not permeated the bread to impart any flavor or moistness to the bread. The result? Bland and dry french toast. To add insult to injury the "pancake syrup" served with the bland french toast was anything but maple!  Add slow and inattentive service to the above and you've got a bad breakfast all the way around.

My advice, if a misguided friend invites you to a breakfast (or any meal) here revoke said friend's "foodie" card immediately and quickly suggest an alternative.

Review by Marisha

Flora-Oakland-The Economization of Flora

Rib Eye or Rib not?  "Where are the potatoes", Debbie asked. The rather high-priced $31 Rib Eye on the menu  that Debbie ordered came with 3 minuscule baby new potatoes - the size of olives. The steak was tasty and well charred but the plate felt stingy for the price. The Malbec wine pour was short - a curiosity for a known value-priced varietal.

I had a French-styled beef broth-based onion soup that was nicely done but the fontina cheese toast was tiny and left one wanting a bit more. The smoked trout salad with fingerling potatoes, beets and aioli with sprigs of arugula was spot on. But again, a bit on the small side. Salted caramel pudding remains the primary draw (see prior 1/11 post).

Overall verdict- it felt like economy over culinary execution. At this price point there are better options than Flora.

Review by Marisha

Pican - Oakland - Appetizers Fall Flat While Drinks Shine

I swung by Pican this past week after work for libations and apps. I was introduced to a new and fabulous India inspired cocktail called the Kachumber which is made with gin, lime juice, muddled cucumber, mint, and simple syrup. I elected to skip the chili pepper! Delicious and refreshing. That's the goods news. The bad was a lacking "seared" sea scallop dish. The word "seared" appears in quotes because the scallops were NOT seared at all and sadly remained undercooked and over-salted after being returned to the kitchen twice. The chef was simply unable to deliver a palatable scallop dish -so I opted for the shrimp & grits instead - which were fine but not what I wanted.  This latest evening at Pican confirms my belief that the dining experience can be inconsistent there.

The verdict is a shining star for libations and to go for the apps only if you are up for a gamble.

Review by Marisha 

Flora - Oakland - Sublime Salted Caramel

I had dessert at Flora this past week. I can't say enough about the salted caramel pudding. It's a dessert so compelling my dining partner and I left Pican (after having delicious cocktails and so-so appetizers) to go to Flora. All so that we might experience Flora's salted caramel pudding -again. It's a dessert that provides such exquisite flavor balance while imparting a satisfying and velvety texture on the tongue. It's at once creamy, rich, salty, and sweet. The pudding is topped with barely sweetened whipped cream and sea salt crystals. Next time you have a dessert craving don't miss this dish.

Review by Marisha

Filippo's - Berkeley

Wow... as in wow that was awful! I used to go to the Oakland Filippo's when they first opened and always really liked it for the quality, portion, and price. It was great, but that was many years ago.

Marisha and I ate at the Berkeley Elmwood location tonight and it was so lacking neither of us finished our meals. I had the spaghetti and meatballs and only ate a few bites. Tasted like someone opened a can of Hunts tomato sauce and balled up some plain hamburger. C'mon folks, how can you mess up spaghetti and meatballs! Marisha had the pizza margarita, again, bland and little personality. You'd be better off going to Pasta Pomadoro. At least it's decent for the price.

On a positive note, the service was great. Our waitress was horrified and took the pasta off the bill. She also said that she would talk to the owner due to many complaints that the various cooks (who change from day to day) seem to do what they want and don't follow the same recipe. Clearly the cook tonight hasn't ever eaten Italian food.

Review by Debbie (edited from the original Yelp posting)