Favorite dishes 4/5/2013
This week I made it to Oakland twice and also drove to Santa Cruz, where I checked out three restaurants.
Photo #1: A menu can capture me with the word “pickle.” I love anything brined, and was more than satisfied with the pickle plate at Miss Ollie’s ($4). It included a hard-boiled egg, sweet and sour okra, turnips, carrots and pikliz, a cabbage and carrot salad. It was great with the fried chicken ($12.50).
#2: My favorite dish at Town Hall was the oysters ($16) They are lightly battered in cornmeal, topped with bacon and served on a pad of pureed spinach flavored with herbsaint and preserved lemon. I only wish I would have been given a cocktail fork so I could have gotten to the pool of sauce on the bottom.
#3: I also had oysters ($13) baked in a wood oven at Bantam in Santa Cruz. They picked up a slight smokiness from the fire and were moistened with butter and bread crumbs. However, the real treat was the radish salad served on a separate dish.
#4: Fancier fare was on the menu at Oliveto, where several of the dishes were stuffed. That included a guinea hen ($31) that was pan-roasted and stuffed with sausage.
#5: At Fifth Floor I was impressed with the persimmon pain perdu ($12) with kiwi sorbet (When was the last time you saw this fruit? Maybe it’s time for a comeback) and a cheesecake puree. Pastry chef Francis Ang always includes a savory ingredient in his desserts; this time it was the earthy candy cap mushrooms.
