excerpts from recent reviews and articles:
Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, (510) 653-3902
Housed in the narrow space next to Bay Wolf, where JoJo’s restaurant used to flaunt famously genuine French fare, Commis will make knowledgeable Bay Area foodies less downtrodden that JoJo’s sunk in the economic downturn. Where the previous sign once hung, a soft light shines a glowing circle above the simple-framed door in that ever-popular illusive fashion. No name, no welcoming sign. You supposedly have to know before you go, and with a regularly full schedule it seems as hard to get a reservation as it is to figure out just what they are if you are a simple passerby, poking your nose in the many street-front businesses along Piedmont Avenue. This new culinary hot spot, however illusive, is a clean-cut and imaginative eating experience.
Chef James Syhabout is one of those farm-to-table sticklers that treats eating not only a sensual adventure, but also a geographic one. He’s also got the refinement of the best French dining in his realm. The result is a menu, updated daily, to reflect the arrival of fresh ingredients that allows for grazing, or a complete prix fixe meal. Just for sitting down you’ll be gifted with an inventive palate refresher like red-leaf shiso soda, and a first course-size amuse bouche like a perfect 2-minute egg yolk atop a malty savory custard and crisp, herbed grouts. Eggs, freshly harvested from small local farms, are a consistent highlight beyond the amuse, served poached for one of the first course choices with braised scallion, roasted potatoes and fatty pork jowl, smeared with a stroke of fermented black garlic and a sprinkling of light purple flowers. Soups of kabocha squash with lemongrass cream and quince, or sunchokes with toasted sunflower seeds and lobster mushrooms are liquid passion of the cozy variety. A distinct wine list and a knowledgeable staff make it hard to choose the wrong variety or vintage.
Elegant textural combinations continue for the main course, but slightly loose footing when it comes to technique. With such a creative bent, it is forgivable for there to be some room for improvement, especially within the first few months of Commis opening its doors. Poached northern Halibut is as buttery and tender as one could wish for, but oddly covered by oily fried trumpet mushrooms. However the fish broth and kohlrabi greens underneath the fish are satisfying and flavorful, without a whisper of over seasoning. The slow-roasted pork lion and belly is fatty and delicious, especially so when paired with creamed escarole, not too bitter. Braised lamb cheeks however, don’t hit the same high mark, unless they were renamed lamb jerky. Although the plate is an artists’ vision, scattered with young radishes and dots of oyster vinaigrette, the meat itself is not as succulent as expected, but would be well appreciated by those who favor smokier, condensed flavors and textures.
Dessert shouldn’t be missed, and if you order the $59 prix fixe, is happily included. Recent offerings include apple-thyme tatin with amber ale cream and sharp English cheddar ice cream, warm pumpkin custard with licorice cream, dry pumpkin seeds and root beer reduction and cream of summer melon soup with blackberries and something called chamomile snow. Save a few sips of your wine to go with these smart sweets.
After your meal, you’ll be intimate with the most local of ingredients, perhaps have memorized wistful names of nearby farms, and been privy to the cutting edge of ingredient combinations. Although for such a multi-course parade of colorful dishes the price is right, diners should know that a typical meal for two, with drinks, will likely creep over $120 easily even without the full prix fixe order. Invention is alive a Commis, and nothing here lacks attention to detail even if a few dishes could have been more honed. It is impossible not to appreciate the exquisite plating, chic and unhampered ambiance, and a totally new level of Oakland dining here. Also, don’t be surprised if something like absinthe gelee lands on your table with the bill. Sorry JoJo’s, but you aren’t as sorely missed as before Commis shone its bare, glowing light on your old façade.
Sonoma Cheese Tour
Part One
Part of Alice Water’s idea for the “slow” food movement is to connect eaters with the process of making food. The farm to table mentality makes sense, especially if we don’t want to hear our children explaining that milk comes from the containers in the supermarket! Sonoma County gets it – and has been a natural part of the shift towards more wholesome and direct food since the beginning. The cheese makers here have been crafting their dairy using the traditions of their culture, their family, and of the past. That old world knowledge certainly tastes good!
Driving around the county, it is hard to find a road without passing a farm stand, a winery, or at least a sign proclaiming the existence of a working farm – and this is good news. Keeping up the relationship between man, beast, and land takes ever more work as land prices soar and economic instability becomes a reality. These dedicated families have stayed close to their roots, and any visit to Sonoma County should include a taste of their creations.
My list of favorite Sonoma cheeses is so long it will take a few mini-tours to cover them, but here are a few to start with. Remember that goat’s milk has far less lactose than cows milk (sheep’s milk is somewhere in between), and for vegetarians, most of these producers use natural rennet, not derived from animals, a quick call in advance will clear it up if you’ve got further questions. Dietary considerations are important, but once you’ve figured out what’s right for you – get out and start your tour of the Sonoma Cheese Trail!
Let’s begin in Petaluma, one of Sonoma County’s richest dairy countries…
Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese
About five years ago Bonnie Depernerdi was given a few goats to keep her dairy cows company. As a serious dairy gal, she went ahead and bred them, and her husband Don began dreaming of his Grandfather back in Switzerland, who made his own hard, raw goat cheese in the Alps. With more than a gallon of a milk a day, much more than they could drink, he decided to make cheese in the style of his family – he’s a first generation American from Swiss parents. After a few visits to the old country, equipped with cheese making lessons and the proper permits, he did just that, and his incredible raw goat cheese is one of my very favorites. In the summer there are some 30 goats to milk, in the fall and winter the number drops to about 10, but look for Two Rock Valley Cheese at both Santa Rosa and Petaluma Farmers Markets (where you can meet Don in person), at the Pacific Markets around Sonoma County, and at Fiesta Market, Faircrest Market and others. Give him a call and he’d be happy to show you around and introduce you to his sweet goats who graze in the open, picturesque meadow. After visiting this place it’ll be hard not to be dreaming of getting your own goats and making your own cheese too.
7955 Valley Ford Rd., Petaluma, 707.762.6182
Bellwether Farms
For a complete lesson in artisan cheese, Bellwether is your one-stop shop. Find a range of cheeses, mostly soft, like fromage blanc and crème fraiche, pepato (made with peppercorns) and carmody (a partially aged gorgonzola with mild taste and texture like a more vibrant Jack), ricotta and Bellwether’s special San Andreas cheese (an absolutely addictive raw milk sheep’s cheese). Using both cow’s and sheep’s milk, the handmade dairy products here are a mainstay in the best local restaurants like ZaZu, Underwood Bar and Bistro and Rocker Oysterfeller’s. Although they currently don’t offer tours of Bellwether, the cheeses are widely distributed, and especially easy to find now that they’ve added a handy “finder” feature on their website: www.bellwethercheese.com
Part Two
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: good dairy is where it’s at in Sonoma County. There are cool ocean breezes to woo the cows, sheep, and goats, and a synergistic relationship between farmers that means one man’s waste is another flock’s food. For instance, the goats on the Pacheco’s farms sup on spent beer grain from a local brewery in between munching on tall native grasses.
Continue your exploration of divine dairy at these great farms, or find their cheeses at local markets like John Raymond Cheese Company (www.raymondcheesemongers.com, Jack London Village, 14301 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, 707.938.9911), or Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market (www.sonoma-glenellenmkt.com, 707.996.3411), also at local farmers markets. Here are two more milky treats, and we still haven’t even left Petaluma! I guess that means there will have to be a part Trois…
Spring Hill Cheese Company
Creamy Jack, sharp cheddar, and bright yellow churned butter from Spring Hill Dairy come from very happy cows indeed. In between grazing on grasses on the rolling hills of their pasture, this herd of 400 Jerseys feeds on a “forage” mix with fava beans and white oats frown by owner Larry Peter and his crew. Roaming about on the lush Sonoma lawns of Petaluma is the place to be if you are a dairy cow.
And there’s lots to do with the milk at this “estate” cheese-making facility, which means everything from milking, to pasteurizing, to aging happens at the same company. Portuguese cheeses, aged up to eight months, and Gianna, with a washed rind, are two other favorites, and I hear that a raw milk cheese will soon be on offer. For something entirely unique, but also traditional in the “old world,” quark is a perfect pairing with a grainy toasted bread, or tucked away in a fluffy omelet. Petaluma Creamery will be re-opening soon, where you can purchase these cheeses, plus order an old-fashioned milk shake. Or you can go meet the cows in person near Two Rock on Spring Hill Road.
Petaluma Creamery: 621 Western Ave., Petaluma, off of Petaluma Blvd. S.
Spring Hill Jersey Cheese Farm: 4235 Spring Hill Rd., Petaluma, off of Bodega Ave., www.springhillcheese.com
Achadinha Cheese Company and Pacheco Family Dairy
Continuing the family tradition of dairy farming, the Pachecos moved from Bodega Bay to Petaluma in 2004 to focus on their two favorite cheeses: a lovely, melt-able Broncha, and a hand-rolled, semi-hard cheese called Capricious. Using their own family recipes and creating something totally unique to their estate operation, these goat cheeses are as pretty as they are tasty. Pronounced “osh-a-deen-a,” this is not the chevre you are used to, rather rolled loaves made in the old California, and Portuguese tradition. Ask about their fresh feta too!
750 Chileno Valley Rd., Petaluma, 707.763.1025, www.achadinha.com
Chop Bar
247 4th St., #111, Oakland, (510) 834-2467
Yum, yum and yum. Yucatan style broiled oysters, rosemary fried chicken doused in local honey, 18-month aged ham with chilled watermelon and queso fresco, fennel and potato soup, crab and shrimp salad with generous medallions of ripe avocado… Chop Bar feels like it was always here in Oakland as a show-off eatery, yet they are new to the sky-rocketing Oakland culinary culture. Inside this stylish restaurant, furnished around several copper-covered pillars around which armchairs and bar chairs are grouped, the vibe is casual but sophisticated. Reused wood textures the back feature wall, but the decor seems to fade away once your order of incredible ‘chicken under a skillet’ arrives. Save room for panna cotta or a seasonal crisp, which come as one of the courses in the affordable $20 Prix Fixe Sunday dinner. Portions are not huge, so they might not be enough to split if you are ready for a big meal. Brunch is a regular feast, with all the standards including a respectable eggs Benedict made with organic free-range eggs.