This is your weekly allotment of Good Taste, a tipsheet for food news, views and happenings in the Bay Area.
Last week, I was invited to have dinner at Pomet (4029 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland), a new, in all actuality farm-to-table restaurant that opened on March 16, from K&J Orchards owner and second-generation farmer Aomboon Deasy. With all of the frequency that this phrase is thrown around in the Bay Area, how wonderful it is to see an actual farmer open what I’m sure will be one of the more notable restaurants of the year. Pomet features produce from K&J Orchards as well as other local farms and ranches.
The first thing you see when you walk in is a beautiful open kitchen on your left, and I was struck by the calm and happy energy radiating from Chef Alan Hsu (who previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurants Benu in San Francisco and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, NY) and his crew. It’s fun to watch them collaborate on the plates, especially when you know they’re headed your way.
When I met Deasy, I told her I was having trouble narrowing down what to order to start the meal, since I literally wanted all the things. She suggested a sweet, salty, spicy combination of roasted Star Route carrots with dates, honey and sunflower puree and Wolfe Ranch quail fried salt and pepper style and served with pickled pears and jalapeños. I sopped up the sauce under the carrots with a giant scallion and sesame seed roll that tasted like a convergence of a bao, Parker House roll, and sourdough boule.
Aomboon also suggested picking one pasta dish and one protein-focused main course. We went for a bowl of soul-warming curly strozzapreti noodles served with tender lamb neck, Shaoxing wine, foraged greens, and big slices of Parmesan — a smart melding of Chinese and Italian sensibilities. At its side, a plate of perfectly cooked Liberty duck in a roasted wing jus that should be bottled and sold.
While those K&J pears are still peaking, they are a star of the dessert menu in a “snow” with shiso leaves and are also served in simple slices as a complimentary mignardise at the end of the meal. We also tried a Creamsicle pie made with Satsuma mandarin oranges, which has the smoothest texture you can imagine and a meringue topping kissed with a coal from the fireplace that brings all the hot food dishes to life at Pomet.
My visit was super early in the life of this new restaurant, but it already feels like it’s been a loved part of the area for a long time.
Hop over to Tamara’s site California Eating to read more stories about food.
