This was our last dinner in the Bay area, when we visited our daughter Katharina Schiller in Berkeley. At the time, she was the General Manager of the Restaurant Venus in Berkeley and well connected in the wine and gastro scene in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland. For the last night, she said, let us go to Plum, an up and coming new restaurant.
“Oakland is the less attractive neighbor of San Francisco, but the city undeniably boasts some fascinating restaurants. Plum caused quite a buzz when it opened a while back.” Katharina Schiller said.
Plum is not a large restaurant; the dining room fits 48 people between large communal tables and a chef’s counter. The idea is a bit that you sit together with other people. The décor is simple and warm. Dimly lit by hanging Edison bulbs, the room features reclaimed elm tables and benches set against dark walls with artwork by Catherine Wagner depicting Santa Rosa plums.
Plum is owned by Daniel Patterson of Coi and Il Cane Rosso. Coi is #58 on the 2012 San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants List. Katharina Schiller: “He brought together the best of these two restaurants. From his fine dining restaurant, Patterson brought the precise techniques seen here from a perfectly poached egg to the complex aromas of a mushroom-infused dashi. From the Ferry Building rotisserie, Plum inherited the accessibility of simple, comfort food.” The result is a sophisticated yet approachable cuisine in a welcoming, casual atmosphere.
Plum’s menu changes daily and is divided in six sections called Snacks ($4), To start ($9 to $12), Vegetables and grains ($12 to $13), Animal ($15 to $18), Cheese ($13) and Sweet ($6 to $9). The food is prepared with only organic vegetables and pastured meat, poultry and eggs from small farmers.
Other Bay Area Recommendations of Christian G.E. Schiller
Oysters at Zuni Café in San Francisco, USA (to be posted)
Hotel Biron – A Hotel? No! A Cosy Wine Bar in San Francisco, USA
The Natural Wines of the Donkey and Goat Winery in Berkeley, California
The Natural Wines of Terroir in San Francisco
Terroir(s) Wine Bars in London, New York and San Francisco – Wines with a Sense of Place versus Natural Wines
Steak Frites and a Ballon de Blanc at Thomas Keller’s 1 Star Michelin Restaurant Bouchon in Yountville, California
Visiting Dade and Petra Thieriot and their Dee Vine Wines - Purveyors of Fine and Rare German Wines - in San Francisco, USA
August Kesseler’s Pinot Noir and Richard Wagner’s Ring der Nibelungen in San Francisco, USA
The Natural Wines of Terroir in San Francisco
Dining and Wining at a 1 Star Michelin Restaurant in San Francisco - Range in the Mission District, USA
Christian G.E. Schiller Interviewed by James the Wine Guy
Visiting Anne Moller-Racke and her Donum Estate in California: Old World, Terroir-driven Winemaking in the New World
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in San Francisco, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Spots in Healdsburg, California
August Kesseler’s Pinot Noir and Richard Wagner’s Ring der Nibelungen in San Francisco, USA
Lunch with Pinot Noir Giant Walter Schug in Sonoma, California
Plum really does look cozy and an intimate kind of restaurant. Also, its aesthetics complement very well, which would make one, feel at home and relaxed.
ReplyDeleteDanny Riddell