Location: Oakland California
Date Visited: May 1st, 2019
Arrival and First impressions:
We arrived at Commis early for a 5:30 reservation so the restaurant was not yet open. Since it was not open, we decided to head into the CDP bar, the bar owned by Commis and directly next door. The bar had about ten bar style seats and there were also a few tables and booths in the back. Overall it felt very small and cramped. After about five minutes of waiting, we were taken to our table-a half booth half chair table. Upon sitting down at our tables, the waiters (wearing a suit and tie) immediately greeted us with world class service. They then proceeded to ask if we wanted water and to tell us about their nightly tasting menu which we would be having. Here are the courses we received i in the order we got them.
Note: One thing different about this restaurant is that they do not give you the menu until the end of the meal. Also, the menu changes every month so when we went there, we had the May menu.
Snack Course:
The Dish on the left (the broccoli mousse tart) was the better dish overall but both were very good dishes. The dish on the left tasted like a taco with guacamole inside it and the beef fat could be tasted. Also, the cheese and the flowers on top were a great addition. The dish on the right tasted a little bit too fishy for us but overall a good dish. These two dishes were all and all a great way to start the meal although we all wish the portions were a little bit bigger.
Stars: 4/5
Course One:
This dish was one of the highlights of the night. The buckwheat was stuffed with and oyster and deep fried which created a great texture and depth of flavor. This dish packed a punch and the oyster gave it the perfect amount of saltiness. Overall an amazing dish and we all wished we could have had three more.
Stars: 4.8/5
Course Two:
This dish was an ok dish overall. The Halibut was amazing and tasted really fresh. But unfortunately, the asparagus wrapped around the halibut was too overpowering to the delicate flavor and texture of the fish. I think that the chef was trying to use the asparagus to add texture to the dish. Overall, the dish fell flat and was a bit of a disappointment.
Stars: 3/5
Course Three:
Although this dish looks very bland from the start, once you mix it around with your fork, you get the orange from the carrots and the green from the mint to add to the white color. This dish was very good overall. It reminded me of a shaved ice with carrots and mint. Overall great depth of flavor and very creative dish.
stars: 4/5
Course Four:
The presentation of the dish was overall very beautiful. The highlight of this dish was the caviar which was amazing. But this dish fell flat with every other component other than the caviar. The taro root puree was very bland and a bit chalky. The onions in beer overpowered this dish. Overall this dish was not one of the best.
Stars: 2/5
Course Five:
Overall, this dish fell flat in many ways. For one, the dates and the puree at the bottom made the dish overly sweet and in fact too sweet to even finish eating. The egg was a nice touch but was not enough to overcome the sweetness. Overall average dish.
Stars: 2/5
Course Six:
This dish was another highlight of the night. The cod was cooked perfectly and paired beautifully with the rest of the dish. The clam liquor with dill was delicious and worked really well with the cod. The one bad thing about this dish was the spring green garlic. The spring green garlic just was not really necessary overall to the dish. Overall great dish.
Stars: 3.7/5
Course Seven:
This was another stunning dish. The plating and colors on this dish were absolutely amazing. The veal was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious but it could be a bigger portion. The peas, artichokes and the sauce paired perfectly with the veal and all were cooked perfectly. Overall solid dish, just nothing special about it.
Stars: 4/5
Course Eight:
This was the best dish of the night. From the start, the dish looked bland and did not have much color. But, the flavor and taste all made up for what it lacked visually. This dish may look simple but it was extremely elevated with the duck and truffle. Overall outstanding dish. They did a great job of elevating a simple dish.
Stars: 4.9/5
Course Nine:
This dish was the dessert that finished off the night. The dish reminded me of a strawberry shortcake crumble with ice cream. Although it was a very good dish and had amazing flavor, it seemed like it had been done many times at other restaurants. I wish that overall this dish was more creative.
Stars: 3.8/5
Overall:
Overall, Commis left a great impression on me. The restaurant was very good but not amazing. Some of the dishes were outstanding but others were weak and lacked creativity. At its price point, Commis should be a little bit better and most of their dishes should be standouts. But, overall I was very happy with the service and the quality of the food. Great job to the team at Commis!
Walker's World 