Commis — Restaurant in Oakland

1/2 ANNIVERSARY DINNER AT 2-STAR MICHELIN RESTAURANT When in pursuit of an indelible dinner out, in San Francisco, a bountiful place by any definition, to celebrate with my wife --who makes me happy because she's the charming gardener of my soul . . . because our relationship has happily marched on for some five decades now-- I've thought hard about it for the past month. In the beginning, I began to reminisce about other monumental restaurant experiences with her over time. Joel Robuchon and his iconic mashed potatoes at Jamain, in Paris, in the 1980s. Salmon tartare with sweet red onion creme fraiche cornets at The French Laundry in the late 1990s. Just-harvested fresh white truffles at Trattoria Cascina Schiavenza in Alba, Italy, in 2008. Trying to equal or surpass those experiences surely should be possible in a place where culinary and wine giants sit on every street corner. There are six Michelin 3-stars and eight 2-stars within a reasonable Uber distance from home. So began the long --and delightful!-- process of deciding where to dine. Gotta take a car service. Gonna try not to tip more than two entire dinners in a normal city. Gotta try to keep the meal under 4 hours. Gonna bring my own bottle of wine because I've got some good ones since moving here. Gotta ask around to get recommendations from food crazed local friends. Well, Commis in Oakland, a Michelin 2-star, got the nod. Not too far an Uber ride. Tantalizing reviews and history. An excitingly novel spot. First came the fight for a table. Here the battlefield is the website "tock." Once you've learned when reservations for the next 30 days are released, you anxiously log on to snag your preferred day and preferred time --probably not a weekend night and 5:30 p.m. vs. 9:15 p.m., for me. Then you cross your fingers. I scored: 5:30 on the Friday night after Thanksgiving. My first experience with tock, the gatekeeper. If you score, then tock scores: $100 deposit, for the table as they say, for each diner, with no refunds, no day or time changes, although tock transferring your reservation to someone else is kosher. Commis is a spare, modernist, and unapologetically boldly stark. This purposeful mood is carried out through every one of the dozen courses, in the flatware and the plates and bowls and serving platforms and hot stones that were put before us. And the food is also decidedly architectural. The shapes of each ingredient in each dish seem intentionally crafted and purposely placed. Each dish is like a dainty, hand-painted piece of jewelry. Or a sculpture, such as at Scandinavian-flavored in2Design, a la Kate Middleton. Even the chop sticks were metal with a padded grip. One coolio knife apparently baffles diners. It accompanies the dry-aged duck breast, which I tried to cut with the wrong edge. The duck was so tough! What my fingers told me was corroborated in my mouth. Contrarily, Sara said, "Oh, this duck is so tender!" To me, the waiter said, "By way of a reminder, cut the duck with the other side of the knife." Many a diner has been told that, even many times, the waiter said as he smiled at me. I turned the knife around. Then the duck was so so tender to the cut and to my mouth. I never knew mouth feel was influenced unconsciously by finger feel. At no other restaurant have I ever encountered so many inscrutable foods: jellyfish, kohlrabi, house-made tofu, huckleberries, black vinegar, lovage, taro root, palm sugar, slow-poached egg, smoked dates, alliums, malt, button mushroom tisane, chrysanthemum leaf oil, osmanthus tea, dried kale oil, chamomile glace, pickled mustard seeds, oolong mousse, puffed forbidden rice, miso sweet potato tart, and fish sauce salted caramel. All interesting, I suppose. Of all the ingredients, I was charmed by the flavors, textures, colors, and whimsey of some: a diminutive radish with its greens, very familiar diced beetroot; luscious smoked dates; silky poached black cod in clam broth; ethereal button-mushroom tisane or consomme; luscious dry-aged duck; and richly flavored, dainty,...

THEY HAVE THE BEST SOURDOUGH I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!! So warm, fresh, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside! But I didn't come here to have sourdough so not bumping to 5 stars haha

Overall, I think it was worth the money. I would definitely come back here if they haven't increased the price yet. Most of the small bites were some of the best tasting food I've had. However, in terms of texture of the food, I felt like not much was going on. The two entrees we got wasn't that memorable but it was still pretty good. Desserts were satisfying, not too sweet and tasty, but nothing super spectacular

Worth noting: I was pretty disappointed with their tea service considering they're supposed to be a fine dining establishment. I ordered oolong ginseng tea before our meal started because I was cold. The tea itself was really smooth and soothing. But they didn't bother checking if my tea was still warm enough or not, and they only refilled it once. Whenever I ordered tea at other fine dining places/higher end Japanese place, most of them make sure my tea is still warm and keep refilling it to the end.

Details of our meal:

Small bites: Broccoli mousse tart with beef fat - great starter! the only small bites that has contrasting texture. Even then I felt like the shell could've been a little lighter

Caramelized onion financier with sour cream - tasted really good! Very umami and buttery. Perfect savory financier!

Fresh anchovy with buckwheat and bay laurel - interesting texture on the anchovy though it's just a uniform texture, tasted great

Halibut and asparagus with borage salt, sushi and grilled fish bone vinegar - I love raw fish so this was great. Nothing too special though

Carrot tartare with Mandarin and lime, shaved young coconut with mint - I'm not sure what they're trying to do with this dish. I didn't enjoy this at all

Commis reserve white sturgeon caviar, taro root, onions in beer - This was one of my favorite! The taro root part felt a little too thick though but it tasted so good that I didn't mind the texture. I think I would appreciate some crunch here as well

Tapioca dumpling - the filling on this dumpling is probably the best dumpling filling I've ever had in my life!! It's also my first time having tapioca dumpling, I might prefer this than regular dumpling wrapper!

Slow poached egg yolk, smoked dates, alliums and malt - another one of my favorite! Very umami! Appreciate the alliums which added a little crunch and nice kick to the dish!

Confit of cod, clam liquor with dill, spring green garlic, yuzu - I've had better tasting black cod but this wasn't bad! They cooked the cod perfectly!

Comforting chicken broth with Koji, oil of wild onion tops - It was indeed comforting. Not to special though

Entrees: Heritage pork with spring peas and artichoke, roasting juices with smoked lard - I really wish they had better entree. It's not bad.. it's just so average. They did prepare the pork perfectly but I think I expected more in terms of overall taste and texture.

Organic brown rice congee with duck and truffle, local nori and aged soy - This was very interesting and fragrant. I'm not sure I like the texture of the brown rice though. But still pretty good

Dessert: Brook cherry sorbet in chilled white peach soup scented with violets - Good sorbet. no complaints

Raw milk ice cream with strawberries, matcha green tea powder, and pistachio - The ice cream was really good and the overall combination was great. I thought the ratio of ice cream and everything else was kinda off though. Too little ice cream compare to all the crumbles.

Finale: Asian pear perfumed with lemongrass - Light, refreshing, and fragrant!

Grapefruit and rose water pate de fruit - I usually don't like rose in my food because it tasted like fragrant. But this was just a slight hint of rose that's actually really comforting and refreshing

Toasted coconut demi-canele - great canele! really love the toasted...

Eggcellent. Commis is widely known as the best food in the East Bay and from reading some of these reviews it becomes clear that there is a bit of a reputation at stake. Some items have been on the menu for years, others rotate, there’s plenty of seasonal and local fare, and the flavors are exactly what I’ve come to expect from Michelin grade establishments.

With two Michelin stars in 2023, Commis succeeds in rare form and offers some truly exceptional cuisine. So let’s dig in.

The establishment is small by many standards and features only a few tables, so the staff to diner ratio is well in the favor of the diners. Water glasses never run empty here. And though the open kitchen is within reach, it’s not boisterous or noisy. A quiet corner can be yours in any part of the room.

Reservations are expected and you’ll want to reserve weeks ahead to avoid any issues.

The drinks menu is extensive and every detail down to the tables and flowers is considered. You’ll notice in photos some wonderful flatware with inlays, gold, and intricate touches here and there. Decor is minimalist, industrial, modern. Befits the area.

Small bites commence with an oyster and memorable flavored ice within, hinting at guava… a crisp bit of taro on an inventive chip, and a puff of caramelized onion and sour cream. Fascinating sort of cheeky takes on classics perhaps?

Some of the drink names are likewise playful and cheeky. It’s a fun twist. Commis isn’t too pretentious to play a joke.

From elegant crab to caviar to beets, the flavors build to a middle crescendo that feels like a continue wallop of hit dishes right in the middle of the meal. A legendary starring sourdough bread and an onion soup with the titular poached egg creates a sensational place to be before main savory courses. If anything the bread is too good. The cultured butter is divine. How can anything after live up to this? It certainly tries though.

Somewhere in this play emerges a pork dumpling set in tapioca served on a warm stone. Temperature and texture and flavors are all a delight to the senses. Really worth a second mention and worth savoring.

Monkfish and bison follow on the heels of the stars, and then some gastronomic wonders close the meal for dessert in 3 parts. The monkfish and sabayon were perhaps the only parts I’d have changed, flavors didn’t do anything miraculous for me but every dish was at least good if not great - and among such a cast how can every actor be a superstar? Some must play support.

The final sweet bites are awesomely creative, from the “capsule” ice cream trapped in ice to the fancy mochi and small lush cake. It’s all really quite inventive.

And all in all the 2 Michelin stars feel well deserved at this price point, with 10+ courses, lovely ambiance, and a truly creative flare to the menu… we’d certainly return.

And I want the recipe for that bread! What a...