Commis equivalent, open on Monday/Tuesday?

[BroAdam]

Howdy -

The girlfriend and I are taking a trip down to California in early March, to relax, eat good food, and see the sights. I've been down your way a couple times, and last time I had one of the best meals of my life at Commis. I was all excited to repeat the experience and share it with the girlfriend, but it turns out they're closed the two days we'll be in town! Argh!

There's a chance we might change our plans to make a trip to Commis possible, but if not: do you kind folks have any very similar restaurant suggestions for us? Location is not a tremendously big concern, so Oakland, San Francisco, Napa, and Senoma are all in play. A similar feel (modern but not yet all the way to molecular gastronomy, price fixe where you pick 3-6 items from a menu, etc.), great food, but open on Monday or Tuesday?

Thanks!

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[bbulkow]

It is super-unfair to you that Manresa is closed Monday/Tuesday as well. That's the kitchen where all these chefs came from. If you think Commis is the best meal you've had, give the master a try. Although they've had some quality problems over the last few years (two or three dishes out of ten might be simply good instead of tear-inducing awesomeness), it's worth a trip. Grab a hired car, a 5:30 table, the tasting menu, and the standard wine pairings (deluxe are just better names and not as brilliant). You can also do a "pick N" from the menu instead of full tasting.

Station 1 - disappointing in the first week. Only a three course menu available.
Plum - my favorite place. Run, don't walk.
COI - Plum's older brother - open Tuesdays, you might like the lounge. A lit

While Commis is a great restaurant, it's in the michelin 1-star category. You should look through the rest of the 1-star list.

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Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030

Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[mariacarmen]

2nd Coi. Best meal I've ever had. And I loved Commis too.

[mdg]

If Silicon Valley is an option, the chef at Station 1 in Woodside might have been the chef de cuisine when you ate at Commis. I haven't gotten there yet but, unsurprisingly, it's supposed to be similar in style to Commis, though less expensive. On the similar but more expensive side would be Chez TJ in Mountain View. Both are open on Tuesdays.

Michael

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Chez TJ
938 Villa Street, Mountain View, CA 94041

Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

Station 1
2991 Woodside Rd, Woodside, CA 94062

[BroAdam]

Hmmm. Silicon Valley might be a little farther than I'd planned, but that menu looks great and if its the same chef ... hmmm! Thanks for the recommendation.

[Scott M]

I remember eVe in Berkeley was a similar concept but I haven't seen too many reports on these boards.

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eVe
1960 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

[daveena]

My meal at eVe was disappointing - I never got around to posting a review, but I remember that there were a lot of unusual flavor combinations that didn't work.

Agree with the above posters - Plum for Oakland, Commonwealth for SF.

[skwid]

In Oakland Plum is probably the closest thing to Commis and I would highly recommend a meal at Plum.

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[Robert Lauriston]

Maybe Plum (open seven days) or Ubuntu (Thurs.-Mon.). Neither is prix-fixe, they're small plates and you can make up your own menu.

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Ubuntu Restaurant & Yoga Studio
1140 Main Street, Napa, CA 94558

Plum
2214 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

[ankimo]

I second Plum

[BroAdam]

For some reason I had this memory of Ubuntu closing around the last time I was there, or the chef leaving, or something like that. So I hadn't even considered it. Huh. Am I going crazy, or have they survived and done well since whatever I'm remembering happened?

Thanks for the two recommendations either way. :)

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Ubuntu Restaurant & Yoga Studio
1140 Main Street, Napa, CA 94558

[vulber]

the opening chef did indeed left, but reports have still been good, and they also kept their michelin start and 3.5-star chronicle rating

[CarrieWas218]

Ubuntu is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during the winter months.

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Ubuntu Restaurant & Yoga Studio
1140 Main Street, Napa, CA 94558

[vulber]

if you're willing to go vegetarian, ubuntu

[Justin L]

might want to check out commonwealth in the mission, open on tuesday. Also Sons and daughters closed tuesday but open 6 days a week. In my opinion I think Commis is a cut above but both these places serve good food in a casual environment

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Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[BroAdam]

Thanks!