Oakland mini tour and a Berkeley surprise

[mendogurl]

Just finished a small tour of Oakland (+ one Berkeley) restaurants we have been reading so much
about.
Went to Plum, Adesso and Dopo, Camino, and )to Gather in Berkeley.
Skipped Commis, will try later but the "tweezer"comments pushed it down the list a bit.
(Next tour will include International Blvd. et al.

They were all really good. i was duly impressed. I had read good and not so good reviews of all of them, so I went with a bit of uncertainty which I like to have when trying new places.

Adesso and Dopo were great, terrific drinks, perfect size portions, very fresh ingredients.
Surprised at how good Camino was. Plum was also very good, but not significantly better than the others. And we are not wine drinkers so the lack of liquor is always a bit of a drag. But we will definitely return. We ended up ordering three of those fab fried chickpea stick starters, and the asparagus starter was incredible.

One morning, just because we didn't want to wait in a long line for breakfast we went to Gather in Berkeley. It was really, really, really good. I was so surprised as I haven't read any rave reviews and have driven by it for a year without eating there. Breakfast was so good, that we went back for dinner last night.
Still surprised at how good it was. The vegan vegetable charcuterie was amazing, and we are the farthest thing from vegans!

Curious what others have thought about Gather.

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Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

Adesso
4395 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA

Commis
3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

[Robert Lauriston]

Plum's getting a full bar, supposedly starting in July.

I've found Gather a bit uneven, but that "vegan charcuterie" plate has been great every time.

For your next visit, I recommend A Cote, Bowl'd, Great China, Hibiscus, and Wood Tavern

[mendogurl]

Thanks Robert. We live in Berkeley so everyday is a tour!! But we tend to find our favorites and get stuck there, my husband gets attached. Forcing him to go to new spots this past week re-energized him.
Been to Great China, really good. I have found Wood Tavern to be a bit uneven,still need to go to A Cote.
Hibiscus and Bowl'd????

A full bar at Plum will make it a regular destination.

Bowl'd sound like something the coffee bar at the original Bowl on Ward, LOL
Going to look them both up ...

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A Cote
5478 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618

Wood Tavern
6317 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

Great China Restaurant
2115 Kittredge St, Berkeley, CA 94704

Bowl'd
1479 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[Robert Lauriston]

Bowl'd, despite the awful name, serves the best Korean food in the area.

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Bowl'd
1479 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[mariacarmen]

in THAT area, right? or are you comparing Bowl'd favorably with Ohgane?

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Bowl'd
1479 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[Robert Lauriston]

I think Bowl'd serves the best Korean food in the East Bay, though the menu is limited. Ohgane's still my favorite for BBQ, dumplings, and soon dae.

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Bowl'd
1479 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[mariacarmen]

wow! and i now get the distinction. i don't know enough about Korean food, i've only had a few dishes that weren't bbq. thx., will have to check Bowl'd out.

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Bowl'd
1479 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[mendogurl]

mmmmmmm, Korean!
My husband has been jonesing for some good Korean!

We went to the spot on Telegraph, it was pretty good, but the meat seemed a bit dicey.
Goin to Bowl'd !

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Bowl'd
1479 Solano Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[Robert Lauriston]

There are maybe a dozen Korean restaurants on Telegraph.

[mendogurl]

I know, and I couldn't remember the name.
It is in a mini mall around 45th? Doesn't matter. I don't even know if it is still there.
We were there a couple of years ago.

[Spatlese]

Perhaps you're referring to Koryo Wooden Charcoal BBQ?

[mendogurl]

yep.
That's it.

[Robert Lauriston]

Koryo's not great. For grilled meat in that area I'd go to Ohgane. Here's a thread that discusses most of the Korean places on Telegraph and which is best for what:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/490903

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Koryo Jajang
4390 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

[mendogurl]

excellent, thank you!

[bbulkow]

I went with a raised-korean friend to Ohgane; she greatly preferred Koryo. I think I see why: Ohgane might be to clean and lacking in flavor. I've done Oghane a few times recently, it's time to switch back to Koryo for a few tries.

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Koryo Restaurant
2556 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704

[Robert Lauriston]

Huh, I go to Koryo once in a while since they're open later and the food always seems mediocre, but I suppose if you spoke Korean and knew what to ask for it might help. Ohgane's spicy pork is pretty flavorful.

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Ohgane
3915 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

Koryo Restaurant
2556 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704