“Hi, my name is Tom.”
“HI TOM”
“And I am a cheater.”
Collective loud gasp.
Yes, last night I cheated and ventured outside of Vallejo for dinner. In celebration of a birthday I traveled to Oakland to enjoy a stunning meal at a well renowned 2 star restaurant. As much as I love Vallejo, this was an experience of a lifetime. This chef does not need my praise, he earned both of his stars the hard way. The décor, the service and the food . . . impeccable. I admire anyone who is intent in their work and performs and their highest level. I witnessed this with every movement last night. Whether it was the line cook, wine steward, waiter or pastry cook. Each movement was exact, precise and thoughtful. We sat at the Chef’s Table and watched as every dish was plated. Incredible.
I enjoy food and have little spare time so I am prone to rushing through a meal. Except, when the meal is exceptional. This one was. At these moments I sit quietly and observe. These are the exceptional moments that I cherish in my life. Rarely have I enjoyed food of such quality.
Will I return? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Sometimes a perfect moment needs not repeating. Thank you Chef and staff.
Please follow my Facebook page The V-Town Social Club and don’t forget to stop in my website http://www.the-v-town-social-club.com
Until next time,
Eat Well and Smile Often
Tommy Judt
It sounds wonderful but the prices are downright scary and the snob factor on their website is a little off-putting to me. Oakland is becoming like SF or NY.
I used to wish Vallejo had a restaurant scene as good as SF’s where I lived for 30 years.
But my favorite places were reasonably priced.
I was pleased to see Il Pollaio is still in business in North Beach. Impossible to park, but affordable and delicious, fresh and perfect grilled chicken and sides are served here.
Sorry Thomas, I’m not taking over your blog!
Tommy, “I Am a Cheater” wasn’t so much a blog post, as it was the introductory paragraphs of a post. If you’re going to write about a restaurant experience, write about it! Unbelievably, you didn’t even include the name of the restaurant in the post! I’ve been waiting for someone to write seriously about food and restaurants in Vallejo, and I’d hope you’d do that, but apparently you have something else in mind. In any case, I’ll keep following you and keep hoping.
Gary, I look forward to reading your blog.
Where and what did you have?
Commis in Oakland. Wow, crazy good food. Let’s see . . . carrot tartar with citrus something, caviar with taro and pickled something else, pork with roasting juices, halibut bites with super thins asparagus and bunches of wine that I never tried before. Wow, just wow.