B: Right here is just fine : )
R: Cool - so, Plum? What was your overall impression?
B: First I will say - I was really nervous about what to wear to Plum. I was not sure - was it hipster?
R: I would say YES to that for sure, maybe an older hipster crowd...but they are not unfamiliar with rolled up skinny pants and those twee hats either.
B: You - nailed the dress code.
R: I WAS trying to be good - I am sooo bad about being inappropriately dressed for stuff.
B: The communal long wooden table also seems to be the big thing.
R: Yeah, you know, I wasn't sure how I felt about that initially, I do not like forced socialization, but it worked out rather well I thought.
B: It was nice, in some ways - because we got to ogle others food and we were not balancing meals on a 2x2 square.
R: Yep - those extra few inches definitely helped. I thought the waitstaff was really excellent too.
B: Our waiter was nice - but the overall waitstaff seemed kinda nervous. They must have switched out my fork and knife 5 times
R: Ha! True! I forgot about the silverware thing!
B: Then came the chickpea fritters - which were not at all what I expected having just been to Hibiscus - I expected some frittery sort of thing - fried and lumpy with whole chickpeas in it.
R: After our wonderful Hibiscus experience, yeah, it was quite different. But man, whatever they did, is totally FINE. I would go back there just to eat those things.
B: Although the waiter must have seen the look in my eyes when they dropped off the small bowl of three fritters - that would NEVER be enough. We sent back for more.
R: Yes - that is actually my only complaint - the plates were rather small.
B: The fritters themselves were like hushpuppies - but made of chickpea flour and with some middle eastern type spice.
R: And soaked in some sort of goat cheese thing.
B: That was very, very rich.
R: There was definitely some cheesey thing going in there, yes, delish!!! I loved them. The wine was very good too.
B: We ordered the Robert Sinskey “Abraxas”
R: And it went very well with the food, as promised
B: Which was mellow and warm tasting.
R: Good fruity flavors, but not sweet/cloying. Yes! Very mellow, not overpowering, just tasty!
B: I had a escarole salad - with asian pear and lemon mint dressing . You had a beets and onions?
R: Yes. It was very tasty. I like it when beet salads have the different colored beets. However, I was sorta looking for more salad with my beets, you know? More greenery.
B: The mint in my salad was ass kicking strength
R: Yeah, your salad dressing was a kick in the mouth
B: I had to take a bite and wait a minute, let the mint dissipate. It was the only thing I did not finish, but - my breath was fresh .
R: Drink some wine, drink some water, okay - ready for the next bite! It was a palette cleaner?
B: I guess! After I lingered over my salad for a while - trying to finish it - out came our dishes.
R: You had the what again now?
B: I had new potatoes. You had roasted cauliflower.
R: Yes! Those were tasty! The cauliflower and the bulgur wheat was really good. That was something I'd want to make for myself at home
B: Your dish was better than mine. I was expecting something hearty and potato-y with warmness and cheese. I got small slices of al dente potatoes in a tasty cream sauce - but room temperature. The cheese had cooled as well – it was like a sheet of cheese.
R: Yeah, it needed to be warmer, with more substance.
B: However - once I took a bite- I made peace with my potatoes. They were not what I wanted - but they were potatoes all the same.
B: After we ordered - a handsome German couple came in…
R: Those hot guys next to us?
B: …Yes - the hot German guys and the waiter explained the meals were really meant as sharing dishes -and several should be ordered as a meal.
R: Well dang, we missed that part of the speech! Now we know!
B: I am not sure I would have ordered more.
R: I was full, that's for sure, when we left. We did not suffer! And we did sample each other's food.
B: I was saving room for what appeared to be four amazing looking desserts. We lucked out, as we were ordering dinner the nice ladies that shared our communal table were ordering dessert and we got to taste test their options.
R: Yes - and both of them were AMAZING.
B: Goat cheese cheesecake - with grape sorbet. Milk chocolate piles of fluff, not sure how that was listed on the menu, chocolate cream?
R: Yeah! That milk chocolate puffy thing was really out of hand
B: But - whipped milk chocolate with basil cream? It was never anything I would have ordered. Wow - fluffy chocolate!
R: The texture on that was really cool. It was like a meringue almost...but pudding!
Me neither, so I am glad those ladies ordered that - now we know!
B: The ladies beside us were disturbed by the gelatin in the dish and kept calling it "jello". Until it came, and then they tasted it and all joking ceased.
R: I think they are believers now! That grape sorbet thing looked cool too. It was VERY purple, so dark, I thought it was chocolate.
B: I had roasted white chocolate parfait
R: Which was awesome, and I had the milk chocolate ice cream.
B: The parfait came with huckleberries
R: The huckleberries! With the fennel!! A pleasant surprise.
B: I am not sure how you roast white chocolate…
R: Very creative, I thought, But I like how all those flavors came together. It worked really well.
B: …I had visions of white chocolate on a spit.
R: *almost chokes on cracker* What?
B: Trussed up like a roast? However…
R: However?
B: White chocolate anything is always a winner for me, and the wee slice of parfait was well sized - and came with huckleberries which I had never had. The sauce would have gone with any dessert they served. I know I tried it with your milk chocolate ice cream.
R: Yes - it was VERY tasty, so did I!! They could bottle and sell that sauce.
B: And - can I just say…
R: Say it girl!
B:…I am so glad I had chocolate options
R: Do you feel that restaurants are neglecting the chocolate in their dessert menus?
B:I am not a fan of dark chocolate this - 90% cocoa that - bitter nib the other. Hurrah for the creamy chocolates.
R: And there was no dark chocolate on this menu, all milk. That ice cream tasted like a cold super creamy alpine milk bar. I have never had chocolate ice cream that was SO chocolatey.
B:I would have licked the huckleberries off of the plate, had I had more to drink. As it was - I just refrained myself.
R: I think everyone would've understood. I wonder what those hot German guys would've done? Hopefully turned to me and said, "Hey, your friend is licking her plate. Can I buy you a drink?"
B: Say maybe a tawny port?
R: Exactly!!!! Unfortunately, none of this happened. Next time don't hold back okay?
B: Which is to say, Plum was a surprisingly welcoming atmosphere.
R: Yes; very, very friendly - very OAKLAND. So what's our verdict my friend? Recommendable to the masses?
R: 3 1/2 glasses
B: 3 1/2?
R: Yeah - I really liked it, but I feel like there's definitely a "groove" that it needs to get into
B:1/2 star off for the fact that there should have been double the fritters
R: And more salad in my salad
B: And less mint in mine
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