The Other Critics

Patti U. Calls Plum ‘The Future of Food’; Matthews Enjoys Nex in Oakland

Photo: Brian Smeets/Grub Street

Patricia Unterman finally made it to Plum, and golly, was she impressed! Even though she sounds a little sad that the restaurant replaced one of her favorite spots, Louisiana Fried Chicken, she loves the “labor intensive” seasonal vegetable dishes most, like the beet boudin noir. She doesn’t recommend sharing any of these small plates, saying, “You need sole access to pick up all the threads of flavor, texture and scent that make these dishes whole.” She says the roasted pork dish over a ragout of vegetables, “evokes the most opulent Sunday supper — in all of four bites.” And she says all the house-made ice creams are “fantastic.” [Examiner, Bauer’s earlier take, the CC Times 4-star take]

Allen Matthews, meanwhile, hits up the very nearby Nex (2442 Webster St., Oakland), which perhaps hasn’t been enjoying the same wild popularity of Plum. Like much of downtown Oakland, he writes that Nex “can be ominously empty, and quiet, on weeknights.” But the food, he says, is “intriguing” and “delightful,” and he’s especially a fan of the marrow bones, the roasted mussels, and the beef cheek ravioli, which he nominates to become “a signature” dish. [Chron]

Patti U. Calls Plum ‘The Future of Food’; Matthews Enjoys Nex in