Hirsch Wastes No Time in Reviewing Rumbo Al Sur; Miller Recommends Winter Dishes
Over at the East Bay Express today we have the first review, by Jesse Hirsch, of the much-delayed, Jack Knowles-backed, pan-Latin restaurant Rumbo al Sur (4239 Park Boulevard, Oakland). Hirsch writes that the delay, while it may have been unavoidable, has had the effect of creating a "hotly anticipated opening of epic proportions." So his expectations were high. And he's "underwhelmed" by a "limpness" in the food which he attributes, in part, to chef Matt Colgan having been stuck for eleven years "making Mediterranean tapas [at À Côté] (Colgan calls this "five lifetimes for a chef")." Still he says the pozole verde and chiles rellenos are great, but describes some black-eyed pea fritters as "chokingly dry" and says the tamales cochinita pibil were filled with overcooked meat, and were "the meal's low point." [EBX, Earlier]
Over at the Guardian, Virginia Miller does a roundup of favorite wintry dishes, including the homemade egg noodles and the Monterey calamari in ginger bourride at Bushi-Tei; the signature ravioli uovo (ravioli filled with ricotta, spinach and egg yolk) at Seven Hills; and the chestnut soup at the brand new Bouche on Bush Street, of which she writes, "Its aroma evokes a winter panorama, the soup dotted with sage leaves fried in butter (which I could smell downstairs before the dish arrived to my table upstairs), with a side of crispy root vegetable chips to place on top." [SFBG]
