Dine

Comal

​Get these key elements right - tasty food, attentive host, inviting ambiance, engaging music and a lively crowd, and a party goes from good to great. I think the same mix applies to restaurants and Comal is definitely "getting it right".

The space alone is enough to make you swoon. Open, airy, modern without that cold, cavernous thing going on. Quite the opposite actually with the stunning woodwork and lighting, open-air patio with gas fire pit and beer garden, cozy communal tables and bustling bar. And then there's the state-of-the-art sound system that deftly combines the "conversational ambiance with the buzzy ambiance."

I love the small-plates concept for sharing and sampling the many flavors of a Oaxacan-inspired menu, plus it leaves room for some of the best guacamole I've ever tasted. A little coercion revealed the secret ingredient - muddled garlic and lots of it! And then there's the delicious items from the wood grill like spareribs and Fulton Valley chicken, and the crisp and juicy salads that inspired this yummy appetizer.

Last but not least is the vast array of offerings from the bar. Specialty cocktails, house-made Sangrita, over 70 brands of Mezcal and Tequila, and a huge selection of beer and wine on tap pretty much guarantees you'll be getting your imbibe on.

But here's the best part. It's centrally located in the Berkeley arts and theater district​, close to this great place and this one and that means there's another uptown crawl in the making - never a bad thing in my opinion.

Osmanthus

"Osmanthus is a modern-classic Asian restaurant located on College Avenue in Rockridge, Oakland. Our kitchen focuses on an array of Chinese Regional dishes, Japanese and South-East Asian flavors. We create bold flavors through casual dishes. A full bar serves craft cocktails inspired by Asian ingredients."

That's their description and here's mine in a word - ADDICTIVE!

Seriously, I've been there twice, once for lunch and once for dinner, and I'm hooked!

To be fair, I must admit I have addictive tendencies for the transportive qualities for all foods Asian - Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, Korean - I crave it all.

I especially love the big, bold, complex flavors of this cuisine when it merges with what I like to call "California sensibilities". Basically that means, access to and use of the finest raw ingredients, an obsession with presentation, an unwavering dedication to ambiance - all in perfect concert with no sign of breaking a sweat.

Osmanthus has this, plus amazing cocktails, and is fast becoming a new favorite escape on College Ave.

A few stand-out items include: brussels sprouts with salt pork and honey-sriracha, prawns with coconut milk and mint leaves, dan dan noodles with ground pork and peanuts, and salmon with purple yam and curry.

I highly recommend you start with the single most addictive thing on the menu - the green tea leaf salad - a Burmese staple and something I could eat every single day of the week. I also recommend you check out Burmese Superstar for this intoxicating mash up of exotic tastes and textures.

For libations, if you like gin and ginger, and I do, I recommend the Ms Grant - as in Ms Ginger Grant from Gilligan's Island. Speaking of a stylish escape.