Charming French Restaurant Oakland
Guest Author: Laura Groves
Here’s a little write-up on my favorite Bay Area restaurant, A Cote in Rockridge (Oakland).
In a metropolitan area as blessed with wonderful restaurants as the San Francisco Bay Area, choosing one favorite could be tough. But in fact it took just a few moments’ reflection to recognize that A Cote, in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood, easily tops my personal list. It’s visually gorgeous, yet comfortable; the menu is varied and the food beautifully prepared; and the prices are such that, even in these times, a meal there needn’t be confined to the category of “special occasions only.”
A Cote’s menu focuses on small plates, which I love because of the opportunity to try several things in one evening (and I would never prepare so many things in one day in my kitchen at home). Every time I go, I have to have the seasoned matchstick-style pommes frites, which come piping hot from the fryer and are served with a heavenly aioli. On my most recent visit, we also had the chanterelle and corn fritters, the “little gem” salad (with French Butter pears, spiced pecans, and Bleu d’Auvergne dressing), and grilled hangar steak, which is served with butter beans and anchovy butter. Together with the nectarine and blueberry cobbler for dessert, this was enough food for the two of us, though we were also tempted by most of the rest of the menu, particularly the flatbreads (lobster mushroom, or chorizo and prawn) and the mussels with Pernod (a perennial favorite of many A Cote diners). There is a variety of specialty cocktails using artisanal spirits; one I have liked previously is the Martini Normandie with Chateau Breuil Calvados. The wine list is fairly extensive and a great variety are available by the glass, making it possible to sample several as you sample your tapas. The servers are knowledgeable about both the menu and the wines and spirits, and can provide advice if you need or want it. Occasionally the kitchen’s timing is less than ideal, as all the dishes arrive at once and the small table is strained for space, but on my most recent visit it was just perfect.
The decor is a sumptuous sort of Craftsman/Art Nouveau melange done in deep green and red, and the lighting low and flattering, with curvaceous metal fixtures whose lines are echoed at the top of the alcove behind the bar. You can eat inside at your own table, at the communal table, or outside on the patio, which is hung with velvet drapes and warmed with outdoor heaters. Reservations are possible, but only for early or late seatings; otherwise, plan to come and have a drink at the bar while you wait. Or on evenings with a longer wait, put your name on the list and wander a few doors down College Avenue to Pendragon Books, a wonderfully edited bookstore with both new and secondhand titles as well as a good variety of periodicals.
A Cote Restaurant, 5478 College Avenue, Oakland; tel. 510 655 6469. Open for dinner every day; for hours and more details, see the restaurant’s website: http://acoterestaurant.com/.
Thank you to my special guest author, Laura Groves. She’s got a unique story, professional airline pilot, previously an art historian. You can follow her on Twitter @flygirl737700
Website: A Cote
A Cote
5478 College Ave
Oakland, CA 94618-1552
(510) 655-6469
