Gather in Berkeley...

We've been wanting to visit Gather in Berkeley for several months now after seeing the rave reviews on Check Please and then hearing that half their menu is always vegetarian! Here's an excerpt from their website - "A place where you can find seasonal food, carefully sourced and thoughtfully prepared to appeal equally to vegetarians and omnivores ... the feeling of a restaurant created from beautiful reclaimed wood and natural materials." 

Over this past Labor Day weekend, we made the trip over the Bay Bridge for a brunch at this much talked about spot. The restaurant is bright and airy, given it's prime corner location across from the campus entrance. It's also beautifully decorated with reclaimed wood tables, banquettes made from old leather belts, and herb plants hanging from the ceiling.  

The brunch menu has a combination of both savory and sweet items, including a number of vegan dishes. Sheila ordered the Acme walnut french toast with roasted plums and creme fraiche. I went for corn pancakes with maple braised strawberry compote and mascarpone. We also decided to share the yukon gold potatoes. 

Sheila's french toast - They serve it either with one or two slices. Sheila decided on one ($8). Although the portion size was right, it was too sweet and there was nothing to really balance the flavors. Even though the walnuts added texture, it actually made the dish heavier. On it's own, the plum compote was delicious, but combined with the syrup and french toast it was overwhelmingly sweet. Sheila summed it up by saying it was: "good, but I've had better." 

Adam's corn pancakes - The standard serving comes with two medium-size pancakes ($12). The corn batter was light and fluffy. Each pancake was perfectly cooked through and on it's own was really flavorful. The mascarpone gave it a good balance of savory and sweet. My biggest gripe was with the strawberry compote. Initially tart, each subsequent taste turned increasingly sweet, perhaps due to the maple braising. I would have preferred fresh strawberries or a strawberry infused mascarpone; rather than the heavy handedness of my compote. Good concept, not executed to my taste buds though. 

The yukon potatoes - It was our only savory dish ($5). It was very well seasoned, slightly spicy flavors, and came to the table piping hot. Everything you would expected in a good side of potatoes. The serving portion was great to share; Sheila and I found ourselves reaching for the wedges quite often to counter our overly sweet main dishes. Instead of ketchup, the potatoes were served with a cold tomato chutney, which had a bit too much vinegar. We both understood the intent, but would have just preferred some Heinz.  

All in all, the concept of Gather's dishes is good, but they were too sweet for our taste. I'd be curious to see how they handle the savory dinner dishes. Perhaps we'll give Gather another try for dinner in the future.  

plow, a real gem in potrero hill

Near the top of Potrero Hill sits the recently opened Plow, another of SF’s uber-popular brunch haunts. In typical SF style, this place is locally sourced literally. The owners Bleskacek and Siu, live up the street, chose a local architect to design their space, and source all their food from local purveyors. It’s a beautiful restaurant - modern rustic with floor to ceiling windows, detailed white wainscoting, a marble countertop bar, reclaimed wood tables, metal tolix chairs/barstools, and a small but efficient kitchen. It’s such an amazing little storefront, that Dwell Magazine recently featured it in a pictorial!

With only 13 tables, the wait out Plow can be numbing (similar to Zazie, Flour + Water, or Mama’s). We went there on brisk sunshiny Sunday morning for brunch. We put our name down and with 15 groups in front of us decided to make a quick trip to Trader Joe’s beforehand. Worked great, after getting back we were seated at the 6 amazing carrera marble bar, a perfect spot to take in the action. The service was neighborhood friendly, probably because it had been a week since the sun shined on SF! We both had fresh cups of house coffee; strong and slightly bitter, it definitely woke me up!

The menu is appetizing even for vegetarians – with a variety of savory and sweet dishes! We opted for French toast with caramelized banana, mascarpone, and Vermont maple syrup; a lemon ricotta pancake also with Vermont maple syrup, and crispy potatoes with tomato aioli.

The two pieces of French toast (seemed liked Acme bread) was superbly cooked, crispy on the outside moist on the inside. They are sized right for one person although we ended up sharing. Coupled with the caramelized bananas, maple syrup, and mascarpone; simply brilliant. I’m normally not a fan of French toast because of eggy after-taste. But Plow’s is different; it light and fluffy. Be careful with the syrup, it very sweet and could led to a bit of sugar overload after a few bits. Plow’s French toast is on par with the best in the City.

Good thing we ordered the potatoes – a blend of olive oil crispy potatoes and onion with a hint of chili. It was savory match to the sweet toast. The potatoes was cut in triangle wedges and came out to our bar area piping hot and slightly burnt (in a good way). At Plow, potatoes are a side dish, based on the serving size; this order is enough to serve two. I didn’t quite appreciate the tomato aioli, didn’t have the vinegar bit I was looking for so I went with ketchup.

Last was the lemon ricotta pancake; I ordered a single serving just right size to help Sheila finish her toast. It’s a perplexing mix when you read it on paper, but don’t let that pre-judge your decision. The citrus undertones blended perfectly with the sweet cheese. The 6-inch pancake was moist, light, amazingly fresh. I suggest keeping the syrup to a minimum in order to savor this distinctive taste. Not only would I order it again, but I’d also recommend to anyone who goes to Plow!

Potrero Hill is gentrified neighborhood, and Plow fits right in. A charming local spot that it exudes SF culture – cozy sustainable interior, locally sourced product, freshly prepared food, friendly service, and a cult following! Take your out of town friends and visitors; they will be impressed.