Take II

As promised, Matt and I went back! When I said in my last post that we'd be back a Adesso very soon, I didn't realize it'd be this soon. Very rarely do we ever go to the same (splurge) restaurant twice! I mean, we've been meaning to go back to Adesso's sister restaurant, Dopo, for nearly half a year now (gosh, has it really been that long?!) and still no repeat. It's sad really. But Adesso definitely made us realize that our long list of "hit and quit, but meaning to revisit" restaurants deserve a second visit, because every time we try a new restaurant and are disappointed, we always say "Man, we should have gone to insert name of amazing restaurant like we wanted to..."

So, we took our own advice, revisited Adesso and as expected, they did not disappoint.

Tomino Wrapped with Speck served with Crostini

I think I just found my new favorite cheese.

The tomino was soft baked and I guess you could say that this is the Italian take on brie. If you love brie, you should definitely give this a try. The tomino has a more delicate buttery flavor than brie but still that great, coat-your-mouth soft cheese feel. And as for the speck, I adore it! Which is why I felt like one thin slice wrapped around the tomino was hardly enough, but I guess i'm just being greedy...

The Chef's Platter

Tuscan pork belly, mortedella, the Umbria, bresaola, the picante

My favorite of the five was definitely the Umbria with the pork belly coming in a close second. It was just incredibly flavorful. The salumi that they make at Adesso is a force to be reckoned with. Even the bresaola was meaty and much better than the one Matt and I have tried at, dare I say, the Fatted Calf in the Hayes. I know, I know, gasps can be heard around the world, but it's true. See for yourself!

This is the pork belly, it definitely deserved a close up. Look how paper think it's cut--you can almost see through the translucent fat. Even on a warm night like this one, it held up pretty well.

You know you have to order another plate of food when there's still wine left in your glass.

Arancini of Pork Ragu

Delicious little fried rice balls filled with...

some of the most delicious pork ragu in town.

As we were leaving Adesso, I realized that it's so easy to find mind-blowingly great food in Oakland. Unlike San Francisco, where don't get me wrong we have great food, it's exhausting weeding out all the mediocre ones/ borderline amazing restaurants because there are just too many places trying to do the same thing. Whereas in Oakland, because of it's reputation, there are fewer neighborhoods to erect "new-age dining" so there's less clutter and it's easier to find places like Adesso, Dopo, Fat Lady, and Chop Bar. There's there's no room for flabby restaurants. While it is sometimes frustrating when people ask me where they should eat in the city, and I can only name a handful, I'm glad that I have come to know (or almost know) the Oakland food scene like the back of my hand. Oakland has yet to disappoint me--in fact, it has surprised me and continues to impress me. Despite its reputation, the food is incredible and I highly encourage anyone looking for a food adventure to cross over the bay and get to know Oakland...you won't regret it.