Author: GCS

Gather
2200 Oxford St., Berkeley
 http://www.gatherrestaurant.com/index.php/menus

While we were away on our Wine Country Trip this summer, we missed a family dinner at Gather, one of the newer locavore/flexitarian restaurants. Everyone raved about the food, although they agreed the service was a bit erratic. This put Gather on our radar, although it's taken us half the year to get here.
 
It's a handsome space, a semi-circular dining room at the corner of Oxford and Allston Way in downtown Berkeley. Because of the city government offices, the University campus, many local businesses and several theatres all concentrated in the area, being able to dine between 5-6p is the 'sweet spot' for street parking. 

This is an important point, because it can be difficult and frustrating to organize a group of diners who are arriving from various points, all in separate vehicles. Berkeley is second only to San Francisco in its scarcity of available parking.
 
Gather has a relatively small menu. Almost everyone starts with their vegan 'charcuterie', which is deservedly popular. It's creative and interesting enough even for carnivores like us. 
 
That night the platter held:
- Mushroom tartar atop parsnip 'lardo' with roasted garlic
- Oyster mushroom crudo, 'tonnato sauce, avocado, crispy sea palm
- Grilled watermelon radish 'steak', leek 'butter', horseradish salsa verde, wine grapes
- roasted Carnival squash, sunchoke cashew bay leaf sauce, smoked maple cream
- Pear carpaccio, smoked persimmon, celery root salsa
 
The only dish Carlos didn't care for was the pear carpaccio, as the salsa had a flavor he couldn't identify but didn't care for. Inez loved it, however, as she loves the sweetness of fruit. All of us loved both mushroom dishes. My favorite was the radish steak. I've had watermelon radish before, but never cooked. I'm not normally fond of radishes in any state, but chefs are using them more often and I'm starting to enjoy them when cooked, which mellows out their sharp flavor. The squash was also excellent, with the maple giving just a bit of sweetness to the sauce that matched the squash slices. 
 
All of this was not only delicious, but presented in inspired combinations - way beyond the bland beans-and-mushrooms dish Chez Panisse offered us a few weeks ago. 
 
Gather offers a few specials each night, and I chose the osso bucco special. I asked if the kitchen could substitute something else for the planned buckwheat pudding, as I'm allergic to buckwheat (although I love it). They subbed corn polenta, which unfortunately was a little too runny to combine with the sauteed Chinese gai choy, a vegetable that throws off a lot of water as it sits. The osso bucco was tasty and tender, but there wasn't much of it. The polenta lacked salt - what is this with kitchens thinking that salt is great on poultry but verboten with cornmeal? - so overall the dish came off a little flat.
 
Both Carlos and Inez had much better luck with their entrees. Inez got the BBQ chicken, which was a full half of a good-sized bird. It was perfectly cooked with crispy dry-rubbed skin (which was well-salted, unlike my polenta), and served with a tasty farro-brown rice pilaf with toasted chopped hazelnuts. 

The sides were braised turnip greens and puntarelle (similar to chicory), and the plate was drizzled with 'cheese rind oil'. My guess is that this is olive oil infused with leftover Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds. This was an enormous plate, easily enough for two people to share, and delicious.
 
Carlos loves soup, so he ordered the pureed turnip and potato soup. There was a drizzle of tarragon-mustard vinaigrette swirled on top, and although he normally doesn't care for vinaigrette, this was mild enough that he was able to tolerate it. Many of Gather's dishes are vegan, so the soup was light enough to be a prelude to what turned out to be a substantial entree.
 
For his entrée he chose the sausage pizza, which was different than described, and much more to his liking. Instead of the listed Brussel sprouts, it came with shreds of fresh hot jalapenos. Exquisite fruity EVOO, a light brushing of incredibly flavorful fresh tomato sauce, and a light sprinkling of cheese were layered in perfect balance atop a crispy crust that was thin, yet not too thin. 
 
Moreover, it was a work of beauty. Little balls of dough are decoratively placed all around the outside border of the pie, and when baked form a tasty crown that makes a perfect hand-hold. The Italian sausage was delicious (and not oversalted, as often happens), and in good-sized chunks. Overall it was easily the best pizza we've had since Corso/Berkeley removed its pizza ovens and fell off our Favorites list. Carlos really enjoyed it, and it's a measure of how good it was that he didn't miss having a thick coating of cheese atop.
 
We shared a dessert, a pumpkin cheesecake with a molasses-huckleberry sauce and a nut streusel. The cheesecake was very light, and the molasses was a gently muted note to add a little depth to the huckleberries without overwhelming them. There were a bit too many nuts both atop and under the cheesecake, but it was a nice mix of pistachios and walnuts. 

We also appreciated its modest size, as opposed to the double-portion plates many bistros try to overwhelm you with. Gather uses Thanksgiving brand coffee from Ft. Bragg, an excellent local brand. Thanksgiving produces a particularly good decaf coffee, which I also enjoy at Royal Cafe/Albany, one of our favorite breakfast spots. 
 
Carlos got a cappuccino, which was a nice espresso blend but unfortunately overmilked, with a wimpy foam. Gather's iced tea is good quality, but not strong enough nor brewed properly to stand out as exceptional.

The service was on the better end of local restaurants – not up to the level of FIVE or Montclair Bistro, but friendly and helpful, with good if not great timing.
 
A few ups and downs give Gather a bit more inconsistency than it should have. But there is skill and vision in Executive Chef Sean Baker's cooking. Gather is a restaurant we put on our A list – well, maybe an A-, compared to the more consistent cooking and superior service found at a few other restaurants – but overall this is yet another welcome addition to the East Bay dining scene.
 
'Charcuterie' platter, one soup, three entrees, one dessert, three beverages, with tip came to $139.