Flora
1900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA
http://floraoakland.com/menus.htm 
Review date: August 2013
(previous review appended below)

We first visited Flora in June 2010. Sited in a classic glossy-tiled Art Deco building that used to hold Oakland's flower market, it was one of the gourmet pioneers in Oakland's Uptown gentrification. When Flora first opened in 2007, the condo developments were just beginning to go up, the neighborhood urban parks were just paper proposals, and the Art Deco classic Fox Theatre across the street had been boarded up for decades.

On our initial visit, Flora's upscale, complex food was good although expensive. Then the extraordinarily talented chef Chris Dettmer left. Only six months after our dinner, on December 2010 under new chef Rico Rivera, SF Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer slammed the new menu for being overly expensive "comfort food" in tiny portions. Despite that negative review, Flora has hung on through good and bad times, so we decided it was time for a return visit. 

It's a testament to the revival of Uptown that it's gotten harder to find street parking nearby. Multiple condo developments are finished and still more are coming. The proposed parks are halfway to reality (one is finished; the other is still underway). The Fox Theatre has been restored and reopened for live performances. 

There's still dozens of quickie breakfast and lunchtime sandwich shops, with all the major fast-food and coffee shops duly represented. But where once Uptown was deserted at night except for the homeless huddled in locked-up doorways, now there are condo owners and office workers looking for sit-down restaurants for after-work drinking and dining. 

It's still a little gritty, but the gentrification efforts have traction now, and even through these uncertain times continue to progress. Uptown's pioneer restaurants Flora and Luka's Tavern are now joined by Hopscotch, Duende, Stag's Lunchette, Picán, Hawker Fare, Plum, Camber, Ozumo, Rudy's Can't Fail, Loring Café, Hutch Bar, Umami Burger, and Spice Monkey – with other restaurants scheduled to join them. 

Flora owners Dona Savitsky and Thomas Schnetz also own Dona Tomas, Tacubaya, Xolo Taqueria and Bar Fauna. Xolo and Fauna are in the same building as Flora, Dona Tomas is in Oakland's Temescal, and Tacubaya is in Berkeley's Fourth St. shopping district. We liked our first visit to Dona Tomas but the second dinner was uniformly awful, to the point where we've refused to return. We were hoping that Flora would prove it had held up better over the years.

Like most restaurants nowadays, Flora's menu is short and sweet, double-spaced to cover a single page. The erstwhile "wine list", which should more accurately be called the Bar Guide, is the equivalent of two single-spaced pages – a common ratio these days. The cocktails and liquor take up two-thirds of the listing; wine gets the remainder.

Carlos chose to start with the soup of the day, which was a tomato bisque. Topped with croutons and with a few fresh basil leaves wilted in it, it was very good if only marginally better than Campbell's. It's actually not easy for any restaurant to better Campbell's; they use the classic Brandywine as their benchmark tomato flavor. Add good cream and fresh herbs to that familiar can, and you could fool a lot of people. No, I'm not accusing Flora of doing this – just putting it all into perspective, LOL. To make a really distinctive tomato cream soup would be a high bar for any chef. Flora does very well here, perhaps a tiny bit lower than MacCallum House/Mendocino, which cans its own heirloom tomatoes.

I picked the stuffed squash blossoms. Two were batter-fried and stuffed with a bass mantecato. This sounds much more appetizing than describing them as stuffed with mashed fish spread. Mantecatos are usually made with bacalhao, the classic dried salt cod. This was fresh flaked fish, and a bit undersalted for the creamed filling. The roasted squash chunks were also unsalted. Decorating the dish were three large sprigs of old woody watercress. 

It was intended for the sauce to compensate for the undersalting, and it almost pulled it off. Listed as oven-dried tomatoes, green olives and marjoram, it was actually an agrodulce, or Italian sweet-sour chunky sauce, which is based on EVOO. While dining at Lungomare/Oakland last month, we had a terrific version of this, but Flora's was not quite so successful. 

My first taste of it made me choke on the vinegar, which was all top-note. I had to ask the waitress to take it away and re-do the dish. She brought it back within a few minutes, with the agrodulce on the side. The flavors were delicious together, but the conception wasn't quite right. It was an awkward dish to eat: cut up the squash blossom which made the very soft filling fall out, halve the zucchini chunks which were a little too big, scoop up some sauce (which didn't fit neatly on a fork, being chopped/slivered veggies in EVOO), then try to get all three into your mouth to blend flavors. 

Once together they were lovely...but getting them there was a bit too hard, logistically speaking.

We ordered the salmon for Inez. It was a good-sized filet, sear-roasted and served with a succotash of corn and two kinds of heirloom beans. I've never been overly fond of succotash myself, which I find starchy and uninteresting. Flora's version was high quality but didn't change our minds; Inez left most of it, although she loved the fish. 

None of us like the whole fish-and-beans fad and wish it would go away. Far, far, away; the sooner the better.

Carlos ordered the burger. It is described as house-ground chuck, with caramelized onions, blue cheese salad, and french fries. Aged cheddar is the only cheese option, for another $2; Carlos opted to add it. He received a massive amount of french fries, a minute – maybe three or four tiny bites – of baby romaine shreds with a tasty blue cheese dressing, and small cups of a wasabi mustard and regular ketchup. The bun was a good firm white bun, a little too bready for Carlos' preference. The burger was adequate, nothing exceptional; but good although unsalted (sigh). The caramelized onions were scant, but the housemade pickles were even more stingy: one tiny round slice! 

He slathered on the mustard, with which he was okay but I detested, as I like my horseradish in small doses (we were sharing 50-50 this time on our entrees, so he and I switched halfway through). The fries were very good, if not quite up to the level of Montclair Bistro's/Oakland. Overall, he rated this burger in-between Hopscotch (June 2013) and Park Burger (March 2013), with Hopscotch firmly on the bottom. 

Unfortunately, everyone's well under Vault 164/San Mateo and their amazing burger, by at least two or three levels of satisfaction. Vault's burger was so good, Carlos is still raving about it five months later – and he's not anywhere near a burger fan like I am!

I picked the fried chicken. This came with mashed potatoes and a sautéed vegetable mix. The latter was a tasty if odd mix of haricot verts, shiitake mushrooms, and sliced baby radishes in a beautiful but too-scant reduced au jus of chicken stock and sherry. An au jus reduction is especially sensitive to too much salt. In fact, it shouldn't have any added, until the very end when the chef tastes to correct the seasoning. This was perfection, one of those small, often unnoticed details that indicate the kitchen not only uses good ingredients but executes with great care.

The fried chicken is lightly battered. It's a boneless breast, and was juicy and tender all the way through. It's not large, but with the mashed potatoes and vegetables was just the right size for a multi-course meal. Nonetheless, the oft-repeated criticism of Flora still holds true: their prices are on the high side for the size of their plates. When you can walk two blocks down the street and get Pican's even better fried chicken for virtually the same price (well, it's a dollar more at Pican), receiving a larger serving of chicken with a side of mac'n'cheese thrown in, you can't help but think, "Why is Flora always a lesser value than its nearby competition?"

Now, it's true that at Pican almost everything is à la carte. But nobody orders fried chicken so they can get a big helping of starch and veggies, no matter how well-executed those two might be. They're filler, just there to pad the plate out. Flora's not fooling anybody who's eaten around town lately. It's a lovely piece of chicken...but so is Bistro 1491's/Albany, which is the exact same style as Flora's dish but costs less (and like Pican, it also comes with mac'n'cheese). Again, that niggling value proposition lessens the enjoyment. Is it really worth the parking hassle and high prices to get something very good that several other restaurants do just as well, and more generously?

We picked Flora's signature butterscotch pudding for Inez's dessert. It comes with a small spoonful of whipped cream on top, and she finished it all. Coffee is Blue Bottle, which Carlos isn't in love with but I particularly enjoy their decaf blends, including the decaf espresso. Despite Blue Bottle's laudable attempts to educate restaurant staff, the cappuccinos were only a little above average. The foam on Carlos' regular was coarse; my decaf had better foam but a little too much milk.

Flora's service started out cheerful and efficient but people didn't start arriving until we'd been there for about half an hour. Then our waitress literally disappeared off the floor for twenty minutes, leaving us with long periods of waiting: first for the dessert menu, then for the check, then for the credit card slip to sign. 

Another ding for Flora: if you're going to pay these prices, you should not be left twiddling your thumbs watching everybody else's waiters whiz by, when you are trying to finish up and leave. 

Diners at Flora are paying a premium for the convenience of walking over there to eat. Still, its continued existence means that many diners are willing to do so. You're not going to get a great meal at Flora, but it will be a good one. The quality of the food and the skill in the kitchen virtually ensure that. This is expensive American comfort food, but outside of that disappointing burger, Flora's a big step up from Hopscotch.

That said, I would have to say outside of propinquity, Flora's not going to receive much repeat business from us. We have time to drive where we want, and Camino/Oakland is easily a full level higher than Flora – more interesting food, even better execution if somewhat lacking in the sauce department – and in the end, a more satisfying experience due to Camino's handsome interior and better service. Bistro 1491/Albany, whose review will be updated next, is exactly half the price for almost the same quality of comfort food. Less glitzy and no bar, but for us the food is what matters. 

Michael Bauer revisited Flora while doing his Top 100 for 2013. But his conclusion was the same as ours. It has stayed the same while more, better competition has entered the arena. 

This is a good little restaurant. But with so much competition within easy distance, Flora needs to be a half-level better than it is. The dishes are basic bistro at a premium. Just executing well isn't enough to make it interesting, or worthwhile.

Three people, dinner: two starters, three entrées, one dessert, three beverages, with tip was $140.

Flora
1900 Telegraph Ave @19th St., Oakland
http://www.floraoakland.com
Review date: June 2010

Flora is the American bistro branch of Dona Savitsky and Thomas Schnetz, who also own the acclaimed Doña Tomás, which we reviewed favorably in Dec. 2009, as well as its sister taqueria Tacubaya in Berkeley. It’s part of a praiseworthy attempt to help revive what is a gritty and marginal area called Uptown. Formerly Oakland’s main shopping district, this area of Broadway/Telegraph from Grand Avenue to 25th St. contains some of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture remaining in the Bay Area. 

The many failed attempts to revitalize this area have actually kept most of the Art Deco buildings intact – well, more than are seen in most downtown areas in California any longer. Flora is located in a stunning example, the old one-story Oakland Flower Depot. Faced with dark blue tiles accented with silver, the interior was tastefully remodeled with a classic bar and grill décor that is clean and urban yet welcoming.

They were doing a good trade on a Tuesday evening, which confirms the general impression we’ve gotten that business is starting to inch upwards again for many. This is a promising sign, as we’d hate to see Oakland lose some of the gentrification progress it’s made over the last ten years.

Inez was with us so we were able to try quite a bit of the menu, which is modestly sized. It’s geared towards modern dining, with as many starters as there are entrees. The starters are nicely sized for sharing. The entrees are lovely, but more modest in size than, say, Café Rouge or Montclair Bistro. As a result, you can run up quite a tab at Flora, without feeling that you ate way more than you should have.

This is because the dishes are beautifully conceived but not at all rich. The richest plate on the menu has three tiny dabs of coconut cream that set off the magnificent scallops with the surprisingly mild cilantro-based green curry sauce. Or there’s the tangy yoghurt-cumin sauce underneath the chewy but tasty slices of lamb (leg, not tenderloin). I’d guess there’s probably more butter in a single bowl of soup at Montclair Bistro than is used in the entire kitchen at Flora.

Even the squash soup is light-tasting yet complex. Most chefs would add cream to the bland yellow zucchini puree to make it more interesting, but new chef Chris Dettmer instead adds unexpected interest to every spoonful by adding ‘a little of this’ – such as beautifully toasted pine nuts, a sprinkling of wilted micro-greens, and lightly pickled cipollini onions – along with ‘a little of that’ – perfectly crisped proscuitto shavings and an unexpected swirl of savory pesto. If this sounds like a mess, that’s what it sounded like to me, too. But it didn’t taste at all that way, something that takes an enormous amount of skill to balance so many different flavors, keeping them separate yet part of a harmonious whole.

Another beautiful starter/small plate is the goat cheese tart. A long thin rectangle, it has a deeper, richer flavor than most goat cheeses one encounters these days. The accompaniment was a pile of arugula and Treviso radicchio, along with sliced fresh figs (relatively tasteless) and fig halves stewed in port, which were simply sensational. The fig vinaigrette was a little sweet but went nicely with the goat cheese tart.

Dettmer took over the kitchen in May 2010. The former chef de cuisine at the four-star Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena may still be in the process of settling in, as there were a few minor miscues in our meal. One was a pork sausage in the baby octopus starter that tasted either off or very strangely spiced; the remaining ingredients were fine and the octopus itself was very tender. 

The other was a vegetarian starter that didn’t quite come off right. The brie-stuffed agnolotti had no discernible flavor or texture to the filling, and the fresh fava beans were a little past their prime. The corn puree wasn’t successful as a sauce, being so sweet that it tasted more like a dessert custard sauce.

Otherwise, the meal was excellent. Inez’s halibut had a very odd description but what came was a good-sized sear-roasted chunk of absolutely fresh halibut, served with a small amount of a light sauce somewhat oddly described as ‘bouillabaise’, along with some fresh squash and two zucchini blossoms stuffed with crab and chorizo. 

Carlos ordered a side of mac’n’cheese, but Flora’s wasn’t the most successful version – that honor remains with Pican, Levende East and Five in a three-way tie. The orecchiette is too heavy a pasta, even for a tasty cheese sauce like this one. Also, the bread crumbs, although nicely toasted, were a bit too coarse.

His leg of lamb, as mentioned above, was rather sinewy but the flavor was very good. Vadouvan is listed as an ingredient, which is also called French Curry as it’s believed to have originated in a French settlement in India. Vadouvan is popular in France and Belgium, combining onions, shallots and garlic with Indian spices such as cardamom, and sometimes with fresh curry leaves. There was definitely a strong element of cumin in Flora’s mixture, which I always think is a great combination with lamb. The lamb sausage was excellent, although the fresh chickpeas weren’t the most interesting vegetable.

In fact, that’s one thing that bothered me about Flora. For a California bistro, there weren’t a lot of vegetables offered. If you want a plain green salad, it’s tucked away at the very bottom of the menu, where it’s easy to overlook (and in fact, we failed to notice it at all – I didn’t see it until I got home and reread the menu in its .pdf format). 

Inez and I had dessert – she had the affogato, espresso over ice cream, and I had the caramel pudding with sea salt and whipped cream. Flora offers Blue Bottle Coffee, who makes a great decaf blend for espresso. Properly thick and bitter, it cut nicely through the caramel’s sweetness (the whipped cream wasn’t sweetened at all, so high points for Flora on that). Carlos had his usual cappuccino, which was excellent.

Yelpers like this restaurant, but they don’t like the menu prices. The food has a creative, interesting edge with more consistency and elegance than Bellanico, Marica, or even Bay Wolf. But there’s no denying that by the time you add everything up, you are paying Chez Panisse prices in an area you don’t want to walk around in when it gets dark. This is not the easiest sell in the world, so it’s a real tribute to Dettmer’s skill that he makes you want to come back and see what else he can do.

Carlos tried the Fever Tree ginger ale, which he found weak and uninteresting. Five starters, two entrees, one side, four beverages, two desserts, with tip totaled $201, so definitely on the higher side compared to the competition. 

Is it worth it? Flora’s got a few things to work out yet, but yes, we’d go back. I’d give them an “A-“ right now, and would expect more of Dettmer as he gets into his groove. This guy has real talent, and could well become one of the best chefs in an area full of ‘em. Whether Oakland will be the right place for him to shine....only the economy will tell.