On Thursday Nihal and I went to dinner at Commis and it was simply fantastic.

It was the best meal that I’ve had in the Bay Area and one of best anywhere.

My expectations were high and Commis somehow managed to exceed them.  Commis is in Oaktown, so it was a bit of a journey.  A quick jaunt from Nob Hill to grab BART in downtown SF, a 15 minute BART trip under the Bay, a 10 minute ride on the Oakland bus system (of which 5 minutes were spent stuck in traffic) and then a quick two minute walk after exiting the bus.

There is no name on the outside of Commis, just a white awning and some frosted windows facing Blockbuster (are they still in business) across the street.

Let’s get right too it, t the three course prix fixe, amuse bouche and palate cleanser were  simply divine.

Special kudos  to Scott our server and Sarah, the sommelier.  Both of them the made us feel as if we  had stepped into a restaurant in which we are long time regulars.   They sensed our needs before we knew them ourselves  and patiently, even humorously answered all of our questions.  Thanks Scott and Sarah

We lead off with a fresh Jasmine-Hibiscus soda, a shot of frothy goodness that had been plucked straight from the banks of the Nile and delivered immediately to our table.

The amuse bouche was a 1 1/2 hour  poached egged nestled in an onion soup topped steel cut oats, dates and arugula.

The first two courses were  local halibut tartare with pickled radishes and some kind crazy “ginger snow.”   I won’t even try to describe “ginger snow,” but that’s what it tasted like.  Nihal opted for a leek soup with chanterelle mushrooms and some kind of off-the-wall-ham.  Both were off the proverbial hook.

The two second course dishes duck and lamb.  The duck had been done for 12 hours, was accompanied by (can’t read my notes) and was perfection.

The lamb matched duck.  Nothing more to say.  I was too busy enjoying the experience to take diligent notes.

Dessert was a chocolate ganache cake with vanilla bean  ice cream.  I finished this feast with panna cotta topped with a beet-blood  orange sorbet.

Did I mention the wine pairings?  I’m not a drinker, but a well-done wine pairing does really accentuate and complement a meal.  All of the wine pairings were excellent, but the final wine, a Tintero paired with the panna cotta was like dancing a tango somewhere between Jupiter and Saturn.

In no way does this post do justice to the meal.

I have already made a reservation to return to Commis next month.

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