There were some very unique and classy eats prepared by three Oakland, CA-based chefs (Geoff Davis, Intu-On Kornnawong and Finn Stern) at last night’s @VisitOakland dinner. Held at Platform By James Beard Foundation, dishes included are what you see pictured above: 1) Chilled Razor Clams with Charred Alliums, Fermented Red Fresno Liquid, Cilantro Oil and Green Garlic Aioli, 2) Grilled Pork with Crispy Rice, Pluots, Laab Herb’s and Daytrip’s Fermented Vegetables, and 3) a trio of desserts which included Lemon Verbena Sorbet with Pecorino Magic Shell, Buttermilk Black Pepper Ice Cream with Strawberry Jam and Coconut Sorbet with Sweet Mango Cream Corn Compote and Pandam Rice Krispies! (I have never had Rice Krispies for dessert before, LOL!) the Kitchen By James Beard Foundation is out at Pier 57 on the West Side Piers next to the legendary music space City Winery and all tables are directly in front of the open concept kitchen area.
Here is the vegetarian version of the Razor Clams dish which totally blew my mind! I wish that I could learn how to make this at home! The golden potatoes made into small chunks, the EVOO, the cilantro and wild greens just all worked together so perfectly.
Here is the gorgeous open kitchen that welcomes guests who like to talk to the chefs while food is being prepared. It is kept immaculate and they have state of the art cookware not surprisingly!
The talented trio of young Oakland-based chefs came out to take questions from the 60 journalists in attendance (who also got to sample wines from northern CA with each course).
Everyone in attendance also enjoyed the speeches by execs from Visit Oakland who were a wealth of knowledge about all the great popular and “off the beaten track” things to do in this famous town that created not only some of the best music of all time, but apparently some of the greatest food as well. The event last night was the first time I had any experience with the Oakland food scene, and I was very impressed. For info on all that this colorful and creative travel destination has to offer, go to visitoakland.com.
