camino

i'm never disappointed. i love this place. they always have interesting and delicious things on the menu and their house manhattan or whatever they call it (i call it the manhattan that's not a manhattan) in which they use an italian fortified wine in place of the vermouth is one of my favorite things to drink.

even though the interior is big, which is usually a turn-off for me, the farmtablesgive it an unexpected intimacy. i dig it.

never again!!!. we chose to have a special birthday dinner at camino. we chose a monday night, so that we would not have to deal with the weekend crush. there were four of us and on the whole it was a very disappointing experience.

the menu selection was much too limited and for minuscule portions, the prices were exceedingly high.

with the exception of the "stuffed trotter" the food was not very well prepared nor tasty. 

the paella was a disappointment. the dish was bland, the chicken in the paella was overcooked and dry and the sausage in that dish was undercooked. we've eaten paella in homes and restaurants in spain ... the idea is to cook the dish in one pan and have the flavors meld, it is not to assemble the improperly and separately cooked ingredients on the plate. what you served was not paella. the tomato soup was good but the serving size was tiny.

the petrale sole was bland and uninteresting, the skin was not crispy, it was soggy, not what one would expect for fish cooked over an open fire. the tastiest part of the meal was the dessert. although we had appetizers, a main dish each and 2 shared desserts, when we left we were still hungry, which was ridiculous after spending $180 on a dinner that included no frills except one half filled glass of wine.

the service was mediocre, the main meal was long in coming, and although we had 2 identical desserts, only one was served, and it was consumed by one couple before the other was brought to the table...we had to remind the waiter that two had been ordered.
seating was attablesin long rows, wood surface, no tablecloths. seating was next to strangers.
frankly, we will never eat there again.

great brunch!. i love the atmosphere of camino. the wood & brick decor with woodburning ovens in the open kitchen, and the communitytablesare very comforting and welcoming to me. that i haven't had lunch or dinner here, but sunday brunch was delightful!

we started with a couple of the doughnuts with bronx grapes, which were a great pair. the doughnuts were light and not greasy at all. we also shared the pork & herb sausages (juicy and flavorful), potatoes roasted in duck fat (mmm, umami) and a pair of baked eggs with herbs & cream. everything was super fresh, and you could taste it. we enjoyed it all with a cup of single-origin coffee. my perfect breakfast.

opened for more than a year, the natural wood-furnished restaurant with two long communaltablesand fiery wood-ovens in the back looks like the perfect space for friends and family to feel at home when gathering for a simple california meal.

in all likelihood, my life in san francisco has followed a trajectory familiar to many other recent arrivals. we came here to join that vain, preening flock cavorting in "the city". as if there were only one city by the bay. east bay crowds are not so craven. they have concluded themselves as urbane and sophisticated as the flock in "the city". they need no one else's affirmation of it. nor does camino. this unassuming storefront gives way to a space that trades on warmth. in the kitchen, pots cluster around the leaping flames of an open fire. in the dining room, unvarnished redwood pillars and old brick walls shelter long communaltablesand benches that feel almost like pews. there's a sense that you're here to break bread, and experience a meal in an old way. there's nothing old or fussy about the menu. locally sourced ingredients find an assured hand in the kitchen. grilled squid with faro was delicious. so was a lamb ragu. swordfish with butter beans and turnips set me afloat. robust chanterelles were paired with artichokes and sunchokes. this kitchen is one to keep an eye on. i confess the service was uneven. some elements of the decor seem incongruous. the medieval chandeliers draped with laurel boughs, for example. that said, there's an integrity to all these disparate elements that works. camino was born of one man's vision. so many of its cohorts are glossy with the telltale sheen of pr and design shops. it's refreshing to find an altar of earthiness. and where else, but in oakland!

disappointed again but some hope?. so, i've been several times now. i did a review earlier but i wanted to see if they were listening...dinner is still a great disappointment. i, unlike other reviewers, love the hugetables(yes, the chairs are uncomfortable) but the wood is lovely and each time i've been, they make an effort to space our party so we are no closer than we'd be if we were in separatetablesjammed in like so many other places. the bright spot is brunch on the weekends. it too is a small menu and not for everyone...very limited choices but if you want a change, each item was delicious and the space was quiet - not full - so we had a relaxing morning. the food was excellent but again only a few choices. the baked eggs with cream and the grilled bread made me very happy. coffees - cappuccino's are small - like european size so some people grumbled but they were perfect - strong and rich. so, camino, if you are listening. please do some re-evaluation of your dinner menu...add one or two more items but mostly make them more interesting!!!!!


-----31 jul, 2008-----

disappointment. i really wanted to love this restaurant. it's in my neighborhood and i've been waiting a long time for a real destination restaurant to make it here.
but, sadly, the food was just o.k. everything i ate, except the lovely chicken was bland or uninspired. i had a halibut salad with "crushed herbs" that should have sparkled with the freshness of the herbs but instead was flat. all the sides to the chicken (blanched greenbeans and polenta) were also bland and just like a side you'd get at a million restaurants. dessert was promising - a honey creme fraiche mousse with roasted plums - but again bland. no discernable flavor of honey - just a mouthful of cold creme. there were 4 small halves of plums that should have elevated the dish but were too few to flavor the mousse and also too sweet (not tart) to balance the dish. so, my review is this. good meal but with such a limited menu, each dish should be perfect. attention needs to be paid to the details if you want to rely on the fresh taste of the ingredients!

i went to camino, expecting an interesting interior with
fabulous food; it was disappointing on all accounts.
just because the chef has worked at chez panisse does not make it a great restaurant. i noticed thetableswere family style. i got there with reservations,to dine early and the hostess would not put me on the end as i did not want to be part of another's
dining experience. she declined. i felt stuck!

the seating is horrible!!! thetablesare unusually
wide which puts you far across the table from your
dining partner. if you are unlucky to sit on the bench
you must strain across the table to talk, in addition,
the benches are hard with not possibility of sitting
comfortably back . besides that the diners next to you are very close which makes getting out of your seat difficult and awkward. the noise level is deafening

the food is okay, not great, given the incredibly uncomfortable seating arrangements. it is just not
noteworthy. yes, the oven is attractive and so are the
brick walls. that is not worth the prices and discomfort one must endure to dine. if you want great
food go to a'cote.