Berkeley’s Pompette finds its way
The Chez Panisse name holds such cachet in the Bay Area that if a chef goes on to other projects, loyalists follow.
And for good reason. Outstanding cooks have come through that kitchen: Michael Tusk of Quince, Charlie Hallowell of Pizzaiolo and Russell Moore of Camino, to name a few.
The latest is David Visick, who was a cook at Chez Panisse in the 1990s. After years as a catering chef, he and his wife, Caramia Visick, took over Cafe Rouge, for 20 years one of the mainstays in Berkeley’s Fourth Street shopping district. The Visicks were longtime customers and friends of Cafe Rouge owner Marsha McBride, so it felt like coming home.
The Cafe Rouge space, now named Pompette, has never been one of my favorites, for it feels too much like a gymnasium, despite the handsome zinc-topped bar and mezzanine. But its Fourth Street location, patio tables and food have always made it a draw.
After Cafe Rouge closed in December, the Visicks did a quick refresh with paint and new fixtures, and took out the meat counter to add seating. The restaurant now holds 70 in the main dining room, 25 on the mezzanine and 20 on the front patio. (It still feels a bit like a gym.)
The refresh, however, didn’t address what, on opening, was a major problem: Visick had been out of the Chez Panisse kitchen for 16 years, and the debut of Pompette seemed amateurish, from the ill-timed and uninformed service to the food itself.
For example, I still don’t understand the chunk of ricotta covered with a pile of cut asparagus ($13) on the same plate as a crouton spread with salmon. Seasonings were wan, and there was no bridge to bring the disparate pieces together. Roasted cauliflower and grilled escarole ($13) were like two strangers passing in the night. I wondered why they were on the same plate. Grilled swordfish ($25) had a mushy texture and took up a third of the plate, shared by a pile of fries and a corresponding mound of lettuce.
I saw flashes of magic in that the greens tasted fresh, enhanced by the simple vinaigrette. But overall, the main course seemed simplistic. I would have appreciated ketchup or aioli with the fries, but service was so sporadic I decided not to ask.
The one good dish was the chicken leg, purple from its red wine braise, on a bed of lentils.
I wondered what was going on, and a strong clue emerged when I later scrolled to the bottom of the home page of the restaurant’s website. Before I got to the menu I saw, in bold capital letters, “Interested in working at Pompette? We are looking for hospitality minded people with a passion for food, wine and cooking to become part of our team.”
Recently, when I visited the restaurant a month after it opened, it felt like the place was still on a trial run. Pompette was not ready.
On my second visit, things had changed and I was encouraged. Two dishes were fully realized: a rustic bucatini with oxtail ragout ($19) and a squid stew ($24) that would have been at home on the Mediterranean coast. By my third visit the training wheels were off. Service was professional and the plates were thoughtful and better executed.
Maybe it took a while for Visick to get back into the routine of daily cooking and to define what he wants, rather than be bound by the dictates of private events.
The version of the chicken leg with lentils I enjoyed on my first visit was even better now. The chicken had the characteristic long-cooked tenderness but also an unexpectedly crisp, caramelized skin. It was served on a small pile of braised Swiss chard and a generous bed of creamy mashed potatoes, better for soaking up the rich juices than the lentils.
It was a fully integrated dish, as was the grilled white sea bass ($27), where all the familiar ingredients came together like a fine painting. The fish was propped on a gratin of summer squash that was creamy but still tasted fresh. It sat next to quickcooked Romano beans cut on the bias and precise dices of watermelon-colored Chioggia beets scattered over half the plate.
Roasted pork rack ($28) was made even better with browned baby turnips, peas and polenta, all enhanced with a tangy mustard jus.
I wanted to take a picture and frame the salad of avocado, pink grapefruit and endive ($12) because the presentation was so striking. The taste was just as pure. A salad of asparagus and fava beans ($13) with spring onions, lemon and delicate chervil would have been just as captivating if the levain croutons didn’t taste stale.
The rabbit compote ($13) consisted of a small canning jar full of meat that had been packed in herbs, cooked in stock, shredded, and preserved in olive oil. It was served on a platter with pickled carrots, mustard and thin slices of croutons. It was so much better than the dry and one-dimensional ham hock rillettes ($8) on the first visit.
Desserts (all $7) were consistently good on all three visits. A shortcake — actually a salty biscuit — was set off by strawberry sherbet, fresh berries and whipped cream. There were also tangerine and Campari sorbets with two pain d’amande cookies in addition to a rich chocolate cake and a warm blueberry clafoutis.
If I were to rate my three visits individually, the first, about a month ago, would have only garnered one-anda-half stars for food. The second would get a strong two. By the third, it was an enthusiastic three. It’s the type of trajectory that is encouraging, and should lead to a long, productive run.