Pompette shares cafe’s spirit
Bistro plans to mix British-style roasts with other European dishes.
BISTRO REDUX >> When Marsha McBride closed her landmark Berkeley bistro and charcuterie, Cafe Rouge, she turned it over to kindred spirits — a duo with deep roots in the Bay Area restaurant world. They were regulars at Cafe Rouge to boot.
Chef David Visick (Chez Panisse, Cafe Kati) and general manager/wife Caramia Visick (Zuni Cafe) have given the space a breezy redo, with white globes, light paint and reclaimed walnut tables replacing the dark red walls and chandeliers, and reopened it as Pompette. The name may be French (it’s a charming word for “tipsy”) but the influences are broader.
“My love is French … and Italian … and British,” David said. A 38 North chicken, for example, might be braised in rose wine and served with green garlic mashed potatoes. Mussels escabeche pulls in the Mediterranean. As for the British influence, “I like potting things” — as in potted rabbit or shrimp. Coming soon are British-style roasts for Sunday afternoons.
As for that long zinc bar that was the focal point of Cafe Rouge, the Visicks wisely kept it, then hired designer Paco Prieto to create a small matching bar for the back. Details: Open Monday-Saturday for lunch/dinner and Sunday for lunch, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m., at 1782 Fourth St.; www.pompetteberkeley.com.
CALIFORNIA CHICKS >> Want healthy chicken? Or indulgent chicken? An East Coast fast-casual chain that specializes in both will open its first West Coast restaurant in Palo Alto.
The Chickery was created in 2012 in Toronto by chef David Adjey, a Food Network Canada regular. Now based in D.C., the restaurant uses natural, never frozen birds for its rotisserie chicken, buttermilk-fried chicken fingers (Buzzfeed called those one “17 Delicious Junk Foods You Need to Eat in Toronto”) and the healthyturned-indulgent rotisserie fried chicken.
You can sauce up the chicken (think Cajun rémoulade and Thai chile), pile it atop a bun or add it to a salad. Sides include the Southern-inspired dirty rice and cornbread with gravy.
A summertime opening is planned at 3850 El Camino Real; www.thechickery.com.
MICHELIN PICNIC >> This year’s down-on-the-farm fundraising dinner for Veggielution, the San Jose community garden that’s been doing good works for nine years, will feature the city’s only Michelin-star holders.
On June 11, Jessica Carreira and David Costa of Adega will curate a Portuguese picnic dinner showcasing Veggielution produce and other local ingredients. The event at Emma Prusch Park will include hayride tours and cocktails in the garden. Tickets: http:// veggielution.org.
EAST BAY EXPANSIONS >> Dos Coyotes Border Cafe, the growing Sacramento-based Southwestern Mexican chain, has expanded its East Bay restaurants (the first is in Concord) to include a San Ramon location at 3191 Crow Canyon Place. And the owners of the Vitality Bowls in Brentwood, Vik and Ameet Seth, have widened their acai offerings to downtown Livermore. 2184 First St.