"WHAT: The (relatively affordable) tasting-menu restaurant that typifies the communal, plucky spirit of Oakland’s energized dining scene. WHY: James Syhabout’s slow-poached egg yolk, for starters. He surrounds it with soubise (a trompe l’oeil puree of alliums resembling egg whites) that hides smoked dates underneath. It’s a signature dish whose playfulness and serious precision says so much about Syhabout as a chef. He runs other restaurants — most notably San Francisco’s Hawker Fare, where he serves takes on Thai-Lao street food that also reflect his heritage — but Commis remains the flagship where he shows off his haute chops. The space feels as intimate as an after-hours jazz club, with the chefs performing their sets in a narrow open kitchen. The menu never stays still but dazzles with odd, wholly winning juxtapositions like turnips in ham cream, scented with pine and covered in pear ice. Among the Bay Area highfliers, Commis comes off like a deal with eight courses for $155 per person. Finish the night with a cocktail at Syhabout’s new adjacent bar, CDP. — B.A." - Bill Addison
