"There was a magic transcendent song soaring through my body as I ate my first coconut cake since the saviors at Oakland’s Jo’s Modern Thai bless you with four per order. Coconut cakes are, for me, both tiny packages of inspired flavors — even at their least elevated — and deeply comforting. Mochi plays the same role: There are the high-brow riffs at Third Cousin that stop my heart in delight, but I’m just as giddy to rip open a $2 package of sesame-studded mini mochi at 2 a.m. At this Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant, the coconut cakes are a mystical intersection of elegance and joy. I credit the divinity to the tom kha scallop and shrimp crudo and trout roe. After the first bite of indulgent, ultra-coconut-y texture and flavor, the second act of seafood flavors and textures brace the dish with brininess from the crudo and satisfying pops from the roe. The medley of cilantro, makrut lime, and Thai chili ensures a bright zing of spice is the final note in the mini performance. There’s much more to say about this contemporary restaurant and its beachy back patio — for example, the blue sticky rice dessert is a symphonic triumph — but please do yourself the great pleasure of ordering the coconut cakes. All four in a single order deserve a standing ovation. Jo’s Modern Thai, 3725 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland." - Lauren Saria