Lilly C.
Yelp
Our party of two arrived at 6pm on Monday night for Berkeley Restaurant Week and was seated right away. We had a reservation with OpenTable at 6:30pm which we did not need. Because it was windy that day, we chose to sit inside and were seated by a large window with a view of the water and San Francisco. There were heaters and a fire pit outside.
Their $40 4-course meal was very accommodating to vegetarians. We each ordered different items so that we could try more dishes.
Starter:
1. Grilled broccolini w/red pepper pesto, pickled onion, tzatziki crema, parsnip threads ($14 on regular menu, 4/5) - This had a great flavor profile although the dish was unexpectedly on the cooler side.
2. Seared ahi w/grilled pineapple salsa, avocado, ancho relish (not seen on regular menu, 3/5) - The flavors of this dish did not seem to mesh as well together as with the previous dish. It was also strangely room-temperature.
Soup/Salad:
1. Boathouse clam chowder w/grilled sourdough ($10 as soup of the day on regular menu, 3/5) - This is not disclosed on the menu, but it comes with a crumbled bacon topping (I don't eat pork). Luckily, the server asked if it was okay, so we said no. Unfortunately, the soup arrived at our table with bacon so we sent it back. The soup itself was decent with a good amount of clams.
2. Little gem vol-au-vent w/grilled corn, shaved manchego, pickled fresno, Tejano dressing ($12 on regular menu, 4/5) - This was a fresh salad with good flavors.
Entrée:
1. Grilled mahi-mahi tacos w/avocado crema, pico de gallo, cotija cheese (not available on regular menu, 4/5) - The toppings overpowered the fish, but overall, good flavor combo. 2 corn tortilla tacos.
2. Mushroom bolognese with fresh pappardelle and grilled bread (not available on regular menu, 4/5) - Generous serving of soft noodles with a salty mushroom sauce.
Dessert:
1. Chocolate Cake ($10 on regular menu, 5/5) - moist and rich
2. Turtle Cheesecake ($10 on regular menu, 4/5) - super heavy, a bit too sweet
3. Almare gelato flight - we did not order this.
For drinks, I got the Westcoast Cooler (Westward Whiskey, Mandarin Napoleon, Lemon Juice, Alchemist Peach, Fresh Basil) which I thought was very mediocre (2/5) especially for $18. My partner got the Westward Whiskey Flight ($22, 4/5) which included a half ounce each of the Westward Single Malt, Westward Stout Cask, and Westward Pinot Noir Cask. Our favorite of the 3 was the Westward Stout Cask.
Overall, nice ambiance, excellent service (our server Mely was amazing!), and decent food and drinks.