The server may have dropped it on the way to your table, but thought it was a serendipitous presentation anyways. 
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Also ordered the escargot porridge myself. One of the most underrated dishes in town?
Unforutnaltely I also got the huckleberry dessert and it was plated that way.
All the other deserts were better.
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Iām feeling a little fatigued in bed right now. Another bowl of that porridge would do me right.
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Finally got to Otium today after seeing the Cindy Sherman exhibit at The Broad. It wasnāt bad. It wasnāt great. And Iām glad I took my mom to Patina that night in regards to my earlier post.
Avocado Toast
Thin, dry slice of seemingly untoasted bread with some avocado and a whole lot more. The lily was really guilded here. All the components that adorned the bread were to my liking, but the avocado really took a back seat.
Foie gras funnel cake
I liked it. I ate the whole thing. But it really wasnāt this sort of ābest of both worldsā thing that I think it was aiming it be. The luxury of foie and the greasy, crispy pleasure of an amusement part funnel cake did not really show up to the plate. The foliage was too much. A few too many pieces of sliced fennel that made no sense and these various bits of what appear to be Baby Spring Mix.
Reservation desk service was fair in a sort of no eye contact and disinterested sort of way. Table service was good with some pretty obvious up-selling going at the front end. And increasingly loud room volume fighting with old Wu Tang tracks as brunch service progressed.
My biggest take away from this meal is very similar to a parallel experience I had last year. In early January 2015, I had one of the best tasting menu experiences in my life at Atera in New York City. Chef Lightner turned out a menu that was equally cozy as it was refined. Very bold flavors and very soul satisfying while being quite luxurious. I was over the moon excited to hear that he was going to be staking his claim in California later in 2015. However, my trip to Ninebark in Napa this past December was really disappointing. I understand that the concept is different and I understand that the environment is different. But it tasted as if it were made from a completely different set of hands. None of the attention to flavor and balance that I experienced at Atera seemed evident at Ninebark. Similarly, my one dining experience at the French Laundry was under chef Hollingworthās watch a few years back. It was nothing short of amazing. Again, excited to hear heās coming to my hometown. I acknowledge that this is a different type of restaurant with a different type of clientele and a different level of service. But Otium had me do a similar double take. I might be amenable to dining at Otium again (not Ninebark by a longshot) but I really didnāt sense any of the magic that I tasted in Yountville.
Team Patina all the way.
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Iāve never understood why Patina never gets more love either here, or on Chowhound.
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Otium seems more focused on making the food pretty and 'gram-worthy than taste.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Iāve always been a Patina fanā¦and try to make it there whenever I go to Disney Hall. Very good food. And I totally agree about the service. Really a top notch experience.
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