Gastronomique Splurges like a Hog
We ordered a $100 steak at Olivetto. Bistecca alla Fiorentina, it was described, "Niman Ranch Beef Porterhouse Steak with 'bianca di Spanga' beans and Spinach, White Truffle Butter (for two). $100" We found it a silly idea at first, something a decadent Russian mafiosi would order to celebrate scoring a contrabanded crate of Vertu cell phones; something a young Wall Street up-and-comer from the midwest would eat in a Hollywood movie to depict the corrupt and depraved ways of the big city, before returning to his wholesome father, a teacher and union leader, and his earnest mother, a nurse, and marry his high school sweetheart.
Then we overheard Chef Paul Canales describe it to a party of friends of his, and he mimed the laddling of the truffle butter on top of the meat with such intensity we had to order it. Indeed it was the best steak we ever had, a huge 34oz. slab of a tender meat with light streak of grizzle, infused with the white truffle flavor.
Picture courtesy of Oliveto Restaurant
We were at Oliveto, in the Rockridge area in Oakland, for the Truffle dinners, a yearly celebration of the fall. The menu identified with asterisks the items "particularly accepting of shaved white truffle." The waitstaff would weigh the truffle beforehand, bring it to the table, shave it on a little grating device at the customer's pleasure, measure the difference and charge $5.50/g. We were being treated, so we went truffle à gogo.
We keep coming up with new excuses for not giving two visits to the places we talk about and for Oliveto, we wish we could give a second visit. Heck, we would like to be regular there, if only we could afford it. The restaurant is stylish, in a formal way and surprisingly spacious upstairs, since the downstair casual café looks quite cramped when peeked into from the street.
Our imitation of the life of the rich and famous started with an Insalata di carne cruda, an axis venison tenderloin carpaccio with black truffles ($18.50); then a hazelnut fettuccine with duck livers, pancetta, sage and vin santo ($13.50) which, while delicious did not taste of sage or vin santo, especially after we gave it a layer of white truffle shavings, thus tripling its price. Then we devoured the aforementioned steak.
We did away with the truffle for dessert: Olivetto did not provide any anyway. We had to do with a very light and very subtle persimmon cheesecake and a chestut ice-cream sandwich ($9). We wish they had put bits of marrons glacés in the chestnut ice cream, as the chestnut flavor needed to be enhanced.
Wine by the glass is pricey, with no selection of appeal to us under $12 per. We opted instead for a reasonable bottle of lacrima del moro d'alba, our only concession to price consciousness, clocking under $30.
Luckily for us, we don't have a teacher dad and a nurse mom living a thrifty yet decent lifestyle in Indiana, so we did not have to feel guilty for splurging on truffle. Oh, and if you're looking for a Vertu cell phone, email us, we might be able to hook you up.
Oliveto
5655 College Ave
Oakland, CA94618
(510) 547-5356