This is the Bay Area's best new restaurant of the year so far
Veteran sommelier Einbund and chef Schmidt, who met while working at the now-shuttered Coi, are like the Abbott and Costello of the Bay Area food world. They bring a lifetime of operating chops to their sophomore effort, and it already feels like a fully realized concept after just three months. The space, with exposed brick walls and a patio engulfed in vines, is gorgeous. The service is attentive and warm. And the food is pleasantly idiosyncratic.
This is not the Morris 2.0, but Sirene shares a few touchstones with its sibling restaurant, including rustic loaves from phenom Rize Up, house-made hot sauce, buckwheat doughnuts and a respectable fanaticism for Chartreuse. While smoked duck isn't on the menu, the restaurant makes great use of its wood-burning oven, blessing dishes with smoky boldness. Sirene offers a novel mix of seafood and fried chicken that seems incongruous on paper but is undeniably flavorful.
Start off with seafood, like the delightful shellfish charcuterie — a rare sight in the region. Cured meats are a staple at the Morris and Schmidt further flaunts his skills at Sirene by incorporating sea life in this latest cold cuts. The duck and lobster mortadella ($22) offered a gentle oceanic savor, while plump shrimp chorizo ($16) had the boisterous attitude of a hot link. Equally exciting were the raw offerings, especially the Dungeness crab ($26) available on an early visit. It was marinated in an invigorating passion fruit elixir: sourness comes from limes, heat from habaneros and a touch of vegetal sweetness from carrots.
Vegetables, like wood-fired asparagus ($21) in a nutty tamarind sauce, provide a break from the seafaring lifestyle; meanwhile crudités ($18) accompanied by caviar-spiked ranch, bridge both worlds. On a phone call, Einbund bragged about his keen eye for fresh produce, surpassed only by Schmidt.
Once you've whetted your appetite with the lighter fish fare, you have two entree routes: ocean or land. To get the full scope of the restaurant, I suggest trying both.
The cod with crispy skin, over a pond of nettle jus, was lovely, but the mussels ($27) stilled my heart. Bathed in anchovy broth, the mollusks are roasted in the wood oven, picking up toasty aromas. It's a dish made for sharing that's really a vehicle for soaking up the peppery, umami-rich broth. It comes with only two slices of buttery bread so you'll need an extra order ($7), just to be safe.
You're going to want to try the fried chicken (quarter for $20, half for $35, full order for $60), the strongest of the land options. The birds are brined in buttermilk; battered in wheat and rice flour; and fried until dark caramel in color. Each piece has a light shell with a thin crackle and meat overflowing with savory juices.
The sides and sauces, however, are what really take it over the edge. They fall into two groups: standard ($6) — like two kinds of gravies, mashed potatoes and braised greens — and premium ($15), which translates to three kinds of fish eggs. For a party of two, I recommend prioritizing the funky, piquant octopus kimchi sauce ($6), biscuits with accordion-esque laminations ($6) and, should you want to fully plunge back in the water, smoked trout roe (half ounce for $15). The latter add-on is like microdosing a smoked, fishy gravy. If you're visiting with a bigger group, order the chicken with all the fixings ($30), which arrives in a tower: fried chicken and biscuits on top and a roulette of sauces on the bottom.
Not everything is a hit yet though. Gnocchi ($32) was too soft, and the fried coating on the fish and chips ($25) was more chewy than crisp.
On the beverage side, Sirene stands out as one of the few places in the Bay Area where you can nourish an interest in Madeira and Chartreuse, with a dedicated list for each. Both are passions for Einbund, who, on one arm, has a tattoo of a bottle of Madeira and three of Charteuse. The monk-made spirit is everywhere: in sterling slushies ($12); in the anglaise paired with the fabulous buckwheat doughnuts ($12); in cappuccinos ($10) during Sirene's cafe hours. (A little birdy told me it's an off-menu item for dinner.)
During the day, Sirene transforms into a fabulous coffee shop. Pastry chef Elaine Lau, formerly of Sunday Bakeshop, supplies baked goods like a runny egg croissant. As a coffee nerd, I was pleased to see the shop offering pour overs ($7) made with beans from Hydrangea Coffee, an underrated roaster in Berkeley. On a recent visit, I had a cup that tasted like sour grape candy.
I was entirely charmed by all aspects of Sirene. Einbund and Schmidt pull off the oddball mix of fried chicken and seafood. Much of the duo's chemistry comes from an obsessive passion for restaurants and a partnership built on trust.
In another timeline, the Morris might have been in Oakland. Schmidt and Einbund looked at spaces in the Town before deciding it was better suited for the city. The itch for opening an East Bay restaurant, however, never went away — especially for Schmidt, who has lived in Oakland for 12 years. Instead of opening another location of the Morris, the duo created something that better fits the East Bay's vibe: a hospitable neighborhood spot, where you can pop in for a coffee and biscuit; belly up to the bar for a glass of wine and mussels; or visit for a full fried chicken dinner and explore niche beverages.
'I am the clientele,' Schmidt said. 'I know what I want, or what I want to give to the neighborhood.' And they took their time, waiting nearly a decade before opening a new restaurant. I look forward to their third spot in 2034.
Sirene
3308 Grand Ave., Oakland. sirene-oak.com or 510-200-8750
Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
Accessibility: Dining room on one floor. Wheelchair accessible tables in the main dining room and patio, which has a ramp entrance.
Meal for two, without drinks: $80-$150
Best practices: Start with the lighter seafood fare, move on to the heavier options and end with doughnuts. Bright red and tangy, the house-made sriracha ($1.50) is your friend.
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