However, our most recent visit, which came nearly nine months after our last, made me wonder if things are on a downhill trend at Charlie Hallowell's popular Oakland spot. Service was as bad as usual, but this time, they managed to bring us our pizze at the same as our primi. The waiter seemed completely unphased when we looked suprise at the pizze's arrival. By the time we got to the pizze, our artichoke and mint, already underseasoned, was tough to eat and kind of bland. As for our primi, they seemed to lack the execution of previous ones we've had there. Only the dish of a poached duck egg with chick peas, olives, rapini and harissa was truly excellent (well, that and the desserts, which are always fantastic). Everything else had too many flaws, and combined with the service and the fact that it was a particularly slow night, I'm not pressed to return there.
Here's some crappy pics:
