We went to Bardo Lounge & Supper Club in Oakland recently for a celebratory dinner. Bardo is in the Lakeshore neighborhood, and has kind of a cool 60’s mid-century modern vibe. It opened in 2018. We dined at a large table in the loft area which overlooks the first floor.
The menu - we opted for the “Dinner Party” ($80pp) which is a chef’s choice dinner served family style. There was an option to add the ribeye dish to it for an extra $20 per ribeye, but we didn’t partake.
They have an extensive cocktail menu book which I didn’t get a picture of.
Back Porch ($15)
Old Granddad BiB, mint, black tea syrup, Angostura Bitters, lemon peel
sit and stay a while
I had a Back Porch, which was quite good and like an Old Fashioned.
‘No’Groni ($15)
Non Alcoholic Botanical Spirits, Giffard Apertif Syrup, Non Alcoholic Vermouth, tonic
Bitter, non alcoholic refresher
Later on I had a 'No’groni, which was a n/a Negroni and was also quite nice.
Most of the following descriptions are lifted from the a la carte menu.
Pickled Seasonal Veg
house ranch (gf, vegetarian)
Our meal started with some pickles - there were crunchy pickled carrots, romanesco, cucumbers, some beets I think, peppers, and some other vegetables. The ranch sauce served alongside tasted like a Green Goddess dressing.
Deviled Eggs
smoked beef, potato, celery, onion, mustard, pickle, potato chips, paprika (gf, can be made vegetarian)
These were some good deviled eggs with a little bit of acidity from the pickle and mustard.
Chicken Liver Mousse
blackberry & serrano jam, grilled local bread
Next, a very good savory and sweet chicken liver mouse with a sweet and spicy jam, along with toast rounds to spread it on.
Potato & Ham Hock Croquettes
smoked ham hock, fontina, mustard green emulsion, green tomato relish, hot sauce
Summer Salad
melon, spicy pickled cucumber, avocado, miso vinaigrette, finger lime, pickled grapes, sorrel (gf, vegan)
Before the mains arrived, there was a palate cleansing granita.
Shrimp & Grits
Anson Mills grits, grilled corn, bacon, romano beans, heirloom tomato, melted vidalia onion, piquillo pepper sauce, crispy basil (gf, can be made w/o bacon)
This was a very good shrimp and grits. The large shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the grits were rich and creamy, punctuated by some crispy bacon. There was kind of a succotash alongside which provided some acidity.
12 oz Mole-Rubbed Pork Chop
grilled corn puree, okra, grilled watermelon & cucumber, pineapple tamarind sauce, green tomato relish, pickled peppers (gf, contains nuts)
This was delicious. The pork chop was kind of like a Cantonese char siu with the sweet and sour pineapple tamarind sauce. I lucked out and got the rib piece which was nice to gnaw on. I will note that our table received two pork chops plates, and the one on our side was noticeably more tender and fatty than the other one, so there may be some consistency issues with this dish.
Handmade Fettuccine
sauce verte, roasted squash, mushrooms, shishito peppers, mustard greens, charred tomato butter, breadcrumbs, marinated tomatoes (vegetarian)
There was also a green pasta dish with a lot of vegetables that I neglected to take notes about.
Roasted Tofu
smoked mushroom & cashew puree, roasted eggplant, squash, tomato, red coconut curry, pickled onion, vadouvan vinaigrette (gf, vegan, contains nuts)
I only had a bite of this but it was pretty good - firm tofu covered with a nutty coconut curry.
Bruleed Banana
banana custard, chocolate and espresso ganache, Don Julio 1942 dulce de leche ice cream, whipped cream
Dinner ended with two desserts. This was a very nice banana custard with a chocolate and coffee ganache, ice cream, and whipped cream, topped with a bruleed banana.
Apple Cake
rum toffee sauce, walnut streusel, whipped creme fraiche, angostura ice cream
And there was also a moist apple cake with a sticky toffee sauce and ice cream.
This was an enjoyable dinner with good company.
