When our knowledgeable sommelier at the Oxbow Market recommended Ubuntu, I answered somewhat dismissively that I had reservations already at Cafe La Haye in Sonoma. Uhm, what's more, Ubuntu also has an attached yoga studio upstairs? REALLY, no thanks.
Not to be deterred, our sommelier pressed on: "It's also in Frank Bruni's top ten restaurants in the nation." Well. Now I was intrigued.
We were able to snag a spot at Ubuntu's large community table opposite the naked sculptures holding yoga poses. At least, I think they were holding yoga poses. I felt like a fish out of water. Bring on the wheatgrass teas and goji berry soups.Only after tasting our starter plate did I realize how wrong my assumptions were.
Marcona almonds toasted in a generous coat of lavender sugar and sea salt.Now I've had lavender and sea salt sprinkled on a lot of things, but this was different. The generous lavender sugar coating gave the almonds an intense burst of brightness, while the crystals combined beautifully with the toasted texture of the nuts to make the almonds light and crunchy. The plate showcased the lavender flower by bringing out its sweet notes with both sugar and the right amount of sea salt to create a sweet, savory balance. The sea salt really helped to steer the flavor away from being overly floral or overly-"soapy."
Beets with fork-crushed avocado pistachio “soil”,ruby grapefruit and chickweed.
The beet tartare was not only a play on words, but also a fun way to highlight how natural the ingredients and preparation were. Who knew food could be so ethical and fun at the same time? Ubuntu has its own garden down the street too, and the menu made sure to point out which ingredients were home-grown.
Next came fresh picked greens, asparagus with parmesan and macadamia nut crust, brioche sandwich with black olive caramel layers, and egg.The egg was interesting. I was expecting a poached egg that would run all over my plate, but this was like a soft creamy egg that was light without being frothy. Looked like an egg, tasted like an egg, but yet wasn't entirely what I expected.
Carta da musica with young mustards, truffled pecorino,royal trumpet chips with rosemary.
Allow me to be cheesy for one second, but this was the pièce de résistance of the meal. It was visually stunning and deliciously difficult to eat (I felt like I was ruining art just by lifting it). The crust was so thin and crispy, it crackled under the heap of thinly shaved greens, radishes and flowers. Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavors ~ crunchy, sweet and spicy from the radishes, earthy and nutty from the truffle pecorino, and a different spicy from the little flecks of red pepper baked into the crust.
Cauliflower in a cast iron pot,roast-puree-raw-“couscous”, our vadouvan, coriander, toast (not pictured).
Pizza with strawberry, burrata two ways and fresh chives.This pizza was both sweet and savory, with the strawberries being the substitute for tomato.
Finally, dessert...
Lightly stewed strawberries, rose geranium mousse, lavender meringue straws and strawberry "dust".Needless to say, Ubuntu was enjoyable in so many respects. The food was sourced and prepared with utmost care, the atmosphere and service were wonderful and the prices were surprisingly low. Not only did I spare the environment a wee bit by not driving the extra 25 minutes to Cafe La Haye in Sonoma (which I still want to try someday), I also found that I can eat a staggeringly good meal without meat. Perhaps this is the new me? Or at least, the me when I eat at Ubuntu.
