History

Alice Waters codified California cuisine across the Bay in Berkeley in 1971. James Syhabout opened Commis in Oakland in 2009 and earned the city's first Michelin star within months, with a second star added in 2015. The Pacific Rim and California produce template now runs through Mago, Pomet, Burdell and most of the city's serious kitchens, with Sun Moon Studio earning Oakland's newest star in 2025.

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 4 farmers market eggs
  • 200g spring peas, shelled
  • 100g pea shoots
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 1 small spring onion, sliced
  • Sea salt, black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh herbs (chervil, tarragon)

Method

  1. Bring a pan of water to 62 C. Slow-poach the eggs whole for one hour.
  2. Blanch spring peas in salted boiling water for 30 seconds, refresh in ice water.
  3. Saute spring onion in butter over low heat until just tender, add half the peas and crush gently.
  4. Plate the pea puree, crack the egg yolk on top, scatter remaining peas, pea shoots and herbs. Finish with olive oil and sea salt.

Tip from the editors. California tasting menus are about restraint. Cook only what is at peak; serve it cool, clean and obvious.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat californian tasting menu

Californian tasting menu in Oakland

Commis 2 ★ ★ 4.9

ChineseChef James Syhabout$$$$$279piedmont-avenueBook 3 to 4 weeks ahead

Commis is Oakland's only two-Michelin-star restaurant. Chef James Syhabout runs a ten-course tasting on Piedmont Avenue with Thai-Chinese influences.

3859 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

Sun Moon Studio 1 ★ ★ 4.8

Tasting menuChef Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper$$$$Tasting menuwest-oaklandBook 2 to 3 weeks ahead

Sun Moon Studio in West Oakland earned a Michelin star in 2025. Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper run a twelve-seat ingredient-driven tasting on Union Street.

1940 Union Street, Oakland, CA 94607

Pomet ★ 4.5

CalifornianChef Alan Hsu$$$$A la cartepiedmont-avenueBook 2 to 3 weeks ahead

Pomet on Piedmont Avenue holds a Michelin Green Star for sustainability. Farmer Aomboon Deasy of K and J Orchards feeds chef Alan Hsu's daily menu.

4029 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611

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