Monday Dinners and Oyster Hour at The Advocate - starting tonight!
We’re excited to open our doors tonight at 5:30pm for our first Monday dinner service. In conjunction with the addition of Mondays, we are also launching Oyster Hour, a celebration of our relationship with our friends at Hog Island Oyster Company.
Hog Island Oysters on the half shell Meyer lemon-celery mignonette
To begin, Oyster Hour will run all night on Mondays, from 5:30-6:30pm Tuesday thru Thursday and after 8:30pm every night. During these time frames, in addition to our regular menu we will be offering $1.50 Hog Island Sweetwater Oysters (both on the half shell and wood-roasted) along with a delicious porchetta sandwich, our juicy burger and special wine and beer selections.
New Dishes
An exciting addition to the dinner menu is a new flatbread that is cooked in the coals of our Universo wood-burning grill. It’s a variation on the flatbreads we’ve been serving to date, with crispier crust. We also have a new spring greens salad with spiced wild pecans that changes nightly based on what we find at the farmer’s market and a wood-roasted local fish (changes based on what is most fresh) with early season favas and abalone mushrooms.
Crisp Flatbread cooked in the coals ricotta, Tate’s Hell honey, argan oil, herbs and flowers
Mixed Spring Lettuces shaved raw vegetables, spiced wild pecans, cane syrup vinaigrette
Wood-roasted Redfish favas, braised leeks, abalone mushrooms, garlic-saffron vinaigrette
Group Dining at The Advocate
Groups of 8-10 people can now reserve our community table (Table 20) for a multi-course family-style meal that draws from our daily-changing menu. We also offer a similar family-style option for larger groups (up to 25) in our main dining room on a case-by-case basis. And for even larger groups, The Advocate is available for full buyouts.
Table 20
Here’s a sample multi-course family style menu:
On Arrival:
SELECTION OF HOUSE-MADE PICKLES
WARM OLIVES
HOG ISLAND OYSTERS on the half shell, Meyer lemon-celery mignonette
($7 per person supplement)
Starters:
YOUNG LETTUCES shaved raw vegetables, cane syrup vinaigrette
SALT COD BRANDADE crudités, toasted capers, anchovy, Aleppo chili
FLATBREAD cooked in the ashes, sheep’s milk ricotta, Tate’s Hell honey, argan oil, herbs
LAMB TARTARE vadouvan, toasted shallots, mint ($5 per person supplement)
Entrées:
PORCHETTA spring mustards, nettles, potato puree, mustard jus
SEA BASS olive oil poached leeks, English peas, gem lettuces, toasted garlic-saffron vinaigrette
STEWED CRANBERRY BEANS coal-roasted vegetables, spring onion couscous
GRASS FED NEW YORK STRIP charred cabbage, young turnips, charmoula ($10 per person supplement)
Dessert:
CHOCOLATE SMOKED-ALMOND TART toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate ice cream
For further information or to inquire about availability, contact us at [email protected].
We hope to see you soon at The Advocate!
March News from The Advocate
Chef Joseph Humphrey joins The Advocate
We’re excited to announce the recent hiring of chef Joseph Humphrey, who replaces opening chef John Griffiths. Welcome Joseph! Joseph is a consummate pro and has an impressive track record at some of the Bay Area’s finest restaurants, including Murray Circle at Cavallo Point and The Restaurant at Meadowood. He’s received glowing reviews from the SF Chronicle’s Michael Bauer (3 ½ stars at Cavallo Point) and received 2 Michelin Stars at Meadowood and 1 Michelin Star at Cavallo Point.
Wood-roasted Hog Island Oysters with seaweed butter and breadcrumbs
Joseph has already started making his mark on our menu, having added a number of exciting new dishes including Warm Asparagus Salad, Wood-roasted Hog Island Oysters, Lamb Tartare and Chilled Mussel Salad. The new dishes will keep rolling in the coming days – we expect the menu to be fully updated by late next week, including a new and improved burger. Once the dinner menu has been updated, Joseph will then turn his sights on the brunch menu. Stay tuned!
Warm Asparagus Salad with wood-grilled trumpet mushrooms, tahini and Lollo Rossa
The Advocate to open on Mondays for dinner starting April 4th!
Due to popular demand (and after Joseph has a chance to get into the groove), we’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening on Mondays for dinner starting on Monday, April 4th.
Lamb tartare with vadouvan, toasted shallots and mint
Group Dining at The Advocate
Groups of 8-10 people can now reserve our community table (Table 20) for a multi-course family-style meal that draws from our daily-changing menu. We also offer a similar family-style option for larger groups (up to 25) in our main dining room on a case-by-case basis. And for even larger groups, The Advocate is available for full buyouts.
Table 20
Here’s a sample multi-course family style menu:
On Arrival:
SELECTION OF HOUSE-MADE PICKLES
WARM OLIVES
HOG ISLAND OYSTERS on the half shell, Meyer lemon-celery mignonette
($7 per person supplement)
Starters:
YOUNG LETTUCES shaved raw vegetables, cane syrup vinaigrette
SALT COD BRANDADE crudités, toasted capers, anchovy, Aleppo chili
FLATBREAD cooked in the ashes, sheep’s milk ricotta, tupelo honey, argan oil, herbs
LAMB TARTARE vadouvan, toasted shallots, mint ($5 per person supplement)
Entrées:
PORCHETTA spring mustards, nettles, potato puree, mustard jus
SEA BASS olive oil poached leeks, English peas, gem lettuces, toasted garlic-saffron vinaigrette
STEWED CRANBERRY BEANS coal-roasted vegetables, spring onion couscous
GRASS FED NEW YORK STRIP charred cabbage, young turnips, charmoula ($10 per person supplement)
Dessert:
CHOCOLATE-SMOKED ALMOND TART toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate ice cream
For further information or to inquire about availability, contact us at [email protected].
We hope to see you soon at The Advocate!
December News from The Advocate: Table 20 Dinners, NYE, New Dishes and More
Announcing Table 20 Dinners
Whether for an office holiday party or a gathering of family or friends, groups of 8-10 people can now reserve our community table (Table 20) at 6pm for a multi-course family-style meal that draws from our daily-changing menu.
Here’s a sample menu:
On arrival
Selection of house made pickles
Warm olives za’atar
Appetizers and Salads
Wood-grilled flatbread roasted peppers, pancetta, ricotta salata, mint
Little gems winter radishes, grapefruit, yogurt, feta
Clam and chickpea fritters grilled celery heart salsa verde, aioli
Main Courses
Wood-roasted winter vegetable tagine chickpeas, labneh, olives
Harissa-rubbed wood-fired game hen pickled pepper salsa verde
Ricotta cannelloni hazelnuts, truffled pecorino, brown butter, balsamico
Roasted red kuri squash puntarelle, garum, citrus
Dessert
Arkansas Blacktwig apple crostata walnuts, crème anise gelato
For further information or to inquire about availability, contact us at [email protected].
Recent Press
We’ve received a couple stellar reviews in recent days:
“Chef John Griffiths’ creative, seasonal menu interprets Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes through Northern California ingredients, straddling the line between foodie-delighting whimsy and comfort fare with aplomb…”
“Just what the Elmwood ordered - The Advocate brings upscale Cal-Med dining with its own slant to the neighborhood.”
NYE at The Advocate
It’s December already, and New Year’s Eve is right around the corner. To mark the occasion, Chef John Griffiths is plotting some celebratory dishes, including:
Scallop Crudo with meyer lemon and pistachios
Oysters on the Half Shell with green apple and lime granita
Shrimp on the Plancha with almonds, preserved lemons and mint
Rotisserie Prime Rib of Beef with Sangiovese-marrow butter and crispy spigarello salad
Sausage-stuffed Rabbit Saddle over braised lentils with persimmon-celery root salsa
We will be open regular hours that night, so think of us as a place to dine before you head out to ring in 2016. Reservations are starting to fill up, so we encourage you to make yours sooner than later. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention that we’re throwing a fun dance party at our sister restaurant Comal in downtown Berkeley if you’re looking for a place to go after dinner.
New Dishes
Roasted Forono Beets w/grapefruit, radishes, yogurt, feta and za’atar
Both the brunch and dinner menus continue to evolve quickly! Brunch now features a new Wood-grilled Flatbread with soft-scrambled eggs, pancetta and fresh herbs and a Mantecato of Tuna with Yellow Finn potatoes, farm egg, capers, chiles and aioli. New dishes on the dinner menu include Farrotto with roasted sunchokes, beet greens, pickled butternut squash and gremolata and Roasted Forono Beets with grapefruit, Spanish black radish, yogurt, feta and za’atar.
We look forward to seeing you soon at The Advocate for brunch or dinner or both! And please check us out on Instagram…