Comal

photo - Comal, Facebook

Comal, Berkeley, Dinner
February 28, 2016

P: 
Produccion Chiquita Flight
A selection of three tequilas from small producers, showcasing blanco, reposado, and anejo.  Served with Sangrita Verde, Roja and Amarilla.
   Gran Devejo Blanco
   Calle 23 Reposado
   Siete Leguas Anejo
Pineapple, guava and coconut agua fresca
Berkshire pork al pastor, pineapple-morita chile sauce
Oaxacan chocolate budin, whipped cream

J:
Jack Satan, Partida Reposado, hibiscus, infierno tincture, lime, salt
Wood-grilled rock cod, spicy pickled cabbage, avocado aioli
Flan tradicional, candied kumquats

Shared:
Guacamole w/ chips & three salsas
Chile relleno, queso fresco, salsa ranchera, epazote
Rice and refried beans

Notes:
I've been here a couple of times before.  I do like this place, though it is a little pricey and there is a certain air about the place (snobbish? smug?) that raises an eyebrow.

We ordered drinks and guacamole to nosh on while we perused the menu.  The guacamole, chips and salsa arrived almost immediately.  Then the drinks (with no explanation of what was what on the tequila flight, unfortunately).  We made our next choices shortly thereafter and within minutes of that, the table was completely full.  Impressive on one hand, but a little perplexing on the other.  Was none of this cooked to order?  Arguably, none of it should/would have been except for the rock cod taco and the chile relleno - but even those came to the table a little too quickly.

The tequila flight was tasty, as were the accompanying fruity sangrita chasers.  The verde chaser was my favorite, the amarilla was Patrick's.  I'm not sure there was a favorite tequila, but they were fun to try.  My Jack Satan was not what I expected.  It was good, but words like "Satan" and "infierno [hell] tincture" led me to believe this would be a spicy cocktail (which I love, and that's why I ordered it) and it wasn't.  At all.

Chips and salsas are a must-have for me, here.  I love their chips.  They're fresh and crunchy and (very) salty - just right.  Their guacamole is surprisingly good - not a bunch of "stuff" in it - only salt, garlic, lime and cilantro, if I had to guess.  Just the way I like it.  Red, green and dark-dark red salsas were served alongside in little dishes with tiny spoons.  The dark red salsa had a smokey, deeply-toasted flavor; with considerable heat; this was Patrick's favorite.  I'm not sure which was mine, but I did think the toasty-hot (dark red) one was the most interesting.

The tacos were just okay.  I love fish tacos of the not-fried variety, so the grilled rock cod option was right up my alley - particularly when accompanied by "spicy pickled cabbage", and "avocado aioli" - all things I fancy.  I had forgotten these details by the time I was biting into the taco, however.  It was good, but the cabbage seemed neither pickled nor spicy, and it seemed to be tossed in a mayonnaise-based dressing - but was this the avocado aioli?  I'll never know.  Patrick gave it a thumbs up, though.  His al pastor taco I found much more flavorful, though he wasn't so impressed before he found the pineapple sauce, which he felt brought it together, but that came and went in one bite.  These tacos were not particularly well assembled, he noted.

Saving the best for last: the chile relleno was a favorite.  The sauce was plentiful and full of flavor, the poblano pepper was succulent, the queso fresco filling tender and lightly salty, and the handful of romaine lettuce strewn across the top kept everything light.  I wasn't interested in picking this dish apart (it was so good, I just wanted to eat it), so I can't say whether the chile was fried, though I think it was, albeit lightly.  The rice and porky, chunky-but-creamy refried beans on the side were a nice addition to the table.

Patrick, really saving the best for last, waited until the end to have most of his agua fresca.  He loved it, though was a little disappointed it had been watered down some by the ice in the glass.  He couldn't figure out how they packed so much coconut flavor into the drink; "Coconut milk," I insisted.  "But there wasn't any in there," he said.  "Sure there was," I replied.  "But it didn't taste creamy," he said.  "Yeah, it did," I shot back.  We debated the coconut milk idea for a while before he concludes: "We need to remember this."

I am a huge fan of flan, and I like theirs, so I had to have it again.  It did not disappoint, except for maybe the candied kumquats.  I had forgotten you would not get "just flan" here.  The kumquats were delicious, and I ate most of them (separately), but I wanted "just flan"; theirs is so very creamy, but still light, and less eggy than most I've had.  Patrick's chocolate pudding was also very good, very chocolaty, maybe a little grainy, but still a satisfying, full-flavored finish.

Overall, we had too much food.  It was good, some of it very good, but I'm not sure I would cross the Bay just for a meal here.  That said, we wouldn't veto an opportunity to visit again.