[Photo: Flickr/type.wright]
With its chef Anthony Paone now on hand full-time instead of splitting time elsewhere, Berkeley's Sea Salt gets a nice upgrade from 2.5 to three stars, even though traditional restaurant logic says that expansion is usually a bad thing:
When Sea Salt opened in 2005, it had just 85 seats. Now there are nearly 200, the interior has been spiffed up with fresh flowers and a full-service bar, and the menu has grown ... The service, like the food, has an eclectic friendly quality. It supports the neighborhood vibe, but not at the expense of professionalism. Rarely does a restaurant that gets larger actually improve the food, but with Paone watching the line, that's exactly what's happened.Though we're still trying to decipher Bauer's two references to the Jolly Green Giant, the message at Sea Salt is fairly simple: they've been doing a good thing, and it's only getting better with age. [Chron]
More Reviews: Serpentine, Prana, Cottage Eatery, Flaming Fresco and the ELSEWHERE! >>
Comments
EMBARCADERO—Plopped almost directly underneath the Bay Bridge on Pier 28 1/2, dive bar and occasional eatery Hi Dive will be tacking on a patio area on the north side of the building (i.e., the one facing the bridge). The red tape is just about tackled, so construction should begin shortly. The patio will add 30 seats to Hi Dive, which we're thinking will effectively double the size of the place. Kuletoville, look out. [EaterWire]
