Comal opened in Downtown Berkeley a few weeks ago and I stopped by with a friend on Saturday night. It was pretty packed, but the 30 minute wait the hostess warned us about turned out to only be about 10 minutes. Since it was Saturday night, I started with a cocktail. The Comal Swizzle ($9, with Sotol, Falernum, pineapple, passion fruit, lime and Cascade hops tincture) was tart, slightly sweet and substantially boozy. The salty yucca fries with chipotle aioli ($6) were very addicting. Crispy on the outside and almost creamy on the inside, I literally could not stop eating them. The Grilled Half Moon Bay artichokes with ancho chile-espazote butter ($9) were, unfortunately, drowned in sauce. I missed the grilled flavor and wish they were dressed with a simple squeeze of lime. I’m sure there were at least 25 different ingredients in the duck mole enchiladas ($14), but this was one instance where the sum was greater than its parts. The Sanger Farm duck was enrobed in thick, house made corn tortillas and doused in a thick, complex sauce, reminiscent of velvet. Yum. I was happy to see a big patio area in back that will almost double the size of the restaurant. Now, all we need is for the weather to cooperate.
2020 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley
510-926-6300
photo: Christina Mitchell
Christina Mitchell
Latest posts by Christina Mitchell (see all)
- La Casita: Food for the Soul - September 28, 2018
- How To Cook Vietnamese Sausage - September 7, 2018
- Let’s get it started… - September 6, 2018