photo: Christina Mitchell
Sommeliers Sarah Trubnick and Carolyn Johnson opened The Barrel Room in San Francisco in 2011. The wine bar offered snacks, but when they added an Oakland location a few months ago, they brought on Chef Sam Paulding and he created a full menu. I was invited to check it out, so when my friend and I had dinner last week, it looked similar to other wine store/wine bars. But The Barrel Room is special because the menu and wine list change regularly, “visiting a different region of the world each time.” The theme was France when it first opened and now it’s Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We didn’t know much about wines from that region, but the handwritten labels on each glass were super helpful and Manager/Sommelier Esteban Brunello (Oliveto, SPQR) did a great job pairing wines with the dishes we ordered: the addictive Soft Pretzels with Housemade Spicy Mustard ($6), the delicate Vegetable Terrine of Sweet Potato, Fennel, Turnip, Mustard Greens, Celeriac Puree ($11), the flavorful Housemade Sausage with White Beans, Sauerkraut and Mustard ($16) and the crispy, creamy Potato Cakes with Mustard Aioli ($8). While it was tender, the Braised Short Rib Goulash ($18) was my least favorite because it needed a bit more flavor to stand up to the complex Croatian wine. Overall, the food was hearty and flavorful, and since The Barrel Room is going to Italy and then Spain/Portugal, I would definitely go back.
5330 College Ave, Oakland
510-655-1700
Christina Mitchell
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