Food Reviews: The Advocate

Our new apartment is in the lovely town of Elmwood in Berkeley. While I love the Berkeley food scene, any new additions are always welcome. I find that Peter and I get stuck in a rut when it comes to eating out going to our same five favorites and not branching out often. We were delighted to hear that one of our favorite restaurants, Comal, opened a sister restaurant right in our neighborhood just two weeks ago, called The Advocate.

We decided to try it out tonight (since it is just about a million degrees and the thought of turning on an oven makes me break out into a sweat) and here's what I thought...

We walked over there at about 5:20 to get there by the time it opened. Both Comal and the Advocate have a no reservations policy which, as we've seen at Comal, can mean that tables fill up fast. When we turned the corner there was a line already out the door to get in! But we were lucky enough to sit down right away. They had plenty of space.

I started out with their ricotta toast which was delicious. It was slightly sweet, topped with flowers and olive oil. It was the one thing I was able to get a picture of before it was eaten up!

Peter started off with their carrot soup and reported that it was really tasty. I told him he was crazy for eating such a hot dish when we were finally sitting in some air conditioning.

We both ended up getting the spit-roasted chicken. They have a similar dish at Comal where you order a whole chicken to share. I thought it was really tasty. The chicken was perfectly roasted and juicy on the inside. The only thing I hope they improve on is the underlings - they had pureed turnips (I think), mushrooms and pearl onions. I would have loved something either a little heartier or some green vegetables, but I'm sure those will change with the seasons.

Overall it was great! They have a beautiful space inside, I loved all of their hanging lamps. Can't wait to try some drinks next time! The swizzle is top on my list!