Oso review: Cutting edge in pastoral Sonoma
An open-weave metal partition divides the entrance from the rest of the long, narrow dining room, where each black metal table is set with gray aluminum chairs.
Scrap metal and wood inform much of the design of this restaurant, which opened at the end of October.
Bright orange globes hang from the dining counter that separates the open kitchen, looking like Christmas lights on the tundra.
Most restaurants in this bucolic town are a few years behind the trends, but Oso is an in-the-face reinvention by David Bush, who for six years was the executive chef at St. Francis Winery.
[...] he wanted to get a degree in history, so he left the kitchen for Sonoma State University and then became a winery chef.
Experience and respect for history are the backbone of great cuisine, because those who understand the past are more adept at combining ingredients, knowing where to remain true and where to stray.
Butter lettuce salad ($8) was filled with generous chunks of blue cheese, candied walnuts, slices of apples and shavings of fennel.
A medley of root vegetables ($12) was boosted to star status with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette.
The shrimp were lightly pickled to produce a firm texture and concentrated flavor, then were fanned over kale flecked with roasted peanuts; the accompanying swipe of horseradish and tomato aioli packed a sinus-clearing wallop.
The pickled shrimp are also part of the seafood platter ($32) that includes a half-dozen oysters; ceviche with jalapeno, fennel and avocado; and a daily changing crudo.
Just about every trendy menu features mussels, but Bush’s dish, with quarter-size chicken ginger meatballs and an intense miso broth ($14), is at the top.
Two slices of toasted bread weren’t enough to soak up the juices, so we used our spoon to finish off the rich and buttery soup.
While the format is designed to be small plates, the portions are practically as generous as main courses at some restaurants, whether it’s a fillet of harissa-roasted salmon ($16) on a bed of couscous, cooled by tzatziki with yams, turnips and shishito peppers; or Syrah-braised short ribs ($16) topped with pickled onions and resting on sauteed spinach and smoked gouda polenta.
The menu changes regularly, and on the final visit Bush had added three tacos ($14) with rich mole-coated chunks of lamb spooned into a soft flour tortilla topped with pickled turnips and carrots and soft chunks of cotija cheese.
From the subtle way Bush balances flavors in each dish, it’s quickly evident he is versed at creating combinations to enhance wine.
Sommelier Brian Kulich or one of his trained crew is always available to offer recommendations for those not familiar with such wineries as Dunstan, Liquid Farm, Blue Farm and Blue Rock.
On the first visit, we had to ask for clean plates, but on subsequent visits they changed them regularly and routinely brought utensils for shared plates.
There’s a squat canning jar filled with butterscotch pot de creme accompanied by three shortbread cookies; peanut-butter mousse on a pad of chocolate cake with Syrah-soaked blueberries and a scattering of nut crunch; and a small loaf of poppy-seed cake with lemon icing and a small mound of berries.