Revival Bar & Kitchen Awards

Revival Bar & Kitchen Restaurant Review:

Revival Bar & Kitchen sources ingredients whenever possible from producers located within 100 miles of the restaurant and whose output is seasonal, sustainable and organic. Animals bought whole and butchered in-house appear in original dishes featuring audacious flavor and texture combinations, such as a grilled pork chop adorned with grilled peaches, honey-mustard polenta and bourbon butter. Meatless fare is less filling but still creative: watermelon cubes tossed with cucumber and pickled green beans becomes a sweet-savory-sour summer salad. The sustainability ethic also applies to the bar, overseen by manager Nat Harry, whose original cocktail masterworks include the Half-a-Heart containing pisco, Swedish punsch, cherry liqueur, lime and house-made grenadine. A guilty-pleasure comfort food epiphany, and one of Berkeley's best-kept secrets, is the house-cut french fries with blue cheese aïoli. Located in Berkeley's "theater district," Revival becomes very crowded before and after plays; serenity comes to those who dine late.