FIVE Restaurant Review
Hotel Shattuck Plaza
2086 Allston Way (Shattuck Ave.) 
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Berkeley, CA 94704
510-845-7300 | Make Restaurant Reservations | Menu
Cuisine
Open
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily, Brunch Sun.Features
- Romantic setting
- Private room(s)
- Full bar
- Reservations suggested
- Valet parking
- Casual dressy
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 With executive chef Banks White helming the kitchen, American-bistro cuisine shines at this dramatic restaurant inside Berkeley’s century-old Hotel Shattuck Plaza. The wide-open, lobby-level dining room features oversized arched windows, towering white columns and stark white walls with a flowery black motif---a bit like dining in a Victorian dollhouse. Flashes of red appear in wall sconces and the one-of-a-kind chandelier, and an ovate marble bar provides chic cocktails in-the-round, including retro favorites such as Sazeracs and pisco sours. Seasonal, ingredient-driven dishes from Texan-bred White are bright, balanced and often delicately rich: consider orzo mac ‘n’ cheese with roasted mushrooms and tomato jam; slow-braised short rib "pot roast" with mascarpone polenta; and whole roasted sea bream with garlic scapes, chimichurri, spring onions, wild ramps and ginger-scallion nage. Well-priced share plates, appetizers and entrées give plenty of options, even at the bar. On our visit, the staff was apologetically overloaded---but poor pacing did not detract from the quality of cuisine and experience. Any seasonal dessert is a good bet---or try White's signature butterscotch pudding, made according to his grandmother's recipe. We also recommend wines and good beers off the reasonably priced list, and Thursday-night outdoor barbecues featuring succulent meats.
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