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Oakland Magazine »  Dining »  Restaurant Guide

Restaurant Guide

Meritage

Categories:
  • California

Essential Information

41 Tunnel Road
Berkeley, CA

510-549-8510

The Meritage at the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa ups the ante for hotel dining with well-credentialed executive chef Josh Thomsen honing the “wine-driven” “farm-to-table” approach originated by Daniel Bruce at a Meritage in Boston. The menu is both smart and satisfying. Offerings are categorized by the types of wines they are paired with: sparklers, light and fruity whites, full-bodied whites, fruity reds, spicy/earthy reds and full-bodied reds. You can order any dish, from the Hog Island oysters and the baby iceberg “wedge” salad to Atlantic salmon or filet mignon, as a small or large plate, and any of the paired wines by the half or full glass. In every case, the dishes tasted even better than they looked, and they looked fabulous. Plus, service was gracefully timed from start to finish. The remodel, by the way, accents and updates the 95-year-old hotel’s classic lines with an elegant but not ostentatious look that doesn’t compete with the spectacular Berkeley, Bay and bridge–facing view. In all, Meritage offers an agreeable contrast to the bustle and clamor of so many new and hip East Bay bistros. Serves breakfast Mon.–Sun., brunch Sun. and dinner Tue.–Sat.

Additional Information

Area: Berkeley

Price: $$-$$$$

Features:
Credit Cards Accepted
Full Bar
Wheelchair Accessible

Website: http://www.meritageclaremont.com