Arnon Oren, Owner
Fourth Course - Swordfish
JULY 2019 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 31
Anaviv’s Table features
communal dining opportunities
from Thursdays through
Saturdays weekly, with one
seating at 7:00 PM. The
restaurant features a single long
oak table that is built out of
recycled wood from the old
Cal Berkeley stadium. The
table comfortably seats ten
guests but can be expanded to
accommodate up to sixteen.
Dining at Anaviv’s Table is
by advance reservation only,
available on the website at
https://table.anaviv.com/ at a
cost of $127.50 per person plus
tax. The price includes a multicourse
tasting menu (dinner),
a specialty cocktail, and wine
pairings for each of the meal
courses. All food and wine
served during the evening are
sourced from local farms, ranches
and wineries, and the produce
is organically grown and freshly
acquired from local growers,
usually via the San Rafael
Farmer’s Market. Some produce
used at Anaviv’s Table is also
harvested from the local Victory
Garden about a mile from the
restaurant, which is tended by
Kelli Barram, a master gardener
with whom Arnon has partnered
to sponsor the community
“Plant to Plate Program.” In
this program Richmond students
learn gardening and cooking
skills, and life skills that will
foster a successful career. (Read
more about this program in an
upcoming Marketplace issue.)
I was fortunate to share this
elegant dining experience at
Anaviv’s with Contra Costa
Marketplace General Manager,
Julia Smith. We dined on a
Thursday evening with eight
other lovely guests, two of whom
were visiting the restaurant
for their third time, and who
were treatong their friends to
the experience. We were also
joined by Kelli Barram and
her husband, Michael, and two
of their close friends. As we
stepped through the door of the
dining room, the beautifully set
table loomed large, complete
with numerous wine glasses at
each seat, and a printed menu
of the evening’s offerings atop
each place setting. We were
promptly greeted by our host
and waiter, Angelo, who prepared
and served each guest with the
special cocktail of the evening.
The cocktail was a blend of
fresh peach puree mixed with
bourbon and seltzer water, served
over ice with sprigs of anise
on top. While I don’t usually
indulge in bourbon, I did enjoy
this refreshing combination. The
guests introduced themselves and
conversed around the table until
the resident chef, Kadie Vita,
emerged to introduce herself and
invite us into the kitchen for
some small bites.
The expansive kitchen was
impressive and sparkling clean,
appearing as though all the
stainless steel had recently been
polished. Beautifully displayed
on the counter before us was
a selection of “delicious bites”
for us to partake as we had the
opportunity to interact with
Chef Kadie. There was a lovely
Cheese Board consisting of
numerous local goat and milk
cheeses with crudité; fermented
pickles and other vegetables;
and toast points served with a
house made rabbit rillette spread.
While we enjoyed these treats,
Chef Kadie prepared for us pan
fried Shisito peppers. We were
all impressed to watch her in
action, tossing the peppers in a
pan over an open flame. The
peppers were delicious and were
eagerly consumed by all in our
group. Kadie interacted with
the group easily, as if we were
old friends, sharing sourcing and
preparation for each delicious
item in which we indulged.
We then moved back to the
dining room, eagerly awaiting
WE OFFER ONE TASTING MENU FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, WITH ONE SEATING AT 7PM.
AVAILABLE BY RESERVATION ONLY.