Risking contraction of the various health threats that BART seats supposedly pose, I hopped on an East Bay-bound train to meet Lauren for an early bite at Five. Five's head chef, Scott Howard, holds a special place in my heart. His eponymous, now-defunct Jackson Square restaurant is where I would head every Thursday night when I first moved to San Francisco. Perfect attendance. It was the first place where I truly felt like a "regular": the staff knew my name, the bartenders hooked it up, and Scott himself would pull up a stool to chit chat. I have yet to find another home like it. I cried when I found out it was closing. RIP.
Fast forward two years. Scott now operates Five, a restaurant in Hotel Shattuck Plaza in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. I didn't really know what to make of the place when I first walked in: it's a vast space (which remained largely unoccupied in the few hours I was there) adorned with busy wall-paper that looks straight out of a country home in Greenich, Connecticut. This contrasts with the sleek, modern furniture that seems to be striving for a swanky vibe. The lighting is bright while the furniture is dark. I don't know what ambiance the restaurant is aiming for.
The interior design was just one of a few head-scratchers. Five advertises a great Happy Hour, but one has to wonder what's so special about a cocktail list where nothing is less than $9. By "Happy Hour," I suppose they are referring to the half-dozen $5 bar bites - which include goodies like chicken & waffles, flatbread pizza, house-made pretzel, pulled pork sliders, mac'n'cheese, and more. Lauren and I opted to split the flatbread pizza and the burger ($13).
The burger is where things get really perplexing. I will say upfront, it wasn't a bad burger at all - I'm just not sure I'd classify it as a burger. It's description on the menu - "burger - chili | pimento cheese | slaw" sounds straightforward enough. It should really be called "Everything But the Kitchen Sink." There's a different thick sauce spread onto each bun, condiments, the patty itself, and MEAT CHILI. Meat chili?? What's NOT on this burger? The half-wise shot (compliments of Yelp) perfectly displays the many layers of the burger and the fact that the beef is totally lost in the mix. The bun, however, stays above the fray and is truly top notch. It's croissant-like and supported its interior quite well. Fries were fine but not memorable.
The flatbread reminded me I shouldn't order them anymore. Just like my flatbread at E&O Trading Company, it's basically mediocre bread with a smudge of topping.
Lastly, the service was terrible. I had to wonder what the cause for this was as I looked around at the near-empty dining room and half-full bar. The patron next to me had similar issues. Luckily, I was happy for the extra time to spend catching up with Lauren but on a bad first date - this would be a crime.
Five serves brunch and I would go back for that. It simply seems like a more appropriate place for day-time dining. Five doesn't know what to do with itself when it's dark outside.
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