Jordan’s

Sunday Brunch!
4.5÷5
The second part of my two-​part epic food weekend that began with dinner at Chez Panisse and ends with Sunday brunch at the Claremont:
The Claremont Hotel’s website advertises their Sunday brunch as «Sunday Spread.» They’re not kidding. Indeed, it was a large spread of high quality, well-​prepared brunch fare. Cold cut and cheese platters, prepared salads, fresh cut fruit, Yukon Gold potato hash, sausage, bacon, omelette and waffle station, carving station with Virginia Ham and prime rib, some assorted dim sum, and a large set up of fresh shrimp, oysters and mussels. Oh, and did I mention the large dessert table filled with red velvet cake, lemon tart, chocolate goodies assorted berry tartlets and other sweet treats? Granted, a large spread for Sunday brunch doesn’t automatically guarantee a great one (believe me, I’ve been to enough to know), but that’s not the case here. Virtually everything was able to leave me sighing in gastronomic satisfaction. The only quibbles I had were that the dim sum were a tad on the mushy side and that the chicken with red beans and rice was a tad on the dry side. Of course, the other qualm I had was that with such a large array to choose from, I wasn’t able to taste everything. For me, next to awkwardness and rejection, one of the worst feelings ever is being surrounded by trays and chafing dishes full of mouthwatering food yet being too full to eat it. *sigh* Of course, this definitely means I’ll be wanting to come back, most likely when my wallet fattens up again!

Jordan reminds me of the old school dining experience. You dont get this kind of ambiance these days. Most places are contemporary and overly trendy. Nothing wrong with it but if you want to enjoy a nice, quiet dinner with no fuss with parking in the city, this is a great place to go. Food was good but not excellent. Service was good but nothing really stood out for me. THe view would have been magnificent if the sun was not setting and blinding us. :)
We had the pre fixe meal from the Famer’s Market.
Mushroom soup — yummy but too creamy for me (cutting down on the cream these days! :)
Tomato Salad — yum
Duck with mashed potatoe and brussel sprouts — surprisingly light and could ahve finished the meal if i didnt just get over my flu
Halibut with sometime of mash — fish was on the dry side
Desserts — bleh. not good at all.
I would go again to try other dishes.

Being that it is inside the Claremont Hotel, I expected better. After having a rather long and alcohol-​fueled night (friend’s wedding reception at the hotel), we woke up and headed down to Jordan’s before their Sunday brunch was to start, with about an hour and a half between.
Through our booking agency, we had a $ 30 breakfast voucher with Jordan’s which stated that it translated to $ 23 real value ($ 3 tip and some other charge included). OK… whatever.
We were seated promptly and a server asked if we would like some OJ, which we accepted. A minute later, another server brought the menus. Oh look…$ 5 per glass of OJ. Well, there goes almost half the voucher! Guess we should have asked, eh?
Our server finally came, a nice young man whose name escapes me but whose resemblance to Moby stuck with me. Took our order and went back to the kitchen. Almost 20 minutes went by and other diners who came after us were already being served. We had enough time to count that our server had 20% more diners than other servers and his were more spread out rather than in just one area. Explains not seeing the guy but not about the food…
The food FINALLY came out and was room temperature which lead me to believe the food sat for a while and was forgotten. Hungry, we didn’t want to wait any longer and ate it. Decent food, nothing more, nothing less.
After finishing, we played the waiting game again. The first time we noticed how many tables our server had and the second time we noticed how quick our server was. After finishing at one table, he would dart back to the kitchen and not check his other tables. Each time I’d try to track him down, he’d get back to the kitchen. I finally waited by the kitchen door to ask him for the bill.
So overall, good food, beautiful views, nice setting but we didn’t enjoy our experience. Maybe if another friend has their reception at the Claremont, I’ll try again but I won’t go out of my way to.

I’ve had several brunches and dinners here. Each time I come, I leave fully satisfied. The food never disappoints. However, the menu is not too memorable. Thinking back, I cannot recall any particular appetizer/​entrée/​dessert that sticks out. The prix fixe menu is a good deal, though.
If you can make a whole day trip out of your visit with a stop to the spa, it’s definitely a four-​star experience!

Best brunch buffet in the bay area. Less selection then Garden Court — Palace Hotel, but what Jordan’s offered was more appealing and delicious. Cracked crab craws were my favorite.

This is one of the fanciest restaurants I have been to. The service is so great. Once we had the waiter of the century serve us for dinner. Then the next morning he was our waiter for breakfast. I felt bad because we ate dinner at 9pm and then he was there again at 8am the next day. I felt bad but he said it was fine because he works like firefighter hours. 4 days on 3 days off. Something crazy like that.
Another time we had a large birthday dinner there and one of the specials was Mullard. Some type of farm raised duck. I mis read the menu and thought it said «Mallard». When I ordered it he quickly and kind of snotty like, corrected me. «It’s Mullard.» What ever dude just put it in front of me.
The food is very good here.
Other than the Mallard experience its an amazing restaurant. They have really fresh oysters and make some really good drinks.
Look at me and my fancy pants.

A coworker of mine got a Claremont gift certificate and decided that the 3 of us in our department should use it on a dinner at Jordan’s.
I had never been to the Claremont before so it was neat to go. We went on a Thursday night and Jordan’s was empty. There was one guy eating when we arrived and another party arrived while we were eating. Kinda nice to have a very quiet dining room in which to talk.
I got the crab cake to start. Very good. I then had the filet with jumbo shrimp. Also very good. I sampled some of my friend’s lamb and also the lobster ravioli that he started with. All delicious.
I don’t go out for fine dining… EVER but it’s a nice experience on occasion… and since this was free, even nicer!
I did think that the prices were a bit high, but what do I know? I grew up in western PA where what make me happy is a 18″ sub for $ 7.
Nice décor, beautiful view of the city and bay from the Berkeley hills. Staff was on it and very polite and attentive. I’m only taking off one star because the price, if I had paid for it, was a bit higher than I would have thought necessary.

I am still wondering how I could have been in Berkeley for school and not ever step foot at the Claremont until recently but this place is great. Grabbed some breakfast Jordan’s which is quite an elegant place.
My eggs benedict rocked, great hollandaise sauce and perfectly cooked eggs on ham and muffin. Not cheap but portions are respectable. Service and quality you expect from a classy hotel.

I would like to start by saying that the only reason they didn’t get 5 stars is the décor… a little stuffy but with breathtaking views of the city…
Okay, so last night I had a birthday dinner here and it was amazing. We started with the Lobster Ravioli appetizer and it was incredible. The broth was almost tomatoey and the pasta was firm and the inside was wonderful!!! Next we split the Hearts of Romaine salad. This was no ordinary Caesar — the anchovies were plump and vinegary and so delish! For dinner I had the Scallops with mashed potatoes and melted leeks. It was splendid! The scallops were seared perfectly and the white truffle oil topped it off perfectly. My date had the Filet Mignon with Jumbo Prawns which I could have easily eaten more than one bite of. The meat just melted in your mouth… amazing!
We shared a romantic dessert — the S’mores and Pot de Crème which was so good with homemade marshmallows. Oh my lord I love homemade marshmallows with a little char on the top… YUM!
All in all this was a very romantic and memorable evening and I would definitely go back but only for a special occasion as it is quite pricey :) But well worth the money!

After enjoying a decent dinner at the Paragon Lounge, we ended up at Jordan’s for desert.
The ambiance at Jordan’s is stuffy and drab. Unlike Paragon, Jordan’s needs a serious remodel. Though it does cater to a high dollar crowd, even they would say «WTF.» Okay enough of my rant on the décor.
The deserts are really good, and I would highly recommended the chocolate soufflé which takes 15 minutes to make, worth all the time. They have nice selection is apéritif’s to accompany your desert selections. Some really nice 40 year tawny port’s :)
Forgoing the drabby décor, the deserts were really good. And service was up to par with the restaurant.

We ate a late breakfast there once we arrived in the Bay Area. We had the Jordan’s Benedict, the Multigrain Pancakes, the French Toast, The California Omlette.
The Benedict was wonderful. The tenderloin was perfectly cooked. The French Toast was a bit bready. But still tasty. the Pancakes were a little dense, by that I mean, not light and fluffy. The Omlette was just OK as by brother described it.
I would suggest skipping the continental breakfast bar. Its way over priced for what you get. Pastries, fruit, and cereal.
Service was excellent. They were very nice and helpful. Since we ate there late, they gave us a fruit plate free since they were closing before lunch.

Usually Upper Crust Eye Soars like this just make me want to be inappropriate in public but the drinks actually were astoundingly good.
Cheers to the man who can cook me up a nice cocktail! Here here!

The restaurant had a nice ambience and the view was decent. I could see 2 bridges, SF city lights and fireworks but they were distant. I did not feel the hospitality from the staff.
For dinner, we started with crab cake. That was delicious, fresh crab meat, probably the best I’ve had. Then the scallops and the short ribs came. Scallops were large and flavorful. It was slightly overcooked for taste. I also thought the short ribs were a bit dry, but it was amazingly tender. Nevertheless, I expected more for $ 150.

The service was AWESOME. We were seated immediately, as we had reservations for dinner. Our waiter was very attentive and personable. Anywhere you sat, you were able to have a good view of the bay.
We started off w/​the seared artisan foie gras & roasted heirloom beet salad for appetizers. For entrees, we had the barbarie duck & the lamb loin. I really enjoyed my salad, which included organic baby beets & crusted goat cheese. Very simple, but so tasty! As for my entrée, i was a bit disappointed bc I wanted my duck medium well & crispy on the outside, and it came out slightly raw & chewy, and reminded me too much of red meat (which i don’t eat). It came w/​a side of cranberry & wildrice pilaf, and escarole, which i felt were both a bit on the salty side.
Overall, we had a good dining experience. Not too sure if we would come back here as it is quite pricey. But it’s a nice restaurant to go to for a special occasion. I hear their sunday brunches are fabulous though. Thanks meuy s! you’re the best =)
Service: 5 stars
Food: 3.5 stars

So, the Man made reservations at Jordan’s for our Valentine’s Day dinner; and at a price of $ 300/​couple, I was darned excited come dinnertime. Jordan’s is perched atop a slope in the Berkeley/​Oakland Hills, and the view from our table was just fantastic. We had an early reservation, so we didn’t have trouble getting such a primo table; I did note upon walking in, however, that only a few of the tables in the restaurant are by a window, so I’m glad we were able to snag one.
The ambience was extremely romantic; the lights were very dim, and Jordan’s employed a harpist for the dinner entertainment (a very nice touch). Also, I appreciated that our server, while a little frosty, never once tried to speed us along, as I’ve seen in other restaurants on Valentine’s Day (so many reservations, so little time, seems to be the attitude of a lot of restaurants on V-​Day).
Dinner was five courses (not counting the two last courses of chocolate — that, after a diabetic-​coma-​inducing dessert of rich chocolate, sweet caramel, and guava parfait!)
But I get ahead of myself. Here’s what was served:
Amuse Buche (kind of like a small, first course appetizer): Sweet Pea Blini, Smoked Salmon and Osetra Caviar. The blini resembled a small potato latke (only made with sweet peas, so the texture was creamier), and on top of it sat very thinly sliced salmon and a dab of the salty, strong-​tasting caviar. Both hubby and I enjoyed the flavor of this dish a lot.
First course: I had the Ahi Tuna sashimi (with Jalapeño, Garlic Chips and Micro Wasabi, Soy Sauce and Arbequina Olive Oil) while hubby had the Seared Artisan Foie Gras (with Muscat Poached Bosc Pear,
Toasted Brioche and Spiced Gastrique). I love anything ahi tuna seared/​tartar/​sashimi/​related, so I enjoyed my dish. I especially enjoyed the thinly sliced jalapeño, as it paired well with the wasabi chips (which were the size of a pinky-​nail, so very subtle). Hubby couldn’t be torn away from the foie gras (I wonder if he forgot I was there while he worked on that dish, ha), and upon tasting it, I did enjoy its texture; the sliced cooked pears complimented the foie gras creamy texture as well. But I found it a little too rich for my taste.
Second course: I had the Dungeness Crab and Shaved Fennel Tower
(with Herb Salad and Blood Orange Vinaigrette), while hubb had the
Pan Roasted Squab Breast (with Glazed Parsley Root, Roasted Porcini Mushrooms and White Truffle Essence). Now, I’m a seafood lover, and I thorougly enjoyed the crab (fennel is so mild, but it paired well with the dish because the crab and citrus flavors were so strong and the fennel rather balanced that out). But I had to sneak bites from hubby’s dish, if not for the squab (very rich, like a gamey duck), then for the mushrooms in the delicious, gravy-​like truffle reduction. Yum!
Third Course: Lemon Rhubarb Granite (a rhubard sorbet), which I found to be a nice palette cleanser with its tart sweetness. I barely had a bite or two, though, as I prepared myself (steeled myself, really, at this point, given we were enjoying a good bottle of Pinot Noir with the meal and I was starting to get full) for the main course —
Fourth Course: Hubby chose the American Kobe New York Steak
(with Herb Roasted French Fingerling Potato and Cippollini Onion
Morel Mushroom-​Cognac Sauce), while I had the Tarragon Roasted John Dory fish, with Rock Shrimp and Baby Leek Risotto. Like I said, I usually prefer seafood (my John Dory was perfectly cooked, just slightly crusted on the outside, and firm and flaky on the inside), but I enjoyed the kobe steak as well. Hubby enjoys his beef rare, and I think, while tasty, the kobe would have been a bit better medium rare, as the rare steak made it very similar in texture (and taste, somewhat) to the squab. But both dishes were delicious.
Finally (while I wished for a belt that I could loosen, whoo, so much food), we had dessert to share: a Lover’s Chocolate Marquis with Raspberry Coulis, and Tropical Passion Fruit Parfait with Guava Rum Syrup. The Marquis was a dark chocolate cone that, when finally cracked with the edge of our spoons, erupted tooth-​decayifying caramel and peanuts. So delicious, but so strong because of the heavy sugar content, that we could only take a few bites. The Raspberry Coulis resembled a flourless chocolate cake made with raspberry essence. But I believe our favorite was the passion fruit parfait; the guava syrup was poured over a tropical fruit jelly mixture, which was layered in the parfait glass with (what tasted like) a heavy whipped cream and some kind of warm bread. I’m not doing this dessert justice, as it was just a fantastic mix of fruity tart and sweet.
We even received (AFTER dessert), another small platter of chocolate AND a box of chocolates to take home. All in all, a truly amazing dinner experience — and one requiring MUCH exercise to recover from!
I can’t wait to check out the brunch at this place next weekend.

Beautiful spot with great food and a beautiful view. For a Sunday Brunch for my birthday, there was seafood, crab legs, prawns, mussels, fresh fruit, pastries, assorted salads, an omelette station, fish, sausage, eggs, bacon, eggs benedict, a carving station and an impressive dessert bar.
A live band played, 3-​piece if I recall correctly. The staff was friendly and helpful. Recommended for a special occasion or if you plainly just have money. It was pricey.

Dined here with two of my gfs during Gourmet East Bay.
The service was terrific, everyone greeted us, catered to us and said farewell to us.
Entertainment: They pay a dude to play the piano in the restaurant.
Sightings: USC football team were police escorted into the Claremont when we arrived in the parking lot, so we got in for free, usually there is a charge, but you can have your parking validated.
Food not so good. The girls ordered off the GEB menu:
Mixed greens salad, solid, nothing special.
Chicken and mash, everything UNDERNEATH the chicken was good.
Crème brûlée w/​fresh berries, delicious, loads of berries.
I ordered:
–Watercress & baby frisee salad, looked the same as the mixed greens, pears and quince marmalade were thrown in. Good.
–Alakan Halibut, I loved the Italian butter beans, the fish was fine, but just not a lot of flavor. The seasonings were tomatoes and pickled cucumbers. Ugh. Topped with salted micro greens.
–Chocolate mocha mousse w/​vanilla bean ice cream. Very good. Domed cake, with dark chocolate on the exterior and a light fluffy texture inside.
Peanut brittle is given at the end of the meal.
Great views of the bay area, talented pastry chef, warm service, but the flavor & recipes fade into the foreground.

Jordan’s at the Claremont spreads out a gorgeous Sunday Brunch in a beautiful setting. The views are outstanding, and the service has always been friendly and accommodating.
We also came here for a graduation luncheon, and it was lovely.
I love all the choices, and wish they offered more fish choices. The dessert offerings are outstanding.
TIP: Go ahead and have the valet park your car, and be sure to get the ticket validated inside. Then be aware that you still have to pay for the parking when you exit the lot. We thought the parking would be free with validation, so gave the parking attendants some hefty tips, but then got to the exit to the lot and had to pay again. I think they should offer free parking with the Sunday brunch — it seems excessive. I don’t mind tipping the attendants generously if I don’t also have to pay the fee.
If you’re seeking a more reasonably priced Sunday Brunch buffet in the East Bay, try the Pleasanton Hotel — it is excellent!

On Sunday, November 5, 2006, I dined at Jordan’s for Sunday Brunch with 3 of my closest friends to celebrate my birthday. I was taken by surprise when in the middle of our meal, we were asked to change tables to accommodate a larger party that was not even present at the time. Not only were we asked to stand up and move our full plates of food to another table, mid-​bite I might add, but we were the center of attention with many people staring and whispering in confusion. When the tables were moved to accommodate a larger party, the tables were soonafter moved BACK to their original position as the larger party failed to show up! After we complained, the manager of the restaurant had promised to give us champagne and drinks as compensation for the inconvenience they caused us, but the drinks and champagne never came, even after we asked about them.
While I understand that the weekends are undoubtedly one of the busiest times for the hotel, I would have appreciated more consideration. Choosing to relocate my table while we were in the middle of our meal was totally inappropriate and rude.
I gave them a star because after repeatedly informing the staff that what they did was unacceptable and embarassing, they finally discounted 50% of our bill. But at that point, the damage was already done.

THIS is supposed to be a 4 or 5 star restaurant. Personally it was all show and no taste. It was downright bland and my god the attitude when I asked for «on the side». I’m sorry, I know your food is perfect and wonderful, but I still want it «on the side». I’m paying A LOT for the meal (and yes for the lovely view) but cut the snottiness. So RUDE. All fluff, no substance I say.
Eat at Paragon’s grill in the same building. SOOOOOO much better.