Quick, check out Oakland's Jojo

before everyone else does

READ this before the buzz is out, before it's hard to get a reservation, before you overhear at your health club or children's orthodontist that Jojo in Oakland is wonderful, just like Chez Panisse in its younger years.

If Jojo were in San Francisco, there would already be a two-month wait for reservations. It is simple food, billed as country French cooking, and it is superbly honest. The menu is anchored to the same gastronomic foundation that has kept much of France eating straightforward food for centuries. This cuisine bourgeoise is earthier and heartier than what you get in upscale fancy French restaurants.

Jojo isn't fancy - the menu doesn't list endless choices of entrees, just five. The menu is seasonal, with the likes of winter vegetable and bean gratin and wild mushroom stuffed rabbit, tilings that mold well with a winter night. This is French cooking without rough edges but also without frills. The talent begins in the kitchen.

The two owners, Curt Clingman and Mary Jo Thoresen, have serious culinary credentials. Clingman worked as (he executive chef for the restaurant group (hat owns Enricos, Tavolino and Bandol in San Francisco, and he was the opening chef at Ollveto in Oakland. Thoresen worked as a pastry chef for the same group and spent lime at Chez Panisse in Berkeley.

Among (.he best ways to start a meal here is with a bowl of soup. Soups are much more than the token puree of the day. The restaurant serves interesting and delicious potages. Each earthy soup was distinctive.

One evening, the truffles in the celery and celeriac soup ($7.50) perfumed the table with a heady aroma. The truffles cut neatly through the richness of the soup and brought out the vegetables' sweetness.

On another visit, the white bean soup ($6) came flavored with bacon and brightened by spinach. The trio of little salads ($8) looked like a Flemish stilllife on a plate. Bursts of flavor came from the smooth goat cheese, the beets were sweet, and the soft white bean salad was unglmmicky. A big serving of perfect pate de campagne came slathered with tangy mustard atop a tangle of greens ($6.75).

A big bowl of glossy black mussels ($8.50) was served in a seductive rose wine that cut the

richness of (he plump, tender mollusks. Given that it is crab season, the warm tart with mild goat cheese and bits of crab meat couldn't have been better, especially because the pastry encasing the appetizer was nothing short of buttery perfection ($7.75).

For an entree, a four-star braised pork shank ($15.50) was utterly delicious. Braised thick and Havered with primes and juniper, the pork was melting, rich essence of meat. The ample portion was served next to piped mashed potatoes, which were luxurious and worked wonderfully with the meat.

Another lushy entree was flat Iron steak frites ($16.75). Steak frites has had a resurgence on restaurant menus of late, as everyone is rediscovering French bistro food. Jojo's has a very good version. Sliced thin, the steak was perfectly seared just right to keep the juices inside, while the outside was wonderfully crusty. The haystack of French fries was crisp and salty and couldn't have been better.

Another dish that is considered French comfort food is

roasted chicken. Here the chicken ($15.50) looks south toward Provence. Plump and cooked so the meat peeled off the bone, it was served perched on a bed of artichoke pilafwith rich sauteed onions. It's a superb dish to savor and enjoy.

The only disappointing dish was sauteed scallops and sea bass ($18.50) The dish showed a fine hand with fish, and the scallops were expertly cooked and exceedingly fresh. But, as a combination, It seemed disjointed. I needed more of the alluring Calvados sauce, and the sauce Itself should have had more flavor to create unity In the dish.

You are better off trying the house-made garlic sausages ($14.75), They were a fine foil tc the slightly tangy wilted cabbage salad. Simple and earthy, it is a dish that has nourished legions of French citizens for years.

Desserts Included a delicious, absolutely buttery and flaky apple quince tart ($6) and a numblngly good chocolate souffle cake ($6) that I'd like to see served warm (but that's just being picky). A trio of profiteroles ($6) stuffed with a quiet, subtle pear ice cream came with a bittersweet chocolate sauce that we almost licked off the plate. Order anything that comes with cookies on the side, because the tiny butter cookies we had were heart-stopping perfection. The wine selection is decidedly French, with a few select American wines Included. The wine menu Includes helpful hints for choosing wine.

Although service is earnest and friendly, at times it's a bit haphazard. Also. the wait for food can seem long, but the restaurant only opened a month ago and is still working out issues.

The space, just off Piedmont Avenue, is also in a state of transition. With 36 seats that run down the long space, it is certainly tiny. The kitchen is

also small and open and sits smack dab within the dining room. The walls are softened with a gold color scheme that shows off the woodcut prints of vegetables. Soon, window coverings and more art will warm up the place and make it cozier.

At Jojo, the cooking is expert and the simple country food sublime. Despite the occasional misstep, it feels as though Jojo is getting its footing. Jojos is offering comforting French food with flavors that complement each other naturally. What results is an excellent dinner.

I can't wait to watch this restaurant grow. The pleasures are sure to be many.

— Patricia Unterman, S.F. Examiner, Feb. 11, 2000