Boudin blanc

Oakland, February 15, 2010—

IT'S ONE OF THE comfort foods, boudin blanc, especially after a binge of such widely varied eating as we've subjected ourselves to recently: hot Thai food, oily rich bacalhao, a thick steak with onions and fried eggs, and back to curry at a Nepalese table. It was time to back off into soft, mild, yet interesting and fragrant sausage. At Camino it was made, I suspect, with a little milk and a little bread in the pork mixture, softening and extending its innate richness; extra flavor came from the eponymous camino or hearth, where it was grilled over a wood fire. It was served correctly with delicious sauerkraut, boiled potatoes which were then crisped a bit in oil, and poached apples. Before it, an arugula sald eith Jerusalem artichoke chips and walnuts; afterward, a hunk of nice bitter dark chocolate with candied grapefruit and pomelo peel.

Riesling, André Ostertag (Alsace), 2008

Camino, 3917 Grand Avenue, Oakland; tel. 510.547.5035