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From 2009 Zagat San Francisco Bay Area Guide to Restaurants:
"Wonderful" host and owner Michael Wild runs this "venerable" Oakland "haunt", filled with food-lovers and "special
occasion" celebrants indulging in the "fabulous" monthly changing, regional Cal-Med fare (including legendary and
"inventive" duck dishes) complemented by "great" wines; thanks in part to the "convivial", art-filled, "old-house
ambiance", a "delightful outdoor deck" and a staff that "treats you with respect whether you're dressed to the nines or
wearing jeans", this "consistent" "old girl" "has stood the test of time."
From 2008 Michelin
Guide:
This Oakland icon is set in a charming renovated Victorian house. Opened in 1975 by chef/owner
Michael Wild, Bay Wolf divides its dining space into two rustic rooms and the pleasant heated veranda, which is open all
year.
Wild's monthly-changing take on Cal-Med cuisine results in updated versions of recipes
from Italy, France and Spain. The freshest local ingredients are interpreted simply in such entrées as coq au vin,
pork pot roast, acorn squash soufflé, and simple desserts (a refreshing Meyer lemon pudding cake or an apple and
quince tart.)
The serious young waitstaff knows the menu well and is happy to offer advice if
you're wavering in your dinner decision. Elegantly presented dishes arrive at the table at a relaxed (not slow)
pace.
From San Francisco Examiner's Patricia Unterman:
I actually don't think Bay Wolf
has changed that much over the years, but the restaurant has achieved a sureness, an appealing self-confidence, a patina
of graciousness, that makes the customer feel great the minute they walk in.
The original owners, Michael Wild and Larry Goldman, keep working on the
physical space, making the odd-shaped dining rooms in a converted Victorian house more accommodating and pleasing.
They've enclosed the redwood front
porch and installed electric patio heaters to create a spacious new dining area, cozy even in cold weather. Their longtime
staff, both in the front of the house and in the kitchen, work along with them to continuously improve the restaurant. You
get the feeling that the line between owners and employees has blurred, that the restaurant has become a family, a
dedicated community, proud of its home.
Diners get all the advantages of the local bistro along with the professionalism and
broader range of a larger operation. Bay Wolf has evolved into this divine state like a great wine that has aged to
maturity. There are no more rough edges, just depth, complexity and sensual completeness.
From San Francisco Chronicle's "Sommelier Selections" by Patrick J. Comiskey:
The
menu at Bay Wolf has always been simple, accesible, thoughful and fresh, full of cozy Mediterranean flavors. Homey sides
like pepperonatas, succotashes and gratins adorn the entrees created by chef Louis LeGassic. The menu's forte has always
been duck, from creamy duck liver flan and rich confits to succulent Liberty Ranch breasts, accented by savory
sauces.
This allegiance to duck
offers a convenient middle point in the menu's range of flavors, and Wild's small, frequently changing wine list serves
this area well, with a nice selection of high-acid whites and medium-bodied reds.
Many of his (Michael Wild, owner) come from the Loire Valley in France and from northern
Italy, both areas that produce wines with a lot of high-acid nerve. And his reds place special emphasis on acid over
tannin, like Pinot Noirs, Dolcettos, Barberas and Rhone Valley reds.
At Bay Wolf you'll also find a selection of proprietary wines -- a Bay Wolf Chardonnay
and "Noir" red blend. At some establishments you should approach these sorts of offerings with caution; it's often a
restaurant's way of making profits on a bulk product. But the Bay Wolf wines are made Wild's friend Jim Clendenen of Au
Bon Climat in the Santa Maria Valley, part of the Santa Barbara County wine region. Clendenen is a larger-than-life
winemaker with a fair amount of lifeness in his own right.
