Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 27

f. fSg -f, '1 Th Tribune Friday, July 0, JQ84 Charles Pierces impressions a 1 See review, Page D-3 Sincere efforts with charm JAHBT FLCTCHER Don thold me to this, but as a general policy I write about the good restaurants and ignore the bad. That creates a dilemma, however. Wliat do I do with the scores of restau-; rants that fall in the middle? It doesnt hdo von much If I sit on. the fence, but Im often most comfotable there.

Todays -column is an attempt obt the bulging file on restarts IhidoiK3)timtalbwt. The three below deftymentioa, fpr theyre all sincere efforts with a certain immediate I'll let you decide Whether theyre worth a visit. LHERMITAGE This one has tin promise of being that gem of a little French restaurant everyone wants for his address book. You know the one: a bit off. the beaten path, unspoiled and honest, serving straight forward, classic French food.

LHermitage falls short bf that ideal, although its exceedingly cozy and cordial. Owned and operated by Pierrer Verger, former chef at Le Mirabeau, its the kind of one-man show that represents a long-held dream and an awful lot of work. But the food doesnt shine as it should in view of the price (easily $80 for two). An appetizer of thin-sliced raw salmon with some stale chopped chives and a mustard mayonnaise was simply bland, served with toasts made from packaged balloon bread." A duck pate with pistachio nuts and truffles was a feast for the eyes but too salty. And Verger, an honest-to-goodness Frenchman, should have been ashamed of the tasteless French bread hes offering.

Dinners come with a soup or salad, the latter a Tim Amodattd Pnm Michael Jackson speaks to the press la Kansas City with brothers Randy, at left, and Tito, center. No Bay Area dates on Jackson tour The female workaholic pays a price By Sharon Johnaon TSaMnr VM Itmm NEW YORK He wasa 30-year-old compulsive worker. who put in than 50 hours a week at an investment banking firm. He earned a third more than his male colleagues who worked 40 hours, a week. He considered himself an overwhelming success.

She was also a 30-year-old who worked more than 50 hours a week at' a rival earned only slightly more than her less industrious female colleagues. She has strong doubts about her success. "Women workaholics dont reip-as many rewards and seem to have more self-doubts than do male workaholics," said Mary M. Whiteside, assistant professor of statistics at the Graduate School of Business of the University of Texas. Women workaholics also SSSTn to pay a greater price for their career devotion.

They are more likely to be single or divorced or marry several times than men workaholics. Professor Whiteside and her associate, Susan Mosier, surveyed about 1,500 men and women who had received MBAs from the University of Texas from 1920 to 1980 to determine what impact their education had had on their lives. They found that 52 percent of the workaholic, women who reported that they worked 50 or more hours a week had remained single, compared with 17 percent of the men. Fifteen percent of the women had been divorced compared with 5 percent of the men. Such women had also reaped fewer material rewards.

The men reported that they earned 30 percent more than did male graduates who worked less than 50 hours a week. On the other hand, female workaholics earned only Is percent more than the less industrious women. The averge salary and ben- RESTAURANT REVIEW our performances to charity, Jackson said in a brief news conference appearance. Neither Jack-son nor his manager, Frank DiLeo, said how much money might be given to charity. There have been published reports that Jackson and his brothers are guaranteed as much 'as $40 million.

Earlier Thursday, Kansas City Mayor Richard Berkley and Randy Jackson distributed the first of free tickets tq this weekends concerts for disadvantaged or handicapped youths. Speaking on behalf of my brothers and we're so happy to be a part of this, Randy told about 150 people gathered for the ceremony outside the Kansas City Housing Authority Office. This means very much to us. We want everyone to see the show because its going to be spectacular. So far, the show hasnt heen so spectacular.

The Jackson tour has been plagued from the very start with bad management or no management at all, in fighting among various promoters seemingly working at cross purposes, and gen- Of The TMOmw i KANSAS CITY, Mo. A frantic two days before Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family are scheduled to begin their much heralded -Victory Tour In Kansas City, tour promoters have finally announced the bulk of the group's 12-city tour schedule. After the previously announced dates of Kansas City (July 6-8), Dallas (July 13-15) and Jacksonville, (July 21-23), the super-star singers will swing into New Yorks Madison Square Garden, August 2-5, tour promoter Chuck W. Sullivan said at a news conference yesterday. The tour will include two California stadiums Los Angeles' Forum, September 2-4, 11-.

12, and the Anaheim Stadium, Nov. 7-8. Oakland and San Francisco were not on yesterdays list Other lucky locales were Ney-. land Stadium in Knoxville, tenn. (Aug.

10-11); Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. (Aug. 17-18); Detroit Silverdome (Aug. 25-26); Rich Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y. (Sept.

28-29); Philadelphias JFK Stadium (Oct 5-6); Pittsburgh Three Rivers Stadium (Oct. 13-14), and Cleveland Stadium (Oct 19-20). 1 want yon to know that when I first agreed to tour, I decided to donate all the money I make from our performances to chanty Michael Jickios Promoter Sullivan said that negotiations are taking place with a few other cities for possible concerts. He indicated that Chicago was among them. Oakland Coliseum general manager Ray Wprd yesterday said through a spokesperson that the Jacksons know that Oakland is available.

Ward also indicated that Coliseum officials are not in a position to discuss the status of negotiations (with the Jackson tour) and would not discus them publicly in any case. Singer Michael Jackson announced that he will donate to charity his money from the tour and said he no longer wants fans to be required to mail in $120 for a chance to buy tickets. I want you id know that when I first agreed to tour, I decided to donate all the money I make from See JACKSONS, Page D-3 See WORKAHOLIC, Page D-3 Oakland actoris now the real tiring: a Broadway star slapdash production featuring the horsey outer leaves of romaine and red leaf lettuces with alfalfa sprouts and mushy peeled tomato. An entree of tiny scallops with the corals still attached was nicely handled, served in a light lemony dill sauce, but I wasnt particularly enchanted by the other entree sampled. Described-on the menu as prawns sauteed with Pernod, what arrived were not prawns but shrimp in a heavy, mishandled sauce.

It tasted somewhat of Pernod but far more of salt and of an overwhelmingly concentrated shellfish essence. Desserts were similarly inconsistent: 1 tried a quivery raspberry mousse that left me with a mouthful of raspberry seeds, and a creme caramel that was absolutely luscious. The wine list is serviceable if not notable. A selection of inexpensive red and white Rhone wines would be easy to put together and only fitting in a restaurant named after the Rhones best-known wine village. MEDITERRANEAN GARDENS This one is a small, very simple affair comprising six or eight tables; 10 seats at a counter, and two cooks manning a mesquite grill.

The menu is simple, the food straightforward. Unfortunately, much of it is, not as good as it could be. The Mezza, an assortment of half a -dozen traditional appetizers, comes with a basket of warm pita bread and includes baba ganooje (pureed eggplant with tahini), bommoa bithlne (pureed chick pfefis-vrfth tahini), tabbouleh (a cool blend of chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions and mint), stuffed grape leaves, pickled turnip, a tangy yogurt cheese called labneb, and the highly seasonedkground chick pea croquettes called lelafel. Its a tantalizing spread but not a markedly tasty one. The labneb, tor example, was seasoned with too much hot garlic and the bommoa had an unpleasant aftertaste.

The Mediterranean Salad that comes with all entrees is a disappointment Based1 on this one and the one at LHermitage, you could be excused for suspecting that theres a conspiracy afoot to spirit away all the hearts of romaine, leaving customers only the coarse outer leaves. Far more noteworthy were some of the entrees: flavorful grilled prawns with a dipping sauce of lemon juice and olive oil; a thoroughly delectable kibbeh, a sort of flat-pie made of ground lamb mixed with cracked wheat pine nuts, onions and sweet spices, served with a side dish of yogurt and mint; and a crisp-skinned Half Chicken, a tad overcooked but tasting wonderfully of its sweet, fruity marinade. ST. MORITZ Theres not too much local competition in the realm of Swiss food, so St. Moritz is a welcome presence.

Part delicatessen, part restaurant, its a charmingly decorated place run by a disarmingly handsome and personable host whose father was Swiss. Would that the kitchen Inspired more confidence. Pate Maiaon, a smooth and creamy production flecked with truffle, was one of the more successful dishes I had here. It far surpassed Grav Lox, which is not cured in-house and is singularly flavorless. Wleneracbnittel ought to be the pride of thhr Swiss kitchen but was unremarkable, upstaged by some awesSmely good fried potatoes with sweet peppers and bacon.

One evenings fresh fish, a huge and handsome portion of grilled halibut in a lemon and thyme beurn blanc, arrived overcooked despite a request that it be handled lightly. Among the dishes that need reworking are a gummy Puff Pastry Pizza, available at lunch, and the heavy-handed Viennese-style tales offered for dessert Apart from those supernal potatoes, the food here was consistently underseasoned. Hermitage, Drive, Oakland, 839-0846. Open for. dinner Tuesday through Saturday, MS p.m.

Wheelduiir access. Credit cards accepted. Wine and.beer. Reservations. Dinner for two, with wine, tax and tip: $80.

Mediterranean Gardens, 800 Sad Pablo Albany, 826-8014. Open dally, 11 ajn. to 11 pjn, Wbeel-: chair access Credit cards accepted. Wise and beer. No reservations.

Dinner for two, with wine, tax and tip: $32. St Moritz, 209SS Mission Hayward, 278-: 4224. Open for lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11:39 a.m. to 2:39 p.m., and for dinner Tuesday through Thursday, 1:39 to 9 p.mH Friday and Saturday until 19 p.m. Wheelchair access.

Credit cards accepted. Wine and beer, reservation accepted. Dinner for two, with wine, tax and tip: $79. Jack and Eminent Domain. He returned to Berkeley Shakespeare Festival in December of 1982 to star in a bizarre; fragmented production of Hamlet.

He also played Richard II at Yale Repertory Theater. Although his experience is considerable, Vickery was a late recruit to the theater. He planned on a career in mathematics, until he discovered he was not such a whiz. When you go to college," he said, you realize there are a million people who have been getting straight As in math. Vickery was born in 1950 in East Oakland Hospital, where his father was chief of staff.

(His parents, John and Florence Vickeiy, now live in Alameda.) He. attended the -College Preparatory School on Claremont Avenue, and. during his last year, simultaneously took math classes at the University of California at Berkeley. It was a high school teacher who rectiited him to to perform in classroom scenes from Shakespeare. You're going to act, the teacher said.

No I'm riot, Vickery re-. sponded. I couldnt think of anything more embarrassing," he recalled. But when the appeal of math faded, he happily switched to thea-' ter and the University of California at Davis. It was there that he ap-' peered in his only other Stoppard Rosencrhntx- and Guilden-sjern are Dead.

Wheti Vickery got around to auditioning for his second Stoppard play, The Real Thing, he hqd read it once but never seen it The director, Mike Nichols, had never seen him. I had planned to spend this summer at the La Jolla working in As You Like It' and a Huckleberry Finn musical, Vickery said, i figured I'd go in and read, aqd at1 least Mike Nichols would see my work. Thq pressure See VICKERY, Page D3 By Robert Taylor Ite THE in Just four years after he settled in New' York, Oakland-born actor. John Vickery became a Broadway star this week when he replaced Jeremy Irons in the leading role in Tom Stoppards The Real Thing. Critics are not expected to re-review the production at the Plymouth Theatre for another week, and then wd will know how Vickery is impressing audiences in the sea-sots biggestHt play.

But it is a remarkable achievement to get the chance at all at the strength of a single audition before director Mike Nichols, who had never seen Vickery act before. Vickery took over for Irons Tuesday night in the leading role of the clever but emotionally troubled playwright, while Caroline Lager-felt replaced Glenn Close as the love of Ms life. Vickery signed a nine-month contract with the production. If Irons returns as ex- pected at the beginning of October Vickery will become his stand-by through next March. Vickery has always been an ad-' venturous actor, beginning with his first Bay Area appearance in David Rabes Sticks and Bones at Berkeley Stage Company in 1975.

In Albert Innaurstos Earthworms at the same theater, be played role he remembers ps a transvestite pimp in the South Philadelphia ghetto. If Jeremy Irons is a tough act to follow, at least there is the comfort of -working in an established Mt play, a dazzling intellectual ro-' mance. One of the challenges of the part, Vickery said during a recent Interview in a New York cafe, is to find a commercial aspect of myself, and not be so avant-garde at least make some money. Still, he expects the commercial aspect to be his own, not a repro-' ductlon of Jeremy Irons performance. I dont want to get into com- Caroline Lagerfelt and John Vickery ere starring in Tbe Real Tic parlsons, because I love Jeremy's work, Victory said.

He is very gentle and charming, sometimes a little feminine, but in a good way. I'm very different have a tendency to be cast as people who are people who. scream, who are lusty, full of life. Which is why I do a lot of Shakespeare. Since he arrived in New York after studying at The Drama Studio in London, Vickery has appeared 1q Macbeth! at Lincoln Center, Henry IV, Part One in Central Park, and on Broadway in shortlived productions of Ned and 1 (SIDE Weekend Happening Robin Orr 7 I Top of the cherts Bill Mann i.