Dinner at Al's Place

Tonight's culinary adventure takes back to San Francisco's Mission district, a couple blocks southwest of Mission landmark la Taqueria, to Chef Aaron London's New American restaurant: Al's Place. Sporting a corner location, the eatery sports a beautiful blue outer façade and even a make-shift al fresco dining area on the 26th street side. Stepping inside the establishment, one enters the dining area, with only a little desk suggesting reception.

Al's Place outer facade on the corner of Valencia and 26th St.

The interior of the long and decent-sized dining area sports a delightful palette of white/off-white walls, light wood accent, and white tile wainscoting. Accenting this was various pieces of artwork, adding necessary color and an artistic flare to complete the walls. Near where the ceiling met the walls, a ledge had been built to hold various plants - their green again added a nice diversity of color to the visual aesthetic.

Chef Aaron directing his kitchen like traffic controls at a major airport.

Looking down the long axis of the restaurants, tables were arranged primarily on the left wall and middle, with the right wall reserved for some adjacent two-tops to allow for a decent walkway through the establishment. Towards the back, a small bar featuring seating for a more casual experience, is adjacent to the beginning of the kitchen area. Here, Chef London directs his troops to produce the night's various courses in perfect harmony.

After being shown my table - a two-top located in the front of the establishment - I walked through the restaurant to the restroom, which is located next to the kitchen. As there was a line, it allowed me a fleeting moment to observe Chef London at work. He even stepped over and introduced himself to me, a really nice touch that isn't always the case at restaurants these days.

Back at the table, I took a peek at the menu, which is technically a la carte, and features dishes in five categories:

1. Snackles ($8)
2. Cold/Cool ($16 - $17)
3. Warm/Hot ($15 - $18)
4. Sides ($3 poached egg - $19 red bow trout)
5. Limited availability ($9 blistered fava beans - $AQ foie gras or dry aged ribeye)

One also has the opportunity to order the family style meal, where $65 gets one 3 snackles, 3 cold/cool, and 2 warm/hot dishes. What precisely you get is up to Chef Aaron, though you are allowed to provide dishes that you really want as suggestions. With all that in mind, I opted for the following:

• Family style menu ($65) with wine pairings (additional $45)
• One of the warm/hot courses was requested to be a green pea curry
• Side of blistered fava beans with rosemary may as an additional snackle ($9)
• Smoked brisket as an additional warm/hot ($16)

Total damage so far: $135; which to be fair, given the amount of food... puts Al's Place in the Aster/Nico category for value per dollar in the Bay Area. Looking back, it was way too much food to order for one person, but my eventual pain is your gain!

Amuse-bouche no. 1: blue-stem radish with lemon vinaigrette
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Lucky for us, Chef Aaron spoiled us with two amuse-bouches, the first of which was as blue-stem radish tossed in a lemon vinaigrette, and served with a quince-skin kraut butter and sprinkle of fleur de sel. To start with the wine pairings, a glass of 2009 Mata i Coloma "L'Ensamblatge" Cava Grand Reserva was also provided. On its own, the sparkler offered subtle fruit, tight bubbles, and nice minerality. Notes included hints of apple and tangerine.

The radish's natural sharp herbaceous flavors were complimented nicely by the citrus elements of the lemon vinaigrette. Furthermore, the minerality and subtle fruit of the Cava paired nicely with these tones. In general, just a delightfully fresh start.

Homemade 'cheese whiz' (with one bite taken)
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

 The second amuse-bouche was homemade 'cheese whiz', made with creme fresh, cheddar cheese, and a seaweed thickener (the technical name which escapes me). The dish was topped with a crumble reminiscent to cool ranch Doritos, and served with smoked broccoli leaf. By far one of the most interesting dishes I have been served since starting to take a more serious look at food.

That being said, the combination worked. The creme fresh and cheddar did offer that rich and creamy cheese whiz taste. These flavors and textures were further enhanced by the smokey broccoli leaf and crunch topping. Paired also with the Cava, its tight bubbles definitely helped cut the richness, allow its subtle fruit to meld with the dish's flavors.

Brine pickled french fries served with smoked apple sauce
2017 Al's Place.  San Francisco, CA

First up from the snackles section of the menu are brine pickled french fries, served with a smoked apple sauce. With the first bite, one could instantly pick up the salty notes from the brine - a nice treatment for a dish typically doused with salt after frying.

The salty tones were complimented with the smoked apple sauce, which was more akin to to a BBQ sauce than apple sauce. The smoky-sweet flavors were really a nice touch, making this dish the sort of comfort food dish that shows the kitchen is down to earth and in touch with the average patron. Finally, the mineral elements of the Cava paired nicely with briny flavors, all the while cutting the dish's richness.

Mushroom broth chawanmushi
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Snackle number two was a small bowl of mushroom broth chawanmushi, with fuji apple and pistachio. For those of you like me who had no idea what chawanmushi was, it is a Japanese egg custard served as an entrée. Trivia fun fact: it's one of the few dishes in Japanese cooking  actually consumed with a spoon.

Magical; this little bowl contained a balanced array of flavors and textures. The custard brought a creamy canvas, over-top which was earthy notes from the mushrooms, sweet semi-crunch from the apples, and nutty crunch from the pistachio. Again, the Cava's tight bubbles cut the richness, while it's subtle fruit paired nicely with the fuji apples.

Vadouvan almonds
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Batting third, and our final snackle for the evening, were vadouvan almonds. Think of vadouvan as a French version of an Indian masala (blend of spices). These almonds were candied, and served with an assortment of greens.

The almonds themselves offered a sweet, Indian-Middle Eastern assortment of flavors. The greens really did a nice job of offering balance to the palette by providing herbaceous notes. The Cava also helped balance the dish, with its minerality working to buffer the sweet and savory elements of the almonds.

Blistered fava beans with rosemary mayo
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

With the snackles complete, our first "limited availability" item arrives in the form of the blistered fava beans, served with rosemary mayo. Fava beans are harvested in mid to late spring, and thus were in peak season at the time of this meal.

Their blistered treatment offered some nice smokey notes, being tossed in the house lemon vinaigrette offered beautiful citrus flavors, while the dash of Korean chili flakes offers a touch of heat. Rosemary mayo lends a creamy richness that truly rounds out this dish's flavor profile, while the Cava's minerality pairs nicely with the citrus and chili elements. Outstanding.

Baby lettuces, herbed avocado and pistachio crumble
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Moving to the cold/cool section of the menu, next I was offered baby lettuces with herbed avocado and pistachio crumble. With this dish, we also have our first wine change: a 2015 Des Amis rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon. On its own, the rosé offered nice structure and balanced subtle flavors of oak, fruit, and mineral elements.

Really quite a fascinating salad course; I picked up undulating flavors of sweet, neutral and bitter from the greens. Avocado offered a creamy element, while the pistachio lent nuttiness. Finally, the wine's balanced nature became an extension to the balance of flavors in this dish. Fascinating.

Lightly cured trout
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Our second cold/cool course tonight was lightly cured trout, served with  crispy potato, bashed turnips and bagna càuda. This course was paired with a Verdelho: 2015 Scholium Project "Naucratis" from Clarksburgh, CA (due south of Sacramento). On its own, the wine offered subtle apple and apricot fruit flavors in a balanced presentation with good minerality and oak notes.

Nice balance between the saline elements of the trout, and sweet starchy potatoes. The bagna cauda was prepared with white miso instead of anchovies, which offered more balance with the trout. Turnips lent their snappy acidic element, while the bagna cauda provided nice garlic and herbal flavors. Finally, the wine pairing offered nice fruit notes to diversify the flavors, while enough minerality to keep up with the full-bodied trout.

Roasted beets
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

The final cold/cool entrée on today's docket is a roasted beat dish, served with burrata, kraut mayo, borscht spiced seeds, and lavender apricot. With the first bite, I immediately picked up the earthy flavors of the beets, along with their subtle sweetness that makes them such a unique vegetable.

Burrata cheese added a nice creamy element, which paired nicely with the firm beet flesh. Finally, the addition of the borscht spiced seeds and kraut mayo provide nice savory elements to the dish. Paired with the verdelho, the wine added complimentary fruit flavors, touch of oak, and hint of minerality that worked nicely with the creamy, savory and earthy elements.

Green pea curry
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Pivoting to the warm/hot area of the menu, next up is a green pea curry. This was served with black lime-yellowtail and pickled strawberries. For the wine pairing, we have a 2015 Oro en Paz "Luchsinger Vineyard" Sémillon from Lake County, California. The wine was served a touch too cold when I tasted it before the entrée, yetI picked up beautiful minerality and nice acid, with subtle fruit and just a slight touch of oak.

The curry itself was rich, creamy, and full of lime and coconut notes. Yellow tail offered a nice complimentary fish flavors, while the strawberries were bombs of fresh fruit flavor. Peas - still al dente - provided a nice texture differential. Finally, the wine's minerality and acid really paired nicely, acting as a bridge between the lime flavors and the saline notes of the fish. Just excellent.

Grits
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Tonight's final warm/hot entrée was grits, served with goat's milk curds, 8-hour favas, yuzu (Japanese citron) blaster, secret peas and mint. This was paired with a 2013 "Antica" Sciaccarellu by Domaine U Stilliccionu, from Corsica. On its own, it came across  as a cross between a Pinot Noir and Merlot. Earthy soil tones were complimented by nice cherry and currant notes, along with touch of dryness. Really a nice wine.

I loved the texture differential between the soft curds and the al dente fava beans and peas. Curds themselves offered creamy bites, while the favas and peas provided more earthy flavors. Both the mint and yuzu provided much needed flavor foils to diversify the palette. The wine contributed to this as well, lending its cherry and currant flavors to round out the flavor profile.

Smoked brisket
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

Tonight's final entrée was off their limited availability section, and consisted of smoked brisket. This was served with sieved egg, pickled mirepoix and maple mustard. The brisket itself was incredibly tender, with a flavor profile that was similar to corned beef. Interestingly enough, the pickled mirepoix almost give this dish a corned beef and cabbage vibe.

Eggs offered a nice touch of richness, while the mustard offered both sweet elements, as well as a touch of acid to keep the palette refreshed with. The wine's fruit flavors complimented the flavors of the dish nicely.

Warm brownie, PB ice cream and "payday" filling
2017 Al's Place. San Francisco, CA

For desert, I opted for the more indulgent warm brownie, with peanut butter ice cream and "payday" filling. This was paired with a D'Oliveiras 10yr Madeira. On its own, it was smooth, with rich earthy flavors.

The ice cream was rich, with decadent peanut butter flavors. The brownie was warm, with nice chocolate notes. This allowed the 'payday' filling to act as a bridge. It's peanuts linked the ice cream, while the chocolate sauce aligned with the brownie. Overall, the various components worked together in harmony, resulting in one seriously sinful dish. Finally, the Madeira lent nice earthy flavors to help balance the sweet desert.

Overall, Al's Place offers quite the canvas for one to construct a truly special culinary adventure. The combination of the family style offering, plus being able to request certain dishes that really jump off the menu, finds the perfect balance between dictating your journey and letting Chef London be your guide. While one of the white wines was served a bit too chilled for my liking, I felt that the pairings did a nice job complimenting the various dishes.

At $65 per person for the base family style experience, Al's Place offers an incredible value proposition for someone looking to dive into San Francisco's haute cuisine scene. All the courses offered tremendous variety of flavors and textures, and I especially loved the use of seasonal ingredients to give the line-up some seasonal character. It is for this reason alone, that I know I will be back to see what the other seasons lend to Chef London's culinary creativity.

Dining date: May 6th, 2017.