Aliment, San Francisco – good food and wine
The French Laundry is a tough act to follow, so when we got back to San Francisco the next day (with a winery stop as well) we decided to try our nearest neighbour, Aliment, on Bush Street in the Nob Hill area.
We ended up going twice; on our first visit we ordered a glass of wine each and a small plate, perched on high stools overlooking the kitchen and chatted to one of the chefs. She directed us to try Coqueta down on the waterfront, which was a very good tip. At a loose end last night, we went back for a few more plates.
It’s a groovy restaurant that is deceptively small; we were lucky that the early evening was quiet so we could get a booth table, but ‘parties of two’ seem destined here for the bar seating or the high stools along the front windows. There are spots for two upstairs on the mezzanine but on this particular evening, it hosted a slightly boisterous table of eight men. We stayed below.
So, back to our first visit. Greedy Girl was after comfort food and chose a bolognese. This was a hearty dish; ground steak and Italian sausage combined with a red wine tomato sauce and lashings of cheese grated on top of homemade fettucine. Delish.
When we came back, we ordered a few more plates. First up was pork belly. We were slightly disappointed that the skin wasn’t crispy but the pork belly itself was divinely soft and tender. It was served with a celery root slaw and smoked apricots. Delish.
Time to go, but a note about the wines here. We enjoyed glasses of red on both visits – wines by the glass are sourced from Europe and locally and are very good. Gluttonous husband also had a delightful semillon/sauvignon dessert wine which he relished.
Aliment was an unexpected find in this area, dominated by sports bars and diners that seem to cater more to tourists. The serving sizes were generous, as were the pours of wine and the atmosphere is lively and fun.
Aliment
786 Bush Street, San Francisco
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