Al's Place - San Andreas

Just a wonderful dinner and a very California style meal read more Just a wonderful dinner and a very California style meal

Very disappointed that Open Table did not provide points for this reservation. Had you not surprised me post meal, i would have booked directly with restaurant.... read more Very disappointed that Open Table did not provide points for this reservation. Had you not surprised me post meal, i would have booked directly with restaurant. That was sneaky of Open Table. It is the second time this has happened to me. Despite that, Al's place is great

The food is truly exceptional the location in a wonderfully eclectic neighborhood. The service was ok timing of entrees not great one lagged a good minutes behi... read more The food is truly exceptional the location in a wonderfully eclectic neighborhood. The service was ok timing of entrees not great one lagged a good minutes behind the others suggestion that we eat a shared salad with our hands so as to reach the avocado on the bottom was a bit tone deaf in the midst of the current virus scare but should not deter anyone from enjoying this little gem of a restaurant

Interesting, inventive menu with great flavors! Started with the pickled fries and ended with the blueberry and sesame dessert. Fast and attentive service, inte... read more Interesting, inventive menu with great flavors! Started with the pickled fries and ended with the blueberry and sesame dessert. Fast and attentive service, interesting model we had 3 5 different people come to our table to take order, leave orders, and check on us. One negative is the staff wouldn’t switch us to an indoor table despite it being open for the duration of our meal?. Surprisingly affordable we a starter, 4 of the “mains”, and with a glass of wine and dessert were out the door for $112 tip. Worth the slight wait (they were still first come first serve even with a reservations? for the creative dishes. Tried to order focaccia but the day’s batch didn’t turn out, at least you know it’s made fresh! Be warned the food is rich!

Overall was solid, although I do question a bit Michelin star status for some of the one stars I 've had of late! I feel like there 's two camps for 1 star cont... read more Overall was solid, although I do question a bit Michelin star status for some of the one stars I 've had of late! I feel like there 's two camps for 1 star contenders the solid staples, and places with creative flair. I 'd definitely put this in the later category if you arrive expecting to eat normal things, then you might be disappointed. But if you 're looking for something a little unconventional, then this is fun. I honestly didn 't enjoy every dish, which was a bit of what I expected going in. Highlights were probably the chawanmushi, amberjack, salad, and green curry. The amberjack and salad were in the more conventional camp, but well done nonetheless (although I really didn 't love that for the salad we were told to use our hands we were dining outdoors so had to venture in to wash our hands again...otherwise it strikes me as pretty unsanitary. The chawanmushi was strangely delicious it was made with fava beans so quite different from the traditional egg based prep, but nailed the umami and custard texture. The strawberries in the green curry were a great touch of lightness and acidity, and the curry itself was resoundingly good.The French fries and dessert were a bit lackluster and I could have done without.