Andalu's Creative, High End Tapas Are Hit and Miss
Written: Mar 06 '03
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Pros: Many items (Petite Cassoulet with Duck Confit; Osso Bucco; Crab Rangoon) are first rate
Cons: Many items disappoint. Loud room. Hipster crowd. Mediocre wait staff.
The Bottom Line: There are enough great items on the menu to merit giving the place a try, if you don't mind an overly loud space.
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| Mr.Eyore's Full Review: Andalu |
Technically, I guess you would call Andalu a tapas joint, being as their menu is divided between "Small Plates" and "Smaller Plates" meant to be shared among a group of people. But the small plates offered here draw from a much wider variety of sources than the typical Iberian Peninsula or Carribean Basin fare of most other tapas restaurants.
Hanski’s man Dan-o just suffered the ultimate indignity for a lawyer: Having to sit through the bar again when you’ve already passed it once. But that’s what happens when you change states, and Hanski thought Dan-o earned himself a celebration dinner. And frankly, I’m proud of the boy for not choosing to sleep instead. About 10 of us met at this relatively new spot at the corner of 16th and Guerrero ( a block away from the heart of the Mission’s night life) at 9:00 on a Saturday night, and the place looked like it was just getting going.
the ambiance
Everything about Andalu screams "I am the latest Mission District gentrification offense." They have valet parking. The room is loud, with Manhattan-hip decor. The tables are small. The crowd is homogeneous and distinctly young, professional and clad in tailored animal and faux-animal skins. The staff is outwardly professional, anorexic, and a little aloof (save for the hostess, who was just genuinely friendly). It’s a nice enough place, but I like things a little more sedate, especially when I’m with a large group of friends who don’t intend to be sedate themselves.
the food
The dishes come out quickly, but are timed well enough that the table is rarely lacking in space to set stuff down. Unfortunately, little thought appears to be given to the order of dishes. On our visit, it seems fairly clear that the dishes were prepared in the order that the items appeared on the menu (in order to make ordering easier, we simply had each person at the table place two check marks on the menu next to the dishes they wanted to try) This meant that fish dishes came sporadically throughout the meal, when they would have been much better together, and dishes that are properly considered sides didn’t come until the very end ‘ an abysmal failure on the part of our waitress.
The service was otherwise adequate. Our waitress was friendly and, uh, hot. The servers were good about bringing and taking away dishes and refilling water glasses, though I would have liked to have seen a little more bread throughout our meal.
The first dishes up were Crab Rangoon with Sweet & Sour Sauce ($9) and Curly Polenta Fries with Spicy Tomato Vinaigrette ($6) Both were exquisite; well conceived and perfectly executed. The polenta came in crisp little crescent moon shapes, oozing with creamy grain. The Crab Rangoon, a long, thin, spring-roll type concoction was delicate, flaky and subtle, and the sauce was a perfect, mild accompaniment.
Next came Ahi Tartare Tacos with Chili and Lime, Mango Salsa ($11 plus $3 each for two extra tacos). These were delicious, as expected, but a little precious. Small, thin, taco shells (perhaps 2 inches across) were filled with tiny dollops of tuna tartar and mango julienned to look like shredded cheddar cheese, to make a single bite-full of scrumptiousness. I prefer a similar dish at Maya, which better features a larger serving of the ahi on small triangles of flour tortilla, but this version was among the biggest hits in our group at Andalu.
Cambazola Cheese Fondue with Fuji Apples and Asian Pears ($9) were served with thinly sliced croutons. I’ve only just recently tried Cambazola cheese, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the contrast of blue cheese funkiness embedded in that brie cream, so I expected a lot from this dish. But the cheese was unexpectedly bland, tasting a lot like I imagine diet ranch dressing might taste like. The mild flavor and lack of tartness in the fruit accompaniments didn’t help at all.
The Ricotta and Parmesan Ravioli with Bone Marrow Butter and Aged Balsamic ($10) sounded hopeful, but even though the pasta itself was expertly made, I thought the balsamic drowned out the delicate richness of the bone marrow butter, and the fact that the two were not adequately emulsified made the dish look like it had been messily sprinkled with grease, or badly made salad dressing.
The Baked Salt Cod Brandade with Lemon Aioli ($9) was similarly disappointing, and for similar reasons. The small ramekin on shredded fish was too bland, and the under-seasoned aioli made the dish resemble nothing so much as a poorly made Minnesota cracker dip.
Another fish dish arrived early, but I’m not certain if it was the Grilled Local Halibut with Bread Crumb Salsa Verde ($8) or the Seared Arctic Char with Tarragon Nage ($11) Both the other guests and our bill indicated that we had ordered the halibut, but the distinct flavor of tarragon made me think they had gotten the order wrong. I liked the dish a lot. In particular, I thought the tiny, flavor-packed, split cherry tomatoes went well with the fish, but several people thought it over-seasoned. If it was a mistake, though, it wouldn’t surprise me. One in our party followed dinner with a glass of port and was given a different type than I had heard him order.
The Lamb Osso Bucco with Chick Pea Puree ($9) was fantastic, although at this point, I’m starting to suspect that it’s impossible to make this dish poorly. I don’t think I’ve ever met an Osso Bucco I didn’t like. Nevertheless, this small portion was fall-off-the-bone tender and dark and rich and lovely. I actually thought the pureed garbanzos were potatoes when I ate them, they were so soft and rich with the salty stock of the meat. My only complaint would be that the bones were so small that there was no discernable marrow to tunnel out of the centers. But for the price, I thought it was one of the best values on the menu.
Even more pleasing was the Petite Cassoulet with Duck Confit. At $9.00 for an adequate serving of duck and several healthy spoonfuls of tasty white beans, it was also one of the few real bargains on the menu. Everything on this plate was an absolute delight. The duck leg was perfectly crisped on the outside and fell to pieces if you even looked at it funny. The cassoulet was as tender and flavorful as any I’ve had in traditional French restaurants. I could see coming back on a lunch date and having only this, and a salad and walking away completely satisfied for $15.00.
I skipped the Hamachi with Grapefruit-Yuzu Glaze ($15), since I knew Hamachi was one of my friend Hanski’s favorite foods, and the portions on this plate, like most of them, were fairly small (though reasonable in this case; about the size of a good sashimi order in a decent sushi bar, but sliced a little thicker). But most of those who tried it thought it was perfectly good. I also missed out on the Chard with Lemon Oil ($3) which nobody much liked, but, as a recent convert to well made collard greens, I wish I had tried. I only tried a very small portion of the Grilled Pork Loin with Pancetta Braised Cabbage ($8), which a thought was a little dry. And I never even saw the Roasted Chicken Breast with Prosciuto and Oyster Mushrooms we ordered ($8).
The Coca-Cola Braised Spare-ribs with White Bean Salad ($10) were a pleasant surprise. The two or three ribs were tender enough that breaking up portions for seven or eight people was not a problem (though it would probably be a better dish for two people). The fat had been cooked off nicely, and the sauce did not approach the cloying sweetness I had expected. I also enjoyed the Grilled Petite Filet with Cabrales, Endive and Port Wine Sauce, though the apparent addition of flecks of Gorgonzola apparently put some in our party off. The tiny tournedos of beef were perfectly cooked, though, I think, at fourteen dollars, it was a little over priced for what looked to be about 3 or 4 ounces of meat.
Toward the end of our meal, a few plates of well made Gremolata Fries ($3) and a dish of perfectly creamy Mashed Potatoes ($3) arrived. I enjoyed both, but their arrival could have been better timed. I think most of us would have liked to have these as side dishes along with the richer "main" courses.
Amazingly, there were only a half dozen items on the menu that we failed to order: Two salads, a Pisto Manchego ($8), a fish dish, Andalousian Olives ($3) and Roasted Pimenton Cashews ($3). I don’t think we missed much.
Most of us were pretty stuffed by the end of dinner. But, since we sat for a while after eating, everyone was happy to get a taste of the two deserts we ordered. A pile of fresh-cooked donut holes covered in powdered sugar was served with two small cups of espresso, buried underneath fresh whipped cream and shaved chocolate. The donuts were scalding hot and delicious. We also had an ice cream sundae that was a little heavy on the whipped cream and nothing really special. Each was $7.00.
Without tip, the bill was a little over $40.00 per person. Considering all of the above, and the fact that we had 2 nice $35.00-a-bottle Chilean wines, a few beers and a few glasses of white wine, I thought it was a reasonable dinner, especially given the fact that, as the dishes were coming out, they struck me as generally overpriced for the portions. In the end, though, while not a bargain, I thought Andalu offered reasonable value. And while I think there are a few things they could stand to tweak as they mature, I would gladly return.
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Andalu
3198 16th Street, San Francisco, CA
(Corner of 16th and Guerrero)
415-821-2211Mission District
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Make a reservation. Do not try to think for yourself and stray from my strict food-ordering guidelines. Have a nice Fullers ESB when you get there.
Best Suited For: Large Group
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Epinions.com ID:
Mr.Eyore
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Reviews written: 129
Trusted by: 299 members
About Me:
I come for the pervasive sense of elitist self-importance and semi-witty expressions of faux camaraderie
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