One Saturday evening recently, I had reason to reflect upon the impact of Recession on San Francisco restaurants. I had spent the afternoon doing periodic "business" (-e.g., getting a new battery for my watch on Post Street). Being in the Financial District, I planned to see a movie at the Embarcadero Theater Complex, and I made reservations for a late dinner afterward, about 9:30, at PLOUF in Belden Alley.

Imagine my consternation when I learned from the Theater Complex ticket-taker that the newspaper listing of a 7:10 showing for THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY was incorrect. The film would go on at 7:40 and let out at 9:45. Perplexed, I weighed seeing the film against eating dinner, and food won. However, once having turned back my ticket, I realized that I would have to wait two hours to dine.

I had read Epinions of PLOUF, describing snooty, stereotypical French waiters, a dragoness of a maitresse d' and a crowded place with people clawing their way in from the street. Fearful of stirring up a reptilian situation, I had trepidation about phoning to try to have my reservation set forward. But thinking of food had made me hungry, and I had not bought my usual small popcorn at the theater to carry me over. I found a pay phone, and dialed 986-6491.

After a few moments, in answer to my sheepish request, I heard a French-accented voice say, "Of course, sir . . . 8:30. I think we'll be able to fit you in."

PLOUF, a French bistro, lies in the center of a nest of restaurants in Belden Alley, off Pine or Bush streets, between Kearny and Montgomery. I had plenty of time to arrive there, and I wandered south and west, noticing that a pub, some shops and the Occidental Grill in the 450 block of Pine were gone; the old building was empty, its display windows dusty.

For that reason, when I saw a sign at the top of Belden Alley reading, The Occidental Cigar Bar and Grill, I stopped in. While I had a Campari and Soda, Jack the bartender filled me in. They had gotten around the tough California non-smoking law (designed to protect the help) by making their bartenders partners. And yes, after six years in the old spot, they had been evicted; they were in this new location only six weeks. I remarked I had seen a typed notice on a window in the old block to the effect that a 22-story office building was to rise on the site.

"No," Jack said, with a toss of his head. "That's kaput. [San Francisco Millionaire] Shorenstein chucked all of us out, and then the dot.com who was going bankroll the new building went bankrupt or something. He's going to raze the old place anyway and create a big hole in the ground. Smart, huh?"

At that point, another partner bustled in from outside to pick up a couple of bottles of brandy. It was then I learned that the Occidental Grill itself was round the corner in the Alley, entirely separate from the cigar bar. The newcomer was the Maitre d' of the Grill. He offered me a menu, and I looked it over after he left, but told Jack I had reservations further down the Alley, or I would have taken them up on a dinner. Jack assured me that I was welcome anytime. They were having a tough time establishing themselves in the new location, having lost hordes of former customers who came to the darkened old venue and gave up on the Occidental.

When I strolled into Belden Alley about twenty after eight, I was surprised. There are six restaurants in this pedestrian lane: an Italian place, a Spanish tapas establishment, a French cafe, a Greek spot, PLOUF and the aforementioned Occidental Grill, each of which has a dozen tables or so outside, in a very Continental setting. Usually, on a pleasant evening such as this one, a Saturday night, not quite 8:30, at the height of the tourist season, within a few blocks of the great hotels of the City, these tables should have been packed.

Three-quarters of them were unoccupied.

Dodging the Occidental's Maitre d' as he hurried out his door and practically tackled me, I moved on down the Alley to PLOUF.

Although there were just a few diners at the white clothed tables outside, inside it was rather crowded, hot and noisy. The zinc bar on the right was crowded. The dining room twisted around on itself to the left and was full of people.

Either PLOUF has a new Maitress d' or other Epinionators are blind. Patrice (as I later found her name to be) was an Audrey Hepburn look-a-like, slim in a chic dark dress, with bangs (a Louise Brooks hairstyle). She indicated a table near the bar, and told me she would seat me in a moment. Indeed, there were fans "clawing" for her attention in a corner near the door. Looking at the table, listening to the din of 50 people exercising UN-French trencherman appetites, feeling the heat of the day and from the kitchen within, I went back to her, and said, though it might get a trifle cool, I would be happy to sit outside.

Patrice gave me a quick smile, a tilt of her head and leaned toward me: "Oh, monsieur, that would be so kind of you. Come with me, then."

I was happy with the table at where she seated me, from which I might observe the tables in about half the Alley. A breeze had risen in the afternoon, as it often does in San Francisco, but it scarcely bothered me in this sheltered place, even after night came on.

My waiter, a stocky young blond fellow, Emanuel, dressed as a French sailor, gave me PLOUF's menu and recited to me the specials of the evening. I ordered a kir (a mistake as it turned out) and examined the menu.

On the left side of the folder were half a dozen examples of the House specialty: Mussels! Mussels in Sherry, Mussels in Garlic broth, Mussels in Mushrooms and Cream, Mussels in White Wine with Parsley, etc. And Steamed Clams! And Oysters! All in the six to eight dollar range.

On the right side of the page, I read an array of Appetizers, Fish entrees, Meat and Pasta dishes:

Among the Appetizers, there was a Soup du Jour for $5.50, Mixed Greens with aged Sherry vinaigrette ($6), Calamari and Fennel "Tempura" with Gribiche Sauce ($8), Potato Wrapped Scallops with Fennel and Cucumber Salad ($9.50), French Vietnamese Crab Roll with Sweet Chili Sauce ($9.50), Warm Leek Tart with Roquefort Cheese ($8.50), Peppered Ahi Tuna with Emergo White Beans and Truffle Vinaigrette (9.50), Sauteed Sh-take Mushrooms cooked with Fois Gras in Parmesan Tuile ($11.50).

Some interesting salads included Haricot Vert Salad with Fennel, Red Onion, Cherry Tomatoes, and Rouquefort Vinaigrette (8.50), Goat Cheese and Walnut Croquette with Watercress, Beets and Mustard Vinaigrette ($8.50), Baby Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese Croutons, Apple, Red Onions, Tomato and Citrus Vinaigrette ($8.50), White Anchovies with Tomatoes, Carmelized Onions, Roasted Peppers, and Olives ($8.50), Beef Carpaccio with Capers, Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese, and Lemon ($9), Unagi with a Honey Soy Glaze, Rocket Pea Sprout Salad ($13.50).

A number of the above starters read as if they might be a meal in themselves.

The Entrees: Fish and Chips with Garlic Aioli and Malt Vinegar ($14); Bourride with Monkfish, Sea Bass, Mussels, Scallops, Prawns and Rouille Croutons ($18); Steamed Sea Bass with Roasted Garlic Buerre Blanc, Sh-take and Oyster Mushrooms ($18); Steamed Salmon with Corriander Lime Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Spinach and Leeks ($17.50); Sauteed Ling Cod with Butternut Squash, Parsnip, and Yellow Beat Truffle Vinaigrette ($18); Roasted Monkfish with Cabbage, Bacon, Pearl Onions, and a Lemon Sage Jus ($18); Sauteed Prawns with Citrus Beurre Blanc, Tomato Provencale and Sweet Potato Puree ($19); Sauteed "Day Boat" Scallops with Potato Gratin and Rhum Vanilla Sauce ($19.50); Peppered Ahi Tuna with French Lentils, Spinach, Caramelized Onions with Shallot Red Wine Sauce ($23).

Whoever at Epinions wrote that the menu lacked variety in fish entrees must have been in a different bistro, or have caused PLOUF's local founders Eric Klein and Oliver Azancot to force Chef (French-born) Jocelyn Bulow to add items to the list.

Meats and Pasta: Roast Chicken Breast with Lemon Garlic Broth, Dijon Potatoes and Vegetables ($14); Roasted Pork Loin with Apples, Onions and an Old Fashioned Mustard Sauce ($17); Crab Ravioli with Rouquefort White Wine Sauce, Pinenuts and Basil ($15); Flambeed Peppered "Dry Aged Angus" New York Steak Frites with Brandy Jus and Vegetables ($24); Roasted Rack of Lamb with Potato Gratin and Seasonal Vegetables ($24).

[There are sides of Mashed Potatoes, Pommes Frites, and Seasonal Vegetables to be had with any of these dishes. And a Vegetable Plate upon request.]

It looked as if Joyce Burlow had covered the waterfront -- and the country, too.

On the back of the menu were wines, simply listed, from several countries and several regions of France for about 20 to 100 dollars a bottle. For each section, at least one wine by the glass was offered at between $6 to $7 a glass.

Suddenly ravenous, after that long read, I proceeded to order recklessly. I took the "special" fish soup at $6.50, the Mussels in Sherry ($7), the Ling Cod, and a salad. Emanuel dutifully took this down until he reached the Ling Cod. He hesitated.

"Do you think that's too much?" I asked.

"It's a lot of food, monsieur," he allowed.

Reluctantly, I dropped the Cod.

[Ling Cod is a local fish (prized for its roe), seldom seen on menus in San Francisco. It's the kind of homely, modest (but delicious) fish that my favorite recent whipping boy, the very up-scale AQUA, would not have on their tables because it does not have to be flown in from Tierra del Fuego, or if they did, would charge $40 for a morsel of it because it would be absolutely fresh. I look forward to trying Ling Cod with the squash and parsnip and beet vinaigrette at PLOUF, sometime in the future.]

I said that I would continue to sip my kir with the French Fish Soup, and Emanuel suggested for the Mussels an Alsatian White at $6.50 a glass, which served beautifully.

The only thing which marred the dinner was my own fault. The kir had a little more Blackberry Cassis than I usually find, and the "special" fish soup turned out to be a bisque, the cream slightly flavored, colored and sweetened by tomato. The flavors of the kir and the soup clashed. I would better have ordered the bourride.

That said, between sips of water and bites of bread, the bisque was fine.

The Mussels were also excellent. There were enough for three people (which brought home to me what Emanuel knew when he took my order). I feasted on several dozen small but succulent shellfish, the Alsatian White perfectly complementing the sherried broth in which they had been cooked. As I ate my way through them, I enjoyed observing people (a few more by this time) eating, drinking and laughing in the middle distance, outside the other three restaurants in my line of sight.

At one point, Patrice came to the doorway and asked me how I was doing. (I was doing fine.) And Emanuel and the Latino busboy were very attentive.

The salad to follow, in the French fashion, was also simple but beautiful, with its several lettuces and mild vinaigrette.

I finished off the meal with a very flavorful espresso.

My check was a little less than 30 dollars.

As I walked away, I resolved to explore the other eateries in Belden Alley, but I was fairly sure that among those who survived the competition and the Recession, PLOUF would be one of them.



Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations If you are new to Mussels, keep it simple. Choose them cooked in white wine, with a touch of butter and fresh parsley.
Best Suited For: Romantic Evening