Alley & Vine (Alameda)

Americas - USA West San Francisco Bay Area
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Got the chance to try this newer spot in Alameda. Just opened at the beginning of 2021. I remember them doing a prix fixe NYE to go meal that looked great. Not the kind of restaurant I ever thought I’d find in Alameda but I’m so glad it’s here. The island needs more adventure like this.

So many hits, especially from the Bites section that consisted of smaller three to four bite options. Great way to try a ton while still loading up on apps and mains.

Charentais Melon Gazpacho w/ Jamon Serrano - This gazpacho came out whipped. I didn’t ask specifically how but damn it was cool and more substantial than a foam.

Serpent Cucumber ‘Sunomono’ Salad w/ Togarashi and Oregon Bay Shrimp - Bright kinda spicy salad and wonderfully vegetal at the same time.

Salt Spring Mussel Escabeche - So simple, just the mussels in escabeche broth. Grab them with a toothpick.

California White Sturgeon Caviar (Made by the Chef Team) w/ coddled egg, chive creme fraiche and toasted pain de mie - Delicious

Mixed Greens Salad w/ Burrata, Dates, Sunflower Seeds, Bee Pollen, Honey Vinaigrette - The dates really added a lot to this salad. I love dates and don’t eat them enough.

Lightly Cured Mt. Lassen Trout w/ Red Flame Grapes, Rice Crisps, Serrano, Shiso, Miso, Avocado - The grapes were my favorite part. Overall I never find these kinds of dishes too exciting but it was solid.

Heirloom Tomato Soup w/ Brioche, Maine Lobster, Truffle Coulis - I am always down for tomato soup during tomato season and this was everything I wanted.

Seared Duck Liver w/ French Toast, Black Mission Figs and Maple - We all enjoyed the hell out of this.

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Roasted Dry Aged Ribeye w/ Fondant Potatoes, Broccolini, Cherry Tomatoes, Sauce Choron - Rich, savory and wonderful

Olive Oil Poached Albacore Tuna w/ Clams, Fregola Sarda, Fennel, Saffron and Pine Nuts - I love fregola and fennel and totally enjoyed this dish.

Rosa Bianca Eggplant w/ Quinao, Huitlacoche, Mushrooms, Collard Greens, Gypsy Peppers - A real favorite for the table because we all love vegetable forward dishes. I kept coming back.

Confit Duck Leg w/ Golden Corn, Duck Liver Mousse, Yorkshire Pudding and Fresh Plum Sauce - I’m always down for duck and this was a beautiful highlight. Really loved slicing off a piece of the Yorkshire pudding and piling everything into one huge bite.

Phyllo-wrapped ‘Locarno’ Brie w/ Honeycomb, Red Walnuts, Pink Lady Apples - Damn I love brie. Wish there had been a bread component of some sort.

Eclair w/ Strawberry, Pistachio, Creme de Violette - so lovely and the dough had such a beautiful chew. I could have just eaten the dough.

Manjari Chocolate Pot de Creme w/ Hazelnut Brittle, Blueberries, Chartreuse Chantilly - Those blueberries though!!

A treat from the kitchen
Little chocolates filled with fresh cherry from the owners (I think) garden. Someone on the Alley & Vine team, from their garden. A lovely ending.

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Picked this place to celebrate a new hire joining us, since it was one of the only places that had availability for 8 indoors less than a week in advance and fit a couple of dietary restrictions.

Ordered every single appetizer (though not all of the small bites on the left side of the menu). Didn’t bother taking photos, though the plating was quite good.

Fuyu Persimmon Salad
Had a bite - fine but not really more than the sum of its parts, and the persimmons were maybe a bit underripe (possibly a deliberate choice given their inclusion in the salad - they might’ve been too sweet otherwise, but they didn’t taste like much).

Shaved Brussel Sprouts
If you have any appreciation for brussel sprouts that aren’t charred to a crisp, then this was pretty good. You’ll want to split it a few ways since it’s a bit same-y and not a tiny portion either.

Goat Cheese & Pear Salad
Don’t remember too much detail but I liked this more than the persimmon salad.

Whole Roasted Shrimp
Four excellent (and very large) shrimp, really killer black garlic aoli. Bread came studded with additional garlic, which was an interesting choice. Great QPR.

Pei Mussels
Great mussels. Very solid, relatively traditional take.

Spanish Octopus
Perfectly-cooked octopus. The chard & pickled peppers were also fantastic.

Despite the best efforts of one of my colleagues, we didn’t order every single main (though, given that everyone at the table did order a main, it almost seems like a mistake to not have done that…).

I had the Porterhouse Pork Chop, which I think was the clear winner among large-format meat dishes. It was cooked to medium-well(?) but remained appropriately moist. The squash puree, apple-quince chutney, and pear glaze were all good; the accompanying vegetables (carrots, turnips, and brussel sprouts) were decent but unexceptional. I traded for bites of the Housemade Pappardelle (very good), Braised Beef Short Rib, and Roasted Filet of Beef (both fine, but not as good as the pork).

Somehow nobody ended up ordering seafood, which, given how strong the seafood appetizers were, seems like a miss on our part.

For dessert, had the Locarno Brie (an interesting “build your own adventure”, what with the pastry, jammed dates, pistachios, and frisee(?) all arranged separately), Carrot Cake (fine), and Creme Brulee (quite good).

The seafood appetizers alone seem worth coming back for, though it looks like practically the entire menu is different from the previous report a little over a year ago. But, hey, replay value is also good…

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Oh wow yeah the menu has changed for sure. I wonder if that’s about adjusting to the tastes of diners in Alameda over the last couple years.

Ceron across town advertised a much more ambitious menu than what wound up making it

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I left out all the accoutrements but I don’t think the menu was substantially less ambitious than the one you enjoyed… possibly the proteins were a smidge more “mainstream”. I’d be curious to check back in a few months to see what’s changed.

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Oh cool! Im glad you didn’t think it was less ambitious but yeah the mains threw me off.

I was thinking about getting back there next time I’m in the bay

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Did that space used to be an Italian restaurant? I have a feeling I ate there a few years back.

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Probably but I don’t remember, definitely had never been if it was.

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The opening chef left in the middle of 2022

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Any update on Alley and Vine or any recommendations for a Tuesday early dinner. Outdoor would be a bonus.

Traveling with some simpler eaters, so accessible, high quality food would be appreciated.

TIA!

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Specifically in Alameda?

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Hi Robert…

Thanks for responding. Yes, Alameda. Our dogs are searching the USS Hornet :honeybee: that day and the other four are coming in from Fremont. They won’t to come any further north.

We will get to Snail Bar and CP Café, but sadly won’t be up long enough to hit The Wolf or Lion Dance. Next time.

TIA. Your posts have been super helpful :pray:

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Maybe Speisekammer.

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Id say these are two safe bets for simpler eaters. Haven’t been to saltbreaker but it’s somewhere near the Hornet on the base.

Island Taqueria on Park St is a personal fave, grew up on it

I can’t speak to Alley & Vine since I only dined there under the opening chef. But the menu reads much different than when I went.

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Super helpful @robert and @butteredwaffles. Much appreciated!