Author: GCS

Angela’s Bistro (lunch)
2301 Central Avenue, Alameda
http://www.angelasbistroandbar.com/menu.html
Review date:   August 2010

The last time we dined at Pappo’s in Alameda, we noticed a line of people across the street waiting to get into Angela’s, a new restaurant. Intrigued, we made a note to try it someday.

That day came when we were in the area after doing a charity drop-off and wanted to have lunch. Angela’s is in the same building as the new multiplex movie theatre, so it’s a popular area although we were glad to find parking was surprisingly easy. There is a public garage behind the bistro/theatre, useful since Alameda’s public buildings (City Hall, Library, etc.) are all concentrated in this central area off Park Street.

Angela’s is a very long, fairly narrow space, getting lots of light from the big picture windows facing Central. It’s rather noisy with hard surfaces, even though it wasn’t completely full (we were in the late lunch hour, after 1 pm).

AB has an interesting menu, supplementing the usual bistro sandwich/pasta menu with some unexpected dishes. The chef is Afghani, so there is a Boulanee (Bolani) on the menu, the flat vegetarian-stuffed wheat tortilla-like bread often sold at farmers’ markets around the East Bay, as well as kebabs offered under the Entrée section.

The bread that comes to the table is an unsplit yeasted flatbread, and it’s served with a tart, vinegary parsley-garlic puree. Carlos blinked at his first bite – he might have been expecting a pesto, which looks similar – but he finished all of it, saying he liked it.

We both started with soup – his mushroom bisque was creamy but a bit too salty. But my house soup, described without flair as “market vegetables, beans, chicken stock and fresh herbs”, was actually a delightful, fresh tomato-based broth with fresh spinach leaves wilted on top, white beans, and the unexpected lift of chopped fresh dill in addition to the more usual parsley. Nor was it oversalted, which was even better.

Carlos ordered the roast beef sandwich, which was on split toasted flatbread. The roast beef was sliced more thickly than usual, and although there wasn’t a lot of it, it was extremely tasty. All too often the roast beef used in such sandwiches is tender, thin, and utterly tasteless except for salt. The mayo was creamy with the slight bite of horseradish, just enough to give a lift without overwhelming the beef. We’re not horseradish fans, but this was very good indeed, especially with arugula for a little more ‘bite’. The potato salad was full of onions, though, so a little too harsh for my taste. 

I ordered the Sole Florentine. This is a classic so long out of favor I can’t even recall the last time I saw it on a restaurant menu. It wasn’t very large – two small rolls – but the sole was perfectly cooked and the stuffing was both generous and delicious, fresh chopped spinach with just a touch of bechamel to hold it together. The rolls were pan-crusted on one side, napped with bechamel and then finished by browning it under a salamander on the top side. 

With very thin fish filets, this is not an easy thing to do without overcooking the fish. But the rolls were moist and altogether wonderful. The side of rice pilaf was fine, and I was impressed. It’s a simple dish, but it takes some skill to do it well and good quality ingredients are a necessity when you’re only cooking with three ingredients: fish, spinach, and sauce.

Carlos ended with a cappuccino, which I thought was so-so with too much grounds – it tasted like Mr. Espresso, which is not our favorite coffee. I tried their panna cotta for dessert, which was a little heavy but a nice ending with a tart raspberry sauce. Not quite as good as Montclair Bistro’s version, but it’ll pass muster.

Angela’s isn’t the destination restaurant that Pappo’s can be (when Pappo’s is “on”, that is) but it’s relatively inexpensive and a pleasant place to eat with good service. Their weekly menu specials are a notable bargain – a different entrée for $9 each day at lunch, or a pre fixe three course dinner for $23. And although the quantity is not exceedingly generous, the quality and skill more than make up for it. The menu isn’t large, yet manages to offer an interesting variety of dishes to appeal to almost any group of diners.

Two soups, one sandwich, one entrée, one dessert, one beverage, with tip came to a modest $57.