Title: Pappo
Author: GCS
Last saved by: ENU

Pappo, Alameda, CA – update, dinner
Review date: September 2011

We enjoyed Pappo on our first visit (July 2008). Although they were on our “worth a return visit” list, we hadn't gone back. So I thought it was time to see how they were holding up under the twin hammers of a consumer slowdown and high commodity prices.

Pappo is in the busy downtown Alameda section, where the cineplex and City Hall combine to support a still thriving small business area, even now showing very few vacant storefronts. It's a small old brick building, a former light industrial space warmed up by its original 1930's glass skylights, vaulted beamed ceiling and a handsome clinker brick wall. 

Several of the starters sounded wonderful, so we tried three of them: the fried calamari with spicy lime aioli, duck liver pate, and a casserole of cauliflower and broccoli with garlic and browned butter.

The calamari were crisply breaded but certainly not spicy, although we liked the variant on the aioli even though it lacked any heat. The pate was nicely done – four thin crisp baguette toasts had been spread with pate while still warm, letting it soften to a buttery consistency. A few pickled onion shreds, a couple of cornichons, a dollop of whole-grain German dark mustard, and a small heap of mixed greens completed the plate. 

The cauliflower and broccoli were very tasty, although it didn't taste or look as if the butter had been sufficiently browned. The veggies were parboiled and tossed with the butter sauce, which had just enough red chile flakes to produce a gentle heat. All three of us enjoyed this dish and found the American broccoli, which is far from our favorite vegetable, to be more enjoyable than the cauliflower. The veggies hadn't been drained sufficiently, so there was enough water diluting the butter that it simply slid off the cauliflower, whereas the broccoli florets captured more of the flavored butter.

Pappo was offering a 3-course pre fixe, which I ordered. I started with the mixed green salad, which had a bit too much fine-grained salt for the amount of vinegar used. Still, the greens were fresh and mature enough to have that slight bitterness which can stand up to a stronger vinaigrette.

Carlos got the Caesar, which was standard quality – chopped mixed romaine, light on the anchovies and heavy on the Parmesan – but the cheese was finely shredded and the dressing wasn't watery, making this version rate a bit higher than Bay Wolf/Oakland's did.

Inez ordered the duck leg confit, which was a small saddle (thigh and drumstick) served over kale and polenta. The confit was tender, still a touch salty, but she enjoyed it. The kale was a bit tough for her teeth; she found the leaf ribs too fibrous and left most of it. The polenta was the same as mine – not properly stirred, it was a little lumpy and uneven. The lack of salt worked as both our entrees had sufficient salt to compensate.

My entree was the veal and beef meatballs in arrabiata sauce over polenta. The meatballs lacked any bread crumbs, making them too hard in texture, but there was a nice sprinkle of chile flakes in the ground meat mixture. This was good because the arrabiata lacked sufficient heat on its own, unfortunately. If the polenta had been better executed, it would have been a more successful dish. Overall, “close but no cigar”, as the saying goes.

Carlos got the orecchiette pasta with shrimp and chorizo. We both liked the flavor of this dish, although not surprisingly it used the cheaper Mexican chorizo sausage instead of the much more expensive Spanish chorizo. The flaw was failing to drain off all the fat, which made the dish too greasy. It was a shame because the pasta had been cooked perfectly, and this is one of the most difficult pastas of all to pull off well.

The dessert I picked for my pre fixe was the chocolate terrine with crème anglaise. A very modest triangle of a thin dark chocolate-almond terrine sat atop an unfortunately skimpy dollop of crème. With all the starters we had tried, having this small slice of a very rich dessert was perfect. It reminded us of the 'mini-bite desserts' that Montrio/Monterey offers, a concept we find much more to our taste that the usual supersized mediocrities that far too many restaurants have fallen into offering.

The slice of terrine was sprinkled with sea salt, which offset the sweet dark chocolate. It was perfect with a cup of decaf coffee. Carlos, however, was frustrated when the waitress admitted their espresso machine was broken so he couldn't get his usual cappuccino.

Pappo's filled up to about one-third its seats by the time we left, which isn't bad for a Thursday evening, although still not where it was a few a years ago. Pappo's is keeping a good price point while offering some interesting dishes, but their flaw is in execution. Their ideas are good, as are the basic flavors, but the heavy-handedness makes the dishes a little coarse, rather than well-balanced as they were the first time we ate here.

The service was excellent, as it has been both times we've visited. Not a destination restaurant, but if you're in Alameda and looking for a decent bistro, this and Asena/Alameda can offer a worthwhile meal, especially for the price.

Three people: Four starters, one 3-course pre-fixe, two entrees, two beverages, with tip was $138.

Pappo
2320 Central Avenue @Park St., Alameda CA
http://www.papporestaurant.com/
Review date:  July 2008

Pappo is across the street from the newly renovated Alameda Theatre and Cineplex, off Park St.  This means parking is tight, especially for lunch on weekdays when the municipal offices are open. Fortunately, we arrived for an early dinner, arriving just before the big after-work crowd.

A California-Mediterranean bistro – aren’t they all, these days? – Pappo’s offers a Small Plates menu for movie/concert attendees. It looked very interesting, but we opted instead for the regular dinner menu.

Carlos ordered fried onion rings as an appetizer. These are relatively thin slices, not quite as ethereal as the old MacArthur Park mandolined ones. These are hand-cut, the thinner ones coming out crispy and the slightly thicker rings remaining ever-so-slightly crunchy. A buttermilk marinade makes them appealingly tangy; even Carlos didn’t object to the taste although he recognized it immediately. 

They are lightly batter-fried and even more lightly salted. It was a good-sized serving, and we probably could have eaten two orders without blinking!

The bread rolls are the crusty kind from Feel Good Bakery. Carlos loved them; Feel Good also sells their wares at some of the local farmers markets, including the Jack London Square farmers market on Sundays.

We had plenty of room for dinner. They serve good-sized portions without being oversized. Inez had the Summer Duck (there’s a winter duck?!?) and dumplings, fresh corn and gnocchi. The duck leg and thigh cut is braised, and very tender. The gravy was creamy along with an unadvertised addition of fresh shiitake mushroom slices. She ate it all but left the frisee salad; she isn’t fond of frisee unless hidden with a bunch of other mixed greens.

Carlos had the hanger steak, four nice thick slices with an anchovy-chive butter. It came perfectly medium-rare, as requested. The advertised spinach was virtually non-existent, but the garlic-truffle fries were decent.

I had the glazed pork loin chop, one of the most substantial pieces of meat I’ve had in a while. A full 2” thick, cooked slightly over medium-rare, and glazed with a chili-honey glaze, it was a marvelous chop. 

Yet I paid hardly any attention to it – the side was so unusual and delicious, I kept raving about it to my companions.

It was called a White Bean Panzanella with corn, bacon and peaches. The last was inaccurate – they used white nectarines instead, which were far better. This year’s crop of white nectarines has been very late in coming, but it’s spectacular in quality.

The croutons could use some guidance – uneven sizes made some of them perfect while a few larger cubes remained unpleasantly rock-hard. But the combination of white beans, baby arugula, diced bacon, fresh corn, white nectarine slices, and aromatic fresh basil shredded into a lightly applied vinaigrette, was a symphony of flavors in the mouth. 

I chased every morsel I could find on the plate. And it went beautifully with the pork chop, as well.

We skipped dessert, not because we were being health-conscious. It just sounded like a boring and uninspired set of offerings: Vin Santo and a biscotti, chocolate brownie sundae with toasted almonds, vanilla crème brulee, or something called a pappogato, which is essentially their version of a root beer float. 

The iced tea was excellent, second only to Slanted Door’s superb offering. 

So far, easily the best restaurant we’ve tried in Alameda. We will definitely keep this one on our list for repeat visits.

Price: Dinner for three, one appetizer, one beverage, with tip: $105