alba

not worth the $. my boyfriend and i like trying new local restaurants, so i was excited when we made reservations for alba before going to a show at the civic center. for starters, our server (i don't recall his name) was downright terrible. it was a shame, because we noticed the other servers waiting the tables around us were all very friendly. the house salad was too simple - literally spinach and leafy greens, with some vinegar dressing. for $9 per salad, they could have offered a little more variety. our entrees were subpar; i had the chicken gnocchi and was still hungry afterwards. the only upside to the meal was the dessert we decided to try: chocolate lava cake with buttermilkicecream. the dessert was actually very delicious. unfortunately, that doesn't justify a rude waiter and a $110 meal. i would be very cautious before ever trying the restaurant portion of alba again.

the chorizo stuffed figs were amazing, the beet salad missed and the empanadas... ho hum, but the lava cake with buttermilkicecream?? divine!! shannon , my bartender was delightful!

we were here to try out the menu for our upcoming after wedding dinner. out of 3 restaurants this was out favorite. the flavors were very balanced and the portions were perfect. i get so tired of huge portions. i had pork loin and a side if pickled veggies that were so good. my partner had rabbit duo that was seasoned perfectly. we shared a sticky bun for dessert and a scoop of buttermilk vanillaicecream. i want to go home and make some buttermilk vanillaicecream now. the service was perfect she was there without being over bearing.

$170 for two - plus tip. (update - their web site is up - apparently it is ok to have a $20+/head new year's eve surcharge). for $195 ($25 tip) one would think that you would deserve fine dining - superb food and service - sadly chef jason simon disappointed. my wife and i joined another couple for a nice new year's eve dinner. we've been to alba before and enjoyed ourselves, but i will never ever return. for $195 my wife had two glasses of wine ($24). i had two cocktails ($13). my three course meal consisted of a duck tureen appetizer, arctic char with vegetables and a potato, and an apple crisp withicecream ($62). my wife had a spinach salad, pork loin duo with vegetables - with chorizo (i believe). for dessert she opted for the butternut squash soup appetizer since she doesn't like dessert ($55). i also had a coffee to go with my dessert ($3.35). tax was $9.65. i left a $25 tip (14.7% for barely adequate service and an overpriced meal). my tureen appetizer was good and included chips of fried cheese. the arctic char and vegetables were cooked well, but by the end of the dish i didn't like enough to finish it. the dessert was ok - but i would like a little more crisp in my apple crisp - and the apples were overcooked. my wife liked her spinach salad, thought the pork was so-so, and remembered liking the soup much better the last time we are at alba. all the portions were right sized not huge not tiny. my coffee was good and strong. fortunately for our friends, they didn't pay as much (only $130 before tip) as the restaurant gave them a partial credit for the main course they sent back for being too spicy to eat (in the opinion of three out of three of us who tried it). at this price level one deserves a meal and service that is excellent - not adequate. i don't remember the prices being this high - but alba doesn't have a web site to review their menu (quite unbelievable in this day and age). as i said, we've been there before and enjoyed ourselves, but before you go, i would ask to see a menu and know what you are going to pay for hit and miss food and barely adequate service. (btw - our three course meal took over two hours and the corkage fee is $25)

mixed. let me start off by saying that alba has improved greatly since a shaky start more than a year ago. it has gone from bad to hit and miss. my wife and i were lucky enough to receive a large gift certificate so we ordered up a storm. the following is a summation of my thoughts from start to finish.
- this place doesn't have website. this is very disappointing. it's 2009 people!
- we arrived at 8:30 on a saturday and the place was packed. there is no check-in desk and it took us a good 5 minutes to grab the attention of anyone who worked there. once i finally got the attention of a waiter, he seated us. seriously, wtf. i have never seen such a terrible entrance to a restaurant. you walk in and are greeted by a round wall and literally do not know where to go for a table. bad news.
here is what we ordered with a quick summation of each:
- tiramisu martini: off the hook good. a dessert in its own right
- pomegranate martini: good, but nothing spectacular. my wife accidentally knocked the drink over before taking a sip and the drink was replaced immediately. the stemless martini glasses are not really the best for serving drinks. this is particularly strange because their water glasses are way too big and heavy.
- wilted salad: beware there is bacon on this salad, which the menu somehow forgets to mention. this is served warm. my wife kind of liked it, minus the bacon.
- beet salad: this was a delicious seasonal treat. the beets and potatoes were cooked perfectly and i have never had a more delicious and creamy deviled egg.
- hangar steak with mash: my wife says the steak is nothing to write home about, but the mashed potatoes (which she ordered in place of the green beans) were the best mashed potatoes she (and i) have ever had. rich and creamy does not begin to do this side justice.
- panko salmon burger: the burger itself was a bit underdone, but somewhat tasty. the menu-described avacado-mayo was really 98% mayo. the menu-described red onion slaw was really just finely sliced red onions. the bun was hard and chewy. combined with an underdone salmon patty, this meant the salmon kept sliding out. the fries were delicious, as good as gateway market's, except not as crispy,
-tuna tartare with avocado and citrus sauce: this was completely lackluster. there was no taste at all to the fish. i couldn't even finish this, one of my favorite dishes elsewhere, because it was so disappointing.
- buttermilkicecream: we shared a single scoop of their house-made buttermilkicecream. it was small, but it didn't need to be much bigger. this was perhaps one of the best scoops oficecream i have ever had, my wife says it is hands down the best she has had. it beats out her old favorite of maggie moo's udderly cream. thisicecream is sensational! we shared another tiramisu martini, which when combined with theicecream, was heavenly. my wife is by no means a foodie, but thisicecream had quite the effect on her.
final verdict: we will return for a dinner of mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and buttermilkicecream washed down with a half dozen tiramisu martinis.