Cuisine:

• Californian
• Tapas
• Mediterranean

À Côté Description:
The few blocks that make up Rockridge's gourmet ghetto boast Oliveto and Market Hall, making À Côté just one of many culinary hotshots on the stretch. The first interaction one might have with this stylish Cal-Med tapas restaurant is not the gracious host, the roomy granite-topped bar or the warm twinklings from the wood-burning oven. Instead, the mostly walk-in business (reservations are granted for early or late seatings only) translates into a line of exuberant clientele milling outside the front door. Once inside, the room's warm earth tones surround a mixed crowd enjoying a wide variety of small dishes. Almost everyone starts out with the utterly addictive french fries, salty and crisp served with a dense aïoli. Plump mussels arrive in a Pernod-spiked broth, followed by an evolving menu of salads, flatbreads and fish like seared sturgeon with purple and orange cauliflower, crispy shallots and capers, and a Meyer lemon beurre blanc. Afterward, indulge in the dessert selection, such as a thoughtful cheese plate accompanied by walnut toast, sliced apples and poached figs, or a pear-brown butter tart with pistachio-cardamom ice cream and rum sauce.


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