The ahi tartar tacos at Andalu in San Francisco.
My husband and I have driven by tapas restaurant Andalu on 16 Street in San Francisco a million times. Every time we drive by, one of us says, “We should eat there sometime. It looks kinda cool.” Finally, that sometime was now.
I knew we had picked the right place to eat when I saw the sign advertising that tonight was half-priced sangria night. My love of sangria is well documented on this site and other sites such as Facebook and those embarrassing photos my friends keep tagging.
David and I started with a plate of the ahi tartar tacos ($10). They were served in a crispy potato shell, which tasted a lot like a Pringle (and I mean that as a compliment). The tacos were delicious and a great way to start out the meal. We followed it with an order of the cambazola cheese fondue ($10.50) with apples and toasted bread. The fondue was served only slightly warm and placed on a candle to heat it up. Of course, I’m impatient and ate my portion of the tasty fondue lukewarm, while smart and patient David waited until it was properly heated.
The crispy mac and cheese at Andalu in San Francisco.
Next was the dish I just had to have — crispy mac and cheese with herb tomato vinaigrette ($7.50). I never say no to mac and cheese, and that’s also been well documented on this site and in those dang photos on Facebook that seem to always show off my fat roll. The mac and cheese at Andalu is unlike any other mac and cheese I’ve had. It is baked and then sliced, and those slices are rolled in breadcrumbs and baked again. So, it’s crispy on the outside, soft mac and cheese on the inside. Served with the tomato vinaigrette, it reminded me of eating grilled cheese sandwiches with my tomato soup — one of my favorite comfort foods. It was scrumptious, but it wasn’t perfection. The breading overpowered the mac and cheese. I think a little less breading, and it would be an amazing dish that I would get cravings for.
After those dishes, we were stuffed, but we still ordered more because David really wanted to try the three mini burgers with basil aioli, tomato and shallot rings ($9.50). I do not eat meat, so I opted for the grilled eggplant stuffed with ricotta, spinach and pinenuts, and served with caponata ($9). And while both dishes were very flavorful, we only managed to eat a few bites. Of course, both dishes made for an excellent lunch the next day.
Andalu
3198 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 621-2211
http://www.andalusf.com/