710 Montgomery Street (where Washington and Kearny meet), San Francisco | website
The owners of Piperade opened this tapas and wine bar, which is so tucked away that I have passed by it numerous times without notice until I walked by from a different direction… It is a small but light and airy space with a large common table in the center of the room and cozy small tables around the perimeter. We scored and got a little ledge in the front window with excellent light for taking pictures, plus we had our backs to the room which at times became deafeningly loud.
There was an enigmatic but lovely welcome mat in the entry, an illuminated shelf recessed into the floor with an artful display of wine bottles covered with clear plexiglass.
CK ordered the Roasted Pepper Salad with Cabrales and Toasted Almonds along with one Bocadillo (spanish sandwich). The Cabrales (a spanish blue cheese) was crumbled on top and added a good sharp tangy element which went very well with the toasted almonds and light zesty dressing on the perfectly tossed greens. The consistency is slightly drier than Maytag or gorgonzola which I’m used to, and didn’t melt into the dressing as much either.
I ordered the soup, which was a refreshingly light and soupy black bean soup garnished with cilantro
I also ordered 2 Bocadillos, which came with a lovely green salad
I had the Lamb Burger which came highly recommended. The meat had a toothsome browned and chewy exterior but was juicy and well spiced with cumin, served with thinly sliced white onion and tomato on a light fluffy bun. It is small, but a manageable size, and actually was a perfect amount because I was eager to move onto try the next Bocadillo…
I think the Catalan Sausage was the best, it was more robustly flavorful and the ratio of meat to bread, salty manchego cheese and arugula was perfect. The chewy ciabatta style roll with olives was just the right match.
The sausage was so snappy with character and infused with garlic, the ensemble of flavors was so good that I felt regret when I swallowed the last morsel…
The combination of 2 bocadillo with soup $12, the combination of 1 bocadillo with salad $8. Lunch is very reasonable for such fine food in the area. I definitely want to try more of these little sandwiches, as well as the tapas in the evening.
dragonlife said,
March 20, 2007 at 10:47 am
The Lamb burger looks like a good-balanced meal to me as it includes the meat, bread and greens!
The Catalan sausage is also tempting!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles