Aly's Restaurant Critique
Aly’s on Main in Redwood City is a rare find: “artisan food in an atmosphere as welcoming as a neighborhood diner”, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Farm to table with a modern twist is what I would say. Being highly praised by many critics for their organic locally sourced grass-fed beef, we knew we needed to see what all the buzz was about.
They have a seasonal and organic menu with a vegetarian pasta offering, a couple seafood options, and the grass-fed meats we had been hearing about. I ordered the sauteed gulf prawns as well as the caramelised brussel sprouts, prosciutto wrapped dates and the avocado bruschetta to share.
The brussel sprouts with bacon were perfectly seasoned with salt and had a touch of acidity. Once in your mouth all the flavors of the bacon, lemon, and reggiano cheese blended together flawlessly to create a perfect appetizer. After that I moved on to the dates, which I really liked, surprisingly. It was like chocolate & salt, pretzels & caramel, it was the perfect sweet to salty ratio. The date didn’t overpower the prosciutto, which is very common in alot of date-sweetened dishes. Out of all the appetizers, this was by far my favorite, so highly recommend. The avocado bruschetta I tasted last. After seeing this set on our table, I was a little concerned because of the quantity of tomatoes on the piece of bread. I’m not a big tomato fan. But, my concerns were gone within seconds of biting into it. I actually really liked the tomato and feta-mint remoulade atop the avocado with a dash of grated cheese on top. This was a modern take on the traditional bruschetta. Ok, so off to a good start but can my entree live up to those high standards, lets see.
Almost immediately after we were done with our appetizers, the entrees arrived. My prawns looked super plump and came with roasted squash and a creamy saffron risotto. The prawns were juicy and flavorful, and the squash added a nice warm texture and sweetness. I did not however, care for how salty the risotto was though.
We topped off the meal sharing a classic winter dessert-brioche bread pudding! It was garnished with freshly whipped cream, caramel sauce, and some candied orange slices. The bread pudding was surprisingly not too sweet, just sweet enough so the caramel sauce wasn’t too much. The whipped cream also brought a kind of freshness and creaminess to the plate. I really enjoyed the candied oranges, it was as if all the flavor had been brought out of them.
