Last week I had the opportunity to attend a preview dinner of the newly opened PLIN, with editorial assistant extraordinaire Dana Eastland in tow. She covered quite a few details about the space in the last tablehopper issue, but I’d like to add that the space now feels much more comfortable and stylish than it has ever been. It has a soothing palette and a clean and contemporary look, courtesy of Alexander’s mother, Joanne Alioto. The addition of the booths creates a nice break in the space, and the tyranny of the conduit is gone. Also, all the flatware, dishes, and stemware were well chosen and chic.
You can look at chef-owner Alexander Alioto’s menu here (although they are playing the House of Prime Rib game and not listing prices on their website). In addition to his well-known raviolo uovo are the namesake agnolotti al plin, with an earthy chicken filling and rich demi-glace, among other housemade pastas. Some lighter dishes include black bass carpaccio, while heartier dishes include well-prepared grilled Spanish octopus, and baby Manila clams and white shrimp over polenta. Some vegetables include roasted beets with ricotta cheese and an enjoyably lighter version (read: not loaded with breading) of eggplant Parmesan. All the dishes will be served as small plates (the ones pictured here were tasting plates for the preview dinner.)
As we mentioned before, there’s a full bar, with some Italian-influenced cocktails (you can check out the list here), and look for a well-selected wine list (with very food-friendly by-the-glass selections) from Master Sommeliers Nunzio Alioto Jr. (Alexander’s father) and Chuck Furuya. The night of the test dinner, we also got a preview of their special reserve list: they were pouring from a Methuselah of 1979 BV George de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley cabernet, in honor of Alex’s birth year (a very gracious offering to guests that evening).
Once again, hours are Tue-Sun 5pm-11pm. 280 Valencia St. at 14th St., 415-655-9510.
The namesake agnolotti al plin…with chicken skin! Photo: © tablehopper.com.
