Vanessa's Bistro 2

Note: We first visited this place in March 2010, but went back last night to verify the menu. The same staff is there and it looks like this place will be here for a while.

Walking home from the movie theater one evening, we passed Vanessa's and were stopped by the sign that noted that their happy hour begins again after 9 PM. I look at my watch (about 9:30) and, since we are a bit snack-ish, pop in for a sip and a bite.

The interior is open, clean and bright. A few of the tables have people, who are animated in their conversations. After pulling up seats at the bar and asking for a happy hour menu, I decide to try something new and order the only beer on the menu I've never had : Cháu Tiên. (I figure, at two dollars a beer, even if I don't care for it, it's no big deal.)

The first item we picked was the salt & pepper fried calamari (I consider calamari a baseline appetizer, I'll pretty much devour it no matter the quality, but it's a good indicator of the type of food they are going to be cranking out.) The second was the slow oven roasted pork with chipotle sauce and tortillas (Tell me that doesn't sound great. I thought I'd take a risk on it being as good as it sounds.)

The bartender (Ian) chats with us a bit and tells the story of the original Vanessa's Bistro in Oakland and it's a good old-fashion "immigrant comes to America, starts with a deli and grows from there until she owns a couple of restaurants known for commitment to quality and love in it's food." A couple of the other employees chime in and reveal that they have all worked with or around her for some time and this (for the most part) is one extended family.

I sip my beer and it's good. Really good. (I have learned it's a locally brewed beer that you can read about here. How he was able to register paleale.com is beyond me.) Looking at the label, I wonder why I've never heard of this beer before.

The calamari is lightly battered large rings interspersed with fresh vegetables (not exactly "health food" but one hundred times better than the "gut bomb" I was prepared for when ordering fried calamari.)

The pork is essentially pulled pork that is juicy with citrus and herbs that you scoop onto a tortilla and spice up as you see fit.

After a couple of bites, we determine the food is good. Really good.

I verify that the reason that they only have beer and wine is because of liquor licensing, but am happy that there is a place to hang out later in the evening that isn't a magnet for the sloppy noisy drunks. All in all, this is a great spot for a high quality food and beer on the cheap.

Check the Wiki here for the details.