Piperade

San Francisco, April 16, 2015—

PHOTOGRAPHS SO RARELY do justice to these dishes. This is a small pot of halibut rillettes, beautifully textured, flavored with a red pepper that recalls paprika without the sweetness, smoothly shaggy if that's not an oxymoron, a generous serving even shared with my companion, and a pefect opening to a pleasant early supper on what had felt like an ideal summer day, even though it's only mid-April.

We were at a Basque restaurant we've neglected too long — and we'ree not the only ones tto neglect it: good as the kitchen is, smoothly professtional  yet friendly though the sesrvice be, interesting as the menu and the wine selections are, and wwhen you come down to it reasonable as the prices are, it's strange the place doesn't turn up more often on lists of favorites.

(Oh: And I haven't mentioned the settings. You can park nearby; it's in the shadow of Telegraph Hill; the bar and dining room are very comfortable and spacious; you can hear one another talk.)

I went on to the signature dish, a piperade: slowly cooked sliced onion, red sweet peppers, tomato, nicely flavored with garlic, garnished with ventrèche (which is basically French for pancetta, lightly smoked I would say), with a perfectly poached egg on top.

On the side, spinach sauteed with raisins and pine nuts. And for dessert, a very nice gâteau basque, almond cake filled with a thick pastry cream and topped with marvelous glacéed kumquats. (Companion said her beignets were the best she's had anywhere.)

Albarino, Candea, Rias Baixas | 2013 

•Piperade, 1015 Battery St, San Francisco, ; (415) 391-2555