Plouf - French/Seafood, San Francisco

40 Belden Place San Francisco CA 94104
(415) 986-6491
Parking: street parking
http://www.ploufsf.com/

Last Visited: February 22, 2012

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Plouf is the sound a stone makes when it drops into a stream (a French one that is).

Amy brought me to Plouf and immediately, I was quite delighted by how Belden Alley had such a European feel about it despite its location in the city.  For those who have never been to the street, it's a narrow street with storefronts opening up to the alley and filled with tables.  The open air tables, with standing heaters which is much needed for outdoor dining in the city, are very quaint and the lovely hostesses of each restaurant invite you to come peruse their menus.

The name Plouf is what drew Amy to this place during her visit since the restaurant has the same name as her mother's maiden name.  We arrived early this evening and had our choice of seats.  Specializing in seafood, especially mussels, you'll find a variety of mussel dishes (seven in total) available along with plenty of fresh fish.  Coq au vin, duck and hamburgers are available too for main dishes.

The decor reflects the type of items served on the menu - large creatures of the sea along with deep red colors that add contrast to the dining area.  The servers where black and white horizontal striped shirts which seem to add to the French feel.

Upon our arrival, we were seated and served a baguette of french bread at room temperature.  With Amy's recommendation to try a mussel dish, I went ahead and got it as a main course.

- Plouf Mussels - Pastis, cream, shallots, roasted garlic, chili flakes, and herbs go into this mussel dish.  The mussels come in a rather large pot and there are plenty to share amongst your tablemates or to eat as a main dish.  They're not the baby mussels either - they're very good sized.  It comes super hot in temperature and the broth is very well-flavored.  The pastis has an anise flavor that was present without being overbearing.  If you love roasted garlic, you'll find tons of it in the broth.  Super rich and creamy, the broth was a great dipping sauce for the crusty bread. I did find a little bit of sand in a couple of the mussels, but overall, very good.  $15.50

- Pommes Frites - While the pomme frites had a great potato flavor and were certainly very fresh, the pieces were cut a little too small. The ones on top were fine, but those on the bottom were getting too tiny.   The photo on the website shows them a little more light in color and holding up on their own better.  Ours were slightly limp and the smaller size made them hard to handle.  $5

While we hadn't intended to get pommes frites, the server had accidentally ordered them for us.  He realized his error when he saw them at our table and kindly took the item off the bill.  I appreciated that response since you so often find servers whom don't take the time to notice or plain don't care.

With the sand in the shellfish, I think there is room for improvement, but in general, I was impressed by the food and would definitely return.  If you're seeking a bargain, I learned that Plouf has a happy hour menu - on weekdays, the bar serves happy hour all night and the terrameze serves it from 2:30 to 5:30pm.  Items such as the oysters and mussels come in smaller portions and are available at a lower price (personally, I enjoy the smaller portions because then it means I get to try more items).  Plouf is a fun treat for seafood lovers, especially those whom enjoy mussels.