Surf’s up
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Galinette, a fabulously fishy new French bistro in the Outer Sunset, swung open in June, just in time for a brisk summer in San Francisco. The (actually French) owners, who are also behind Union Square small plates spot Bouche, are diving headfirst into the chill and fun surfer scene, with big bowls of shellfish, minerally whites, and mermaids swimming across the walls.
Situated in the former Hotline space, at the corner of Taraval St and 46th Ave, the bustling bistro woke up a sleepy end of town. Slide in early to avoid a wait for its house specialty, bourride, a Provincial fisherman's stew brimming with clams, mussels, fish, squid, potatoes, and fennel. It comes with a couple of toasts balanced on top of the shells, but you’ll end up asking your server for more baguette to soak up the garlicky, aioli-based soup broth. Seafood starters include anchoiade (mashed anchovy paste) and brandade (salt cod and potato spread). The menu rounds out with classic bistro fare: steak frites, Lyonnaise salad, and a ham baguette studded with cornichons.
A chalkboard behind the bar runs down a changing daily by-the-glass wine list, which always seems to include some excellent options for bubbles, with cremants pulled from Jura and Alsace.
While we mopped the last dregs of broth, a small crowd gathered outside on the sidewalk, waiting it out in the fog for a table near the open kitchen. It’s nothing if not a great primer: What better way to warm up than with a big bowl of bourride? –Becky Duffett
→ Galinette (Outer Sunset) • 3554-3560 Taraval St • daily 930a-930p • walk-ins only.