Skip to main contentCalling a restaurant "creative" is usually a backhanded compliment, but I can't think of a better description for the food chef Eric Bechard is turning out in his itsy-bitsy kitchen. The menu often lists as many as 20 dishes (about two-thirds starter size and the rest main courses), each one a focused and often surprising combination of flavors. In late summer Bechard zapped sweet watermelon gazpacho with chili spice and topped it with mellow Dungeness crab and avocado floating on a crisp-fried green tomato raft; what other chefs in town are doing such multi-dimensional thinking—and have the technique to pull it off? With a spunky, well-informed staff and basic-black decor enlivened by a few glowing red light fixtures, Alberta Street strikes just the right tone for its neighborhood. And it's open Sundays and Mondays, when so many other good restaurants are locked up tight.
WWeek 2015