Martini and Banh Mi c/o Alla Spina

Week before last LW and I headed west in search of some rather spectacular lobster deals...but we hadn't made a reservation at our intended destination and found the wait too long for our liking. So instead we went to Alla Spina. I believe we both had dirty martinis.

In times past, I have always enjoyed the look and the feel of Alla Spina, but never quite loved any of the small dishes I tried. But it's not a place I don't want to go back to. It's a place that I am convinced makes tasty things, but that I'm simply ordering wrong. That evening was the first time this basic philosophy was validated. I chose the Italian banh mi with roasted pork shoulder, chicken liver paté, pickled daikon, carrots and cilantro. I found it much to my liking. The baguette was generally tough but pliant on the outside with a little more give and tenderness on the inside, and the mix of pork and chicken and carrots et al worked as well. I think I had expected slightly thicker bits of pork, but on the whole it was a sandwich I enjoyed.