Tag Archives: Kim Alter

Dining at Nightbird

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A riff on takoyaki, capped with uni and truffles, at Nightbird.
A riff on takoyaki, capped with uni and truffles, at Nightbird.

It’s elegant yet whimsical, with a name inspired by the chef-owner’s fondness for owls.

Kim Alter’s Nightbird celebrates eight years this year in San Francisco with an exciting development. Alter took over a space next door in late November, allowing the restaurant to expand its footprint. The new space will be used for private dinners, as well as occasional pop-ups by Nightbird’s pastry chef, vintage boutiques, and potentially even members of La Cocina’s food incubator.

It joins the restaurant’s other adjoining business, the Linden Room, a swank cocktail bar perfect for a pre- or post-dinner libation.

Last Saturday, my husband and I enjoyed the $195 tasting menu and $130 optional wine pairing. Alter added a few extra morsels on the house. The restaurant does include an automatic service charge, which is an increasingly common practice at many fine-dining restaurants. What’s out of the norm, though, is that it’s only 16 percent.

General Manager Ron Boyd and Chef Kim Alter.
General Manager Ron Boyd and Chef Kim Alter.

The minimalist, graceful dining room is compact and intimate. There’s a good number of staff, overseen by General Manager and Director of Hospitality Ron Boyd, that delivers an attentive yet unobtrusive service experience.

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Moveable Feast Delivers Chef-Curated Dinner Parties to Your Door

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Chef Kim Alter's squash hummus with black bean salt and crudites that I enjoyed in the comfort of my own home.
Chef Kim Alter’s squash hummus with black bean salt and crudites that I enjoyed in the comfort of my own home.

This past weekend, Chef Kim Alter of San Francisco’s acclaimed Nightbird was the star attraction at my house.

OK, not her in the flesh per se. But her creativity was certainly on full display in half a dozen dishes we heartily enjoyed — without having to leave the house.

Welcome to Moveable Feast, a new nationwide subscription platform that delivers once-a-month dinner parties right to your door, curated by some of the most celebrated chefs from around the country, many of whom boast Michelin stars and James Beard Awards. It’s a meal kit with serious pedigree.

Each dinner requires only 30 minutes or less of assembling, plating and heating before it’s ready to be served. Detailed written instructions are included, as well as a QR code to access videos that show how each dish is presented. There’s even a fun playlist included for each dinner.

The dinner party fixings delivered right to your door.
The dinner party fixings delivered right to your door.

Each chef designs their own dinner party meal, which is then prepared in a commercial kitchen in Napa before being shipped out. Each dinner arrives to you on a Thursday or Friday, in time to enjoy on Saturday or Sunday.

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