The peripatetic Alfau dishes out sandwiches at Montana earlier this year.
Image: Tiffany Ran
Well, here’s some rotten news: Manuel (aka Manu) Alfau had to pull out of the Pioneer Square location where he was planning to open a Dominican-style sandwich shop called La Bodega. “We had a problem with the space, and are now looking for a new spot to tackle,” he reports. Alfau allows that this is a rather daunting setback, but says he would rather take a little longer and end up in the right place. Hopefully that right place will still be in Pioneer Square, though he’s open to other neighborhoods.
La Bodega is the chef’s nod to his heritage. His plans include a a rotating list of sandwiches, including a signature version stuffed with pernil, a roasted pork shoulder marinated in garlic, oregano, lime juice, and cilantro. On the off chance you aren’t sufficiently intrigued, he tops this with pickled cabbage, mayo, and cilantro, then presses it on a grill.
For now you can still find Alfau in the kitchen at Blind Pig Bistro, one of our 2012 Best Restaurants, working with chef Charles Walpole. He’s also planning to hold at least one pop-up dinner a month, like the recent paella-fest at Restaurant Bea, while his search continues.
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