Another restaurant opening in Danville is not exactly unusual, but what makes Albi’s of particular interest is the pedigree of Monique Moufarrej, the owner-chef.
Moufarrej grew up in Danville, and her parents owned Incontro Ristorante, an Italian restaurant located just next door to Albi’s. After graduating San Ramon Valley High School, she attended the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. She then moved to New York City, where she became one of the youngest-ever sous chefs at Del Posto, a four-star Manhattan restaurant. She eventually moved back to San Francisco to be closer to her family, where she helped Rich Table gain its first Michelin Star. She then helped open Angler San Francisco, which received a Michelin Star in its first year and was named Esquire’s Best New Restaurant in America.
Moufarrej spent five years in San Francisco before moving back to Danville, where she has now opened Albi’s, a Middle Eastern Beer garden, “with lots of wine too!” according to their website. Albi’s is the Arabic word for “my heart”. Her objective was to combine her Lebanese heritage with her love of fine wine and beer in a beautiful outdoor setting.
This is intentionally not a typical fine dining establishment. The idea is to take the outdoor, casual, communal concept and pair it with the Lebanese/Middle Eastern food she loves to make.
Presently opening just Wednesday to Sunday 11.30am to 8pm, Albi’s is located behind Incontro on Hartz Avenue. Website: albisdanville.com.
The menu is relatively short, although there is an extensive choice of wine and beer, with mezze (appetizers) including familiar items like Hummus and Baba Gannoush as well as Batata Harra (Crispy potatoes, pickle aioli and tomato jam) and Muhammara (a roasted red pepper and walnut dip with pomegranate molasses and mint).
The main attraction, food wise, is the grill, where you have a choice of chicken, lamb or veggie kabobs as well as a ground lamb stuffed pita.
It seems likely that Albi’s will quickly become an established part of the Danville casual dining scene.