NIGHTBIRD >

While tasting menus regularly eclipse the $300 mark, Kim Alter’s Hayes Valley restaurant is a delightful palate cleanser. At Nightbird, the ultra-seasonal meal costs $125, and including small bites between larger courses, it runs about 11-12 dishes. It’s a worthy move for those who want to experience the ritual and special-occasion vibes of the tasting-menu format — the spectacle of broth poured tableside onto shaved white asparagus and escargot, and the delight of biting into a Ferrero Rocher facsimile to reveal luscious duck liver torchon. Most of all, it feels generous and special, and that’s what we want in a fancy meal.

A cool thing: There’s something to be said about a small operation where the chef is the owner and she is always there, in the kitchen, fulfilling her vision and your expectations. Nightbird delivers on its promise of delicious food, but the personal touches — transcendent fresh bread, still hot from the oven, or tiny chocolate owls to take home — show how thoughtful it is. There is no corporation behind it, just a chef who wants to showcase her talent. It’s the kind of restaurant you want to support.

Pro tip: The Linden Room is Nightbird’s tiny cocktail bar in the back; it is perhaps the city’s tiniest cocktail bar. It’s accessible through a separate entrance around the corner — look for the red door — and it serves some of the most beautiful drinks in San Francisco. It’s a destination in its own right.

Order: A $75 pretheater menu is served from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The primary offering is the $125 tasting menu (a $95 vegetarian option is available). Wine pairings ($75) are optional.

330 Gough St., San Francisco. 415-829-7565 or www.nightbirdrestaurant.com. Dinner Tues.-Sat. Reservations and credit cards accepted.

— P.L.