Friday, June 15, 2007
Dinner at A16, San Francisco, CA
We've been wanting to go to A16 (named after and Italian highway) for a long time. Unfortunately, we always think to go there at about 7 on a Friday night and, of course, they never have any tables available at such late notice. This time we thought about it on a Wednesday, and when we called, all they had for Friday was 5:30 or 10:30. We decided to take the 5:30, even though that's about 3 hours before we usually eat dinner, since we had a party to attend later that night. When we walked in we were pleasantly surprised to find the restaurants decor to be soft and muted, in tans and browns, but hardly rustic. It was very un-Marina-y, which we appreciated, casual, friendly and sophisticated rather than see-and-be seen. The food was delicious, for the most part, with a couple of dishes that really stood out. If we can say one thing about the chef, it's that he REALLY loves olive oil, in a good way. And the service was great too. The waitress was knowledgeable and friendly, and happily answered our myriad questions about the menu. She even sent us some little glasses of a beautiful dessert wine on the house. All in all, A16 certainly lived up to the hype and we are excited to taste the chef's food again at the Rising Stars Revue next Tuesday.
House-cured Salumi Platter $20
We wanted to try all of the house-cured salumi, so our waitress kindly offered to put together a sampler for us. This plate included: bresaola, lonza, ciccioli, coppa di testa (head cheese), and a pork terrine. All were very good, although the bresaola was a bit salty.
Mozzarella Burrata with Olive oil, Sea Salt and Crostini $10
This was so good. Words can not even express it. This was the best mozzerella we have ever had, hands down. It was soft, almost spreadable, and so flavorful. I'd like to say that I'm never going to eat supermarket mozzerella again, but that isn't entirely true and I know it. Rather, every time we eat mozzerella it is simply pale in comparison to this.
Tripe Napoletana $9
Cooked with onions, tomato and white wine, this tripe was flavorful and tender in a way that was utterly surprising. Alexis, who usually hates tripe, was eating this by the forkful. How the chef gets the tripe so tender, I have no idea.
Erbette Chard with Garlic, Anchovy and Lemon (served with the entree below)
It's always nice when you get a list of sides to choose from with your entree. Then you can make your decision based on the protein rather than having to worry about the potatos that are coming that you are not going to eat. In any case, this chard was tender and not bitter at all. The only complaint was that it was a little too heavy on the lemon and the flavor of the anchovy was lost.
Rib and Sausage with Arugula and Lemon $23
The simplicity of this dish was what set it apart. The sausage was tender and juicy and the rib (sans bone) was tasty, but very fatty.
Vongole Pizza $15
This wasn't quite what we were expecting. For starters, we were expecting more clams, and no shells, also, we assumed there would be cheese on this pizza. The crust was good, as far as San Francisco goes, and the chili oil that it was served with was nice, but this didn't really satisfy
Chocolate Budino Tart with Sea Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil $8.50
Wow. Gooey, intensly chocolatey and bursting with flavor every time you bite into the crunchy sea salt.
House-cured Salumi Platter $20
We wanted to try all of the house-cured salumi, so our waitress kindly offered to put together a sampler for us. This plate included: bresaola, lonza, ciccioli, coppa di testa (head cheese), and a pork terrine. All were very good, although the bresaola was a bit salty.
Mozzarella Burrata with Olive oil, Sea Salt and Crostini $10
This was so good. Words can not even express it. This was the best mozzerella we have ever had, hands down. It was soft, almost spreadable, and so flavorful. I'd like to say that I'm never going to eat supermarket mozzerella again, but that isn't entirely true and I know it. Rather, every time we eat mozzerella it is simply pale in comparison to this.
Tripe Napoletana $9
Cooked with onions, tomato and white wine, this tripe was flavorful and tender in a way that was utterly surprising. Alexis, who usually hates tripe, was eating this by the forkful. How the chef gets the tripe so tender, I have no idea.
Erbette Chard with Garlic, Anchovy and Lemon (served with the entree below)
It's always nice when you get a list of sides to choose from with your entree. Then you can make your decision based on the protein rather than having to worry about the potatos that are coming that you are not going to eat. In any case, this chard was tender and not bitter at all. The only complaint was that it was a little too heavy on the lemon and the flavor of the anchovy was lost.
Rib and Sausage with Arugula and Lemon $23
The simplicity of this dish was what set it apart. The sausage was tender and juicy and the rib (sans bone) was tasty, but very fatty.
Vongole Pizza $15
This wasn't quite what we were expecting. For starters, we were expecting more clams, and no shells, also, we assumed there would be cheese on this pizza. The crust was good, as far as San Francisco goes, and the chili oil that it was served with was nice, but this didn't really satisfy
Chocolate Budino Tart with Sea Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil $8.50
Wow. Gooey, intensly chocolatey and bursting with flavor every time you bite into the crunchy sea salt.
Ratings:
Food: 2
Service: 2
Decor: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
Food: 2
Service: 2
Decor: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 2, Italian, restaurant, review, Service: 2
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 5:47 PM 
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