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Restaurant Review Results
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Cuisine: Italian
Review Date: 2006-07-21
This is probably one of the most written about, industry insider recommended, cocktail party name dropping, and overall just down right exciting restaurants in the country. The restaurant was opened by Chef Christophe Hille and now directed by culinary genius Nate Appleman.
Like his predecessor, Hille, Appleman earned certification by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, becoming one of the few certified pizzaiolos in the United States. When I start to talk about the pizzas at A16 to people who have not been there yet, they get this look on their face, as if how can anybody be that excited about pizza! I am always that excited about pizza but that’s just me and that’s a whole other story.
The food is phenomenal, the service impeccable and the wine list better than most of the fine dining restaurants I have experienced in Italy. Hospitality spills from the personalities of the staff whether they are in the dining room working or sharing their bottle of wine with you while they are having a meal at the bar on their days off.
On my first visit to A16, that is exactly what happened. I had come into the city after being up at Bohemian Grove performing private chef duties. I was way under dressed and very conscience about it (Rouxfuss and I were refused service earlier that week at Charlie Palmer’s restaurant up in Healdsburg). I arrived at A16 just as they opened on a Sunday evening and when the Host took the people in line in front of me to their table, I quickly ducked my cut-off short wearing legs under the bar. About five minutes after sitting down, the bartender asked if I would mind if this young lady sits next to me so I slid over and made room for her. Turns out, she was a staff member and one of the most gracious hospitalitarians I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Not only did she share her bottle of wine, but I left with a list of new and notable San Francisco restaurants that might have taken me months to ferret out left to my own devices.
A soup of Dandelion greens and pork meatballs was a special that night and it was delicious - clean pure flavors. The last time I tasted a meatball that good was one of Armandino Batali’s at Salumi in Seattle. It seems this restaurant has a bit of a Northwestern connection. Nate Appleman, chef / co-owner cooked at Brasa with Sean Maxey who I cooked with at Bis on Main in Bellevue. Brasa turned out many good chefs in the late 90’s - sort of like the Harvest in Cambridge did in the 80’s.
The Funghi pizza with mushrooms, grana padano parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, parsley and excellent extra virgin olive oil was my favorite. I recommend you try the San Daniele prosciutto, or house cured pancetta and fresh arugula options, which are offered as add-ons to any of the pizzas on the menu. Ricotta gnocchi with fresh garbanzo beans and prosciutto brodo was both light and bold all at the same time. Pork scallopine with oven dried San Marzano tomatoes was tender, flavorful and sautéed to perfection. The dessert list is unusual and the wines offered with each dish are spot-on match ups.
Shelley Lindgren, wine director, has developed a wine program that has to be the envy of anyone interested in Southern Italian wines. Re Manfredi, Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata 2000 accompanied one of my meals, and on another, the Arnaldo Caprai, 'Collepiano', Sagrantino di Montefalco, Umbria 2001- both powerhouses that left lasting impressions. The choices of non-Italian wines are eclectic and notable and represent some of the best expressions of varietals available on the market today. If you have any excuse to go to San Francisco or currently live there, do yourself a favor and dine at A16 (MDME).
Address:
2355 Chestnut Street | San Francisco, California 94123
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| Enobytes
Restaurant Ratings Guide |
Price: $31 - $40 |
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