Riva Cucina, Berkeley
In Italian, “riva” is the place where the water meets the land. It means shores for the sea, but also banks, as in river banks. Massimiliano “Massi” Boldrini, the chef-owner of Riva Cucina, brings his experience of being between water and land to the kitchen of Berkeley. A native of Ferrara, a city “in between” the Adriatic Sea, the river Po, and the flat land of Pianura Padana, he creates a menu that celebrates the sea and land traditions that meet in the only Emilia province that borders the sea.
We started lunch with Zuppa di Cannelini, a bean soup that was light and yet very tasty. The small cannellini beans have a delicate taste that was perfectly matched by the light broth that came with them. Our table also savored an Insalata di Bruciatini, an organic baby mixed green salad dressed with a balsamic vinegar dressing and pancetta crisps. The dish was strange for me, as I am used to a warm dressing on this hearty dish, but Massi explained in his area (about 50 miles north of where I am from) the salad is served with a cold dressing.
We continued with Tagliatelle Bolognese, a homemade pasta dish with the traditional Ragu’ sauce, made with pork, beef and tomatoes, and Pici al Pesce, another handmade pasta with a seafood red sauce. Both dishes were solid in execution, and the handmade pasta was enough to celebrate! The sauces were good, the pasta was al dente, and overall they made for a very hearty meal! We closed with dessert, a Chocolate Panna Cotta (good and soft!) and a Torta Della Nonna (a Bindi-brand export). Service was excellent: our server was incredibly knowledgeable about the open kitchen whereabouts, and she was able to tell whether the fish used in the dishes was fresh or previously frozen (I turned down a dish of Tagliolini al Polipo on the sole ground of being an octopus snob: I will only eat octopus if it has never been frozen!).
Overall a pleasant experience I am looking forward to duplicate! I will be working with Massi to see if we can make Riva Cucina a stop for our popular culinary tours of the Bay Area- stay tuned for more!
Riva Cucina
800 Heinz Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 841-7482
Filed under: East Bay, Restaurants
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