Perbacco, San Francisco
Many Italian restaurants are somewhat “generically” Italian, choosing dishes from different regions and compiling a somewhat national menu. Since in Italy each region has a specific culinary heritage determined by the resources available locally (you can say Italian cuisine is apt for “locavores“!), traditional dishes in Sicily are very different from the Tuscan specialties. I had been longing for a place that would explore the tradition of a specific region, and that’s what fascinated me about Perbacco and its traditional Piedmont menu.
As you enter Perbacco, you are a bit surprised to be in the middle of the Financial District. A full exposed brick wall warms up a bright and spacious space that looks a lot more like the joints you find in Napa than the aseptic set-ups found downtown. Perbacco landed in my star list ever since my first visit, a month after opening following a recommendation from my friend Marcia at ~the Tablehopper~. Now every time I want a treat I book a table at Perbacco and bring some friends!
You can tell that chef-owner Steffan Tarje loves Italian food. The care in the choice of ingredients, the way each dish is presented, and the taste all speak to his passion. He also decided to become a salumi (cured meats) maker, and in his kitchen at Perbacco he makes the most amazing salame, duck prosciutto, ciccioli and mortadella I have tasted outside of Italy. A chef friend from Bologna told me he thought the mortadella was one of the best he ever tasted! I LOVED the ciccioli served as a pate with mostarda di cremona- I don’t particulary care for either ingredient, but together they were stunning!
Among other amazing dishes served at Perbacco, I particularly love the homemade pasta: whether it’s Agnolotti dal Plin, Tajarin (a spaghetti-like homemade pasta) with pork sauce, or vegetarian ravioli, each dish is unique and tasty. I joke with my friends that the only issue I find with the agnolotti dish is that, somehow, it finishes- at one point there are no more agnolotti on the plate. How disappointing! 
At Perbacco, you can pick any dish and you will not be disappointed. Desserts, too, were a treat: we ordered a Zuppa Inglese made with hazelnut cake in a cream sauce, a bonnet with candied apricots, and a chocolate trio of sorbet, tart and mousse. How delicious!
Perbacco
230 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.955.0663
Filed under: Restaurants, San Francisco
