Italy In SF

In San Francisco, the Ferry Building has become THE place for fancy food shopping in a matter of months. Premium local artisanal brands (like ACME and Scharffen Berger Chocolate) are side to side with one-of-a-kind specialty food stores, creating an interesting “food vibe.” You can hunt for your perfect Italian dinner there- and here’s a [...]

Filed under: San Francisco, The Grocery List | 1 Comment »

I am always amazed at how many dishes in the Italian culture are made with leftovers. Until the 50s, Italy was a country where he discrepancies between rich and poor were stunning- a very small elite owned land and commerce, with a very large population making a living from cultivating the terre del padrone (the [...]

Filed under: Culinary Culture | 1 Comment »

Sole di ghiaccio imbottigliato, “Sun of ice in a bottle”: a grappa description by Paolo Montelli, an Italian journalist who served in the alpini force during WW1. What a fit phrasing!
Grappa is a distillate made from leftovers of wine production: mainly skins, but also seeds and stems. Once the drink of the poor- [...]

Filed under: Traditional Foods | 6 Comments »

It is hard for a restaurant to occupy a premium location and serve good food. Poggio manages to do that: on the main walk of Sausalito, this pretty restaurant with white tablecloth service feeds tourists and locals with a view of the Sausalito downtown.
I followed a recommendation for a pizza at Poggio, and my friend [...]

Filed under: Marin, Pizzerie, Restaurants | No Comments »

Piazza’s is a very unassuming, humble grocery store with a family tradition. It’s not a deli by any means, but a well stocked store with warm foods and cold cuts to go, and a wonderful selection of fresh vegetables and organic fruit. Among all this, look what I have found to refurbish the perfect Italian [...]

Filed under: Peninsula, South Bay, The Grocery List | 2 Comments »