Bar Bambino, San Francisco
My first visit at Bar Bambino was a hit whereas food was concerned- I was pleased to find a pretty great lunch (I had the Trio, more about it in a sec!), but I was a bit… uhm, surprised about the neighborhood. I was stressed, worrying my car was going to get broken into even if it was parked right outside the door!! I am wondering why nobody ever talked about the location of this place? In any case, if you’re less of a neighborhood snob than I am, this is a great place for a sunny lunch break in the pretty patio, and a great wine selection make it a great after-work joint, as well as a delicious dinner spot. I was a bit disappointed about not finding Bar Bambino on OpenTable, because I am a great on email and for online reservations, but I avoid the telephone like the plague. Too many hours spent on it as a teenager? That must be it! So my friend and I we showed up without reservation, and we were welcomed in a very bare dining room at 12:15- it filled up a bit after we got there. The table setting was really pretty!
I wanted to have as much of a diverse experience as possible, so I decided to order the soup/salad/pasta trio: a cup of zuppa di fagioli, a salad of organic mixed greens, and a half order of pasta of the day. The soup was delicious- borlotti and cannellini beans in a tomato broth with kale and farro. Perfectly seasoned, I would have liked the beans a little bit softer but the flavor balance was great. The pasta of the day was trofie, typical Liguria pasta, with sausage and sage in a creamy sauce. Once again, good balance: perfectly cooked pasta, and a great size to go with a half salad and a cup of soup. The only “meh” portion of the plate was the salad- just pain organic greens in a light vinaigrette, nothing really to write home about.
My friend ordered the Prosciutto, goat cheese, and grilled sweet red pepper panino, a simple nice sandwich, not overly big, served with the same side of greens that were on my plate.
We were both disappointed about dessert though. Despite being the only dessert described in details on the menu, the torta di cioccolato fell flat for us- tasted like a prepackaged dessert instead of homemade, which is bad if you take time to prepare your dessert in house! The cake was a bittersweet chocolate torte between a hazelnut crunch crust and mascarpone cream topping. There was too much cinnamon in the crunch crust and the cake overall was too cold to be appreciated. However, they redeemed themselves with a nice, well-balanced espresso. Top rated in the city according to my friend Greg at CoffeeRatings.com- delicious!
Bill came up to $26 per person, including tax and tip, with no beverages other than tap water (which they serve either flat or sparkling- way to go Bambino!).
Bar Bambino
2931 16th Street
San Francisco, CA
415.701.VINO (8466)
Filed under: Restaurants, San Francisco
