A 16

 
Generally we like to end a vacation with a 'blow out' meal. I'm not sure what gives a meal 'blow out' status because it changes from time to time. Whatever the reason - it is something that has significance for me on that particular trip. For my last meal in San Francisco I wanted to eat at a restaurant that I had read much about but never been to A16. In addition to the good word of mouth, I also wanted to learn more about the foods of southern Italy since we will be there in 6 months.

A16, named after one of the main highways in southern Italy, brings the food of southern Italy to North America. Opened in 2004, A16 has since been present on many top Italian restaurant lists ever since. It is a very popular restaurant in the Marina district, with prime time reservations needing to be booked a week or two in advance. Happily we had no trouble getting a reservation through opentable.

For my first course I had ordered the burrata appetizer. I LOVE burrata - that wonderful combination of cheese and cream. A16 keeps it simple . . . drizzlingit with olive oil and finishing it with a flurry of sea salt. It`s served with crisp house-made crostini on the side - and if you run out of the crostini they`re happy to provide more.

 
Eating this dish reinforced my belief that if I were ever stranded on a desert Island, I could happily survive on bread and cheese alone.

For my main I was torn by so many dishes on the menu - in fact, there were very few that I didn`t want to try - unusual for me. In the end I went with the salsiccia pizza – fennel sausage, spring onions, mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, chiles. We had had a similar dish at Mario Batali`s restaurant, Mozza, in LA. It was brilliant there. I had to order it in SF and see how A16`s version compared. In addition, I`ve heard that A16 is the only restaurant in the Bay Area certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association - more practice for our fall trip to Naples.

 
How was it?

Well, A16's salsiccia pizza was particularly excellent, with creamy mozzarella, just the right amount of fresh, light-tasting sauce, perfectly flavored sausage, and  peppers and onions. I ate it all. I refused to share any. Frankly - I go there JUST for this pizza in the future - it is that good.

By now I was FULL. My colleague and her sister enjoyed the famed Chocolate Budino Tart with Sea Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I went `light`and had a scoop of their meyer lemon gelato. MMMMM

Another thing that I liked about this restarant was how serious they are about wine and pairing. I had some questions about the wine and the staff was knowledgeable and provided excellent direction. Unlike some other restaurants, I wasn`t made to feel like a rube from an Alabaman trailer park for asking a question.

For dessert I asked if they had a wine similar to vin santo. After some conversation between the various wine staff they made a recommendation - as you can guess, thye were spot on.

There was but one thing I did NOT like about the restaurant. I know that profit margins are tight. I understand that the more people you serve the more money you make. That being said, I don`t enjoy sitting close to my fellow dinners that I hear their conversation or that I could reach to the next table and sample their meals with ease. A small thing for sure that won`t cause me to not go back but a big thing nonetheless.

Comments

[Palma]

AGAIN, we could not get a res here on a weekend, so we will try next time! Looks good! Instead we will try Incanto.

[Kayte]

Looks wonderful and your recommendations for the food speak highly of it...are you going to try to recreate this there for Paul? I think you would have a fair shot at it with all your foodie knowledge!

[JDeQ]

You'll like it Palma - it was a great meal.

Now that I have a new sausage make I think I might be able to come close kayte - nothing will recreate the wood burning pizza over though. SIGH