Tuesday, September 23, 2014

the best italian in nob hill

if i had to choose one kind of cuisine to have
the rest of my life, it would have to be italian.
if you read this blog you will clearly know that
i love ALL types of food, but i think italian is
at the top of the list. it just never fails me! 
i can always go for italian food, and it's the
ultimate cuisine to me. i love to eat it, i love
to make it, i love the country it comes from.
 we live in a city full of some of the best food in general, 
including italian. we've realized that the best italian
eats are in different places than you'd think -- 
not in north beach {SF's little italy}...but in nob hill! 
and that just so happens to be our neighborhood. 
hmm..coincidence? i don't think so!
 over the weekend we ventured just a few 
streets over from our apartment to
 allegro romano, one of the city's classic
italian restaurants. the best part about this 
place is my personal connection to it...
 my parents came here on their first trip
to san francisco as a young couple, and tried
gnocchi for the first time! they remembered it
the final day of their visit last time, and told us 
we HAD to go experience it...so we finally did!
eating here made me feel a little closer to them
for one night even though they are so far away :)
 this pink building + old wooden door look straight
out of italy. it's truly so local & part of the neighborhood!
a great choice for date night..

^^ pictures of the owner with presidents + famous 
people who have eaten here...yet somehow it still
flies under the radar so that only the savviest know
about it. it's full, but not with tourists! ...with locals
or returning visitors who know what a hidden gem it is.
 we began with beef carpaccio alla romana
served on the prettiest of plates..
 moved on to the freshest caprese...
just the way it tastes in italy.
 then to the best appetizer i've had this year:
the asparagus alla parmigiana. two of my
favorite things: asparagus + parmesan butter
sauce...it is out of this world. lorenzo, the chef
& owner, came by and scooped all the extra
parmesan butter sauce onto our places and over
our asparagus. none can be wasted! he's a man
after my own heart :) this is a heavenly dish.
 then the black truffles came out..you always
know it will be a good meal when you are 
treated to truffles shipped straight from italy.
 the plates were a work of art themselves!
 getting those truffle shavings ^^
how personal does this restaurant feel?
that is lorenzo pictured above, the owner and
chef of the entire restaurant taking time to serve
the truffles himself. it's like you're in his italian kitchen!
and i truly felt like i was in italy when i took a bite
of this perfect truffled fettucini. the pasta is
cooked al dente the way it is in italy, the sauce
is 10000x more flavorful than any other
fettucine you'd order at a restaurant, and those
truffles...mmmmm! words do not do this justice.
lorenzo gives every lady a red rose at the end of the meal...
that's reason enough to return! if you want an authentic
italian meal served up right in a san francisco neighborhood,
this is your place. thanks mom & dad for the recommendation!


buon appetito!
xo

///
now you tell me: if you had to eat one type 
of food for the rest of your life, what would
it be? we're talking cuisines...thai, mexican,
italian, chinese, indian, you get the picture!

13 comments:

  1. It's way too early for my mouth to be watering like this!! That restaurant looks amazing and I agree - Italian cuisine is beyond delicious! It would be a tie between sushi (i'm counting this as a cuisine lol) and Italian for me!

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    1. hahah i know, early morning cravings for pasta happen to me too...
      you have such good italian in boston!!

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  2. Italian is my husbands favorite as well! you should try the recipe I linked in my last post. One of the best italian dishes we've made at home!!!
    http://www.lovealwaysjess.com/2014/09/reasons-why.html#.VCF6-EuxG18

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    1. you've sold me! going to check it out now :)

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  3. I'd have to go with Mexican food as my absolute favorite, but that asparagus dish and caprese has me second-guessing myself.

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    1. yes mexican is definitely a close close second, now i'm second guessing MYself! haha too much good food in this world :)

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  4. Wow, my mouth is watering!!! I'd probably pick Italian too....or Mexican....or Thai....

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    1. hah girl after my own heart...those would be my top 3 too i think!

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  6. So glad to witness your amazing meal and to see it wooed you all these years after our first visit. Yummm! I can taste the meal from your pics and description. Let's go again together.
    Love, mom

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  7. this all looks SO incredible! YUM! I want that pasta!

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  8. Ok, I need to get on a plane & try this! Looks so good & how cute that he gives every girl a rose. Perfect touch!
    http://20somethingfashion.blogspot.com/

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  9. yum! i feel like i've had very little great italian food. maybe this place is the answer! have you been to cotogna? it's a "rustic italian" place that my foodie friends say is one of the best restaurants in the bay. we should go sometime! ;)

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