Tony Lima
2012-02-28 00:31:11 UTC
Taking a break from the Pinot Summit (Hilton Financial
District, Feb. 25), Norma and I decided to look around for
dinner. We were lucky enough to find Chiaroscuro, a small
restaurant at 550 Washington St. If you want to find it,
walk along the north side of the street between Montgomery
and Sansome. Pay attention to the street numbers. The
number 550 is about the only way to identify the location
clearly. I promise it's worth the effort.
Chiaroscuro is described variously as American or Italian
cuisine. The menu and dishes have an Italian tendency, but
are very far removed from any traditional Italian cuisine
I'm familiar with.
We both started with the insalata di uva e cipollini ($12):
oven roasted grapes, cipollini onions, spinach and arugula,
roasted shallot-fennel vinaigrette, toasted pecans. The
vinaigrette was so unusual I asked our waiter about it. He
said "just a touch of bitter lemon infused into white
Balsamic vinegar." The salad was spectacular.
We were in a hurry (42 wineries awaiting our attention) so
we just ordered a "primi" course. Norma had ravioli di
ricotta con pancetta e aglio nero ($23), ravioli filled with
sheeps milk ricotta, smoked pancetta, black garlic,
parsnip, spicy almonds, and red wine gastrique. Unlike any
ravioli either of us has had before, this dish was savory. I
ordered the bistecca di manzo con patate ($31),
grass fed bavette steak, herb roasted marble potatoes,
braised collard greens, and a mushroom-black garlic demi
glace. What arrived were four strips of steak cooked
perfectly and clearly marinated for quite a while in
something exotic -- I believe I detected a little soy sauce,
but the other flavors were mixed so well I simply couldn't
identify them.
No wine, just water. The wine list is short, but quite
respectable. Most of the wines are from small boutique
wineries. The bill came to $84 and was worth every penny.
More info at http://www.chiaroscurosf.com/. Highly
recommended.
Tony
District, Feb. 25), Norma and I decided to look around for
dinner. We were lucky enough to find Chiaroscuro, a small
restaurant at 550 Washington St. If you want to find it,
walk along the north side of the street between Montgomery
and Sansome. Pay attention to the street numbers. The
number 550 is about the only way to identify the location
clearly. I promise it's worth the effort.
Chiaroscuro is described variously as American or Italian
cuisine. The menu and dishes have an Italian tendency, but
are very far removed from any traditional Italian cuisine
I'm familiar with.
We both started with the insalata di uva e cipollini ($12):
oven roasted grapes, cipollini onions, spinach and arugula,
roasted shallot-fennel vinaigrette, toasted pecans. The
vinaigrette was so unusual I asked our waiter about it. He
said "just a touch of bitter lemon infused into white
Balsamic vinegar." The salad was spectacular.
We were in a hurry (42 wineries awaiting our attention) so
we just ordered a "primi" course. Norma had ravioli di
ricotta con pancetta e aglio nero ($23), ravioli filled with
sheeps milk ricotta, smoked pancetta, black garlic,
parsnip, spicy almonds, and red wine gastrique. Unlike any
ravioli either of us has had before, this dish was savory. I
ordered the bistecca di manzo con patate ($31),
grass fed bavette steak, herb roasted marble potatoes,
braised collard greens, and a mushroom-black garlic demi
glace. What arrived were four strips of steak cooked
perfectly and clearly marinated for quite a while in
something exotic -- I believe I detected a little soy sauce,
but the other flavors were mixed so well I simply couldn't
identify them.
No wine, just water. The wine list is short, but quite
respectable. Most of the wines are from small boutique
wineries. The bill came to $84 and was worth every penny.
More info at http://www.chiaroscurosf.com/. Highly
recommended.
Tony