The title of this post is "Pasta, Per Favore," which translates from Italian to English as, "Pasta, Please." I am always on the hunt for exceptional pasta. With Italian restaurants on virtually every corner, you'd think it would be easy to find endless, great options. Not so.
Great pasta has many components, each of which needs to be superlative. When you find a restaurant that gets it all right, the finished product is indescribably delicious. In this post, I will share some Northern California restaurants that make exceptional pasta dishes.
La Ciccia
La Ciccia is a Sardinian restaurant located in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood. (Sardinia is the second largest, Italian island, located off the mainland's western coast.) Despite its many accolades and popularity, La Ciccia remains an unpretentious, neighborhood restaurant. Getting a reservation can be quite difficult, and it's no surprise, since many say that this restaurant serves the best pasta in the city.
Prosciutto
After we were seated at La Ciccia, I began scouring the menu for which pastas to order, just as the server approached to share the evening's specials. Before she could even finish the word "prosciutto," I exclaimed, "Yes please!" And so, our pasta-focused evening began with a detour for some ribbons of pork.
The appetizer was even better than I expected. The thin slices of dry-aged prosciutto melted in my mouth. I think this was the best prosciutto I have ever had. It was delicately sweet, perfectly salted, and streaked with just the right amount of luxurious fat. This was a brilliant start to our meal.
Spaghittusu cun Allu Ollu e Bottariga
And now, onto La Ciccia's speciality, the pasta. The island of Sardinia, with its stunning coastline, is known for its seafood. As such, we chose pastas that celebrate the best of the Mediterranean Sea.
Our first pasta was a Sardinian classic. The al dente spaghetti was house-made, as is all of La Ciccia's pasta. The spaghetti noodles were tossed in a spicy, garlic, olive oil with bottarga (salted, cured, fish roe) and then topped with toasted breadcrumbs. This dish is so simple ingredient-wise, and yet, so difficult to perfect. La Ciccia nailed it!
Pasta Cruzza cun Arrizonis
The portions at La Ciccia are generous, making the dishes easy to share. That said, if you are only getting one pasta, the pasta cruzza cun arrizonis, is the one to order. Through the years, this dish has been a staple on the menu, with the only variation being the pasta type; it was once made with macaroni and it is now made with fusilli.
The sauce however, has remained unchanged, a fact for which I am grateful. The fusilli is coated in a sea urchin, tomato sauce that clings to the spirals. The sauce is made creamy via the urchin and tangy because of the tomato. The pasta is finished with an ample sprinkling of cured, grated tuna. In one bite of pasta, every ingredient shines, giving you sweetness, saltiness and creaminess, all at once.
Che Fico
Cloth or Paper, "Che Fico" is Emblazoned on Both Napkin Types
Just under three miles from La Ciccia, in San Francisco's NoPa neighborhood, you'll find Che Fico, another amazing, Italian restaurant. "Che Fico," is slang for "How cool."
Indeed, the place is "cool," or "vibey," as a close friend likes to say. He, like most other locals, loves this place, making it another tough-to-get-a-reservation establishment. Locals are not alone in their love for Che Fico.
A mere six months after opening in 2018, Bon Appétit designated Che Fico one of the 10 best, new, U.S. restaurants, and Michelin recognition soon followed. With all that, here's what we had for dinner:
Focaccia
Before jumping into the pasta, I need to say that, "Che Fico has the best focaccia I have ever tasted." I can't even think of a close second. The bread itself is ridiculous, with its slightly crispy exterior, warm, soft interior and fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth center.
You know what else is fluffy? The whipped mascarpone, covered in high-quality, olive oil and cracked black pepper, that is served alongside the bread. I could have honestly just eaten the focaccia and been satisfied, but I happily persevered.
Charcuterie Aging Room
In addition to the focaccia, Che Fico is also celebrated for their meats, both cured and fresh.
Ciccioli
For that reason, we decided to continue with the ciccioli, which was a special that evening. (We are getting to the pasta, I promise.) Ciccioli is the Italian cousin of the French rillette. These pressed, cakes of pork, are laden with fat and very rich.
At Che Fico, the cakes are cooked until perfect, crispy bits form on their exterior. The ciccioli is seasoned with grain mustard, Eureka lemon and served with watercress. The somewhat spicy and bitter greens, are the perfect pairing for the unctuous, ciccioli.
Tagliatelle Al Ragù
Ok, it's pasta time. Our first pasta was the tagliatelle al ragù. The ragù is made with a combination of beef and pork and other ingredients, cooked together for hours, until all the flavors meld. Finally, the sauce and the tagliatelle pasta are combined and sprinkled with 60 month Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bigoli Nero
Next we ordered the bigoli nero. Bigoli is a fresh pasta that is a little bit thicker than spaghetti. Running through each strand are tiny striations, giving the pasta a rougher texture than spaghetti, and allowing sauce to adhere to it easily.
Our bigoli was infused with squid ink, giving it an oceanic flavor. The pasta sauce was made with olive oil, lemon and Calabrian chili, as well as abundant chunks of sweet, Dungeness crab. This pasta was outstanding.
Amaro
Still reflecting on the amazing food, and immersed in great conversation, we decided to extend the evening with some Amaro, a digestif. Amaro is a herbal liqueur, commonly consumed after meals in Italy.
"Amaro" means "bitter" in Italian, and though the drink does have bitter elements, it is also sweet, herbaceous and delightful. Not only does it taste great, it also helps to settle the stomach and stimulate digestion.
Gratis
Just before the check was dropped, we were gifted with orange slices sprinkled with a spice mix, and amaretti cookies, made with amaretto liqueur, almonds and egg whites. It was a lovely ending to an extraordinary dinner.
Barbacco
Now, head with me to downtown, San Francisco to visit Barbacco. Sadly, since my last visit, the restaurant has permanently closed, due to what the owner says, "is simply not enough people in the Financial District.”
I was disappointed to hear this, as I had visited many times since their opening in 2010 and always had a great experience. On a positive note, Perbacco, the upscale counterpart to Barbacco, is still operating and serves equally good food, including some of the items below.
Roasted Pear Salad
Once upon a time, when I worked in the Financial District, Perbacco and Barbacco were restaurants I frequented for lunch, perhaps a little too regularly. This meal is one I shared with a colleague.
We started by sharing the roasted, pear salad, made with arugula, pomegranate, Parmigiano frico, langhe hazelnuts and a balsamico vinaigrette. Incidentally, this salad is where I drew inspiration for the salad I made for Thanksgiving, 2022.
Squid Ink Spaghetti
Next, we shared the squid ink spaghetti, full of oceanic flavor.
In addition to the briny noodles, the dish was laden with fresh mussels, clams, garlic, basil, parsley and Calabrian chilis, simmered in a white wine sauce, and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bucatini Alla Bolognese
Next, we ordered the bucatini, a noodle about the size and shape of spaghetti, with one major difference -- it is hollow. This feature traps the sauce wonderfully, in this case, a classic, meat sauce from Bologna. The pasta was finished with shaved, Parmigiano Reggiano. I didn't realize it then, but this was my last meal at Barbacco (insert sad sigh).
Ristorante Amoroma
Lastly, from San Francisco, we will head just across the Bay Bridge, and through the Caldecott Tunnel, to Moraga, where you can find Ristorante Amoroma, a quaint, Italian bistro serving authentic, Roman cuisine.
Pappardelle Cor Sugo De Coniglio
While there are many great options at Amoroma, they are known for their pasta, which they make on-site. With that in mind, we ordered two pasta dishes. The first was this pappardelle con sugo de coniglio.
The pasta is made with wide, thin, flat noodles and a mouthwatering, rabbit ragout. The rabbit was incredibly tender and it, and the flavorful sauce, adhered to the bands of pasta. What portions didn't, we sopped up with warm, bread.
Le Bavette Co Li Frutti De Mare
We also shared the le bavette co li frutti de mare, made with linguine, tossed in a fresh tomato and saffron sauce with clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp. I am always impressed when a dish includes a variety of meats that all require different cooking times and yet somehow, each individual component is cooked precisely. Amoroma did a fantastic job with this pasta, and many others I have tried.
That concludes the Northern California edition of this "Pasta, Per Favore" post. For those California readers that live farther south, fear not. I am currently working on a Southern California edition as well.
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