Torino in Tavola – At Perbacco

A couple of weeks ago I noted on Perbacco’s calendar of upcoming events that they would be featuring a special menu of dishes from the city of Torino for two weeks in early December.

I was hoping that the dinners would continue until my birthday on the 21st, but learned that they would only be served until Saturday, the 18th. As a result, this past Saturday, Nancy, Alex, Cassie and Patrick took me to Perbacco for an early birthday dinner.

Umberto Gibin and his staff at Perbacco are always most hospitable, and we were very pleased to find when we arrived that we were seated at the chef’s table next to the kitchen, one of our favorite spots in the restaurant.

The “Torino in Tavola” menu was very interesting and presented a range of dishes covering all of those that I associated with Torino, and then some.

With the exception of Nancy, all of us ordered from the Torino menu and together (with just a little help from Umberto) managed to try everything on the menu. I did not get pictures of everything we had, but here are at least some of the dishes we enjoyed in the order in which they appear on the menu

~ Bagna Caoda


~ Finanziera


~ Insalata Russa


~ Insalata di Carne Cruda


~ Pasta Reale al Cacimperio


~ Bollito di Pollo Tartufato


~ Guancie di Vitello Brasato


~ Filetti di Trota Piemontese


~ Arrosto e Brasato di Oca con Marroni


~ Gianduja 5.0


~ Coppa di Torino

I would say my favorite dishes were the Finanziera and the goose.

For our wines we started off with a bottle of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene “Cartizze” from Ruggeri, then moved to a Kerner “Praepositus” from Abbazia di Novacella. However, the wine I was most excited about trying was one we had brought with us - a 2004 ”Maria di Brun” Barbaresco from Ca’ Rome’. Ca’ Rome’ is located in the Langhe, only about 60 miles from Torino, and was one of the wineries we visited on our recent trip to Italy where we had the chance to meet both the owner, Romana Marengo, and his daughter, Paola. Maria di Brun, who is pictured on the label, was Romana’s mother. There is quite a family resemblance.

The Maria di Brun did not disappoint, and paired perfectly with our main courses.

We had a great time as we always do at Perbacco, and look forward to our next visit.

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Back to Barbacco – Twice More!!

To paraphrase Stuart Mackenzie's comment about Colonel Sanders in “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” the folks at Barbacco Eno Trattoria must be putting a addictive chemical of some sort in their ‘nduja Calabrian salume because I am definitely craving it – and more often than fortnightly!

After sampling Barbacco’s ‘nduja for the first time on my first visit on their opening day the week before last, I was back again twice last week, once for lunch with Jeff and the second time for a glass of wine (hurray – the got their liquor license!) and some snacks with Antonio. We had it both times and it is excellent – just a tad spicy and with a wonderful smoked flavor. Plus the toasted bread that they serve with it is just right.

At lunch with Jeff we also tried a couple of Barbacco’s soups – a borlotti bean minestra and a broccoli rabe with farro, both of which were very good. During my visit with Antonio we also tried their arancini (fried rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas) and their ascolane (a dish of fried green olives stuffed with a pork mixture that originated from Ascoli Piceno in Le Marche) - I believe both dishes are only found on their evening menu.

Both were superb and paired perfectly with the Il Mio Malvasia from Camillo Donati in Emilia-Romagna that Mauro Cirilli, the Wine Director of Perbacco/Barbacco, recommended. Orange-hued wine? -- why not if it tastes that good!

Seeing the selection of food and wine offered at Barbacco makes me think of a kid with a brand new toy. Having refined their presentation of Piemontese and Northern Italian cuisine at Perbacco, the Perbacco/Barbacco management seems to be having a great time at their new restaurant exploring the cuisine of the rest of the Italian peninsula as suggested on the following map by the origins of the three dishes Antonio and I enjoyed.

We also went to Perbacco last night for dinner with some friends and found that with the opening of Barbacco, the Perbacco salumi misti platter has become both more Piemontese-focused and more extensive. One one hand, it appears that some non-Piemontese selections formerly on that platter (for example the Mortadella and Finocchiona) have moved on to Barbacco, while, on the other hand, the number of products with Piemontese roots has expanded. Here is the impressive lineup we enjoyed:

~ Coppa al Barbera
~ Lardo di Cavour
~ Salam d’la Duja
~ Salame Cotto d’Asti
~ Salame Cuneese
~ Salame della Valle Tortonese
~ Salame di Capra
~ Salciccia di Bra
~ Testa in Casseta di Gavi

I have to do more background research on those, but one real standout for me was the Salciccia di Bra, which I had never heard of before, but is veal-based and similar to a steak tartare. It was really exceptional (in fact I found that it has its own promotional organization and Facebook page!), in particular paired with the wonderful Domenico Clerico Trevigne Barbera d’Alba suggested by Mauro. Bravo!

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First Perbacco – Now BARBACCO!

I have been going to Perbacco with our family and friends since it first opened next door to Tadich Grill on California Street in October 2006. Since then it has become our favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco, and its management and staff have become good friends.

Last week Perbacco’s “little sister” – Barbacco Eno Trattoria - opened right next door to Perbacco on California Street, and my friend, Yutaka, and I were there on Monday for “opening day.”

I have to admit that when I heard that Umberto Gibin and Staffan Terje (Perbacco’s owners) were opening a new Italian restaurant right next to Perbacco, I had doubts as to whether they could pull it off without drawing customers away from Perbacco. However, I am happy to be able to report that I feel they have done a great job of both creating another first rate dining experience, while positioning the two restaurants to complement each other without competing.

As both the “bar” in Barbacco and the “eno” (short for the Italian regional wine shop called an “enoteca”) in the establishment’s name suggest, an important focus of Barbacco Eno Trattoria will be the exploration of Italian wines. In addition, as “trattoria” indicates, Barbacco will be less formal than the classic Italian “ristorante” – of which Perbacco is an obvious good example - with lower prices and a more casual menu and service. Here is a video which provides a very good overview of the restaurant (by the way, I tracked down the lively background music on the video - "The Disco Song" by Au Revoir Simone).

That more relaxed atmosphere was evident when Yutaka and I arrived on Monday of last week. The only disappointment was that due to the vagaries of the San Francisco city administration, the issuance of Barbacco’s liquor license had been delayed so the enoteca experience was on hold (happily I learned that Barbacco's license was issued last Friday!). However, while Barbacco is a certainly a different experience than Perbacco from the standpoint of overall atmosphere, culinary focus (Perbacco emphasizes primarily northern Italian – primarily Piemontese - cuisine while Barbacco focuses on more rustic and somewhat spicier foods from the central and southern regions of Italy) and price, on two critical factors – quality of the food and service – it is in my view the equal of Perbacco (even on opening day!). Of course, this should not be a surprise given the common ownership, the investment that has been made in the training of the staff, and the fact that two of the key positions – General Manager and Executive Chef – are held by Maria Eugenia Armando and Sarah Burchard, two women who are Perbacco veterans. Needless to say, Umberto and Staffan, as well as Mauro Cirilli, the Wine Director of both Perbacco and Barbacco, are also very much in evidence to ensure a first rate dining experience.

The specific items on Barbacco’s menu will change with the seasons and availability of ingredients, but I believe the basic categories found on Monday’s menu will remain fairly constant – i.e.:

~ inizio (at the start)
~ bruschette (grilled bread with toppings)
~ foglie e radici (greens and roots – i.e. salad)
~ nella ciotola (in the bowl – i.e. soup)
~ tra fette (between the slices – i.e. sandwiches)
~ dal grano (from grain – i.e. pasta, polenta, etc.)
~ piedi-ali-pinne (legs-wings-fins – i.e. meat)
~ a lato (on the side)
~ latte stagionato (aged milk – i.e. cheese)
~ zucchero (sugar – i.e. dessert)

Yutaka and I were hungry on Monday and in the mood to try a number of items. With the help of our waiter, Michael, our selections were:

~ inizio: quick braised squid/ tomato/ chili/ garlic/ spicy pan grattato
~ bruschette: broccoli rabe/ chili/ bellwether farm crescenza cheese and duck liver pate/ basalmico/ onion marmellata
~ foglie e radici: butcher’s salad – house made salumi/ lettuce heart/ olives/ pickled peppers
~ dal grano: penne/ tomato sugo/ barbacco pancetta/ onion/ chili pepper
~ a lato: soft polenta/ parmigiano reggiano/ extra virgin olive oil
~ zucchero: vanilla panna cotta/ citrus curd

Absolutely everything was excellent. The squid was tender, the pasta al dente and with a bright flavor, the polenta creamy, and the panna cotta with just the right sweet/tart balance. However, the single most impressive item for me was a dollop of the Calabrian salame called ‘nduja made there at Barbacco that was included in the Butcher’s Salad (it is also offered separately in the inizio section of the menu). The only ‘nduja (pronounced “en-DOO-yah) that I have ever had is that offered by Boccalone in the Ferry Building, which was the subject of a recent New York Times article, but I have to say there is just no comparison between Barbacco’s version and that of Boccalone from either the basis of flavor or texture. You really need to try it.

I am looking forward to getting back to Barbacco to further explore their menu and to learn more about their wine program which should now be up and running.

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Another Great Meal at Perbacco

Yesterday Alex, Cass and I met up again at Perbacco for lunch. Assisted by both Umberto and Kerri, we had yet another great meal, sharing a number of our favorite dishes:

~ Vitello tonnato - slow roasted veal with lemon and albacore tuna sauce, capers and arugula;
~ Piastra seared squid with ceci bean puree, preserved lemon, chili and arugula;
~ Agnolotti dal plin filled with roasted vitellone and savoy cabbage, with sugo d'arrosto;
~ Pansotti - Ligurian ravioli filled with braised greens, ricotta, herbs and walnut butter;
~ Butternut squash lune; and
~ Beef short rib stracotto with celery root puree, haricots verts and roasted cipolline.

We also tried a couple of more Piemontese cheeses from the Perbacco cheese tray:

~ Robiola di Capra Incavolato, a goat milk cheese wrapped in savoy cabbage from La Casera in Verbania on the shores of Lake Maggiore; and
~ Bianco Sottobosco, a cow and goat milk cheese infused with truffles from Caseificio La Bottera in Morozzo near Cuneo.

Both cheeses were good, but I particularly liked the Robiola which was very runny and tangy. Photos of the three of us (why is it that only Cass looks good in these pictures?) and the dishes we enjoyed are below.

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Holiday Dinner at Perbacco

Perbacco is my favorite restaurant in San Francisco and we were there for dinner last night. We were sad to learn at the outset of the evening that our favorite waitress, Auxilia, had returned to Italy. Auxilia is one of the warmest and most outgoing individuals we have met and always added a special energy to our dinners at Perbacco. We will miss her.

Auxilia with Alex and Pat - My Birthday Party, December 2007

Although we missed Auxilia, we were well taken care of both by a waitress named Fitri, who knew the menu well, and Mauro Cirilli, Perbacco's Wine Director who is a good friend and who has never failed to lead us to interesting new wines that go well with Perbacco's cuisine. We started the evening with a bottle of the "Particella 68" Prosecco DOC di Valdobbiadene from Sorelle Bronca in Colbertado di Vidor (Treviso/Veneto). I have always enjoyed their wines and the story of the two Bronca sisters (the "sorelle Bronca"), Antonella and Ersiliana, who started the winery in the mid-1980's.

To accompany our Prosecco, Mauro helped us select a trio of Piemonese cheeses from the Perbacco cheese tray -- Castelmagno DOP, Testun al Barolo and Toma Biellese. We had not had any of them before -- the Castelmagno was the standout for me.

After our appetizers (I tried the vitello tartare with bruschette topped with lardo - yum!), we moved on to our pasta course. In addition to pappardelle with a shortrib sugo and some gnocchi, we also tried a new agnolotti that we had not had before - stuffed with fontina cheese and bone marrow. It was excellent.

Mauro helped us to select a white and red wine to go with our dinner. For the white he suggested a wine named "Enosi" (Greek for "putting together") produced by the Baron di Pauli winery located near the town of Tramin (Bolzano/Trentino-Alto Adige) and just south of Caldaro al Lago (aka the Kaltern am See). That is in the area of northern Italy where the Austrian heritage is particularly strong and most companies, towns and landmarks have both Italian and German names, which makes it even more difficult to keep everything straight. We enjoyed the Enosi wine which is made from 55% Riesling, 35% Sauvignon and 10% Gewurztraminer (in fact, the town of Tramin gave that grape variety its name) -- per the winetasting notes: "The wine presents a bright, golden yellow with green reflections. The nose is evocative of peaches and elderberry blossoms with fine citrus notes. On the palate, it reveals a lively flavor full of finesse, with subtle acidity and hints of mineral."

For our red wine, I asked Mauro to recommend an Amarone and he suggested a 2001 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico produced by Masi (Gargagnago di Valpolicella/ Verona/ Veneto) and named “Serego Alighieri Vaio Armaron". The wine is produced using 65% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, and 15% Molinara Serego Alighieri. Per the winemaker’s notes: “Fascinating garnet reflections apparent to the eye within deep ruby red colour presaging the aromas that stand out on the nose: cherries preserved in spirit, plums, Mediterranean herbs, violets and striking sensations of rosemary and sage. The aftertaste shows mint, cherries, plums, berry fruit and chocolate. Full-bodied and well-structured with shifting hints of sweetness. Long and fresh tasting on the finish.”

That wine also has an interesting relationship to Italian history and literature since the term “Amarone” may have derived from the name of the Vaio Armaron vineyard located on the Serego Alighieri estate in the Valpolicella area north of Verona. The Serego Alighieri family are decendants of the poet, Dante, and grapes have been cultivated on that estate since the mid-1300’s. As described on the Masi website: “For over six centuries the Serego Alighieri estate has been the historic reference point for Verona's winemaking and agricultural traditions. Masi has been collaborating with Count Pieralvise for more than thirty years, both in the production and distribution of products and services from the Verona estate, and, more recently, in the Tuscan-based projects. It was in 1353 that Pietro, son of the poet Dante Alighieri, purchased land and a villa in the hills of Valpolicella. The estate is still the property of the descendants of the author of the Divine Comedy. After careful restoration, part of the historic "Casal dei Ronchi" estate has been transformed into a residence with eight apartments, conference rooms, and areas for the tasting of food and wine. Over the course of the centuries the wine and agricultural activities of the estate have supported the family but, above all, they have been regarded as an art form.”

Most of those at our table had Perbacco's signature Beef Short Rib Stracotto for their main course, although I went with the roast duck accompanied by brussel sprouts and apples with guanciale. It was superb, although the touch that was most interesting was the addition of a potato-crauti (sauerkraut) puree which provided a tangy counterpoint to the duck.

Not much room for dessert but we did manage to fit in a few of the light "brutti ma buoni" ("ugly but good") hazelnut cookies.

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