Acquerello

Giancarlo Paterlini and chef Suzette Gresham’s Nob Hill restaurant turns 30 years old. Technically the place has no Italian restaurant contenders on the West Coast. Among the plates that are now burned in our minds we have baked maccheroni quattro formaggi with garlic breadcrumbs, braised lamb “osso buco”, heirloom polenta, gremolata, spaghetti and bottarga and gnocchi alla romana. The parmigiano flan appetizer is a classic joy for the palate. This year we also would like to point out the complex ridged pasta with faux foie gras, black truffle, and Marsala. It’s difficult not to immediately appreciate such an articulate, highly satisfying cuisine, thanks also to fine quality service that’s graceful and uber-professional. The wine list? In 2018 we awarded it as Wine Cellar of the Year, today it still displays an incredible variety, but also for the well-written, organized, very accurate wine list, with correct mark-ups given the context. Hats off.