Drayton SherylKelly Puleio Wine Director Shelley Lindgren highlights local Italian grape varieties on the A16 wine list.
Taking its name from a road in wine country, the A16 Highway of the same name runs from Naples, Italy to Canosa, Puglia. As you might expect, the rustic Italian menu draws inspiration from the south of the country and includes Neapolitan pizzas, charcuterie and cured meats, and fresh pasta from chef Nicoletta Manescalchi. Wine director and owner Shelly Lindgren oversees the wine list, which won a Best of Excellence award for its 535 moderately priced selections, nearly all of which are Italian. A second A16 location in Oakland, California, has a Best of Excellence award for its abbreviated list.
The A16 restaurant has earned a Michelin rating and a James Beard Award of Excellence for bringing the savory traditions of the gastronomic Campania to San Francisco. The chic, rustic/modernist space is named after the highway that runs through the eastern half of Italy. Chef-cook Yosuke Machida carefully selects local organic produce and meats to prepare the daily menu, which specializes in non-Apolitan pizza, wood-fired pizzas, braised meatballs, colorful salads, pastas and local meat and seafood specialties. Owner Shelli Lindgren works closely with a well-recognized and well-established catering team to create one of San Francisco’s famous wine and food destinations in the San Francisco Bay Area.