Drayton SherylAcquerello Restaurant is an upscale Italian restaurant in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, near Van Ness. For more than 20 years, it has been serving traditional dishes from all regions of Italy in a lighter and more modern style. Co-owners Giancarlo Paterlini and Chef Suzette Gresham-Tognetti work together to provide an unparalleled Italian dining experience.
They have received one Michelin star for the past three years and are the only Italian restaurant with stars in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have walked by many times over the years and decided it was time to visit. Acquerello offers an eight-course chef’s tasting menu (for the whole table), as well as 3, 4 or 5-course meals. You can choose from any of the sections and even focus on ONE if you prefer.
Decor, atmosphere – the restaurant, located in a former chapel, has a very modest facade. The main dining room is dimly lit and has a vaulted ceiling with warm Mediterranean colors of gold and terracotta. The small but formal dining room seats 45, with private rooms available. They even have tables for hand bags, like in the best restaurants in France. The place was packed with well-dressed, elderly gourmets, mostly aged 40-60. Many cozy couples celebrating a special occasion.
Delicate parmesan budino, guaccetto tomato sauce and fried eggplant are their specialties. Deliciously fluffy parmesan pudding, almost a soufflé. This is a must-order item.
Pasta with foie gras ribs, flavored with black truffles and marsala, is a must-have specialty. The al dente tube-shaped pasta floated in a decadent foie gras-based sauce. Slightly sweet, it was a unique dish that we had never tried before but would order in a heartbeat.
The tortellini stuffed with potatoes and pancetta with arugula and fried mushrooms were very good. The pasta was al dente, and the freshness of the chanterelle mushrooms really stood out. A very nice touch of truffles in the sauce also helped.
The aged Carnaroli risotto with pork brisket and Gravenstein apples was a very satisfying risotto. Tons of diced meat and very fatty pork brisket were present, almost too much. The apples helped to break up this meat feast, but not too much. The other day we had risotto at Boulevard, which caught our eye.
The Grimaud Farms duck breast with cherry compost, orange lentils, and foie gras bomb looked great. The duck was rare and chewy, although we ordered it medium rare, so be careful. The quality and quantity of the duck was never in question. Cherries are always the perfect accent to duck. A nice little ball of foie gras pate rolled up and textured with nuts.
The vanilla panna cotta with Gravenstein apple and blackberries had a really creamy panache, but the bottom blackberry cream was too sweet.