Perbacco

In this lively, even noisy FiDi eatery, Chef Staffan Terje and his team turn out delicious Northern Italian dishes that make the din seem like a communal celebration of how good the food is. Perbacco shines with cooking that spotlights the Piemonte region and elements from Liguria and Provence. The slow roasted veal appetizer with lemon and albacore tuna sauce is so tender and tasty, they should seriously make giant sandwiches out of that stuff. While I thought about having the Salumi Misti, house cured meats and salami – after all, it is #18 on 7×7′s list of places to try before you die – I opted for the squid which was also impressively tender and nicely accented with lemon and red chili flakes. The folks here make their own pasta daily, and you can taste the freshness in dishes such as the roasted rabbit agnolotti. The Subrich, or Piemontese meatballs, were perfectly prepared, not too dense or mushy, with a rich and savory spiced red wine jus offset by slightly sweet apples and potato puree. Don’t forget dessert. They have a lot of chocolatey and nutty decadence on the menu, but they also have interesting items like citrus and vanilla infused rice pudding with a caramel crust, a cross between rice pudding and creme brulee. At noon, the suit set converges upon this place, so be sure to have reservations.

For more info: http://www.perbaccosf.com/

We ordered two of everything on the menu, and couldn’t get enough. Man, Chef Terje has something AWESOME going on in this kitchen.

The space is awesome. It looks like a decent sized hallway from the entranceway, but a staircase opens up into several spacious upstairs rooms, one of which is a private room that can be booked for private parties. This isn’t one of those restaurants that crams as many tables as possible into a tiny location; the space feels comfortable.

We all converged on three pasta dishes that we all wanted to eat, but we also wanted to try as many other dishes as possible, so we ordered multiples of everything to share. Be warned that these are generous portions, so you really don’t need to order that much. We were just being dumb Americans.

Some highlights that are not to be missed: agnolotti, tajarin, and papardelle. They were simply fabulous. Skip the Carne Crudo as well as the Coppa di Testa — both had great consistency and texture, but lacked in seasoning.

Wine list is amazing. Waiter was also very accommodating and picked a wonderful barrolo for us.

Great service, very good food though not spectacular, nice atmosphere (casual yet upscale).

FOOD: This was my first time coming for dinner and although there were some dishes I really liked, others were just OK.

Liberty Farms Duck Breast- I’ve had much better duck breast, this was not very tender :(

Crudos: We tried four crudos- Halibut, Hamachi w/Fennel, Halibut, and House-cured Anchovies. These were all very delicate and really yummy!

Salumi- an assortment of house cured meats and we also added the house made Pate which was EXCELLENT- a small bowl filled with spreadable pate topped with a fruit “mostarda” (like a fruit chutney/jam)- was sweet and savory, perfectly balanced. I would go back just for the pate!

Tripe entree- Super yummy, with white beans and a nice light sauce.

Dessert- Espresso Semifreddo with a Gianduja Emulsion- I don’t know much about semifreddos but this one was super yummy, creamy, cold, smooth and crunch textures.

SERVICE was awesome—our waiter was accommodating, friendly, funny, and even gave us free cookies and took us to the kitchen to talk to the pastry chef!

Altogether, the food here is very good although a couple dishes came out just ok. Service is very good and the atmosphere is good for a date or a business lunch/dinner. Noise level is not too loud.