Get Home-Made Pasta without being Italian- go to Perbacco!

GUYS!

I just had one of the best damn pasta dishes EVER!

And trust me. I know, I know.

BUT it was SOOOOO yum. Like, party-in-my-mouth type of yum. (more details later)

Anyway, Perbacco is an authentic Italian restaurant located in the Financial District of San Francisco. They’re known for their house-made pastas, drawing flavors and influences found in the Italian regions of Piemonte and Liguria, with a touch of France by way of Provence. They’ve won a ton of awards, they’re all over the press, and they’re known as one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.

So… I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t really eat pasta. Especially not after 6pm.

Because a bowl of carbs for dinner is like the enemy of weight-loss ( << just realness ).

But last night… I made an exception.

Each meal at Perbacco begins with house made breadsticks that are crispy and buttery.

Side: I skipped the appetizers to save my cals for pasta (which I totally regret doing).

My all-time FAV pasta dish of the night is OBV the “Poop Ramen Noodles” AKA “Tajarin”: hand-cut, thin tagliatelle, topped with 5 hour pork and porcini mushroom sugo ($14/$19)

Honestly, this pasta is so F-ing ugly to look at, but I don’t care- It’s so good.

The pasta was so thin and freshly made, that I finally understanding the meaning of true “al dente” noodles.  The sauce was bold, and the meat just melted in your mouth- it was the perfect compliment to the noodles.

Side: For pure entertainment purposes, watch this short video of Executive Chef Staffan Terje reading aloud his bad Yelp Reviews.

He pretty much rips apart Jocelyn L (Yelp review), who said her tagliatelle was cut too thin (“Tagliatelle means ‘to cut with a knife thinly’ in Italian,” he says).

Next, we had the Pappardelle- a wide ribbon pasta topped with slow cooked lamb shoulder ragu, cherry tomatoes, and black olives ($14/$19)

This was an extremely tasty dish and the noodles were cooked flawlessly. The lamb ragu was very tender, moist, and packed with flavor. This dish couldn’t have been more perfect- I was very impressed.

Next, we had the Risotto- with North coast bay shrimp, squash and leek fondo, basil, and saffron ($14/$19).

The texture was very rich and creamy, although it could have used a little bit more flavor. Wasn’t the best I ever had, but it was close.  Since their ingredients change daily, I will definitely order this again to see what they come up with next time!

Next, came the entrees (which were decent, but also un-memorable)

+ Pan roasted Alaskan Halibut with wild mushrooms, squash ragout, leeks, and sage jus ($29). It was a bit dry… and honestly- whatevers.

+ Piastra Seared Scallops with roasted cauliflower and passatina, grapes, almonds, and red wine butter ($31). This dish came with 5 small scallops. It was my least favorite of the night, so I wouldn’t recommended it.

Side: I know what you guys are thinking- that I may have lost my photo skills. But don’t worry, my excuse is that I had VERY bad lighting, I had to use a cell phone camera light, AND I had to take these pics REALLY fast b/c I was eating with my BF’s parents (#stressedMEout).

Anyways.

To sum it all up…

+ The house-made pastas is where it’s at. 

+ If you’re looking for some bomb pasta dishes, or you want to impress some Italian friends… Perbacco is where you should go.

+ The service is attentive and friendly, so don’t worry if you’re confused with the menu. Just tell your server what you like, and they’ll make some awesome recommendations.

+ The atmosphere is classy and upscale, and is the perfect environment for a business dinner/ date night/ classy dinner with friends.

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