Smoke hangs like haze over harvested fields,
The wild gander leads his flock through the cool night,
Ya-honk! he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation:
The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listen closer,
I find its purpose and place up there toward the November sky.
- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, 1855, I Celebrate Myself

Friends ~

As I return from an amazing trip to Italy and Switzerland, I find myself relaxed, marveling at the experiences I had abroad and the ones still awaiting me here at home in my incomparable city. I will share finds from my European travels soon.

This month, New & Interesting highlights downtown’s Italian newcomer, Ducca. The Featured Neighborhood is West Portal. Wandering Traveler takes us back to New York City, dining at The Spotted Pig.

I’d love your feedback on any spots you visited from my site. You can leave comments through the site on the Perfect Spot Blog or email me directly.

Let me guide you to the perfect spot!

~ Virginia

DUCCA

50 3rd St (between
Mission & Market)
In the Westin Hotel
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-977-0271
www.duccasf.com

I start off with a caveat: I have only been to Ducca for lunch. I’ve heard the buzz: dinner can be noisy with the bar’s volume permeating the restaurant and the patio is not always ideal depending on weather. That being said, my lunches here have been most pleasurable, enough to make me anxious to return for dinner at this new hotel restaurant, which initially made me groan, “Another upscale Italian restaurant?” (post-Delfina fame, we continue to see a slew of such openings: Perbacco, Farina, Chiaroscuro, to name a few).

The 3rd Street entrance leads me down a tree-lined walk into Ducca’s resort-like patio (you can also enter through the Westin Hotel lobby). On a sunny SF day, it’s near idyllic: the brick building lining one side of the walk is covered with ivy, while the wide-open patio is bathed with light. An awning covers a portion of the space, while elegant lounge chairs, tables and fire pits create an upscale vacation feel, ideal for happy hour.

Cichetti, Venetian-style bar snacks, are a “selling point” and focus of Ducca, an attempt to set themselves apart from other Italian dining experiences in the city. Cichetti items include Alici Fritti, fried white anchovies in oregano and lemon, or Aranci, crispy rice fritters stuffed with cheese. I like the perfectly balanced Salt Cod Crostini with lemon shaved across the top to add a contrast to the salty fish.

I found pasta dishes, like homemade Pappardelle al Sugo (pasta in a ragu sauce), solid but not particularly striking. The Renaissance Man, however, deftly ordered Lamb Polpettone, which was delectable and an unexpectedly generous amount of food (for about $12). It consisted of enormous meatballs buried in the freshest tomato garlic sauce on crispy bread under sheets of ricotta cheese and mint. I had to help him finish, of course.

Dessert, a lush Mascarpone Panna Cotta with a layer of espresso gelee and chocolate granita, was different, alternately creamy and granulated. Though a worthwhile experience, I would try something else on my next visit.

Though the menu isn’t flawless, all I’ve sampled is good, if not great. The prices at lunch are well worth the fine experience. For dinner, the higher prices may change the story, though I hope to be pleasantly surprised as I have been at lunch.

I’ve heard some complain about the service, but I’ve had friendly, attentive, if not a little “green”, servers. Initially, I can proclaim it a coveted spot for drinks and Cichetti after work or on weekends, or a lovely lunch spot on a sunny day. Here I am transported, as if under a cabana at a chic island restaurant, albeit in a sea of skyscrapers.

Bursa Kabob

The October issue of San Francisco Magazine dubbed West Portal the “Noe West” of San Francisco.  I do not see the similarity other than a high family quotient, finding my home of Noe more charming and intimate (biased, I know).  West Portal has a somewhat dated, suburban main street feel.  It’s also unpretentious, offering reasonably priced dining and shopping, a small three-screen movie theater showing a nice selection of films, and easy access around its Muni train hub.

There is a time-warp feeling here with a number of structures unchanged since the 1950’s, giving it a less than trendy, refreshingly real feel. I don’t recommend overpriced, circa-1980’s spots like Café for All Seasons, which are very popular with elderly, ladies-who-lunch crowds, but serve overpriced food (for example, salads are bland at around $15).  Here are a few spots of interest on the main drag of West Portal Avenue:

Bursa Kebab, 60 West Portal Ave (between Claremont Blvd & Portola Dr), 415-564-4006 – Though not the best Turkish food in SF, this restaurant offers fresh Middle Eastern food in a relaxed, chic dining room, though some dishes are bland compared to better citywide spots.

El Toreador

El Toreador, 50 West Portal Ave (between Claremont Blvd & Portola Dr), 415-566-8104 -  Don’t go here for the generic, greasy Mexican food unless you care little for quality or taste, but do go for the bright, colorful interior with Day of the Dead dolls and festive décor making it a welcome, unique environment for margaritas.

Fresca – Though I cringe as their prices continue to rise rather rapidly, making it less worth dining here all the time, the food (especially their ceviches, entrees and cocktails) is quite tasty at this local Peruvian chain, this being the original location.

Old Krakow – My pick for West Portal’s best food adventure is this rare Polish haven.  The décor is, in keeping with the area, dated, but cozily so.  It’s like dining in Grandpa & Grandma’s living room (Polish grandparents, naturally!)  Hearty, filling food tastes homemade but not amateur. I like traditional dishes such as the Herring, Garlic Soup or Stuffed (with rice, pork, ground beef) Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce.  Polish beers (like the refreshing Zywiec) are also a highlight.

Old Krakow

Que Syrah – A comfy neighborhood wine bar offering weekly wine flights along with the usual by-the-glass or bottle selections.

Roti – On food alone, I can’t recommend Roti, whose high-priced dishes are definitely good, but offer no taste improvement over many of SF’s hole-in-the-wall Indian spots at half the price.  But if you are looking for a classier place to have your naan and curries, this original location of a local chain (the other is in Burlingame) fits the bill perfectly. Just be prepared for $4 Garlic Naan (double the price of many city locations) or $14 for standards like Chicken Tikki Masala.

Que Syrah

NEW YORK CITY

THE SPOTTED PIG

Neighborhood: Manhattan/West Village
314 W 11th Street
(between Greenwich St & Hudson St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 620-0393
www.thespottedpig.com

I visited The Spotted Pig back in the Spring, before their chef, April Bloomfield, was given a coveted Best New Chef award in the July issue of “Food and Wine” magazine.  The hype around this West Village “British Gastropub” has become somewhat cacophonous.  I don’t wish to add to the overstated buzz regarding this surprise hit whose dishes often feature animal innards not always so popular in the States, but I couldn’t resist sharing my take after a recent visit.

The commonly known facts: waits are long, celebrities frequent and no reservations taken.  I came early (not long after a 5:30pm opening) and secured a perfect table immediately (though the place was pretty much full already) upstairs in a cozy, corner alcove.  Charming, playful, the interior is like an edgy collector’s cottage, with funky paintings and sculptures of pigs in varying states of glory.

The clientele and staff are certainly “hipster”, with all that word implies, though minus excess attitude.  What surprises me, given the type of food, is how Spotted Pig came to be such a favorite with rock stars, artists and all-around fashionable people?  All I know is, I felt right at home in this odd little place.

The hype grows with its three years running Michelin rating, making my expectations of the food high.  It was all of great quality, but not every combination hit the right note.  Most dishes at least intrigued me, but in the end, I came away that night feeling slightly ill every time I remembered the layer of lard-like fat atop the Pork Rillette (similar to a pate), a dish not as complex as I’d hoped. It almost tasted to me like a dry tuna.  Pan Fried Calf’s Liver with Pancetta ($16) was better, but still, more interesting than amazing.  A Prosciutto & Ricotta Tart ($16), on the other hand, was amazing – how could you go wrong with that?  Their  “Bar Snacks” actually ended up being some of the best items on the menu, like Chicken Liver Toast ($5.50), or my favorite, the Devils on Horseback ($7), prunes wrapped in bacon, dipped in honey – morsels of savory, sweet goodness.

I’ve noticed that even since my recent visit, the menu looks more palatable than ever, making good on their website claim to be “British and Italian influenced food”.  There is much I’d love to try still, such as the popular Sheep’s Ricotta Gnudi in Brown Butter and Sage ($15) or Day Boat Scallops with Corn Pudding & Basil ($32).

With the wealth of excellent food in NYC, I would hardly recommend this as a first stop, though drinks and Bar Snacks would start an evening in the West Village out nicely.  For those wanting to try something new, it is certainly an ambitious, though imperfect, enterprise fitting a unique niche in the city’s dining scene.