Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Piccino

1001 Minnesota St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Occasion: Dinner to celebrate GHT's birthday 02.23.12.

The Dogpatch is not the same as it used to be.  It's definitely a thriving neighborhood, growing, with many great foodie spots. Amongst them all, Piccino's menu offers a great variety of great eats.  I would consider it a hidden gem in the Dogpatch. If you haven't ventured out to this part of town, this is one spot you want to experience before it gets way too popular. Thank you chef Rachel Silcocks for an amazing meal!

Special thanks to our server, Hana, who picked out all our dishes for us. She knew our tastes too well.

Marinated Olives
I've never been crazy about olives, but I'll still eat it.  However, I really liked these olives.  Perhaps it was because there were garlic cloves, or the fact that I was super hungry. Either way, they were a great little snack to start us off with.
Fried brussels sprouts, lemon, garum and roasted garlic 
The tangy accent of lemon complemented the fried brussel sprouts perfectly, as the roasted garlic added a delicious flavor to the dish.  Soft, but each bushel still had a great crunch.

Roasted cauliflower, farro and almond gremolata
I've never been a big fan of cauliflower, probably because my parents always overcooked it, giving it an extra mushy and soft texture. I feel differently now about cauliflower, perhaps it was due to the fact that it was roasted. It left a smokey taste with a great crunch.  To add to the crunch texture the almonds were a great addition to the dish. I loved the flavors and the play in textures. I was such a fan of this dish.
Kale and butternutsquash, pomegranate, toasted pecan and celery root puree
Healthy and delicious. How could you resist a dish that is not only high in nutritional value, but so delicious? Love the crunch that the toasted pecan adds to the dish.
Pork and beef polpette, crushed tomatoes and parmesan
I love the combination of a pork and beef meatball.  I think it beats the classic meatball with it's flavor and it's softer texture. The crushed tomato sauce loaded on top of the meatballs were divine.  We all agreed on how simple, but delicious this dish was.

Baked semolina gnocchi, poached egg, root vegetable caponata, black olive and dried plum
Such a unique and innovative dish. I loved not only the presentation, but also the flavors in this dish.  The marriage of all the flavors worked real well together. When I see poached eggs, I think breakfast, but this dish was so much more hearty than your typical poached egg that you get served at breakfast. Definitely a must try dish.

House made fettuccine, hedgehog mushrooms, pecorino, monteporo and rosemary
Fettuccine in a delicious light creamy mushroom sauce.  The rosemary adds a distinctive fragrant taste to the dish.
Roasted young carrots with cumin and herbed creme fraiche
Delicious.  It had the texture of potato.  This was reminiscent of sweet potatoes with the sweetness of cumin along with the texture.  It was so good especially dipped in the cool herbed creme fraiche, which complemented the dish very well.
Pan seared black cod, sorrel fumetto, green garlic and meyer lemon
Crispy skin, soft buttery meat with a hint of acidity all combined together= delicious. Another great dish presented in front of us.
Rosmarino Pizza
with dumpling squash, gorgonzola, fennel, chili and pickled onion
Have I ever mentioned that pizza is my favorite junk food? Anyhow, this was definitely not your average pizza.  This gourmet pizza definitely had a great twist to it. The gorgonzola added a creamy texture and a rich flavor.  The pickled onion was another highlighted ingredient on the pizza.
Margherita Pizza
I love the simplicity of a Margherita pizza. Tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese. Not the best I've had, but I still enjoyed it! Try it yourself to see how it compares to your favorite margherita pizza.
Zeppole with cardomom cream and candied orange
Reminded me of little sugared donut holes with cardamom cream. Oh so delicious.
Bittersweet chocolate cake with bergamot and buttermilk ice cream
There's something about chocolate cake that goes really well with ice cream.  Too bad, the cake was a bit to dry for my liking.
Spiced persimmon creme brulee with gingersnap cookies
Persimmon creme brulee was definitely unique. The spiced persimmon flavor definitely tones down the sweet taste of a regular vanilla creme brulee.  Gingersnap cookies were took crunchy for my liking.
Affogotto: Espresso and seven spice or jivara milk chocolate ice cream
There's something about the marriage of espresso and chocolate that makes a dessert taste so good.

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