Bacco: Consistently Great Italian Food in the Heart of Noe Valley

By Caroline Carter
March 7, 2004

Tucked a couple of blocks away from the main shopping district of 24th Street in Noe Valley, Bacco quietly serves up traditional Italian dishes that consistently please its loyal neighborhood clientele.

Although it lacks the cachet of a Delfina or Last Supper Club, Bacco’s patrons can enjoy the same kind of fresh, seasonal ingredients and high quality execution without the noisy din or long wait that you often find at those more popular destinations.

Bacco’s quiet, low-lit dining room is tastefully decorated with a scattered selection of imported wine and olive oil bottles. Heavy velvet curtains are draped in front of the main entry to protect diners from the draft of the front door opening and closing. White table cloths, candlelight, and attentive service from waiters with soft Italian accents complete the feel of a Billy Joel-esque traditional neighborhood Italian restaurant.

At 6:45 on a recent Saturday night the restaurant was already nearly full with couples on dates and families celebrating birthdays. We were seated right away and were quickly greeted by our main waiter, who provided us with attentive service the entire night. Unfortunately the back-up server responsible for providing us with bread, water, and grated cheese was often slower than we would have preferred -- we did not receive our first plate of bread at the table until well after ordering.

Bacco’s menu maintains a set group of standards that subtly change as different ingredients come into season. A delectable fava bean crostino starter with shaved curls of pecorino and drizzled truffle oil ($7.95) that I enjoyed last Spring is offered in the same style with cannellini beans in Winter. Likewise the risotto and ravioli menu items change often, following the season and the whim of the chef.

The Insalata di Barbabietole with beets, goat cheese, oranges and honey-citrus dressing ($7.50) is delightful, with creamy goat cheese and tart slivers of orange providing nice counterpoints in texture, color, and flavor to the dark-red beet half-moons. The salad is dressed with a delicate honey-citrus vinaigrette that I sopped up with bread after finishing the main plate.

Basic Capellini al Pomodoro e Basilico ($10.95) is also well-executed, with the angel-hair pasta perfectly melded to the light, fresh tomato sauce with flavorful flecks of basil. However, another slight hiccup in service came as a result of our table’s request to share the one dish between four people as an appetizer course -- rather than splitting up the dish among four plates before being served, we were presented with four empty plates and the pasta in the middle. The awkward job of doling out four portions of the long stringy pasta was left to us, with somewhat messy results.

Tagliata di Bue al Balsamico ($18.95), a thinly sliced and grilled hanging steak with balsamic sauce, proved to be the star of the evening with tender, succulent slices of beef sitting atop a dark, rich balsamic sauce with thinly sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley providing interest in flavor and color. Sides of broccoli rabe sautéed in buttery garlic and hot pepper flakes, and white tuscan beans with a lack-luster tomato glaze completed the plate. I would have preferred the fluffy buttermilk mashed potatoes in lieu of the ordinary beans so I could have soaked up more of the exquisite sauce left sitting under the steak. Service for this course corrected the mistake of the second – the dish which two of us requested to share arrived at the table already attractively split onto two plates.

For dessert, look no further than Sfogliatina di Mele con Gelato ($6.00), a puff pastry apple tart with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce. The pastry crust delicately flakes onto your tongue, reminding you of the layers of butter that must be buried within, while the dark rich caramel seductively coats every bite of tart green apple. If you’re ordering more than one dessert to share, also try the Budino di Ciocolata e Nocciole ($6.00), a warm chocolate hazelnut pudding cake with crème anglaise and raspberry sauce.

Bacco’s wine list is comprehensive, with a full page dedicated to Italian reds ranging in price from $20-$200. A second page covers domestic reds, and all white wine options. Bacco charges a corkage fee of $15 per bottle.

Although Bacco still needs to work out one or two hiccups in service, the consistently high quality of the food and the subdued, romantic setting make this restaurant a real neighborhood treasure. Expect to return often to this jewel deep in the heart of Noe Valley.

Food: **1/2
Service: **
Atmostphere: ***
Overall: **1/2

Bacco
730 Diamond St (at 24th St.),
San Francisco, California 94114
(415) 282-4969
website

Hours:
Mon-Sat, 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Sun 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm.

Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Traveler’s checks, cash.

Food: **1/2
Service: **
Atmostphere: ***
Price: $$$
Overall: **1/2

All rankings out of a total of 4 stars.