Description
Opened just two doors down from Perbacco on California Street, Umberto Gibin and Staffan Terje's spinoff wine bar and casual restaurant is all about the filigree that surrounds Perbacco's renowned Northern Italian food: the wine list, the housemade salumi, the scrupulously curated cheeses, and Terje's thing for pork. The long, low-ceilinged room, with its exposed brick and silvery accents, feels very Manhattan; so does the cramped, moneyed crowd. Dishes like chicken thighs braised with olives and garlic and bruschette topped with sardines and radishes are hearty enough to match the vivid acidity and eccentric aromas of the natural wines sommelier Mauro Cirilli packs his list with. Watch out for all those tiny plates and three-ounce pours the waiters upsell so smoothly - the micropayment plan adds up.
