Allegro Romano

Do you ever have a meal that makes you think, "why do I even try to cook myself?" I had one last night. Rachael and I decided it was high time for a romatic date, so we went to Allegro Romano in Russian Hill (San Francisco). I had been there once before on a hotel recommendation when my parents were in town. Because Italian cuisine is one of Rachael's favorites, I decide that this was the restaurant for us.

...it was a good call.

The setting for the restaurant could not be better. There are about 15-20 tables and it feels more like a large livingroom than it does a restaurant. When you walk in, you are greeted and seated by the owner - I question whether he ever takes off work.

Once seated, the staff was curteous and helpful, but never became over-involved with our meal nor so distant that they were not available. The restaurant placed fresh bread with a muted tomato-based dipping sauce on the table. The bread was good (but not mindblowing). The sauce was solid - it had a mild flavor that persisted throughout the bite, but never threatened to overpower your palate in consideration for the next course.

We decided to order bruschetta and beef carpaccio as appetizers. The bruschetta was spectacular. Two little pieces came with the order and we each savored every bite until it was gone. The dish had the perfect balance of olive oil, tomato and basil. The very slight flavors were a lovely way to start the meal.

Beef carpaccio is not for everybody. Some have a natural adversion to raw/mostly raw meat. I will never make this dish at home, I only order it at restaurants I know to be good and I am comfortable with. Allegro Romano's beef carpaccio makes me question how anybody can be a vegetarian. It was fantastic. The beef is topped with parmigiano-reggiano cheese (I think), which adds so much to the already wonderful meat. Each bite was incredibly fresh and delicious. I will definitely order it again.

For the main courses, we decided to share fettucini with a white truffle sauce and lobster ravoli. We decided to leave it up to the restaurant to pick the wine pairing with our dishes and they did a great job with this (it was not too expensive, but it was quite good). Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to make a note of what we were drinking - my bad.

The dishes were brought out (already split onto separate plates) as courses rather than all together. I loved this. It seemed as if we were having a five course meal. Timing, or a lack there of, is one of my biggest pet peaves when it comes to restaurant service. It is so frustrating when the server brings your appetizer and then the main course on its heels (or worse, at the same time!).

The fettucini came first. In-cred-ible. The white truffle sauce was light and airy. The pasta (obviously freshly made) was soft. Each bite was creamy and made us happier than the last. The lobster ravoli came next. It was a smart choice to lead with the fettucini because the ravoli had a vodka sauce (a heavier tomato-cream sauce). Biting into the ravoli forced me to close my eyes and enjoy the flavors. I cannot even put into words how delicious it was. We even dipped some of the bread in the remaining sauce when we were done (I know it is rude, but we made sure nobody was looking).

Finally for dessert, we had the tiramisu and chocolate gelatto. Before our dishes came, they brought port to the table and seemingly kept refilling it whenever I turned my head. It was about this time that a woman sitting beside us starting singing for the entire restaurant (I swear I am not making this up). Rather than go about their business, the restaurant staff stopped, turned off the lights in the kitchen and enjoyed the opera singing just as the patrons did.

Now, I am not a huge chocolate fan, but Rachael was very impressed with the gelatto. They dusted it with cocoa powder, which I thought was a nice touch. It was great. The tiramisu was like biting into a cloud. The coffee was not dominating (which I think is a typical mistake for this dish). Amazing.

After the meal, rather than hail a cab, we walked home. Before we could leave the restaurant they presented Rachael with a single rose - nice touch. It was a beautiful night, the moon was out and we were completely satisfied. It really made us appreciate our city and our neighborhood.

I would highly recommend checking this restaurant out. For what you get, it is a bargain - the dishes range from around $18-$28 dollars and the appetizers from around $4-$15. I have certainly paid more for much less.