Meanwhile, back in San Francisco...While Little Sister and The Boyfriend were chowing down on frites in NY, Mr. Food Musings and I were twirling pasta at our favorite neighborhood Italian, Vivande Porta Via on Fillmore @ Sacramento. Vivande is one of those restaurants that no one seems to know about - astonishing, since the food is superb. You get none of those gloppy pastas drowning in sauce and cheese (like another Fillmore Italian I won't mention). It's owned by Carlo Middione, who was raised by Sicilian parents and apprenticed early in the trade. Vivande is a deli, a to-go counter and a cafe all in one. The back of the menu proudly proclaims its status as recipient of the L’Insegna del Ristorante Italiano designation, bestowed by the Italian government in recognition of their use of authentic Italian foods, products, recipes and methods. The pasta is homemade, the sausage is stuffed by hand using a family recipe that’s more than 150 years old, the citrus peel is candied in house. A labor of love.
For Mr. Food Musings and me, it’s a special place: the place we used to go on Sunday nights, back when I was an advertising slave and couldn’t bear the thought of another work week full of bitchy clients and impossible deadlines; the place we still go when one of us has gotten bad news, or when neither of us can face cooking; the place we’ve taken family and friends for as long as we’ve lived around the corner; the place we dash into when the rain starts to fall and we need to get inside, quick; the place we go when we’re making up. We bought our very first black truffle there, about two years ago. We carried it home, proud and careful, our baby nestled in a soft bed of arborio rice. We set it on the counter and stared at it for a while. "Is it really ours?"
One wall is brick, hung with ceramic pig heads and masks that look to be Venetian. Along the other wall runs a long counter, full of tarts and cookies, cheese and salads like cannellini beans with rosemary and tomatoes, plus all manner of Italian deli meats. Baskets hang above the counter, leaving little room for you to peek over top, and bottles of wine line the top shelf behind the counter. Recent renovations spell out a desire for more foot traffic: tables were added to the window so passers-by realize it’s more than just a take out shop, and church-style pews have replaced some of the chairs.
The menu, too, has been redesigned; the addition of small plates, antipasti really, are a nod to trendy pop cuisine. Two olive oils make an appearance, one from Tuscany and another from Sicily, their descriptions as seductive as any blurb you’ll find in the Wine Spectator.
Walk in any night without a reservation and sit down immediately. Where else in this town can you do that? You don’t need more than $35 for your wine budget; the list is full of oh-so-reasonably priced Barolos and juicy Chiantis (hey, they don’t deserve their bad rap).
Last night I ate off the specialità list: jumbo green asparagus, served cold with a drizzle of gorgonzola, lemon and olive oil. Buttery toasts were served alongside for a contrasting crunch. Mr. Food Musings and I both had the salmon (okay, so there wasn’t really any pasta twirling going on) baked in parchment atop zucchini, scallions, little shreds of carrot, and big basil leaves. Light, fresh, perfect for one of the first warm days we’ve had in a long time. I rarely veer off course – the tagliatelle con ragu Bolognese is so rich, so fragrant, it seeps down into my toes – but it’s more of a cold day dish. No lemon tart or cookies laced with powdered sugar this time. We meant to be good, but walking home in the newly chilled night, we gave in to a hankering for some Cherry Garcia (hence the photo). Sleep came fast.
Vivande Porta Via, San Francisco, 2125 Fillmore Street, 415-346-4430
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