Americano

One cannot write about Pascal Rigo without writing about bread.

At Americano, the newest restaurant from the Bordeaux-born baker, cookbook author and restaurateur, the meal begins with miniature rounds of warm black olive, walnut or sourdough bread. But before you reduce them to crumbs – as you surely will – look closely: each has a flattened star or circle baked in. These baker’s marks, a tradition that dates back at least as far as the Middle Ages and possibly all the way to ancient Greece, were used to identify a loaf’s origins and ensure quality. What better way for Rigo, whose Bay Bread supplies the restaurant’s loaves, to leave a lasting mark on the restaurant he designed?

Rigo is a baker at heart. Though restaurants outnumber bakeries 2-to-1 in his string of San Francisco eateries, his roots are in flour and yeast. Trained in his native France, Rigo opened the first Boulangerie Bay Bread on Fillmore Street in 1999 as a wholesale bakery, and on a whim one day put a few loaves in the window to sell to passers-by. Within days the storefront was swamped with bread-hungry locals, and so, on another whim, he baked a handful of croissants.

The croissants sold out in twenty minutes.

From there one bakery grew into three and eventually spawned restaurants like Chez Nous, Le Petit Robert and Cortez. Now Rigo brings us Americano, which opened three months ago in the Hotel Vitale on the Embarcadero. Mere steps from the Ferry Plaza farmer's market, Americano is several times larger than other Rigo outposts, with seating for more than fifty plus a bar, outdoor patio and separate lounge. Comfy moss green chairs offer diners a choice of views: the open kitchen with wood-burning oven and bustling staff, or sweeping views of the water and the Bay Bridge through tall windows.

Chef Paul Arenstam, formerly of the Grand Café, turns out Cali-Italian fare, but hints of Rigo's France pop up here and there. Bowls of stracciatella “Torn Rags”, a rendition of Italian egg-drop soup, are filled to the brim with broth, pasta, escarole, rough hunks of crouton, Parmesan cheese, and eggs, which look like the “torn rags” in the dish’s name. Artichoke hearts are stuffed with Baccala, or salt cod, then rolled in breadcrumbs and lightly fried. A side of lemony aioli disappears fast when smeared thick on the 'chokes. Star-shaped Baker’s pies, the kitchen's take on pizza, boast a thin crust similar to a flaky but deflated croissant. Our favorite came topped with wild mushrooms, sage and mozzarella and was redolent with the heady scent and unmistakable flavor of truffles.

Chitarra, which combines spinach pasta with favas, asparagus, green garlic and peas, is one of the few breaths of spring on an otherwise hearty menu. Skate wing is prepared more like chicken parmigiana, with a layer of breadcrumbs and tomato sauce that’s finished off with a pour of white wine. White- and dark-meat chicken lovers can both find something to savor in the chicken two ways, be it light meat sautéed with fennel seed, oranges and almonds or braised thigh in a butter bean stew. Lamb sirloin from Niman Ranch is tender, and artichokes, mint and couscous lend a Mediterranean flair to the dish.

Several desserts are good for sharing. We loved the zeppole, Italian doughnut holes dusted with orange sugar and served with chocolate and pistachio dipping sauces. The ice cream sandwich is a riff on classic Neapolitan ice cream: raspberry, vanilla and chocolate gelato is sandwiched between two thin layers of crumby chocolate cake and topped with stiff meringue. The meal will end, as it began, with nothing but crumbs to show.

Americano, San Francisco, 8 Mission Street, 415-278-3777

Comments

[Sam]

Americano isn't the newest though, there is one even newer. Is there no stopping Monsieur R?

http://www.sfist.com/archives/gastronomique/index.php
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000174.html
http://aldoblog.com/blog/475#more-475

[Catherine]

Argh! Will the man never stop?! Thanks for the head's up, though...

[Sam]

it's not just him, it's all 3 french restaurant cartels in town. No stopping any of them.
I keep trying to persuade the french restaurant mafia i have connections with to open an English restaurant. Oh how they laugh.