Jennifer Yin, 3/27/08
Since Baueriffic is on vacation, let's kick off this Wednesday's review extravaganza with Paul Reidinger at Uva Enoteca. The first things he notices about the six-month-old Lower Haight restaurant from Boris Nemchenok and Ben Hetzel is that it's an unlikely fit for the neighborhood, but invokes some familiar faces to set the scene:
It's like a Mission District restaurant — a second cousin of Beretta, maybe — that wound up in a neighborhood I associate more with beer than Barolo ... The narrowness reminded me of the original Delfina, but there is more woody warmth here (along with a cream paint scheme and gentle glass light fixtures over the bar and on the walls) and less noise, though far from no noise. The crowd is young and well-dressed in an edgy, vintage-fedora way; everyone looks like an aspiring sommelier.
In keeping with the "enoteca" designation, the food is on the lighter side ... And while the salume sets an unmistakable north-Italian tone, not all the food is northern Italian or even Italian.
Despite some misses on the pork-heavy menu (the little gem salad, the gnocchi), it's a positive take for the most part, with salumi, pizzas and panini being the stars of the increasingly-popular show. [SFBG]
Mandy Erickson takes the first of the two Chron reviews and stops by The Sherman, Burlingame's restaurant-on-a-boat. The fare is nothing to write home about ("solid"), but the view is enough for 2.5 stars. The conclusion: "Waterfront dining is always pricey, and the Sherman is no exception. But on this boat, at least you're guaranteed an expansive view, plus a very satisfying meal." [Chron]
CoCo Times castoff Nicholas Boer makes a welcome return in the Chronicle this week, chiming in with a two-star review of the latest in the growing Rallo family empire of seven local restaurants (including SF's Zazil and Colibri): Danville's Amaranta: "The sterile tone that often develops with a growing empire is evident at the Danville location, symbolized by the plastic bowl that separates the molcajete, or mortar, from the $9 guacamole that's mashed for you tableside (more lime and salt, please). But the potential for a soulful cocina Mexicana is still great; the restaurant, like a new baseball mitt, just needs a little breaking in. Many dishes already satisfy." [Chron]
In lieu of a Brody review at the Weekly, Matthew Stafford takes a tour of this place called the Ferry Building. Perhaps you've heard of it? It's pretty much a blow-by-blow listing of every food outlets in the hall, from burgers at Taylor's to the MarketBar patio. So ... there's that. [SFW]
THE ELSEWHERE & THE BLOGS: Fortunately, Stafford gets to do a formal review for the EBX at University Avenue's Caffe Venezia, the CCT is at Danville's newly-relocated Esin Restaurant, the MIJ isn't big on Sausalito's Paradise Bay, Man Seeking Coffee tries Dynamo Donuts, the Bunrabs are at Amanda's in Berkeley, Mapplr does the Ferry Building's Delica-rf1, and lest we forget about the good man, Bauer's Sunday review was 2.5-star affair at Sebastapol's new "must-visit" Wine Country destination, Restaurant Eloise.
