Pesce

2227 Polk St. (between Bonita & Green)

(415) 928-8025
www.pescesf.com

We stumbled into Pesce on a whim and decided that it'd be worth the wait to sit at the bar and grab a bite. I'd been to Pesce before and have always had a soft spot for it, but never have I had an experience quite like this one.

L, A and I sat at the lively bar and let our adorable bartender/server Eric have his way with us. Eric picked out a battery of dishes - all served tapas style - some I liked, some I loved. We started off with Oyster Shots, then moved seamlessly into the Crab Tower, orgasmic layers of Dungeness crab meat, avocado, cucumber, tomato, basil and red wine vinaigrette. Wow. We then moved on to the Capesante - pan seared scallops in a sauce of chanterelles, green onions, cream and truffle essence...don't think we didn't mop up that ridiculous sauce with our bread! Next, we had the Polpo which consisted of braised octopus, potatoes, celery, garlic and lemon vinaigrette. Though not my favorite of the night, it certainly freshened my palate with a hit of classic northern Italian flavor in preparation for the impending climax of the meal. We then had the Ravioli di Salmone in a thyme and butter sauce which was the only dish we had that I wasn't a huge fan of. But I can attribute that to the fact that I don't really like smoked salmon other than lox and don't usually like protein in my raviolis - anyone else have an aversion to pureed meat?

With bellies aching and in true form, L and I spotted a dish the guy next to us was eating and of course we just had to have it - the Papardelle served in a porcini and braised duck sauce. And boy am I glad we did. Never have I had papardelle so fine (literally,) a sauce so perfect, the best preparation of this dish of my life. This was easily the crowned jewel of the meal and I could eat it for days.

Though we left with our usual overeating-induced GI complaints, I can't wait to go back.

Go see Eric. He's a peach. And our wine glasses never went empty.

The Verdict: Worth It, Worth It, Worth It!