perbacco, quince, delfina, & canteen?

[lilnugget]

hello, i'll be visiting SF from NY soon, and was wondering which 2 of these 4 places i should pick? many thanks for your help!

[Obessed]

I was in SF (from LA) a few weeks ago and we went to Quince --- it was fabulous and I would definitely recommend!

[Robert Lauriston]

For sharing, I think Perbacco's whole pasta orders are a better size.

My favorite dishes there have been the braised beef and pork entrees. I think they do that as well or better than anyone, while the pastas aren't quite as good as Incanto's, La Ciccia's, or Oliveto's.

Perbacco is sort of Manhattanish (or at least not ypically San Franciscan) in its scale, polish, and the crowd of often expensively suited people in the bar.

[lilnugget]

Thank you all for your help!
I think i'm going to go with Canteen and Delfina. Canteen sounds very interesting, and I was supposed to go to Delfina the last time I was visited, but cancelled my reservation at the last minute. I will definitely check out Quince next time.

[Mari]

I'd also say Cantina and Delfina. I think there are probably enough places in NYC that are similar, and maybe better, than Perbacco.

[Sallie]

I haven't been to Quince or Canteen.

I don't fall into the love-love-love Delfina camp. The last couple of times I've been have been disappointing. I can't put my finger on it, exactly, but there seemed to be too much water/broth floating around in my plate.

Perbacco I didn't like as much the first time as the second. I would recommend, if you go there, to order small plates/half-pastas and share. They make their own salames (like everyone else in SF, it seems...) and the crudo (esp. hamachi-blood orange-fennel) are really nice, too.

You've inspired me to call Quince! I've been meaning to. Thanks.

[Paul H]

Quince has the best food, Perbacco has the most urban vibe, Delfina offers a California perspective on rustic Italian cooking, and Canteen offers a talented chef cooking for you in a tiny coffee shop sumptuously decorated with green linoleum.

My choices would be Quince for sure, and then either Perbacco or Delfina depending on which you think would be most interesting.

[farmersdaughter]

Delfina is my favorite restaurant in SF and although I like Perbacco and Quince (the other two Italian restaurants on your list) I think the food and the experience is superior at Delfina. Quince has a more formal atmosphere and a less lively scene. Perbacco is a more "corporate" probably due to its location in the Financial District. I also love Canteen, so that would be the other one I'd recommend, but note that if you are with a group of more than 4 people I don't think they can accommodate you at one table.

[mchan02]

I've been wanting to try Delfina for some time now. My boyfriend is moving away for grad school and we want to have one special dinner before he leaves. I was thinking Incanto or Delfina- what are the major differences here? I'm ambivalent about the offal.

[Robert Lauriston]

This recent topic covers the differences among Delfina, Incanto, and some of the top Italian places:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/414285

[Robert Lauriston]

Of that four, Delfina and Canteen.

[pane]

I second Robert's picks.

Canteen is a tiny restaurant with a few booths and some counter seats, so if you prefer one over the other, you should request when you make your reservation.

[Robert Lauriston]

Good suggestion. Canteen's a former hotel coffee shop that's been redecorated but not fundamentally changed.