640214 Tue Jul 28 18:19:31 -0700 2009 1 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4898664 I’ve had Perbacco’s food before and loved it, but I guess I just got so caught up in the trendy regional Italian restaurants we have here that I didn’t stop to think about just how good of a restaurant this is. It wasn’t lost on me last night, however. First, and most importantly, the service. I went with someone who cannot process raw garlic. We informed the staff of this and the leaps and hurdles they went through to make sure none ever even came near a dish he was served were unlike anything I’ve ever seen before – they were acting as if he had a nut allergy and would need to get carried out on a stretcher if he accidentally ate a milligram of undercooked garlic. Our server, Alexandra, whom I will ask for by name on every subsequent visit, was as good as any I have ever had. What made her special was that she had all the poise, knowledge, and professionalism that one would expect out of a Michelin-starred restaurant server… yet she was casual, friendly, and relaxed in a way that you could never find at a more “upscale” restaurant. The food was exceptional. The appetizer portion of the herb ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms was large… how they charge only $11 for a plate of fresh chanterelles and porcinis I do not know… plus the preparation was exquisite. If I had one complaint, I would say the ricotta were *slightly* too soft, but that really is a minor issue – it was a phenomenal dish. Both the monkfish in red wine and porcini as well as the pork chop were excellent. Again, if I am looking for a fault, I would say that I was not asked how I wanted my pork chop cooked and it was served medium to medium-well. I’m not particularly scared of trichinosis and actually tend to prefer my pork medium rare. But, the chop was absolutely delicious. The green salad with the main courses was perfect. Just frissee, arugula, and radicchio with reggiano parmesan, a little lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, some salt and pepper. We were going to order a vegetable side to go with our mains, but Alexandra told us to get the salad instead – and she was right. The sorbetto was excellent. The wine list is amazing. Lots of excellent hard to find wines, and at $55+, the markup varies from 40% - 80%, and overall the list is incredibly fairly priced with lots of rare and interesting Italians to choose from. (If you’re into the higher end stuff, *LOADS* of interesting Baroli, plus top wines from producers like Paolo Bea and Gravner.) Overall, this was just an outstanding meal – as good or better than any I’ve had at any other Italian in the city in a similar price range. And I haven’t even mentioned the brilliance that is their house-made salumis. Strongly reccomended Tue Jul 28 18:19:31 -0700 2009 50041 whiner 1 4935456 link Mon Aug 10 23:11:31 -0700 2009 4898664 10264 rworange