My friend Thomas and I are always asking each other, "Have you eaten anywhere good?" and we generally have but each experience is never note-worthy or singular. The foods are fresh, clean, well prepared but rarely are they riveting or classic. We both dine often (Thomas is out almost 4 nights a week!) and have had many good meals but we are always looking for that definitive meal. It is not about money, famous chefs, or ratings from critics. It is about the food, the flavor and the experience. Well...a new place has been found.
In one of the many ironies of life Thomas and I had a business dinner this past Thursday night and on the way we were discussing our usually culinary problem, has anything wowed us lately. I had just eaten at a well regarded restaurant on Tuesday night and Thomas was eager to hear my thoughts. It was good but nothing new or noteworthy. I will be going back as the service and dining room are very romantic and the food was good, just not anything different. We were scheduled to meet two gentlemen from Banfi to discuss new vintages and break bread. Thomas had made reservations at Farina, a relatively new Italian restaurant in the Mission.
Farina is Italian for flour and focuses on the cuisine of Liguria. Liguria is the home of pesto and Christopher Columbus. The chef, Paulo, is from Genoa and has created a menu dishes that are from his mothers kitchen. The decor of the restaurant is comfortable and modern with good lighting and out door seating (with heat lamps). There is one large communal table in the middle of the dinning room and there are seats around the bar and pasta making area. The dinning room is inviting and well lit but not too bright or too dark. The tables are a touch tight but so is parking in San Francisco.
We had early reservations and were seated promptly at 6:00 PM. Our server, Helen promptly brought us our menus and offered us our water options and thus began the dining experience I have been longing for. Once Helen returned with our water we were off. We asked her to request that the chef prepare us whatever he wanted and he did. Chef Paulo came to our table and our host Filippo, who is Roman, chatted up a storm and with a grin the chef was back to the kitchen and the food started to come.
Our first dish was amazing and so simple. Perfect Liquarian focaccia with a drizzle of olive oil and grey salt, a slice of prosciutto San Danielle and a dollop of burrata (a cheese from the south of Italy that is like mozzarella with ricotta inside). Each of us took a bite and as the warm bread hit our lips and the slight crunch of grey salt hit our taste buds we all sat back and dreamed of Italy. Great food does not need to be formed, foamed or anything else to have sublime flavors caress your palate and transplant you from where you are to where you long to be.
Our next dish was a gorgeous piece of crudo or Italian sushi. It was piece of fresh Ahi tuna with a kiss of olive oil and roasted red bell pepper puree. This was a fresh and clean dish that was a good intermezzo between the focaccia and the next dish that may have changed my life. After finishing the crudo Paulo himself brought four dishes of pasta with pesto sauce. Simple as it may seem this was not just pasta and pesto. This was seminal. The pasta was the BEST pasta I have ever had. The pasta was cut into large ribbons draped on top of each other with the pesto sauce on top. The pasta had a texture and richness to it I had never experienced. It was almost like the texture of a perfect gnocci but better. The pesto was so well balanced and fresh all I wanted was more. After my first few bites I turned to Thomas and he to I and we hugged. This is what we search for: purity, truth of flavor, passion.
To be honest it was hard to go on after the pasta but our main dishes were executed to perfection. I had a caprese of tuna that was lovely and paired well with our wine but after trying Thomas's red snapper I was jealous. The snapper was prepared in a tomato sauce and roasted to perfection. The balance in the dish was great and the texture of the fish perfect. I strive to cook my fish like that, maybe one day.
We ended our meal with three traditional desserts from Liguria which I do not remember the names but I am going again on Tuesday night and will write them down. The desserts are NOT to be missed. Each one was singular, pure of flavor and not overly sweet. We ended our meal with espresso. This is where a restaurant can really lose it for me. If I order an espresso and it has not crema and is watery a restaurant will lost a few notches no matter how great the food and service was. This espresso was good, not great but good. Farina uses Lavazza, which is a very good coffee from southern Italy.
I highly recommend Farina. I look forward to going back and eating mounds of pasta! It is moderate in price. Expect to pay $35 to $50 per person including beverages (for a 3 course meal)
Farina
3560 18th Street
between Dearborn St. & Linda St.
Sana Francisco CA 94110
Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Friday - Sunday: 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
415.565.0360
I told you I read (and enjoy) your blog. I so enjoyed catching up with you tonight. Happy travels to Puglia. Know how much you are loved and missed and you and Shauna are always welcome for a DC visit!
Posted by: Christina | 10 April 2008 at 12:03 AM