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Food Notes

Written by Susan Dyer Reynolds, Northside Editor

Tuesday, 31 May 2005

Restaurant revisited: After a year of accolades, A16 is better than ever I was the first person to write about A16 – in March of 2004, I visited the month-old restaurant as a possible Newly Notable, and wound up devoting the cover of the April issue to it instead. The menu, focused on the Italian region of Campania, stood out as something special, as did the wine list, which earned owner Shelley Lindgren a spot on Wine & Spirit magazine’s 2004 list of best new sommeliers. Chef Christophe Hille became a certified pizzaiolo in southern Italy before the restaurant opened, and quickly gained a reputation for making the best pizza in town. I remember telling a friend that I thought A16 would be a hit, and what an understatement that turned out to be – nearly every publication in the Bay Area gave it glowing reviews, and the Marina favorite soon had lines out the door. When success comes quickly, restaurants often falter under the pressure, and the devil-horned food cynic on one shoulder tried to convince the open-minded critic on my other that this would be the case with A16. But on a recent revisit, the cynic took a hike – after a year of accolades and packed houses, A16 is better than ever. To start with, the much-touted pizza that set the standard for San Francisco’s apparent pizza renaissance has improved. Hille says he learned the basics for his certification, but it was a year’s worth of trial and error making on average 100 pies per day that made the difference. “Technical baking things” like fiddling with the amount of yeast, oil and salt and discovering that the dough is best when made two days in advance, turned out to be the secret. We ordered the Margherita, stunning in its simplicity with olive oil, bright red tomatoes, basil and full moons of melted mozzarella atop a gloriously thin, bubbly and irregular crust that was both crisp and chewy. I am also happy to say that the sumptuous mozzarella burrata stands alone. Once served as part of an antipasti platter, it now arrives with just a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and crunchy crostini to spread it on. Burrata is a fresh soft cheese originating from Puglia, delicately sweet with a slightly sour aftertaste. Cutting into the thin shell of cow’s milk mozzarella allows the inside of heavy cream and unraveled mozzarella curd, called stracciatella, to ooze out. I would describe the unusual texture as similar to the white of a poached egg, but the taste is a treat like no other. Hille has grown more confident and is in complete command of his kitchen, turning out perfectly seasoned dishes like cabbage and cece bean zuppa with pork meatballs, and properly chewy country-style maccaronara tossed in a light tomato ragu. The ridges on the pappardelle rigate help hold a well-balanced sauce of ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes, garlic, almonds and a scant of anchovy. On our visit, there was also a wonderful special – cavatelli, a traditional southern Italian pasta made with only flour and water, in a lovely chicken broth flecked with bits of carrot, onion, chard and prosciutto. Each individually handmade piece curls up, allowing shreds of fresh chicken to hide in the folds. Along with the pasta and pizza, marvelous entrés like the pork breast braised with chestnuts, olives, garlic and herbs and the house-made lamb sausage braised with onions and white wine dazzle new diners, but Hille also varies the menu enough so that his regular customers never get bored. The wine list is such an integral part of the A16 experience that I recommend working with one of the three sommeliers to pair courses. Andrew Mosblech helped guide us to some stellar choices, ranging from light and crisp to big and complex depending upon the dish. Since Italian wines remain a mystery to many, Mosblech often asks what they like, for example cabernet, and chooses one that fits that profile. His enthusiasm is contagious, and I found myself eagerly anticipating his next selection and accompanying description. If you are one of the three people in San Francisco who hasn’t been to A16, there’s no time like the present. A16: 2355 Chestnut Street, between Scott and Divisadero. (415) 771-2216. For more information, visit www.a16sf.com. You can email Susan at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 November 2006 )