Italian food renaissance in SF Bay Area

When you think of a night out in San Francisco, chances are you’re picturing an Italian restaurant. The enduring cuisine was already abundant here, but this year brought a staggering amount of new blood — a baker’s dozen of notable spots.

It’s safe to say that we’re experiencing another renaissance of Italian restaurants. Although much of the growth is concentrated in the city, this spike also extends to Wine Country, Marin County and Oakland. 

It’s obvious that simplicity is a unifying force for almost all the newcomers. And the bulk exists outside of the semi-recent crudo-and-pasta restaurant trend. Instead, there’s more of an old-school Italian feel and taste. Still, interpretations vary. Some prefer regionality above all while others subscribe to none. A few miss the mark.

By summer, there were already signs that this would be a big year for Italian food. Pasta Supply Co. in S.F. and Sfizio in Oakland emerged as excellent sources of budget-friendly pasta. In Wine Country, Healdsburg’s Molti Amici and Yountville’s Ciccio arrived with a refined, back-to-basics approach to the cuisine. Fall even brought more openings to the city, including standouts Barberio Osteria in the Mission District and Collina in Nob Hill; they have different philosophies but dabble in contemporary direction. 

Barberio, the latest effort by AltoVino chef Nick Kelly, has a menu that spans Italy’s disparate regions. It was born in part to showcase dishes that might not fit into AltoVino’s focus on central Italy. The expanded purview allows for dishes like a beautiful bowl of Lombardy-inspired polenta crowned with escargot in jus ($19); northern-style fluffy, beignet-like gnocco fritto ($21) served with prosciutto and figs; and springy, drill bit-esque strozzapreti in lamb ragu ($26), found in central and northern parts of the country. 

Meanwhile La Gastronomia, a restaurant in Fairfax, spotlights Tuscan cooking with dishes like uova al pomodoro ($17), eggs cooked in tomato sauce, and a lip-smacking porchetta sandwich ($19).

Kelly and La Gastronomia chef-owner Elena Fabbri cook like Italians in California, versus chefs focused on California-Italian cooking. Kelly believes much of the genre was driven by “French technique with California ingredients.” According to Kelly, you’ll find creams and butter in places Italians wouldn’t put them.

But regional doesn’t always mean good. The execution at Italian Riviera-inspired Corzetti, which opened this fall near Union Square, largely fell flat. La Connessa, a splashy arrival in Potrero Hill, offered some interesting regional dishes but overall felt relatively safe and one-note. It’s worth noting that these two restaurants were opened by restaurant groups Back of the House, which runs 24 restaurants including Super Duper Burger, and Bacchus Management Group, best known for Spruce. 

While new S.F. restaurant Ofena is not focused on regionality, I felt a similar disconnect with the unbalanced food there. It’s run by the folks behind sushi restaurant Ju-Ni. 

These restaurants stand in stark contrast to places like Sfizio, Pasta Supply Co. and Barberio, which are passion projects for the chefs. Sfizio and Pasta Supply Co. are admirable entries to the field for their commitment to frugal pasta. They are proof that a community can quickly get behind casual service models as long as the substance is there. 

But maybe that’s not your speed and you’re looking for a full-service experience. For Italian dishes with a contemporary feel, there’s Collina, the more affordable sibling to Seven Hills. Bites like Calabrian chile oil-laced ahi tuna crudo ($21), piled on jet-black crackers, invite fun. As does the descriptive, inviting list of Italian wines by the glass. On pasta: All signs point to the enticing, crispy-edged lasagnette ($26). The sumptuous slice of lasagna looks like an air vent surrounded by a lagoon of emerald green sauce made of spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s spinach lasagna like you’ve never had before. 

Collina’s menu was the most succinct, with only a few starters, pastas and entrees — no real need for a plan of attack. Wine Country spots Molti Amici, one of my favorite new restaurants of the year, and Ciccio also keep things legible with pared-down menus. Although the kitchens are led by chefs with fine dining pedigree, there are no gelees or ant-size bites. Instead there are handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas and big hunks of meat.

Small details solidified the neighborhood feel of these establishments. The smell of wood burning at Barberio inspired excitement. Collina’s intimate digs and monochromatic blue walls created a comfy vibe. The marble aesthetic and street-facing wood benches really sold me on La Gastronomia.

There are many ways to ride this wave of Italian food, whether that’s a casual lunch, an inexpensive pasta dinner or a date night. The key is to take it easy.

Barberio Osteria. 557 Valencia St., San Francisco. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30-9 p.m. Sunday. barberiosf.com or 415-874-9583

Collina. 1550 Hyde St., San Francisco. 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. collinasf.com  or 415-775-1542

La Gastronomia. 123 Bolinas Road, Fairfax. 5-8:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Thursday; 5-9:30 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-8:30 p.m. Sunday. lagastronomiadiporchetta.com or 415-419-5465

Molti Amici. 330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. moltiamici.com or 707-756-3169.

Pasta Supply Co. 236 Clement St., San Francisco. 5-9 p.m. daily. pastasupplyco.com or 415-236-2668

Sfizio. 6099 Claremont Ave., Oakland. 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 5-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday.. sfiziopasta.com

Reach Cesar Hernandez: [email protected]; Twitter: @cesarischafa