Alimentari Aurora

Alimentari Aurora: This Potrero Hill Market Is a Love Letter to Italian Food and Tinned Fish | Eater SF

"Stepping through Japanese-style noren into this miniscule Potrero Hill deli feels like entering Ollivander’s wand shop—if Ollivander sold meat, cheese, and snacks. The walls are lined with colorful tins of fish and bags of chips labeled in various languages, and a glass case displays thick rolls of salumi and pecorino that are sold and wrapped up by the chunk; I always leave with a curated selection for whatever occasion, from a dinner party to a romantic night at home. Dario Barbone, the founder and resident wizard, channels his nonna Aurora in how he stocks the shelves (from liver pâté and craft chocolate to vegan cashew cheese, lamb sausage, stuffed olives, and Calbee potato chips) and in how he treats customers: with a smile and the kind of five‑minute conversations about what’s good that he says Aurora would have wanted. Barbone’s backstory—born in Vercelli, with a doctorate in molecular medicine and years as a UCSF lab director before pivoting to food—explains the shop’s thoughtful, personal approach; he calls it “my kitchen on the street.” The shop began as a 2019 pop-up, built buzz with sold-out gift card pop-ups and cooking classes, opened a permanent home on November 1, 2020, and now also runs a Fish Tin XOXO subscription (trout, squid and other tinned fish) to reach customers beyond the tiny storefront." - Paolo Bicchieri