D.wight L.
Yelp
Found this old school Italian resto a while back. Been in twice within a years period and will include this when searching/craving sit-down old school Italian. Very homey like going to your Nonna's house. There's even an armoire in the dining room that totally gave me the feels, since all my grandmas are no longer around. This also isn't the hip lighter style of Italian like A16 or most places in SF these days. This is heavier and more hearty type of Italian, like you'd see in the Godfather. Lol
Cup of Manhattan chowder ($8ish/3*) I usually love red chowders, but this was way too thick for me. And the tomato flavor gets lost when it is that thick. But good chunks of potato and clams.
Fried Raviolis ($12/4*) I think I've only had fried ravs once, so I had to revisit. I liked it. There's like a dusting of bread crumbs and the pasta is both chewy and crisp. The filling is just ricotta but goes so well with the requisite marinara that is on the side. I don't drown my bites usually, but I seriously slather this tomato sauce on each rav. And with sips of red wine, some chewy bread, I'm off to that old school Italian appetite that only a grandma could appreciate.
Carafe of Chianti ($27/4*) I'm sure this is just jug wine, but more times than not a good fruity red wine is all I need with a rich meal. It was good enough for past generations, and it'll work for me too. The kicker here is that they serve it in this nicely painted ceramic pitcher that makes me feel like I'm in the countryside of Tuscany. This size is equivalent to a bottle so plenty for 2.
Hanger Steak ($35ish/4*) This was on specials the first time I came here. It was a decent steak that was already sliced up. I remember killing it as we had just golfed, so can't really recall a sauce. I remember it came with a side of spaghetti in red sauce, but I'm sure you can get a potato side if you want. But how often can you get a slab of red meat with a pile of old school pasta, amirite?! Pour me another glass of wine from that pitcher, all over it.
Lamb Loin Chops ($35/4*) This was on specials the most recent visit. First off it wasn't the rib chops that look like lollypops. These are the 'porterhouse' of the lamb so has more of bone to deal with. They were nice and thick and meaty, that a medium rare was easily achieved. The sauce was like a balsamic demi mix, which was just okay to me. I appreciated the fruity touch but was just too tart for me to wipe the plate clean. If I like a sauce, I will mop it up with bread or meat til it is clean. I left easily half the sauce.
I like they do a seasonal veggie of the day and it is usually not just green beans or broccoli. My recent memory was chard cooked with chunks of butternut squash, which I enjoyed a lot. Went great with the mashed potatoes and the lamb.
Warm Peach Cobbler ($11/3*) Ok I love a warm, cinnamon-y crisp layer with vanilla ice cream on top. That crust was more like a baked cookie type of crust versus the crumbly type with oats/nuts. It was decent with the ice cream. But the fruit filling was very small that it felt like over 50% of the cup was topping, and I just wanted more warm and tangy fruit element to balance things out.
Service always great, I'm not a reg but I bet if I come in a few more times within a year, that they'd probably know my name. These aren't a bunch of college aged kids working for party/boba money. Lol
So not as finesse driven but more hearty vibes. I know I have days when that calls me, and when those times come, I'll let De La Torre make the call.